Eating well and exercising can help increase your lifespan and ability to live independently and decrease your risk of developing disease. It's okay to be choosy about the foods you eat. You should pick nutrient-dense foods from each of the food groups and exercise regularly.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates should make up the bulk of your diet. Eat approximately 45 to 65 percent of your calories from carbohydrates. Healthy carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables, whole wheat and whole grain items. Fruit is a good item to snack on, as it contains fructose. Fructose is a simple sugar, yet it does not result in a large spike in blood glucose, so you stay fuller longer.
Fats
Fats are a necessary part of a healthy diet. However, which fats you choose to eat can make a difference. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats should make up the biggest part of your fat calories. These include foods like olive oil, fish and avocados. Fat intake should not exceed 20 to 35 percent of your total calories.
Proteins
Proteins maintain muscle and cellular reproduction. Many proteins contain large amounts of fat, so you should be choosy with your proteins. Try to eat healthy proteins that come from poultry, fish, legumes and nuts. Limit protein intake to 10 to 35 percent of your caloric intake.
Food Choices
When choosing what to eat, nutrition should be at the forefront. You want to pick foods that give a big bang for your buck. Foods high in vitamins, minerals and fiber promote health and well-being. These foods are also typically lower in sugar and saturated fats. Before eating a processed food, look at the nutrition label. If there are too many calories from fat and sugar, look for an alternative.
Aerobic Exercise
Participate in aerobic physical activity for five days per week to promote health benefits. A healthy adult should do moderate aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Aerobic activity is anything physical that is sustainable. For example, you might try walking, jogging, hiking or bicycling.
Resistance Exercise
Resistance exercises should be part of your exercise program. These are exercises that cause your muscles to contract against an external resistance. Do this type of exercise three days per week, with at least 24 hours of rest between. Try to work all your major muscle groups, including the legs, arms, shoulders, abdominals and back. This should equate to about eight to 10 exercises, lifting at a moderate intensity. Work yourself up to performing three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. Examples of resistance exercises are squats to work the leg muscles, biceps curls for arm muscles, an overhead press for the shoulders and triceps and a plank exercise to work the back and abdominal muscles.
References
- Mayo Clinic.com: Healthy Diet
- "Optimum Sports Nutrition: Your Competitive Edge"; Dr. Michael Colgan; 1993
- "Circulation"; Physical Activity and Public Health: Updated Recommendations For Adults From The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association; 2007
- "Nutritent Dense Food Choices"; United States Department of Agriculture; 2010
- American Council on Exercise: Exercise Library
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