5 Easy Tips to Stay Healthy

Regular exercise helps relieve tension and anxiety, as well as control cholesterol and body weight. Thirty minutes of daily walking, cycling or gardening can improve your health. Running or swimming more than 60 minutes a week offers the same level of fitness. Furthermore, studies show that the simple act of tracking that exercise will not only help you exercise even more, but actually enjoy it as well. To get you started, try our interactive habit tracker. Remember, it takes at least 21 days for a behavior to become a habit, so make sure you commit yourself to the process.

Eating right is one of the best things you can do for your health. Not only does making better food choices have a transformative impact on how you look and feel, it can help reduce the risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Some easy tips to remember include limiting the amount of red meat, saturated fats, sweets and high-sodium foods you eat. You should also aim to include more fresh fruits, vegetables, skinless poultry and fish in your diet. To get you started, Houston Methodist Wellness dietitians have created some breakfast-inspired recipes (remember, it’s the most important meal of the day) designed to make eating right that much easier.

The old rule of thumb says you’re supposed to drink at least eight glasses (64 ounces) of water a day. That’s because drinking water throughout the day is good for your circulation, and respiration and helps convert food into energy. Moreover, drinking water soothes dry, itchy skin and can boost your metabolism to improve weight loss, especially when done 30 minutes before meals. While getting those 64 ounces may seem daunting, try making a game of keeping track of how much you drink — you may be surprised at how quickly you hit your goal.

Evidence shows that getting plenty of sleep helps keep your memory sharp, staves off depression, reduces your risk for heart disease, improves your skin tone and elasticity, and helps keep off the pounds. If you’re waking up at the crack of dawn just to get in an extra hour of exercise, you may be fighting an uphill battle. Lack of sleep appears to be related to an increase in hunger and appetite, and possibly obesity. Studies have shown that people who sleep less than six hours a day were almost 30 percent more likely to become overweight than those who slept seven to nine hours.

Your Houston Methodist primary care doctor can screen for serious diseases and treat minor problems to prevent major illnesses. He or she also can determine whether you and your kids are up to date on vaccinations, which is key to overall health, since vaccinations prevent many diseases and save lives. In addition, your annual appointment presents an excellent opportunity to discuss any health concerns and medications, as well as to review any changes that have occurred over the last year and encourage healthy lifestyle choices.