The "All-Rounder"
In my opinion, a "healthy lifestyle" consists of seeking education around the areas of good eating habits, different types of exercise and forms of self growth. The education in these areas is ongoing, and the more you know and understand the more you can be strategic in the choices you make on a daily basis.
For example, many individuals concentrate on only one of these areas at any given time, when they really should be trying to implement a more balanced approach where they understand that the things you do today are really for tomorrow. What and how you eat today will impact how you sleep tonight and your energy levels physically and mentally tomorrow. What and how you exercise today will impact how you sleep tonight and your energy levels physically and mentally tomorrow. The time you set aside for self growth today will impact how you sleep tonight and your energy levels physically and mentally tomorrow. Hopefully you've noticed that I've repeated myself three times now in what these areas will impact.
Let's talk about the first area of "good eating habits". This involves seeking education about the difference between calories and macros, the importance of meal portions and timing, what different things micro-nutrients do for the body and learning about water intake. After you have looked into the above things and have a basic understanding, next is to properly research all the main "diets" out there and most importantly how they came to be. There are diets out there which are used for medical purposes and in time have made its way to the mainstream and now used for a "detox" or "fat loss" diet. Once again, in my opinion, this is ridiculous because majority of individuals who "give it a go", have totally normal functioning metabolisms and bodies, but are caught up in a new fad or craze which unfortunately does not result in a positive sustainable habit. The goal is to find what works for you that you can maintain consistently for the rest of your life. Create your own healthy eating habit that is specifically for you.
Now the second area is "different types of exercise". First off, you must find a physical activity you enjoy. This will help with long term involvement in staying active. Now the main thing to remember is the body is extremely adaptable and needs variety to challenge it and grow. So changing up your choices of physical activity during the week or seasonal if it's a sport, is one way to give the body what it needs to grow (loosely speaking). The next thing to think about, is that your body needs strong muscles for functionality of movement, a healthy heart and lungs for pumping blood and utilizing oxygen, and overall flexibility for good mobility of joints and injury prevention. The goal is to choose physical activities which tick each of these three things, if not, you run the risk of an imbalance which will lead to becoming too stiff, too tight, out of breath, dizziness, muscular strains, joint pain, etc. Create your own cocktail of different types of exercise choices, which give you the best chance of a stronger, fitter and better functioning body.
Finally we have the third area of "forms of self growth". Now I am far from an individual who has their head lost up in the clouds, but I do know and understand the importance of the time you dedicate to you. Whether it be a topic of academic study, learning salsa, keeping a diary for self reflection, setting goals, learning an instrument or even learning a form of meditation, the idea is to prioritize you, not your husband, wife, partner, children, family or friends, but just you and you alone, purely for your own internal self growth. Ideally a daily habit of setting a little time for yourself will be highly beneficial but if that is not realistic then at least once a week. Create a "selfish" plan for you to take control of yourself which will in turn have a positive effect on interactions you have or the things you do day in and day out.
Now that you have read this brief explanation above about three important areas which contribute and have an impact on your life, I hope you go away and take some time to seek education, think about and implement a way for you to take more of an "All-Rounder" approach towards a balanced and harmonious lifestyle.