Healthy Living and Disease Prevention - Things to do Right Now

Healthy Living and Disease Prevention - Things to do Right Now. "Healthy living" means both physical and mental health are in balance or functioning well together.

What is healthy living?

"Healthy living" means both physical and mental health are in balance or functioning well together.

Living healthy every day is something we all want, but not everyone knows what to do to help themselves live healthier.

It's never too late to start living an active and healthy lifestyle, so to stay healthy you need to do the following as soon as possible.

1. Eat healthy

Eating a healthy diet is part of helping you stay healthy every day. A nutritious diet can not only help with weight control, but it can also improve your health and quality of life.

For a healthier diet change you can do the following:

- Cut down on sugary foods and drinks: It's easy to consume excess sugar and calories in food and drinks.

Cakes, candies, ice cream, sweetened soft drinks, sweetened teas, juice drinks and coffee drinks with added sugar... are foods and drinks you should limit.

Because when you eat too much sugar, it will cause excess energy and stored energy will turn into unhealthy fats.

- Eat low-fat or fat-free dairy: Switching to skim milk or fat-free yogurt is another simple way to limit your calorie intake without making too many changes to your diet.

- Eat more fruit: Add fruit to your cereal, salad, dinner, or dessert. Fruit is also a great snack after work or school...

- Add vegetables to your diet: Add vegetables to any dish you can, such as a sandwich, pizza...

- Alternative Snacks or snacks are not as nutritious as snacking on nuts. Not only is it delicious, but it also provides many nutrients and limits the amount of calories entering the body.

Tips for everyday healthy eating:

• Eat three healthy meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner); it is important to remember that dinner does not have to be the largest meal.
• The bulk of food consumption should consist of healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk products.
• Incorporate lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts (with emphasis on beans and nuts) into a healthy diet.
• Choose foods that are low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars; look at the labels because the first listed items on the labels comprise the highest concentrations of ingredients.
• Control portion sizes; eat the smallest portion that can satisfy hunger and then stop eating.
• Healthy snacks are OK in moderation and should consist of items like fruit, whole grains, or nuts to satisfy hunger and not cause excessive weight gain.
• Avoid sodas and sugar-enhanced drinks because of the excessive calories in the sodas and sugar drinks; diet drinks may not be a good choice as they make some people hungrier and increase food consumption.
• Avoid eating a large meal before sleeping to decrease gastroesophageal reflux and weight gain.
• If a person is angry or depressed, eating will not solve these situations and may make the underlying problems worse.
• Avoid rewarding children with sugary snacks; such a pattern may become a lifelong habit for people.
• Avoid heavy meals in the summer months, especially during hot days.
• A vegetarian lifestyle has been promoted for a healthy lifestyle and weight loss; vegetarians should check with their physicians to be sure they are getting enough vitamins, minerals, and iron in their diet.
• Cooking foods (above 165 F) destroys most harmful bacteria and other pathogens; if you choose to eat uncooked foods like fruits or vegetables, they should be thoroughly washed with running treated (safe to drink) tap water right before eating.
• Avoid eating raw or undercooked meats of any type.

2. Safe drinking water

Drinking water is essential for the body, but if it is not hygienic, it can lead to water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio.

3. Exercise regularly

Dedicating 150 minutes of weekly activity to exercise reduces stress, strengthens muscles and increases endurance, helping your body function more efficiently at other tasks or physical activities.

You can choose exercises such as walking, yoga, nursing, cycling, swimming, playing sports... Not only that, your housework, daily activities are also considered an image movement mode.

Exercise for physical health:

Physical activity and exercise is a major contributor to a healthy lifestyle.

Tips for exercising regularly:

• Thirty minutes of modest exercise (walking is OK) at least 3 to 5 days a week is recommended, but the greatest health benefits come from exercising most days of the week.
• Exercise can be broken up into smaller 10-minute sessions.
• Start slowly and progress gradually to avoid injury or excessive soreness or fatigue. Over time, build up to 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day.
• People are never too old to start exercising. Even frail, elderly individuals (70-90 years of age) can improve their strength and balance with exercise.
• Almost any type of exercise (resistance, water aerobics, walking, swimming, weights, yoga, and many others) is helpful for everybody.
• Children need exercise; play outside of the home is a good beginning.
• Sports for children may provide excellent opportunities for exercise, but care must be taken not to overdo certain exercises (for example, throwing too many pitches in baseball may harm a joint like the elbow or shoulder).
• Exertion during strenuous exercise may make a person tired and sore, but if pain occurs, stop the exercise until the pain source is discovered; the person may need to seek medical help and advice about continuation of such exercise.

4. Exercise for mental health

Healthy living involves more than physical health, it also includes emotional or mental health. The following are some ways people can support their mental health and well-being.

