TAKING ACTION FOR BETTER HEALTH AND A LONG LIFE

Everyone dreams of a perfectly healthy body. You can achieve this dream. It is not impossible. As you age, the need to be healthy becomes a priority if you want to continue leading an unencumbered lifestyle not impeded by ill-health.

Taking positive action for better health is the best option that you can do. Do you know that you can plan an ideal lifestyle for good health and a long life span?

Making small changes to your lifestyle can greatly impact your overall wellness. Today we will discuss what changes you can make to improve your health and wellbeing. Making these changes is easier than you think, and they will help you feel better both physically and mentally.

So, let’s get started!

1. Eat Healthy, Live Healthy, and Be Healthy

Live well, be healthy is maintaining your health by sticking to a healthy diet, every day. That is the first step. Eating healthy, nutritious foods helps your body to function at its best. It also helps to prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. There are many different ways to eat healthily, it does not have to be expensive or difficult.

Here are a few tips for eating healthy:

Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables
Include whole grains in your diet
Avoid processed foods and sugary drinks
Make sure you are getting enough protein and healthy fats

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated. By following these simple tips, you can easily improve your diet.

Eating a healthy diet would also help you maintain a good weight.

2. Daily Exercise

Starting an exercise regime is the second step. Exercises are another important way to maintain your health. It helps to control weight, reduce stress and improve moods. Exercise also has many other benefits, such as reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The best way to get the most out of exercise is to make it a regular part of your routine.

Here are a few tips for getting started:

Start with moderate exercise and work your way up
Choose an activity that is easy and enjoyable, maybe with a friend
Exercise should include both aerobic and strength training exercises
Exercising doesn’t have to be hard or time-consuming. There are also various items you can use to maximize the effects of exercising, like sweater vests and comfortable running shoes.
By incorporating a little bit of exercise into your daily routine, you can improve your health physically and spiritually.
Regular exercise and a good diet would help you maintain a good BMI.

See my compiled healthy recipes and healthy and active lifestyle tips.

Healthy Recipes | @annhariz2022 | Flipboard

Healthy and Active Lifestyle | @annhariz2022 (flipboard.com)

3. Take Time to Relax and Rewind-Me time

In today’s fast-paced world, it can be tough to find time for yourself. But taking some time for yourself is important for your mental health as it relieves stress. When you take the time to clear your head, you allow yourself to relax and recharge. This can be done in various ways, such as meditation, reading, yoga, or simply taking a walk. Here are a few tips for finding time to clear your head:

- - Set aside time each day to relax
  - Turn off your phone and other electronic devices
  - Find an activity that helps you relax

Taking some time for yourself is essential for maintaining your tranquil mental state. By finding a way to relax and clear your head, you can reduce stress and anxiety.

4. Follow a Consistent Sleeping Routine

One of the most important things to achieve good health is to get enough sleep. I know for sure; that my blood pressure would tend to spike if I have a problem falling asleep at night. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, even on weekends should be the goal. This may be difficult to do at first, but it will get easier with time.

A lack of sleep can lead to several health problems, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Poor sleep patterns also increase inflammation, slow down healing, and lower immunity.

Experts generally agree that adults need around seven to eight hours of sleep per night to allow our bodies to heal and recuperate. Older adults normally have a lighter sleep span but take a longer time to fall asleep and wake up multiple times during the night.

Toddlers and pre-schoolers need 10 -13 hours per 24 hours including naps. Children aged between 6-12 years old need 9-12 hours of sleep per 24 hours. Teenagers (13-18 years) need to sleep 8-10 hours per 24 hours.

How do we ensure the best way to stick to a consistent sleeping schedule?

By adopting the following tips, we can improve the quality of our sleep.

Don’t spend too long in bed

The first thing we often do when we can’t sleep is starting going to bed earlier, but this could be counterintuitive. ‘You should reduce the amount of time you spend in bed. Go to bed later and get up earlier, as this will encourage your body’s natural sleep drive to kick in. By reducing the time you spend in bed you will crave more sleep, fall asleep faster and find the quality of your sleep will improve.

