What You Can Do to Maintain Your Health

A lot of things affect how healthy we are. In turn, being in good health can lower your risk of contracting particular illnesses or ailments. These include injuries, some malignancies, heart disease, and stroke. Find out what you can do to keep your health and the health of your family.

Path to improved health

Eat healthy

Your health is intimately correlated with what you consume. A balanced diet offers several advantages. You can avoid or treat some illnesses by eating healthier foods. Diabetes, heart disease, and stroke are a few of these. You can reduce your cholesterol and lose weight by eating a nutritious diet.

Get regular exercise

Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and colon cancer can all be warded off by exercise. High blood pressure, osteoporosis, and depression can all be treated with it. Exercisers also experience fewer injuries. Regular exercise can improve your mood and help you maintain a healthy weight. 5 days a week, try to be active for 30 to 60 minutes. Keep in mind that any quantity of activity is preferable to none.

Lose weight if you’re overweight

There are many overweight Americans. Your risk for a number of diseases rises if you carry too much weight. These consist of: 

• 1. High blood pressure
• 2. High cholesterol
• 3. Type 2 diabetes
• 4. Heart disease
• 5. Stroke
• 6. Some cancers
• 7. Gallbladder disease

Weight-related ailments can also result from being overweight. Arthritis in weight-bearing joints, such your spine, hips, or knees, is a typical issue. You might use a variety of methods to reduce weight and keep it off.

Protect your skin

Skin cancer is associated with sun exposure. The most typical form of cancer in the country is this one. It's advisable to avoid spending too much time in the sun. When you are outside, be sure to wear protective clothes, including caps. On exposed skin, such as your hands and face, use sunscreen all year long. It safeguards your skin and guards against skin cancer. Select a sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB rays and has a broad spectrum. It should have a minimum SPF of 15. Don't go tanning or sunbathing.

Don’t smoke or use tobacco

Tobacco use and smoking are bad behaviors. They can result in lung, throat, or mouth cancer as well as heart disease. They also have a significant role in the development of COPD and emphysema. The earlier you give up, the better.

Limit how much alcohol you drink

Men shouldn't drink more than two times every day. A woman shouldn't have more than one drink every day. 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor make up one drink. Alcohol abuse can harm your liver. Some malignancies, such those of the throat, liver, or pancreatic, may be brought on by it. Alcohol misuse also increases the risk of homicide, suicide, and auto accidents.

Things to consider

You should allocate time for full body health in addition to the previously mentioned criteria. Visit your physician frequently for checks. Along with your dentist and eye doctor, this also covers your general physician. Make the most of your health insurance and preventive care programs. Make sure you are familiar with the details of your health insurance plan. Early disease detection and illness prevention are possible with preventive treatment. This includes certain medical examinations and screenings.

Make time for your breast health. The main cause of death for women is breast cancer. Breast cancer can also affect men. Find out from your doctor when you should begin having mammograms. If you have risk factors, such as a family history, you might need to start screening early. Doing a monthly self-exam is one technique to look for breast cancer.

Pap smears for women should be routine as well. Every three years, women from 21 to 65 should get checked. If you have specific medical issues or have your cervix removed, this can be different.

Discuss additional cancer screenings with your doctor. Starting at age 45, adults should start getting checked for colorectal cancer. Your doctor might want to examine you for further cancers. Your risk factors and family history will play a role in this.

Your doctor could suggest a low-dose CT scan (a form of X-ray) to check for cancer if you smoke more than 30 packs a year (or vape the equivalent amount).

If you spend a lot of time in the sun or have a family history of skin cancer, your doctor could also advise getting a full body skin examination.

Keep a list of the medications you now take. Additionally, you should maintain your vaccination schedule and receive an annual flu shot. Every ten years, adults need a Td booster shot. Tdap may be used as a replacement by your doctor. Additionally, it guards against pertussis, the whooping cough. Pregnant women must receive the Tdap immunization. People who interact often with infants should also receive it.

Questions to ask your doctor

• 1. How many calories should I eat and how often should I exercise to maintain my current weight?
• 2. Should I have a yearly physical exam?
• 3. What types of preventive care does my insurance cover?
• 4. When should I start getting screened for certain cancers and conditions?
• 5. Which healthy choice is the most important for me?

Resources

American Cancer Society: Cancer Risk, Screening, and Prevention
National Institute on Aging: Health and Aging