The Desire For Healthy Living

A healthy lifestyle looks after both our physical and mental well-being, and can include a variety of factors. The choices we make every day differ from person to person but in essence, things we do that make us feel good on the inside and on the outside constitute living a healthy, happy life. 

Eating a balanced diet has benefits for the condition of the body and mind, as a wide variety of foods (in the right proportions) provides our body with the right amount of nutrients to be able to function well. There are a range of diets that many different people follow, whether that’s vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, meat eaters or restrictive diets that help people to lose or gain weight. Whichever regime that is followed, it is important that our bodies receive sufficient vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and water.

Supplying the body with the right amount of nutrition can help to prevent disease, support the immune system, strengthen muscles, strengthen bones, maintain the functioning of the digestive system, maintain optimal functioning of the organs, increase energy levels and help us to live longer. 

Taking regular exercise supports the effects of a healthy diet. Exercise needn’t mean running for miles or doing high impact routines to increase our heart rate. It simply means moving the body regularly, which can include: walking the dog, swimming, yoga or cycling to work. It is important to enjoy the exercise we do, as it means we’re less likely to throw the towel in and 20 – 30 minutes each day is sufficient. Keeping the body moving helps to maintain strength in the muscles which also aids maintaining supple joints, stability, balance, coordination and stronger bones. Moving the body also helps to keep the heart pumping and the blood flowing round the body, transporting oxygen and essential nutrients around the body to the organs. 

As much as keeping active is important, so too is ensuring the body is given adequate time to rest and recuperate – every day! Both rest and sleep are vital for the health of your mind, body and emotions, although the two things are very different. Rest can mean different things to different people, but the main aim of ‘rest’ is to increase the well-being of your physical and mental state. For some people rest can take an active form whereby going for a walk or doing sports helps you to switch off and feel relieved of stress. For others it can be more sedative, like sitting down with a cup of herbal tea, or doing some meditation to help recharge the body and mind. Rest periods can also help the body to recover and repair; a state known as homeostasis. During periods of rest the muscles have the opportunity to be relieved of aches and pains, as well as removing any excess lactate (an important source of energy for the muscles). Resting helps to prevent the muscles from becoming overworked; reducing the risk of injury.  

Sleep on the other hand is something that our body cannot do without. We need to sleep in order for the mind and body to detach the senses from our surroundings so we can effectively recharge, reset and recover. We all know that getting enough sleep constitutes getting an average of 7 hours per night (for adults), although this can vary from person to person. However, it is the quality of your sleep that matters most which impacts your overall functioning, including: memory, concentration, brain function, immune system and metabolism. Your pattern of sleep usually goes through a series of stages which your body will experience in 90 minute cycles before eventually waking up fully, including: 

• Awake – the time spent in bed before you actually fall asleep and includes times during the night when you wake up, briefly,
• Light sleep – when your body starts to relax, your breathing and heart rate slows and waking up is easy;
• Deep sleep – when the blood pressure drops, the muscles and tissues start to recover and repair and waking up is difficult;
• and REM sleep – a time that benefits the functioning of the brain, breathing and heart rate increases and vivid dreams may take place. 

We can be sure that a good night’s sleep has been had when, upon waking, we feel refreshed and ready to start the day. 

The desire for healthy living features in many people’s lives as we become better educated on the benefits that a healthy lifestyle holds. Apart from the appeal of living longer, looking after our physical health also helps us to care for our mental health, as when we feel fitter we also feel more relaxed and are able to manage stress more easily. As leading Consultant Plastic Surgeons and esteemed medical professionals we take a special interest in a person’s health and quality of life. Reshape & Restore endorse living a healthy lifestyle and through our work we see first hand how a person’s lifestyle impacts their physical health and happiness. Our services can help with improving your appearance, for a range of reasons, which has benefits for your inner well-being, and living a healthy and active lifestyle can contribute further when seeking to look good and feel great.

To find out more about how Reshape & Restore can help you or to book your consultation click here to get in touch.