People who are making an attempt to be healthier may ask themselves: What exactly is a healthy life style? Most individuals know the reasons why they should be healthy.

Health is the biggest key factor for self-confidence, having more energy, living a longer life, having less chance of getting sick, being less stressed, and feeling mentally and emotionally happier in general. But being healthy is a lifestyle choice and something that has to be achieved over time, not just overnight.

The first two things that come to mind when people think of healthy life style are diet and exercise. These are two of the most obvious and important factors to truly becoming healthy. For some people, having a proper diet and exercising frequently are second nature; perhaps they grew up playing sports and had very health-conscious parents.

If you have just made the decision to change your life into healthy life style, start off slowly and gradually. A common mistake most people make is that they try to go too extreme with their diet and exercise too much, too fast and too soon. Even pro-athletes take years of training to get their bodies to look that way.

However, that doesn't mean you won't see some results relatively quickly. You'll probably notice that you'll have more energy and feel better within the first day.

When starting an exercise plan, one of the simplest and most effective things you can do is walking. It's easy and you don't need an expensive gym membership or equipment to do it. It's recommended that you exercise between a half-hour to an hour four to six days a week. If you can't do that much yet, don't worry. Even ten or fifteen minutes of walking are better than none at all.

is the same. Starting a new diet can be daunting. The most important thing to remember when starting a healthy life style diet is to eat things with plenty of vitamins, nutrients, and healthy fats to keep you full and satisfied, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, lean chicken and fish.

You'll find that all of these factors snowball into each other to create an overall healthy life style. For example, getting more exercise usually helps people sleep better, and sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Also, smoking makes it harder to breathe if you're exercising regularly, so that gives you added incentive to quit if you're trying, which you should be.

The same goes for alcohol. If you drink to excess, you'll be much more fatigued in your daily life, especially while exercising, so perhaps it will inspire you to cut back. Being healthy takes baby steps, so start small and build yourself up from there.

1. Tips to Follow for a Balanced and Healthy Diet

Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it's about feeling great, having more energy, improving your health, and stabilizing your mood. If you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition and diet advice out there, you're not alone. It seems that for every expert who tells you a certain food is good for you, you'll find another saying exactly the opposite. But by using these simple tips, you can cut through the confusion and learn how to create a tasty, varied, and healthy diet that is as good for your mind as it is for your body.

2. Get Regular Physical Activity

Doing regular physical activity can make you feel good about yourself and it can have a number of benefits for your health. For example, it reduces the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, some cancers, type 2 diabetes and 'thinning' of the bones (osteoporosis). Regular physical activity also helps to control weight and may help to ease stress. Ideally, you should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on at least five days of the week. You should also aim to do a minimum of two sessions of muscle-strengthening activities per week, although these should not be on consecutive days.

3. Avoid Unhealthy Habits

Living a long, healthy life depends on on many factors, including genetics, but certain habits can have a major effect. Smoking, drinking and overeating contribute to illnesses and serious life-threatening diseases, while eating a healthy diet and making exercise a habit can keep you well and extend life. The key is to replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones.

Copyright © Sara Bernardi 2017