How to Lead a Healthy Life

About half of all adults suffer from chronic conditions, but these conditions are entirely preventable. Or at least 60 percent of the chronic conditions could be avoided so that adults can lead a healthy life.

According to a 2008 study in the U.S.A, it was found that those adults who met the following four simple criteria lived an average of 10 years longer than those who violated at least one of them. These four criteria being: (i) saying no to smoking (ii) not being overweight (iii) exercising regularly (iv) only moderate, if at all, consumption of alcohol. With the fulfillment of these criteria, it is possible to lead a healthy life.

In fact those 10 extra years were their healthy years. More than two thirds of the men who lived to 90 rated their late life health as either excellent or very good. It is therefore easy to conclude that men who lived longer with healthy life were also happier.

The men in the study didn’t do anything outrageous to protect themselves from chronic conditions, regardless of gender. In fact doing just one thing could dramatically turn your health around and strengthen your resistance to diseases – getting half an hour of exercise on most days. Additionally, if you could quit smoking, that would be excellent for your health, and you can easily lead a healthy life.

In other words, living longer, healthier and avoiding chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes translates into only a small investment in your time.

Some of the other critical steps you can take to prevent chronic conditions include taking an aspirin daily with your doctor’s approval, getting a flu shot every year, scheduling your next pap smear among others. Each of these steps, according to studies saves lives.

Living a healthy life that is complete life is an art. There is no secret to it. Those who are over 80 or 90 years are surprisingly also active, or at least most of them are. They are active because they have been like that throughout their lives. This is a part of their routine or life style. They eat less or consume only as many calories as they can burn. What is even more important, they not only eat less but also eat healthy.

Yet another critical fact relevant to their leading a healthy life is that they have been stress free. They know the secret of laughing away their worries. It is easy to remain stress free with a positive attitude towards life.

Leading a healthy life is an all round endeavor. It is not just about eating a suitable volume of fruit or vegetables, although that helps. Health actually originates from a life well lived.

Here are the tips top live a good and healthy life

(i) Believe in something good

(ii) Focus on a higher sense of purpose

(iii) Develop your unique potential

(iv) Eat less, exercise more and have fun

(v) Love your friends, family, neighbors and colleagues

(vi) Achieve balance in your life

(vii) Choose work that is important to you

(viii) Exercise everyday

(ix) Eat a well balanced diet

(x) Maintain meaningful social interactions and relationships

(xi) Find meaning in your life

(xii) Get eight or more hours of sleep everyday

(xiii) Manage stress and enjoy companionship

(xiv) Stay positive and have a family doctor to guide you

When you follow the guidelines identified above you are guaranteed to lead a healthy life that complete and fulfilling for as long as you live.