Living a healthy lifestyle can't really be that difficult, can it? Well, anyone who's ever gone to work with a cold, cared for children while completely exhausted, or worried about sick relatives can probably attest to this: There are numerous things that can distract you from listening to your own body.
The healthy and happy life we ββdream of seems more and more far away, like a treasure at the end of the rainbow.
In this article, we'll show you how to break down the major challenge of health into the simplest possible areas and small steps. Here's the 101 for a healthy life.
Healthy living: These are the most important areas
Health isn't just the opposite of illness. There are many areas to consider that ultimately contribute to a healthy life: your body, your mental and emotional health, nutrition, and exercise. Even though they're all interconnected, it's worth examining each one individually.
It's important to note: None of these areas alone can ensure you achieve a healthy life immediately. Only a comprehensive approach to body, mind, and soul is effective.
If you focus solely on your diet and neglect your mental health, you will most likely fail to make major positive changes.
The combination and interplay are crucial; and that, above all, takes time. Perhaps you know the saying: Good things take time. Changing your entire lifestyle overnight is very difficult.
So take enough time to formulate your goals and stick to them. Want to start exercising regularly? Don't start with a training plan that sends you to the gym five times a week. This will overtax you and significantly increase your risk of injury anyway. Your body isn't used to this type of stress. And that's the crux of the matter. Take your time with the implementation and gradually get used to the direct stress and regular exercise. This way, you'll slowly but surely build a new habit that aligns with your goal.
Reading tip: Setting goals correctly
And what else do you need to be able to live a truly healthy life?
Learn to live healthily thanks to a balanced diet
Eating is pleasure, motivation, and challenge all in one. However, a supply of nutrients is also essential for maintaining physical and mental functions. You should ensure you eat a balanced diet and consume enough vitamins, healthy fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. The balance between the various nutrients is also crucial here.
This also includes consuming stimulants in moderation. Healthy eating habits demonstrate good intuition in this regard: If you listen carefully to your body and its signals, you'll automatically balance stimulants like fatty or alcoholic foods with more nutrient-rich meals. This can help you somewhat reduce your cravings for less-healthy delicacies.
Your body gets what it craves, yet there's no feeling of restriction. Bans on certain foods, as recommended in some guides, are usually counterproductive if you don't feel comfortable with them. Here, too, it's ultimately all about finding a good balance.
So, beyond all the cryptic diet variations and nutritional tips, let's go back to the basics that worked well for our ancestors. They didn't have access to processed foods, for example; you should avoid them anyway. In contrast, here are the six food groups you should definitely pay attention to for a healthy diet:
1. Grains and potatoes
Both serve as a source of energy throughout the day because they contain carbohydrates and starch. Grain products are especially recommended in whole-grain versions. They contain more fiber, minerals, and B vitamins than white flour versions.
2. Fruits and vegetables
You get the best vitamins and minerals from fresh vegetables and fruits. They also provide your body with fiber and phytochemicals, keeping your metabolism and digestion running smoothly.
3. Dairy products
You can get minerals such as calcium and protein from milk, cream cheese, etc. Of course, there are now also corresponding supplements for vegans, such as oat and soy drinks.
4. Meat and sausage
It contains high-quality protein, but beware: Saturated fatty acids, excessive spices, and artificial additives can quickly backfire on meat consumption. Therefore, it's better to enjoy it in moderation. Especially since cured or smoked meats (such as salami) aren't ideal. And did you know, for example, that the fat content of processed sausage is often as high as that of a regular bar of chocolate?
5. Legumes
These include beans, peas, and lentils. They not only fill you up but also provide protein and other valuable nutrients. Vegans, in particular, rely on legumes to maintain their nutritional balance.
6. Fish, nuts and vegetable oil
They're the powerhouse trio when it comes to healthy fats. The best options are fish like salmon, mackerel, or herring. But vegetarian options are also easy, with a small portion, like a handful of nuts or vegetable oil every day.
Healthy habits: Listen to your body
Not only our meals, but also other lifestyle habits determine how fit and healthy we are. Stress, lack of exercise, smoking, or even sun exposure: We absorb many environmental influences, and our bodies react to them.
But don't panic. Even those who have read all the studies, followed every piece of advice, and ignored all the supposedly negative aspects won't live forever. Not everyone's environment has the same impact on their health. It's important to keep potential dangers in mind and get regular checkups. Early detection can often prevent worse outcomes.
By habits we also mean things that we can integrate into our everyday lives almost daily, and even should, in order to learn to live healthily:
- Stay hydrated : Water is the element of life and absolutely essential for normal bodily functions. If you don't drink enough, you may feel tired and unfocused more quickly. Here's a little tip to get you started: Drink a large glass of lukewarm water after getting up in the morning and give your metabolism an instant boost.
