Yes, your habits very much affect your health. All of the major causes of death (such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease and injury) can be prevented in part by making healthy lifestyle choices.
If you smoke or use tobacco, then quit. Now!
Two of the most dangerous habits too many people have are smoking and using tobacco. Smoking causes over 400,000 deaths in the United States every year. More preventable illnesses (such as emphysema, mouth, throat and lung cancer, and heart disease) are caused by tobacco use than by anything else. The sooner you quit, the better.
If you drink much alcohol, then cut back.
Doctors currently recommend no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. One drink is equal to 1 can of beer (12 ounces), a 4-ounce glass of wine or a jigger (1 ounce) of liquor.
Too much alcohol can damage the liver and contribute to some cancers, such as throat and liver cancer, and more immediate death and disease car wrecks, murders and suicides.
If you have bad eating habits, then at least eat less CRAPF (the P is silent) and then eat Great! food as much as possible.
CRAPF (the P is silent, much like the diseases eating too much CRAPF can cause) is commercially refined and processed food.Heart disease, certain cancers, stroke, diabetes and damage to your arteries rise and fall according to what you eat. Eating Great! eating less CRAPF has many health benefits. By making healthier food choices, you can also lower your cholesterol and lose weight.
If you’re overweight, then lose weight.
Most Americans are overweight. Carrying too much weight increases your risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, gallbladder disease and arthritis in the weight-bearing joints (such as the spine, hips or knees). A high-fiber, low-fat diet and regular exercise can help you lose weight and keep it off.
If you don’t move your “you know what” regularly for an hour a day, then you need move your “you know what” more.
Being as active as you can will help prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis and depression; not to mention it can also help prevent colon cancer, stroke and back injury. You’ll feel better and better if you exercise regularly. Try to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes, 4 to 6 times a week, but remember that any amount of exercise is better than none.
Avoid the sun and never, ever use tanning booths.
I had plenty of sun exposure until I was 54, then I developed squamous cell skin cancer right in the middle of my foreheard, which is one of the most common types of skin cancer in the United States. So, limit sun exposure and wear protective clothing and hats when you are outside. Sunscreen is also very important. It protects your skin and will help prevent skin cancer. Make sure you use sunscreen year round on exposed skin (such as your face and hands). Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least an SPF 15 and one that blocks both UVA and UVB light.
Practice safe sex.
The safest sex is between two consenting adults who are only having sex with each other and who don’t have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or share needles to inject drugs. If you are not being this exclusive, then at least use latex condoms and a spermicide (a product that kills sperm) gel or cream. Talk with your doctor about being tested yearly for STIs.
If you must get shot, let your shots be vacinnes.
Get a flu shot each year. Ask your doctor if you need other shots or vaccines. Adults need a tetanus-diphtheria booster every 10 years. Your doctor may substitute one Td booster with Tdap, which also protects you against pertussis (whooping cough). If you’re pregnant and have not had a Tdap shot before, you should be vaccinated during the third trimester of your pregnancy or late in the second trimester. Adults and teens who are in close contact with babies younger than 12 months and who have not received a Tdap shot before should get vaccinated as well.
Save the ta-tas.
Breast cancer is one of the most common causes of death for women. Between the ages of 50 and 74, women should have a mammogram every 1 to 2 years (depending on your doctor’s advice) to screen for breast cancer. Women who have risk factors for breast cancer, such as a family history of breast cancer, may need to have mammograms more often or start having them sooner.
Get regular Pap smears.
Unless your doctor suggests that you need one more often, you should have Pap smears:
- At least every 3 years (some still say annually) beginning as soon as you begin being sexually active or reach 21 years of age and continuing until 65 years of age
- If you are between 30 and 65 years of age and you want to have Pap smears less often, talk to your doctor about combining a Pap smear with human papillomavirus (HPV) testing every 5 years
Several factors put you at higher or lower risk for cervical cancer. Your doctor will consider these when recommending how often you should have a Pap smear.
Women older than 65 years of age, should talk with your doctor about how often you need a Pap smear. If you’ve been having Pap smears regularly and they’ve been normal, you may not need to keep having them.
If you’ve had a hysterectomy with removal of your cervix, talk with your doctor about how often you need a Pap smear.
Ask your doctor about other cancer screenings.
Adults should ask their doctor about being checked for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Depending on your risk factors and family medical history, your doctor may want to check for other types of cancer.
Get a yearly physical.
Health screenings and afterthoughts during urgent-care visits are replacing the yearly physical. Rather and having the same tests others are getting, talk to your doctor at least once a year to figure out just which tests are right for you.
Make your insurance and other health benefits and preventive care services work for you.
Essential health benefits are a set of health care service categories that must be covered by certain plans.
If you buy a plan through a Health Insurance Marketplace, your insurance will cover the preventive services and at least 10 essential health benefits (EHBs) required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). All private health insurance plans offered in federally facilitated marketplaces will offer the following 10 essential health benefits:
- Ambulatory patient services (outpatient care you get without being admitted to a hospital)
- Emergency services
- Hospitalization (such as surgery)
- Maternity and newborn care (care before and after your baby is born)
- Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment (this includes counseling and psychotherapy)
- Prescription drugs
- Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices (services and devices to help people with injuries, disabilities, or chronic conditions gain or recover mental and physical skills)
- Laboratory services
- Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
- Pediatric services
Regardless of what you are doing for your health now, do these things and then some.
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Question: What’s the best thing you are doing for your health today?
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