Wednesday 3 June 2015

Living healthy After 40

In the warmer, longer, lazier days of summer, the living may not be easy, but your life probably feels less chaotic. Even adults tend to adopt a "school's out!" attitude in summer. That's why this is a perfect time to improve your health in a fashion so seasonally laid back you'll barely notice the effort.

To get you started, WebMD went to eight health experts in fields such as diet, fitness, stress, vision, and oral health. We asked them this: If you could only suggest one simple change this season to boost personal health, what would it be? Here are their top eight tips.

1. Give Your Diet a Berry Boost

If you do one thing this summer to improve your diet, have a cup of mixed fresh berries -- blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries -- every day. They'll help you load up on antioxidants, which may help prevent damage to tissues and reduce the risks of age-related illnesses. Blueberries and blackberries are especially antioxidant-rich.

A big bonus: Berries are also tops in fiber, which helps keep cholesterol low and may even help prevent some cancers.

2. Get Dirty -- and Stress Less

To improve your stress level, plant a small garden, cultivate a flower box, or if space is really limited, plant a few flower pots -- indoors or out.

Just putting your hands in soil is "grounding." And when life feels like you're moving so fast your feet are barely touching the stuff, being mentally grounded can help relieve physical and mental stress.

3. Floss Daily

You know you need to, now it's time to start: floss every single day. Do it at the beach (in a secluded spot), while reading on your patio, or when watching TV -- and the task will breeze by.

Flossing reduces oral bacteria, which improves overall body health, and if oral bacteria is low, your body has more resources to fight bacteria elsewhere. Floss daily and you're doing better than at least 85% of people.

http://www.webmd.com/women/features/8-summer-steps-for-healthy-living

Here are a few nutrition and fitness tips to keep you healthier this summer:

Don't Eat When You're Thirsty


We often mistake thirst for hunger, especially during the warm months. Don't eat when what you really want is to drink. Always ask yourself if you are really hungry.

Watch What You Drink


High-calorie beverages like soda, whole milk, juices, alcohol and sugared iced tea can add unwanted and under-appreciated calories. Drink water with lemon or mint, or try seltzer or unsweetened iced tea. Tea is loaded health benefits. Read more about tea here.

Bike Instead of Drive


Save gas, and get some exercise. A 155-pound person riding at a leisurely 10 to 12 mph can burn 423 calories in just one hour or about seven calories per minute. For more info, visit DietDetective.com.

Go Hiking

Explore Similar Activities


Trimbleoutdoors.com offers thousands of day hikes, while Localhikes.com lists local hikes around the United States. Recreation.gov is the U.S. government's outdoors guide to everything from hiking, canoeing, kayaking, water-skiing and rock climbing to wildlife observation and caving.

Source : www.active.com/nutrition/articles/the-diet-detective-13-tips-to-stay-healthy-and-fit-this-summer

Unless you're one of the lucky few to hit it big in the genetic lottery, staying fit ain't easy. And if it's this difficult now, imagine what it's going to be like in 10, 20, 30 years. But before you begin planning your future as a wobbly, overweight hunchback, understand that getting in the shape of your life for the rest of your life doesn't have to be daunting.

In fact, if you find your fitness workout groove now, you'll set yourself up for success in the future. Studies show that working out may lower a woman's risk of breast cancer by 37 percent, osteoporosis by 45 percent, and heart disease by 14 percent. So we tapped dozens of doctors and fitness experts to find out exactly what you should do to add years to your life.

The bottom line: Whether you're fresh out of college or funding Junior's tuition, the moment to launch your lifetime fitness plan is now. Then simply adjust your total-body workouts throughout the years to give your muscles, bones, and heart what they need to keep working well enough to keep up with you.

Source : www.womenshealthmag.com/health/health-in-your-40s

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