We have one body that we live in.
We make choices every single day on how we take care of ourselves.
We want to lead a healthier lifestyle, but where do we start?
We feel we are too old to start! Or we blame our genetic makeup!
Researches have proven that the following simple lifestyle modifications provide tremendous protection from various diseases and dramatically increase the quality of life:
Food for thought!
It couldn’t be more truth said when you hear – Food is medicine – You are what you eat! Ayurvedic science sees the root cause of all diseases starting with the Gut. Learn about what it means to have Low Carb, Healthy Fat & Lean protein diet. Portion control is the key – Do not overeat. Eat as much home cooked food as you know what goes in it. Avoid sugar. Period. Unless it is naturally part of the food consumed.
Exercise your privilege!
Stay Active. Keep Moving. Researches say that 30 minutes a day of physical activity for most days of the week, which could also be divided into three 10-minute bouts of activity per day. A good rule of thumb is at least 5,000 steps per day with a target of more than 10,000 steps per day, most days of the week. Start small and make incremental changes.
Kilo-Bites!
Body mass index (BMI)—a ratio of height to weight that measures body fat— Any number between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy. Free online Calculator will give us results in nanoseconds reminding us to focus on diet and exercise which will eventually lead us to fit into this healthy weight bracket. The real goal is to sustain that weight over the years.
Thank you for NOT Smoking!
One could eat organic home cooked portion controlled balanced diet, exercise religiously, maintain weight in grams; but smokes – one habit that will nullify all of the above efforts. If we had to choose only one lifestyle modification, then this is it. Smoking not only affects lungs and vessels supplying our heart but increases the rate of cancer and risk of stroke. It simply affects too many organs in one puff.
The purpose of this article is not to engage in fear mongering. It is to equip ourselves with knowledge and empower ourselves to make informed decisions; thus better choices.
Let’s focus on what we can control over the ones that are beyond our scope.
Let’s make achievable & realistic goals.
Let’s be kind to ourselves as much as with our fellow human beings.
(The author is the Chairperson of Orange City Hospital, Khamla Square, Nagpur)
