WHO considers a certain lifestyle (often referred to as a healthy lifestyle) half of success in disease prevention. So how can we live so as not to get sick, not to age prematurely and to feel good every day?
Healthy lifestyle – what is in this concept?
Let’s leave radical veganism and the diets of professional athletes to their followers. A healthy person is physically active, mobile, free of harmful addictions and content with life . And the lifestyle in question is a style of alternating daily activities, rest, nutrition and special thinking that accompanies health.
HLS is:
- Activity. WHO recommends 30 minutes of light aerobic activity every day.
- Rational nutrition. The amount of nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) must meet the needs of the body. The program is drawn up by a doctor if a person is sick.
- Mental hygiene. The skill of managing emotions, relaxing and getting rid of negativity that provokes neuroses.
- Alternating stress and rest. This applies to both training and work, responsibilities, family.
- Disease prevention. We are talking about banal rules of hygiene, vaccinations, creating healthy working conditions.
In relation to a person, a healthy lifestyle can be briefly described by the following concepts: “diet”, “training and physical activity plan”, “work and rest mode”. Boring and difficult? Not really. Healthy food is quite common, delicious food, not necessarily gluten and sugar free, and physical activity is not always 12 CrossFit laps followed by a 10 km run. It could be walking the dog or the child, dancing, or even walking to work.
The mode of work and rest is the most painful topic for compatriots. We are either paid too little, and we are forced to rush to a second job instead of rest, or we simply “live” on one, or are engaged in a business that takes all our strength.
Components of a healthy lifestyle
This short list will help make everyone’s life healthier. But if you have any medical condition that requires medical attention, or if there is a prescription from a specialist that contradicts the information below, do not self-medicate over the Internet . Use what is consistent with your treatment plan.
Balanced nutrition
The Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Sciences has developed recommendations for making menus for people with different diseases and approximate daily rations for different age groups. Scientists have taken into account the factors of activity and the need to make food affordable. Any fan of healthy bloggers will be very surprised to find vegetable spreads, rolls, sugar, chips and the most common pasta in the list of products.
In addition to everything, you can find cottage cheese, milk, butter … Who can you believe? At the time of this writing, dietetics is guided by the following principles:
- Energy balance is the most important component of a balanced diet. To maintain weight, you need to eat as much as you spend, to decrease – 200-300 kcal less, to increase – the same amount more.
- Food is not divided into “healthy and not healthy”, for allergy sufferers and people without chronic diseases. All food can be broken down into proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and we take them into account.
- The diet is based on the fact that a person needs at least 1 g of proteins per 1 kg of body weight per day, with increased physical activity – up to 1.5-2 g, fats – from 0.8 to 1.2 g , and the amount of carbohydrates is determined by the residual principle.
Official Russian rations from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences are based on a slightly different layout. Their authors believe that carbohydrates should be at least 60% of the total calories. Hence such an abundance of potatoes and cereals. The reason is the financial living conditions of most people. A high carbohydrate load is not optimal, it is enough to get half the energy from cereals and fruits.
The recommendations of the US FDA are somewhat different from the domestic ones. Adults should receive 45-65% of carbohydrates, and the more the tendency to overweight, the less cereals and cereals are needed. The minimum amount of carbohydrates is 130 g. This amount can be gained by eating a couple of servings of porridge and some kind of fruit.
How to use all this useful information:
- Make a list of products. It should contain cereals, potatoes, non-starchy vegetables, pasta, meat, poultry, cottage cheese, eggs, butter and vegetable oil.
- Fruit is a controversial issue. If the family is on a budget, keep poultry, offal, cereals and vegetables and limit the fruit to local apples and cheap seasonal produce.
- Calculate your food intake based on your daily protein, fat and carbohydrate requirements.
- These products are used to prepare regular meals. The amount of food per family member is weighed and entered into any convenient calorie counting app.
- You can eat 3 to 6 or more times a day. Here everyone determines the most convenient mode for themselves.
- If the minimum BJU figures are reached, everything is fine, the food is healthy, we continue in the same spirit. You don’t need to overeat.
Sometimes an adjustment will be needed:
- The family lacks protein. This is the most common problem; protein foods are expensive. We can only advise you to diversify your purchases. Look for fish, organ meats (heart and liver in priority), cottage cheese from local producers. Protein is essential for strong immunity, good body composition, not just muscle.
- Excess carbohydrates and fats? Review your recipes. Try to cook dishes from cereals and vegetables without roasting, adding a large amount of oil and pieces of fried bacon. Replace part of the cereal side dish with a salad of fresh or sauerkraut or other vegetables.