Stop clock-watching

Tick tock, tick tock…staring at your alarm clock will only lead to further worry and anxiety. ‘It’s very tempting to look at the clock every time we wake up. We want to monitor how little sleep we are getting; however, this increases the pressure to fall back to sleep and makes it less likely. Set your alarm clock for the morning then avoid looking at the time again.

Manage your thoughts

A busy mind is one of the most common culprits in keeping us awake at night, and journaling can be an effective way to offload. Make time to jot down what is on your mind, this can be therapeutic as it is a way of getting things out of your head. ‘You don’t need to solve all of your problems, but when they are written in black and white you will get a different perspective on things. For example, worrying that tonight you might not sleep only makes it more likely that you won’t. Write down that thought and acknowledge it but then change your focus,’ says Kathryn.

Get active

You might not be able to get to the gym right now, but you can still keep moving. Exercise can have a beneficial effect on your sleep routine – it calms down your mind and keeps you feeling good. ‘Not only is exercise outdoors a great way to start the new year, but it’s also actually great for your mental and physical health, and anything you can do to reduce anxiety is beneficial for your sleep,’ believes Kathryn. There are plenty of ways you can get active – try one of our WF workouts or go for a daily run or walk.

Don’t lie in bed awake

If you wake up in the middle of the night, don’t lie under the covers tossing and turning. ‘The longer we lie in bed trying to fall back to sleep the more frustrated we get. This, in turn, means we begin to subconsciously relate bed to feeling stressed and being awake rather than asleep. Leave the bedroom and do something relaxing like reading a book downstairs, then when you are tired go back to bed.

Here are a few tips for creating healthy sleeping habits:

- - Avoid caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol before bed
  - Avoid working or using electronic devices in bed. Keep all your gadgets especially mobile phones out of range
  - Create a relaxing bedtime routine

When it comes to sleep, consistency is key. By establishing a regular sleeping schedule, you will be less likely to suffer from the negative health effects of sleep deprivation.

Making these lifestyle changes is an important step in improving your wellness. By following the above tips, you can live a healthier and happier life. Looking good and feeling confident would go a long way to achieving the lifestyle you dream of.

Before we embark on the strategies to be healthy, there will be an initial preparation to ascertain our state of health, mentally and physically. Are we ready to step towards change?

As we progress, we will discuss in detail each of the strategies mentioned above. The first topic will be ‘eating well. As food is something we enjoy, we need to replace the ‘bad and unhealthy diet’ with appetizing and sumptuous food that is palatable and pleasing to eat, as a routine.

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A Natural Blood Pressure Program

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WHAT YOUR BMI DOES NOT TELL YOU.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

First of all, I would like to wish everyone ‘ A Happy New Year’. As we start the new year, let us pray that it will be an amazing one. May peace, happiness, and more smiles and loads of love spread across the world.

We need to keep safe and healthy as the pandemic Covid 19 is not showing signs of slowing down.

By staying healthy, we can concentrate on our goals and protect our wealth.

Now, what your BMI does not tell you about your state of health is worth thinking about. As the new year dawns, the goal of achieving a healthy lifestyle may be included in your resolutions.

By now we are familiar with the BMI system. Your doctor may have a BMI chart in his clinic next to the weight chart for a quick reference.

But of late there is a debate whether the BMI is a true measure of your health. A healthy weight, however, remains an important factor in monitoring health. . But two people can have the same BMI, but wildly different states of health. So, why is this so?

Maintaining a healthy weight is important, but there are additional factors that further define being healthy.

WHAT IS BMI?

