1. Proper nutrition
- Eat a variety of foods, especially fresh or non-processed ones
- Eat less fat, sugar, salt
- Eat more fiber foods (e.g. whole-grain bread and cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables)
- Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day
2. A good night’s sleep
- Adequate rest at night provides you with enough energy throughout the day. It also boosts your immune system reducing your risk of sickness.
- A young or middle age individual needs seven to eight hours of good, solid sleep.
- An older individual usually needs six hours of quality sleep.
3. Exercise
Regular exercise for 30 – 60 minutes a day, on most days of the week helps to:
- Reduce body fat, risk of heart disease and cancer, stress, osteoporosis and improve blood sugar control in diabetes.
- Increase blood circulation, lung capacity, muscle and bone strength, mental alertness, and life span.
4. Give up smoking
Smoking increases your chance to develop lung cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Each cigarette you smoke shortens your life span by 7 minutes. If you smoke one pack a day, in a year you will decrease your life expectancy by about one month.
5. Alcohol in moderation
If you drink, limit it to:
1 drink/day for women
2 drinks/day for men
| One Drink |
= 5 oz of wine = 12 oz of beer = 1½ oz of hard liquor |
Excessive alcohol intake contributes to:
- car accidents
- cirrhosis of the liver
- ulcer
- gastro-intestinal bleeding
- high blood pressure
- vitamin deficiencies
6. Stress management
You can reduce stress by:
- planning ahead
- taking time out to relax
- regular exercise
- practicing deep-breathing techniques
- positive thinking
- communicating effectively
- getting enough rest
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