{"id":6321,"date":"2019-07-25T15:30:44","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T22:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/?p=6321"},"modified":"2023-05-19T09:25:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T16:25:38","slug":"4-steps-to-greater-health-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/4-steps-to-greater-health-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Steps to Greater Health &#038; Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"> <\/figure>\n<p>Are you <em>really<\/em> healthy if you&#8217;re in great physical condition but other parts of your life are filled with pain or discomfort? <\/p>\n<p>Sure, you might&#8217;ve passed those doctor-ordered medical tests with flying colors, and were deemed healthy.  But if you&#8217;re feeling stressed out or are struggling with relationships and loneliness, although you might be healthy <em>technically<\/em>, the truth is you&#8217;re not completely well. <\/p>\n<p>Well-being includes emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual health. To be your healthiest and happiest self, you must focus on the whole person. Use these four steps to start enjoying whole-person health.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Physical activity is essential for getting everything you can from life. If not already doing so, become more physically active even if it\u2019s just walking a few minutes in the evening after dinner. Physical activity improves quality of life.<\/p>\n<p>The minimum recommendation is 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity activity weekly. If you\u2019re not a fan of the gym, don\u2019t worry. You may accumulate these health-boosting minutes through various activities like swimming, walking, taking the stairs, etc. Just get moving! <\/p>\n<p><strong>Managing Stress<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stress wreaks havoc on the mind and body. It\u2019s associated with high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. It can cause mood swings, and increase risk of self-harm because of associated feelings of anxiety and depression. Stress is most dangerous when it becomes chronic, which happens when you\u2019re under stress for a prolonged period of time without relief. <\/p>\n<p>Here are some proven stress management techniques. Practice<br \/>\nthem early and often to prevent stress from getting out of control: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Exercise<\/li>\n<li>Meditation, or a few minutes of slow, deep breathing<\/li>\n<li>Say \u201cno\u201d more often and create boundaries<\/li>\n<li>Celebrate and share life with your family and friends<\/li>\n<li>Take care of yourself, so there\u2019s enough of you to go around <\/li>\n<li>Make time for exercise and eating healthy because you\u2019re worth it!<\/li>\n<li>Live life! Enjoy a hobby, read a book, listen to music, travel, watch a movie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Boost Your Mental<br \/>\nHealth<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We don\u2019t give mental health the attention it deserves<br \/>\nbecause of associated stigmas. We don\u2019t want people to think we\u2019re unhinged or<br \/>\nunstable. Mental health affects every single area of our life! Without good<br \/>\nmental health, how can we be our best personally, or excel at work and home?<\/p>\n<p>Here are four proven ways to improve mental wellness: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Engage in physical activity because it boosts<br \/>\nmood for several hours<\/li>\n<li>Get 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night<\/li>\n<li>Make time for yourself by doing something YOU<br \/>\nenjoy<\/li>\n<li>Make it a point to socialize with friends and<br \/>\nfamily<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Eat Healthy <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although you don\u2019t have to eat perfectly all the time, what you eat affects your energy, mood, health, and how you feel about yourself.\u00a0 So aim for a whole foods diet that fuels your body with the highest quality vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. <\/p>\n<p>Avoid sugary beverages, and consider eliminating alcohol. Lastly, monitor your sugar intake. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 100 calories of added sugar daily for women, which is about 6 teaspoons (25 grams; 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon), and 150 calories a day for men (about 37 grams, or roughly 9 teaspoons).\u00a0 Also, <g class=\"gr_ gr_32 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep\" id=\"32\" data-gr-id=\"32\">increase<\/g> your water intake to keep well hydrated. <\/p>\n<p>Remember, although you might be considered healthy <em>technically<\/em> because you passed certain medical tests, you\u2019re not completely well if you\u2019re suffering discomfort in mind, heart, or soul. <\/p>\n<p>Your path to living life to the fullest includes the whole<br \/>\nperson. <\/p>\n<p>So, be kind to yourself by practicing self-care, get out and move, make better food choices most of the time, manage stress, enjoy life by doing fun things, and celebrate friends and family.  <\/p>\n<p>Choose to live each day to the fullest! <\/p>\n<span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you really healthy if you&#8217;re in great physical condition but other parts of your life are filled with pain or discomfort? Sure, you might&#8217;ve passed those doctor-ordered medical tests with flying colors, and were deemed healthy. But if you&#8217;re feeling stressed out or are struggling with relationships and loneliness, although you might be healthy&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3589,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[72,1049,87,473,1134,1029],"aware":[1752],"class_list":["post-6321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","tag-depression","tag-emotional-health","tag-fitness","tag-healthy-lifestyle","tag-mental-well-being","tag-social-connection","aware-attitude"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>4 Steps to Greater Health &amp; Happiness - Lifestyle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/4-steps-to-greater-health-happiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"4 Steps to Greater Health &amp; Happiness - Lifestyle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you really healthy if you&#8217;re in great physical condition but other parts of your life are filled with pain or discomfort? 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