From my previous post on BMI, which is the number calculated using certain ratios of height and weight. It is more a health tool for public health to gauge obesity. Researchers use it as a tool to calculate an overall average weight of a population, not of individuals. BMI does not consider genetic differences. Two people of the same height and weight will have the same BMI. One of them may regularly exercise and does weight-lifting leading to a relatively low percentage of body fat. The other has a sedentary lifestyle risk factor and has a high percentage of body fat. But their weights are the same.

Their BMI being equal, does not justify and reflect the state of health for one of them. The active person could be in an overweight classification. The ‘ couch potato’ person would be feeling a sense of good health.

BMI does not measure bone structure, muscle mass, fitness level or, what type of fat a person has.

Hence, for individuals, additional factors need to be considered.

BMI will still be used as a reference tool and will not be replaced any time soon. Many doctors and health professionals have started to find better ways to assess a person’s health. Health professionals have started to use different methods to assess a person’s health, with or without BMI.

In the U.S., the average BMI ranges between 24 and 27. Almost half of the population falls into the “pre-obesity” category. It is not a hard sell that many people in the U.S. could be overweight, But is it an actual reflection of health? A fit, healthy person with more muscle and less fat could still be lumped into an unhealthy BMI category.

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS USE OTHER HEALTH MARKERS TO ASSESS A PERSON’S STATE OF HEALTH

Health is thus much more than a single BMI number calculation or marker. Humans are three-dimensional and thus would require multiple considerations to assess their state of health.

Waist Circumference or Waist-to-Hip Ratio

The waist-to-hip ratio, also known as the waist-hip ratio, is the circumference of the waist divided by the circumference of the hips. What does a person’s waist-to-hip ratio say about their health?

The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a quick measure of fat distribution that may help indicate a person’s overall health. People carrying more weight around their middle are at a higher risk of developing certain health conditions.

How WHR is Measured?

The measuring tape is used to measure the waist circumference, W, around your belly button. It is considered low risk for men who have waist circumference measurements of equal to 37 inches and lower. Women are at low risk if the waist measurement is equal to or lower than 31.5; while anything above falls under intermediate or high risk.

Then similarly, the widest part of your hip/buttocks, H, is measured.

Your waist-to-hip ratio is calculated as follows:

waist number is divided by hip number. W/H is the waist to hip ratio. — To enhance the method of calculation of WHR.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), having a WHR of over 1.0 may increase the risk of developing conditions that relate to being overweight, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and, infertility. Doctors frequently measure the waist-to-hip ratio to evaluate visceral fat which may indirectly indicate the risk for the possible onset of serious disease.

This may be the case even if other measures of being overweight, such as BMI are in a normal range.

CHART SHOWING WHR RATIOS AND RELATED HEALTH RISK

The WHO advice that a healthy WHR is:

0.85 or less for women
0.9 or less for men

The following chart shows how the WHO classifies the risk of being affected by weight-related health conditions according to WHR:

Health risk	Men	Women
Low	0.95 or lower	0.80 or lower
Moderate	0.96-1.0	0.81-0.85
High	1.0 or higher	0.86 or higher

The Resting Pulse

The heartbeat is often an indicator of your state of health.

Another marker that is used to help assess heart health is the resting pulse rate. This is calculated by taking your pulse first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. Place your fingers on your wrist and find your pulse. Count the number of beats in 30 seconds and multiple by two to reach your resting heart rate. Alternatively, you can count your beats in 60 seconds and not have to do any extra math.

Nowadays smartwatches and smartphones can detect your pulse at all times, even when you are asleep. Thus, you can get the resting pulse reading as soon as you are awake. Another alternative is to use a blood pressure meter.

A resting pulse of 60 to 100 is considered normal, but athletes and extremely fit people may have a rate lower than 60, indicating an even more efficient and healthy heart. If you notice that your resting pulse is almost always pushing above the upper limit, then it is time to consult your doctor.

Other health markers are used together with the resting pulse to indicate a more complete picture of your state of heart, kidney and, liver health. The doctor will extract your blood specimen and conduct laboratory tests to measure your blood glucose levels during fasting and post meals. These measurements will be collated with your blood pressure, and weight measurements, cholesterol levels, and other blood indicators such as hemoglobin and mineral content, will help indicate the state of your liver and kidneys and how healthy your heart is .

