Health is wealth. Everyone wants to be healthy, but how to go about it? The answer to this is following a healthy lifestyle. Now you must be wondering how to live a healthy lifestyle! Well, maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn’t need much effort. You will find some great tips for a healthy lifestyle here. These sure shot ways to help you infuse your lifestyle with healthy habits.

Living a healthy lifestyle

When you choose to follow a healthy lifestyle, you can lead a long and quality life. There are several ways to go healthy such as ensuring regular sleep patterns, reducing stress, following proper diet and exercise routine. Here are practical ways to lead a healthier life and reduce the chances of suffering from diseases.

Get enough exercise for your heart

You need to do cardio exercises to strengthen your cardiovascular system. With time, it will lower the resting heart rate. Now, you must be thinking what cardio exercises actually are! Well, they are activities like swimming, running, cycling or using gym equipment like elliptical or a rower. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, performing a cardio workout of moderate intensity for 30 mins a day, 5 days a week is enough. Alternatively, you can try your hands on a vigorous cardio workout, 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week.

Build strength

You can enhance your metabolism with the help of resistance training. The logic behind this is that muscle tissues will need more calories and by building more muscles you will burn more number of calories. It is recommended that you stick to a bi-weekly resistance program that has 8 to 10 exercises and 8 to 12 repetitions. What are you waiting for? Enrol yourself at the gym and get going!

One way to get moving is by playing sports. Choose the one that you enjoy the most. Join leagues in and around your area to get ample exercise. There is nothing better than getting your whole family plays a sport together. This way you can spend some quality time with your loved ones. Make sure that you choose a sport or a game that everyone in your family enjoys.

You can improve overall health and reduce body weight by bringing down your consumption of calories. You can gauge your caloric needs with the help of the BMR formula. BMR or Basal metabolic rate refers to the number of calories your body burns at rest. The average BMR of women is usually around 2000 to 2100 calories a day and for men, it is between 2700 and 2900 calories a day. You need to avoid processed foodstuff as they cause unwanted weight gain and are the root cause of several diseases. It is advised that you make your food at home from scratch. The less processed a food is, the better!

Manage to control food cravings

Most people crave for food at night. This night time expedition to the kitchen will do you no good. Eliminate the habit so that weight reduction is possible and your health improves. Whenever your cravings are at their peak, distract yourself.

Getting sound sleep is important for weight reduction and health. Experts are of the opinion that when you are deprived of sleep, there is a release of stress hormones like cortisol that alter the glucose metabolism. This leads to fat storage. You need at least 8 hours of sleep at night to limit weight gain and ensure healthy glucose metabolism.

Bring down stress

For maintaining a healthy lifestyle you need to control stress. High levels of stress can affect glucose metabolism just like lack of sleep does. Try to reduce stress by carrying out deep breathing exercises every day for 5 to 10 minutes. Yoga is a great way to de-stress yourself. It will help you relax and make your mind feel calmer. Do follow the healthy lifestyle habits above but remember to bring in changes gradually. It will take you some time to change your lifestyle. Be realistic and set smaller goals. Hope your question ‘How to live a healthy lifestyle’ has been answered! Enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle!