You are a soul possessing a body. You wake up every morning. You get your body out of bed and you begin your day. Each and every day you are living life in YOUR body. Consider it to be like a room in your house. Organs being the furniture, bones for structure, and blood acting as the air in the room keeping you alive. Would you want the room that's keeping you alive from day to day littered with garbage? Would you want the electricity bill to be unnecessarily high because you left the lights on all night? In hopes that you answered no to both of these questions, your body is sacred. Treat it as you would treat the finest diamond in the world.
Eating habits are crucial. To prevent the room from filling up with garbage, you must keep it clean from the start. Now I'm not saying completely deprive yourself of indulgence, but be mindful of what you're putting in your body. Fast food, as well as processed snack foods, are all detrimental to our health. They contain preservatives, trans fats, carcinogens, and the list goes on. Limiting these foods can save you in the future from cardiovascular issues, weight issues, and even cancers.
Although you need to be wary of exceeding daily caloric intake, do not take this to the extreme and starve yourself. You need food to provide your body with the proper nutrients and energy to conquer the day. If you don't provide sufficient nutrients you will stunt your growth and development. You can also develop health issues from starving such as digestive tract issues and malnutrition. Don't go to one far side of the spectrum, find the happy balance to keep yourself functioning at 100%.
Besides needing nutrients and energy provided by food, sleep is essential to the human body, as well. You know what happens to your lamp when you leave it on all night? The bulb eventually burns out. If you are not getting the proper amount of sleep needed for your age, you're doing yourself an injustice. After the first 24 hours without sleep, it's analogous to having a blood alcohol level of 0.1. Your memory doesn't function the same and your coordination is off.
Fast forward another 12 hours and physically your body cannot handle it anymore. Hormones are becoming imbalanced resulting in mood swings and erratic behavior. Physical pain is inflicted fatigue, sore muscles, and headaches. Reaching the two-day mark without sleeping, the body actually begins to shut down on its own. The person will encounter micro sleeps followed by disorientation. This is very dangerous because it's like blacking out, but it doesn't take into account what the person is doing.
That's also a reason you are instructed not to drive if you have not gotten proper rest. After just two days the body begins shutting down on its own. Going longer than two days is not recommended, things will just get worse. You would think something as minor as sleep isn't necessary, but little did you know that sleep deprivation can result in the cessation of brain development and even death.
Have no fear, there are ways to keep yourself healthy and prevent any further damage! To help in maintaining caloric intake, there are apps to track what you eat in a day. By taking this step you won't eat more than you need in a day, and if you do choose to have that fast food meal, you can plan for the rest of the day accordingly.
When deciding what to eat, there is commonly this thought that healthy foods aren't as tasty as fast foods. Everyone has their own set of taste buds. Do not be afraid to explore new cuisines, new foods, and new flavors. The possibilities are endless when it comes to food. Once you find your niche, eating healthy and limiting processed junk foods will become second nature to you, and your body will thank you in the long run.
Humans are always busy, and sometimes we prioritize our work before ourselves, resulting in all-nighters. The simplest solution of them all is two words: time management. If you manage the 24 hours that you get every day wisely and plan ahead, you will have plenty of time to recharge in bed.
Do not procrastinate. It's better to be finished early than to wait for the last minute, putting your physical health on the line. Get an agenda or planner. This can help you remember what needs to be done, organize your thoughts, and even plan ahead. If you take this step, you will have more than enough time to sleep and your work will be done, as well.
It's your body. Your decisions will determine your future. Your longevity on this planet is dependent on the choices you make in the present. Health is wealth. If your brain stops functioning because of sleep deprivation, will material objects matter? No, because they become of no use to you. Take care of yourself and you will flourish both mentally and physically.
