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Health and Fitness Tips for Your Family
“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” ~ Hippocrates
Have you ever wondered how healthy and fit is your family? Are you eating the right kind of food, exercising daily, and living a healthy lifestyle
Did you know in a given year, nearly 1.5 million people suffer from heart attack? That 13.5 million people have coronary heart disease, more than 60 million people are overweight, and 50 million people have high blood pressure. With these alarming figures, you need to set aside your excuses for not getting into shape and start noting these health and fitness
- Exercise Daily
Make it a habit to exercise
Children and young people need to exercise 60 minutes per day, while adults can keep 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, which should be done at least five days in a week. You can break up the 30 minutes into three 10 minute bursts of activity, all through the day, if you get tired doing it at one stretch.
As per the chief medical officer at the Department of Health’s, Professor Liam Donaldson, “Being active is no longer just an option. Exercise is essential if we are to live healthy and fulfilling lives into old age.”
- Remain Active
As a healthy and fit family
It can be done by taking the dog out for walks, walking to the shops, walking to your school if it’s nearby, helping in the household chores, taking the stairs instead of the lift, or cycling to nearby areas instead of taking the car. You can even pursue hobbies with your family like dancing, gardening, joining a gym, cooking-cleaning-washing at home, or playing any kind of sport.
Remember, even a little bit of activity can reduce the risk of developing major chronic diseases, like stroke, various cancers, type two diabetes, and coronary heart disease
- Water Intake
Ensure that everyone in your family drinks about six to eight glasses of water to prevent dehydration.
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| Photo C |
- Eat Healthy Food
An average man needs 2,500 calories a day, while the average woman around 2,000 calories, so you need to maintain a balance between the energy you consume with the energy you use. For the perfect health of your family, ensure you are getting a balanced diet
-Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, where at least five portions of various kinds of fruits and vegetables a day are recommended.
-Include starchy food like cereals, potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread, which should make up one third of the foods you eat, though choose wholegrain varieties whenever possible, as they contain more fiber that makes you feel full for a longer time.
-Eat more fish as it contains many minerals, vitamins, proteins, and is high in omega-3 fats, which prevent heart diseases. Include lean meat, eggs, beans, and pulses in your diet as well.
-Include milk and dairy products like yoghurt and cheese in your diet as they contain proteins and calcium, which keeps your bones strong and healthy.
-Reduce your sugar intake in food and drinks, which are high in calories and lead to weight gain. Eat foods with natural sugar like fruits and milk, rather than cakes, biscuits, fizzy drinks that contain added sugar.
-Lessen the amount of saturated fats found in sausages, butter, cream, hard cheese, lard, pies, as they increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, thus increasing the risk of developing heart disease. Instead choose options like baking, boiling, steaming, and poaching as a medium of cooking healthy food.
-Eat less salt, as three-quarters of the salt we eat is present in the food we buy like soups, breads, sauces, breakfast cereals. Eating salt in excess raises blood pressure, and can lead to heart disease or a stroke.
In today’s fast-paced modern world, your lifestyles
Photo Credit: Simon Howden and Zirconicusso
About Harleena Singh
Harleena Singh is a professional freelance writer. She has written this post and numerous others on various topics. Checkout her other blog for writers and website to know more about her. Network with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
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March 14, 2011 at 6:49 am
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April 3, 2011 at 2:21 pm
These are very valuable and lovely tips to be followed to have a healthy life.Fluids like water was down the toxins from the body and so are very valuable and important to the health.
Harleena Singh
April 6, 2011 at 3:55 pm
@generic viagra Glad you liked reading the post,and that it has a positive affect on your life as well.
Harleena Singh
April 6, 2011 at 3:58 pm
@breast reduction surgery Thanks for liking the article, and yes the importance of water is something that we mostly tend to overlook.
Saul Styles
September 29, 2011 at 5:01 am
So very very cool! I am glad I came across your site! Some points I completely agree with and knew about, but some stuff I had not thought about! Thanks!
Harleena Singh
September 29, 2011 at 7:16 am
Glad you could related to the post and liked it. Do visit the blog again for more stuff
Mike
December 28, 2011 at 9:21 am
Having a consistent exercise program along with proper nutrition are the foundation to good health. Another important factor is getting enough sleep in order to recover from everyday stress.
