Let’s Talk About Health

Juliet Cohen asked:


Eating right, staying physically active, and not smoking are a few examples of good habits that can help you stay healthy. Eating the right foods and the right amounts of foods can help you live a longer, healthier life. People who are happier in their daily lives have healthier levels of key body chemicals than those who muster few positive feelings, a new study suggests. Try to balance the calories you get from food with the calories you use through physical activity (select for more information about physical activity). It is never too late to start eating right. Weighing too much or too little can lead to health problems. After age 45, many people gain too much weight. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t get into a car with a driver who has been drinking alcohol or using drugs. Medicines can also be given as metered dose inhalers, which deliver one dose of medicine at a time

Get regular exercise. Don’t use illegal (street) drugs of any kind, at any time. Don’t try even one puff, and try to keep yourself away from all cigarettes. Avoid situations where violence or fighting may cause you to be physically injured. Balance calories from foods and beverages with calories you burn off by your activities. Drink Alcohol Only in Moderation. If you drink alcohol, have no more than two drinks a day. Always use your seat belt. Some foods, like celery and gum, help you burn calories by chewing. Wear a hat and other protective clothing, as well as sunglasses, to protect your body from too much sun. Protection against sunburn is needed. Minerals, like calcium, iron, sodium chloride and zinc, are also essential to maintaining good health through nutrition.

Stay Healthy Tips

1. Eat a Nutritious Breakfast.

2. Choose healthy snacks.

3. Drink plenty of water.

4. Eat a variety of foods.

5. Get moving….don’t be a couch potato.

6. Avoid contaminated food or drinks.

7. Nutritional Supplements can be helpful.



ESTELLA

Vitanet 4 asked:


There are hundreds and thousands of articles, books, media sources and materials available in the world that tell us how to stay healthy. How many of us have time to research, read and scour this multitude of information? Further, how do we trust all the information available out there? This article has done all the work for you. Of course, not every tip or piece of worldly advice can be put on these few pages but the most important information is here. Keep a copy and hand this out to all the women you know, it is for every female person ages 1-100.

From ages 1-10

Staying healthy and starting healthy habits begins the minute we are born. What can we do for those at these young and tender ages? Mothers can begin by breast-feeding. They can introduce healthy items at meal times when babies are ready for solid food. Required immunizations need to be kept up to date. From birth through young childhood, the intake of a chewable tablet vitamin supplement must become part of their daily routine. Be sure to watch what ingredients are in those children’s multi vitamins you purchase. Your pediatrician or family physician can advise you of the proper vitamin supplement needed for your child’s specific body type and physical condition. Starting with healthy eating and lifestyle habits in young childhood sets the stage for your child’s good health into middle childhood and the adolescent years.

Ages 11-20

Good health is critical for young women. It’s important to remember a few key things about this age group. The young girl/woman will be experiencing a growth spurt, which may be accompanied by what is known as “growing pains”. Healthy habits will assure her full attention span and enough energy to participate in school activities and classroom learning. Her body is also preparing for the beginning of menstruation. Puberty begins and the brain starts its process of sending messages to the hormonal system and the reproductive organs begin to develop. Good nutrition along with a vitamin supplement will also ready her body for excellent reproductive health and potential child bearing. Most importantly, by the age of 20 if she has developed these few health habits, the young woman is likely to carry those into her adult years.

Ages 20-39

If a female person is developmentally on course and is dedicated to maintaining optimum health, she should remain healthy into her later years. These years of 20-39 are when women become busy with careers and/or having children or starting a family. Many experts agree that this is also a time when women will postpone or neglect their own health in order to provide care for others. Remember, you are not going to be able to provide much help, care or assistance for others if you yourself are ill, exhausted or nutritionally deficient. Let’s discuss how women can avoid this trap and insure their own good health.

• Eat healthy foods. Avoiding unhealthy fats and consuming raw fruits and vegetables go a long way in staying nutritionally stable.

