Guest post by Hadley
When most of us think about our health we picture going to the gym or eating our fruits and vegetables. But what about the rest? Living a healthy lifestyle is more than losing those extra five pounds to look amazing in that new Vix bikini. It is about caring for the future of your body, inside and out, disease prevention and all. I know it seems little morbid to think about diseases, but the reality is working out and eating right does much more than keep your figure. It can prevent future illnesses, keep your heart strong, your mind stable and a slew of other body benefits that we normally don’t think about when we are running on the treadmill.
Just recently it was brought to public attention that Jack Osbourne, son of rock musician Ozzy Osbourne, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It got me thinking about how important it is to be active in preventing diseases and future ailments as much as possible. I know that multiple sclerosis is not entirely preventative, but I strongly feel that living a healthy lifestyle may reduce your chances of getting future diseases and ailments. And, even if this means the common cold will skip over me because I exercise regularly and take my vitamins…I’m all in!
Here is a list of 5 powerful actions you can take to lessen your chance of future diseases.
1. Take your Vitamins: Many of us take a multi-vitamin daily but there are some additional vitamin options that can help prevent possible diseases in the future. This doesn’t mean you should become a pill mule, but the truth is many vitamins offer your body benefits that your daily dining doesn’t offer. Set a calendar reminder and remember to take them on a regular basis to get the healing results! (Be careful in overdoing it with the vitamins, too many vitamins causes your body to lose its natural ability to control itself so always consult with a physician beforehand.)
Vitamin B(B12, B6, B1,B2,B3 and B9): Taking high doses of B vitamins every day may reduce brain shrinkage slowing MCI and dementia.
Vitamin E and C: Taking both of these vitamins together can lower the risk for Alzheimer’s.
Vitamin A: This vitamin helps in bone growth, vision an intestinal and immune systems.
2. Enjoy Exercising: This one seems like it is a given. However, many of us are still sitting far too often. Studies have shown sitting down for over six hours a day can be very dangerous health risk. Always take advantage of any option to get your body moving throughout the day by taking the stairs over the elevator, parking your car in the further lot at the grocery store and walking around your office often. In addition, strive to include at least 30 minutes of physical activity into your daily routine.
3. Drink Caffeine: Coffee lovers have some perks! When drinking caffeine try to make it from a natural source such as coffee or tea. Caffeinated coffee has had high effects of decreasing risks of brain cancer. Green tea has multiple benefits on top of giving you that extra burst of energy.
4. Nosh on Green Veggies: You know vegetables are good for you…this is a no-brainer. Make an effort to include at green in most meals! The darker the better as the chlorophyll is filled with magnesium which helps your body’s cells. Kale is a great option!
5. Moderate your Alcohol Intake: One or two glasses of wine (especially red) a night is heart healthy, however too much alcohol has damaging effects on the liver and can increase the risk of cancers. Normal size wine glasses can cause us to over pour so try utilizing a smaller cups so that you just have a few sups to celebrate your heart rather than a few oversized glasses.
Caring for your body now doesn’t make you a worrywart! Preventative measures go a long way for our inner and outer health that may not seem like much in the moment, but your body will appreciate every ounce of effort you put in.
What actions do you take for your disease prevention? Tell us below!
These are all great tips. I do nearly all of the things that you recommended. In addition, I try to get preventive medical care by visiting my doctor at least once a year for a checkup. One type of exercise that I have started lately is yoga, which I have found is helpful both physically and mentally. It certainly helps me relax!
Kristen, I just started yoga too! It is a great for stress and leaves me feeling amazing after.
Hadley, great post. I am all about disease prevention. As a nurse I have learned and practice hand washing. It is the number one defense against the spread of germs. I keep hand sanitizer in my purse ready to use at a moments notice.
Thanks for mentioning the caffeine. Both coffee and tea are full of anitoxidants and great health benefits and I do so love them both! I would just hate to give them up!
Fun post, thanks for sharing. Jana
Jana, I am a consistent advocate of washing hands all the time just think about how many things we touch on a daily basis! As for the caffeine, I could never get by without my coffee it is the easiest and best pick me up!
LOVE these tips – so often we skip out on these simple but totally doable ways to increase our daily movement:
Always take advantage of any option to get your body moving throughout the day by taking the stairs over the elevator, parking your car in the further lot at the grocery store and walking around your office often.
Thanks Hadley!
Thanks Sabrina! it is important to ALWAYS be active! Always choose the more athletic option!
I do all of these soo…. I should be superwoman or something right? =) I love it when you tell me to drink coffee <3 and heck yes for eating our veggies!!!!
I like how you mentioned at the end that caring for our physical bodies doesn’t need to be at extremes and make us into worrywarts! There’s no point in it then, you know? 🙂 And very great points you have here! I love caffeine (coffee, tea) and sometimes I’m not sure how good it is for us (at least coffee), but it seems that research keeps reiterating its benefits! So I still have an excuse I guess 😉 Oh! And my husband just read an article about the 30+pesticides that fruits and vegetables have, so now he would like me to buy them organic. That means going the extra mile in focusing more on those foods while cutting down on others! But it’s worth it in the end. It’s crazy how many carcinogens those things have.