- Screen-free zone : Smartphones, televisions and other screens have a greater impact on our health than is generally known. The supposedly relaxing scrolling on Instagram and the like is tiring, and not just for the eyes, and paralyzes our thoughts with the distraction it creates. Our attention span is affected and our brain has its hands full sorting through the impressions. What seems like not much effort is a huge task for our body. So give yourself time out from the screen, whether on your cell phone or laptop. The high proportion of blue light from screens creates a wake-up stimulus for our brain. The result: more restless and, simply put, poorer sleep.
- Take time out instead of powering through : No one can perform at their best 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. At least not in the long run. Therefore, make sure you take time out, even if it's only for 10-15 minutes. Breathing exercises or a walk around the block to literally get you going can have a significant effect on your body.
One thing you should always keep in mind when it comes to your body: It's not a robot. We need rest periods for our muscles, joints, and our minds. Good sleep is therefore essential β also for our psyche.
Healthy psyche: how important is your mental health
During sleep, our thoughts sort themselves out, and our subconscious processes what occupied us during the day. The saying "Tomorrow the world will look completely different" can be traced back to this β although unfortunately, it's not always true.
Nevertheless, good sleep is also important for our psyche, allowing our minds and emotions to recover somewhat. The frayed nerves that usually come with fatigue can cause long-term psychological damage and, in turn, negatively impact our physical condition .
Because it's true: Our mental health can have a major impact on our physical health, even in a positive sense. If you take good care of your mental health, reduce stress, and feel balanced, you'll also be physically fitter.
Speaking of reducing stress, have you ever considered "forest bathing"? This involves spending time in nature, preferably in a quiet forest. So if you live near a forest, you should make the trek there more often.
Studies have shown that regular forest bathing, in which you mindfully perceive your surroundings and experience them with all of your senses - including the sounds of animals or the wind on your skin - can reduce the stress hormone cortisol.
Another source of excessive stress can be one's own workplace . Pressure to succeed and frequent overtime not only lead to dissatisfaction, but ultimately to underperformance, which in turn leads to more pressure; and so on and so forth. A vicious cycle develops faster than you might think.
If you don't feel comfortable at work, you'll most likely start thinking about the next day and the tasks ahead as soon as you get home. This makes it significantly more difficult to gain distance and truly relax. A conversation with your supervisor can help you prioritize your own needs. A better work-life balance, fewer overtime hours, or optimizing procedures and processes can all become topics that lead to positive change.
You should also reflect on your social environment more often: Who do you feel most comfortable with, who tends to drain your energy? How do you feel after meeting certain people in your life? By asking questions like these, you'll be able to be more in tune with yourself and pursue what's truly good for your psyche and, therefore, your health.
Healthy exercise: In everyday life and during sports
Cycling to work, working out at a sports club, walking to choir practice instead of taking the bus, or regular yoga in the morning β people incorporate exercise into their daily routines in very different ways. They all agree on one thing: In the medium and long term, it's good for their health.
And they feel this too, because everyday life is less stressful and they float back home on a wave of energy and euphoria.
Especially online, there are options for every target group to integrate more exercise into their daily lives. From knee-friendly to highly effective: Try out various YouTube videos, get advice during a trial workout at the gym, or take your first steps at a club where more experienced athletes will support you. Your health will thank you.
Here are three active ways to get started with sports right now:
- Start your own strength training : While any well-equipped gym has dumbbells and equipment in every conceivable shape and for every part of your body, you often don't need them for a slow start. Simply grab a 1-2 liter water bottle and you have a replacement for light dumbbells. You can find suitable exercises here .
- Increase your endurance : If you prefer endurance to strength, you can start by running or cycling. Note: If you've never run before, you should take it extra slowly. Walk a distance of about 2-3 km in the first week and include short runs. This will help your body adjust to the new strain. Here you'll find a suitable training plan for beginners.
- Interval training : This form of training combines the advantages of both approaches. Through rapid repetitions and short rest periods, you not only strengthen your muscles but also your endurance. The most well-known example of interval training is certainly good old circuit training . You can also do this at home, without having to leave your home.
Live healthy: it's that easy
Balance was a key word in our little health 101. Experts also recommend this approach to living in a way that promotes your long-term well-being. It protects you best from the feeling of prohibition, constant restraint, and limitations β factors that often lead to extremes in one direction and can harm you.
Balance, on the other hand, is the commandment that ultimately leads you to the treasure at the end of the rainbow: A balance between rest and activity, between exercise and regeneration, between valuable nutrients and indulgences, and between stress and boredom. This is what you can do to live and stay healthy.
Cover photo by Emma Simpson. Additional images by Element5 Digital and Arek Adeoye.
