Top 10 Tips for Staying Healthy

Top 10 Tips for Staying Healthy

Certain lifestyle decisions can have a significant impact on your overall quality of life, mental and physical health, and both. Here are some pointers for long life and excellent health.

1. Get moving
Get moving if you want to feel happier, more energetic, or healthier. Exercise on a regular basis has several advantages for your physical and emotional well-being. Furthermore, you can still enjoy the benefits without having to train for hours every day at the gym or complete a half-marathon.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that engaging in merely 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of strenuous aerobic activity can have a positive effect on an adult's health. That comes up to around 22 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise, which can be anything from brisk walking to dancing to cycling to even performing housework or yard work.

Regular physical activity can positively impact your health in many ways. For instance,

it can:

• Improve your heart health: Exercise benefits your heart health, and having a stronger heart can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Boost your brain health: Regular exercise may help improve your cognition and reduce the risk of dementia.
• Improve your mood: Physical activity has also been shown to reduce the risk of depression and anxiety.
• Help with weight management: When you move your body, you burn more calories than you would if you were inactive. Burning more calories each day can make it easier to lose weight and keep weight off.
• Strengthen your bones and muscles: Being physically active can keep your bones and muscles strong and make it easier to move around easily, even as you age.
• Reduce the risk of chronic diseases: Staying active may help lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer.

2. Eat more whole foods (and less processed food)

Whole foods are foods that haven’t been heavily processed or altered. They don't have a lot of artificial or added chemicals to enhance their flavor or extend their shelf life.

In general, whole foods are better for you than processed foods since they contain more vitamins, minerals, and other vital components. Whole foods provide you with greater energy and may reduce your chance of developing a number of health problems because they are higher in nutrients.

Processed foods are often unhealthier than whole foods because they tend to be higher in certain ingredients such as:

• added sugars or artificial sweeteners.
• salt (sodium)
• trans fats
• preservatives
• artificial colors

Eating too much processed food and not enough whole foods can be harmful to your health. That’s because you won’t be getting enough of the nutrients your body needs. Instead, you’ll be eating higher amounts of sugar, salt, unhealthy fats, or other ingredients that don’t provide much nutritional value.

According to scientific research, poor nutrition can increase your risk of:

weight gain and obesity

• heart disease and stroke
• type 2 diabetes
• some types of cancer, including uterine cancer, breast cancer in postmenopausal women, and colorectal cancer

3. If you smoke, try to quit

In the US, smoking is the most common preventable cause of death. The CDC estimates that tobacco use causes almost one in five fatalities in the United States annually. Actually, it's thought that smokers pass away roughly ten years before nonsmokers do.

Smoking can damage nearly every organ in your body and significantly increases your risk of:

• Heart disease: According to scientific evidence, tobacco is the leading cause of premature death from cardiovascular disease.
• Stroke: Smoking damages your blood vessels, making them stiffer and narrower. This not only increases your risk of a heart attack but can put you at a higher risk of a stroke, too.
• Respiratory diseases: The damage caused by smoking to the airways and air sacs in your lungs greatly increases your risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Lung cancer and other cancers: Approximately 80% of lung cancers can be attributed to tobacco use. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking can also increase your risk of many other types of cancer, including cancer of the bladder, mouth, stomach, pancreas, and colon, among others.

4. Make sleep a priority

All of your body's processes depend on sleep. Your body repairs cells and replenishes energy as you sleep. While you sleep, your brain also carries out a number of vital tasks, such as clearing waste, storing knowledge, and reestablishing connections between nerve cells.

If you don’t get enough sleep, your body will have a harder time working properly. Sleep deprivation can increase your risk of:

• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• cardiovascular disease
• metabolic syndrome
• type 2 diabetes
• anxiety, depression, mood changes
• a weakened immune system
• some types of cancer

5. Stay hydrated

Daily hydration is essential for optimal health. Water is essential to your body's many vital processes, including regulating body temperature, promoting healthy digestion, preserving the health of your organs, and providing nourishment to every cell in your body.

How much water should you drink each day?

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends:

• 9 cups of fluid per day for women
• 13 cups of fluid per day for men

You’ll typically need to increase your water intake if you:

• exercise or exert yourself
• live in a hot, dry climate
• spend time outdoors in the sun, especially in warmer weather
• have a fever or lose fluids through vomiting or diarrhea
• are pregnant or breastfeeding

6. If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly

Although a few drinks here and there probably won't harm you, consuming excessive

amounts of alcohol can seriously damage several of your organs.

7. Make preventive care a priority

Your doctor will provide you with preventive care if you want to maintain your health. Although you may usually associate your doctor with treating illnesses, they also play a vital part in maintaining your health and avoiding chronic diseases or illnesses from occurring in the first place.

When you make an appointment to visit your doctor for an annual checkup, it may include:

• measurement of blood pressure and other heart health indicators
• blood tests for cholesterol and blood glucose
• depression screening
• obesity screening
• vaccinations
• a Pap smear

Depending on your age, family history, and other factors, your doctor may also order specific screenings, such as:

• a mammogram, a screening for breast cancer
• a colonoscopy, a screening for colorectal cancer
• osteoporosis screening
• genetic testing for some types of cancer
• tests for some sexually transmitted diseases

8. Know your numbers
One of the advantages of preventive care is that your doctor will screen you for several key measurements, including your:

• body mass index (BMI)
• blood pressure (hypertension)
• cholesterol and triglycerides
• fasting blood glucose

You and your doctor can talk about the necessary steps to resolve any values that fall outside of the approved range. In addition to creating a personalized treatment plan for you, your doctor will keep an eye on you to make sure your statistics are improving.

9. Manage stress in a healthy way
Stress is a natural component of life and can even be beneficial in short bursts. Yet, persistent stress can have an impact on your emotional, physical, and mental health. High levels of continuous stress have been linked, according to research, to an elevated risk of

• high blood pressure
• heart disease and stroke
• depression
• a weakened immune system

10. Practice safe sex

It is imperative that those who engage in sexual activity or have previously engaged in it take the initiative to get screened for sexually transmitted diseases (STIs).

Certain sexually transmitted infections don't show any symptoms for weeks, months, or even years at a time. You might have given it to someone else by then. In addition, if the illness is not detected early on, treatment could be more difficult. It is crucial to get examined frequently because of this.

Conclusion

How you feel and go about your daily life is greatly influenced by your health. It's difficult to be the greatest version of yourself and to give people around you the time and attention they require when you're anxious, worn out, or unwell. You have a lot of choices you can make today and every day to offer yourself the best chance at living a long, active, and healthy life, as well as to thrive and reduce your risk of chronic disease and illness.