2. BASIC FUNDAMENTAL OF A HEALTHY
LIFE
• Take stock
• Pull and fires
• regular exercise
• healthy eating
• healthy lifestyle choices
3. HEALTHY LIVING STEP NO. 1: TAKE STOCK
• Make appointments with your doctor and dentist.
• Catch up on your routine screening and immunization, and take the opportunity
to ask your doctor any questions you might have.
4. • Gauge your girth
• Measure your height and weight to check your BMI and measure your waist
circumstances to see if you're overnight and if your waistline is putting your health at
5. • Assess your activity
• How much physical activity do you get in a typical week? How intense is that activity?
How much variety do you get in your activity, and how much do you enjoy it? The
recommends that adults get at least two and a half hours per week of moderate-
intensity aerobic activity or one hour and 15 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity
aerobic activity, plus muscle-strengthening activities at least two days per week.
6. • Check your mood and energy
• Healthy living includes emotional wellness and adequate rest. How has your mood
been lately? Are you experiencing any symptom of depression or anxiety? Do you
usually sleep well for seven to eight hours a night?
7. • Consider your social network
• How strong are your connections with family and friends? Are you plugged in with
social or spiritual groups that enrich your life? "People have a fundamental need for
positive and lasting relationships," C. Nathan DeWall, assistant professor
of psychology at the University of Kentucky, tells WebMD.
8. HEALTHY LIVING STEP NO. 2:
• Put out fires.
• If you know that you have chronic health problems, whether it'sheart
disease, diabetes, depression, or other conditions, treatment is an obvious priority for
healthy living. The same goes for risky behaviors, such as smoking, and addictions of
any kind.
• Addressing these issues typically isn't a do-it-yourself task. Partner with your doctor.
Make the phone call today to schedule that appointment.
9. HEALTHY LIVING STEP NO. 3 MOVE MORE.
• Make it fun. Go on a hike, walk with friends, take a belly dancing or karate class, or
whatever you enjoy. "There's no need to stick to cardio equipment in the gym if
dreading it and you don't like it," Williams says. "Find something that's fun."
10. • Keep track of it. Make a note of your physical activity in your date book or calendar.
"Put big X on the days that you exercise," Williams says. "Keep a visual record that
look at frequently" as a reminder and motivator.
11. • Set a weekly goal for activity. To build your confidence, "make the first goal so easy
that you say, 'I know I can do that,'" Williams suggests. She recommends weekly goals
because if you set a daily goal and miss a day, you might get discouraged; weekly
goals give you more day-to-day flexibility. And at the end of the week, reward
with a visual reminder of your accomplishment, such as buying flowers for yourself.
12. • Work activity into your day. "Ten percent of something is better than 100% of nothing.
So even if you have 10 minutes, it's better than zero minutes," Williams says. She
suggests taking a 10-minute walk before lunch or walking up and down the stairs
when you're feeling drained and tired.
13. HEALTHY LIVING STEP NO. 4: UPGRADE
YOUR DIET
• Skip the guilt. "Usually, whenever someone feels guilty about something, it feeds right
back to the behavior that they're trying to get rid of," Williams says. "So if someone is
an emotional eater and they say, 'I know I shouldn't be doing this," it implies more
guilt and judgment on themselves, they feel worse, and then they end up eating to
comfort themselves."
14. • Slow down and savor your food. Don't watch TV, work, or drive while you're eating.
"A lot of people tell me, 'My problem is that I really like food,' but I think that's a really
good thing," Williams says. "If you really enjoy food, sit down and enjoy your meal.
You're much more likely to feel psychologically satisfied if you don't multitask while
you're eating."
15. • Shoot for five to nine daily servings of varied fruit and vegetable. Cover the rainbow
of fruit and vegetable colors to get a good mix of nutreints. "If you're not getting the
rainbow, you're probably not getting all the nutrients that you need,"