How to Live Healthy Lives
- Shirley Hernandez
- 16 dic 2016
- 5 Min. de lectura
Since one century many people have been thinking about how to acquire an adequate health or at least how they can prevent the diseases. In this sense, we can say that there are innumerable strategies to prevent diseases and try to live a long and healthy life, but the question is, do we really understand how do we live healthy lives?
At this particular we can answer with a simple “yes I do,” to this simple question, but, the situation is that many of us do not know how to live a healthy life, and the reason is basically because we are waiting for the others decision about our own health, the tendency is to think that we are not responsible directly for our own wellness and we need to wait for other people who has the duty to take care of us.1,2
While the time is running and our lives are just passing, we need to take the control and think what are we doing with our health? The government has designed interesting programs to prevent chronic diseases and to deal with pre-existent conditions in some patients; however, the rate of type 2 diabetes and obesity have increased in the last ten years.3
Increasingly people are being diagnosed with chronic diseases as result of dangerous habits that even though its harmful effects on health have been known, they are still being carried out, and sadly the consequences are even more cases of overweight and obesity in adolescents and young adults with high risk of cardiovascular diseases, and a less life expectancy.3
How to live healthy lives starts inside of everyone, we can receive multiple strategies and be part of different preventive health programs, but the key to obtaining successful and lasting outcomes is undoubtedly the motivation to action. When people recognize the need to do something to prevent diseases or at least change a pre-existent health condition for them, then they are walking the first step to improving their own health.4,5
Many researchers have long studied how they can positively influence people's will to achieve beneficial results in their health, how human behavior could be adequately affected to prevent disease, and have concluded that the motivation for action is essential and will be obtained once the individual accepts that there is an irregular situation that needs to be changed quickly to avoid negative consequences, however, to recognize that there is an unhealthy habit in our own life, we have to be persuaded about that. 4,5
When people understand the reasons for an immediate change in their lifestyles and get value about their own lives and their loved one's lives, then, they will have acquired the awareness to take responsibility quickly about their health and would be ready to do whatever they need to do to improve their health.6
One argument to take control of ourselves is recognizes that all of us are unique and invaluable individuals with certainly a vital purpose in the world, this basic concept, but essential, could guarantee that every time we are looking at ourselves we are feeling a profound need to be better physically to the extent we are better by inside.
The development of a successful career to take care of our own health is full of many challenges, between them we can count to cope with the frustration of an expectative unaccomplished, for instance, when we are trying to lose weight or try to improve cholesterol rate, but, the satisfaction could start when we apply a strong doses of perseverance convinced that it is worth to do something for our own wellness and try to influence others with our experience at the end.6
The most important things in our lives start with a decision, when people take a decision assume a responsibility, and whether this responsibility is abundantly loaded of efforts to maintain our mind focused on what is truly important, there is a high possibility to get positive outcomes.
People feel comfortable in what they trust the most, the confidence is developed to the extent the results are as we have expected or at least are positive in some way, this brings satisfaction and fullness to our souls increasing our self-confidence to keep doing what has proved to be effective.4-6
Be happy starts with a decision and this decision is regardless of our circumstances, we know that there are many medical conditions that are determined for a complex net of predisposing factors; however, our attitude will determine the short and middle term results based on our ability to take control of our behaviors even in the most adverse circumstances.
In short, we have the ability to choose how we feel about something while we are working to improve the situation, or at least trying to. The health is not merely the absence of disease, is the complete confidence of wellness both physically as mentally for taking control of our health decisions and assuming our responsibility at the end.6
In this learning process to take care of ourselves is important:
Stop for a moment and be quiet at least 30 min per day, people need to take a break to think, pray, or just be alone and enjoy themselves at least for a while, a short walk might help, at the extent people spend a short time to be alone develops the ability to enjoy themselves increasing their self-esteem and self-confidence improving their heart rate, blood pressure, and health at the end.
At the extent the people feel better by inside can feel better by outside, a person who believes that can do something or at least is trying to do it, develops the self-efficacy to do whatever they want to do, and believe it or not, improves their health because the person feels motivated and encouraged to act.
Be helpful and support others, when we do something positive for others, we received the invaluable reward to have done what is supposed we have to do, this attitude strengthens our immune system and prevent diseases.
Surround yourself with positive people; spending your time with groups who lift you up giving and sharing high doses of love in the middle of honest demonstrations of kindness.
Have faith and discover your purpose in the life, developing the ability to find which are your skills to be effective working hard to reach your goals and living with hope, although with challenges you have the opportunity to be better every day and overcome any obstacle on the way.
Finally, spends time doing some physical activity, some that you really enjoy and make you sweat, exercise for breathing, feel your heart rate, and delight with the pure air, trees, and nature; be thankful for another opportunity to live while you are drinking a fresh bottle of water and eating your favorite fruit.
References
Leavitt J, Leavitt F. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2011. Accessed January 06, 2017.
Jackson RJ, Sinclair S. Bookmarks. . 2012; 31(4): 880-881. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0084
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Make a Difference at your School. Chronic Disease. Paper 31.http://digitalcommons.hsc.unt.edu/disease/31. Published 2013. Accessed December 29, 2016.
Community Tool Box. Chapter 18. Section 2. Participatory Approaches to Planning Community Interventions. Community Tool Box. http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/analyze/where-to-start/participatory-approaches/main. Published 2016. Accessed December 29, 2016.
Community Tool Box. Chapter 7. Section 2. Promoting Participation among Diverse Groups. Community Tool Box. http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/participation/encouraging-involvement/diverse-participation/main. Published 2016. Accessed December 29, 2016.
Community Tool Box. Chapter 14. Section 6. Influencing People. Community Tool Box. http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-functions/influence-people/main. Published 2016. Accessed December 29, 2016.
