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May 1, 2024 · Learn how to improve your wellness with simple practices like stretching, hydrating, flossing, and napping. Find out how hobbies, breathing exercises, and social interactions can benefit your health and mood.
- Overview
- 1. Get moving
- 2. Eat more whole foods (and less processed food)
- 3. If you smoke, try to quit
- 4. Make sleep a priority
- 5. Stay hydrated
- 6. If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly
- 7. Make preventive care a priority
- 8. Know your numbers
- 9. Manage stress in a healthy way
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Some lifestyle choices can make a big difference when it comes to your mental and physical well-being and the quality of your life. Here are the top 10 tips for good health and longevity.
Staying healthy involves making certain choices. And many of those choices are in your hands. Of course, your age, family history, and genetic makeup can influence your health and make you more prone to certain conditions.
There are also many factors that you can control — many of which play a key role in keeping you healthy and helping you live a long, productive life.
Let’s look at 10 science-backed healthy choices you can make to help you thrive throughout your life.
If you want to feel healthier, more energized, or in a better mood, get moving. Regular exercise can benefit both your physical and mental health in a multitude of ways. And, you don’t need to run a half-marathon or sweat it out at the gym for hours every day to reap the rewards.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, if you’re an adult, just 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, can positively impact your health.
That breaks down to around 22 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking, dancing, cycling, or even doing yard work or household chores. As long as you’re moving and not sitting still, it counts.
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.
Whole foods are foods that haven’t been heavily processed or altered. They don’t contain a lot of added chemicals or artificial ingredients to help them taste good or give them a long shelf-life.
In general, whole foods are healthier for you and provide your body with more vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients than processed foods. Because they are more nutritious, whole foods give you more energy and possibly lower the risk of many types of health issues.
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
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. According to the CDC, tobacco use accounts for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S. each year. In fact, it’s estimated that smokers, on average, die about 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.
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.
Sleep is vital for every process in your body. Sleep is a time for your body to repair cells and restore energy. Your brain also performs many essential functions while you’re sleeping, like storing information, removing waste, and strengthening nerve cell connections.
How much sleep you need depends on your age, but for most adults, the CDC recommends at least 7 or more hours of sleep each night. Children and older adults typically need more sleep.
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
Drinking enough water each day is key to good health. Your body needs water for many important functions, like maintaining your body temperature, aiding digestion, keeping your organs working properly, and delivering nutrients to all your cells.
Staying hydrated also keeps your brain working well. When you don’t take in enough fluid, you may feel tired, have trouble concentrating or focusing, and experience headaches and mood changes.
While an occasional alcoholic drink likely won’t affect your health, drinking too much alcohol can take a heavy toll on many of your organs.
Overconsumption of alcohol can damage your liver, brain, and heart, and also increase the risk of several types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, and liver cancer. Heavy drinking can also negatively impact your mental health.
So, at what point does drinking become harmful to your health? According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, moderate drinking is classified as:
•up to 1 standard drink per day for women
Preventive care is the care you get from your doctor to stay healthy. While you may typically think of your doctor as the person you see when you’re ill, your doctor also plays a key role in keeping you healthy and preventing you from getting sick or developing a chronic disease in the first place.
By being proactive and focusing on preventive care, you and your doctor are more likely to catch early warning signs of certain diseases before they become more serious. You can then take steps to address these issues when they’re easier to treat and the outcomes are more likely to be positive.
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
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
If any of these numbers are outside the recommended range, you and your doctor can discuss what needs to be done to address this issue. Your doctor can put together a treatment plan that’s right for you and will monitor you to ensure your numbers are moving in the right direction.
Stress is a normal part of everyday life and, when it’s short-lived, it can be useful. But, chronic stress can affect you mentally, physically, and emotionally. Research has shown that high levels of ongoing stress have been associated with an increased risk of:
•high blood pressure
•heart disease and stroke
•depression
•a weakened immune system
Although stress is often unavoidable, you do have a choice in how you handle it. Just as your body has a stress response, it also has a relaxation response, which is characterized by lower blood pressure, slower breathing, and a reduced heart rate.
Learn how to improve your physical and mental well-being with science-backed advice on exercise, nutrition, smoking, sleep, and more. Find out how to lower your risk of chronic diseases, improve your mood, and live a long, productive life.
Mar 6, 2024 · Learn how to eat nourishing foods, exercise regularly, reduce sitting time, and more to improve your physical and mental well-being. Find out how to maintain a healthy weight, drink water, get enough sleep, and avoid alcohol and smoking.
- Allison Tsai
- Limit sugary drinks. Sugary drinks like sodas, fruit juices, and sweetened teas are the primary source of added sugar in the American diet (1). Unfortunately, findings from several studies point to sugar-sweetened beverages increasing risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, even in people who are not carrying excess body fat (2).
- Eat nuts and seeds. Some people avoid nuts because they are high in fat. However, nuts and seeds are incredibly nutritious. They are packed with protein, fiber, and a variety of vitamins and minerals (6, 7).
- Avoid ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are foods containing ingredients that are significantly modified from their original form. They often contain additives like added sugar, highly refined oil, salt, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors as well (10).
- Don’t fear coffee. Despite some controversy over it, coffee is loaded with health benefits. It’s rich in antioxidants, and some studies have linked coffee intake to longevity and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and numerous other illnesses (16, 17, 18, 19).
Dec 31, 2019 · 20 health tips for 2020. 31 December 2019. The start of a new decade brings with it new resolutions to improve one’s life, including a healthier lifestyle. Here are 20 practical health tips to help you start off towards healthy living in 2020. 1. Eat a healthy diet. Photo: FAO/J. Grey.
Aug 1, 2022 · Learn how to improve your health with small habits such as moving, hydrating, snacking, being mindful, and more. Find out how often and how to do these activities throughout your day for optimal well-being.
