Some Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle

Exercising regularly, eating nourishing foods, and reducing your intake of sugar are just some of the recommendations for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Whether you make a point to eat more fruits and vegetables or get outside for a daily walk, there isn’t just one way to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
To center health and wellness in your life, try including some or all of the 12 tips we include in this article. Adopting just a few of these recommendations can go a long way to improving your physical and mental well-being.

Maintain a healthy weight for you
Keeping your weight in a healthy range can protect you from things like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Eat nourishing foods
Our bodies need a variety of foods to give us energy and keep them running. That means eating a balanced diet that contains vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which can be found in fruits and vegetables (with a focus on leafy greens), whole grains, legumes, nuts, lean protein, and low fat dairy, per the NIDDKTrusted Source.

Limit processed foods and sugar
It’s best to eat mostly nutrient-dense foods. This means limiting highly processed foods, like packaged and frozen foods, that typically have fewer nutrients but more calories, fat, salt, and added sugars. You should also limit your intake of soda, packaged cookies and chips, candy, and sweetened cereals.
Drink water and stay hydrated
Staying hydrated isn’t just about quenching your thirst, it also keeps your body and brain running. Not only can drinking enough water improve your thinking abilities but may also help:
• improve digestion
• increase your energy
• decrease joint pain
• improve your heart health
Exercise regularly
Moving your body has a host of health benefits, including:
• boosting your mood
• giving you more energy
• building muscle
• protecting your bones
• losing or maintaining weight
• helping you get better sleep
Reduce sitting and screen time
In addition to getting your heart pumping, spending less time sitting can improve your overall health.

Get outdoors daily
Being out in nature has a way of putting things in perspective, but it also has proven benefits for your mental health. Not only can soaking up the sun ease symptoms of depression, but it can make you feel more relaxed and focused, particularly when you take notice of your surroundings. Sunlight is also the best source of vitamin D.
Get plenty of sleep
We all know sleep is important, but getting good sleep is really critical to your overall health. When you sleep, your body is actually completing a number of essential tasks, like:
• maintaining bodily functions
• repairing muscle tissue
• restoring energy
• processing new memories and information in the brain
Quit smoking (if you smoke)
Smoking releases harmful chemicals into your body and can damage lung tissue, heart health, and more. It’s no surprise that smoking is also the number one risk factor for lung cancer.
Consider taking a multivitamin supplement
Multivitamins may be an important part of your routine, particularly if you have a nutritional deficiency due to:
• older age
• pregnancy
• malabsorption issues
• certain medications
Takeaway
Paying attention to your lifestyle and daily habits is the first step to making changes that can benefit your health in the long run. Think of these tips as a jumping-off point to maintain a healthy lifestyle and live your best life possible for as long as possible.