HEALTH: Eight Choices for Good Health

Eight Choices for Good Health

By Jorge Jefferds February 23, 2015

Doctors can help you manage a good health with exams, medication, and regular controls. However, the impact of what the physician does for you might be quite small compared to what you can do for yourself. Eating healthy, doing daily exercises, and engaging in safe sex are some of those things listed as choices for good health.

Life follows a series of options, which can deeply impact on your health. If you follow this advice, you will truly be taking care of your existence, and on your way toward the best possible chance for a long, healthy life.

Eat a Healthy Diet. It is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and stabilizing your mood. If you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition and diet advice out there, you’re not alone. It seems that for every expert who tells you a certain food is good for you, you’ll find another saying exactly the opposite. But by using simple tips, you can cut through the confusion and learn how to create a tasty, varied, and healthy diet.

Exercise. Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. And the benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Exercise controls your weight, combats health conditions and diseases, improves your mood, boosts energy, promotes better sleep, puts the spark back into your sex life, and can be fun.

Do Not Use Addicting Substance.  Many people do not understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. It is often mistakenly assumed that drug abusers lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop using drugs simply by choosing to change their behavior. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting takes more than good intentions or a strong will. In fact, because drugs change the brain in ways that foster compulsive drug abuse, quitting is difficult, even for those who are ready to do so. Through scientific advances, we know more about how drugs work in the brain than ever, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and lead productive lives. Drug abuse and addiction have negative consequences for individuals and for society. Estimates of the total overall costs of substance abuse in the United States, including productivity and health- and crime-related costs, exceed $600 billion annually. This includes approximately $193 billion for illicit drugs, $193 billion for tobacco, and $235 billion for alcohol. As staggering as these numbers are, they do not fully describe the breadth of destructive public health and safety implications of drug abuse and addiction, such as family disintegration, loss of employment, failure in school, domestic violence, and child abuse.

Engage Only in Safe Sex. Along with sexual activity comes huge responsibility. If you are having sex or planning to in the near future, it is imperative that you take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and stay safe and healthy. Safe sex education is a very important topic and those who have the knowledge to be safe will be much better equipped to prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and most importantly HIV and AIDS. While many people will argue that the best way to stay safe is to practice abstinence, not everyone believes this so if you are going to engage in an intimate relationship, it is important to know the about the various items that can be used to ensure safe sex.

Have Regular Medical Checkups (and Check Yourself). Regular health exams and tests can help find problems before they start. They also can help find problems early, when your chances for treatment and cure are better. By getting the right health services, screenings, and treatments, you are taking steps that help your chances for living a longer, healthier life. Your age, health and family history, lifestyle choices (i.e. what you eat, how active you are, whether you smoke), and other important factors impact what and how often you need healthcare.

Prevent Injury. It is likely that you or someone you know has been touched by violence or injury: A neighborhood child killed in a car crash, or a friend who committed suicide, an older relative who fell and suffered a brain injury. Violence and injuries affect everyone, regardless of age, race, or economic status. In the first half of life, more Americans die from violence and injuries — such as motor vehicle crashes, falls, or homicides — than from any other cause, including cancer, HIV, or the flu. And, deaths are only part of the problem. Each year, millions of people are injured and survive. They are faced with life-long mental, physical, and financial problems. Violence and injuries are so common that we often accept them as just part of life. But they can be prevented, and their consequences reduced. We know prevention works. For example:  Seat belts have saved an estimated 255,000 lives between 1975 and 2008. School-based programs to prevent violence have been shown to cut violent behavior 29% among high school students and 15% across all grade levels. Ignition interlocks, or in-car breathalyzers, can reduce the rate of re-arrest among drivers convicted of driving while intoxicated by a median of 67%. Tai chi and other exercise programs for older adults have been shown to reduce falls by as much as half among participants.

Manage Stress. Not all stress is bad. Stress can help protect you in a dangerous situation. But preventing and managing chronic (ongoing) stress can help lower your risk for serious health problems like heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and depression. You can prevent or reduce stress by:  Planning ahead, deciding which tasks need to be done first, and preparing for stressful events. Some stress is hard to avoid. You can find ways to manage stress by: Noticing when you feel stressed, taking time to relax, getting active and eating healthy, and talking to friends and family.

Get Immunized. Vaccines may be available at private doctor offices, public or community health clinics, or other community locations (such as schools/universities, pharmacies, religious centers or places of worship).  If you have a doctor or regular source of care, speak with your provider about vaccines recommended for you and your family.