Better health results from improving your dietary and physical activity practices. Make sure that you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs in your diet by consuming a wide variety of foods. Include whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products in your daily regimen. Vitamins from natural food sources may provide more health benefits than multi-vitamin pills.
Cardiovascular Health
Cardiovascular disease is among a top killer in the United States. Approximately 871,000 adults died from cardiovascular disease in 2004, which accounts for 36 percent of all deaths that year. Lack of physical activity increases your risk for cardiovasacular disease. You may be more than twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. Vigorous aerobic exercise can help improve your cardiovascular health and reduce your chances of developing disease. Vigorous aerobic activities include brisk walking, running, swimming and cycling.
Respiratory Health
Regular vigorous aerobic exercise boosts your respiratory health. Long-term aerobic exercise increases the amount of oxygen that your lungs can take in and deliver to tissues throughout your body. Heavier breathing during vigorous aerobic exercise helps clears mucus that builds up on in your lungs. This enhances your lung capacity and reduces your chance of respiratory infections. Regular vigorous aerobic exercise strengthens the muscles that control your breathing, which include your diaphragm and intercoastals. Help these muscles drive airflow harder and longer with aerobic exercise that brings your pulse between 70 and 80 percent of your maximum heart rate three times a week. Calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220.
Diet and Nutrition
Lose weight by eating fewer calories than you expend, burning more calories than you eat or combining both of these behaviors. The recommended daily calorie intake for men ranges between 2,000 and 3,000 depending on activity level. Calorie intake for women ranges between 1,600 and 2,400 depending on activity. The average adult needs 50 to 65 g of protein each day and the recommended daily protein intake for adults is approximately 0.36 g per pound of your ideal body weight. Carbohydrates should compose 45 to 65 percent of your total calories to meet the daily recommended carbs for adults. Include 14 g of fiber per 1,000 calories in your diet.
Musculoskeletal Health
Young women and men that exercise regularly generally achieve greater peak bone mass, density and strength than people who do not. You can prevent bone loss with regular exercise if you are older than 20. Exercise helps you maintain muscular strength, coordination and balance. This helps prevent falls and related fractures. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases recommends weight-bearing exercises to support musculoskeletal health. These include weightlifting, climbing, hiking and tennis.
References
- American Heart: Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Fact Sheet
- "Physical Exercise Challenging Your Body for Growth and Good Health"; John Toomey; May 1997
- National Federation of Personal Trainers: NFPT Personal Trainer Manual
- Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion: 2010 Dietary Guidelines: Energy Balance
- MedlinePlus: Dietary Protein
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