Life is a journey full of amazing experiences. From meeting a significant other and having children to seeing the world, our lives have an abundance of opportunities for fulfillment. To make the most of the time we have, we want to make sure we are healthy and have as many days to enjoy our lives as possible.

It is never too late to start implementing healthy habits, but getting an early jump can mean a better chance to enjoy life for longer. Some practices are easier to put into place or might be more immediately seen than others, but they all play an important role.

Whether you choose to start small, go big, or begin in the middle, don't wait to start making your health a priority. Your future self will thank you and your current self will be able to enjoy life more fully along the way. Here are five healthy habits to get you started.

#1 - Stay in Touch with Health Professionals

Visiting a doctor is probably not on anyone's list of favorite activities, but that doesn't mean it isn't important. We know how our bodies feel better than anyone else, but professionals are trained to help us interpret these feelings and understand how they could be affecting our bodies.

Staying current on the information regarding your personal health can help you understand your risk factors for certain diseases or conditions. Knowing this data can help you come up with a plan to deal with any potential problems before they become serious.

This can even be extended beyond medical doctors, depending on your specific situation. Chiropractors, dieticians, and personal trainers are all experts in their respective fields and can help you keep your body healthy.

Keeping your body healthy and free of underlying conditions can even help you save money when it comes to things like health insurance or temporary life insurance. This will leave you with extra money to enjoy other areas of your life.

#2 - Keep Your Stress in Check

In small amounts, stress isn't harmful to our bodies and can actually work in our favor during situations that require something to be done quickly. In large and consistent quantities, however, you'll notice signs that stress is wreaking havoc on the mental and physical aspects of your body.

Among many other effects, stress can lead to an increased risk of depression, anxiety, insomnia, digestive problems, weight gain, and substance abuse. Any of these are obviously negative for our health, so keeping stress at a minimum to help avoid them is imperative for a longer life.

There are several ways to help manage stress, and the right combination will be unique to you. Some people read, see a counselor, or workout to relieve stress. Do whatever works for you, but just make sure to keep it at the forefront of your health routine.

#3 - Be Mindful of Your Eating

Food is a big part of our daily agenda and in many cases a big contributor to our social lives. Special events or social gatherings almost always have special foods or beverages that are meant to make everything more enjoyable.

Life is meant to be enjoyed, and I'm not suggesting we cut out the food and drink that adds to our enjoyment. What happens too often, however, is that the amount we consume becomes excessive and leads to health problems.

Obesity, diabetes, and heart problems are all examples of potential results that poor dietary choices have on our bodies. Any of these conditions can cause a shorter life span and make it harder to enjoy the best parts of our lives.

Rather than go to one extreme or the other, find a way to enjoy your favorite foods and drinks without becoming excessive. Watch your portion sizes, make healthy choices as often as you can, and understand your limits. Doing this will help you have fun and stay healthy at the same time.

#4 - Establish a Workout Routine

Working out often comes with the connotations of bulky weight lifters, sweat-drenched runners, or people being yelled at by a personal trainer. I'm here to tell you that working out does not have to involve any of those things to keep you healthy.

If you have a specific goal such as weight loss, certain activities may benefit you more than others. For general fitness, however, there are more basic guidelines than anyone can follow that will help them stay healthy.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that healthy adults should participate in moderately intense aerobic exercise (cardio) for 30 minutes at a time, five days per week. This can be anything from walking or riding a bike to playing a sport.

The ACSM also recommends a minimum of two days per week of muscular strength and endurance training that hits all major muscle groups. These days can consist of weight machines, free weights, resistance bands, or any number of tools.

Following these guidelines is a great start to making physical fitness part of your health routine. You don't have to work out until you drop from exhaustion. You just need to make sure you are moving your body to see the health benefits.

#5 - Make Sleep a Priority

When our lives get busy, sleep is often the first thing we are willing to sacrifice. On the surface, that makes sense. The hours we aren't sleeping are the hours we have to get things done, so less sleep means more time. Over the long run, however, this becomes problematic.

I often like to equate the human body to a car. Just like the engine won't perform well without proper fuel, it will also eventually stop working correctly if it continually runs without stopping. Our bodies are the same. If we don't take time to rest, our function will suffer.

Lack of sleep can lead to a weaker immune system, meaning that it is easier for us to get sick. We are also at a higher risk for long-term health problems if our immune system isn't strong and our bodies aren't recovering properly.

Sleep is also our time for mental recovery. If we aren't sleeping, we aren't allowing our minds to rest, and it can affect our memories and thought processes. All of this affects our function, not to mention the quality of our lives.

Most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep, so plan your day accordingly. Getting enough rest will keep you healthy and make you more efficient in your daily routines, which will eventually save you the time you try to make up by cutting back on sleep.

Healthy Habits Translate to Long-Term Health

It can be easy to get so caught up in our daily routines that we forget to dedicate time to our health. This might be sustainable for a short period of time, but if we don't take care of our bodies, they will let us know over time.

Making health a priority helps prevent illness, lowers our risk for more serious health conditions, helps us to live longer, and gives us a higher quality of life. There is so much opportunity for us to enjoy our lives and we want to do so without hindrance.

You don't need to do anything earth-shattering to be healthy. Start by consulting with healthcare professionals to establish baseline information about your body so you know what type of plan you need moving forward.

From there, it comes down to managing your stress, being mindful of your eating, establishing a workout routine, and getting enough sleep to recover. If you make these things a priority, you'll enjoy your life to the fullest and be able to do so for longer.

Dan Chojnacki writes and researches for the life insurance site, QuickQuote.com. He has been a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor for ten years and currently works in Green Bay, WI. In his free time, he enjoys running, golfing, biking, playing tennis, and coaching youth softball.