50 Ideas for a Healthy Lifestyle that take 10 Minutes or Less

What is a Healthy Lifestyle?

According to a study by Michigan State University, a healthy lifestyle is defined by four basic criteria:

• Not smoking


• Holding weight down
  


• Eating right
  


• Exercising

Of the 153,000 respondents, only 3% participated in all four of what are termed healthy lifestyle characteristics.

“We have millions of people now going through adult life leading unhealthy lifestyles and a medical system that can treat illnesses and keep you alive longer than ever before,” said Mathew Reeves, a Michigan State University epidemiologist. “If we don’t turn this around, the costs to society are going to be crippling.”

What can be done to help people change?

Everyone talks about achieving it, but most people have plenty of excuses as to why they can’t, won’t, or don’t want to change their current status. The most common excuse people make for not trying to have a healthy lifestyle is “a lack of time.” Have you ever said to yourself, “Oh, I’m tired, I don’t have time to exercise?” or “I don’t feel like cooking dinner tonight; let’s just get some fast food.”

Yes Dorothy, excuses are real and they are contagious.

Time and health always seem to be at odds with each other. We have time to work, time to commute, time for our business associates, but very little time to spend on ourselves, people we love, or even random people who deserve our attention.

What can you do in 10 minutes or less?

More than you think. In a brief 10 minute window you can release tension, prevent future frustrations, get your blood flowing, etc. In fact, here are 50 things you can do. With time out as an excuse, what are you going to begin doing differently tomorrow? I don't care what it is, the point is, just do something!

Here are some ideas. If you have other thoughts, leave them in the comments!

1. Brush your teeth


2. Do 15 sit-ups


3. Read the health news headlines of the day


4. Straighten your posture


5. Eat an apple


6. Stand up and stretch


7. Send a friendly email to a friend


8. Resist the impulse purchase of a candy bar


9. Post an inspirational quote on Twitter


10. Do 10 lunges


11. Drink a glass of water


12. Smile


13. Put a package of oatmeal in your pocket or purse for a healthy breakfast or snack


14. Throw a bottle of water in there as well


15. Plug your cell phone into the charger


16. Pay a bill online


17. Ask to have your salad dressing on the side


18. Start a dollar jar to be added to once per day


19. Open a window


20. Say thank you to someone who deserves it


21. Take a deep breath


22. Put on your seat belt


23. Wake up 10 minutes earlier


24. Post a comment on a blog


25. Turn off the lights when you’re the last one out


26. Put on your make-up (this usually pertains to the ladies, but hey, whatever makes you happy)


27. Share a healthy recipe


28. Give your mother a call


29. Wash your hands


30. Put on hand lotion


31. Check your blood pressure


32. Jog in place for 9 minutes


33. Throw away that pen that doesn’t work


34. Take a canvas tote bag to the grocery store


35. Ask a friend to join you for a healthy dinner


36. Put down the remote control and get up to change the TV channel


37. Hug your kids


38. Replace your next cup of coffee with a cup of tea


39. Lay out your clothes for the next day


40. Put your car keys in the same place everyday


41. Take a 10 minute break


42. Suck on a breath mint


43. Add a little pepper to your salad


44. Load the dishwasher


45. Play FreeRice for 5 minutes


46. Take a quick walk


47. Prepare your coffee maker the night before


48. Skip your late evening grocery store run


49. While watching TV, do 5 push-ups during the commercial


50. Read this list over again and count how many things pertain to you

These things take no time at all but they all could ensure a positive day and a healthier lifestyle. How many of these do you or can you do in a day? What other things can you add to the list?

Whatever you choose to do, make your day healthier and happier. If you can, do the same for someone else too, because, after all, it’s about a healthy lifestyle!

Healthy Lifestyle tips for a better life

Healthy Lifestyle tips for a better life

Posted by pendi at 8:07 PM . 2009-12-20

1. Phisycal Activity

Lack of physical activity is now considered a major factor for heart disease the same thing with high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking. Inactivity has contributed to the large number of deaths than heart disease. Therefore, frequent physical activity by exercising regularly alternate.