Harleena Singh
December 28, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Yes indeed, those are very valid points you mentioned Mike!
I guess if we fix a proper routine to follow where our exercise schedule is concerned, along with a balanced nutritious diet, most of our health problems are solved. And yes, adequate sleep is another important factor to overcome stress as well as many other ailments.
Thanks for stopping-by.
Hajra
January 28, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Couldn’t have been said better!
Though I am not the health freak and sometimes I do go off limits, I try my best to stay away from sugar given that I come from a family with a diabetic history. Very tough, because I have an extreme sweet tooth!
Bookmarking this for a constant reminder!
Harleena Singh
January 28, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Glad you resonated with the post Hajra!
We all do go off limits sometime or the other, no matter how careful we are or want to become. I guess it is just human nature and nothing that we can do about.
It does get tough to stay away from things you love, though I feel if you are clear health-wise, eating everything in moderation would be alright also. The hunger pangs increase often if we restrict or try limiting ourselves from our craving of food.
Thanks for stopping-by
Hajra
March 14, 2012 at 3:39 am
LOL! Hunger pangs are like the biggest enemy of it all! And I love how you mention family here too! My mom and I go tot the gym together everyday!
Though our workouts are totally different; we enjoy doing it together!
Harleena Singh
March 14, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Family is everywhere Hajra!
Hunger pangs will always remain, guess you need to learn to control them- isn’t it?
That’s indeed wonderful that you and your mom go to the gym daily- nothing could be better! My husband and myself go for our daily walks, though nowadays with kids having their exams things are all going haywire.
Guess all that matters is that you learn to take care of your health, and if you manage to get hold of a few friends well and good, or else good old family is always there. But yes, even if no ones around, you could go alone- I used to do that, though my hubby was sweet enough to join me later.
Thanks for stopping by
Hajra
March 14, 2012 at 6:42 pm
That is one challenge for me. Controlling hunger pangs. I think coming from a typical Indian family, I am used to the rich fulfilling food and somehow I don’t have trouble controlling portions; I can’t seem to let go off spicy food! If you know what I mean!
Harleena Singh
March 14, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Oh yes- the rich spicy food is a problem, though again the controls are all within us. Once in a while am sure it’s alright to indulge, though making it a daily habit can be harmful. But you really don’t have to worry, as you are working it out.
Thanks for adding to the conversation.
Vidya Sury
February 22, 2012 at 11:53 am
Naturally I enjoyed this post!
I’d like to add: for everyone above 40 years, an annual master health check is a must. Preventive care will save a lot of grief from those silent killers like type 2 diabetes, abnormal cholesterol and other lifestyle diseases that even younger people are at risk for, these days. Timely diagnosis can help reduce the risk or at least ensure early treatment to lead a better quality life.
I also write my own health blog at Your Medical Guide
Thanks for sharing these wonderful points, Harleena. I’ll be glad to share them!
Harleena Singh
February 22, 2012 at 6:08 pm
Glad you could resonate with the post Vidya!
Yes, you are right about the health check up being a must for everyone above the age of 40, something that most of us tend to overlook. I know this for sure, as I was also rather late in getting my health check-ups done, which did show me the true picture of my health. Everything may appear good, healthy, and normal from the outside- needn’t be well enough within, for which these annual health checkups are a must.
Nice to learn about your health blog, would surely look it up.
Thanks so much for the reminder of the health checkups, a good point. And thanks for stopping-by.
Sam
March 16, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Fitness is not something which can be gained forever. You need to put effort to maintain a fit body. Without continuous exercises and recreation one cannot even think about fitness.
Harleena Singh
March 19, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Welcome the blog Sam!
Yes, you’re right that one has to make efforts to gain fitness, and then keep making the efforts on a regular basis. However, I hope interested readers and aspirants do not get dissuaded by this revelation – by thinking of the efforts needed. As by the time they reach the optimum fitness level, they would be so involved and gripped into the fitness practice regime that they wouldn’t want to leave that and continue practicing exercises.
Thanks for stopping by.