Living in good health may seem like the most obvious sustainable lifestyle choice, and arguably, it is. Making an effort to take proper care of your body, based on current medical advice and common sense, can only improve your quality of life, not detract from it. Similarly, living in a way that aids the health of the planet can only serve to improve the collective experience of life on the planet. The more naturally one can live, the more sustainable.

Everyone is responsible for monitoring their own personal health, and the more diligently a person does this, the more sustainable their lifestyle is. A person in good health is more capable than a person in bad health. They are better able to function in the broad scheme of things. They are more active, energetic, productive and are less of a strain on social health services. But most importantly, they have a higher quality of life. Some good health practices are common sense: eat right, exercise regularly, get enough sleep and get a fair amount of sunshine. Some good health practices come from medical opinions, and apply to your own personal genetics and health profile. Both are important to sustaining good health. If a substance abuse problem is what stands between you and good health, your health problems are mental as well as physical and warrant the help of an substance abuse rehab.

Good health extends beyond your own person to the health of the environment around you. Only you are responsible for your personal health, but everyone is responsible for the health of the planet. This concept is where the popular usage of the word “sustainability” derives from. When you live in a way that is sustainable to the planet, you are living responsibly. Sustaining the planet’s health usually involves things such as eating natural, local food, growing your own food, recycling, composting, retrofitting your home to make it less energy using, commuting without a motorized vehicle and buying products that create less waste and are biodegradable. This is commonly referred to as “reducing your carbon footprint.”