5 healthy lifestyle tips for chubby people
Healthy lifestyle tips are important to many. Especially those struggling with weight.
Lifestyle is more than just exercise and diet. A healthy lifestyle includes mental health, emotional health, intellectual, spiritual health along physical health. All of these make up a healthy lifestyle.
1. Healthy lifestyle tips for intellectual health
Intellectual health has to do with your knowledge, learning, and understanding. Good intellectual health is staying informed and up-to-date with the latest news, technology, and world events, embracing new skills, and participating in activities to expand our understanding.
Become a lifelong student
When we are younger, we attend school, learn many different subjects, and are challenged intellectually, which makes us strong and sharp. When we get older, we work full-time, have family and social obligations, and do other things that encompass our time.
To keep an active intellectual mind requires that you challenge yourself with new and exciting knowledge. Whether it’s learning a new skill or staying up to date on politics, your intellectual health depends on continued learning. Here are a couple of ideas to try”
- Read or listen to books – Join a book club or download the Audible app and listen to books on current events, politics, economics, or any topic that interests you.
- Podcasts – There are so many podcasts out there, look for ones centered around topics that interest you but that are also challenging. I like Freakonomics and NPR’s Planet Money for interesting stories and perspectives.
- Online courses and classes – Coursera is a great option when looking at online education. There’s a variety of topics from top universities. You can even get a certificate for your LinkedIn profile or resume. Other options out there, MasterClass, Udemy, or Khan Academy.
2. Healthy lifestyle tips for the physical body
Our bodies are an intricate network of systems of interconnectivity. The physical body itself is made up of the circulatory system, the respiratory system, and others. Our physical health impacts our mental health, which impacts our spiritual health, and so on. To ensure that each of these systems works well together starting with good physical health.
Drink more water, one of the essential healthy lifestyle tips
Did you know that 60% of our body is water?
Most of us simply don’t consume enough water. It is essential for our bodies to function. Water is needed to complete bodily functions, remove waste, and carry nutrients and oxygen throughout our bodies. Since we lose water daily through urine, bowel movements, perspiration, and breathing, it’s important to replenish our water.
Lose weight with water intake
Another benefit of drinking water is that it helps in losing weight. A Health.com study carried out among overweight, chubby, and obese people showed that water drinkers lose 4.5 more pounds than a control group. The rationale is that drinking more water fills your stomach, making you feel less hungry and thus less likely to overeat.
How much water do I need?
The amount of water each of us needs is dependent on a variety of factors such as your physical activity level, and your weight. But generally speaking, we need to consume 8-10 glasses of water per day. One way to tell if you’re getting enough water is that your urine should be slightly yellow. If it’s dark yellow or even orange, you’re dehydrated.
Eat more vegetables
Vegetables are an awesome source of many nutrients and minerals like:
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin A
- Manganese
- Lycopene
- Potassium
- Dietary fiber, important for good gut health
All vegetables are important and enrich our diet in many ways. They break down into two basic types:
- Starchy vegetables
- Potato
- Sweet potato
- Yam
- Pumpkin
- Non-starchy vegetables
- Kale
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Long beans
- Tomato
- Cucumber
There are other vegetables that are slightly starchy and may fall in the middle. They include the following; corn, green peas, carrots, artichokes, cauliflower, and beans.
These are great in raw salads for lunch with a variety of vegetables. They can be incorporated into cooked dinners with healthy proteins like chicken or lean beef. A variety of vegetables can help to strengthen your immune system.
Look for a variety of colors in fruits and vegetables
Different colors don’t just make for a good centerpiece, the colors actually mean something. Here are some of different fruit and veggie colors:
- White (Bananas)
- Yellow (Pineapples, Mango)
- Orange (Orange, Papaya)
- Red (Apple, Strawberries, Raspberries, Tomatoes, Watermelon)
- Green (Avocado, Kale, Lettuce, Cucumber)
- Purple/Blue (Blackberries, Prunes)
Antioxidants
The different colors represent different antioxidant content, which is key in fighting inflammation in our body. When cells break down due to exercise or stress in the body, it creates something called free radicals. These are broken cell particles floating around our body. Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables help to fight free radicals in our bodies.
