Habits For A Happy And Successful Life | Lifestyle Tips by Antoaneta

The hectic and stressful modern lifestyle has taken a significant toll on everyone’s overall health and wellbeing. As a result, people are not only less healthy but also less happy and less productive. You see, all of the processes in our bodies are connected, we need a precise balance to “function” properly. If something gets knocked off balance, our entire performance suffers. And it can be the simplest or most trivial of things that ends up throwing a spanner in the works.

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my wellness series! In today’s article, we’ll once again return to physical health and its connection to happiness, productivity, and, ultimately – successful life. Check out my other blogs such as, “Crafting A Plan For Your Life“.

Here are the 9 Habits For A Happy And Successful Life:

Dieting

If you want to lead a happy and healthy life, then maintaining a proper diet is vital. Many people today seem to confuse the word “dieting” with the concept of losing, gaining, or maintaining weight. And while they’re not entirely wrong, weight doesn’t even begin to cover it. Your body, you see, requires not only nutrients but also vitamins, minerals, and other substances to function.

But this functionality extends well beyond our physical performance. Every single thing that you can do – be it walk, breathe, talk, think, sleep or work, is the end result of a complicated chain of events that occur within the body. Maintaining an appropriate diet will allow you to be better at, well, everything.

Eat more fruits and veggies

Fresh, organic fruits and vegetables provide you with a natural supply of vitamins, minerals, and sugar in their purest form. Supplements and other sources can complement, but never truly replace this. And yes, buying fresh, season food can be somewhat costly, but believe me when I say that it’s more important than you think.

Habits

Many children develop similar diseases and health problems as their parents, even if said diseases aren’t hereditary. Have you ever wondered why that is? No, it’s not due to some weird coincidence. It’s because of lifestyle. When we live with other people, we are likely to end up sharing some of their habits, and this is doubly true for children. Not only that, but children are also even more vulnerable to the adverse effects of poor dieting than grown-ups. This is why parents need to work extra hard on their cooking and dieting habits.

Make sure that you teach your children how to live well as early as possible. I simply cannot stress the importance of this enough! The younger a child is, the easier it will be to form beneficial habits.

Bad habits to avoid

You’d think that amidst all of the anti-smoking and anti-drinking campaigns, people would at least consider dropping their bad habits.

Smoking – Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or vaping offer no tangible benefits whatsoever. On the contrary, they come with an extensive list of downsides that we’re all aware of. If you’re looking to have a happy and successful life, then this is probably one of the best places to begin.

Excessive drinking – Personally, I prefer to avoid drinking altogether, but if alcohol is a common theme in your social circle, then at least lower your consumption.

Lack of a robust sleeping schedule – Sleeping allows your mind and body to recharge. While you’re asleep, most of your energy goes towards repair and revitalization. Getting enough sleep is absolutely vital. If you’re drowsy, your physical and mental performance will suffer. You will have difficulties concentrating, you’ll be tired and easily irritated. I’d advise you to sleep at least 7 hours per night, and, if given the opportunity, indulge in afternoon naps during the weekend.

Don’t consume any food for at least five hours before bedtime. Ideally, children should have their dinner no later than 6 pm. If you eat before going to bed, your body is going to trick your body into releasing additional insulin, which is the last thing that you’d want at night. If you’re feeling hungry and you’ve already had your dinner, then consider eating some fruit. Again, I’d advise you to leave at least one hour between your snack and sleeping.

Don’t drink alcohol before going to sleep. If you insist on drinking, please make sure that you leave your body ample time to process it before heading to bed.

When to drink water

If you want to be healthy and productive, you’ll want to be drinking plenty of water throughout the day. The average adult human body is about 75% water. The average baby is 85% water, and the average elderly person – around 60%.

Water Do-s and Don’t-s

Don’t

Don’t mix water and meals. Leave at least a one-hour gap between water and food consumption.
Don’t drink water before bed.
Don’t drink water during the night.
Don’t drink water that’s much colder or warmer than your body temperature.

Do:

Drink at least three cups of water in the morning
Drink at least three cups of water an hour before lunch
Drink at least three cups of water an hour before dinner
Drink water after you wake up in the morning
Leave at least an hour between your meal and your next glass of water
Drink water that’s similar in temperature to your body

Please remember that commercial fruit juices, tea, and soft drinks are not a replacement for water. Most of these products are filled with artificial additives, coloring agents, and sugar, all of which are horrible for your body.

