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11 Life-Saving Health Habits
We’re constantly being bombarded with different dos and don’ts for living longer and preventing cancer, heart disease and other ailments—which can make it seem like being healthy takes a lot of hard work. But the truth is, a few simple habits can have a big impact. These 11 made our must-do list because they’ve got the most bang for the buck or because they’re so super-easy—and so lifesaving—that we couldn’t not include them. Work them into your daily schedule and boost your odds of living a healthy, long life.
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Eat a Colorful Salad and Two Pieces of Fruit
Fruits and vegetables have key nutrients and antioxidants that can help prevent a slew of diseases and slow down the aging process. Eat more than five servings of fruit a day and you may lower your risk of heart disease by 60 percent; have three servings of veggies a day and you could slash your risk by 70 percent. Meanwhile, recent research from the National Cancer Institute found that people who ate the most produce had a 35 percent lower risk of head and neck cancer. Fruits and veggies that are particularly high in disease-fighting antioxidants include plums, blueberries, strawberries, spinach and red bell peppers.
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Take a 30-Minute Walk
Exercise can lower your risk for just about everything, from heart disease and diabetes to osteoporosis, depression and many forms of cancer. In fact, new research from the National Cancer Institute found that people who exercise moderately for 30 minutes most days of the week have a 27 percent decreased risk of dying prematurely. “Every time you exercise, you decrease the production of free radicals in your body,” explains Katherine Sherif, MD, director of the Center for Women’s Health at Drexel University in Philadelphia.“ Many diseases are the end result of the accumulation of excess free radicals, which can cause your cells to become dysfunctional." Make sure you get at least 30 minutes of activity each day. It’s not as hard as you think: Take a walk during lunchtime, park your car farther back in the lot and take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.
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Have Oatmeal for Breakfast
A diet rich in whole grains can help lower your risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and stroke. (Other good sources include whole- or multi-grain bread, high-fiber cereals, air-popped popcorn and brown rice.) What’s more, people in a recent study at the University of California, San Francisco, who ate two or more servings of whole-grain foods per day had a 40 percent lower risk of pancreatic cancer. And research from the University of Sydney concluded that one of the best diets to delay the onset of age-related diseases like osteoporosis, heart disease and dementia is one that’s high in whole-grain cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and low in calories and saturated fat. The big bonus: Eating breakfast can help you lose weight and keep it off. Experts think that people who have this a.m. meal tend to eat fewer calories over the course of the day.
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Keep Tabs on Portion Sizes
That’s one of the best ways to stay at a healthy weight (or lose some excess pounds if you have to)—and being overweight or obese has been linked to just about every disease in the book, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and numerous forms of cancer.
A handy reference guide: 3 oz of meat looks like a deck of cards; 3 oz of fish resembles a checkbook; a cup of pasta is the size of a tennis ball; a bagel should be about the size of a hockey puck; 1 oz of cheese equals two dice; 2 Tbsp of butter or peanut butter is the size of a ping-pong ball.
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Wear Your Seat Belt
This one’s a no-brainer: Every hour someone in America dies because he or she isn’t wearing a safety belt, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians. Strapping yourself in is simply the most effective way to reduce your risk of injury or death in a crash (about 55 percent of passengers killed in traffic crashes in 2006 weren’t wearing a belt).
While you’re at it, put down the cell phone. Studies have shown that driver distraction is a leading cause of car crashes—and that wearing a headset won’t necessarily help.Photo: © Comstock
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Eat Fish
It’s the best source of omega-3 fatty acids, which research shows can help reduce your risk of a wide variety of conditions. “They help combat inflammation in the body, which is implicated in numerous conditions including heart disease, diabetes and various cancers,” says David Katz, MD, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center. If you’re not a fish lover, try an omega-3 supplement (Dr. Katz recommends that all his patients take one) and/or other foods rich in omega-3s including walnuts, flaxseed and canola oil.
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Call a Close Friend
A growing body of research suggests that loneliness or social isolation can negatively affect your hormones, heart and immune system. What’s more, a recent study at the University of California, San Diego, revealed that women who feel isolated experience strokes at more than twice the rate of those who are social. “It’s not a matter of having a ton of friends but having meaningful, nurturing relationships,” Dr. Katz says. Even a quick chat can go a long way toward helping you feel connected.
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Relax for 10 Minutes (At Least)
You don’t need studies to tell you that chronic stress takes a toll mentally and physically. “It affects your entire body, from hormonal balance to how your immune, nervous and cardiovascular systems function,” says Dr. Katz. Fortunately, you can take the edge off the harmful effects. Yoga, for example, has been shown to improve glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, lipid levels, blood pressure and lung function in people with type 2 diabetes. And new research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting found that lowering stress levels dramatically reduces the risk of a heart attack and death in people with heart disease. So think about the things that calm you down—gardening, listening to music, getting a manicure, reading—and do one of them every day. Not only will it help you decompress, it’ll help you regroup and handle the next round of stress even better.
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Sleep!
People who don’t get enough are at greater risk for diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, mood problems and other disorders, says Julie Roth, MD, medical director for the Wellness Institute, Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group . So how much is enough? Research has found that five or fewer hours a night does the most damage, but the key is to figure out how much you need and get that as regularly as you can. On your next vacation, wake up without an alarm for three nights in a row. On the first two nights you may oversleep because you’re catching up, but by the third night you should naturally wake up after the right amount. Quality matters, too: Poor sleep is linked with an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension, especially in women. Make your bedroom purely for sleep—no laptops, PDAs or other stressful items. This way your body and mind associate the room only with sleep. If you’re tossing and turning night after night, talk to your doctor.
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Stay Smoke-Free
Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death, says Dr. Roth, since it impacts every organ in your body. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking accounts for about 30 percent of all cancer deaths—and we’re not just talking about lung cancer. It’s been linked to at least 15 different cancers, including mouth, throat, bladder, cervical, pancreatic, kidney and stomach cancers. It also ups your risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. But kicking the habit reverses the effects relatively quickly. One year after you quit smoking, your risk of heart disease drops to half of that of a current smoker; 10 years after quitting, your risk of dying of lung cancer is half that of a current smoker; and within 15 years, your risk of having a heart attack or stroke is on par with that of someone who has never smoked.
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Have a Glass of Red Wine
Red wine has been linked to lower blood pressure, higher HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and a reduced risk of osteoporosis and dementia—most likely thanks to a substance called resveratrol and powerful antioxidants (flavonoids). The key is not to overdo it.
Women who have more than one drink a day (that’s one 4-oz glass) have an increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke, breast cancer, obesity and alcoholism. Experts from the American Heart Association also caution that you shouldn’t start drinking alcohol if you don’t already. (If you’re not a drinker, you can probably reap similar benefits from purple grape juice.)
Psst… In 21 days a change becomes habit. Try one of these every three weeks.Photo: © Comstock
SOURCE : womansday.com
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