5 top tips for living a healthy life
Darren, one of the owners and coaches at CrossFit Orwell gives some of his top tips for a healthy life.
December 31, 2019

a healthy   Lifestyle

“The main weapons in the prevention and treatment of disease and human carelessness will probably always be food and exercise” – Dr Blake F. Donaldson. 

1. Stay Hydrated. 55% – 75% of our body is made up of water, depending on age; this makes it an essential component for sustaining a healthy body and mind in order to get our work done without the feeling of fatigue. It is advised to drink enough water daily to keep your thirst at bay, but while doing so, don’t start living on fizzy drinks or other sugary drinks. If you want to drink something sweeter, try a natural fruit juice or a water enhancer (adding a bit of flavour), natural fruit juices will help to get those vitamins and minerals too, also serving your tastebuds with something different and refreshing.

2. Balanced Diet. Eating a healthy balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats gives your body’s metabolism a solid boost of energy. As well as making the immune system strong, it will eventually make the body more resilient to disease. Eating junk food such as takeaways and pizza on a daily basis will increase the risk of chronic disease such as obesity, diabetes and will have a negative impact on energy levels. Try to stay away from excessive junk foods, I’m not saying completely eliminate them but only indulge once in a while or when our with friends.

3. Regular Exercise. Keeping your body strong and active comes with lots of physical and psychological benefits. Exercise fights against osteoporosis, resistance training loads your muscles and bones and in turn increases bone density. It also lowers your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and obesity. Taking part in regular activity helps you manage your weight, whether that be the goal to maintain, lose or even gain weight. Thirty minutes of aerobic activity can give your day an energy boost and strength training helps you gain muscle mass, which increases your metabolism. Excercise also has several psychological benefits, such as relieving anxiety, improving your mood, and even preventing diseases such as Alzhemier’s and dementia.

4. Plenty of ZZZ’s. Sleep provides several benefits. During sleep, the body releases growth hormones, which regenerate damaged tissues, including the skin. Sleep also reduces the body’s amount of stress hormones that control the appetite and boosts the immune system. Getting a good nights sleep will result in being more alert throughout the day, which will more than likely improve day to day decision making. This will also make those good choices all that more easier.

5. Laugh Often. It has long been said that laughter is the best medicine for life; laughter keeps your worries away, so laugh as much as you can each day. It can actually improve your health as well! It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens the immune system, boosts mood, dimishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. As children, we laugh hundreds of times a day, but as adults, life tends to be more serious and laughter more infrequent. By seeking out more opportunities for humour and laughter you can improve emotional health, strengthen your relationships, find greater happiness and even add years to your life.

Darren is one of the owners and coaches at CrossFit Orwell, located in our warehouse barn at Suffolk Food Hall. Go check them out here: 

www.crossfitorwell.com