Let’s take a look five things you can do to make 2008 a
healthy year.
Number five … wear your seat belt. Accidental injury is the
most common cause of death for those under fifty ... and most of those
accidents involve motor vehicles. Fortunately … buckling the seat belt comes as
second nature to many of us … but all it takes is forgetting just once and you
can put yourself in serious danger. Also … make sure your children are in the
appropriate type of car seat for their age and weight. Most fire and police
departments locally will check your child’s car seat if you just take the time
to ask.
Number four … check you cholesterol. Heart attacks and
stroke are by far and away the most common cause of death for all of us … so you
need to know where your cholesterol levels stand. You also need to sit down
with a health care professional who can explain where your good and bad
cholesterol numbers need to be and if you need medication or just some good
old-fashioned diet and exercise.
Which takes us to number three … be active. The biggest
misconception about exercise is that you need to be training for a triathlon in
order to stay fit. Many of the health benefits of activity are accomplished by
simple exercise such as brisk walking or using a stationary bike. The American
Heart Association recommends that we all get thirty minutes of simple … but
vigorous exercise at least three times per week.
Number two on the list is … get the appropriate cancer
screening tests done. For men ... that means checking the prostate and women
need to be screened for *** and cervical cancer. Men and women both … should
be screened at regular intervals for colon and skin cancer … although not
necessarily at the same time. Remember to discuss with your health care
provider exactly when and how frequent your cancer screening should take place.
Lastly … and by all accounts … the single most important
thing you can do for your health … stop using tobacco products. Through its
relationship with cardiovascular disease and lung cancer … cigarette smoking is
the number one preventable cause of death. Unfortunately … quitting is not easy
… and many smokers will fail up to ten times before they are successful. So …
don’t give up and don’t forget to ask your doctor about medications that may be
helpful in quitting cigarettes for good.
