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Score Your Health SMARTS

Posted on: Sunday, 2 January 2005, 03:00 CST

Our 4-point quiz helps you determine which areas you need to make over this year. The payoff? A happier, healthier you!

Maybe you work out every day, but can't remember the last time you saw your doctor. Or you never miss your annual exam, but healthful eating in between is just too much of a hassle. Most of us have at least a few habits that could use some improvement. Take our quiz to find out which areas of healthy living deserve more of your attention in 2005. Then, read on for easy ways to reshape your lifestyle.

HOW YOU SCORED

If you answered true to any of the questions in a category, consider making that health component more of a priority this year. (The more "trues" you have in a certain area, the more emphasis you may want to give it). But don't feel overwhelmed if you need to make improvements across the board - most of us do! Here, with the help of our panel of experts, Shape shows you how each habit affects your health and provides simple steps to get you going in the right direction.

Physical activity

It does a body (and mind) good

Combined with poor diet, physical inactivity is the second most common preventable cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So, get moving! You'll not only reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, colon cancer and breast cancer; exercise also will help you maintain a healthy weight, bones, muscles and joints and reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "There is virtually no system in the body that isn't in some way favorably impacted by regular exercise," says Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D., chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise.

For general health benefits, 30 minutes of moderate activity five or more times a week will do it. If you're looking to keep your weight down, however, shoot for 60 minutes, Bryant says. For beginners, he suggests moderate cardiovascular exercise such as walking, which doesn't require a gym or equipment other than a decent pair of athletic shoes. It's also important to include resistance training to preserve and build muscle mass and help prevent osteoporosis, Bryant adds. Resistance bands and dumbbells are inexpensive tools you can use at home.

No energy? If you become more active, you'll have more stamina, Bryant says. No time? You don't have to get your 30-60 minutes in all at once, and anything, even 10 minutes, is better than nothing. "The effects of exercise are cumulative," Bryant says. "Every little bit counts."

Diet & nutrition

Keep your plate colorful

Poor eating habits are second only to tobacco as the leading cause of cancer worldwide. Eating a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean cuts of meat, and lowfat or nonfat dairy products may help prevent not just cancer, but heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels as well, according to Jeannie Moloo, Ph.D., R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

So what's the simplest way to make sure you're eating right? "When you prepare your plate, include something from each food group," Moloo says. And the less processed, the better (think vegetables, not vegetable-flavored crackers).

When grocery shopping, choose foods high in dietary fiber, she adds, such as cereal with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving, bread with at least 3 grams of fiber per serving, whole-wheat pasta and whole-grain rice. In addition to eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, this will aid you in getting 25-30 grams of dietary fiber a day, which studies have shown helps prevent some types of cancer, Moloo says. Fiber also helps fight heart disease and makes you feel fuller longer, fending off weight gain, she adds.

Moloo's other recommendations: Get 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily, ideally by eating three servings from the dairy group, such as nonfat and lowfat milk or yogurt. Take a multivitamin - as a way to supplement your diet, not as a replacement for eating healthfully (compounds in foods help your body absorb vitamins and minerals efficiently) - and limit caffeine, alcohol, oils and sweets. If you have a sweet tooth or junk-food habit, make a pact with yourself not to indulge your craving until you've eaten your five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables for the day, and then eat only half as much of your treat as you usually do, Moloo recommends.

If you're short on time and opt for takeout, order fresh, grilled or steamed items, rather than deep-fried or sauce-soaked meals. Or pick up some prewashed spinach, pre-cut vegetables and a roasted chicken from the grocery store and throw it together with some lowfat dressing.

Rest & emotional well-being

Healthy mind, healthy body

If you don't snooze, you lose: Hormones thought to help repair body tissues are primarily secreted during sleep, says Meir Kryger, M.D., director of the Sleep Disorders Center at St. Boniface General Hospital, Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, and author of A Woman's Guide to Sleep Disorders (McGraw-Hill, 2004). "If we reduce the amount of sleep we get, research has shown that we are more susceptible to infections," Kryger says. Most people need between seven and nine hours of sleep - adjust your amount until you're able to wake up without an alarm clock, feeling rested and refreshed.