2. Healthy Food choices

Poor food choices lead directly to being overweight, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and indirectly affect other issues such as depression and social and economic discomfort. Despite many years of American citizens to follow health education, but on average they earn nearly 40% of their daily calories from fat. Although books, articles, newspapers, television, advised them to reduce the amount of fat to 30 and even 25%. Public confused or surprised by the problems of fat and cholesterol, especially regarding saturated fats and not saturated. They are as unable to understand the importance of nutritional information printed on food boxes, which clearly mention the fat content and cholesterol in foods.

Understanding the importance of nutrition and food choices become increasingly critical as more and more people working, overtime, and depending on the presentation of food is easy and can be taken home or eaten outside. If I had to eat outside, I asked for skim milk instead of soft drinks, and ask for sauce or placed on a separate lane of the dish. Along with healthy food choices, eating habits change is a survival technique for the modern urban warrior. The food is good not accompanied by a lack of exercise, caused at least 300,000 deaths each year. Mostly due to heart disease, and will result in increased risk of cancer and other diseases.

3. Weight Control

Diet to lose weight is a health intervention that not successful. Only 10% of people to reduce 25 pounds or more of the desired weight. What's worse is the fact that most weight loss programs actually lead to obesity. Truth gained from decades of research that diet alone will not help you get a reduction of permanent weight loss. Desertai active life with healthy food choices, and treatment if necessary habit is the answer to weight control for life. Activity to maintain or form without the fat tissue (muscle) which has the capability to burn calories. Diet, without the other, makes muscles shrink and reduce daily caloric expenditure, resulting in increased fat deposits.

4. Handling Stress

Stress is our emotional response to the events experienced. What is believed to be stressful to one person may be an encouragement for others. Sterss handling strategy implies a way to learn effective stress management, how to deal with various sources of stress in modern life. Stress has been linked to heart disease, cancer, ulcers, immune suppression, and other diseases. But do not be because there are difficulties in measuring levels of stress.

What is certain is that you can learn to deal with irritation in the most cheerful other grave threats. Good results obtained if one combines habits change with the stress of weapons control capabilities. Regular activity and not excessive dalah an ideal way to cope with stress because of the way the effective, long-lasting and inexpensive, while providing positive health benefits.

5. Another Important Advice

The last category of healthy habits that I want to explain is that parktik prevention habits according to age, sex, condition, and history of your keluraga. Prevention includes vaccination and prevention techniques other recognized, such as checking blood pressure and cholesterol, mammography and glaucoma tests and prostate cancer. The fact is you are responsible for your own health, not your doctor.

Combine personal responsibility and prevention with early detection test, and you have a cost-effective strategy for survival. Strategy is cost effective because prevention is always cheaper than treatment, because you take advantage of low cost, and because you did not often see a doctor. If your company has a comprehensive welfare program, use it! If not, create your own program because you are responsible for your health.

Tips for Making Healthier Fast Food Choices

Healthy Fast Food

Tips for Making Healthier Fast Food Choices

America has been called a "fast food nation" and for good reason. Everyday, one out of four Americans eats fast food. If you are eating out, fast food restaurants are often the cheapest option, but unfortunately, not usually the healthiest one. Eating just one fast food meal can pack enough calories, sodium and fat for an entire day, but the quick-and-cheap temptation can be hard to resist.

As an informed customer, you can make healthier choices and still enjoy the convenience of fast food restaurants.

Learning to make healthier choices at fast food restaurants

Making healthier choices at fast food restaurants is easier if you prepare ahead by checking guides that show you the nutritional content of meal choices at your favorite restaurants. Free downloadable guides help you evaluate your options. If you have a special dietary concern, such as diabetes, heart health or weight loss, the websites of national non-profits provide useful advice. You can also choose to patronize restaurants that focus on natural, high quality food.

If you don’t prepare ahead of time, common sense guidelines help to make your meal healthier. For example, a seemingly healthy salad can be a diet minefield when smothered in high-fat dressing and fried toppings, so choose a salad with fresh veggies, grilled toppings and a lighter dressing. Portion control is also important, as many fast food restaurants serve enough food for several meals in the guise of a single serving.