Blood Pressure

Blood Pressure Meter

Blood pressure measures the amount of pressure exerted in arteries and veins as blood circulates the body. The higher the number, the more pressure there is, which can indicate stress or even potential plaque problems in arteries, problems with the heart, or extreme stress. One in three adults has high blood pressure.

Blood pressure is measured in systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom) numbers. A normal, healthy reading for a young adult is considered to be 120/80 or lower. Stage 1 high blood pressure or pre-hypertension, is defined as a systolic measurement of 130-139 over a diastolic reading of 80-89. As numbers get higher from there, it is often diagnosed that you are in a more serious stage of hypertension (high blood pressure).

You can check your blood pressure at home using a digital cuff that you secure on your left arm, around your bicep. These may not be as precise as in a doctor’s clinic. But using the same cuff at home regularly to measure blood pressure can indicate increases or decreases over time.

The following charts act as a guide to the blood pressure goals you should achieve.

The blood pressure measurement meter also gives the pulse reading. As mentioned earlier, if the readings show an upward trend, it is time to see your doctor.

BLOOD PRESSURE CHART BY AGE

AGE GROUP	MINIMUM	MAXIMUM	NORMAL
1-12 months	75/50	110/75	90/60
1-5 years	80/55	110/79	95/65
6 – 13 years	90/60	115/80	105/70
14 -19 years	105/73	120/81	117/77
20-24 years	108/75	132/83	120/79
25 -29 years	109/76	133/84	121/80
30-34 years	110/77	134/85	122/81
35-39 years	111/78	135/86	123/82
40-44 years	112/79	137/87	125/83
45-49 years	115/80	139/88	127/84
50-54 years	116/81	142/89	129/85
55 -59 years	118/82	144/90	131/86
60-64 years	121/83	147/91	134/87

BLOOD PRESSURE CHART BY AGE AND GENDER

AGE GROUP	FEMALE/mmHg	MALE/mmHg
15-18	117/77	120/79
19-24	120/79	120/85
25-29	120/80	121/80
30-35	122/81	123/82
36-39	123/82	124/83
40-45	124/83	125/83
46-50	126/84	127/84
51-55	129/85	128/85
56-60	130/86	131/87
60 ++	134/87	135/88

Blood Glucose Level

Blood Glucometer

What is the normal blood sugar range?

People with diabetes have to test their blood glucose at home as a matter of routine regularly. Another health marker is the glucose level measurement. A normal, healthy fasting glucose range within 70 to 99 mg/dL (3.9 to 5.5 mmol/L). This is taken 8-12 hours after the last eating or drinking, normally first thing in the morning.

A blood sugar level less than 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) is normal. A reading of more than 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) after two hours indicates diabetes. A reading between 140 and 199 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L and 11.0 mmol/L) indicates prediabetes.

A stressful lifestyle, an unbalanced diet, lack of exercise, lack of sleep, dehydration; can increase fasting glucose levels. No matter what causes the increase, blood glucose levels are a great indicator of health.

Relative Fat Mass (RFM)

Researchers are looking for better ways to uniformly measure body fat that are better than BMI. The relative fat mass is still being studied, but one which some researchers claim is more relevant. RFM is easy to calculate and has slightly different formulas applied for men and women. The final numbers will classify people more accurately, compared with BMI.

Conclusion

Health practitioners will continue to use BMI to measure obesity and the state of health of patients. BMI will still be the first tool to categorize obesity. While BMI has its useful applications, it only gives you a limited perspective on how healthy you may (or may not) be.

Can you sense what your body is telling you without the help of the health markers? Often the presence of hypertension and diabetes are asymptomatic. Their long presence may well be a silent killer.

