Are you living a healthy lifestyle? Are you heading in the right direction to live a healthy lifestyle? How many hours do you train per day? How many glasses of water do you drink a day? Do you sleep enough at night? When was the last time you made time for leisure? Do you smoke or drink? Do you eat regularly without skipping any meals? Chances are you answered yes or no to all or most of these questions. America has become one of the most obese and unhealthy countries. America needs a wake-up call when it comes to unhealthy behaviors that are causing our waistlines to widen and our lifespans to shorten. What is a healthy lifestyle? A healthy lifestyle means finding a "balance between work, home and yourself" (Nutriwell Coaching). It is important to live a healthy life because “better lifestyle habits will reduce the risk of heart attack… have more energy… reduce the risk of disease… improve your mood, helping you feel happy and have more self-confidence, which translates in a better quality of life” (Fit For Life). We must commit to living a healthier lifestyle by dedicating ourselves to a balanced diet, involving physical activities and relaxation. The best way to start living a healthy lifestyle is to eat a balanced diet. A balanced diet means "getting the right types and amounts of foods and drinks to provide nutrition and energy to maintain the body's cells, tissues and organs and to support normal growth and development" (NY Times). A balanced diet consists of the following food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins and dairy products. Fruit is one of the six food groups that provides many nutrients and vitamins to your body and promotes your well-being..... .middle of paper ......and maintains healthy blood pressure. When consuming or drinking any part of the dairy group, always choose fat-free or low-fat dairy products. “Additionally, a high fat intake makes it difficult to avoid consuming more calories than necessary” (Choose My Plate). The amount of dairy products needed to consume is 2-3 servings per day. Many people believe that whenever you are hungry you should simply eat, but that is not true. Everyone should eat around 3 meals a day with a snack between each meal and this avoids weight gain overnight. The 3 meals you should eat every day are breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition to this, drink about 7-8 glasses of water (16 ounces of a water bottle) per day to eliminate sugars and salts consumed during the day. As a suggestion, drink 4 glasses a day and 4 glasses in the evening.