Aerobic exercise
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Blood pressure tip: Get more potassium
Want to lower your blood pressure? Cut back on sodium in your diet and add more potassium. Sodium increases your blood pressure. Potassium can reduce the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Many fruits and vegetables are good sources of potassium, including bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe, spinach, peas and tomatoes.
Blood pressure tip: Know alcohol limits
Having more than three drinks in one sitting temporarily increases blood pressure. Binge drinking can cause large and sudden increases in blood pressure and increase the risk of stroke. If you're a heavy or binge drinker, talk to your health care provider about how to reduce your drinking.
Hay fever: How to avoid triggers
If you have hay fever, the best thing you can do is to take steps to lessen your exposure to allergens, such as pollen and mold spores: 1. Close doors and windows during pollen season. 2. Use air conditioning in your house and car. 3. Avoid outdoor activity in the early morning, when pollen counts are highest, and also on high pollen-count days. 4. Use a dehumidifier to reduce indoor humidity. 5. Use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom.
Five foods to lower your cholesterol
A few tweaks to your diet may be enough to lower your cholesterol to a healthy level and help you stay off medications. Consider adding these cholesterol-lowering foods to your diet: 1. Oatmeal and oat bran. 2. Walnuts, almonds and other nuts. 3. Fish, especially mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon. 4. Olive oil. 5. Foods fortified with plant sterols or stanols, such as margarines, orange juice and yogurt drinks.
Office work: Don't take it sitting down!
Finding time to exercise can be a challenge. Why not work out while you work? To make office exercise a part of your routine, walk or bike to work, get off the bus a few blocks early, or park farther from the door. Stand while talking on the phone or skip instant messaging and walk to a colleague's desk for a chat. Organize a lunchtime walking group or schedule walking meetings.
Nutrition: Does it come in a pill?
Nutritional supplements abound. Still, if you want to improve and protect your health, think real food. If you depend on supplements rather than eating a variety of foods, you miss the potential benefits of antioxidants, fiber and other nutrients that only whole, unprocessed foods can provide.
Mood and food: Break the link
Do you eat when you're not hungry? You might be eating as a response to stress or boredom. Pay attention to when you eat and how you're feeling. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not hungry. Give the craving time to pass. Distract yourself and substitute a healthier behavior. Take a walk, listen to music or call a friend.
Is healthy aging in your genes?
Sure, your genes affect your health. But your lifestyle, your environment and even chance may matter even more. What you eat, how much you exercise, how you manage stress, how much sleep you get and whether you smoke all play a role in whether you develop a heart condition. Stack the cards in your favor with healthy lifestyle choices.
Does zinc work for colds?
The jury is still out on that question because many zinc studies, both those that find it beneficial and those that don't, are flawed. In studies with positive results, zinc lozenges or syrup appeared to shorten a cold by one day and seemed most effective when taken within 24 hours of the start of symptoms. Taking zinc lozenges with food may reduce side effects, such as a bad taste and nausea. Steer clear of zinc nasal spray, however, which may permanently damage your sense of smell.
Is antibacterial soap a do or a don't?
It's generally best to wash your hands with soap and water. Over-the-counter antibacterial soaps are no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap.
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