I’m sure this is something we all desire in some measure. The frequent bursts of energy and excitement, the mental alertness, the physical fitness, and occasionally the feeling of weightlessness, freshness and a sudden rush of health and vitality flowing through our veins can sometimes be overwhelming. These are feelings we probably live for and hope to experience every other day and just like the classic Oliver Twist tale, we’ll always want more of it.
Living an active lifestyle in this time and age is definitely not a walk in the park and would include a number of components. All of the activities, actions, in-actions involved must be geared towards helping the individual attain perfect physical, emotional, mental well-being, and ultimately good health.
To live actively means to be consciously aware of the choices we make and the things we do that make for the well-being of the body, mind and spirit. One of the major components that enable this way of living has a lot to do with how we physically engage our bodies and minds, however it goes beyond that to also include our diet, our relationships and in general, our attitude towards life.
Living a healthy and active lifestyle means keeping and maintaining a happy perspective and outlook in life. Your mind, body and spirit are the only three parts of the equation that make up the whole. We need to stay physically fit and healthy, consciously engage in activities to keep our imagination and body energy flowing and also pay keen attention to the spiritual climate in and around us in order to find inner happiness and help others along the way.
We may be familiar with lots of the benefits associated with positively engaging any or all of the components mentioned earlier. That’s basically what I talk about on my blogs every other week but today we’re going to look at it from a different perspective to see how incorporating all of these components (and others that we may not be able to mention) as part of our daily habits, helps us to achieve the overall goal of living a healthy, active lifestyle.
For the purpose of this write-up, we’re going to talk about five major components which when infused into our daily lives, will help us live actively. These components are; Regular physical activity and exercise, Balanced Diet, Adequate rest and relaxation, Maintaining healthy relationships and Avoiding harmful habits and behaviors.
Regular physical activity
Physical activity refers to any expenditure of energy brought about by bodily movement. These activities may involve minimal or maximal exertion and could be done with or without any specific purpose in mind. However the kind of physical activity referred to here is exercise; which is just a part of physical activity but the difference being that it is structured progressively and organized to help the body develop and maintain complete physical fitness for the benefit of the overall health and performance of the individual.
Daily organized physical activity helps to reduce stress and maintain a healthy weight. Even though it does not necessarily mean that you have to engage in some regimented difficult physical routine, it does however involve you participating in various outdoor activities, or sporting activities, or exercise routines. To break it down, living an active lifestyle using physical activities simply means that you have to sweat it out!
Balanced Diet
Exercise alone is not sufficient to create and maintain a healthy active lifestyle; diet is also critical in helping one achieve optimum health in mind and body and spirit. It is very important that we nourish our bodies with high quality food and natural health products in a skillful, safe and consistent manner. Also with diet, it’s not just about what you eat; it’s also about when, where, who we eat, how we eat, and what we eat.
Primarily, nutrition supplies us with the energy and nutrients we need for nourishment, proper functioning of our body systems and to sustain life generally. So the quality of food we eat goes a long way to determine the extent and quality of the benefits we derive from food.
Our diets should as much as possible include fresh and whole organic foods. Empty calorie foods and white refined staples such as white bread should be avoided often. It is also important that we pay attention to the food we eat so as to discover those that are most compatible with our body types and metabolism.
Adequate rest and relaxation
Taking some time every day to wind down through sleep or otherwise is a must if we want to live very active lives. Winding down doesn’t mean we allow ourselves to indulge in some harmful behavior, but you do it in a manner that reveals your love for yourself, those you care about, and those who care about you. Taking some time off occasionally in a day (say 10-15 minutes intermittent breaks) to relax, helps you face the rest of the day more passionately and pleasantly. These could also be times of reflection, when we take stock of how well we love ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Obtaining adequate rest every day in the form of six to eight hours of sleep daily is also very crucial if we want to enjoy an active lifestyle. Rest helps the body and mind to recuperate, restore the body with the energy it needs to cope with the demands of living each day, and help it function optimally. Even machines need time off to be maintained; why not humans?
Any individual who tries to evade this natural process of life only opens himself or herself up to suffering some form of physical or mental breakdown. The more depleted the body’s immune system is, the more susceptible it is to attacks but whenever we get enough rest, our body functions as it should and our immune system is strong enough to easily fend off any type of disease or infections.
Rest also helps our mind to achieve higher levels of concentration. We are able to think clearly and improve our mind’s storage and recall abilities. While the lack of it erratic mood swings, depression, grumpiness, irritation, isolation tendencies, and unhappiness in general. In effect, lack of adequate rest prevents us from being the best version of ourselves at all times.
Maintaining healthy relationships
Building and maintaining healthy relationships is a normal and natural desire that all humans have. Healthy relationships are a very crucial aspect of mental, emotional health, and health and wellness in general. Therefore spending more time socializing with people that have positive effects on our lives goes a long way in improving the quality of our lives.
People who are socially active and those who maintain healthy relationships are able to keep themselves healthy. This way, they are able to keep up with various other activities with family, friends, and colleagues that enable them to live active lives. Healthy relationships also involve setting limits for yourself and respecting the limits of other people. Every kind of abuse should not be tolerated, whether physical or emotional. It is important to stay as far away as possible from any such abuse if we are to enjoy sound emotional health and active living.
Avoid harmful habits and behaviors
Active living is not only demonstrated by our overall fitness level, proper dieting, rest habits or our ability to build and maintain healthy relationships, but also includes our ability to apply principles of good health and knowledge in order to positively influence any bad habitual patterns of behavior. If we must live very active lives, we must learn to respect our bodies, as well as engage in practices that help us avoid harmful habits, while remaining focused on the balance of body-mind-spirit.
Some of these harmful habits or behaviors include; smoking, use of drugs or alcohol, excessive eating, compulsive gambling, compulsive shopping, addiction to the internet, computer or television, addiction to sex, money, fame, work, or power, etc. Although these behaviors may appear pleasurable at first, they eventually become empty and tortuous, making us act in ways contrary to our true nature thereby not allowing us to live our best lives.
Key points to remember
Stay active by constantly nurturing your body, mind, and spirit.
Your Body: Receives strength through physical activity and exercise. Whenever you challenge yourself physically, your body changes and evolves positively, leaving you healthier, more active, and able to meet the demands of your day.
Your Mind: Needs intellectual stimulation through nutrition and mental challenges in order to grow and function optimally. It is important to also practice being able to gather emotional strength through self-acceptance and improving your self-image in order to live a more positive and energetic life.
Your Spirit: Helps you find purpose in life and assists in motivating you to personal growth and accomplishments. Your spirituality guides you to becoming a more loving person and helps you to achieve high standards of moral and ethical behavior.
Above all, love yourself completely; you are the only one that can do that best.
With Much Love and Respect as always! Xo!
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Disclaimer: Please note that I am not your doctor while I am a health coach by profession. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice nor does it establish any kind of medical relationship between you and me. I will not be held liable for any damage resulting from or related to your use of this information.