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Everybody wants to live a long, healthy life, so why do so many of us engage in activities which are clearly bad for our health? Perhaps we sabotage ourselves because it is easier to focus on our short-term enjoyment rather than the long-term health implications. After all, who wants to live a life of complete self-deprivation? In order to get healthy and to stay healthy moderation is the key. Anything can be taken to extremes, including an obsession with health, and so it is best to keep everything in perspective.

Having a healthy mind is just as important, if not more so, than having a healthy body since our minds influence the decisions we make and the actions we take, and if our minds are impaired it could lead us to make poor choices. It is important to feel good about yourself and to take a positive approach to life; something which is often easier said than done, but it is important in order to live a well-balanced, contented life. A happier person is less likely to seek comfort in alcohol or food, and is more likely to have good social interactions with other people which help to develop and reinforce a positive self-perception.

Consequently, a positive attitude can help a person to cope better with the stresses and strains of life. For people who find it difficult to cope, they often find comfort in food, alcohol or drugs. A person who wants to stay fit and healthy should generally stay away from cigarettes because of the health risks associated with smoking including lung and heart disease. It is not only important for them to not smoke, but also to avoid prolonged exposure to a smoking environment because of the risks of passive smoking. If a person wants to get fit and healthy and they smoke; the first thing they should do is quit.

People who want to remain healthy are also best advised to avoid taking illegal drugs and to moderate the amount of alcohol they consume. There is so much contradictory advice about how much a person should drink that it is hard to know which is right. Some maintain that drinking a glass of wine a day is good for you, whilst others maintain that all alcohol is bad. What is key when it comes to alcohol is to know your limits; what may be a tolerable amount of drink for your friend may be too much for you. What is clear, though, is that binge drinking is bad for people's health, and so moderation is important, even on a night out.

A healthy body also requires a balanced diet and lots of exercise. It can be difficult to practise

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