Eating right, exercise, design: All part of healthy lifestyle

Wanting to be healthier is good. But we all know that a healthy lifestyle does not happen by accident. We don’t just become healthier. Outside influences tend to make it difficult to be healthy. Designing a healthy lifestyle is about putting structure in place.

Wanting to be healthier is good. But we all know that a healthy lifestyle does not happen by accident. We don’t just become healthier. Outside influences tend to make it difficult to be healthy. Designing a healthy lifestyle is about putting structure in place.

“ “Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment. To a large extent, factors such as where we live, the state of our environment, genetics, our income and education level, and our relationships with friends and family all have considerable impacts on health …”

World Health Organization: The determinants of health.”

DIET

Moderation is the key. We keep fresh products in the fridge and don’t eat highly processed fatty or sugary foods. I am lucky to have a husband who loves to cook, and he prepares a fresh meal every night. We are so accustomed to eating healthy that it’s hard for us to eat out. If we do, we generally share the meal to control portion. And remember that cooking is not difficult, you just have to plan and keep it simple.

Next year we plan to start a vegetable garden. We discovered in Europe that most households have their own vegetable garden. We want to involve the neighbors so we can share the experience with them, especially the children. Healthy eating should start at a young age.

A chicken and a fresh salad is enough for dinner

Healthy and simple meal is easy to make

Always keep fresh vegetables in your fridge

Creating a vegetable garden is important

We walk whenever we travel

Walking is a good way to visit when you travel but also to stay fit

EXERCISE

As part of our healthy living routine we include daily exercise. What helps our regimen is that we do it together. We alternate between yoga, group exercise and weight resistance training. It is a priority for us. On vacation, or when we can’t keep our schedule, we walk. Walking is a good alternative and great for sightseeing. All you need is good pair of shoes.

RELATIONSHIPS

Healthy relationships are an important element to a healthy lifestyle. Often, our relationships are formed out of convenience instead of intentionality. Be intentional. Find people who live a healthy lifestyle and work towards spending your time with them. Make time for people you care about. Quality relationships are worth it. Designing healthy relationships may also mean spending less time with people who put you in unhealthy situations which we call toxic relationships.

DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE

A well-designed building or space goes beyond temperature, humidity, lighting or building materials. The design of our built environment affects our health and well-being and can have long-term implications for quality of life. Industries across sectors are mobilizing around the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), responding to an urgent call to action for urban development to recognize the ties between human health, environmental sustainability, and socioeconomic equity.

The World Health Organization has called stress the health epidemic of the 21st century. All day we are bombarded by millions of sensory messages. The environment can create over-stimulation from mass media, technology and the growth of information. Environmental elements can also impact individuals: urbanization, noise, crowds, lighting, etc.

Buildings and everything in them can affect our comfort. Better choices should enhance, and not compromise, our health and wellness.

Comfort is a key consideration when it comes to well-being. What we perceive as comfortable varies from one person to another. That is why, when designing spaces, it is important to be sensitive to the sensory signals within the environment and aim to provide spaces with lower sensory inputs.

Through the design of form, space and materials, taking into account such elements as light, color and noise levels, the architect or the designer can create interactive settings and improve our sense of well-being