Being healthy or leading a healthy lifestyle is more than just keeping yourself from falling sick. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines "health" as complete physical, mental and social well-being, rather than simply the absence of disease or illness.

Besides keeping yourself free from diseases, good health or healthy living encompasses many other areas, which include physical health, mental health and health management. Every area is important and cannot be neglected for you to achieve better health. You will see that with a few simple tips, you can learn to manage the different aspects of health, lead a more fulfilling and active lifestyle and keep diseases at bay.

Physical Activity and An Active Lifestyle

Boost your physical health with an active lifestyle

Taking care of your body is important for good health, but the problem is that people often neglect their own bodies. If you do not eat a proper diet or do not get enough sleep, you are depriving yourself of good physical health! Keeping yourself physically healthy with an active lifestyle and physical activity will allow you to feel better and more energetic every day.

Adults should participate in at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity and at least 2 days of muscle strengthening exercise per week for substantial health benefits. For those over 50 years, including multi-component physical activity at least 3 days of the week at a moderate or greater intensity is encouraged to emphasize strength and functional balance.

Nutrition from A Healthy Diet

Good nutrition is about eating right. The food you eat provides the important nutrients needed by your body. Eating a well-balanced and healthy diet will result in:

  • a stronger immune system to fight diseases
  • reduced likelihood of falling ill
  • better overall health

Here are a few tips on how you can have a healthy diet and pick up good eating habits for a healthier body:

  • Eat more fruit and vegetables. They are rich in vitamins and minerals that keep your body healthy and strengthen your immune system. You should eat at least two servings of fruits and two servings of vegetables every day.
  • Eat a well-balanced meal by following My Healthy Plate, to obtain all the nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy. 
  • Choose food products with the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS). These products are generally lower in fat, saturated fat, sodium or sugar, and higher in calcium or wholegrains as compared to similar products within the same category.

Active Lifestyle

Another thing you should do to be healthy is to get active! An active lifestyle with adequate physical activity and exercise can really help to improve your health, not only by reducing the risk of cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease but also:

  • helps you feel more confident and better about yourself
  • improves your energy level and concentration
  • relieves stress and anxiety

Some moderate-intensity activities you can do are brisk walking, swimming, cycling or dancing. To know if you are working out at moderate intensity, you should be able to talk in short phrases but not sing.

Find out more about the importance of exercise from HealthHub and register for any physical activity programme that may be ongoing near you on the Healthy 365 app.

Related: Healthy Home Cooking Meal Tips

Mental Wellness and Health

Achieve mental wellness by actively pursuing a healthy lifestyle

Besides a healthy body, you also need to have a healthy mind. Diseases not only affect the physical body but the mind as well. Mental health is therefore a very important component of your overall health and well-being.

The absence of mental illnesses or disorders such as depression or schizophrenia does not mean that a person is mentally healthy. The WHO defines good mental health as the state of wellbeing in which an individual can:

  • cope with the normal stresses of life
  • work productively and fruitfully
  • realises his or her own potential
  • contribute to his or her community

Having good mental well-being will greatly improve the way you cope with stress and allow you to lead a more fulfilling and effective life. Try the OKAY tips to care for your mental well-being. Some tips for good mental health:

  • Learn to relax. Find something that you enjoy doing that helps to soothe anxiety or stress. You can go for a massage, listen to music or engage in exercise.
  • Interact with your friends and family. They can give you emotional and psychological support in times of need. Speak to them if you have problems.
  • Be confident in yourself. Building up your self-esteem will give you the confidence to face problems and overcome challenges that life may throw at you. Always think positively.

Choose Healthy Living, Stay Smoke-free

Being in good health also means not smoking. Smoking is the single most avoidable cause of death. Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke. It not only causes cancer but is also a major risk factor for heart and lung diseases.

Quitting smoking has numerous benefits - physical, emotional and financial. And one of the first steps in quitting smoking is to make the decision to quit. Find out more about quitting smoking at I Quit.

Related: Quit Smoking—The Supporter’s Guide

So, Remember

Stay healthy with a healthy diet and active lifestyle

Being healthy does not stop at keeping yourself free from disease and illness. Being healthy requires you to take care of your physical, mental and emotional health. There are no limits to how much health you can achieve. The healthier you are, the better you will be able to enjoy life!

Download the HealthHub app on Google Play or Apple Store to access more health and wellness advice at your fingertips.

Read these next: