The healthy Person
THE ART OF LEADING YOURSELF IN A HEALTHY WAY
It’s Friday evening, you finished your work for the week and you finally got some time for yourself – meeting friends, pursuing your hobbies, doing sports – but somehow you don’t have the motivation to do anything. You feel tired and worn out, somehow exhausted and would prefer not to see anyone except your TV. Do you recognise this state of mind? Doesn’t really sound like the description of a healthy person, does it?
In fact, this description applies to many workers, even young ones. The causes of such states vary greatly from person to person and can be absolutely harmless, especially when you are going through stressful phases at work that have a foreseeable end. But what happens when this state becomes the norm? The good news is that we can do a lot ourselves to increase our own well-being and live a healthy life. In this article you will learn what exactly makes a healthy person and how we can make our lives healthier.
BALANCE OF BODY, MIND AND SOUL – WHAT CHARACTERISES A HEALTHY PERSON
Feeling and being healthy is largely influenced by how responsibly we treat our bodies. This includes, in particular, a good diet.
That’s why we have a small checklist of vital nutrition for you:
- Food composition: Carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and trace elements in balanced proportions.
- Food quantity: Less is more
- Food selection: Be able to distinguish between food, stimulants and nutrients
- Food behaviour: Conscious eating
- Fluids: Water and unsweetened tea
- Result: High performance
In addition to a balanced diet, physical and mental relaxation is also an important complex of health. Yoga, autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation have been popular for quite some time – and not without reason. The positive effects of yoga and the like have been investigated and proven in many studies. The ability to relax is particularly important for maintaining your own health. But even if you don’t yet meditate or do yoga regularly, always remember to take enough breaks during the day. Strike a balance between the demands placed on you and your abilities so that you are neither over- nor under-challenged in the long run!
The last big pillar for your health is exercise – and no, you don’t have to exercise for two hours 5 times a week to stay healthy. In fact, 2 ½ hours of moderate exercise per week is enough to keep your body fit. By the way, the best way to achieve this is through a combination of endurance and strength training as well as flexibility and reaction training.
Even though these are not new insights, they are still too little implemented in peoples daily routines- by the way, the best way to implement them is with a fixed plan and goals regarding your own physical fitness. This is another important factor for a healthy lifestyle: Reflection on one’s own life goals and the environment in which we can and want to lead a healthy life.
#1 health hack: Why don’t you consciously take 1 hour and write down your individual goals and needs towards the world around you? Regularly check whether you are getting closer to these or whether they are being satisfied and if not actively adjust accordingly.
HEALTH IS MULTIDIMENSIONAL – HOW MENTAL, SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL HEALTH ENRICHES OUR EVERYDAY LIVES
Most people are familiar with the aspects of health in the first paragraph of this article, but far less attention is paid to the levels of spiritual, mental, social and ecological health. Therefore, we would like to draw your attention especially to these sub-areas of health, because they also have a great influence on whether a person feels healthy or not.
Mental health is achieved when a person can make full use of his or her abilities and feels able to cope even with strenuous phases of life. To achieve this state, it is important to stay focused on one’s goals and direct one’s attention accordingly.
#2 health hack: This also includes being aware of things that are not important and not being preoccupied with them.
Mental health can be promoted especially by reminding oneself again and again that it is important to listen to one’s own needs and to satisfy them. We are all allowed to and must take breaks and pay attention to our emotions! It is also particularly important to learn that we can influence our well-being through our own actions and thus also generate motivation.
#3 health hack: In difficult situations, take time for a little reflection and remember that you yourself are able to have an impact on your situation.
Social health is significantly influenced by communication with those around you. Mindful and appreciative communication leads to healthy communication and healthy relationships. Healthy communication works best if you:
- Stick to the truth
- Communicate without violence (threats, manipulation, loudness).
- Choose praising and appreciative words
- Actively empower yourself and others and build a network.
- Choose your words carefully and listen to what others have to say
- Encourage other people to achieve success.
- Are always benevolent towards others
- Respecting and valuing the opinions of others
Even though it may sound trivial, the design of the rooms we are in, especially our private rooms and workplaces, have a great influence on our health. Make sure that these spaces are filled with things that are both good for you and practical. An open-plan office with neon lights and grey tiles will rarely do us any good, and it will not improve our work at all. The rooms we spend a lot of time in should also have a good temperature, let in sunlight, have green plants and be well ventilated, because good air is healthy for our bodies and our minds.
If you take all these points into account in large parts and remind yourself from time to time that you can actively do something for yourself and your health, we think that you will feel much less drained and exhausted.
For more health hacks in your private life and at work, as well as health management and health leadership, check out our Instagram and Facebook accounts.