Let's Do It Healthy

January 7, 2005

When you walk around the mall, you'll get more than you bargained for: A leg up on fitness. Mall walking is a perfect way to make exercise feel less like a chore and more a part of daily life. Shopping centers are heated in winter, air-conditioned in summer, safe, well lit, and free of snapping dogs and pollen. Not only will you burn calories and tone your legs, if you maintain good posture when you walk, you'll give your abs a workout. Keep yourself straight up while holding in your ab muscles; every step becomes a mini sit-up. Most of us lean forward when we walk, but we can catch ourselves easily at the mall: Just check your posture in your reflection in the windows.

Water has no calories, vitamins or minerals, but drinking plenty of it it can reduce your risk of disease. Drinking more than six glasses of water each day cuts the risk of developing bladder cancer in half. Some evidence suggests that staying well hydrated cuts the risk of colon and breast cancer, and lessens your chances of developing kidney stones -- even if you've already passed one or more. Women should aim for about nine cups of fluids daily. Men should shoot for 12 cups.

What you eat can go a long way toward protecting your vision as you get older. Focus on foods with natural yellow pigments and those rich in vitamins C and E to keep your vision in top shape. Some of the foods that can make a difference: Leafy green vegetables, corn, egg yolks, kiwi, zucchini, pumpkin, yellow squash, red grapes, peas, green peppers, oranges, peaches, butternut squash, green beans, almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, fortified cereals and avocados.

Experts say that losing weight, keeping it off and staying (getting) healthy is a question of adopting a permanent lifestyle. The dieter has to adopt a lifestyle he/she can sustain for the rest of his/her life. Possibly, the greatest secret in losing weight, maintaining ideal body weight and staying/getting healthy is to do things in moderation. Eat too much and you will get fat. Eat too little and you will not be able to sustain it - when the diet breaks, all the weight comes back plus more. Other studies have shown that physical activity can be an even greater contributory factor to achieving good health and your ideal weight. Many people who exercise regularly enjoy good health, even if they are not too careful about what they eat. Of course, the ideal situation is to eat wisely and also take part in physical activity.