Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Our body is a temple, so why not treat it as one?

Our choices we make every day have an effect on our body. Below are several lifestyle choices that we can change for the better and some tips for better health including:

• Don’t smoke! In the United States, tobacco kills about 443,000 people a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• Control your weight. Approximately 72.5 million adults are obese in the United States, according to the CDC. Someone is considered obese if their body mass index is 30 or higher. Calculate your BMI.

• Drink in moderation. Nearly 80,000 people die in the United States each year as a result of excessive drinking, according to the CDC. Drink no more than one to two alcohol containing drinks a day.

• Exercise regularly. As little as three hours a week can make a healthy difference in your life.

• Get a regular check-up. See your health care provider once a year to have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked in addition to other recommended screening tests.

• Drink water! Your body is nearly 70 percent water and needs it to function at its highest level.

• Eat from good nutritional sources. Your body needs proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Learn how much you need and the best sources to find these from when making food choices.

• Wear sunscreen. More than two million cases of non-melanoma skin cancers are found in the U.S. each year, according to the American Cancer Society. Use a sunscreen with a minimum sun protection factor or SPF of 15, especially living here in Arizona.

• Eat complex carbohydrates. Choose vegetables, fruits and grains – rather than the simple carbohydrates found in sugars. Complex carbohydrates add more fiber, vitamins and minerals to your diet than foods high in refined sugars.

• Eat more avocados! This fruit is energy-rich with folate, antioxidants A, B6 and C. It is rich with protein, vitamins E, B1, B2 and B3. Avocados have no salt, and are also high in fiber according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

• Skip the soda. One 12-ounce can of soda contains about nine teaspoons of added sugar, which is about 150 empty calories.