What constitutes a healthy lifestyle?

Articles with the highest readership are often centered around topics related to health and lifestyle. Undoubtedly, everyone desires to understand how to maintain a healthy body. Currently, the most popular books are those related to health and wellness. Some focus on traditional wellness practices. While it's true that traditional wellness practices have their merits—such as my own practice of Tai Chi—they, like traditional medicine, also contain numerous pitfalls and must be approached with discernment.

Some promote the inventions of so-called wellness gurus, advocating the consumption of specific foods as a cure-all for various ailments. I refer to these as alternative health viewpoints. However, when it comes to health, pursuing alternative methods is the last thing one should do. It's akin to using oneself as a guinea pig for these so-called wellness gurus and could cost one's health or even life. In matters of health, science should prevail, and it's imperative to heed the mainstream opinions of the international scientific community. These opinions are drawn from a multitude of evidence and, although not infallible, are highly reliable, much more so than the personal opinions of so-called wellness gurus.

However, science is continually evolving and correcting itself. Some conclusions from the past have been found to be incorrect, and the same may be true for some current conclusions in the future. Nevertheless, there are some basic principles of healthy living that are highly unlikely to be wrong due to the plethora of scientific evidence supporting them. So, what are the fundamental principles of a healthy lifestyle?

Firstly, avoiding risk factors. If someone willingly takes unnecessary risks, engaging in potentially suicidal actions like drunk driving, then no amount of attention to health at other times would be of any use. This point is easy to understand. What's harder for people to recognize and avoid are those chronic, self-destructive habits such as smoking and excessive drinking, which have been proven to be extremely detrimental to health, greatly increasing the risk of various diseases and death. Therefore, it's contradictory for someone to pursue health while smoking or drinking excessively. Additionally, ultraviolet rays from the sun increase the risk of skin cancer and are a major factor in skin aging. So, it's essential to practice sun protection, such as using clothing, hats, or umbrellas to shield from the sun, or applying sunscreen to exposed skin. Therefore, the first point can be summarized as no smoking, moderate drinking, and sun protection.

Secondly, maintaining a balanced diet. Body health depends on various nutrients, which should neither be deficient nor excessive. To ensure nutrition, one must have a balanced and diverse diet. Relying on any particular food or "health products" is not advisable. At the same time, one should also try to avoid consuming certain harmful food components that are already known to be detrimental to health, such as heavy metals, trans fats, and various carcinogens.

Thirdly, engaging in appropriate exercise. The benefits of moderate exercise to the body have long been proven, but it's crucial to note that excessive exercise is harmful.

Fourthly, maintaining a positive mindset. Prolonged periods of stress increase the risk of various diseases. Therefore, one must learn to deal with stressful situations appropriately, striving for a relaxed and wise lifestyle.

A person's health and lifespan are the result of the interaction of genetic, environmental, and accidental factors. Therefore, a healthy lifestyle cannot guarantee that everyone will be healthy and live long, but it is the most reliable way to ensure that the majority of people are healthy and long-lived.