Components of a Healthy Lifestyle

Get Healthy, Live Longer

How you power-up your health -- learning and using these components of a healthy lifestyle -- will affect the entire outcome of your life.

Learn. Plan. Do.

The components of a healthy lifestyle are not just about a diet plan. But neither is it about denying yourself of what you love to eat.

And neither is it just about healthy food and exercise. You must also be drinking clean, safe, healthy water and breathing air free of pollutants. A tall order, I know, but there are lots of things we can do about it, as you'll see further down this page.

With nutritionists and scientists contradicting themselves, isn't it about time you take matters into your own hands? Really find out what works for you?

Although having a set of gym exercises is good for having a healthy lifestyle, it is more than that. There are many ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but first you must be committed to changing your habits.

Just follow each of these healthy lifestyle factors to take charge of your health in three major areas: physical, mental, emotional.

No one can do it for you. They can only point you in the right direction.

That’s because no one else knows your passion, your motivation, your determination. Yes, these are perhaps the most important components of a healthy lifestyle.

It can seem easy at first because we took some good advice to heart and we're pumped up from initial health gains.

Sticking to it over the long haul is another matter. If you’re really in need of a health makeover, there are important things you need to take a serious look at.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #1:

Build Momentum

Ask yourself some hard questions that may be affecting your health.

Am I...

Fat
Lacking energy
A smoker
A heavy drinker
A mess of health problems (tumors, liver damage, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, heart problems, erectile dysfunction, diabetes, low energy)
Eating junk cupcakes wrapped in cellophane
Feeling awful most of the time?

You get the idea—you may be a prime candidate for an early death.

So you dig in and start to examine all the components of a healthy lifestyle, and adopt the healthy lifestyle factors you find here. Now you’re a candidate for the healing fast track.

That means you’ll start feeling the effects of a healthy lifestyle in days or weeks, not months or years. So what does that build? You guessed it! Confidence. Passion. Motivation. Determination...and Momentum!.

Need another kick in the pants to get your health act together and keep it there?

Healthy Lifestyle Component #2:

Why Do It?

How many reasons can you think of living as healthy as you can for as long as you can?

Traveling the world with your sweetheart!
Watch your kids grow up
Be there for your grandkids
Fall in love all over again
Cry at your daughter's wedding
Join the local theater group
Hook that Marlin that got away
Learn to paint with water-colors
Go boondocking in your RV
Teach your great-grandchildren how to fish or sew

Healthy Lifestyle Component #3:

Get Support

Build or join a support team for yourself. Slacking off slows the momentum, which could derail the plan. It could be hard to get started again.

But you don’t have to do it alone. No matter what you want to do, there are always those that would love to do it with you. Start or join a like-minded support network. There are plenty of people out there who want to help you succeed, just as they want to be helped.

If you can't always meet together for mutual support, create a phone tree and call each other, or setup conference calls.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #4:

Make Room For It

You must make room for lifestyle change if you want it.

Examine each of the healthy lifestyle factors and why they're necessary. We need to know the 'whys" so we can purposely and creatively make room for them in our everyday lives.

The component that can affect all the others is nutrition, so that must be first. Getting on a healthy diet will allow you to focus and think more clearly. Once that happens you can start to eliminate the bad health habits.

One by one you're making major changes that can add years to your life, and life to your years.

If you believe you can’t possibly cram in another minute or regimen into your day, then it’s time to examine all that you do and either eliminate, shorten your activities, or change your priorities.

If you want something bad enough you’ll make the time. You adopted your present lifestyle because either someone pushed you toward it, or because you made a conscious choice.

Well, my friend, it’s time to choose again. It simply depends what’s really important to you and your family.

It’s really a choice between a long happy life, or just going through the motions (Well, gee--I really tried, didn't I?). It’s not something built in a day. It takes passion, thought, focus and concentration, and the willingness to take charge of your life.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #5:

Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking is probably the single most important thing you can do right now. Learn the benefits of giving up smoking and quit. Now, I’m a person that hates giving up nasty, “temporary feel-good” addictions, but if a bad-habit-wus like me can do it, then anyone can.

Did you know that one stick creates about one quadrillion free radicals? Did you read the page about how free radicals make us sick and cut our lives short?

If you didn’t, read the section on free radicals, and do it now. Then come back and take up where you left off.

Need help quitting? Yeah, I know it's hard. I quit four times before it stuck. Here's a proven method to quit smoking.

And go here to see how others are quitting and why.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #6:

Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol is acidic, poisons your body, and, like smoking, you’re laying the groundwork for a variety of illness and diseases, like inflammation of the liver.

Do you need your three glasses of wine everyday? If that sounds like you, you’re probably building up more free radicals than your body can handle. If so, you’re experiencing oxidative stress: dryness and wrinkling of the skin, high blood pressure, headaches, cancer, stroke and much more.

If you’re going to drink, then drink red wine. It contains resveratrol which can help cure and prevent many life threatening diseases like cancer, heart attacks and stroke. Or take a well-regarded antioxidant supplement which contains massive amounts of pure resveratrol.

A diet rich in antioxidants can go a long way in helping you kick the habit.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #7:

Healthy Eating Tips

Learn, study and follow these healthy eating tips. Pick an antioxidant juice and take it every day without fail. Why? Because it will contain more and better antioxidants than you’re likely to ingest any other way.

