Our Body is the most complex machine. To simplify the way we look after our body, have in mind these analogies: our body is not poles apart from looking after, for example: a car. You would not put diesel in a petrol car? Run your car without water or oil?  

7 Ways of looking after your Health and be disease-free

(1) Be physically active every day - Research has revealed that getting 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity on the majority days of the week can be capable of helping to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and keep your weight at a healthy level. Studies show that people who have accomplished even a reasonable level of fitness are a great deal less prone to die early than those with a low fitness level.

A few facts that have resulted from current studies incorporate:

• Walking energetically for three hours a week, or exercising energetically for 1.5 hours a week, will decrease coronary heart disease risk by 30 to 40 percent. New England Journal of Medicine, 1999
• Reasonably active people had a 20 percent lower risk of stroke or stroke death than low-active people.   Stroke Journal Report, 2003

Studies supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), establish that throughout an eight-month period participants:

• Walking 30 minutes a day or 12 miles a week at 40 to 55 percent maximum heart rate: Lost 1 percent of body weight, lost 1.6 percent of waist measurement, lost 2 percent of body fat and gained 0.7 percent lean muscle.
• Jogging at 65 to 80 percent of maximum heart rate for 12 miles a week: lost 1 percent of body weight, lost 1.4 percent of waist measurement, lost 2.6 percent of body fat and gained 1.4 percent lean muscle. (NHLBI)

(2) Good Nutrition - Research be evidence for that good nutrition can help to lower peoples risk for numerous chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, some cancers, diabetes, and osteoporosis - BMJ-British Medical Journal..

Here are a few tips for a good nutritional intake:

• Eat at least two/three servings of fruits and vegetables every day (reduces cancer and heart disease risk)
• Limit your total fat intake, Cut back on saturated fats (helps prevent cancer and heart disease).
• Eat whole grains (cuts your risk of colon cancer).
• Limit cured or smoked foods as bacon, ham and hot dogs (decreases stomach cancer risk).
• Cut of the amount of salt intake (prevent cardiovascular diseases)
• Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams a day (reduces your risk for heart disease).
• Limit sodium intake to 2,400 milligrams a day or less (can reduce your risk of heart disease or stomach cancer).
• Avoid obesity; consume the amount of calories appropriate to maintain a healthy weight.
• Limit alcoholic (cuts your risk for many forms of cancer).
• Don't smoke or use smokeless tobacco (Tobacco use is a cause for numerous types of cancer and heart disease risk.

Reach for healthy foods!!

(3) Healthy Weight - Good nutrition and physical activity are the only line of attack to sustain a healthy weight. Your body is conjured of water, fat, protein, carbohydrate and a variety of vitamins and minerals. If you have too much fat (particularly if a lot of it is at your waist) puts you at risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and insulin resistance, a predecessor of type 2 diabetes. Fat lodged in your arteries is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Sooner or later it could set off a heart attack or stroke. Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Obesity Research 1998, 6 Suppl 2:51S-209S)

(4) Reduce stress - People under stress increase their risk of getting high blood pressure. According to a report in the Journal of the American Heart Association: Keeping a (cool head) while in your 20s may well decrease your risk of developing high blood pressure in middle age. High blood pressure causes the heart to work harder than normal, and increases the risk for heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. (People who are active and physically fit can have smaller stress responses or their blood pressure might return to normal quicker) Karen A. Matthews, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.

(5) Be Happy - Being happy and psychologically fit has a major affect on your health. E.g.: Mastering the Ten Ways of Looking after Your Mind (These include: keeping active, eating well, keeping in contact with friends and loved ones, taking a break, talking about your feelings, exploring your capacities and interests, accepting who you are, being assertive, not making excuses and finally caring for others)   achieves psychological wellbeing lowering the risks of stress, obesity,etc. Therefore lowers the risk of high blood pressure, hypertension leading to heart attacks and strokes.    

(6) Stop smoking - Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the several countries. Smoking is the primary cause of lung cancer and causes over 100,000 respiratory deaths per year. Nearly 160,000 men and women in the United States die from cardiovascular disease attributed to smoking every year, according to the Center for Disease Control. In England over 1,600 people are estimated to die from smoking each week. This amounts to over 230 deaths every day and nearly 10 deaths every hour. Approximately 62% of these deaths are men and 38% are women, this facts were published by the Health Development Agency.

(7) Limit alcohol - Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, cause heart failure and lead to stroke. It can contribute to high triglycerides, produce irregular heartbeats and affect cancer and other diseases. It contributes to obesity, alcoholism, suicide and accidents.

A few studies have been published in science journals regarding how drinking alcohol may be connected with reduced mortality due to heart disease in a number of populations. Some researchers are investigating the possible benefits of components in red wine such as flavonoids and other antioxidants in reducing heart disease risk. Alcohol or some substances such as resveratrol found in alcoholic beverages might avert platelets in the blood from sticking together. That might decrease clot formation and decrease the risk of heart attack or stroke. How alcohol or wine affects cardiovascular risk needs and is worth further investigations. So if you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. This means an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.   (A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.)

BHNF - Be Healthy and Fit     It is in your Hands