Top Five Healthy Habits

Being healthy is not something that can be achieved overnight. You really have to dedicated yourself into doing it. There is not really any magical formula or crazy technique for this. Any books, diets, or special techniques out there that work are all really doing one thing: causing you to develop a habit of doing healthy actions.
They offer encouraging words, and prove to you results...and really, they re more or less motivating you to become healthier. Why do those, pay money, when you can simply develop your own good habits? So I ve done some research and found out some of the habits of healthy people. Here are the ones I feel are Top 5 habits of healthy people.


1. Eat Breakfast Everyday

Eating breakfast is healthy because they tend to take in more nutrients: vitamins, minerals, less fat, less cholesterol. In fact, having breakfast helps hold of hunger pangs till lunch, and you re less prone to buy high calorie foods from the local vending machine. Studies have shown kids who eat breakfast perform better. There s even research that shows breakfast eaters have a lower rate of diabetes, less chance to become obese, when compared to those who do not eat breakfast.

If one of your excuses to not eat breakfast is time, then maybe adjusting it to fit your schedule would be better. For example, some people may wake up not feeling hungry, and would prefer to be able to sleep in; they can bring their breakfast with them when going to work, and eat it while reading their morning emails.

2. Fish and Omega 3

The AHA recommends at least two servings of fish each week. Fish are known to be high in omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 is known to be very healthy for the heart, and there s even evidence that it can soothe an overactive immune system; there seems to be a link between more omega 3 in your diet, and lower symptoms of allergies, asthma, eczema, and other autoimmune disorders.

3. Sleep

Most people actually don t get enough sleep; something like two thirds of adults suffer from sleep problems, and many don t get enough hours of sleep to stay awake/alert. Getting enough sleep is extremely vital for your emotional and physical well being. People who don t get enough sleep are more likely to develop psychiatric problems. Lack of sleep also negatively affect memory, learning, and logical reasoning.

4. Great Friends and Family

Your friends can save your life. How? Four things: They can provide information on any of your symptoms, which can prompt you to see a doctor, they offer emotional support when ever you need it, they can help provide physical support for you when you need to visit doctors...and of course, they help offer a sense of belonging.

5. Exercise!

Do I really need to outline the benefits of exercising? We ve all heard it: the myriads of health benefits, the reduction in various diseases (obesity, diabetes, etc), increased general well being, both mentally and physically. This one is a no brainer really. Exercise is key in losing weight, and it s also key in reducing heart disease. The only problem is it requires commitment.

Good Eating Habits

* Drink water, little and often throughout the day.
* Eat something in the morning – it does not have to be first thing as you jump out of bed, but eating something when you get up will replenish your blood glucose levels and fuel your brain and your body.
* Eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day – they’re great as snacks and if you have at least 1 serving per meal, you’ll easily make this target.
* Go for colour. Check you are eating a variety of colourful fruit and vegetables – think yellow, red, green and orange.
* Eat as wide a variety of foods as possible. If you can count up the number of different foods you eat on your 10 fingers, you need to add more kinds to your diet. This will help you get a greater choice of nutrients and fibre sources.
* Avoid long periods without eating. This will help stabilise your blood glucose levels and make you less likely to over-eat, or grab an unhealthy snack, later.
* Rate your food hunger. On a scale of 1-5 (1= starving, 5= stuffed). Aim to eat before you reach “1” and stop eating before you reach “5”.
* Take time to eat. It sounds obvious, but it will help you eat more balanced diet and avoid excess calorie intake. Studies show that individuals eat up to 15% more calories when they are in rush at meal times.
* Chew your food. Proper chewing can aid your digestion, and has been shown to reduce symptoms off irritable bowel syndrome.
* Avoid fad diets. There are no miracle foods – good health requires you to eat a variety of quality food in moderation.