To be healthy, you need to get sufficient exercise, eat a healthy diet, and get quality sleep. If you improve just one of these things, you are going to feel better and be healthier.
However, researchers believe that if a person can improve all three of these things, their diet, their exercise, and their sleep, their mental health and physical health will improve drastically. These three core pillars of health are linked to each other.
The Benefits of a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet gives your body the tools it needs to work properly. A healthy diet would primarily include:
· Fresh Fruit
· Fresh Vegetables
· Lean Proteins
· Legumes
· Nuts
· Whole Grains
A balanced diet gives you the nutrients your body needs to function at optimal conditions. On average, a person needs 2,000 calories a day to maintain their body weight. The exact number of calories you need will vary based on your age, physical activity level, and metabolism. Traditionally, men require more calories than women.
A healthy diet gives you the energy, the mental stamina, and the proper emotional state to want to exercise. The better you eat, the better you sleep. Improved sleep leads to improved dietary choices.
Exercise
Exercise benefits every major system in your body. You see some of the benefits right away. Your blood pressure is lowered, you have less anxiety, and you can sleep better on your memory foam mattress.
The longer you stick to an exercise program, the better the results you will see. With time, you will lose weight, build muscle, get stronger bones, and reduce the chance you will get certain diseases.
Did you know that getting sufficient exercise helps you sleep better? Although resistance exercise and cardio produce the most benefit, any increase in activity can make it easier for you to fall asleep at night and to sleep through the night.
The more you work out, the less chance there is that you will have insomnia, restless leg syndrome, or obstructive sleep apnea. There was a study that showed that people who went on a 12-week regimen of resistance and aerobic training had a 25 percent reduction in their sleep apnea.
Sleep
Your body recovers during sleep. According to sleep experts, most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. Sadly, many people only get six hours or less sleep per night.
Without sleep, you increase your chances of dealing with heart disease, diabetes, or a stroke. The longer you go without getting sufficient sleep, the greater impact it has on your cognitive abilities.
Sleep affects the choices you make. If you don’t get enough sleep, you eat bad food. When you are sleep deprived, you don’t want to exercise. Research has shown a link between not getting enough sleep and having a larger waist size.
If you don’t get enough sleep, your body can’t recover after strenuous exercise. This means that you will see reduced muscle strength and reduced weight loss. Working out without getting enough sleep can lead to you hurting yourself.
Sleep Versus Diet Versus Exercise
You may wonder which of the three pillars of good health is the most important. All three are so interconnected that you can’t say that one is more important than the others. If you want to improve your diet, your exercise, or your ability to sleep, talk to a medical professional. They may provide you with tailored advice.
Diet and exercise impact your sleep. For example, try not to eat too close to bedtime. If you do, your body is going to be digesting food, which means it is going to be difficult for you to sleep.
Schedule in some time for exercise every day. This is going to improve your sleep. Your exercise doesn’t need to be strenuous. It can be moderate and still produce phenomenal results.
Your health is a precious commodity. It is worth the effort to monitor your diet, improve your exercise, and get quality sleep. Your mind and body will thank you now and for the rest of your life.
