For a long time, especially if you are young, you think that to achieve your goals in life you can subject your body and mind to any type of stress. For this reason, many people neglect their diet or proper rest, or do not dedicate enough time to themselves. Instead, it is essential to always try to maintain healthy habits to achieve a state of well-being for the mind and body.
Even if it seems difficult, in fact, we should avoid certain vices or bad habits and start taking more care of our relationship with ourselves. Eating well, sleeping well, doing physical activity: these are just some of the many steps to take to feel better and keep our body and mind healthy. Let's look at them in more detail, and try to understand what can be the measures to start changing our way of life for the better right away.
How to keep your mind and body fit
Keeping your mind and body in tip-top shape is no easy feat: there are so many challenges that you can encounter throughout your life, and that can make it difficult to maintain your health and well-being. In addition, there are so many aspects to consider, and each of us needs to focus more on some of these, in order to be able to feel good.
However, there are at least three fundamental aspects to take care of for the well-being of the body and mind: nutrition, physical exercise and sleep.
First of all, it is advisable to follow a healthy and balanced diet. You may consider consulting an expert to understand what the right amount of calories is for your age and conditions and to ask for advice on the consumption of foods rich in sugar, fat or salt. As a rule, it is good practice to include in your diet fruits and vegetables, cereals, dairy products and a correct amount of meat and/or proteins.
Also pay attention to taking an appropriate amount of vitamins and mineral salts. These substances, called micronutrients, are essential for the proper functioning of the brain and all the organs, and contribute to creating a feeling of well-being. Let's not forget to drink plenty of water, to purify the body and maintain an appropriate water balance.
As for the second point, we know that everyone should do a moderate amount of physical activity to stay fit. What this amount is depends on the person: usually a few weekly sessions of running, swimming or cycling, or a few hours of walking in nature, are enough. Even in this case, however, it is best to consult a specialist and plan everything carefully.
Remember that physical exercises are essential for the health of the body, but they also serve to improve mood and self-esteem. If practiced in moderation, the right amount of gymnastics can become the secret to living in harmony with oneself.
Finally, it should be emphasized that good quality sleep is very important for our well-being. It is recommended to sleep at least seven to eight hours a night, and follow, if possible, a routine that facilitates relaxation, rest and recovery of lost strength after a day of study or work. A good tip is to avoid coffee and alcohol before bed, keep the bedroom at a comfortable temperature and reduce exposure to blue light from PC and smartphone screens.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle: how to do it?
Put like that, it all seems easy: just change your diet, do a little sport and sleep more to obtain numerous benefits. In reality, we know that taking care of these three aspects is not at all simple, especially if it involves changing habits that we have had for years. But then, how do you change your habits and adopt new ones?
Again, there are no universal rules. The first thing to consider is that improving your lifestyle takes time and consistency. Trying to change your life overnight usually doesn't bring lasting results. Instead, you need to introduce changes little by little, and don't get discouraged if you don't see the results right away.
Let's also remember that imposing something on ourselves that we don't want, or that we aren't really convinced about, is counterproductive and doesn't lead to success. It's good to first be aware that our habits can and must be improved, if we want to achieve true well-being for our mind and body. This is the first step to take, and relaxation and self-awareness activities, such as mindfulness meditation, help us do this.
Be careful not to overdo it and not to drastically give up everything we are used to. Instead, it would be good to see it differently: it is not about giving up something, but about replacing a bad habit with a good one. Thinking this way, we can more easily avoid harmful behavior and adopt healthy behavior instead, as well as face temptations and relapses with greater conviction.
If we have difficulty coping with change, it can be useful to ask for support from family, a friend or a group of friends. Those who love us also know that we need help in certain circumstances of life, and can give us a hand in changing old habits and maintaining new ones. A friend can give us advice, support us morally.
Finally, one last tip: you always have to try it to believe it. We all know that a good diet, some exercise and a good night's sleep are great for us, but it is only by experiencing their positive effects that we will always find the motivation and conviction to maintain these habits in the long term.
Bad habits to eliminate
Just as there are good habits to adopt, there are also bad habits that should be eliminated as soon as possible if we want to promote the maintenance of our well-being. These mostly concern the points we touched on previously, namely nutrition, rest and physical activity, but they can also have to do with the attitude we assume in general towards ourselves.
In this regard, the first thing to do is to avoid neglecting ourselves, and instead make sure we always have some time for ourselves. Not only because, if we really want to change, we need time and patience, but also because only by being with ourselves, listening to our needs and necessities, can we understand how to improve ourselves deeply and find the strength to do so.
Let us also remember that anxiety, stress and negative thoughts are the main enemies of our well-being. Eating better or sleeping better may not be enough if we are always prey to pessimism or have a constant negative attitude. We must work on ourselves and seek greater serenity, if we want to gain full control of our habits and promote the development of another way of living.
Only then can we change the habits we have mentioned. Starting with nutrition, we should limit or reduce foods that are not good for our body.
Smoking and alcohol should also be limited as much as possible. We are not talking about one or two glasses of wine during some meals, but their excessive use.
Of course, laziness is also an attitude to avoid. Those who think "I'll do it tomorrow anyway", or who continually think "I'll just allow myself this exception to the rule so as not to make too much effort", in the long run distance themselves from adopting a healthier lifestyle. Fitness can be a great help for this: expending physical energy helps us to strengthen our mind and not always give in to moments of idleness.
But be careful: idleness should not be confused with sacrosanct rest. Indeed, one should never give in to the temptation to ask too much of oneself. Our body and mind also need the right amount of sleep, rest and tranquility during the day. For this reason, some meditation or relaxation techniques to do at home can help us, but also the practice of some hobbies or pastimes such as reading and writing, drawing, music and so on.