Looking back in the census records, you may have noticed that many people died by age 50 and infant mortality rates were high. You may have also heard that today’s average life expectancy is 75 for men and 80 for women. Healthy eating, exercise and the benefits of abstaining from smoking are widely proclaimed, now more than ever.
While researchers are still a little in-the-dark about cancer prevention, they have found that increasing fiber and vegetables, as well as meeting with physicians for early detection tests can have many patients walking away from what would have been fatal diseases. Yet does that mean that Americans are committed to healthy living?
healthy eating
As the saying goes, “garbage in, garbage out.” Eating the right foods is the most important step toward healthy diet. Yet this simple matter of choice can also be one of the most difficult lifestyle modifications as well.
Fats, salts and sugars are just so tasty and so convenient, they can be hard to resist! However, just about every healthy eating plan runs off the same principles. Eat more fruits, more vegetables, more fiber and more lean protein. Eat less saturated fat, less sodium, fewer carbohydrates and fewer calories.
When you dine out, try to avoid fried foods and ask for soup or salad instead. You may want to ask for a box so you can set half of your portion aside for later. You don’t have to give up your favorite foods, but you do have to eat them in moderation. There are a number of websites that offer healthy recipes and healthy diet calculators to help you get started eating your way to disease prevention.
The key to developing a healthy living fitness plan is finding something you like that you can stick to. It’s a rare person who truly loves getting up at five in-the-morning and running five miles to start the day. Most of us are consumed with working and errand running, so we make excuses and forget to set aside time for ourselves.
overweight
For some people, joining an aerobics class, cycling, karate, yoga or calisthenics/weights, can motivate them to go every week, stay for the allotted time and push themselves to work out harder.
For other people, a new hobby like rollerblading, swimming at the Y, walking the dog with a friend, golfing, learning tennis or playing on a softball team can be a great way to stay active. If you can’t weave structured exercise like aerobics or sports into your schedule, then you can also burn off calories by riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill while you read or watch TV, by taking the stairs instead of the elevators, by walking instead of driving around the corner and by walking for fifteen minutes at a time throughout the day.
Stress management is an essential component of healthy living, as research shows stress can take years off our lives and can lead to weight gain, depression, hypertension, high blood pressure and heart attacks.
Stress is part of your normal physiological reaction to threat, which triggers a sudden release of hormones in what is called the “fight or flight response.” To keep anxiety at bay, try making lists and prioritizing your tasks, while outsourcing tasks to others to make your load lighter.
healthy diet
Strive for a balance of work, family and personal time. Know when it’s time to take a break because your stress levels are jeopardizing your health. Be sure you are practicing healthy eating, exercising and getting at least seven hours of sleep each night. Devise strategies to help you cope with stress, such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation techniques, yoga, tai-chi, meditation, massage, music, reading or hypnosis.
Lastly, pack protein into every meal with white skinless chicken breast, pork, turkey, fat-free milk, egg whites and beans.