Top tips for healthy eating at fast food restaurants
Make careful menu selections – pay attention to the descriptions on the menu. Dishes labeled deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, Alfredo, au gratin or in cream sauce are usually high in calories, unhealthy fats or sodium. Order items with more vegetables and choose leaner meats.
Drink water with your meal. Soda is a huge source of hidden calories. One 32-oz Big Gulp with regular cola packs about 425 calories, so one Big Gulp can quickly gulp up a big portion of your daily calorie intake. Try adding a little lemon to your water or ordering unsweetened iced tea.
“Undress” your food. When choosing items, be aware of calorie- and fat-packed salad dressings, spreads, cheese, sour cream, etc. For example, ask for a grilled chicken sandwich without the mayonnaise. You can ask for a packet of ketchup or mustard and add it yourself, controlling how much you put on your sandwich.
Don't be afraid to special order. Many menu items would be healthy if it weren't for the way they were prepared. Ask for your vegetables and main dishes to be served without the sauces. Ask for olive oil and vinegar for your salads or order the dressing "on the side" and spoon only a small amount on at a time. If your food is fried or cooked in oil or butter, ask to have it broiled or steamed.
Watch portion size - an average fast food meal can run as high as 1000 calories or more, so choose a smaller portion size, order a side salad instead of fries, and don't supersize anything. At a typical restaurant, a single serving provides enough for two meals. Take half home or divide the portion with a dining partner. Sharing might make dessert (or something else indulgent) more of an option.
Watch your salt. Fast food restaurant food tends to be very high in sodium, a major contributor to high blood pressure. Don’t add insult to injury by adding more salt.
Avoid buffets – even seemingly healthy ones like salad bars. You'll likely overeat to get your money's worth. If you do choose buffet dining, opt for fresh fruits, salads with olive oil & vinegar or low-fat dressings, broiled entrees and steamed vegetables. Resist the temptation to go for seconds, or wait at least 20 minutes after eating to make sure you're really still hungry before going back for more.
Eat mindfully. Pay attention to what you eat and savor each bite. Chew your food more thoroughly and avoid eating on the run. Being mindful also means stopping before you are full. It takes time for our bodies to register that we have eaten. Mindful eating relaxes you, so you digest better, and makes you feel more satisfied.
Remember the big picture – Think of eating out in the context of your whole diet. If it is a special occasion, or you know you want to order your favorite meal at a nice restaurant, make sure your earlier meals that day are extra healthy. Moderation is always key, but planning ahead can help you relax and enjoy your dining out experience while maintaining good nutrition and diet control.

Guides can help you make healthier meal choices

Many fast food chains post nutritional information on their websites. Unfortunately, these lists are often confusing and hard to use. Instead you can go to other websites that provide health and nutrition information, but in easier to follow formats. Some even publish comparison downloadable guides or inexpensive pocket guides. Learn how to make a healthier meal selection at your favorite restaurant:

HealthyDiningFinder.com – allows you to search for restaurants offering a selection of healthier menu options and view the nutrition data for selected items. You can search for area restaurants or a specific restaurant.

Stop&Go Fast Food Nutrition Guide – this guide is particularly convenient and easy to use. Look up any of the major chain restaurants and find out how to make healthier choices. For more information, see below.

Guides for your individual needs

There are many websites geared toward how to make healthy choices at restaurants depending on your specific dietary needs, whether it is for diabetes, cancer, heart disease, or weight management. See below for specific listings.

Compounds Identified That Might Treat Nerve Diseases

Compounds Identified That Might Treat Nerve Diseases
Researchers aim to 'chaperone' proteins involved in diseases like Parkinson's

TUESDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers report that they've developed a new way to find compounds that could become treatments for degenerative nerve disorders such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases.

The diseases cause proteins in nerve cells known as neurons to "misfold." In the new research, scientists say they've found molecules that play a role in the body's efforts to "chaperone" the molecules that fix the broken proteins.

The scientists studied one of the molecules and used rat neurons to show that it does indeed serve as a protective chaperone. Research in fruit flies showed the same thing.

Researchers say the study could lead to treatments that manipulate the chaperone molecules, leading to repair of the broken proteins.

