We all want to live life to the utmost. The recent pandemic has served to highlight this. We’ve seen the fragility of life and how unexpectedly things can change, so we want to make sure that we’re making the most of every moment we’re given. Of course, there are countless things that we can do to lead a happier life, but here are a few areas of focus that could act as a springboard to help you along the way!
Focus On Your Health
One of the main things you could focus on for a full and happy life is your health and wellbeing. Without your health, you may struggle to have a good time or may be limited in the things you can do, which can be difficult, challenging and overwhelming. The good news is that there are countless steps you can take to improve your health and wellbeing where possible.
- Eat a Healthy Diet
The first step you can take is to implement a healthy diet into your lifestyle. All too many people fail to think about what foods they are eating and what impact they can have on the body. At the end of the day, food is fuel, so you need to make sure that you’re putting the right amount into your body and the right type into your body. Start by managing your calorie intake. Your doctor will be able to recommend the rough number of calories you should be consuming on a day basis, but the guide below serves as a good general idea based on your sex, age and activity levels.
- Children aged 2 to 8 – 1000 to 1400 calories
- Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1400 to 1600 calories
- Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1600 to 2000 calories
- Active women aged 14 to 30 – 2400 calories
- Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 – 1800 to 2000 calories
- Active men aged 14 to 30 – 2800 to 3200 calories
- Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 – 2000 to 2600 calories
- Active adults over 30 – 2000 to 3000 calories
- Sedentary adults over 30 – 1600 to 2400 calories
Next, make sure that the foods that are holding these calories are balanced. You shouldn’t cut out any specific food group from your diet. But you should make sure to eat everything in moderation. Loading your diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables is also recommended. Finally, make sure to stay hydrated! You should be drinking roughly eight glasses of water a day to top up your water levels!
- Exercise
It’s recommended that the average adult gets one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week, or seventy-five minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise a week. But so few of us are actually achieving this! Why? Well, we’re often trying to force ourselves to do forms of exercise that we don’t really enjoy. As soon as you find an exercise that you enjoy, you’ll do it willingly! Try jogging, swimming, cycling, dance, or anything else that takes your fancy.
Focus on Family and Friends
Family and friends can play a huge role in how happy we are in our day-to-day lives. Being surrounded by people who we love and who make us happy can help us to feel supported and joyful. So, make sure to spend time with your nearest and dearest wherever possible. Schedule time with them and make sure to stick to your plans without letting things like work get in the way!
Focus on Fun
Of course, alongside the important and serious things, it’s also important that you have fun in your life. Fun is what can put a smile on our face and can help us to go to sleep at night with a big smile on our faces. It’s what helps us build memories. It’s what gives us something to look forward to. Of course, the things you can do for fun will vary dramatically depending on your individual preferences and interests. To find what really engages you, you’re going to have to experiment, try a few things out and whittle down your options. Here are some activities that countless people enjoy that you might like to try too!
- Team Sports
Not only are sports good for your fitness, but they’re a great social opportunity too. When you engage with team sports, in particular, you find yourself surrounded by like-minded individuals with who you could form lifelong bonds and friendships. There are countless team sports out there, so try a few to get a taste for those you might like to continue with. Some popular examples include football or soccer, rugby, baseball, cricket, lacrosse, basketball, hockey, and more.
- Games
Games are renowned for being fun. People engage with different games around the world and, as technology advances, more and more options are becoming available. You might want to invest in a console and try video games – anything from action-adventure games to puzzle games could take your fancy. You might want to invite some friends around and bring out the old board games for more traditional fun. You may find that you’re the new Antanas Guoga, known by the nickname “Tony G”, and find that you’re surprisingly good at poker.
- Baking
During the pandemic, more and more people picked up baking. Baking isn’t just something we can do to make bread and other food that we might need. It’s a fun and creative activity that can see you follow all sorts of fun recipes to create delicious and exciting sweet treats for ourselves and our loved ones. If you want to go all out, you could enroll on a baking course. But if you want to keep things simple, you can simply search a few recipes online, or watch a few Youtube tutorials, and give things a go yourself at home.
Of course, there are even more steps you can take to lead an overall happier life. But those outlined above should get you off to a pretty good start!
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