Boost your health with these 10 tips

Date published: 11/8/2009

By JULIE DEARDORFF

Chicago Tribune

If you're ready to take control of your health, start by washing your hands for 15 to 20 seconds, about as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. Doing this simple act, while avoiding certain behaviors--smoking, excessive drinking and eating too much--can dramatically improve your health, said internist William Meller, who specializes in evolutionary medicine in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Prevention goes well beyond the mammograms, prostate screenings or blood tests that we can get at the doctor's office. It's the little steps you take that can keep you healthy.

"Ideally, prevention should also emphasize healthy lifestyles, a practice that isn't only health-conscious, but [is] inexpensive," said James Pivarnik, president of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Here are 10 easy ways to get started:

1. TAKE A WALK.

Humans are designed to be on the move, Meller said. "Walking triggers all of our bodily systems: digestion, stress relief, thinking and preparation for sleep." It's easy, simple, free and confers the benefits of exercise without the risk of damage from more energetic pursuits, Muller said.

2. KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL.

Writing down everything you eat can double your weight loss, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost," said lead author Jack Hollis, a researcher at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research.

Why? "It's the process of reflecting on what you eat that helps us become aware of our habits, and hopefully change our behavior," said Dr. Keith Bachman, of Kaiser.

3. STOP DRINKING SODA.

Soda and other high-calorie, sugar-sweetened beverages have contributed to skyrocketing rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. There's also evidence that drinking diet soda leads to weight gain. Researchers suspect that tricking the brain--getting sweetness without the calories--makes you crave more sugar than ever.

Your best bet is to stop drinking calories altogether, said obesity specialist Dr. Yoni Freedhoff. His most confused patients seem to be doing everything right but may have two glasses of milk, one glass of juice and one glass of wine a day.

"That's roughly 40 pounds of liquid calories per year," he wrote on his blog, Weighty Matters.

4. BUILD YOUR MUSCLES.

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Date published: 11/8/2009