13 Healthy Habits to Improve Your Life

"Life is to Live Do yoga and get Good health"

13 Healthy Habits to Improve Your Life

Healthy Habit No. 1: Eat Breakfast Every Morning
Breakfast eaters are champions of good health. Research shows people who have a morning meal tend to take in more vitamins and minerals, and less fat and cholesterol. The result is often a leaner body, lower cholesterol count, and less chance of overeating.

Healthy Habit No. 2: Add Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids to Your Diet The AHA recommends a serving of fish two times per week. Besides being a good source of protein and a food relatively low in the bad type of dietary fat called saturated fat, fish has omega-3 fatty acids -- which have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Healthy Habit No. 3: Get Enough Sleep "Your body has to have enough time to rest," says Michael Fleming, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Otherwise, he says you may find yourself feeling cranky and tired.

Healthy Habit No. 4: Make Social Connections Volunteer. Go to church. Join a club. Whatever you do, do it with people. Communal activities are good for your physical and mental health, according to a study published in the March/April 2004 issue of the American Journal of Health Behavior.

Healthy Habit No. 5: Exercise for Better Health We already know that physical activity has a bounty of benefits, which makes it so puzzling why so many people just don't do it. According to the CDC, more than 60% of Americans do not get regular exercise. In case you needed an incentive, here is a review of the advantages of exercise, per the National Cancer Institute:
-> Helps control weight
-> Maintains healthy bones, muscles, and joints
-> Reduces risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes
-> Promotes psychological well-being
-> Reduces risk of death from heart disease
-> Reduces risk of premature death

Healthy Habit No. 6: Practice Good Dental Hygiene Flossing your teeth every day could add 6.4 years to your life, according to Michael Roizen, MD, author of RealAge. In his book, Roizen lists flossing as one of the most important daily activities
-> along with exercise and quitting smoking
-> that could extend life span.

Healthy Habit No. 7: Take Up a Hobby Look up the word "hobby" in the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, and you will find the definition as "a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation."

Healthy Habit No. 8: Protect Your Skin Our skin starts to age as soon as we are born and, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the best way to protect it and look younger is to stay out of the sun. The sun has harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that can cause wrinkles, dryness, and age spots. Overexposure can cause sunburn, skin texture changes, dilated blood vessels, and skin cancers. Avoiding the sun, however, is not always ideal or practical. To reduce the risk of skin damage, the AAD offers the following tips:
-> Always wear sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.
-> Don a hat with a brim and wear other protective clothing.
-> Don't deliberately sunbathe.
-> Try to avoid sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Healthy Habit No. 9: Snack the Healthy Way The ADA recommends five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day as part of a healthy diet. These plant foods can do many things to boost good health, including:
-> Reduce the risk of some cancers
-> Beat the signs of aging
-> Improve memory
-> Promote heart health
-> Enhance the immune system

Healthy Habit No. 10: Drink Water and Eat Dairy Water and milk are essential fluids for good health, but they can also help with shedding pounds. The body needs water to keep properly hydrated and individuals vary widely in how much water they need. Joints need it to stay in motion, and vital organs such as the heart, brain, kidney, and liver need it to work properly.
If you don't get enough water, the body goes into emergency mode, and clings to every single water molecule it can find, reports the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center. The stored molecules appear as extra weight. The weight is only released once the body gets enough water. The calcium in dairy, on the other hand, is known to be important for strong bones and teeth. Studies have also shown it can help prevent high blood pressure, kidney stones, heart disease, and colon cancer. In the weight loss arena, three 8-ounce glasses of low-fat or fat-free milk appear to encourage body fat loss while maintaining muscle mass, according to the ADA. The dairy consumption must be part of a balanced reduced-calorie meal plan.

Healthy Habit No. 11: Drink Tea "Decaffeinated tea is better," says Fleming, noting that the caffeinated variety can be dehydrating, and sugary drinks can lead to weight gain.

Healthy Habit No. 12: Take a Daily Walk We already mentioned the merits of exercise in habit No. 5. Now, here's a tip on how to incorporate physical activity into your daily life: WALK.
We're not talking about taking the time out of your busy schedule to work out -- that's important, too -- but infusing life- and limb-saving movement into your waking hours.
"Just move. Pace during phone calls, while you're brushing your teeth, while watching your son's soccer game," says Bryant, noting that every 20 steps a person takes is 1 calorie burned.
An eight-year study of 13,000 people also showed that people who walked 30 minutes daily had a significantly reduced chance of premature death compared with those who rarely exercised, reports the American Council on Exercise. And there are plenty of opportunities to move those legs:
-> Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
-> Walk to the store.
-> Window shop at the mall.
-> Leave your desk and visit your co-worker instead of sending him an email.
-> Walk and talk with friends instead of meeting for a meal.

Healthy Habit No. 13: Plan There is, perhaps, no better word in the English language to better illustrate how you can incorporate healthy habits into your everyday life. "A little planning goes a long way," says Johnson. "Eating healthy never happens by accident."
For the most part, neither do good fitness, skin protection, healthy teeth, weight loss, and social ties. Many of these habits take effort that need to be scheduled into busy lives. To eat healthy, for example, it would help to set aside time to draft a menu, make a grocery list, go to the store, prepare meals, and pack breakfast and lunch.