Tips for improving mental health:

• Get enough sleep daily; the CDC recommends the following by age group (naps inclusive); 12-18 hours from birth to 2 months, 14-15 hours from 3-11 months of age, 12-18 hours for 1-3 years of age, 11-13 hours for 3-5 years of age, 10-11 hours for 5-10 years of age, 8.5-9.5 hours for 10-17 years of age and those 18 and above need 7-9 hours of sleep. Elderly people need about 7-9 hours but do not sleep as deeply and may awaken at night or wake early, so naps (like kids need) allow them to accumulate the total of 7-9 hours of sleep.
• Take a walk and reflect on what you see and hear at least several times per week.
• Try something new and often (eat a new food, try a different route to work, go to a new museum display).
• Do some mind exercises (read, do a puzzle occasionally during the week).
• Try to focus on a process intensely and complete a segment of it over 1 to several hours, then take a break and do something relaxing (walk, exercise, short nap).
• Plan to spend some time talking with other people about different subjects.
• Try to make some leisure time to do some things that interest you every week (hobby, sport).
• Learn ways to say "no" when something occurs that you do not want to do or be involved with.
• Have fun (go on a trip with someone you love, go shopping, go fishing; do not let vacation time slip away).
• Let yourself be pleased with your achievements, both big and small (develop contentment).
• Have a network of friends; those with strong social support systems lead healthier lives.
• Seek help and advice early if you feel depressed, have suicidal thoughts, or consider harming yourself or others.
• People taking medicine for mental health problems should not stop taking these medications, no matter how "well" they feel, until they have discussed their situation with their prescribing doctor(s).

5. Maintain a reasonable weight

A healthy weight helps prevent diseases caused by being overweight or underweight.

Increasing your activity level or controlling your diet can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

If you are currently overweight, try doing exercises to improve health and do not worry too much about weight.

6. No smoking

Smoking increases the risk of diseases such as lung disease, heart disease and stroke.

Tobacco not only kills direct smokers but even non-smokers when exposed to secondhand smoke.

If you are currently a smoker, it's not too late to quit. Quitting smoking will benefit you in the long run.

7. Periodic health check

Regularly check your blood pressure, because high blood pressure is also known as the “silent killer”.

If left unchecked, high blood pressure can lead to heart, brain, kidney, and other diseases. Therefore, regular blood pressure checks by medical personnel are essential.

If your blood pressure is high, it is important to consult a doctor, which is important to prevent and control disease or complications.

In addition, laboratory tests are also essential to monitor and detect pathologies.

It is advisable to test for chronic diseases caused by viruses such as hepatitis B, C... blood fat and blood sugar testing is also very necessary.

8. Fully vaccinated

Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent disease.

Vaccines work with your body's natural defenses to protect against diseases caused by microorganisms such as cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis B. Influenza, measles, mumps, pneumonia, polio , rabies, rubella, tetanus, typhoid and yellow fever...

Children or adults also need to be fully vaccinated with all kinds of vaccines to help prevent disease actively and limit the risk of aggravation of the disease.

When you limit your disease, you will find yourself living healthy every day.

9. Prevent mosquito bites

Mosquitoes are one of the vectors that transmit diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, malaria and lymphatic filariasis.

So preventing mosquito bites helps you prevent dangerous diseases.

Measures that can be used include using mosquito repellent, always using a mosquito net when sleeping, wearing long clothes, using window and door screens. And needing to clean the surroundings weekly to eliminate breeding grounds. mosquito production.

10. Obey traffic laws

Traffic accidents have claimed the lives of more than a million people around the world and injured millions more.

Road traffic injuries are preventable through a variety of objective and subjective measures.

You can also prevent collisions on the road yourself by making sure to obey traffic laws such as wearing an adult seat belt and a child seat belt.

Wearing a helmet when riding a motorbike or bicycle.

Do not drink while driving and do not use mobile phones while driving.

11. Children should be breastfed from 0 to 2 years old

Breastfeeding is the best way to provide ideal food for babies and young children. Breastfeeding for the first six months is important for babies to grow up healthy.
It is recommended to continue breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond if possible.

In addition to being beneficial for healthy babies and children. Breastfeeding is also good for the mother because it reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type II diabetes, and postpartum depression.

12. Use prescription drugs as directed

Prescription drugs must be taken under the direction of a doctor. In particular, a drug that is often abused today is antibiotics.

The indiscriminate use of antibiotics is one of the greatest public health threats of our generation.

When antibiotics lose their effectiveness, bacterial infections become more difficult to treat, leading to higher medical costs, longer hospital stays, and increased mortality.

You should only take antibiotics if prescribed by your doctor, and once prescribed, complete the treatment days as directed. Never share antibiotics with others.

13. Take care of your sleep

One of the important ways to live healthy every day is to have a good night's sleep.

Well-rested people not only cope better with stress, but also have better control over their cravings.

Research has shown that a lack of sleep can cause overeating, which affects health, causing overweight and obesity to increase the risk of chronic diseases.

14. Smile more every day

Laughing more makes you healthier and has more positive energy.

Read comics, watch comedy or tell jokes to laugh more and bring back happy emotions.

15. Always have a positive attitude in life

Maintaining a positive state is another way to conserve energy. If you think positively, you will also feel more satisfied and happy with your life.

A healthy lifestyle makes you healthier every day. Maybe start with each thing you can do first, and then gradually get used to a healthier lifestyle every day.