World Health Day 2022: 6 Science-Backed Habits For Better Health

Time needed: Three 30 minute exercise sessions weekly

Physical activity not only helps us burn off extra calories, but also helps reduce our risk of major illnesses and improve our mental health. 

Aerobic exercises such as running, walking and dancing have been proven to reduce anxiety and depression by raising self-esteem and cognitive function. All you need is thirty minutes of moderate exercise three times a week to feel the many benefits of exercise—from improving your sleep, increasing endurance, lower stress, reduce blood pressure and many more, according to a study on exercise for mental health.

Time needed: From 10 minutes a day

Meditation, the art of training your mind to stay focused on the present may sound easy. After all, it’s as simple as closing your eyes and sitting still—how hard could that be, right? Those who have tried it, however, will tell you it’s a lot harder than it seems. 

Despite its challenges, meditation is a science-backed practice that’ll help improve both your physical and mental health. In one eight-week study, mindfulness meditation helped reduce participants’ stress-induced inflammation response, while another study found that the practice helps decrease anxiety levels. Meditation is also found to lengthen attention span, fight memory loss, improve sleep, and even reduce pain levels. 

See also: How To Build A Meditation Space At Home: Meditation Trainers, Singing Bowls & More

Time needed: 10 minutes per time, three to five times a week

Stretching improves your flexibility, which helps you maintain a range of motion in the joints, according to Harvard. When muscles become tight due to long days of sitting at your desk, stretching or other flexibility exercises such as yoga and tai chi will help keep your muscles and joints happy. For the best results, spend around a minute on each stretching exercise and hold each stretch for fifteen seconds, four times per stretch. 

See also: Monday Motivation: How To Stretch At Your Desk Feat. Utah Lee

Amount needed: Four to six cups a day 

We’ve all heard that we should drink around eight glasses of water a day, but why exactly is staying hydrated so important to our overall health? 

In a 2011 study on water, hydration and health, researchers found that one’s hydration status for sweat production is crucial to the body’s process of temperature control. The effects of dehydration also affect one’s physical performance and cognitive performance such as disrupting mood, impairing short-term memory, concentration and more. 

Being healthy is more than just the physical. Maintaining good mental health is every bit as important as keeping our body strong and healthy. According to studies, emotional distress can make us more susceptible to physical illness, infections and cardiovascular diseases. Having poor emotional health may also lead you to adopt unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking and consuming high-fat foods, which may impair your physical health in the long run.

To maintain good emotional health, having a regular self-care practice, practising emotional regulation, exercising, getting enough sleep and having a strong support system are just a few ways of strengthening your emotional health. 

This article was published June 11, 2021 and updated on April 7, 2022. 

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