• Watch your dieting habits. While there are many diet plans out there, the simplest is almost always more effective. Watching portion size and the ingredients (fat, calories and sugar) in foods will often net the best weight loss results. It’s wise to note that losing or maintaining your desired weight means one thing, there needs to be more calories burned than what has been consumed. This can be accomplished with:

• Exercise. Whether you are a regular attendee at the local gym or you workout at home, there are certain types of exercise that will benefit you the most. One exercise routine must raise your heart rate (cardiovascular health). Another should include free-weights or weight lifting in some form (bone health and strengthening). Additionally, walking, dancing and swimming can tone the body. Weight loss in pounds alone will make you happy when you step on the scales but most women want that loose skin (abdomen, underarms, and thighs) to tighten up as well. If you just can’t find the time to exercise, try these activities:

• Park in the last open parking space far away from the storefront and walk.

• At home, grab some large juice bottles that have the indented areas for carrying or milk jugs and do some curls.

• Take the stairs instead of elevators in public places

• Take a stroll through your neighborhood every night after dinner

• Visit your gynecologist every year for a PAP test (more often if your doctor suggests or your last one came back with an abnormal result). PAP tests are essential towards maintaining a healthy reproductive system. They are used to detect cervical cancer and infections among other things.

• Perform your own self-breast exams.

• Make an appointment at age 39 for your first mammogram.

• Take regular multi vitamins every day. Add other supplements including calcium, Fish Oil and Vitamin C. Do some research on the types and amounts of vitamins and/or supplements you could be taking. I found vitanetonline.com to be very helpful for this kind of information. Also, it has been found that women in these childbearing years are lacking in the amount of folic acid they need. Insufficient amounts of folic acid have been linked to birth defects of the brain in newborns. These birth defects can be avoided if a woman takes sufficient amounts of folic acid before she conceives and during the early, first trimester of pregnancy.

• Not least of all, are these tips to good health that most informational sources rarely mention.

• Find a spiritual path or connection. These are highly personal so I won’t offer any suggestions. Women have chosen a religion, nature, prayer, rituals, a quiet room and many others to find that place within self where they can be at peace.

• Keep your mental health a priority. Talk to a professional therapist if you need some guidance or direction.

• Avoid unhealthy relationships. If you are being abused in any manner by anyone, seek help

While all these “tips” for the age 20-39 group will keep a woman in optimum health, most of these need to be implemented and continued into the later years as well.

Ages 40-100

These are the years that many women claim that they become wiser. Some even claim that it is the best time of life they ever experienced. The tips for the 20-39 age groups hold true for women beyond 40; some exceptions would include the advice on folic acid intake, the amount of weight carried in the free-weight exercise routines, the limitations of exercise that may create falls, accidents or injuries and the PAP tests. Regular PAP test examinations usually ceases around 80 years of age but ask your doctor first.

From ages 40-50 a woman can expect pre-menopausal symptoms. Again, the changes that occur in any woman’s life can never be set at a certain age. There are women that may never have any disrupting symptoms of menopause. Other women may begin menopause at age 40 others might be near 50. Some women may become post-menopausal at age 45 and others at age 52-55. No matter what the age of onset or completion, menopause happens. Be sure to talk to your doctor about remedies for the symptoms of menopause. There are hormone replacement therapies (HRT) as well as some natural supplements to ease menopause. Taking soy isoflavones, in capsule form, have recently been regarded by some women as helpful in decreasing their hot flashes.

While awareness of the importance of calcium and its consumption should be well established by age 15, many older women still don’t find it a concern. Osteoporosis (bone weakness) can begin to occur as early as age 35. By the time you get into this age group of 40+ and you haven’t been caring for your calcium needs, you might expect by age 60 to see the results in your body. We have all seen the women with humps below their neck at the spine. We have seen the stooped walks and heard of women in this age group having falls that break their hips and other bone structures. This is a result of weak bones. There are also hereditary factors that play into whether or not we get osteoporosis. Take your calcium ladies.

In summation:

• Keep exercising but know your limitations

• Continue getting mammograms

• Keep eating healthy. If you like gardening, that’s light exercise and you can eat healthy too.

• Stay socially active

Women are living longer. We are living longer because the importance of diet, exercise, vitamin and supplement intakes and other information has become easily available. But living longer is not necessarily a good thing if the QUALITY of our lives is not taken into account. If you follow these tips and commit yourself to making healthy lifestyle choices then all your years can be filled with happiness, peace and good health.



