Simple Lifestyle Changes that can improve health outcomes.

Lifestyle habits form over time and can impact the quality of life and overall health.  An unhealthy lifestyle can create problems such as metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, being overweight, etc.  As you get older, you become more health conscious and want to take steps to help you enjoy a healthy life.  

You can incorporate several lifestyle changes into your daily routine to help you reduce your health risk and increase your overall well-being. Here are 7 of them: 

Get the Right amount of sleep

It is recommended that for good quality and quantity of sleep, an adult need to have about 7 – 9 hours per night, and even longer for younger children. It is important that one pays attention to the depth, duration, regularity, and continuity of sleep while making positive lifestyle changes.  

Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to rejuvenating, improving productivity, restoring and improving brain performance, and promoting physical and mental health. Sleep aids in waste removal and cellular repair in the body.  

Moreover, it’s crucial for memory formation, and prolonged lack of sleep causes some form of memory loss and dementia. When you develop sleep hygiene, by setting time or scheduling sleep, making the bedroom conducive, removing electronic gadgets/devices, and removing bright lights, you can easily achieve good sleep. Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia. 

Eat Balanced Meals

Many African countries have meals made up of more carbohydrates than anything else. This is why eating a well-balanced meal would require considerable effort and discipline. The chance of developing diseases, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and others, is reduced by eating a nutritious diet. As is the case with red meat and colorectal cancer, some of these diseases have established connections to food and nutrition.  

Ensuring your plate has more portions of fruits, vegetables, proteins, healthy fats and oils, and reduced carbs is important.  Simple efforts like learning the dietary content of your regular foods and ensuring they are balanced can change your dietary habit for good, keeping you healthy and strong for a long time.  

READ ALSO: Good Health, Happy Life.

Exercise

As one of the most important lifestyle changes, getting a few hours of exercise per week can do wonders for your body and mind. Thirty minutes a day of physical activity protects heart health and promotes overall health. It also lowers the amount of bone loss as you age and, with it, the risk of osteoporosis. Sometimes your health may limit your exercise options, but walking and engaging in basic home chores can help you stay active.  

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Obesity alone is a risk factor for many diseases, as shown by numerous research. Hence, the singular act of maintaining a healthy weight can significantly reduce the risk of diseases and illness and maintain a healthy life. Despite its many flaws, the Body Mass Index (BMI) is still one of the most accepted ways to measure healthy weight. It is, however, important to note that BMI alone is not the only way to ensure a healthy weight. Constant exercise, eating healthy, and proper food rations are good ways to maintain a healthy weight.  

To explore your risk level and know harmful behavioral patterns, you can consult a doctor to prescribe the habits you can include to improve your health.   

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