Six Steps to healthier living
Get the breakfast habit
Make exercise part of your day
You are what you eat
If you smoke, quit!
Limit your consumption of alcohol
Prevention is better than cure
Benefits of a regular checkup
This could be your first day of feeling great and living well. There – you probably feel better all ready!
The prospect of making lifestyle changes can be daunting for some, especially you’re short on time, or you think that “healthy” means “bland” and “boring”.
The good news is that being healthier can be fun, and you don’t have to make all the changes at once. Rather, do it one step at a time and make small improvements day by day.
Taking time to improve your health pays big dividends. Not only will you have more energy to get stuff done but also you’re also less likely to lose valuable time through illness or fatigue. Plus, getting healthy improves your chances of living for longer!
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There’s a lot of truth in the proverb “Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper’. Breakfast is the fuel your engine needs to get the day off to a roaring start and to carry you through to lunchtime. Skipping brekkie results in low blood sugar which means poor concentration and cravings for sweet things around mid-morning. 25% of your daily calorie intake should come from breakfast.
A healthy breakfast is not hard to do. Just choose one item from at least three of the following four food groups:
• Fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruit and vegetables, 100-percent juice boxes or cans, fruit cans or cups without added sugar
• Grains. Whole-grain rolls, bagels, hot or cold whole-grain cereals, low-fat bran muffins, crackers, Melba toast
• Dairy. Small cartons of skim milk, low-fat yoghurt cups, and low-fat cheeses such as cottage and natural cheese
• Protein. Hard-boiled eggs, peanut butter, lean slices of meat and poultry, and fish, such as water-packed tuna or slices of salmon
If you’re not into traditional breakfast fare, try something deliciously different, such as:
• Fresh fruit topped with low-fat yoghurt and crispy wholegrain cereal
• Veggies, salsa and low-fat shredded cheeses wrapped in a tortilla
• A smoothie blended from exotic fruits, low-fat yoghurt and wheat germ
• A microwaved potato topped with broccoli and grated Parmesan cheese
Don’t forget eggs. They packed full of goodness. Unless you have high cholesterol, you can enjoy eggs occasionally. Limit yourself to four eggs a week if your total cholesterol is above 200 and limit the high-fat side order of bacon or sausage.
You can even make smart breakfast choices at fast-food restaurants. Whole-grain bagels, rolls and English muffins are better than fat-filled doughnuts, scones, croissants or biscuits.
If your excuse for missing breakfast is lack of time, decide what you’ll eat the night before and get up 10 minutes earlier to enjoy it. Or pack something to take with you.
Eating breakfast may actually help you control your weight as it helps prevent sugar cravings. Making nutritious choices at breakfast can set you up for healthier eating all day long.
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Regular physical activity reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis. It can reduce or improve symptoms of menopause, PMS, diabetes, backache and many other conditions.
A safe and effective exercise programme should cover an even spread of aerobic exercise, muscular strengthening and flexibility exercise. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity every day, but any exercise is better than none at all.
If you don’t want to go to the gym, try:
• Getting off the bus a stop or two early and walk to work or home
• If you drive to work, park in a new location and walk a few blocks
• Take the stairs instead of the lift
• Ride a bicycle - don’t forget to wear a helmet
• Gardening, raking, weeding and mowing are all great exercises
Get fit while watching TV
If you’re a TV addict and don’t have a lot of spare time to exercise, then work out whenever you watch TV.
• Set up a treadmill in your living room and walk at a brisk but comfortable pace. You’re doing it right if you’re working hard enough to feel it
• Fit in fitness breaks during the ad-breaks. Dance for 3 minutes, skip rope, or do some housework
• Do push-ups. If floor push-ups are too hard, start off by standing with your hands on the wall and pushing back. Do this 10 times (repeat as the exercise gets easier)
• Chair squats. Stand up, sit down, then stand right back up. For even more of a workout, don’t sit down all the way. Do this for one ad, then longer as it gets easier
• Marching in place moving your arms and legs. Add jumping jacks to increase the intensity
You can do strength training in front of the TV. Try lying on the floor and doing side-lying leg raises for the outer hip and inner thigh. If you’re glued to a chair, use dumbbells (or even books or cans of soup) for upper-body exercises. Some to try:
• Bicep curls
• Overhead shoulder presses
• Side arm raises
• Front arm raises
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The three “rules” for healthy eating are easy to remember and easy to follow:
• Expand the variety of foods in your diet
• Add more fruit, vegetables and whole grains to the foods you already eat
• Select more low-fat food choices
Five foods you should eat every day
The wider the variety of the foods you eat, the better your chances of getting all the nutrients needed for good health. But there are some foods with such high nutritional value and strong links to disease prevention that it makes sense to eat them every day.