DONTE

Diabetes Info asked:


check out the Living Healthy with Diabetes swicki at eurekster.com

Stay Healthy at Any Age

Some health advice stands the test of time – don’t smoke, eat right and exercise apply to people of all ages. But some health care priorities and guidelines change as we grow older. Screening tests, nutritional recommendations and exercise requirements vary based on your age and overall health, so it’s important to talk to your doctor about what is right for you. The following guidelines may help steer the conversation.

In the Beginning

Individuals in their 20s and 30s have their whole lives in front of them, and there is no better time to ensure that it is a healthy one.

Recommended screenings. Your annual physical may move quickly, as the recommended tests are minimal. Your doctor may conduct a complete lipid profile, which indicates your cholesterol level, every five years. Women should have an annual Pap test to detect cervical cancer or precancerous cells beginning three years after their first sexual activity or by age 21.

Exercise guidelines. Try to fit at least five sessions of aerobic exercise, such as jogging, walking or biking, into your weekly routine, as well as one session of strength training. Stretch for at least 10 minutes every other day, especially after your aerobic activity.

Dietary recommendations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends limiting your caloric intake to 2,000 calories per day, but this number varies based on your activity level (see chart). In general, to maintain your weight, the calories you expend should match the calories you consume. It’s also important to make sure your food choices contain the recommended nutrients, such as at least 1,000 mg of calcium per day. Women of childbearing age may need to increase their consumption of iron and folic acid.

In the Middle Years

As you enter your 40s and move into your 50s, many health guidelines stay the same. But there are a few notable differences.

Recommended screenings. Beginning at age 45, you may receive a fasting-glucose test every three years to measure your risk of diabetes. At age 50, your doctor may recommend a colonoscopy every 10 years to help detect colon cancer. Men may start to screen for prostate cancer with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test every one to two years at age 50, although men with a higher risk may want to start at 45. Women should undergo mammograms every one to two years beginning at age 40, and baseline bone-densitometry testing soon after menopause.

Exercise guidelines. Aerobic exercise remains a top priority, although you may want to minimize high-impact activities. Strength training becomes even more important, and experts suggest scheduling two or three sessions per week.

Dietary recommendations. By age 50, many adults can’t absorb naturally occurring vitamin B12 as well as their younger counterparts, so be sure to eat foods fortified with vitamin B12 and consider taking supplements to ensure you receive the recommended 2.4 micrograms per day. Now is also the time to increase calcium consumption to 1,200 mg for men and 1,500 mg for postmenopausal women.

Living Longer and Stronger

As life spans lengthen, the very definition of aging changes. Treatments once considered too traumatic for older adults, such as chemotherapy and coronary bypass surgery, have in many cases been proven safe and effective. Chronic conditions once regarded as noncritical in the older years, such as high cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure levels, are now being actively controlled with medications. Understanding how your body’s needs change can help ensure you receive age-appropriate care.

Recommended screenings. Many of the tests you’ve grown accustomed to may no longer be necessary during your doctor visits. Women who have never had an abnormal Pap test can discontinue the screening after age 65. Many experts advise stopping prostate cancer screening in men after age 75. But bone density testing becomes more important. Women should receive bone densitometry once every two to three years, while a single test in men is generally sufficient. In addition, your doctor may begin checking your feet for peripheral artery disease, and suggest visiting an ophthalmologist every one to two years to test for macular degeneration, glaucoma and other age-related eye problems.

Exercise guidelines. Continue to include three to four sessions of low-impact aerobic activity per week. Limit strength training to two times per week to allow your muscles to recover in between sessions, and consider reducing the resistance and increasing the repetitions. You may also want to add balance exercises to your stretching routine.

Dietary recommendations. Medications and other factors may begin to diminish your sense of taste and smell, which can affect your appetite. Unless you are overweight, you may need to take special care to include sufficient calories – and the proper vitamins and nutrients – in your diet. By age 65, it is advisable that both men and women consume at least 1,500 mg of calcium per day.



ELIJAH