Living a healthier life can not only extend your life, it can also improve the quality. Feeling physically better and having control over your own life can greatly increase your mental health as well. Although there are some aspects of physical and mental health that are beyond an individual’s control, there are many things that people can do to improve their quality of life. Some things that can help people reach this goal is nutrition and meal preparation, exercise and physical fitness and maintaining regular check up’s with doctors. Our bodies, like cars, need fuel to run.
And like cars, the quality of the fuel that we use can affect our performance. Making sure that you are giving your body all the fuel it needs and the best quality fuel you can will improve how your body runs and feels. Our “fuel” comes from food and the nutrients that food provides. A number of government agencies in the United States (including the Food and Drug Administration [FDA], Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Agriculture) have spent years researching proper nutrition and developing guidelines for food intake.
They have come up with seven general dietary guidelines for healthy adults. These seven general guidelines are Eat a variety of foods to get the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need for good health. Maintain a healthy weight, This can lower your chances of having high blood pressure, heart disease, a stroke, certain cancers, and the most common kind of diabetes. Choose a diet low in fat and cholesterol; this can lower your risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer.
A diet low in fat can also help you maintain a healthy weight. Choose a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grain products. These types of food provide needed vitamins, minerals, fiber, and carbohydrates, and are generally lower in fat to help you maintain a healthy weight. Use sugar in moderation, sugar has many calories and few nutrients and can contribute to tooth decay. Use salt in moderation, this helps lower your risk of high blood pressure. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.
Alcoholic beverages supply calories, but little or no nutrients. Drinking alcohol is also the cause of many health problems and accidents and can lead to addiction. While having a healthy diet can improve your overall health, it is important to remember that even healthy foods can sometimes make you sick if they aren’t prepared properly. Foods that haven’t been cleaned, stored, or cooked properly can become home to bacteria and viruses that can make you sick.
Buy fresh products that have been stored properly. Many products such as dairy (milk, eggs, yogurt, and cheese), meat, poultry, and fish have a ‘sell-by’ date printed on the label. Check the sell-by date on products before buying — stores should not be selling products that have expired (and you should not be buying them) because it means the food may be starting to spoil. Similarly, dairy products and meats should be stored in refrigerated or frozen sections to prevent spoiling.
Don’t buy a product if it looks like it has been sitting out or doesn’t appear fresh. When buying raw fruit and vegetables, buy the freshest available and wash them before eating; Don’t choose fruits or vegetables that are starting to mold, and remember to wash them when you get home and before you eat them. Even if your food comes from a store that is clean or in a package that says ‘pre-washed’, you don’t know who or what has touched them before you. Don’t buy food, drinks, or medicines if the packaging has been damaged.
While a slightly crushed box of cereal may not be cause for alarm, in general you don’t want to buy packaged foods that have been damaged. Some types of food, for example canned or jarred foods, may start to spoil if the can or lid is dented. And sometimes people tamper with foods (or medicine) in the stores. A good rule of thumb is to never buy something if the package has already been opened. Exercising and staying physically fit are an important part of maintaining your health. Proper exercise and fitness can improve your health in many ways.
It can: Improve the health of your heart and lungs (which lowers your chances of heart disease), Lower your cholesterol and blood pressure (which lowers your chances of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases), Maintain your weight (which lowers your chances of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases), Improve your strength and flexibility (which makes daily activities easier and lowers your chance of osteoporosis, broken bones, pulled muscles, and other injuries) and Improve your mental health (by lowering anxiety and depression and increasing feelings of control and well-being).
The type of exercises you do and how often you do them can vary greatly from person to person, but all healthcare professionals agree that exercise is beneficial to everyone’s health. There are many different kinds of exercise (walking, running, swimming, dancing, and weight lifting, to name just a few), but three basic types of exercise. A good exercise program will include some combination of all three of these types of exercise; Cardiovascular exercise improves and strengthens your heart, lungs, and circulation and helps people lose weight.
Cardiovascular exercise is any type of exercise that raises your heart rate to a ‘target zone’ (determined by your age, weight, and health). Some of the most commonly discussed types of cardiovascular exercise include running, aerobics, bicycling, walking, and stair climbing, but could also include dancing, skating, skiing, martial arts, tennis, or any type of exercise that raises your heart rate. Strength training helps you by making you stronger and giving you better endurance (so you can do things longer). This makes day-to-day activities easier and reduces your chances of injury.
While many people think of weight lifting when they hear ‘strength training’, there are many different types of exercises you can do to improve your strength (and you don’t have to be a muscle-man or woman to do them. ) Some common strength training exercises include sit-ups, push-ups, and using nautilus machines, strength bands, and free weights. Exercises that increase your flexibility give you greater range of motion in your joints and make your body more supple, again, making day-to-day activities easier and reducing your chances of injury.
Many people do specific stretching exercises to increase their flexibility but other types of exercise (such as dancing, yoga, and martial arts) can also improve flexibility. “Prevention is the best cure” is a popular saying among healthcare professionals. This means that the easiest way to get healthy is to avoid getting sick in the first place. While this is not always possible, there are many ways to prevent possible future health problems and illnesses. Having a healthy diet and exercise regularly can prevent very serious diseases like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and strokes, to name a few.
But there are many other ways to prevent illnesses or stop illnesses from getting worse. A number of these can be listed, but these are by no means the only ones. Talk to your doctor or healthcare professional for more ideas on prevention and healthy living, especially related to your lifestyle and nutrition. Easy ways to stay healthy and prevent illness is to eat well and exercise regularly and have a yearly physical with your doctor or healthcare provider. This checkup should include checking your weight, blood pressure, listening to your heart and lungs, and a general physical exam; discussing your lifestyle (exercise, iet), health problems, and current medication; and answering any questions you may have about your health.
Healthy living is a combination of many things, including good nutrition, regular exercise and a positive attitude. Taking care of your body and feeling pride in your accomplishments can improve both your physical and mental health. There are many things you can do to improve your quality of life – improving your diet and exercising regularly is two of the easiest steps. No matter how small you start (adding an apple a day to your diet or walking 5 more minutes a day), you can make a change and an improvement in your life.