A healthy lifestyle, is it possible? How?

People always say that being healthy is all about eating well, spleeping eight hours a night, practicing sports and avoiding drugs like alcohol or tobacco. What do we have to do to achieve that kind of lifestyle that is so promising? If you go to the gym for instance, you will necesary see a lot of healthy people -or trying to be healthy at least- but how healthy are they really? Is it enough to be in perfect armony with your body in terms of fat, metabolism and stuff like that to be considered a healthy person? I am not fond of gyms in general, because I think that those are the places where the concept of being healthy gets distorted. What is healthy about a woman who eats nothing but letuce and spends most of her day training there? I believe that the line between being coscious and obsessed with a healthy lifestyle is really thin, not to mention that crossing it can be very dangerous.

I'm only saying this because, for me, the most important thing about being healthy is the idea of balance, in everything. On the basis that mind and body equilibrium is the crucial aspect of this conception. Looking at the matter this way we can understand that a healthy person is not the brawny man that thinks only about building himself, nor the classic american couch potato. To be healthy, or to live healthy better said, the middle ground between those two extremes is the key.

This angle allows us to determine some habits or ways that can lead to a healthy lifestyle. On the one hand, exercise is essential, but not only because of the physical effects that it has. In fact, I believe that practicing some kind of exercise brings more benefits to our minds than it does to our bodies, because of the recreation that it implies. Moreover I would dare saying that practicing exercise is essential to a healthy mind. On the other hand, I think that being careful about what we eat and what we drink is good enought. The most healthy people that I know are those who do not deprive themselves of anything. For instance they do eat some fast food eventually, because mainly they eat balanced meals so they can allow themselves some indulgences now and then.

So, a healthy lifestyle, is it possible? I believe so, as long as by healthy we mean balanced and mentally sain. We just have to be informed about what is good for ourselves, what is not, and then just play with those two in the right proportions...

Sesame Street