Staying healthy should begin with what you put into your body. The things you
eat and drink as well as the things you don’t eat or drink make a huge impact
in your health. Eating a healthy diet that includes five or more servings of
fruits and vegetables every day, lean protein, whole grains, and dairy products
will help improve your health and can reduce your risk of cancer and other
diseases. Reducing the amount of saturated fats, trans fats, preservatives, and
harmful cholesterol in your diet will keep you healthy. You should also keep
things out of your body that are not healthy such as cigarette smoke and even
excess prescription and over the counter drugs. Women's health care resources.
Eating a healthy and balanced diet will help you to maintain your ideal weight,
another factor that will greatly increase your health. Your ideal weight is not
that of a supermodel, rather a range that depends on your age and height. Women
who are overweight are at an increased risk for many diseases such as diabetes,
heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Eating a balanced diet and getting
regular exercise are the first steps to getting to and maintaining your ideal
weight (news, help and tips).
So you know that exercise is one of the keys to staying healthy, but just how
much exercise is enough? Thirty minutes of moderate physical activity on most
days of the week is the minimum recommended amount of exercise for adults. That
may seem like enough, but there are things you can do in small bursts
throughout the day to get in enough exercise. You can take the stairs or walk
an extra block to work to get in some exercise each day. You can develop a simple
exercise routine or do something different every day. Simple things such as gardening,
dancing, cutting the grass, swimming, walking, chasing your kids around the
park and even vacuuming will contribute to your exercise needs each day.
You should also receive regular checkups form your doctor, OBGYN gynecologist, and
dentist. Keeping your entire body healthy is important and these routine screenings
will help to identify and problems before they become serious. Depending on
your age, lifestyle and risk factors, you should be screened regularly for high
blood pressure, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, high cholesterol as
well as cervical and breast cancer. Some women need checkups each year while
others can go for a few years between screenings. Your doctor can recommend the
best screening schedule for you.
Another important, but often overlooked aspect of women’s health is managing stress. The stresses of your job, family, and all of your other obligations can take a tool on your health. Balancing all of your obligations can be challenging as well as stressful. You should try to find a balance that works to reduce your stress as well as include relaxing activities that will help you to cope with stress as often as possible. Living a healthy life means finding a balance between all the different aspects of your life including diet, exercise, preventative medicine, and stress.