Happiness and a Healthy Lifestyle
3 May 2016
It's well-established these days that the mind and the body are not completely separate entities - the condition of one will inevitably impact on the other.
You are unlikely to be truly content with your life if your physical health is below-par, and similarly, those who are continually anxious or stressed often feel the worst effects through their bodies.
Our keen recognition of this relationship here at Prestige Boot Camps is why we prioritise the health of both mind and body in our renowned fitness boot camps - but why else should you care, and what aspects of a healthy lifestyle could help to make you happier?
Why the right lifestyle really can lead to fulfilment
Reading all of the above, you might think... surely, living a 'healthy' lifestyle of the kind you always read about in articles like this one must be quite a limiting experience? It must be quite dull to have to drag yourself to the gym every day, and as we only live once anyway, where's the harm in enjoying some chocolate or a cake once in a while?
Such objections, though, largely miss the point - a healthy lifestyle frees you up instead of limiting you. You'll have more energy due to your healthier eating and regular exercise, you'll save money that you had previously spent on junk food and you'll look better, which in turn, will give you much greater confidence.
All in all, the rewards of a healthy lifestyle as far as mental wellbeing is concerned far outweigh the disadvantages of having to say "no" to a chocolate cake on occasion, although there's no reason why a treat now and again can't form part of a happy and healthy lifestyle, too.
The steps that you can take to a healthier and happier life
There is plenty of evidence that the right diet can do much for your mental health. A recent study of more than 15,000 people, for instance, showed that a 'Mediterranean diet' of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and olive oil, together with low processed meat levels, could ward off the onset of depression. Another survey found that almost nine in 10 people saw a significant improvement in their mental health simply by changing their diet.
However, it isn't just what you eat that contributes to your lifestyle and thereby your happiness level. Other good lifestyle tips for happiness include simply sleeping more, insomnia having been linked with a five times greater risk of developing depression and a 20-times greater likelihood of anxiety disorders.
There's a good reason why our weight loss retreats expose you to the great outdoors, as studies have found lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in those who exercise in "green" rather than urban environments. Exercise in general has long been associated with lower anxiety and better mood, thanks to such physical effects as the release of feel-good brain chemicals and the reduction of immune-system chemicals that may contribute to the symptoms of depression.
Contact Prestige Boot Camp about improving your own lifestyle
Even the simplest, easy-to-overlook things, such as keeping in regular face-to-face contact with friends and family, can serve to boost both your happiness and your all-round health, the two entities very much going hand in hand.
It's why, here at Prestige Boot Camp, we take such a comprehensive approach to our fitness boot camps and diet food delivery service that acknowledges the very real importance of both entities.