No Smoking
Not smoking seems like a “no brainer” but many people still do. An estimated 15.5% of U.S. adults smoked cigarettes in 2021. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease. It is responsible for damage to nearly every organ in the body and is associated with heart disease, stroke, respiratory diseases, diabetes, and many cancers. It is estimated that if nobody smoked, one of every three cancer deaths in the United States would not happen.
No Alcohol
Many people enjoy alcohol but did you know that the National Toxicology Program of the US Department of Health and Human Services lists consumption of alcoholic beverages as a known human carcinogen? Yes, alcohol consumption has been associated with several types of cancer. The more you drink, the higher your risk of cancer. The recommended level of alcohol consumption that minimizes harm across all health outcomes is zero. For those who drink red wine for a possible heart advantage, benefits have not been proven in recent studies, but experts ARE confident of the risks.
Adequate Restful Sleep
Most adults (18-64) need between 7 and 9 hours of restful sleep at night to feel adequately alert and energized throughout the day.
Sleep isn’t just about feeling good the next day, but having chronic insufficient sleep has been associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer and an overall increased risk of mortality.
So, if you are having difficulty sleeping, make it a priority to foster good sleep hygiene habits and allow for adequate time for sleep.
Exercise Every Day
We all know exercise is good for us but doing the bare minimum suggested by some experts is just their attempt to get us moving, but does not give us the necessary health improvements many of us are seeking. Studies suggest measurable health benefits come from doing about 40-90 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, 20 – 40 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of the two throughout a week. Exercising daily at these levels is associated with 21-31% lower all cause mortality and specifically 27-38% lower cardiovascular mortality compared to those reporting no or almost no activity. Check out the report here.
Find something that works for you and get moving!
Caring, Supportive Relationships
Studies show that social relationships affect mental health, physical health, health habits, and mortality risk. A low quality or quantity of social ties has ties to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, delayed cancer recovery, and slower wound healing.
Our independent, isolated society makes connections difficult sometimes, but put in the effort to be a good friend and find good friends because it is good for your health!
Managed or Low Stress
Living life with no stress sounds nice, but really isn’t practical for most of us. Fast paced, busy lives can leave us all feeling stressed at times, but finding a way to manage that stress and find peace and calm is necessary for optimal health. Chronic or long term stress negatively affects all the systems of our body such as our muscles, our respiration, our heart and blood vessels, our hormones, our gut, and our brain.
That means stress may be playing a part in problems like headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, depression, anxiety, asthma, arthritis, and skin conditions. Keeping stress under control is necessary for optimal health.
Whole Food, Plant Based Eating
Giving up animal products doesn’t have to be an animal saving, climate saving driven decision. Although it may be that for some people, most importantly it is a personal health promoting decision. Eating whole foods close to their original form and limiting those to plants at the exclusion of animal products, oils, and processed foods is associated with lower BMI, reduced cholesterol, lower risk of diabetes, lower risk of heart disease, and decreased risk of cancer as well as other health benefits. If one change can positively impact so many different diseases of the body, why wouldn’t everyone give it a try? Some may say it sounds like a boring or tasteless way of eating but there are so many fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds out there, it is anything but boring!
When it comes to drinking, studies seem to show that milk may not do the body good.
The best beverage and what many of us need more of is water. Drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day gives your body the fluid it needs to carry out the necessary functions.
I would love to join you on your journey towards a healthy lifestyle!