Healthy living can make you happier and healthier. It’s not always easy to make healthy choices. You may not have the energy or time to prepare healthy food and exercise regularly. Your efforts will be rewarded in a variety of ways and throughout your entire life.
You can do the following:
- Exercise for 30 minutes on most days. If you are pressed for space, break this into three 10-minute sessions. Walking, sports, dance, yoga, running, or any other activity you enjoy can be considered healthy movement.
- A well-balanced diet low in fat should include plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Select a diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat, but moderate in sugar and salt.
- Wearing seatbelts, bike helmets, and having smoke and carbon dioxide detectors at home will help you avoid injury. Also, be aware of your surroundings when walking on the street alone. You should be aware of the dangers associated with having a firearm in your home if you have one. Always take safety precautions.
- Smoke less or stop if you already do. You can ask your doctor for assistance. The Tobacco Education Center at we offers classes on smoking cessation, relapse prevention and doctor consultations to smokers who are trying to quit.
- If you do drink alcohol, it is important to consume it in moderation. Do not drink alcohol before driving or while pregnant .
- If you suspect you may be addicted to alcohol or drugs, ask someone you can trust for assistance.
- Use condoms whenever you have sexual contact to help prevent HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STIs). Discuss STI screenings with your provider. Condoms may not be foolproof. Condoms are the only birth control method that will protect you against STIs and HIV.
- Brush your teeth with a medium or soft bristled brush after eating. Brush your teeth after drinking alcohol and before you go to sleep. Use dental floss daily.
- Avoid the sun between 10 am and 3 pm when its harmful rays are at their strongest. The sun’s harmful rays can pass through clouds and water. Use broad-spectrum sunscreens that protect against UVA and UVB, with an SPF of 15 or more. Choose sunglasses that block up to 100% of the sun’s radiation.
Maintaining a Healthy Outlook
Today’s women lead busy and demanding lives. It is possible to feel stressed and pulled in many directions by work, family, and other issues, which leaves little time for you. You will reap the benefits of a balanced life, with time set aside for you.
You can do the following:
- Keep in touch with your family and friends.
- Get involved in your local community.
- Keep a positive outlook and do what makes you happy.
- Keep your curiosity alive. Your health is enhanced by lifelong learning.
- Healthy intimacy can take many forms, but it is never coercive.
- You can manage your stress by learning to identify it. Stress can be identified by a lack of sleep, headaches, stomach pains, anger, and the use of drugs, alcohol, and food to cope with stress.
- Exercise, healthy eating habits, and relaxation techniques such as meditation or deep breathing are all good ways to cope with stress. It can be very helpful to talk with trusted family and friends. Interacting with the faith community can be helpful for some women during stressful times.
- Rest and sleep enough. Adults require around eight hours sleep per night.
- Speak to your doctor if you’ve been feeling depressed for a long time. Depression is treatable. Depression is characterized by feelings of sadness, crying excessively, a loss of interest in the world, and thoughts about suicide or death. Get help immediately if you or someone else you know is having thoughts of suicide.