"We found a creative way to identify new molecules that can activate the body's natural protein-folding machinery," senior author Dennis J. Thiele, professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., said in a news release.

The research appeared in the Jan. 19 online issue of PLoS Biology.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more on Parkinson's disease.

-- Randy Dotinga

SOURCE: Duke University, news release, Jan. 19, 2010

Last Updated: Jan. 19, 2010

Copyright © 2010 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Stem Cells Become Functioning Neurons in Mice

Stem Cells Become Functioning Neurons in Mice
Finding moves research closer to helping people with spinal injuries, experts say

TUESDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Transplanted neurons grown from embryonic stem cells were able to form proper brain connections in newborn mice, U.S. scientists report.

Researchers from Stanford Medical School say their study was the first to show that stem cells can be directed to become specific brain cells and to link correctly in the brain. The findings, they say, could help in efforts to develop new treatments for spinal cord injuries and nervous system diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease.

The researchers focused on brain cells that transmit information from the brain's cortex. Some of the cortical neurons are responsible for muscle control and are the ones lost or damaged in people with spinal cord injuries and ALS.

"These stem cell-derived neurons can grow nerve fibers between the brain's cerebral cortex and the spinal cord, so this study confirms the use of stem cells for therapeutic goals," the research team's leader, James Weimann, said in a news release from the Society for Neuroscience.

In laboratory dishes, the researchers grew stem cells that were precursors to cortical neurons until the cells displayed many of the characteristics of mature neurons. The new neurons were then transplanted into the cortex of newborn mice, specifically into regions that control vision, touch and movement.

The transplanted neurons grew into the appropriate brain structures and avoided inappropriate areas, the researchers reported.

The study is in the Jan. 20 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

The scientists plan further research in adult animals and, eventually, humans.

More information

The ALS Association has more about ALS.

-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: Society for Neuroscience, news release, Jan. 19, 2010

Last Updated: Jan. 19, 2010

Current Smoking Can Worsen Lung Cancer

Current Smoking Can Worsen Lung Cancer
Cigarette fumes not only cause tumors, but promote growth, mouse study finds

TUESDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Not only does cigarette smoke cause lung cancer, it worsens the disease by increasing lung inflammation, U.S. researchers have found. The team at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine conducted tests on mice with early lung cancer lesions and found that those repeatedly exposed to tobacco smoke developed larger tumors -- and developed tumors more quickly -- than those that weren't exposed to tobacco smoke. Lung tissue inflammation was the major contributing factor. The findings, published Jan. 19 in the journal Cancer Cell, offer definitive proof that lung inflammation caused by chronic exposure to tobacco smoke promotes lung cancer growth, the researchers said. In addition, the study results establish new lung cancer models, provide new information about the development and growth of lung cancer, and suggest that anti-inflammatory drugs may prevent or slow lung cancer progression. "We've shown for the first time that tobacco smoke is a tumor promoter -- not only a tumor initiator -- and that it works through inflammation," study leader Michael Karin, professor of pharmacology and pathology, said in a university news release. More information The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about lung cancer. -- Robert Preidt SOURCE: University of California, San Diego, news release, Jan. 19, 2010 Last Updated: Jan. 19, 2010 Copyright © 2010 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Tobacco Toxin Helps a Protein Cause Lung Cancer

Tobacco Toxin Helps a Protein Cause Lung Cancer
The process turns off genes that keep tumors from forming, research shows

TUESDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- New research offers insight into how a carcinogen in tobacco known as NNK contributes to the formation of lung cancer tumors.

Researchers at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan report that NNK contributes to the accumulation of a protein, called DNMT1, in the nucleus of cells. In turn, DNMT1 turns off genes that keep tumors from forming.

The researchers, led by Yi-Ching Wang, reported that they have found evidence supporting their theory in tumors from mice treated with NNK and from human lung cancer patients who were smokers.

Lung cancer patients who were heavy smokers and who had high levels of expression of DNMT1 tended to have poorer prognoses, the study authors found.

The findings are published online Jan. 19 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

More information

For help with trying to quit smoking, visit smokefree.gov.

-- Randy Dotinga

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Investigation, news release, Jan. 19, 2010

Last Updated: Jan. 19, 2010