And what about coffee? Well, in a way, coffee is even worse than them, especially if you’re trying to use it as a means of “replacing” a portion of your daily water consumption. That’s because the coffee will actively promote dehydration. So no, you can’t say that you’re getting “plenty of fluids” just because you ordered an extra-large latte this morning.

But did you know the type of water that you choose to drink is no less important than the amount or how you want to drink it? Most people today drink either tap water or bottled water, both of which bring various problems to the table. On the one hand, tap water contains a large number of toxins and chemicals that are dangerous for the body. So then, the health-conscious choice would be bottled water, right? Wrong. Sadly, most bottled water is not only highly oxidized but also no less toxic than its standard counterpart.

The solution? Electrolysis.

Water provides you with a decent supply of both calcium and magnesium, which are crucial for your overall health and wellbeing. “Good” water will, therefore, be not only pure of contaminants but also rich in calcium and magnesium. Additionally, you’ll want to look for water with smaller molecule clusters, because it will be much easier for your body to absorb.

Consistently drinking two cups of water three times per day has been shown to do wonders for metabolism. Experts suggest that, if you’re trying to lose weight, establishing and following a consistent water consumption schedule is vital. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can just start drinking more water and expect to magically lose weight – it simply doesn’t work like that. You’ve got to put in the effort of introducing some form of exercise in your life and fixing your diet.

If you’re looking to lose weight, you will want to eat food rich in enzymes and avoid oxidized products. Additionally, if you happen to use supplements, I’d advise you to take them with nutrients.

Eat slowly and take the time to properly chew each bite. The above techniques will also help you avoid constipation and alleviate the symptoms of digestive issues.

Exercise

Usually, I avoid discussing exercise in my posts, as I know that most people are very attached to their particular routines and schools of thought. However, I feel like this article would be incomplete if I didn’t mention a couple of critical points.

First and foremost – physical exercise is absolutely necessary for anyone who wants to lead a happy, healthy and successful life. But don’t worry – this doesn’t mean that you need to go and get a gym membership. Light exercise, like jogging or even walking, can suffice. The key here is persistence. As long as you make sure that your routine includes some form of physical activity, you’ll benefit.

A good, nice walk along with a bit of fresh air can do wonders for your health.

But there is such a thing as “too much exercise”. Unless you’re planning to pursue a career in sports, bodybuilding, or something of the sort, you don’t want to push yourself too hard. Well, depending on how you look at it, even professional athletes don’t really want to push too hard. But I digress. The thing with exercising is that it not only burns calories but also creates free radicals. And, if you’ve read any of my previous articles on health, you already know that you want to avoid free radicals as much as possible.

Additionally, since men and women are built and function differently, exercise affects their bodies in different ways. A lot of women who are professional athletes have reported problems, affecting menstruation and reproductive health. Of course, this doesn’t go to say that ladies you shouldn’t do sports. I’m merely pointing out that moderation is the key. And, if you’re considering a career in the field, then I’d suggest thinking about whether you’ll eventually want a kid before you commit.

Stress

Stress is a natural reaction that occurs whenever our mind decides that we’re threatened, be it by real danger, or a perceived one. And while it has proven invaluable in preserving our species for countless generations, stress is proving to be a significant deterrent to the health and wellbeing of people today. The modern lifestyle has a way of continually putting us in stressful situations, day after day, and, with time, it takes its toll.

Of course, stress means different things to different people. Something that your friends find stressful might not affect you at all, and vice versa. Additionally, some people are just better at handling and working with stress than others. But here’s the thing – no matter how “good” you think you are in dealing with stressful situations, there is no way to avoid the long-term consequences.

Our bodies are built to withstand and utilize stress to survive. But, in an evolutionary sense, stress is meant to be a mechanism for dealing with imminent danger. For avoiding the hungry predators in the night, or for ensuring that we get through a tough situation with minimal damage. In a more modern sense, stress is what would ensure that you slam on the brakes to avoid a car crash, or what could provide you with the adrenaline boost needed to accomplish a difficult physical feat.

We are not, however, fit to work under constant stress for prolonged periods. Continuous exposure to stress is guaranteed to problems, both on the physical and on the emotional level.

