Written by: Dr. Elliot Garita
It is more difficult to define “health” than we sometimes think. According to the World Health Organization, it is the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not only the absence of illness. At first glance it appears obvious, but if we explore further, we can say without a doubt that health is the exterior evidence of my internal condition and the way I see my surroundings. Many people are satisfied with not feeling badly and believe they are healthy until they are presented with a situation that demonstrates how wrong they were. For that reason, we shouldn’t wait until we feel badly or have risk factors before we take measures to better the quality and quantity of days we have on this earth. Everything we do to maintain our health will be rewarded in the following years in one way or another. For that reason, experts recommend some specific activities daily. They need to be done repeatedly until they become habits.
These are 10 habits that will improve your quality of life, both physical and mental:
1 hour of daily physical activity will keep both the cardiovascular system and the muscular system in shape.
2 liters of water every day help maintain the vascular system, skin and intestinal tract.
3 cups of coffee or tea contain antioxidants that help the arteries.
4 servings of fruit every day supply fiber and vitamins essential to the body.
5 meals per day improve intestinal and metabolic activity and lead to better weight control.
6 songs that inspire you will stimulate your memory and lung capacity.
7 minutes of laughter with friend improve serotonin production and help us to feel friendlier. Laughter also helps with physical pain. This habit maintains social contact and prevents intellectual deterioration.
8 hours of restful sleep helps the body to recovery from daily wear and tear and makes our mental state more orderly.
9 pages of reading from a good book forces our minds to analyze what we read, and stimulates memory. In our case, we have the best book that we could possibly read.
10 minutes of daily reflection requires us to improve every day, to analyze, to think about what we should change, and to make an impact on the world around us.
To seek to be better every day, or at least to maintain the health we have, is our obligation since our lives are a great gift God has given each of us.
