The second half of your life can bring some of your most amazing decades. You may be more confident than your younger self. You gain wisdom and patience. Sure, your hair have more grays and your face sports more lines. But you can grow older with your body and mind as healthy as they can possibly be.
1. Eat a Great Diet
Great diet
There are many different opinions on what counts as the healthiest diets, but healthy people nearly always focus on eating a lot of vegetables, avoiding artificial preservatives and limiting processed foods and sugar. Eating clean helps your body get the nutrients it needs without the potentially toxic additives.
2. Maintain a Balanced Outlook
Balanced outlook
Negativity can seem pervasive in the world at times. Healthy people ensure they focus on positive things as much as, or at least more than, the negative. In this way, they can maintain a healthy mental balance and avoid becoming consumed by the sadness and despair in the world.
One way to incorporate this into your life is to seek out positive news stories or contribute positively to the world by helping others in some way.
3. Take Time Out
Take time out
Everyone needs time to recharge. A healthy person takes this time with the understanding that it is a necessity and not a luxury.
By taking a break and spending time self-nurturing, you will have the energy and desire to show the world your best self.
4. Learn and Practice Stress Management
Learn stress management
Unchecked stress takes a rapid and measurable toll on the body. Cortisol, adrenalin and other stress hormones are beneficial during emergencies because they help a person fight or flee from danger. However, these hormones are destructive to the body over time, such as during periods of chronic stress.
Stress cannot always be avoided, and so healthy people learn ways to manage their stress. Relaxation exercises, breathing techniques, journaling and talking with loved ones are a few techniques you can use.
5. Make Sure to Get Good Quality Sleep
Good quality sleep
Sleep is a cornerstone of mental and physical well being. The time spent sleeping is not as idle as it might seem. During a good night’s rest, the body can direct its energy towards healing and repairing the system. It releases growth hormones to help repair wounds and create new cells, and there is even evidence that a good night’s rest can help keep your weight in check because of hunger-regulating hormones. In addition, the brain uses this time to recuperate and to store important information.
6. Stop Smoking
Stop smoking
Tobacco kills. It harms almost every organ in your body. Cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and other products with nicotine cause heart disease, cancer, lung and gum disease, and many other health problems. It’s never too late to quit. Your body begins to heal within 20 minutes of your last cigarette. Your chance of a heart attack goes down right away. In a year, your odds of heart disease drop by half. You’ll also live longer.