Somewhere along the way, you’ve heard that being healthy is essential, but you may not fully realize why it’s necessary. The benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle are so high that some industries go to great lengths to divert your attention elsewhere to keep you from living a healthy lifestyle. They know that if you live a simple healthy lifestyle, chances are you won’t need them; if you don’t, they won’t get your money.
I’ve listed four significant benefits that are not in any particular order. Some may be more important than others, but all are a noticeable benefit of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
You Will Save Money by Cutting Out Big Pharma
The pharmaceutical industry has the nickname of Big Pharma for a reason. According to the US Government Accountability Office, from 2006 through 2015, pharmaceutical sales revenue increased from $534 billion to $775 billion, with an annual average profit margin of 15% to 20%. The average yearly profit margin across non-drug companies was only 4% to 9%.
Big Pharma has been brainwashing the general public into believing taking drugs to function correctly is reasonable. If you don’t think I’m telling you the truth, watch their TV commercials; everybody’s happy, and the weather is perfect. Who doesn’t want to live like that? Instead of watching the pleasant and comforting scenes, pay attention to the side effects; they’re just as bad as the condition the drug treats, if not worse!
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying all drugs are harmful, and you should never take them. Some medications are beneficial and have helped people manage their daily activities better (i.e., insulin for type 1 diabetes). However, there are situations when the best course of action is improving the diet and exercise program instead of taking harmful drugs (i.e., statins for cholesterol).
A few years back, my husband’s cholesterol was at levels that caused his doctor to be concerned, so he was prescribed Lipitor. I strongly advised him not to take it and to investigate the side effects of statins. Thankfully, he decided to take his health into his own hands by improving his diet and exercise. Today his cholesterol levels are in the normal range, and as a bonus, we saved money by cutting out Big Pharma.
You Will Lose Weight
Another benefit of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is losing weight. It’s natural to shed several pounds when you cut out unhealthy food unless you have a condition that prevents you from losing weight (i.e., hypothyroidism).
When I refer to unhealthy food, I generally refer to chemically processed food. This type of food has added chemicals or harmful ingredients. There’s also the method of mechanical processing (i.e., washed, peeled, cut, etc.), but I don’t count that as unhealthy. A good rule of thumb is to eat food closest to its natural form while paying attention to good handling practices.
Eating unhealthy food causes your body to produce excess fluids by trying to flush out the toxins caused by the added chemicals. When you start eating healthy food, your body doesn’t need that extra fluid, and you’ll see a few pounds less on the scale. Plus, you’ll be getting those essential nutrients your body needs.
Maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise is perfect for losing and keeping weight off.
You Will Have More Energy Throughout the Day
Practicing a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular moderate exercise influences the neurotransmitter system in your brain to release chemicals that put you in a good mood. When you feel good, you have more energy. And vice versa, you generally feel good when you have more energy.
An excellent report by Minati Singh discusses the link between our food and mood, which I highly recommend. The thoroughly cited reference materials have hyperlinks as well as tables and charts. Block out at least an hour if you plan on getting the jest of it, or even more time if you follow the links used for the report.
You Will Sleep Better at Night
How you sleep at night, both quantity and quality, dictate how you function the next day and your long-term health.
Lack of proper sleep affects thinking and learning. It impairs alertness, attention, concentration, problem-solving, and reasoning. It can cause poor memory because your sleep cycles play a role in consolidating your memories. You’ll have difficulty remembering what you learned and experienced days before.
Sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for diabetes, heart problems (i.e., heart attack, heart disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeat), high blood pressure, or stroke. The most common sleep disorder, insomnia, is linked to depression and anxiety.
However, when you get plenty of sleep, your memory is excellent; you’re more alert and on top of your game. Plus, you’re more likely to be in a positive mood.
While sleeping, your blood pressure goes down because your heart isn’t working as hard as when awake. This short-term downtime will have long-term benefits.
Eating a healthy balanced diet will help you get the sleep you need so you’ll be able to function the next day at your full potential. Plus, you’ll be more apt to ward off poor health.
Undeniable Benefits of Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
So there you have it. Living a healthy lifestyle has some definite benefits. You’ll save money, lose weight, have more energy, and sleep better. That’s the way it should be. We shouldn’t be a slave to Big Pharma or any other industry that holds us hostage so that they can make a profit.
Until next time, live sensibly, and be healthy.
