No matter what age, you can take steps now towards better health and feeling great. Even small changes can make a big difference to how you feel.
Top four ways to better health
The four biggest changes you can make to lead a healthier, happier and longer life are:
- quit smoking
- be physically active everyday
- eating healthy foods
- limit alcohol.
Make your healthy change now
Quit Smoking: You Won’t Gain Weight
If you’ve finally decided to kick the habit, there’s good news: Quitting smoking won’t make you gain weight over the long term. Some people pick up 4 or 5 pounds early on, but that’s only temporary.
To quit successfully, experts agree, get help and support from your doctor, family, friends, and co-workers. A doctor or mental health professional can help you tailor an approach that best suits you. There are many FDA-approved medications to help people quit smoking.
Combine medication with other quit strategies — like avoiding your smoking triggers or changing your daily routine — and you greatly increase your odds of quitting for good.
Another tip: Some foods and drinks make cigarettes taste better; some make them taste worse. Try eating more vegetables and less meat — and swap that coffee (or alcohol) for a glass of milk. Let your taste buds stifle those cravings!
Exercise Your Brain: Go Dancing
You know your heart benefits from exercise. Your brain does, too. Studies show that regular, moderate exercise — 30 minutes of walking or a light one-mile run — helps fight the effects of aging on the brain. No grueling workouts required!
All types of exercise count, including walking, bicycling, hiking, swimming, aerobics, and weight training. Ballroom dancing is another good one, especially fun on chilly evenings.
Healthy Food 1: Lemons
Why They’re Healthy:
— Just one lemon has more than 100 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C, which may help increase “good” HDL cholesterol levels and strengthen bones.
— Citrus flavonoids found in lemons may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and act as an anti-inflammatory.
Quick Tip:
Add a slice of lemon to your green tea. One study found that citrus increases your body’s ability to absorb the antioxidants in the tea by about 80 percent.
Healthy Food 2: Broccoli
Why It’s Healthy:
— One medium stalk of broccoli contains more than 100 percent of your daily vitamin K requirement and almost 200 percent of your recommended daily dose of vitamin C — two essential bone-building nutrients.
— The same serving also helps stave off numerous cancers.
Quick Tip:
Zap it! Preserve up to 90 percent of broccoli’s vitamin C by microwaving. (Steaming or boiling holds on to just 66 percent of the nutrient.)
Why It’s Healthy:
— Just one-fourth of an ounce daily can reduce blood pressure in otherwise healthy individuals.
— Cocoa powder is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants shown to reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol and increase “good” HDL levels.
Quick Tip:
A dark chocolate bar contains about 53.5 milligrams of flavonoids; a milk chocolate bar has fewer than 14.
Healthy Food 4: Potatoes
Why They’re Healthy:
— One red potato contains 66 micrograms of cell-building folate — about the same amount found in one cup of spinach or broccoli.
— One sweet potato has almost eight times the amount of cancer-fighting and immune-boosting vitamin A you need daily.
Quick Tip:
Let your potato cool before eating. Research shows that doing so can help you burn close to 25 percent more fat after a meal, thanks to a fat-resistant starch.
Healthy Food 5: Salmon
Why It’s Healthy:
— A great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to a reduced risk of depression, heart disease, and cancer.
— A 3-ounce serving contains almost 50 percent of your daily dose of niacin, which may protect against Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss.
Quick Tip:
Opt for wild over farm-raised, which contains 16 times as much toxic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) as wild salmon.
Healthy Food 6: Walnuts
Why They’re Healthy:
— Contain the most omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce cholesterol, of all nuts.
— Omega-3s have been shown to improve mood and fight cancer; they may protect against sun damage, too (but don’t skip the SPF!).
Quick Tip:
Eat a few for dessert: The antioxidant melatonin, found in walnuts, helps to regulate sleep.
Healthy Food 7: Avocados
Why They’re Healthy:
— Rich in healthy, satisfying fats proven in one study to lower cholesterol by about 22 percent.
— One has more than half the fiber and 40 percent of the folate you need daily, which may reduce your risk of heart disease.
Quick Tip:
Adding it to your salad can increase the absorption of key nutrients like beta-carotene by three to five times compared with salads without this superfood.
Healthy Food 8: Garlic
Healthy Food #9: Spinach
Why It’s Healthy:
— Spinach contains lutein and zeaxanthin, two immune-boosting antioxidants important for eye health.
— Recent research found that among cancer-fighting fruits and veggies, spinach is one of the most effective.
Quick Tip:
Spinach is a healthy — and flavorless — addition to any smoothie. You won’t taste it, we promise! Try blending 1 cup spinach, 1 cup grated carrots, 1 banana, 1 cup apple juice, and ice.
Healthy Food 10: Beans
Why They’re Healthy:
— Eating a serving of legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) four times a week can lower your risk of heart disease by 22 percent.
— That same habit may also reduce your risk of breast cancer.
Quick Tip:
The darker the bean, the more antioxidants it contains. One study found that black bean hulls contain 40 times the amount of antioxidants found in white bean hulls.
What quitting alcohol for a month does to your body
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It’s easy to mock the transient teetotalers who forsake booze for January (particularly when they fall over after a pint and a half on Feburary 1), but new research might make you choke on your Guinness. When 10 members of the staff of New Scientist magazine swore off alcohol for five weeks they saw their blood cholesterol level drop by almost five per cent and a 15% reduction in liver fat.
Fat accumulation on the liver is a known prelude to liver damage, so reversing this process provides far more health benefits than a faster disappearing festive paunch. “[Fat accumulation] is the harbinger first for temporary scarring called fibrosis and ultimately a non-reversible type of scarring that destroys liver structure, called cirrhosis,” said Rajiv Jalan, who conducted the research at the Institute for Liver and Digestive Health at University College London Medical School.
Ordering yet another OJ under the collective gaze of your rugby teammates isn’t a walk in the park, but it’s worth it in the long run. “It is helpful to think of willpower like a muscle that weakens if you don’t use it but gets stronger when you do,” says Dr Matt Field, professor of psychological science at the University of Liverpool. Discover how to utilise your finite store of willpower most effectively here.
After completing their challenge the mag staffers found it easier to decline alcohol, so even after a couple of celebratory benders (go on, you deserve it) a dry January will confer long-term psychological benefits.
Even if you’re not guilty of these five signs you drink too much, it’s worth backing away from the bottle. Absence, after all, makes the heart grow fonder – and the liver slimmer.
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