1. Oranges are a great source of folic acid, fibre, antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C, and anti-cancer compounds flavonoids and carotenoids.
2. Dark Leafy Greens are full of anti-cancer compounds, vitamins and minerals. Contain folic acid, antioxidants, vitamin C, fibre and anti-cancer compounds beta-carotene and lutein.
3. Bran Cereal (or other rich source of wheat bran) prevents constipation, is a potent anticancer agent, prevents polyps and may help fight breast cancer
4. Yoghurt (low fat, with live cultures) supplies calcium to prevent osteoporosis, boosts immune function, fights bacteria, has anti-cancer properties and may prevent yeast infections
5. Soy contains phyto-estrogens that may help relieve hot flashes and fight osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It has cancer-fighting properties and is a source of high-quality protein. Eat as tofu, tempeh, soymilk on your cereal, or in your coffee or tea, or boiled soybeans.
Smoking increases the risk for many types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, early menopause, menstrual problems and can play a role in infertility. It plays havoc with your complexion and makes you look older. It also makes you smell bad and taste awful!
Quitting smoking could be the best thing you do for yourself and your health. Look at all the wonderful things that happen when you stop smoking:
Within 20 minutes of your last cigarette:
• Your blood pressure and pulse rate drop back to normal
• The body temperature of your hands and feet begin rising to normal levels
Within eight hours:
• Carbon monoxide levels in your blood drop to normal
• Oxygen levels in your blood start increasing to normal
• Your “smokers’ breath” clears up
Within 48 Hours:
Your risk of heart attack begins to drop
• Your damaged nerve endings begin recovering
• Your ability to smell and taste improves
• You may develop a headache and a cough as your body rids itself of the harmful chemicals associated with cigarette smoking
Within One to 9 months:
• Your circulation improves
• Physical exertion becomes increasingly easier
• Lung function increases by up to 30 per cent
• Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease
• Energy levels soar
• Your lungs’ ability to clear out mucous and fight infection increases
Within Two Years:
• Your risk of heart attack drops to almost normal
Within 10 Years:
• Your risk of dying of lung cancer is similar to that of a non-smoker. Any pre-cancerous cells in the lungs have been replaced with healthy cells
It can take up to three serious attempts before many smokers become lifelong non-smokers. You may succeed on your first try, but if you don’t, don’t give up.
Some of nib’s covers provide benefits for approved quit smoking programs under the Healthier Lifestyle benefit. To see if you’re covered, call 13 14 63.
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The consensus amongst health care professionals is that alcohol, like many things in life, can be either beneficial or damaging, depending on how it’s used. The greatest health benefit of alcohol is its apparent ability to protect the arteries and the heart.
Research shows that any health benefits from alcohol come from “moderate” drinking only, which is one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men (a “drink” equals 340ml of beer or wine cooler, 140ml of wine or 40ml of distilled spirits). Drink any more than that and the benefits are lost and significant risks kick in.
Signs of a possible problem with alcohol include:
• Having friends or relatives express concern about your drinking
• Being annoyed when people criticise your drinking
• Feeling guilty about your intake and thinking that you should cut down, but finding yourself unable to do so.
• Needing a drink to steady your nerves or relieve a hangover
• Being ashamed or embarrassed by your behaviour when drunk
In essence, if your drinking affects your life, you may have a problem. Alcoholism is a type of drug dependence and is recognised as a real illness, affecting between five and ten per cent of people. Do yourself and your loved ones a favour by getting help.
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A regular checkup helps your doctor assess your overall health and identify your risk factors for disease. By knowing what’s normal for you early on, you’ll be able to detect any serious changes later.
You’ll be asked about your family medical history and your personal medical history, as well as any current health problems. Your doctor should also ask about your lifestyle habits such as diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and exercise. He or she will examine you carefully, looking for signs of any illness, or any risk factor for future illness.
Certain tests may be performed, commonly including simple urine tests and blood tests. Finally, he or she will review your health status and advise you on any lifestyle changes, further tests, or treatments that may be needed.
Adults have a checkup every 2 years and every year after age 40.
• Early detection of illnesses and conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, that may cause no symptoms in the early stages
• Opportunity to assess lifestyle and risk of developing future illnesses and conditions
• Opportunity to modify lifestyle
• Build a relationship with your doctor – an old-fashioned concept perhaps, but worthwhile nonetheless
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