We all want to lead a healthy life and live longer. Being healthy is an individual concept that varies from one person to another. However, the concepts of health and longevity do have some common threads.

Keys To Good Health

One of the most important keys to good health is maintaining a healthy weight. People who are overweight or obese are at a higher risk for many kinds of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and other ailments. Another crucial element of good health is to eat a balanced diet that is rich in nutrients and minerals. A nutritional diet is usually defined as a food group that provides all the necessary vitamins, minerals and proteins to keep your body healthy and functioning properly. The nutritional value of food can be improved by choosing foods from the five food groups: carbohydrates, protein, vegetables, fruits and fiber.

Physical Environment

A healthy physical environment provides a supportive and safe place for your body to function. This environment could be physical structure, the social setting, psychological outlook or mental outlook. The first two are external and physical factors, while the last one is a matter of internal attitude. Healthy people tend to have positive thoughts and attitudes about themselves, their health and their life in general. They also have faith in their ability to achieve and accomplish things.

A physically fit person tends to be physically healthier than an unhealthy person. A healthy lifestyle includes an adequate amount of regular exercise that alternates between high intensity aerobic exercises and low intensity, low stress activities such as walking, gardening, swimming and other forms of physical fitness training. Regular physical fitness training helps improve muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness, joint health, and immunity. Cardiovascular training is especially beneficial for those with chronic diseases or who have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

A state of complete physical, mental and emotional well-being is called being mentally healthy. Mental health includes the ability to concentrate, solve problems, learn from experience, make decisions, have faith, and develop empathy. A person who is mentally healthy has higher self-esteem and is happier with his or her life. Being socially well-rounded means having a sense of social balance and interaction. This may mean that a person participates in regular community activities or is involved in charitable activity on a regular basis.

The good health and lifestyle practices that help maintain a healthy body, mind and spirit are not just the products of individual choice, but are the products of social and cultural norms. These norms were established through historical experience and continue to inform the way we live our lives today. Through these practices, we can hope to live longer and enjoy a long life, even though we may be growing older. With the advances in health care that have made it possible for some to enjoy better health and longer life expectancies, it is important that we continue to practice the proper measures for maintaining optimal health so that we can enjoy quality long-term health care.