Leading a healthy lifestyle can help you progress through life. Making healthy decisions isn’t always easy—it can be hard to find time and energy for regular exercise or preparing healthy meals. However, your efforts will pay off in many ways throughout your life.

Steps You Can Take:

• Be physically active for 30 minutes most days of the week. When you’re in a hurry, split this time into three 10-minute sessions. Healthy activities can include walking, sports, dancing, yoga, or running.
• Eat a balanced diet low in fats, rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Choose foods low in saturated fats and cholesterol, and moderate your consumption of sugar, salt, and total fats.
• Reduce your risk of injury by using seat belts and helmets for biking, using smoke and carbon monoxide detectors at home, and being cautious when walking alone. If you own a weapon, be aware of the risks and always follow safety measures.
• Don’t smoke, and if you do, quit. Ask your doctor for help.
• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. Never drink before or during driving, nor when you’re pregnant.
• Seek help from someone you trust if you believe you are dependent on drugs or alcohol.
• Prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS by using condoms every time you have sex. Keep in mind that condoms are not 100% effective, so talk to your doctor about STI testing. Contraceptives like pills and implants won’t protect you from STIs or HIV.
• Brush your teeth after meals with a soft or medium-soft toothbrush. Also, brush your teeth after drinks and before bedtime. Use dental floss every day.
• Avoid the sun, especially between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when harmful rays are the strongest. Don’t think you’re safe if it’s cloudy or you’re in water, as harmful rays pass through both. Use sunscreen with broad-spectrum protection that blocks UVA and UVB rays, SPF 15 or higher. Choose sunglasses that block 99-100% of the sun’s rays.

Positive Approach

You may feel overwhelmed by various responsibilities and stress from work, family, and other things, leaving little time for yourself. Learning how to balance your life with some time for yourself will bring great benefits—a healthier outlook on life and better health.

Steps You Can Take:

• Laugh, laugh a lot.
• Do good, even when it seems that doing good doesn’t make sense. Intentionally, every day, warm someone’s soul. Confuse the universe with your goodness.
• Stay in touch with family and friends.
• Try something new (cycling, dancing, skydiving, paragliding, camping, dance in the street to street music, don’t care what others think…).
• Maintain a positive attitude and do things that make you happy.
• Keep your curiosity. Lifelong learning is beneficial for your health.
• Have healthy intimacy, which reflects in many ways and can involve different types of physical and emotional connections between people. However, it is crucial that such intimacy is never the result of coercion or force. All parties in an intimate relationship should be consensual and voluntarily participate, without pressure, manipulation, or violence.
• Learn to recognize and manage stress in your life. Signs of stress include sleep problems, frequent headaches and stomach issues, frequent outbursts of anger, and turning to food, drugs, or alcohol for stress relief.
• Good ways to cope with stress include regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and relaxation exercises like deep breathing or meditation. Talking to trusted family members and friends can help. Some women find that interacting with faith helps during stressful times.
• Get enough sleep and rest—adults need around eight hours of sleep at night.
• Talk to your healthcare provider if you feel depressed for more than a few days. Depression is a treatable illness. Signs of depression include feelings of emptiness and sadness, frequent crying, loss of interest in life, and thoughts of death or suicide. If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, seek help immediately.

The information provided here has been reviewed by health professionals. It is informational and not intended to replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns with your doctor or a trusted person.