Terrific Health Tips

Now that you have a general idea of what kinds of food you should be eating daily, and in what amounts, look over the following bits of advice to assist you further in your quest for good health.

Be physically active daily to feel great.

It is sometimes difficult to find the time or the energy to get started, but including some kind of physical activity in your daily routine is essential to maintaining an ideal body weight and warding off illness and disease. Depending on your level of health, you can:

go for long walks around town or just a short walk around the block with the dog
do some gardening, whether weeding, pruning or potting
swim a few laps or go for a doggy paddle at the local pool
join a muscle strengthening class at your local gym, or look into a yoga or Tai Chi class
play some bocce with friends, join the local bowls club or take up golf
just move it – punctuate time watching TV or sitting at the computer by standing up and stretching or walking to the kitchen to grab an apple or make some tea

Stay hydrated.

Water is essential to the proper functioning of our body as it assists every part of it, and we are actually made up of between 55% and 60% of water on average. Signs of dehydration include dry mouth, throat or lips, headaches and tiredness. The amount of water needed daily depends on the size of the person, their daily activity, and the air temperature and humidity. Most experts advocate around two to three litres of water a day. This can be made up of foods high in water content, such as some fruits and vegetable, and other beverages we drink, such as juices, tea, coffee and cordial, as well as straight water. To err on the side of caution, it is a good idea to drink six to eight glasses of non-alcoholic fluid a day to ensure adequate hydration.

Dump the soft drinks.

Staying hydrated is important, but the drinks we choose to consume every day also have other effects on our health. Soft drinks are very high in sugar or artificial sweeteners and very low in nutritional quality. One 500ml bottle of regular soft drink actually contains around 60% of the daily recommended intake of sugar for the average person. Add to that the colours and preservatives they contain, and you are doing your body a disservice if you average more than a small glass of this a day. Even the so called 'diet' versions of soft drinks contain the same colours and preservatives, in addition to chemical sweeteners used instead of sugar. Again, loading your body with such chemicals can have adverse effects on your health. Unsweetened juices can also be high in natural fruit sugars, around 45% of an average person's daily recommended intake of sugar for a 500ml bottle. But they also contain beneficial vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C, and can be high in fibre. Choosing juice over soft drink is therefore a good idea, but again you would still want to drink only low to moderate amounts daily because of their sugar content.

There has been much research done into the effects of drinking coffee daily, with some studies showing positive effects in reducing the risk of heart disease, some cancers and even Alzheimer's Disease. Such benefits are to be weighed against the side effects of consuming caffeine, a natural stimulant on the body. Most people are able to drink low to moderate amounts without feeling any adverse side effects, instead appreciating the lift it can provide. But it really is a question of personal taste and health as to whether coffee is a good choice for you.

Tea has also been the subject of many studies, with some finding that the amount of compounds beneficial to humans they contain imply positive effects on human health. Tea as a source of anti-oxidants that can assist in repairing cell damage and preventing cancer is well advertised, and it also contains other vitamins and minerals that may help in preventing heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Again, tea contains a large amount of caffeine, so consuming too much can have adverse consequences on your health.

Finally, straight water is without a doubt the healthiest choice to make when selecting a drink. Straight from your tap is fine, though some prefer filtered water because of the taste. Keep in mind if choosing bottled water that you are paying a large premium just for the sake of the packaging, and that that packaging used a lot of resources in its production and causes environmental damage in its disposal.

Know your labels.

Get into the habit of checking the labels on the foods and drinks that you buy. They provide you with important information that you can use to make smart choices at the supermarket or cafe. You can use them to help with calculating your daily intake of sugar, salt, fat, fibre, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. They are also useful in deciding between different brands, and when verifying the claims advertised on the front of the packaging. A product advertising itself as being healthy because of its low fat content could be hiding high concentrations of sugar or salt, for example.

Don't worry, be happy!

A number of studies have shown that people who describe themselves as happy are less likely to become sick, stay sick or die prematurely. Although the exact causes are not known, it is generally accepted that keeping a positive attitude and taking the time to laugh often contributes to a happy and healthy life.

Moderate alcohol intake.

Drinking alcohol can introduce carcinogens into your body that can increase the odds of suffering from a number of different cancers. However, there is also evidence that low to moderate alcohol intake can decrease the chances of heart disease, especially for the middle aged and elderly. Most experts therefore recommend that men consume no more than two alcoholic drinks per day on average, and for women one per day on average should be the limit. Binge drinking, consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time, should also be avoided due to immediate short term damage to the body and the long term effects of such behaviour.

Stop smoking.

Smoking cigarettes or cigars introduces carcinogens throughout your body that can cause heart disease and a number of different cancers. It is thought that around 80% of all lung cancer deaths in Australia are due to smoking, and it in fact causes around 20% of all cancer deaths. A number of products are available to assist you in giving up smoking, while counselling may also be of assistance for some people.