If you question that statement, think of the time and money it will take to assemble a dozen or so servings of the freshest and best berries, fruits, vegetables that money can buy.

Now try doing that once, twice or three times a day every day. Not to mention that many of the foods contained in the juice are only available on the other side of the world.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #8:

Drink Pure Water

Most of our Nations' water supply is contaminated with carcinogens and other pollutants. The EPA sets up standards which permit water districts to leave a certain amount of dangerous chemicals and microorganisms in our water. When you drink it, you're ingesting poisons that create massive amounts of free radicals in your body, which can lead to oxidative stress, illness and disease.

But the same thing happens when you bathe or shower. Your pores open in the hot water allowing chlorine and other toxins to enter your body. And, as we know, chlorine is a cancer-causing toxin.

What's a person to do? Get yourself the best water filter you can for each sink or bathroom. Or, better yet, get an in-house filtration system that purifies the incoming water for the entire house.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #9:

Mental & Emotional Health

Attaining a high quality of life must always include mental and emotional balance. Here are a few symptoms of mental and emotional instability.

If the person is able to function reasonably well in the world, each symptom by itself is not necessarily indicative of mental illness. It could simply be a situational problem, like death of a loved one, loss of a job, or a relationship breakup.

But if symptoms persist longer than what may be considered reasonable, worsen, or if other symptoms also manifest themselves, then professional help is probably needed.

Forgetfulness
Thoughts of death or suicide
Trouble concentrating
General feelings of anxiety
Easily confused
Works hard to solve problems
Hears voices
Decreased appetite & weight loss
Difficulty sleeping
Loss of interest and pleasure in life
Can’t think abstractly
Easily angered
Few close friends
Anxious around others

Emotional problems and mental instability are known to create massive amounts of free radicals, perhaps second only to heavy metals in your system. Regardless of the situation, a balanced diet of fresh fruits and vegetables will help.

If symptoms are relatively mild, there are any number of alternative solutions, like: yoga, meditation, herbs and the like. There are also some excellent DVDs on "Insight Meditation" is also very popular.

Also refer to these pages, as proper nutrition can help resolve mental instabilities:

12 Foods To Avoid

Healthy Eating Tips

Healthy Eating Plan

If in doubt, seek the help of a qualified mental health practitioner.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #10:

Exercise

Get all the benefits of fitness you can. Like most folks you probably don't exercise enough. The bottom line is that it's an essential healthly lifestyle component.

So make it easy on yourself. Join a walking or hiking group. There are plenty of groups out there that are always looking for new members. Join a gym. Go dancing. But get off your butt!

Visiting a gym gives you a structured exercise routine, but too many people pay for a gym membership and then never take the time to visit.

If you would like to change your lifestyle choices, you should check out suitable alternatives. Walking is a free and enjoyable way of keeping fit; you can do it at your own pace or with a friend. It is a fact that walking two miles a day can significantly minimize the risk of heart disease, stroke, and some forms of cancer. That's another component you can check off.

Dancing is not only excellent exercise, but is even more social than walking. It’s an easy way to make new friends.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #11:

Have Fun

Keep these essentials to success in the front of your mind as you are making changes...

Surround yourself with success-oriented people. Don’t bother with nay-sayers who have an excuse for everything.
Adopt a healthy family lifestyle.
Achieve a good balance between work and play.
Take another slug of the antioxidant juice.
Have fun. Play and laugh a lot.

Pick a healthy eating plan and stick to it.
Call your Mom and tell her you love her.
Take your kids to the zoo.
Stay on track with these healthy lifestyle factors.
Go for a bike ride with your sweetie.
Since happiness builds antioxidants in your system, enjoying each others company are vital components of a healthy lifestyle
Take a leisurely row out on a lake.

Do work you love
Call your Dad and say you love him. Same for your siblings, friends and other people in your life. (Your boss, too?. Hmmm)
Savor the wonderful health you’re feeling from cutting the bad habits and eating right.
Keep implementing these components of a healthy lifestyle.
Don‘t play the road-rage (or other violent baiting) game. Anger, anxiety and depression creates zillions of free radicals. If you don’t die on the road, the free radicals will surely get ya.
Get a dog or a cat for instant love. A big plus for a healthy lifestyle

See, you’re already on the health bandwagon! Fun, ‘eh?

Healthy Lifestyle Component #12:

Healthy Eating Plan

Use this resource to help create a solid healthy eating plan .

Notice how many fast-food joints are serving healthy meals? Like the packaged foods industry, they’re just giving people what the people want. So if you’re not brown-bagging it to work, pick one of the health-oriented mainstream restaurants, like Yum!, that are popping up all over.

Live or work near a university?, you're in luck! Plenty of healthy food options in those neighborhoods.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #13

Reach and Maintain a Healthy Weight

If you're faithfully following all of the steps above, you should see your excess fat disappear. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen. Excess baggage in the form of fat, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more overweight you are, the worse your overall health.

Healthy Lifestyle Component #14:

Advice For The Eldery

If you've come this far, you've learned a lot about living a healthy lifestyle and are ready to apply it. The eldery have special needs. If you're here because you fit the category or of the elderly in your life, please study the Healthy Lifestyle for the Elderly page and apply the knowledge diligently.

Also check out this healthy aging advice regarding stem cell research.

Convenience for the elderly is always desireable. For reading pleasure without the need to buy books or check them out from a library, consider getting the Kindle Wireless Reading Device (

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