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People who lead healthy lives are strong enough to face the ups and downs of life and are not affected by its drastic changes. While the popular saying ‘health is wealth’ is very true, good health does not only mean the absence of illnesses in one’s body but the complete physical, mental and social well-being of an individual. A healthy life allows a person to live to the fullest extent and not merely survive.

To acquire a healthy life one has to make the decision to make some changes in their lifestyle.  A healthy lifestyle calls for various good habits like regular exercising, eating healthier, getting enough rest, drinking clean water, living in a clean environment and having enough sunlight while avoiding bad habits like smoking, drinking alcohol and eating junk foods. People who are physically fit avoid many chronic diseases because they are healthier and are able to maintain optimum weight.

Importance of physical fitness.

1. Helps to prolong life span

A healthy lifestyle through physical activity promotes strong muscles, bones and joints, which prevent diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, colon cancer and lowers the chances of heart disease hence promoting long life. Many times symptoms disappear due to medication but that doesn’t mean that the problem is fixed and it won’t be long till the body fails completely. Therefore, keeping the body active helps the body to fight off diseases naturally this, in turn, increases one’s life expectancy by preventing premature death.

2. Promotes mental health

Regular exercise promotes better mental and emotional well-being. Exercising relieves tension, stress, and mental fatigue this helps to decrease symptoms of both depression and anxiety thus boosting ones physical and mental energy.  These improvements in mood increase blood circulation to the brain which results in good memory and overall intervention in mental health care.

3. Promotes Healthy Social Relationships

Physical activity also increases endorphin levels which is known as the body’s ‘feel good’ chemical which improves one’s mood and helps reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. Healthy behaviour is a positive side effect of exercising which leads to the development of important social skills such as conflict resolution and cooperation amongst peers.

Ways to develop a healthy lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle demands consistent habits and disciplined life.  As the old saying goes ‘money can’t buy happiness’ unfortunately it can’t buy health either.

• Good nutrition. This is one of the most important ways to improve the body’s performance.  Eating breakfast that contains proteins is a great way to start your day right. Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet and avoid skipping meals.
• Find exercise that you enjoy. Don’t waste your time trying to force yourself to enjoy a type of exercise that you hate.  Enjoying exercise is very important to staying consistent.
• Don’t stress. Be patient with yourself when it comes to your goals. Planning to drastically change your lifestyle and then stressing about it constantly won’t do any good.
• Keep a gratitude journal. Simply write down six things you are grateful for each day to help reduce stress levels.
• Get enough rest. Rest is crucial for good brain development and activity therefore it is important to ensure that you have eight hours of sleep every day.
• Be kind to yourself. Keeping a positive attitude helps to improve one’s overall mental well-being as well as heighten inner strength.

Choosing a healthy lifestyle should be about staying the course. Making the effort to continue the healthy lifestyle journey through the many obstacles that you will be faced with in life. Health is every person’s most valuable wealth because life without health has no meaning. Health is a gift of vibrant life as it affects your mental health, enhances your appearance and automatically boosts your confidence. It has been said that it is better to repair a crack in the ceiling than to prevent a leak with a bucket in a flooding house therefore, when you live a healthy lifestyle your body will prevent you from many severe diseases, as a result, saving you from expensive medical bills.  It all starts with changing one’s mindset one healthy habit at a time.

Written by: Lucy Njobvu.

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