Using the other health markers together presents a more realistic state of health, many of which can be self-monitored at home. With regular self -measurements, you can tell when the readings deviate from the norm and seek medical advice as soon as possible.

Knowing your health status at home gives a feeling of confidence in your wellbeing. It also offers you a more personal connection to your state of wellness. This allows you to be more responsible for your health and provides additional motivation to maintain your healthy lifestyle. Your wellness check-ups will be extended to annual checkups. By being proactive with your health, you can save your medical bills and spend more time on creating wealth as well as spending quality time with your family.

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Not Happy With Your BMI?

Are you not happy with your BMI?

Let us recap. A good BMI is between 18.5 to less than 25. To be underweight means having a BMI less than 18.5. To be in the overweight category, your BMI lies between 25.0 to 30. Higher than 30, you are considered to be obese.

Let us check your BMI. Are you happy with it?
Click here to calculate your BMI

What does it feel to be obese?

Today we will discuss high BMI or obesity. Most people do not like to be called obese. Obesity is not a pleasant word to their ears. Obesity is linked to lethargy, overeating, huge appetites, suppressed satiety, and over-sensitivity if declined food.

Obesity leads to negative emotions, distress, anger, fear, causes low self-esteem, and creates a lack of self-confidence.

Signs of low self esteem

Being unhappy tends to spread around and it is reflected by relationships with others. The obese person often tends to keep to himself and is unfriendly to others around him. He has a self-imposed shield to protect himself from being ridiculed due to his physical attribute.

Being alone leads to poor dietary habits, sedentary behavior, negative mood swings, and pessimistic attitudes.

Challenges to the Obese

For the obese to take action, he/ she must first accept the fact that he/she is obese. Self-denial and attributing obesity to external factors such as genetics and heredity is a likely barrier to weight loss. Once the obese individual realizes the implications and health risks due to obesity, then only public health initiatives can succeed.

It is very challenging to lose a big chunk of your weight. More often than not, people tend to give up and revert to their original situation or gain more weight afterward.

There are many organizations advising and offering lifestyle and diet changes. However, maintaining a good and healthy lifestyle requires strong willpower and lots of self-motivation. Studies show that even with professional help, 85% of individuals regained weight or exceeded pre-treatment weight 3-5 years post-treatment.

Why do we let these professionals get rich while we do not benefit from their assistance?

Let’s get out of our comfort zone

If you want to live longer and enjoy a better quality of life, you have to make sacrifices. Get out of your comfort zone. You must take control of your life; and your health.

Drop all your poor dietary habits now. Today. No more smoking, nor excessive alcohol use.
Get up from your couch. No more watching ‘Netflix’, playing computer games, and interacting with social media.
Change your unhealthy diet.
Get out of your house and see your neighborhood. Take gentle walks before you progress to brisk walks.
If need be, if you already have underlying health issues like diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease; seek your physician’s advice before you start your exercise regime.
Also, seek professional help from personal health trainers to customize your exercise regime.
Improve your health literacy, subscribe to health journals and set goals to reduce your BMI.
Seek the company of people with similar goals.

The onus is on each of us to make society a healthy one. Let us all work to build a healthy and caring society.

Continue reading “Not Happy With Your BMI?”

BMI as measure of fitness

Recap on Body Mass Index, BMI

Let us recap how BMI can be used as one of the tools for you to have a healthy lifestyle.

What does an ideal BMI tell you? We understand that BMI is a measure of wellness in a person. If you are in the ideal range of 18.5 to 24.9, you are good. Less than 18.5, mean that you are underweight. Underweight does not necessarily mean that you are safe. It is generally all right if you are fit, but if you fall sick; you may need the excess fat reserves to help you pull through the loss of appetite and reduced food intake stage. Therefore, it is psychologically uplifting to be in the ideal range.

Effects of Obesity

A BMI of between 25 and 29.9 is overweight and anything above 30 means obese. Obesity may be hereditary due to common eating habits or due to a sedentary lifestyle.

