In health science, lifestyle is a broad concept that includes different aspects of life such as personal development, physical and mental health, family, work, food, and spirituality. It is an approach to living that incorporates your values, priorities and preferences in order to find a balance between all these areas of life. A healthy lifestyle enables you to be happy and live a long, fulfilling life while avoiding disease and illness. A recent meta-analysis found that people who follow a lifestyle with four or more healthy behaviours have 66% less chance of death than those who don’t follow these habits.
The lifestyle of a person depends on their social and cultural context, but most importantly it is determined by the person themselves. A person’s lifestyle is influenced by their genes, their upbringing, and their culture. For example, if you are from a family with genetic diseases, it is important to reform your lifestyle in order to avoid those diseases. A healthy lifestyle is based on good nutrition, physical activity, adequate sleep and stress reduction. In addition, you should avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
Various research studies have found that lifestyle has an impact on the human body and health. Especially, the poor diet and lack of physical exercise can contribute to many chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to change your lifestyle in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid these diseases.
The lifestyle concept is complex and has a variety of definitions, outcomes of studies and theories from different disciplines. This article will examine the main conceptualisations of lifestyle in both psychological and sociological fields by considering them along three dimensions: internal, external and temporal. This will allow us to identify the salient elements that characterise this construct.
A lifestyle is a series of choices that we make on a daily basis. These choices include dietary habits, social activities, work, and hobbies. It is a set of beliefs and behaviors that we adopt to create our identity and shape our worldview. It is a process of becoming who we are, forming our personality and developing relationships. It is also a process of achieving goals and making progress towards them. This may include building financial freedom through passive income streams, prioritising self-care and growth, and embracing change and resilience.
The term ‘lifestyle’ is often associated with unhealthy behaviours and health promotion interventions that focus on modifying these behaviours. However, the concept is much broader than this and requires a critical reflection to provide new, effective theoretical and explanatory models. The aim of this narrative review is to shed light on the concept of a lifestyle, particularly in health psychology, and propose a new definition that integrates internal, social, and life span perspectives.