World Health Day was first celebrated on the 7th of April, 1950 by the World Health Organisation. As we celebrate World Health Day this year, it is essential to understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. An important way to facilitate a healthy lifestyle is to understand what it really means. Let's celebrate this World Health Day by understanding the ways in which we can better our health and well-being. Especially, because we often mistake healthy lifestyle to being achievable only via stringent and unrealistic diets. Hence, we end up trying various unreliable diets and workouts to maintain or achieve our ideal weight. This April 7th, we want to recognise the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and doing it correctly.
We try and fail to finish these complicated diets and workout routines. These routines do sometimes help get us to our desired weight, however, the results are short-lived. This year on World Health Day let's understand the significant difference between short-period diets and a healthy lifestyle. Oftentimes, these complicated diets are very effective in helping you lose weight quickly and often don't require much effort. However, the results of such speedy diets are also equally short-lived. If you want to lose, gain or maintain a healthy weight, let us do it right.
Here are ways to achieve your ideal weight, effectively:
- Hydrate: There is no surprise that water is the number one essential when it comes to maintaining good health. It not only helps break down fat but also helps regain hydration that you might lose from excessive sweating. Furthermore, water constitutes more than half of our body's content. This means, that a good amount of water consumption not only hydrates but also boosts various workings of the body, including the heart and the brain.
- Move your body: It goes without saying but to achieve your ideal weight you must exercise regularly. However, that is not the only reason you need to inculcate physical activity into your routine. Besides helping burn calories and gain muscle, walking, stretching, dancing, etc. can release stress and boost endorphins. Endorphins are popularly known as happy hormones and elevate your mood and mind. Adding to this, the long-term health benefits of exercising regularly are endless. In fact, it is proven essential for humans to partake in any physical activity of their liking for at least 30 mins every day.
- Increase Protein intake: Oftentimes, it is physically difficult to maintain a workout routine especially when you also need to balance work, home, and your social life. One of the reasons for the lack of energy or will can be a result of a shortage of protein in your diet. Protein intake not on boosts energy but also decreases the hunger hormones. Furthermore, protein betters your metabolism. A high metabolism means the body burns calories faster. Which instantly makes losing weight easier and faster! Lastly, do not mistake high protein intake as unachievable but you don't consume poultry or/and protein powders. There are a huge variety of protein sources that can fit your dietary preferences!
- Learn to say no: Another trick physically healthy people use is saying no! Say, for example, you are out for a lunch with a few friends and something that was ordered doesn't taste great to you. Oftentimes you might force yourself to enjoy a meal because you paid for it. However, it not only increases your calorie intake and it does not even satisfy your appetite. Even if you are offered something you do enjoy eating/ drinking, ask yourself if it is healthy and nutritious enough for you to put it in your body. A huge part of making a healthy and permanent change in your lifestyle is to prioritise your health over temporary wants.
- Cheat days are okay: When we try a new tried and tested diet, it often expects us to cut junk, sugar, and other unhealthy foods completely out of our diet. In fact, as discussed above it is encouraged to say no to foods that don't fuel your body right. However, to lead a happy and healthy life it is important to not only keep the physical health in check but to also satisfy the mind. Occasionally having pizza and wine with some friends is okay as long as you ration the consumption of low nutrition foods.
- Say yes to fruits and vegetables: Many delicious fruits are disregarded and considered too high in sugar. It is important to understand that fruits that are high in sugar are still incomparably a better alternative to processed sugary snacks and desserts. Furthermore, fruits are a great source of fibre, nutrients, and minerals. Occasionally, you can also add your fruit of choice to a bottle of water and refrigerate it overnight. This detox water works as a great substitute for sugary refreshing drinks like lemonades and soft drinks. Furthermore, this is a great way to boost and inculcate a habit of more water consumption if you are learning how to increase your daily water consumption.
Finally, we highly encourage you to bring a healthy lifestyle change into your life as opposed to unrealistic diets. This World Health Day we say no to unhealthy and unreliable diets and say yes to a long life of eating right and working out regularly!
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
