Eating a proper diet and exercising are tough habits to get into. Among the many reasons to eat right and exercise, cancer prevention is a priority. Additionally, smoking cessation is the single most beneficial health change you can make to decrease your risk of many types of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, cancer and cancer death can be prevented by practicing these healthy lifestyle habits!
The following are six tips to kick-start a renewed healthy lifestyle:
• Start eating at lease 5 servings per day of fruits and vegetables:
Fruits and vegetables are good sources of fiber and nutrients. They are a great way to provide the needed nutrients while filling you up with less calories per serving compared to other food categories.
• Limit your intake of alcohol:
Men should have no more than two servings of alcohol per day. Women should have one serving per day. Alcohol can contribute to the risk of many types of cancer as well as add calories to your diet.
• Minimize dietary fat:
Fat offers more calories per serving than other sources of nutrients. Foods containing high amounts of fat include fried foods, sweets, and “junk” foods such as potato chips.
• Spend at least 30 minutes per day moving around (Exercising):
Exercise keeps the body strong to help maintain a healthy immune system. While it is difficult to get in the habit of exercising, maintaining the habit is not as difficult. Making that first step toward an exercise goal is the hardest part!
• Maintain a healthy weight:
Research has shown that the first ten pounds of weight loss in any individual who is overweight is the most beneficial to health. Even if a person feels that a 50 pound weight loss is needed, just ten pounds can make a difference in health risks.
• Stop smoking:
Smoking is a difficult habit to kick. More than 99% of people who smoke regularly have tried to quit at least once and failed. On average, it takes at least three attempts at quitting before a person can successfully quit. Various options and programs are available to help you quit smoking. Perhaps knowing that initial failure does not mean you can never quit is an incentive to give it a try one more time!
Michelle Herbert, PharmD, CDE
