Six Healthy Habits You Can Start TODAY!
Everybody wants to be healthy, right? Although there are some things we can't control about our health, there are many things we can. By developing healthy habits that we practice on a daily basis, we can tip the odds in our favor for living a long and vibrant life.
1. Drink more water. Most people don't drink nearly enough water to properly hydrate their bodies. If you simply consider the fact that the human body is about 75% water, it helps to understand the importance of drinking the recommended daily amount of 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses. The problems associated with improper hydration and the benefits of proper hydration are too many to list here, but consider this one: Inadequate fluid intake and dehydration increases the risk of developing kidney stones. If you've ever suffered the pain of a kidney stone, that knowledge alone could be enough to prompt you to drink up.
2. Eat less food more often. Many people believe that the best way to lose weight is by skipping meals and eating less often. The truth is that when you skip meals, the metabolism slows down and you burn less calories and fat.
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Add A New Comment15 Comments
Great list of your top 6 - definitely advice to live healthily by! My three top pics are more water, exercise, and quality sleep. This third point, sleep, is especially timely now. I've been reading that the economic stressors have affected our ability to sleep well and really rejuvenate, and stress levels are way up as a result of this combination. On the plus side, exercise can be a great stress reliever!
- Anna M
blog.nutri-health.com
If your going to say you can improve your audience's health, you should have research backing up the validity of your suggestions...
http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp
"The origins of the 8-10 glasses per day figure remain elusive. As a Los Angeles Times article on the subject reported:
'Consider that first commandment of good health: Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. This unquestioned rule is itself a question mark. Most nutritionists have no idea where it comes from. "I can't even tell you that," says Barbara Rolls, a nutrition researcher at Pennsylvania State University, "and I've written a book on water."'"
I personally prefer to cite a recognized and respected medical source than a newspaper article, but the point is still the same: the 8 glass rule is arbitrary.
Everyone is different, therefore has different requirements. You're right - it seems no one can pinpoint where this 8 glass rule came from (perhaps the USDA food pyramid creators?).
At the same time, I'd be willing to wager that most people drink junk fluids. I have a filtered water pitcher at work that I refill at least 2-3 times/day and have been trying to wean my co-worker off her diet sodas (she could stand a healthful eating regimen). I don't just drink clear water, either - my daily morning lemon or ginger tea and the occasional French pressed coffee count as fluid intake, too.
As a marathoner and coach, the only "rules" we teach are that you should drink enough to pass relatively clear urine; that all your fluid does not have to be clear water (there are water-rich foods, too) to drink when you're thirsty and before you feel parched; and hydrate well before, during and after a long run or hard workout.
Mayo Clinic: Water: How much should you drink every day?
On other points, I do agree with the "if it's white, don't bite" idea. We really don't need to be consuming refined, enriched or bleached anything. Eat real food!
Unless someone has (moderately advanced) kidney disease or a propensity for a mineral deficiency (uncommon), there's really no reason people shouldn't be consuming at least 1.5 - 2 L's per day. I've seen so many people who overeat, are "chronically fatigued", or even constipated because of a lack of water (and also fibre, in the constipation case). The average person should be drinking around 2 L's in my opinion, larger and more active people often need more, men typically require more than women, etc; but I think it's a good GENERAL rule.
I forgot to mention... Coffee and alcohol should NOT count as water intake as the are diuretics and promote urination (literally dehydrating the body). Herbal teas are OK, and juices too (watch the sugar!), but of course water should comprise the majority of that fluid intake