Making the choice to change your eating and lifestyle can be overwhelming but carries many benefits. Health is multi-faceted, and striving for health involves many aspects of your life, including eating and sex. Before altering your diet or making major lifestyle changes, talk with your doctor about your plans to see if you are going about it in a healthy way for you.
Practicing Safer Sex
The decision to be sexually active is an important one, and if you choose to have sex, practicing safer sex by using condoms, oral contraceptives or barrier methods can reduce your risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection, including HIV, or becoming pregnant. Oral contraceptives are available by prescription only, and you should talk with your doctor or gynecologist about whether these are right for you if you are interested in taking them. Another component of safer sex is open and honest communication with your partner, including staying sober to practice safe sex, says National Institutes of Health online medical encyclopedia Medline Plus.
Alcohol in Moderation
Being healthy does not have to mean complete abstention from alcohol. Having one to two drinks daily for men and one drink daily for women may actually have health benefits. One drink is equal to one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof alcohol or 1 oz. of 100-proof alcohol, according to the American Heart Association. Drinking alcohol in moderation may help reduce death from heart disease, but this is still being studied. Drinking too much can lead to a variety of health problems, including obesity, high blood pressure, breast cancer and stroke. Making the choice to curtail your drinking is not easy for everyone, but your health-care professional may be able to help you with support, such as a counselor or support group, if you need added encouragement.
Regular Physical Activity
Physical activity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week has a host of health benefits. Exercise can help improve mood and relieve stress, helps control cholesterol and reduce the likelihood of obesity and type 2 diabetes, boosts your energy level and may even help with insomnia, says MayoClinic.com. Before you start an exercise routine, talk with your doctor about whether it is safe for you to participate, and start slowly, especially if you have been sedentary, to avoid injury.
Changing Eating Habits
Nutrition is a significant component of your health and well-being. A high-fat, low-fiber diet can increase your risk of obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol and certain cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that a healthy diet is primarily made up of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and lean proteins. Making small, gradual changes to your diet can help you maintain your healthy choices.
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