Healthy lifestyle: A choice or necessity?

Historians have proved that yoga is originated from Indian civilization. Although the culture of regular exercise and fitness has just started to take root in India. Our women need to become aware of the benefits of fitness and a healthy lifestyle. They need to be able to get out and run, which doesn’t happen enough due to various cultural reasons.

Through this article, I want to talk about some small things, taking care of which can make a huge impact. I want to explain how important is to adopt a healthy lifestyle for better living. You can discuss them with your mother, sisters, and friends so their souls and the culture of fitness can rejuvenate.

Also read- 10 food habits you must cultivate for a healthy lifestyle

Nutrition

Don’t always worry about your external appearances, just go, and work to maintain internal health, and everything external will follow itself.

Each and every individual has a different body type. There is no need to be under-confident or stressed if you don’t fall under any “forged measurements ”. However, taking care of what you have is most important. The first step you can do is to work on recognizing your body type, what suits you best. This means, what amount of carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, fibers, minerals are good for you.

Like an expensive car, your body and brain function best when it gets only premium fuel. Food that contains a high quantity of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourish the brain as well as body.

Being a north Indian, I am very fond of dairy products such as yogurt, ghee, lassi. I have realized that they work best for me, my gut feels good and my heart feels overwhelmed. There are a few things I am allergic to, like hot chilies. Therefore, I try my best to avoid them. So, go through your daily eating habits. Explore your local markets for all the vitamins and minerals you need to boost your immunity and don’t forget to add things that make you happy.

Pro-tip

No matter what body type you are, drinking WATER in a good amount is most important. keep yourself hydrated. If you don’t like it plain, add mint or lemon to it. It will work as icing on the cake.

Refined sugar

Your body is a slave, it will do what your mind says.

This topic could be merged in the previous point. Despite that, I want to talk about it individually because there is a lot that we don’t know.

Sugar is found naturally in foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy. Consuming foods that contain natural sugar is not bad. However, the problem occurs when you consume too much sugar i.e the sugar added by the manufacturer to increase flavor or shelf life. The top source of added sugar is soft drinks, cake, cookies, and most processed foods. The result is we consume way too much added sugars.

The effects of added sugar intake — higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes — are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

So, how much sugar is justified? Since sugar is not the required nutrient in our diet so it’s hard to say. However, keeping an eye on how much sugar you intake is highly important. First, try to curb your daily sugar intake, by adding half the initial amount. Try to look for tasty and sugar-free recipes. Before buying processed food do read the food labels. Nowadays a multitude of apps are available that provide full information about your consumption of unrefined sugar, try to use them.

My family has a crazy sweet tooth and I have inherited that too. My meal is incomplete without sugar-coating things. During my working hours in the lab, I use to go for coffee breaks and usually add refined sugar more than needed. I am chocolate, pastries addict, nevertheless, I have a lot to write about my addiction. Since I have read about the ill-effects of sugar, I am trying my best to avoid it. I have started replacing white sugar with jaggery as it is made of unrefined sugars. And yes rather than torturing myself by abruptly cutting down my sugar consumption, I am taking the process slowly.

Also read- The Art of Mindful eating: What is it and Why we need it?

Pro tip

Oral hygiene is the window for overall health.

Physical Activity

According to a survey conducted by the Indian Institute of Medical Research-India Diabetes, less than 10% of people are engaged in recreational physical activities.

This is very saddening, I want people to understand the value of physical activity in their daily lives and adopt a healthy lifestyle for physical and mental well being.

For that, the first thing I will suggest is to work on which fitness ritual suits you best. It might be a gym, aerobics, swimming, or yoga. However, if you are new to this, just choose one and explore it and understand how it is benefiting your body. For instance, if you are not comfortable with hardcore exercise, you can opt for a  moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as brisk walking. Remember that nothing can be achieved in a day, or in a month. Your body and mind will need time and intense devotion to adapt to any routine. Having a partner or trainer makes the process smooth.

Personally, I like to run and stretch. My brother helps me with the stretching, as my flexibility is not that good. What I have learned that if you have a fitness partner than he or she can help you to not skip or cut short on your exercise routine. In such a way we can make each other credible. I also regularly do some yoga mainly breathing exercises and try to have an evening walk with my loved ones. I really want to try my hands on hard-core gyming but right now I know I am not ready for it mentally, although I would love to take swimming lessons in the future.

Also read- Perception, will, and action: fighting the virus against mental peace

Pro-tip

Getting sound sleep for 6-7 hrs is as important as any physical activity.

The motto of my article is to bring a positive change towards one’s perspective to favor a healthy lifestyle. So, try to discuss it with others because positive discussion can lead to positive transformation.