Benefits of Healthy Living
The benefits you can get by living a healthier life include:
- Feel better mentally – Regular exercise can lift your mood and help you feel better
- Save money – Eating junk food, smoking, drinking sugary drinks or alcohol are all expensive habits
- Fewer health problems – A healthier lifestyle means a lower risk of many diseases
- Take control of your life – Staying healthy can help you feel in control of your life.
Become Healthy
“Healthy living” means maintaining a healthy lifestyle and developing habits that improve your health. Changing old habits can be difficult, but there are steps you can take to become healthier. An important first step is to identify less healthy habits and learn new, positive habits to replace them, such as:
- Eat healthy foods and a balanced diet
- Get good sleep and manage stress
- Be physically active
- Stay connected with others
- Be aware of any health risks associated with your disease and its treatment, and work with your doctor to monitor those risks before taking action
- Take responsibility for your overall health, including regular checks of your eyes and teeth.
How to Develop Positive Health Habits
The keys to developing positive habits you’re more likely to maintain are:
Start Slowly
Change one thing at a time – look at the benefits of eating a more balanced meal, exercising more, or quitting smoking.
Make small changes – An achievable change is more likely to become a habit you keep.
Take your time – it’s easier to change gradually than all at once.
Build on what you’re already doing – for example, if you enjoy walking, try to extend your daily route to a manageable range.
Remember that adding or adding even a new health behavior can have a significant impact on your health.
Rise to the Challenge
There are a few things you can do to cope with any additional challenges associated with your condition and its treatment, such as drowsiness, sugar cravings, or lack of motivation. Steps you can take include:
- Organize daily activities around medication side effects, for example, if you are sleepy in the morning, organize an afternoon workout.
- Discuss with your doctor – You may be able to try other medications, or request a referral to a specialist such as a dietitian or psychologist for expert advice.
Stay Healthy
Being healthy isn’t just about staying healthy and feeling better, it’s about staying that way. Tips to help you stay motivated include:
- Schedule regular check-ups with your doctor to monitor your progress, and for extra motivation, you may need to move on.
- Reward yourself – Reward yourself with something good, develop healthier habits, and feel good.
- Overcome mistakes – If you make mistakes, be realistic and start over.
Ask for Support
There are many ways to get the support you need to stay healthy. An important step is to find a good general practitioner (GP) who can easily discuss health issues with you. Seeing the same GP every time means you can manage your health together and organise check-ups as needed.
Having others as “champions” can play an important role in maintaining healthy habits. Talk to your friends, family, mental health programs, or social workers. Don’t forget about other services that are also available in your area.