The 5 Components of a Healthy Lifestyle and How to Bolster Them
Everybody has been at a point in their life where they aren’t completely satisfied with the life they are living. Whether it’s the way you are eating, the job you have, or the friends you have surrounded yourself with, a lapse in lifestyle pattern can be troubling. Everybody has habits that they fall into, but it’s a slippery slope once these habits start to compound. That’s why learning how to foster a healthier lifestyle that places an emphasis on all categories of health is so important.
What is a Lifestyle?
For those unfamiliar with the term, a lifestyle simply refers to the way in which a person goes about their daily life. It is a set of practices and habits that help guide a person to be satisfied as they move through the journey of life. Oftentimes, people confuse health with lifestyle, but health is just one aspect of a person’s all-around lifestyle.
Is a Healthy Lifestyle “One Size Fits All”?
A common misconception that people have is that a lifestyle has to look the same from person-to-person. The fact of the matter, though, is that everybody has different interests and things that make them happy. This means that something which may be a healthy lifestyle practice for one person may be unnecessary for another. After all, an Olympian weightlifter may spend hours upon hours developing their craft in the gym because it makes them happy, but the average person doesn’t need this much exercise.
However, there is a stark contrast between a basic healthy lifestyle and a basic unhealthy lifestyle. To emphasize this, let’s look at two lifestyle examples across both those categories:
Basic Healthy Lifestyle
John is a corporate worker with a standard 9-5 job and is a family man. Every morning he takes the time to eat a quick breakfast with his kids before jetting off to his office. Once he arrives, he immediately becomes comfortable in the cubicle he loves before diving into work. He had a large meal out with friends the night before, so he opts for a hearty salad for lunch. After John gets off work, he stops by the gym to get a quick thirty-minute workout in before heading home for dinner. Following dinner with his family and spending some quality time with his family in the evening, John is in bed by 10 and ready for what the next day holds.
Basic Unhealthy Lifestyle
Steve is also a corporate worker at the same company as John, but he wound up in his career by happenstance, rather than seeking it out. As a result, he believes that if he puts his nose to the ground and works extra hours, he can rise up in the industry to escape it. Due to this, he comes in at 6 in the morning every day and doesn’t leave until 8 in the evening. Exhausted from his standard day, he stops at the drive thru on his way home. Steve never had time to start a family or for a marriage, so he lives by himself and chooses to spend a couple hours watching TV before getting into bed at 12.
The 5 Main Categories of a Lifestyle
In both of the examples above, the five main categories of a lifestyle can be seen, albeit not on the surface. These categories, when combined, make up the type of lifestyle that a person has:
1. Sleep
No matter your age, sleep is an important aspect of a lifestyle and your health in general. Adults need to get at least seven hours of sleep per night to remain healthy, with younger individuals requiring even more. In our hypothetical lifestyle examples, John gets an adequate amount of sleep, whereas Steve chooses to deprive his body of rest in favor of arriving early to work.
2. Nutrition
The second category that makes up a lifestyle is the nutrition you have. This doesn’t mean you need to constantly be on a diet, rather focusing on making smarter choices when it comes to food. While going through a drive thru may be the easier option when you are tired, taking the time to make your food can offer numerous health benefits.
3. Physical Health
Naturally, a person’s physical health is a major factor that contributes towards their lifestyle. Making sure to get enough exercise on a daily basis is a crucial part of this, but it also means keeping yourself safe and sound on a daily basis. Practice safe driving, as an example, so that you can avoid suffering injuries in a car accident or causing an accident on the road yourself.
4. Social Health
The second aspect of health, as well as fourth aspect of an overall lifestyle, to enhance is your social health. Surround yourself with friends and loves ones who bring you joy, rather than add stress into your life. Oftentimes, people forgo developing their social life in favor of other categories on this list, but a strong social life is one of the foundations for a strong lifestyle.
5. Mental Health
Finally, establishing strong mental health habits is an absolute must when building out a healthy lifestyle. This means ensuring that your work-life balance is in order, you are not walking around constantly stressed, you feel at peace throughout the day, and much more. Practice mindfulness exercises or yoga which can allow you to release your mind from the stresses of day-to-day life.
Improve your overall health today
Finding yourself unsatisfied with where you currently are in your life is a troubling experience, but that doesn’t mean you need to accept how you feel. Take action and start changing the habits that lead you to where you are now. Focus on improving each of the five categories outlined above so that your overall lifestyle begins to benefit. In no time at all you’ll quickly come to love the person you’re becoming.