Obesity would tip the medical bills and lead to layoff and reduced productivity. Prolonged obesity would lead to higher blood pressures, higher blood sugar levels and increase in blood cholesterol. All these factors would eventually lead to hypertension, diabetes and early signs heart and kidney damage.

For people with big physical frames, the measure of BMI may not be a right measure of obesity. BMI cannot measure lean mass ( bones and lean muscle), in comparison to body fat. Since body fat loves to encircle the waistline, doctors often use waist measurement as an additional indicator of obesity.

Strategies to reduce BMI

You must remember that besides BMI, other indicators of good health include resting heart rate, percentage fat and its location in the human body, the concentration of oxygen in the blood, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

The good thing is that if your BMI is ideal, the fitness level is also optimized. Cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar level readings will automatically be reduced once your BMI is reduced if you are in the overweight category.

Here are some things one can do to reduce high BMI readings:

i. Adopt healthy lifestyle habits and behaviors and stick to them forever.

ii. Change daily routine to include exercise. It is recommended that to mitigate unhealthy risks, one has to complete 150 to 200 minutes of moderate physical activity per week which includes two days of strength training. It takes 45 minutes per day to erase the effects of the risks of a sedentary lifestyle and 30 minutes per day to mitigate the effects. Moderate activity include brisk walking and swimming, while vigorous activity include running and circuit training of different exercises.

iii. Sleep is an important component of good health. So, it is good practice to adhere to a regular sleeping routine and rhythm. Sleeping under reduced light encourages the release of the hormone. melatonin which induces restful sleep. Keeping electronic gadgets away while you sleep is also a good habit. You should set your room to be at a comfortable temperature and perhaps have an essential oil diffuser to provide good aromatherapy while you sleep.

iv. Diet is the last important factor in a healthy lifestyle. There are a lot of different diets you can adapt to reduce your weight. Basically you should focus on a healthy diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables as sources of carbohydrate, reduce the intake of sugar and salt and include unsaturated fats in your diet. A balance diet should include also food components (carbs, fat, vitamins, minerals and protein) but portions should be reduced.

Unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Poor lifestyle habits are key contributors to the development and progression of lifestyle disease such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. Among the bad and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors include the following:

i. Spending a lot of time on sedentary activity which does not expend much energy. This include time spent on the internet (email, social media, video games), print media (newspapers and magazines) and broadcast media (Netflix, radio and television). One must set a schedule to include frequent movement in the daily routine. Walk instead of drive, climb stairs instead of taking the lifts.

ii. Eating junk food and drinking too much alcohol.

iii. Overeating as well as irregular meals are not good habits.

iv. Smoking and drug abuse.

v. Lack of exercise

vi. Stressful living and working conditions.

Conclusion

It is clear from the above arguments that an ideal BMI is not impossible if you have a healthy lifestyle.

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What is a Healthy Lifestyle?

Today we will continue to talk about what a healthy lifestyle living is.

What does it take to be healthy and lead a happy and stress-free life?

Healthy people get to do what they want when they want, assuming they have no financial worries. People leading a healthy lifestyle get to go traveling on long journeys, enjoy leisure activities for fun and relaxation like walking, swimming, playing games, visiting friends and keeping up with their family and relatives. For those who are more adventurous, they may venture into activities like hunting, fishing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, cycling, rock climbing/hiking or even skiing.

So, what is a healthy lifestyle?

A healthy lifestyle would include the following:

1. Adopting a healthy lifestyle diet of balanced and nutritious meals. A balanced meal has the right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins. The relative proportions would vary between an adult, a child, and an elderly person.

2. Maintain an optimal weight BMI (body mass index). A good score for a normal person is a BMI score of 18.5 to 24.9. An overweight person would have a BMI score of 25.0 to 29.9. You are obese if you have a BMI score of 30.0 and above.

