The 5 Pillars of Good Health (And How to Improve Yours)

How would you define “good health”? How do you know if you’re healthy or not?

It can be challenging to pinpoint exactly what the standards should be for good health, because so many people have different ideas about this. However, there are actually 5 different aspects of health that are essential to take into consideration. If you want to get healthier and stay healthy, use the following 5 pillars of good health as guidelines for self-evaluation:

1.   Hydration

Water isn’t optional. You need plenty of it for peak health, so be sure to hydrate well on a daily basis. If you’re an adult, drinking about 2 liters of water per day is ideal. However, you also don’t want to over hydrate, either. You can also include energy drinks that are completely based on natural ingredients, without substituting water, of course. That way you can stay both hydrated and energized at the same time. If you are not really sure about nootropic drinks, you can find more about them on https://drinkxite.com.

2.   Nutrition

You can’t expect to have good health if you live on junk food and sugary cola. For your body to function properly, you need to consume sufficient nutrition including plentiful amounts of vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fats.

The role of carbohydrates in the human diet is less clear, and their relative level of importance is still a source of controversy. In the recent past, scientists have been conducting research that sheds new light on the relationship between carbohydrate consumption and human health.

It’s known that some carbohydrates are necessary for maintaining proper energy levels. Recent research seems to indicate, however, that too many carbs can be bad for human health. There are studies suggesting that low-carb diets appear to reduce one’s diabetes risk. Research also seems to indicate that there may be a link between high carbohydrate consumption and some forms of cancer, including breast cancer.

Ketogenic diets that restrict carbs have been rising in popularity for weight loss and overall health. In response to the interest levels, there are growing numbers of keto-friendly meal delivery services, restaurants and recipe sites popping up all over the world.

However, more research is needed before most doctors would be willing to decisively recommend a keto diet for cancer patients. This is, in part, because the research seems to indicate that a diet including a moderate amount of carbs may be preferable to a low-carb diet for preventing mortality. According to this research, the source of your carbs seems to be as important as the quantities you consume. From a mortality standpoint, plant-based carbs appear to be beneficial, whereas some other types appear to be less so.

In any case, it’s safe to say that a healthy diet shouldn’t overload on sugars and carbs and should include a wide variety of plant-based foods including vegetables, fruits and nuts. Healthy fats such as olive oil and avocado are also beneficial.

3.   Sleep

Sleep is another one of the pillars of good health. Sleep is not only essential for opportune physical health; it is also important for proper mental health.

Unfortunately, Singaporeans are among the world’s most sleep-deprived people. It can be hard to get sufficient sleep, but there are some simple steps you can take for increasing your chances of sleeping well at night:

Bedtime Routine: It’s ideal to choose consistent times for going to sleep each night and awakening in the morning. This can help to establish your circadian rhythm and promote regular sleep.

No Blue Light: If your use of electronics exposes you to significant quantities of blue light, you’ll want to consider managing blue light levels for better sleep. To accomplish this, turn off your devices including smartphones, laptops and tablets several hours before bedtime. If that isn’t possible, you could change to night mode, which dims the brightness of the screen and transforms the background from white to black. Eyeglasses that block blue light are also available if you’d prefer to use that method of limiting blue light.

Bedroom Temperature: If possible, maintain a comfortable temperature in your bedroom. Research indicates that the environmental temperature plays an important role in sleep quality, with room temperatures ranging from 29–31°C being ideal. But if your room isn’t temperature controlled, there are some other easy steps you can take to sleep better on hot summer nights.

No Late-Afternoon Caffeine: Caffeine stimulates the human body. When caffeine is consumed late in the afternoon, the stimulation you get from it can create an obstacle to experiencing restful sleep. If you choose to consume significant amounts of caffeine, it’s ideal to do so early in the morning and then avoid it later in the day.

4.   Exercise

There’s plenty of research indicating that exercise contributes to human health and wellbeing, which means that it is definitely another one of the essential pillars of good health. Lack of exercise is correlated with a number of chronic diseases and detrimental health conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.

To prevent such chronic conditions, it’s ideal to focus on cardiovascular exercise such as brisk walking, swimming or cycling. Further exercises such as strength training and yoga can also be highly beneficial.

5.   Family and Community

Humans are social beings. We all need friends, acceptance and community.

Good relationships promote good mental health, whereas toxic relationships can create health hazards including stress, anxiety and depression. Surprisingly, toxic relationships can even damage your heart health, according to research posted at the Journal of the American Medical Association Network.

To maximise your heart health and mental health, it is therefore important to build healthy relationships with your family and friends. It is also ideal to minimise toxic interactions and relationships with others to the greatest extent possible.

These are the 5 most important pillars of excellent human health. Now you’re updated on what they are and some of the things you can do to improve them. It could be argued that there are others that are also important, such as spirituality, stress management and avoiding toxicity; those aspects of human health are certainly also worth consideration in addition to the ones mentioned above.