Tips for Healthy Living
Adopting a healthy lifestyle is a process. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
- Eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, cereal and grain products, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry and lean meats.
- Don't go to a party on an empty stomach. If you're not starving you won't be as tempted to splurge!
- When you're at a party, share a plate of food with your spouse, partner or friend.
- Try not to diet - your goal should be to maintain weight during the holiday season, not to lose weight!
- Mix one-half regular soda with one-half diet soda until you get used to the taste of diet soda.
- Eat with other people. You'll eat less than if you eat alone.
- Know your snack "triggers" and plan ahead. Be ready with healthy snacks to fight the urge for high calorie/high-saturated-fat foods and trans fat foods. Grab pre-cut vegetables such as carrots and celery when you're on the run.
- Balancing food intake with physical activity helps you control body weight, and is important for overall health and fitness. Get the most nutrition out of your calories by choosing foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients but are lower in calories.
- Keeping total fat intake within 20% to 35% of calories doesn’t mean every single food must be low in fat. You can balance high-fat and low-fat selections over the course of one or two days and still end up with a healthful eating pattern. Look for foods low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol. Most of the fats you eat should be polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
- Foods lower in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol help reduce the risk of heart disease, and eating less sodium in your diet may reduce the risk of high blood pressure. Sugars contribute calories with few, if any nutrients.
- Healthful snacking can help the body stay fueled so that you will be less inclined to over-eat at your next meal.
- Plan ahead when you travel – pack healthful snacks, like fruit or vegetables, with you so you’re not tempted to make poor choices!
- Be wary of alcoholic beverages – they are high in calories and can increase your appetite.
- Offer to bring your favorite low-calorie dish to parties, this way you are sure to have a healthy choice!
- Don’t deprive yourself of food – eat 5 small meals and never skip breakfast.
- Eat protein consistently throughout the day.
- Eat quality fats in moderation.
- Drink at least 50 ounces of water each day.
- Use the stairs, up and down, instead of the elevator. Start with one flight of stairs and gradually build up to more.
- Take your children to the park and play with them. Don’t sit on the bench and watch.
- Write physical activity “appointments” into your daily planner or computer schedule.
- Take a walk after dinner instead of watching TV.
- Live longer. A recent study found that people who were active on a regular basis lived longer than their couch-potato counterparts, and the more they exercised the longer they lived.
- People who take exercise breaks during the day said they feel more productive and more tolerant of job stress than when they didn't exercise. Even half an hour can be enough to do the trick, and the exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous.
- Exercise is heart-healthy — even briskly walking for ½ hour on 3 or 4 days a week improves cardiovascular health
- Type 2 diabetes can be prevented and/or effectively managed with proper diet and exercise.
- Make exercise fun. Read, listen to music or watch TV while riding a stationary bicycle, for example. Find fun things to do, like taking a walk through the zoo. Go dancing. Learn how to play tennis.
- Forget "no pain, no gain." While a little soreness is normal after you first start exercising, pain isn't. Stop if you hurt.
- Vary your routine. You may be less likely to get bored or injured if you change your routine. Walk one day. Bicycle the next. Consider activities like dancing and racquet sports, and even chores like chopping wood.
- Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States.
- If you smoke cigarettes (or cigars), you have a higher risk of illness and death from heart attack, stroke and other diseases. These include lung, mouth and throat cancers; chronic lung diseases and infections; congestive heart failure; and peripheral vascular disease (in the legs and arms).
- High blood cholesterol is often related to being overweight and can clog arteries. Increased weight often leads to decreased physical activity, increasing health risks even more. Heart disease is American’s #1 killer.
- High Blood Pressure (aka ‘hypertension’) is made worse by being overweight, which puts strain on the circulatory system.
- Being overweight significantly increases cancer risk.
- Breathe, get active, sleep, make a list of things to do, get a massage, meditate, and/or make love to reduce stress.
- Less saturated fats and more healthy oils can help lower your cholesterol. Use canola or olive oil, which help you to control your total cholesterol much better than butter, shortening and stick margarine.
- Don't turn to alcohol or sweets to de-stress. Instead, take a walk or call a friend to vent.
- Up to 90% of diabetes-related blindness could be prevented with regular eye exams and timely treatment.
- Achieving a 5-7% weight loss through diet and exercise can reduce diabetes incidence by 58%.
- Washing your hands often can help reduce your risk of catching the flu.
