Health and illness healthy life style

HEALTH AND ILLNESS
HEALTHY LIFE STYLE

READING
Pre-text work
Look at the pictures and answer the following questions:
1. What pictures a healthy lifestyle is represented on?
2. Do you adhere to the principles of a healthy lifestyle?



HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
What does a healthy lifestyle mean? According to the dictionary, lifestyle is a way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and value of a person or group. A healthy lifestyle would be a way of living that would result in a healthy mind, body and spirit.
A healthy lifestyle comprises of many components. Healthy eating means eating food that are nutritional and good for the body like fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat diets, unrefined carbohydrates, etc. It includes avoiding food that is bad for you like refined carbohydrates, fatty foods, alcohol, etc. Eating in moderation is the essential component of healthy eating.
Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Aerobic exercise is good for your heart and your body. Yoga has a therapeutic affect and also helps to reduce your stress level. Pilates are great for strengthening your «core» muscles which are situated around your midsection. You could consider some other forms of exercise like Tai Chi, martial arts and Qi Gong. It is essential that you incorporate any kind of exercises in to your daily life to help keep you fit and maintain your weight at a healthy level.
Managing stress efficiently is a critical part of a healthy lifestyle. Failure to manage stress effectively can harm your body and affect your relationship with others. If left unattended, stress can also lead to alcohol or drug addiction.
Sleeping right, having a positive outlook about life and having a balanced life are also the necessary components of a healthy lifestyle. If you go without sleep for a period of time, every area of your life will be ultimately affected. If it becomes a regular pattern in your life, you could endanger your health and reduce your overall performance. This can ultimately affect all other areas of your life, personal as well as professional. Living a healthy lifestyle takes discipline. You must make up your mind and choose things that are good for you and your loved ones. Living a healthy lifestyle involves taking care of your physical, mental and spiritual health. You need to arm yourself with appropriate knowledge that will ensure that you get the result you want.
The physical, mental and spiritual aspects of your life are intertwined. To be happy and healthy, you need to keep all these aspects of your life balanced.