Sports activities
It would be more accurate to say that the goal of a healthy lifestyle is to foster an understanding of the value of physical activity. In Russia, the legal regulation of this area is in its infancy. Therefore, let us refer to the official guidelines for Americans, yet the physiology of people on the other side of the globe is no different from ours. The only difference is in the state’s approach to the health of citizens.
So, the US Department of Health recommends for adults:
- Walk or do other low-intensity aerobic activity 2 to 5 hours per week. Yes, dog walks are fine too.
- Sit less and move more. During office work, you need to take breaks and warm up, in your free time – rest.
- High-intensity aerobic training (fitness, running and dancing) – 75 to 150 minutes per week, can replace walking and walking from the first step if you don’t feel like walking or don’t like it.
- Strength training is desirable for adults. The volume is determined individually, the number of strength sessions – from 2 per week, and it is necessary to train all the main muscle groups, and not only those that determine a good appearance on the beach.
Here’s a simple example of a beginner’s home strength training program:
All exercises are repeated for 1 minute in 2-3 sets. Rest between sets – until full recovery.
Another version of the program with its own weight:
Beginner strength training in the gym:
Exercises are performed for 30-40 seconds at an average pace. Working approaches – 2-3, weights – moderate, allowing you to keep the technique.
An example of a circular program for a beginner, see the video:
A good rest
A complete change of activity is considered a complete rest. If you work at the computer in the office, playing “shooter” at home, you do not rest. On weekdays, there should be at least 4 hours for rest and regular activities, on weekends – full daylight hours. It is recommended to take a vacation every six months for at least 2 weeks. During these couple of weeks, you should go on a trip or do something completely different from your work schedule.
Sleep for an adult – at least 8 hours a day . The weekend is not only about cooking and cleaning in the kitchen, but also walking, meeting friends and hobbies. This is not a whim, but the basics of a healthy lifestyle.
Strengthening immunity
There is no consensus here. Some believe that it is enough to get vaccinated in childhood, get enough sleep, eat well and take vitamin C during epidemics. Others also suggest swimming in an ice hole and dousing with cold water.
Let’s leave the extreme hardening to fans, but adding protein to the diet and cutting out empty calories from sweets works well for everyone.
Emotional and psychological health
People must learn to control stress and negative emotions. The easiest ways are physical exercises for relaxation, normalization of the work schedule, meditation, communication.
Constantly being in a state of stress means reducing the quality of life. Psychological help is an important preventive measure and should be sought after when advice like “take a warm bath and walk in the autumn forest” has stopped working.
Personal Hygiene
Any student knows this:
- brush our teeth 2 times a day, use dental floss, not just a brush;
- wash our face every morning and evening;
- take a shower at least once a day, depending on the climate, occupation and needs;
- wash hands or treat them with an antiseptic before eating;
- if possible and in the absence of contraindications, we visit the bathhouse once a week.
Quitting bad habits
The allowed alcohol intake is 1 glass of wine or 30 ml of a stronger drink per week for women and twice as much for men. But there is no acceptable rate of smoked cigarettes. Smoking is harmful in any amount.
The benefits of a healthy lifestyle
HLS allows:
- Spend less on doctors and medicines, as well as on unnecessary food such as sweets, chips, crackers, convenience foods.
- Feel better and be productive while you work.
- Perform daily tasks better, achieve greater success in all areas of life.
- Maintain a clear mind.
A healthy lifestyle is not a panacea, but a means to make life brighter and better.
How to form and instill a healthy lifestyle in children?
The trick does not work with children when the whole family eats fried potatoes, and the child is offered oatmeal in the water. It is possible to instill and form a healthy lifestyle only by personal example. The child will involuntarily copy the behavior of his parents and respect his body and emotional and psychological needs.
It is worth starting with family walks, simple exercises in the fresh air or at home, a general subscription to a fitness club or pool, an end to constant parties with alcohol. Gradually improving the quality of nutrition, life and changing leisure time – and children will grow up healthy.
Summary
So, a healthy lifestyle is:
- 8 hours of sleep, 30 minutes of walking and at least 2 hours of free time from work every day;
- 2-3 strength training per week with moderate weights;
- a balanced diet in accordance with the energy needs of a person;
- 30-40 ml of water per 1 kg of body weight per day;
- using methods of psychological relief;
- regular and proper rest.
Gradually introducing all this into his life, a person improves its quality.