3. Participate in exercise or sports activities for attaining body fitness and feel-good feeling.

4. Getting adequate sleep is the fourth factor of a healthy lifestyle. When you have done all of the above, you will automatically find that you can get to sleep easier and there are fewer worries and less stress in your life.

5. Adopting good personal hygiene habits. The human body is a conducive host to germs, bacteria, and parasites to thrive. So practicing good personal hygiene is encouraged. Good hygiene includes taking regular showers, brushing the teeth at least twice a day, washing the hair with shampoo at least once a week, and washing hands with soap after visiting the restrooms. Other good personal hygiene habits would be to washing hands with soap before preparing and eating food, wearing clean clothes, and avoiding overcrowded places.

5. To complement the above healthy lifestyle habits, one should not smoke, drink alcohol, consume drugs and practice safe sex. It is better to stick to one partner than have multiple partners. You should also protect yourself from the ultraviolet radiation from the sun and get medical screening tests done at least once a year.

A healthy lifestyle means your life is more structured and less unpredictable.
A poor diet and lack of exercise would lead to obesity and a multitude of health problems like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.
A lethargic lifestyle is an unhappy lifestyle, so let’s get moving for a healthy life and increase our longevity.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle.

To most British people or British educated people, when they meet, the greeting is often, ‘ Hello, how are you?’. It is as if they are concerned over your well being. Who do people want to be healthy? What can healthy people do that unhealthy cannot?
You may have heard the saying that ‘health is wealth’. Having tons of money without good health to enjoy it, is meaningless.
Why do I hear chats behind my house so early in the morning by exercise freaks jogging or cycling? You see my house is located at the edge of a water catchment area where it is still green and we can still enjoy the fresh air and wildlife around it. The jogging and cycling track runs at the corner from the back to the front of my house.
Why do people sacrifice their sleep to hit the treadmill, push their bikes and butts out? Besides that, why do they watch what goes into their mouths, avoid sweet, salty and oily meals and go for nutritive and healthy lifestyle diets?

One would be rewarded for making a wise investment to lead an active and healthy lifestyle by regular exercise, adopting a healthy diet, conducting regular health screening and preventive maintenance at the healthcare clinics. The importance of a healthy lifestyle is supported by the following benefits:

1. DELAYS AGEING- INCREASE LIFE EXPECTANCY
A healthy body and mind will have no health issues The appearance of the skin, teeth and nails would improve.
The facial glow will make the person look younger. An increase in life expectancy would follow.

2. A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE
A healthy person will have the opportunity to enjoy his interests and hobbies like love for travelling. He also has the chance to
help those in need and contribute back to society.

3. INCREASE IN ENERGY LEVELS
A healthy person will have good mood swings and high energy levels. The good endorphins released during exercise promotes the
feel-good feeling.

4. AVOID DISEASE, PAIN, ILLNESS
Free radicals are being reduced in a healthy body. Coupled with the release of toxins from diet and exercise, the immune system is boosted and a healthy person would have good readings of blood pressure and cholesterol and also a reduced risk of contracting diabetes and heart disease.

5. REDUCE MEDICAL BILLS
With no life-threatening illnesses, a healthy person will have no hospitalization bills nor regular medical bills for medication and doctor visits. It is rather expensive to be unhealthy.

6. MORE PRODUCTIVE AT WORK, CLARITY OF MIND
A healthy person with high energy levels and clarity of mind would be more productive in whatever work or recreation he indulges.

7. LOOK BETTER, MORE CONFIDENT
A healthy person carries himself with confidence.

8. BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH FAMILY AND PEERS.
A healthy person enjoys a better relationship with his family and peers as he has peace of mind and mental stability as he is not
saddled with health worries and other distractions.

Being healthy is not a choice but a must-have. Although often not everyone is blessed with good health, one must try his utmost best to attain it while he still can. We will talk about how to get a healthy lifestyle in the coming articles.

Please feel free to comment and add what it means to you to be healthy.

Regards,

Annhariz