Good bacteria
When we eat a large diversity of different colors of vegetables and fruits, it helps to create good bacteria in our gut. Our guts are filled with good bacteria and bad bacteria. Getting rid of the bad and replacing it with good bacteria helps to create a strong defense line between us and the environment, improves the health of our immune system, and improves our health over the long term.
3. Healthy ideas for mental health
Mental health is in constant flux on a daily basis. There are so many things that can impact this including our physical health. There’s a connection between our mental health and physical body and vice versa. Staying strong mentally is important to our overall health. One way to help our mental health is good sleep.
Get better sleep
Good quality sleep every night helps to reset your body and prepare for the next day. National Institutes of Health studies found that those who don’t get enough sleep often tend to eat more food than they need leading to weight gain.
Quality sleep is vital
Make sure you make getting enough sleep a priority. There are apps like SleepCylce that can help you with the quality of sleep, making sure you get enough deep sleep with rapid-eye movement (REM). If you have trouble sleeping, look for ways to relax your body and get it into a state that is ready for rest. Here are a couple of ideas to try:
- Turning off devices 30 min – 1 hour before bedtime
- Read a paper book
- Stretch or yoga
4. Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Spiritual Connectedness
First and forever, fan the flame of your faith because all things are possible to them that believe.
Jeffrey R. Holland
Spiritual connection is something very personal and private.
This is health outside of yourself. Some people connect with a supreme being. Others connect with the universe or nature. Regardless of your belief system, connecting and getting in tune with a power greater than yourself can help to improve your spiritual health.
Meditation
One way to connect spiritually is through meditation.
The ability to clear your mind, center yourself, and take time to breathe. Some people pray during this quiet time, others ponder the grace of Christ, or connect with nature. Whatever you do during meditation time is up to you. If you’ve never done it, here are a few steps to get you moving in the right direction.
1. Find the perfect spot – Look for a place of comfort, peace, and freedom from distractions.
2. Get into a comfortable position – Sit upright, or cross-legged, or lie down.
3. Clear your mind – Focus on deep breaths; in through your nose, out through your mouth.
4. Connect – Meditate till you feel cleansed, purified, refreshed, and good to go.
Some people fall asleep during meditation, which may be a sign of mental fatigue and mental clutter. Staying awake is one of the largest difficulties for new meditators. So if that happens to you, it’s totally fine. Try guided meditation through a number of great apps or YouTube channels.
5. Healthy Tips for Emotional Well-Being
How you feel about something is different from mental health, because of what is happening in your heart, not in your head. Your emotional state are those things related to:
- Mood
- Feelings
- Healthy management of emotions
From your relationships to your mindset to your personality to your interaction with the world around you. These are all run by your emotional health.
Positive affirmations
We are often our own worst critics.
It is easy to fall into the bad habit of negative self-talk. Saying things like “I can’t do that,” or “I’m not worthy of that kind of love,” can hurt our emotional health and cause damage in other areas of our lives. What many don’t understand is that when we put these negative beliefs out into the universe, we actually hold ourselves back from living to true potential.
To combat the negativity, say these phrases out loud with passion, in a mirror if you’re so inclined:
- I am worthy of love.
- My own love is a priority.
- I love my body and all that it does for me.
- My imperfections are what make me unique.
- Being myself is enough.
- I am beautiful/gorgeous/unique/special.
- I can feel love whenever I choose to.
- My own love is enough.
- I am exactly who I need to be.
- I choose myself.
Wrap up
The body is made up of various systems.
When functioning well, there seem to be no bounds to what can be accomplished. If one of those systems is weak or broken it affects the others.
When you think of healthy lifestyle tips, think in terms of your whole well-being. Focus on them individually and make it a goal to improve your health in those individual areas. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
