Your health is your greatest wealth. But as you navigate a fast-paced life, taking care of your greatest asset becomes your least important priority.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle if crucial not only for your physical health but also for your mental health.

So, as we celebrate World Health Day today, take the initiative to transform your life for the better by applying these small, healthy changes to your lifestyle.

1. Exercise Frequently

Regular exercise is an effective way to begin a healthy lifestyle. Exercise can reap numerous benefits, including:

• Prevents cardiovascular diseases: As blood flow around your body increases, the oxygen level in your body rises. High levels of oxygen lower your blood pressure, which in turn prevent blood vessels from being damaged and reduce the risk of heart problems such as high cholesterol and heart attacks.
• Better mood: Exercise has a significant impact on your emotional well-being. Physical activity promotes the production of the brain chemicals serotonin and norepinephrine, which amplify positive feelings in your body and reduce symptoms of depression.
• Strengthen your bones: As you age, the bone mineral in your bones decreases. Exercise helps to increase your bone mass and reduces the chances of bone fractures and breaks.

2. Eat nutritious food

When it comes to living a healthy life, eating nutritious food is a major element. A well-balanced meal should include foods that provide your body with essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Make healthy food choices can lead to a variety of benefits, notably:

• Better gut health: The gut produces both bad and good bacteria. Balancing these bacteria is crucial since an increased amount of bad bacteria can cause digestive issues, such as constipation and diarrhea. A helpful was to balance out this bacteria is by eating fermented foods like yogurt, miso and kimchi. These foods contain bacteria called probiotics, which nourish the good bacteria in your gut and aid in overall digestion.
• Boost your cognitive abilities: Your brain is made up of 60% fat. Research suggests that eating foods enriched in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish, walnuts, and chia seeds, can increase the level of DHA and EPA in your brain.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a type of omega-3 fatty acid that makes up a major portion of brain fat. It enhances your brain’s functioning and reduces the chances of cognitive decline as you age.

Additionally, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plays a critical role in improving your brain health. Even though it makes up 1% of your brain fat, EPA helps to balance your emotional state and reduce the chances of depression or anxiety.

• A healthier heart: The food that you eat has the power to either strengthen or damage your heart’s health. Maintaining your heart’s health is essential, as heart diseases are shown to be one of the leading causes of death around the globe. Building a diet that consists of high-antioxidant foods such as leafy greens, berries, seeds, and nuts can help remove free radicals from your body. Free radicals are basically unstable molecules produced by your body’s cells that damage your blood vessels and cause heart issues like coronary heart disease, stroke, etc.

3. Practice mindfulness

One of the greatest gifts you can give your body is by prioritizing mental health. But as mentioned earlier, it’s a busy world. Taking care of yourself and your mental health is always a struggle. Fortunately, a few minutes of mindfulness meditation can dramatically improve your mental health.

Here are a few ways it can be beneficial:

• Improve your concentration: A fundamental aspect of mindfulness is focusing on your breath. As you practice mindfulness regularly, it promotes your concentration skills and lets you focus on things that matter.
• Reduce your stress level: With the high demands of life, you are bound to feel overwhelmed and stressed. This often causes your body to release two hormones, cortisol, and adrenaline, which can cause a rapid heartbeat and breathing difficulties.

By practicing mindfulness, you can dramatically change your response to stressful situations. Meditation creates self-awareness in your mind where you focus on things that matter and the the unhelpful thoughts pass through your mind without judgement. So whenever a stressful situation demands your attention, you focus on resolving the problem instead of falling into a stress cycle.

• Better sleep habits: Good sleep is essential for a healthy and happy life. But as you age, it can be difficult to fall asleep.

When you practice meditation before bedtime, your body starts to calm down and increase the production of a hormone called melatonin. This helps regulate the internal clock of your body by signaling your brain that it’s time to sleep.

John Quelch once said, “View health as an investment, not an expense.” And that should be your ultimate mindset when it comes to living a better life. Incest in yourself by exercising daily, take care of yourself by eating balanced foods, but above all, love yourself enough to live a healthy life.

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