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Better Choices for a Healthier Lifestyle

Have you put off breaking your bad health habits because you thought it would be too hard? Then get ready for some good news.

"Every day, new research notes that Americans can take control of their own health by making simple and realistic lifestyle changes," says Lawrence Stifler, Ph.D., president of Health Management Resources in Boston, Mass. He says that changing a few unhealthy behaviors can actually improve the quality of people’s lives. Changing a few hours a week could add eight to ten quality years to a person's life.

You can predict how healthy you'll be down the road by looking at your risk factors for disease. Having one risk factor doesn't doom you to poor health. Your odds rise dramatically when several risks are combined, however. Here are two examples: (1) people with high cholesterol are four times more likely to develop heart disease than people with no risk factors; (2) smokers with high cholesterol and high blood pressure are 13 times more likely to develop heart disease than people with no risk factors.

Your disease risk is determined by:

Medical factors: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, earlier or on-going major medical problem, a family history of health problems, obesity.

Lifestyle behaviors: smoking; a high-fat, high cholesterol diet low in fiber, fruit and vegetables; heavy alcohol use; drug use; lack of adequate exercise.

Your environment: secondhand smoke, not using seat belts, lengthy exposure to sun and radon, environmental toxins (PCB, pesticides, herbicides and chemicals), heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic).

Changing lifestyle habits
No matter how many years you've practiced bad habits and no matter your age, it's possible to make a fresh start and improve your health.

Here are important steps you can take to incorporate simple changes into your daily routine:

Get out and walk
Exercise is probably the single most important thing you can do for your health. Regular physical activity -- 30 minutes most days of the week -- can help reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, stress and weak bones. If you don't like walking or running, consider bicycling, swimming or aerobics.

Quit smoking
Even if you can't kick the habit completely, you still can lower your health risk by reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke.

Eat your veggies
Eating five servings of vegetables and fruit every day helps remove some fat in your diet and may lower your risk for heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Use seat belts
Wearing a seat belt may reduce your risk of dying in a car accident by almost 60 percent.

Wear sunscreen
Wearing sunscreen and a hat helps protect your skin from the sun. Too much sun is a primary cause of skin cancer.

Avoid secondhand smoke
The government reports secondhand smoke accounts for 25,000 to 50,000 deaths in this country every year. Eliminate it from the two places where you spend the most time: your home and workplace.

Reduce the fat in your diet
An important part of healthy eating is choosing foods low in saturated fat.

Eat fish twice a week
People, who regularly eat baked, grilled or broiled fish, often have lower levels of heart disease. Check with local authorities on the safety of eating fish caught in your area. There may be restrictions if the fish are from lakes and streams that are polluted.

Be radon aware
It's important to test your house for radon if it is known to pose a threat in your area.

Be a role model
Your children and other family members are likely to develop lifestyle habits based on what they see you do.