A healthy lifestyle is any way of life that promotes optimal physical, mental and emotional well-being. A person who leads a healthy lifestyle has a low risk of chronic diseases and is able to manage those risks optimally through healthy choices in the home, work and community environments. The benefits of a healthy lifestyle include: reduced risk of chronic diseases; improved quality of life; lower health care costs; and more years of productive life.A healthy lifestyle can help you:

Reduce your risk of chronic diseases

A healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancers, and Alzheimer’s disease. The more healthy practices you incorporate into your life, the greater the reduction in your risk of chronic disease.A healthy diet - Eating a balanced diet, with sufficient amounts of essential vitamins and minerals, will help you maintain a healthy weight and prevent certain diseases. An unhealthy diet can increase your risk of developing chronic diseases.What is a balanced diet?

Improve your quality of life

A healthy lifestyle can improve the quality of your life by reducing symptoms associated with chronic diseases and improving mental and emotional health. It can also help you maintain a healthy weight.What are some symptoms of chronic diseases?

Lower your health care costs

A healthy lifestyle can lower your health care costs by reducing the amount of time you spend in the hospital, by keeping you healthy enough to work, and by reducing the number of medications you need to take.How much does a healthy lifestyle cost?

More years of productive life

A healthy lifestyle can increase your productivity and the number of years you remain healthy and working.What are the costs of not having a healthy lifestyle?