Reducing anxiety is also critical for good health: "Stress is a major contributing factor to the development and/or aggravation of 70-80 percent of medical disorders," says Kenneth Pelletier, M.D., Ph.D., clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona School of Medicine in Tucson and co-author of Stress Free for Good: Ten Scientifically Proven Life Skills for Health and Happiness (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005). When sustained at high levels over time, the chemicals released in response to stress damage your immune and cardiovascular systems, explains Blair Justice, Ph.D., emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston and author of Who Gets Sick? How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health (Peak Press, 2000). Unabated stress is most damaging, so find a relaxation technique that works for you and use it as soon as you feel tension building, Pelletier recommends. It could be a prayer or a calming word that you repeat, abdominal breathing, meditation, yoga or a walk.

Connections with people and interests count toward better physical health too. "In the short term, emotional well-being relates to whether or not we decrease or increase our risk of illness," Justice says. "And in the long term, it has a big influence on longevity." Studies repeatedly show that increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol and decreased levels of certain neurotransmitters (namely, serotonin) associated with "up" moods can lead to the buildup of coronary plaques that cause heart attacks, says Corey Keyes, Ph.D., an associate professor of sociology and public health at Emory University in Atlanta. And according to a study he conducted of more than 3,000 people ages 25- 74, it's not unique to depression; simply feeling blue on a regular basis can make you more susceptible to heart disease.

To promote emotional well-being, it's important to have at least one loving relationship in which you can comfortably and safely disclose your innermost feelings and thoughts, Justice says. And take the initiative to make good things happen for yourself, Keyes recommends, whether it's researching your dream job, or making time to hike, paint or get together with friends. Maintaining an attitude of appreciation, volunteering, caring for a pet and having a sense of humor have also been shown to have mental and physical benefits, Justice says.

And don't underestimate the power of spirituality. "When one connects with something bigger, studies have shown the experience results in lower blood pressure and a slowing of heart rate and respiration," Justice says. "Over time, the immune system is also strengthened through an increase in antibodies." If praying or meditating isn't for you, get out in nature, lose yourself in a piece of art or music or become involved in a greater cause that serves others, he suggests.

Seeing the doc

An ounce of prevention ...

If you avoid the doctor, you'll miss out on checkups and tests that can uncover diseases or health conditions early, when they're easier to treat. Talk to your gynecologist and primary-care physician about how often you should. visit them and which tests - such as Pap smear, STD screening, cholesterol check, diabetes screening and breast exams - you need. Then make, and keep, your appointments. If you don't like your doctor, switch to another. If you're afraid she might discover something you'd rather not know, realize that the consequences of putting off diagnosis and treatment might be far worse, says Karen Johnson, M.D., M.P.H., vice chair and professor of preventive medicine and internal medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

Checkups and screening tests depend on your age, personal and family health history and lifestyle behaviors. So fill your doctors in on absolutely everything, experts emphasize, including any major Stressors in your life, herbs or supplements you're taking, sexual practices, how much you drink and smoke and mental-health problems youor a family member have experienced. Don't be shy about mentioning anything else you think could affect your health, even if It's simply that you feel different lately.

And don't forget to see your dentist twice a year. Oral infections can spread to other parts of your body, and some mouth disorders may be a sign of other serious health conditions.

Stress is a major contributing factor in up to 80 percent of medical disorders, so take a walk, meditate, repeat a calming mantra or stretch to ease mounting tension.

Taking a multivitamin isn't a bad idea, but you need compounds found in real foods to help your body use those vitamins and minerals efficiently.

Get sick often? Lack of rest may be to blame; hormones that repair body tissues and build immunity are primarily secreted during sleep.

Freelance writer Susan Bierma is working on curbing her red- licorice habit and taking plenty of stretch breaks when on deadline.

Copyright American Media, Inc. Jan 2005

Source: Shape

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