9 TIPS TO LIVING A HEALTHIER LIFE

How healthy are you?  What does being healthy mean to you?  Well, most people will tell you that being healthy is lack of disease and that it involves exercising and eating a healthy meal regularly.  However, good health is a lot more than that.

Creating a holistic healthy lifestyle includes being physically, mentally and emotionally healthy.  Exercising and eating a healthy meal only covers the physical part of your well being.  

Mental and emotional health involves your overall psychological well being.  This includes the way you feel about yourself, the quality of your relationships and your ability to manage your feelings and how you deal with difficulties.  It also involves being happy, self confident, self aware and resilient.  People who are mentally and emotionally healthy are able to handle life's inevitable challenges, bounce back when bad things happen and do not let stress get in their way.

Healthy living thus encompasses balance in your physical, mental and emotional well being.  Here are 9 tips to living a more healthier life.

1. Think positive - Research shows that a healthy positive attitude helps to build a healthy immune system and boosts overall health.  Your body believes what you think, hence the need to focus on the positive.  Furthermore, it helps control emotional eating which is eating when you feeling low or are unhappy as opposed to eating when you are hungry.
2. Drink water regularly - Water is life! It is all around us and even in us.  Did you know that water makes up 2/3rd of who we are and influences 100% of the processes in our bodies? 
   
   Drinking water has got both mental and physical benefits which includes; helps in digestions, brain booster, helps in losing weight, clearer skin, relieves a hangover, brightens your mood, keeps us hydrated e.t.c.  There are so many health benefits of water and you should at least drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.
3. Get enough sleep - Getting enough quality sleep at the right time can help protect your mental and physical health and quality of life.  While sleeping, your body is usually at work to support a healthy brain function and to maintain your physical health.  Therefore, lack of enough sleep can affect how well you think, function, learn, react, work and even how you get along with others.
4. Eat more fruits and vegetables - They are highly recommended for their high energy and nutritional value. 
   
   Experts suggest that we should have 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables, which means you should make one half of your plate to be of fruits/vegetables.
5. Meditate - Meditation calms your mind, raises your self awareness and also gives you inner peace.  It also makes you present and increases your level of consciousness.  This help in your mental and emotional well being.
6. Exercise daily - Did you know that a daily work out could add 4 years to your life? Research shows that being more physically active can give you more time and more so a healthy life.  If you want to live well and longer, you must exercise.   You could start by simple exercises such as walking over transport for close distances, dancing in your living room, taking the stairs instead of the lift.  At the same time, do exercises that you enjoy.
7. Cut down on processed food  and oily foods - In almost all the processed food, most of their nutritional value is lost and the added preservatives are usually bad for our health.
8. Cook your own meals - When preparing your own meals you are in control of what gets into them.  This also includes the level of hygiene.
9. Love yourself - Loving yourself first will help you make decisions based on how you feel from the inside rather than decisions based on other peoples feelings.  This will in turn make you lead a happier life which is part of your mental and emotional well being.