If you’re feeling:

Constantly annoyed
Overwhelmed
Vulnerable
Sad, lonely, or depressed

Then, my first suggestion would be to try and limit your exposure to stress in your life. Additionally, stress will also hurt your physical and mental performance, making it more difficult to concentrate, and lowering your overall energy levels. Long-term exposure to stress will have a lot more apparent effects like:

Frequent headaches (or in the worst cases – migraines)
Digestive disruptions
Muscle pains
Insomnia
Decreased sexual drive (or complete loss of interest in the worst cases)
If you ever find yourself ticking more than one of these boxes, then please consider giving yourself a break!

Relationships

Before we wrap things up for today, I’d like to touch upon another subject that is, in my opinion, crucial for everyone’s long-term health and happiness – relationships. Or, more specifically, romantic relationships.

A quick disclaimer here – I’m talking about productive relationships from my personal point of view. As with all of my content, everything that you’ll read here is based on the things that I’ve read, watched, listened to, and observed with my own eyes. I am not a therapist, psychologist, or any other sort of certified professional in the field.

Generally, I tend to steer clear of love and relationships in my articles, as it has somehow managed to grow into a topic, surrounded by controversy and heated debates, especially in the digital world. But I feel like this post would remain incomplete if I didn’t at least mention it here.

When handled appropriately, relationships and romantic love are by far some of the most beautiful and positive things that you can experience. Having a special someone who you know will support and stand by you, even though the darkest of hours gives you an entirely different outlook on life. The positive emotional charge that a healthy relationship provides you with is also an incredibly potent motivator, which can inspire you to go above and beyond.

And while we’re on the subject of astonishing revelations, I’m also going to state the following:

Relationships are a two-way street

Yes, that’s right – if you want to have a healthy and happy relationship, both partners need to put in the work. Shocking, I know. But enough with the sarcasm. I’m addressing these issues because I’ve seen far too many unhappy and unsuccessful couples hastily blame the other person before looking at themselves. A good, productive relationship is based on mutual love, trust, and understanding. It’s about the other person just as much as it is about you. Sometimes, we need to make sacrifices, we need to change things or let go of things, in the name of a better future. And that’s okay.

Nature is all about adapting to situations, about going through experiences and coming out better than we were before. And I wholeheartedly believe that this should be applied to relationships as well. So, the next time you look at your partner, stop and think for a second. Ask yourself – what positive things and experiences am I bringing in the life of my significant other? How am I bettering things for them?

If you find yourself struggling to come up with answers, don’t panic – you can always improve. After all, that’s precisely you’re reading articles like mine, isn’t it? The way I see it, a good relationship is one where both sides are happy. A great relationship is where both sides actively work towards becoming better – both for their partner’s sake and for their own.

Now, let’s talk a bit about sexuality and health since romantic love and sex naturally go hand in hand. If you want to keep both yourself and your partner happy, you need to ensure that your sexual needs are both well-understood and met. And before the hopeless romantics among you rush to tell me that relationships aren’t all about sex, allow me to elaborate.

A good, long-term relationship, of course, requires a strong emotional foundation – there is no arguing that. But this foundation needs to be adequately nourished unless you want to watch it wither and die before your eyes. Sex is, among other things, a way of physically expressing your emotions. And so, if you want to have a happy and successful relationship, you need to take good care of the sexual part as well.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

If you’re planning to have children, the younger to do it, the better – you want to have as many years to give to your kids as possible. Additionally, as we get older, the chances of problematic pregnancies and dangerous childbirth increase.
Don’t underestimate nature – The human body is capable of maintaining its functionality well beyond what we today consider as “old”.
Sex isn’t just for making babies – as obvious as it may sound to most, I feel like I should mention this anyway. Just because you’re 55 or older doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun.
Sex is not something that needs to stop with old age – to expand on my previous point, as long as you and your partner are in good health, there is no reason to forfeit your sexual needs. Yes, you might not look nearly as good as you did 50 years ago, but that doesn’t mean that your partner cares about you any less!
Hydration plays a vital role in reproductive health – two cups of water an hour or two before the act can be very beneficial to your performance and the enjoyment you get out of it.

And that about wraps it up for good habits for a happy and successful life. I realize that this piece ended up a tad longer than usual, but there were a lot of things that I felt the need to explain. As always, if you have any questions, or if you think that I’ve missed something, let me know in the comments below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Additionally, if you’ve got some tips, tricks, or experiences of your own to share, then, by all means, drop me a line!

Thank you all for reading, and until next time:

Stay green and motivated!

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