8 health shortcuts that work - realsimple

10/ 8/ 12 8 Healt h Shor t cut s That Wor k - RealSim ple. com

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Greg Clarke

Cardiovascular Activity

The ideal: Do 30 minutes most days of the

week. The surgeon general advises this

near-daily regimen will help lower LDL (bad)

cholesterol, raise HDL (good) cholesterol,

and improve cardio health, reducing the risk

for diabetes and heart disease.

The next best thing: Take three 10-minute

walks each day. Short bursts have real

health benefits, says Cris Slentz, Ph.D., a

senior research scientist at Duke University

Medical Center, in Durham, North Carolina.

Assuming the intensity is identical to that of

a 30-minute workout, you’ll burn the same

number of calories and get the heart-health

benefits. A few ideas:

Devote 10 minutes of your lunch hour to a brisk walk.

Climb a few flights of stairs several times a day instead of using the elevator.

Offer to take a friend’s (energetic) dog for a walk.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

The ideal: Have five to nine servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Eat such a bounty and

you’ll get a full array of nutrients, as well as plenty of fiber, says Claudia Gonzalez, a registered

dietitian in Miami.

8 Health Shortcuts That WorkDoing exactly the right thing can seem impossible. These quick methods comeclose.



Greg Clarke

The next best thing: They may not be

farmers’ market–worthy, but sneak in

servings this way:

Try vitamin-rich dried fruits and single-

serving packs of applesauce (applesauce

has less fiber than fresh apples but still

contains some vitamin C).

Using frozen berries, whip up a fruit

smoothie, which can hold up to three

servings of fruit.

Try canned. Vegetable and bean soups

are good sources of fiber and can be as

nutritionally rich as fresh produce, says

Gonzalez.

Go ahead and take a multivitamin if

you’re still falling short. It may cover key

nutrients.

Sleep

The ideal: Get at least seven hours each

night. Skimping on sleep can have a major

impact on your health. A 2007 study at the

University of Warwick, in England, found that

women who slept fewer than five hours a

night were twice as likely to suffer from

hypertension as women who got seven hours

of sleep. Previous studies have linked lack of

sleep to weight gain and a weakened

immune system.

The next best thing: If you’ve been short

on sleep, take a nap. A recent study found

that people who took a short daily nap had a

lower rate of dying from heart disease than

did those who never snoozed during the day.



Greg ClarkeTwo suggestions:

Lie down for a 20-minute siesta in the afternoon to revive yourself.

Take a quick catnap when you get home from work to counteract the effects of

lost sleep.

Greg Clarke

Fish

The ideal: Eat it twice a week. Fatty fish,

like salmon, trout, and sardines, are packed

with DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids,

which have been found in many studies to

reduce the risk of heart disease and boost

the immune system.

The next best thing: Add flaxseed or fish

oil to your diet. Here are two easy ways:

Sprinkle one to two tablespoons of

flaxseed on salads or oatmeal, says Tracy

Gaudet, M.D., a women’s-health expert

and the director of Duke Integrative

Medicine, in Durham, North Carolina. For

optimum absorption of nutrients, the

seeds need to be broken, so if you have only whole flaxseed, run it through a

coffee grinder for a few seconds.

Talk to your doctor about fish-oil supplements. The American Heart Association

suggests 1,000 milligrams of omega-3s a day for certain people at risk for heart

disease.

Hygiene



Greg Clarke

The ideal: Wash your hands with soap and

water every time you touch a germy

surface. But while germs are

everywhere―grocery carts, ATMs,

doorknobs―sinks aren’t. And as soon as you

touch your face, you can transfer germs into

your eyes, nose, or mouth and can

consequently contract a cold, the flu, or a

gastrointestinal illness, says Georges C.

Benjamin, executive director of the

American Public Health Association, in

Washington, D.C.

The next best thing: Use hand sanitizer or

wipes.

Carry with you a small bottle of gel that

has at least 60 percent alcohol, says Benjamin. “It’s not as thorough as a good

washing under your nails and between your fingers with soap, but it is effective,”

he says.

All varieties of wipes (baby, regular, “sanitizing”) are good for larger jobs, but

baby wipes are usually alcohol-free.

Breakfast

The ideal: Have a healthy, well-rounded breakfast every day. The best morning meal includes at

least three food groups, says Gonzalez. Example: a glass of skim milk, a serving of fruit, and two

pieces of whole-wheat bread or an egg. You’ll have energy to start the day and make it to lunch,

and you may be less likely to become obese or diabetic, according to the American Heart

Association.

The next best thing: Grab a healthy on-the-go breakfast.

Cereal bars are a good option, but read the label before you buy. A bar should

have around five grams of fiber and protein and less than 200 calories, says



Greg Clarke

Gonzalez. For example, a 170-calorie

Kashi Go Lean bar fits the bill.

Tack a quick breakfast onto your morning

coffee purchase. You can get at least two

food groups by having a drinkable fruit

yogurt and half a whole-grain bagel.

Greg Clarke

Teeth

The ideal: Brush after every meal, and

floss at least once a day. In a perfect world,

you would brush and floss away all those

little meal remnants before they had a

chance to cause decay and damage.

The next best thing: Do something to

loosen up the bacteria in your mouth.

Chew sugarless gum after you eat.

“Chewing gum increases saliva, which can

wash away food particles and neutralize

some of the acids produced by food

bacteria,” says Kimberly Harms, a

consumer adviser for the American Dental



Association and a dentist in Farmington,

Minnesota.

Use a toothpick to get between teeth. Bacteria can linger between teeth and

under the gum line, where a toothbrush can’t reach, and the only way to get

them out is to remove them physically. While floss is best for tight spaces, a

toothpick is a decent stopgap.

Greg Clarke

Weight Training

The ideal: Lift weights at least twice a

week. A wealth of research shows that

working with weights strengthens bone

mass, helps burn calories more efficiently,

and reduces body fat, which in turn

decreases the risk for coronary disease and

diabetes, says Vonda Wright, an orthopedic

surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh

Medical Center. (And, no, moderate weight

lifting won’t bulk you up.)

The next best thing: Do exercises that use

the weight of your own body as resistance to

strengthen muscles.

Do push-ups and lunges at home.

If you prefer yoga or Pilates, ask your instructor to increase the number of

poses, such as downward dog, that rely on your body weight as resistance.

Also try other activities that help guard against bone loss, like running, dancing,

and jumping rope.

Adv ertisement

8 health shortcuts that work - realsimple

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