Remaining healthy should always be our first priority in life. Think about it, if we don’t have good health, what else really matters in life? We can have all of the money in the world or reach the peak of our success in life, but without good health we would not be able to enjoy it.
On top of that, a healthy lifestyle promotes success due to the fact that the better we feel, the more energy and drive we have to get things done! A lot of people think that good health is achieved by avoiding dangerous habits and exercise. While this certainly gets people off to a good start, there is much more involved in maintaining overall good health.
Check out this article about the important of health from Family Doctor.
What comes to mind when you think of taking risks with your health—driving recklessly, or maybe abusing alcohol or illegal drugs? Those behaviors are certainly risky.
However, many people have less dramatic behaviors that are just as dangerous in the long run. Tobacco use, unbalanced nutrition (too many calories and/or too much of one food group and not enough of the others) and a lack of physical activity are some of the key risk factors for the most common causes of death.
Top 10 Causes of Death (in order)
1.Heart Disease
2.Cancer
3.Chronic lower respiratory disease
4.Stroke
5.Accidents (many are alcohol-related)
6.Alzheimer’s disease
7.Diabetes
8.Kidney disease
9.Flu and pneumonia
10.Intentional self-harm (suicide)
What are the most common causes of death?
Heart disease, cancer and stroke are the most common causes of death in the United States. Nearly 1.5 million people in the United States die each year from one of these diseases, or from complications of these diseases. That’s more than the number of American soldiers who died in the Civil War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined, and it happens every year.
Don’t these diseases run in families? How much control do I really have?
It’s true that heart disease, stroke and some kinds of cancer tend to occur more often in people who have a family history of the disease. However, your genes are only part of your risk for these diseases. In many cases, your behavior is at least as important to your health as your family history. If you choose unhealthy behaviors, you are at greater risk of having a serious health problem.
What can I do to reduce my risk?
The following are 3 of the most important ways to reduce your risk of the top 3 causes of death:
1.Quit smoking, or don’t start.
2.Eat fewer high-fat foods and more fruits and vegetables.
3.Be more physically active.
Even by doing just 1 of these things, you will improve your health and reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke.
I know why I should eat fewer high-fat foods, but why bother eating more fruits and vegetables?
Fruits and vegetables are important sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber. To improve your eating habits, you’ll want to cut down on foods that are high in fat and calories, such as soda pop and hamburgers. By replacing those foods with healthier choices, such as fruits and vegetables, you’ll get better nutritional quality from the foods you eat. Also, adding fruits and vegetables—and learning new ways to prepare them—can keep you from getting bored with a healthier diet.
Sugar-sweetened drinks, such as fruit juice, fruit drinks, regular soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened or flavored milk and sweetened iced tea can add lots of sugar and calories to your diet. But staying hydrated is important for good health.
Image Credit: life success company
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