1. Get an adequate amount of quality sleep every night
Inadequate sleep impairs metabolism and decreases important hormones like testosterone and growth hormone. This can lead to fatigue, irritability, trouble concentrating, low sex drive, muscle loss, and body fat gain. It is recommended that you get 7 – 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night, and that you go to bed and wake up around the same time everyday in order to develop a healthy circadian rhythm. To enhance the quality of your sleep, stop watching television and turn off your computer (and any other stimuli) at least an hour before you go to bed. You should also try to make your room as dark as possible, and it is best to limit use of your bed for anything other than sleep.
2. Drink enough water
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: drink more water! Whether it’s eight glasses a day, or one ounce per pound of body weight, the bottom line is you need to get in more plain old H2O. This is especially true if you live in a dry climate, are physically active, and/or sweat a lot. The optimal intake can vary greatly from day to day and from person to person, so it’s important to determine how much water you need. What’s the best way to tell? If you’re constantly going to the bathroom, you’re drinking too much. If you’re constantly thirsty, you’re not drinking enough.
3. Eat your fruits and vegetables
Your mother was right – you should be eating your fruits and vegetables. In fact, very few people get in the recommended five to nine servings everyday, so you should be eating more fruits and vegetables. A good place to start is to try to eat at least one serving of fruit or vegetable for each color of the rainbow – red, orange, yellow/white, green, and blue/purple. Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables increases the variety of vitamins and minerals you’re taking in, and research has consistently shown that eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables everyday is one of the best and easiest (and tastiest) ways to prevent disease. It is also one of the best ways to improve your energy levels, promote healthy aging, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and improve your overall health and well being.
Just as a reminder, a serving size includes any of the following:
• 1 medium size fruit or vegetable
• 1/2 cup fresh, frozen, or canned fruit or vegetables
• 1 cup of raw leafy greens
• 1/4 cup dried fruit
• 1/2 cup fresh, frozen, or canned fruit or vegetables
• 1 cup of raw leafy greens
• 1/4 cup dried fruit
4. Be physically active every day
Arguably the single best way to improve your overall health is to engage in some form of physical activity every day. In fact, people who are overweight and exercise are generally healthier than people who are thin and don’t exercise. You should shoot for 30-60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise (e.g., walking the dog, a leisure bike ride, etc.) at least five days per week. You should also include a few days per week of higher intensity activity including aerobic training (e.g., running, swimming, etc.) and strength training.
5. Practice stress reduction techniques
Stress is a natural, healthy reaction, and in the right form can be beneficial and health promoting (i.e., exercise). Unfortunately, there are also many negative forms of stress – work deadlines, traffic, computers – that when not dealt with appropriately can take a serious toll on your health. Simply taking a few minutes each day to practice stress reduction techniques such as deep breathing can help counteract the negative effects of stress. Other techniques such as meditation and yoga provide numerous long-term benefits like reduced risk for heart disease and diabetes. There a many methods of stress reduction, both simple and complex, that when practiced regularly can go a long way in helping you live a longer, healthier life.
