It depends on who you ask. Are you asking the beauty industry? Are you asking the diet industry? Are you asking the pharmaceutical industry? How about the fitness industry?
Health is so varied, so fickle and so often not entirely something we can control (though we want to think otherwise). There’s no single answer to this question. Every doctor, nutritionist, nurse, etc is going to give you different answers. Some of what they say will overlap but not all of it.
So here is my possibly unconventional answer.
Focus first on mental health. I feel very strongly that I cannot be any sort of healthy if I neglect my mental health.
Practice self-care. This one can be tough for a lot of people, especially people who are naturally inclined to put the needs of others ahead of their own needs. I like to use the line the flight attendants do… put your own oxygen mask on before you help others with theirs. Why do they say that? Because if you pass out, you’re useless to anyone else.
Eat a wide variety of foods that you enjoy and that make your body feel good. What does that mean? It means if you love chocolate, have a piece of chocolate. Unless you’re allergic to it and it’s going to make you sick. If you hate a food, don’t eat it just because “they” say it’s good for you. Remember that the body requires some amount of sugar to fuel it, and don’t go to any extremes with your diet. https://healthies247.com/ Find a balance that works for you.
Exercise is good for both your body and your mind. But it is important to find a physical activity that you actually enjoy. You might think that there are none, but keep exploring. Also, it doesn’t have to be super structured to count. It can be as simple as dancing to a few songs in your home office every day! Exercise should NOT be a punishment because you didn’t eat “right.” It shouldn’t be something you push your body to do when you’re sick or injured. You need to let your body heal at those times. But if you do it regularly, it will likely make it easier for your body to heal when it needs to.
Find hobbies you enjoy and invest in the time to do them. You’re worth it.
Be your own advocate. This is especially true where health issues are concerned. If you feel something is “off” about your body, find a doctor who will listen. Do your research, learn medical terminology as best you can and recognize that doctors are not infallible.
I can’t say this list is exhaustive, but these are the things I work on daily. Some I do better with than others. However, the very first thing on this list has been the #1 priority for me… because once I figured out that my mental health came before any other form of health, my world changed completely.