Published on: 14-May-2022

Most of us begin our lives with the potential to live a full and healthy life. But bad health habits developed in your youth can become huge hurdles that you’ll eventually have to deal with once you get older.

For example, here in the United States, many of today’s teens and young adults have the same “invincible” mindset that we all once held. But the fact is, none of us are. Thankfully, by adopting health-supporting habits at a young age, we can begin to develop a health-oriented lifestyle that we may carry with us throughout life. 

Staying health-friendly in a busy world that promotes fast-food diets and other unhealthy choices can be difficult, especially as a teen or young adult. But with a little guidance, you can begin to make health-supporting choices and increase your knowledge of proper health and nutrition.

In the following, we’ll explore 3 solutions for maintaining quality health at a young age.

Antioxidant Supplements 

Antioxidants help the body to fight free radicals and oxidative stress. And the buildup of these can come in many forms, even as a teen or young adult. 

For example, a free radical is an unstable molecule that is attempting to become stable. These can be found in many forms such as in air pollution when we breathe, or when we convert food to energy among many others. 

In order to compensate, a free radical will “steal” from nearby molecules in order to become stable. However, this results in the adjacent molecule becoming unstable, thus causing a chain reaction within the body. Antioxidant supplements can help to maintain the health of cells and DNA. 

Antioxidants work to reduce the amount of free radicals within the body by “donating” a molecule without becoming free radicals themselves. And this is why having a variety of antioxidants within the body is a health-friendly way to keep the body’s cells in check. 

Acquiring Vitamin D

Often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin,” Vitamin D plays a vital role in bone health. And developing healthy bones and muscles is critical to establishing a health-friendly lifestyle especially as a teenager or young adult. 

Vitamin D plays an important role in our ability to absorb minerals such as phosphorus and calcium–two important minerals directly related to bone and muscle health. And as we age, the body’s ability to absorb these minerals also diminishes. This is why getting sufficient amounts of Vitamin D at a young age is recommended by most doctors and nutritionists.

A few additional benefits of Vitamin D include the following: 

• Supports mood regulation 
• Helps to support muscle function 
• Supports heart function 
• Supports healthy aging 
• Supports an already healthy immune system 

Adequate time spent outdoors is a natural way to acquire Vitamin D. And while drinking milk and eating other foods such as Salmon, Tuna, and Vitamin D fortified cereals can also help to improve Vitamin D levels within the body, abundant sunshine is an easy way to get your daily intake. 

Sports

Sports not only have been known to help develop social skills at a young age, the exercise you get from team sports is also beneficial to the body and for establishing a health-friendly lifestyle in youth. 

Modern team sports are a great solution for not only learning the elements of working with a team, and for understanding the fundamentals of working together, camaraderie, and the like, team sports can also allow you to develop health-conscious habits. 

For example, with sports such as soccer, cross-country running, track, baseball, and tennis, you not only get a cardiovascular workout, you also get a great aerobic workout that keeps your muscles toned and in shape. Additionally, stretching is also a critical part of team sports. As such, this helps to keep your muscles limber and relaxed, offering you a wider range of motion than that of a sedentary lifestyle.

Studies have shown that many of those who engage in team sports as teenagers or young adults go on to enjoy health-supporting lifestyles. And making a habit of keeping yourself fit is best when begun at a young age. 

Keeping fit is one way to develop a health-supporting lifestyle at a young age. But the food and nutrients you put into your body play the most important role for maintaining adequate health and building the foundation for healthy aging. So if optimal health is what you’re looking for, choose a nutritional plan to help support it. 

Your Personal Path to Wellness Starts Here>>Karen Malkin Health Counseling

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