Health-conscious behavior is to be rewarded in the future. Those who regularly take part in early detection examinations or preventive measures will be able to receive a financial bonus from their health insurer in the future. So the question is: What actually is “health-conscious behavior”? The fact is, health-conscious behavior must be trained. In many cases, lack of information and ignorance, but often also the notorious inner “pig dog” are the reason for unhealthy behavior.
Eating
- Diets or blatant one-sided diet (eg, vegans) can result in deficiency symptoms.
- Overweight: overweight children often become fat adults. Overweight does not just mean that the pants eventually no longer fit; overweight means an increased risk of, for example, diabetes high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke. The foundation for health development or even maldevelopment is laid as early as childhood. Therefore, children and adolescents must be moved as early as possible to a health-conscious behavior.
- Food, however, is not only the source of our physical energy, but also crucial for the quality of life and therefore also the good mood. Therefore, we should learn to enjoy food again:
- Variety in the diet is the be-all and end-all.
- Make food a main thing again. Set the table pretty and arrange on your plate the food decoratively.
- Chew every bite and feel the taste of the food. Take your time, because only after about 20 minutes the hunger center in our brain reports “full”.
- Very important to drink a lot (at least 2 liters per day: water, herbal tea and diluted fruit juices).
Exercise
Movement is a vital need of the human being. The ability to move harmoniously, to perceive his body and feel healthy is an elementary experience. Movement means feeling good, taking pleasure and pleasure in physical activity, discovering the capabilities of one’s own body and experiencing positive sensations and feelings. Exercise together with others means to learn something about oneself, to exercise and to accomplish something together, to be there and to belong. Whether cycling, swimming, gymnastics, ball games or simply walking: Keeping fit strengthens the body – even against risks like cancer. Exercise strengthens and regulates the function of all organs: muscles, heart, lungs, digestive system and much more.
Sleep
On average, humans need eight hours of sleep – some more, some less. That means we spend about a third of our lives asleep – so we’re in bed three to four times as long as we are at work. And this time is the most important of all for our regeneration. Sufficient sleep, a healthy sleeping environment as well as a good bed play a decisive role for the quality of sleep in order to be fit and active again the next day.
Relax and reflect
Experiencing positive stress is good for us. Negative stress, on the other hand, should be kept within temporal limits. Stress becomes dangerous when it brings us to the brink of exhaustion, or when it becomes a permanent condition, because permanent stress is unhealthy. We sleep too little, are more susceptible to colds, eat irregularly and don’t feel like exercising. Whether we experience an event as “stressful” in the negative sense is often determined by our own personal evaluation of the event.
What can help?
If you want to have peace of mind, you will ultimately only find it within yourself. Those who consciously establish contact with their bodies begin to practice everyday mindfulness. When we learn to consciously communicate with and understand our body, the body can regain its inner balance.
- Helpful techniques include: Autogenic training, breathing or relaxation exercise, muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen.
- Laughter is not only good for our psyche, but especially physically. Who laughs for a minute, feels afterwards as refreshed as if he or she had done a relaxation training for three quarters of an hour. This is what laughter researchers have found out.
- Paracelsus said, “Only the quantity makes the poison”. So it is with all things in life, too much always harms!
Healthy living is fun!
Growing pressure, lack of exercise, poor diet make people ill. Health-conscious behavior, on the other hand, benefits everyone – young or old. It is the awareness and right action towards one’s own precious health. When we are mentally and physically healthy, there is an inner balance in our body. So let us treat ourselves to what is good for us!
