Americans eat a lot more calories today than they did just a few decades ago. Part of the problem is fast food and super-sized portions. Our food servings have doubled or tripled at restaurants – and even at home.
The key is to choose foods like fresh fruits and veggies. They’re packed with health benefits and fill you up, without the calories!
The eMagazine dedicated to improving members’ well-being
In each issue you will find information and inspiration to help you with your health and wellness goals.
Keep exercise on your to-do list We’ve all been taught from a young age to f t in a little regular exercise. You know it’s I good for both your body and your mind. But when your day gets busy, it’s too easy to skip. When you get out of the daily habit, it’s hard […]
Getting a good night’s sleep can help you in many ways. It can keep your heart healthy, lower your risk for cancer and diabetes, reduce stress and even promote weight loss.
Yet 70% of American adults say they don’t get enough rest. And they’re not only missing the great benefits of sleep, they’re also raising their chances of having memory loss, low energy, poor mood and accidents. For your health and well-being, make sleep a
priority today!
There are bad habits and there are bad habits. When people smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipes, they’re not just hurting themselves. Every exhale puts more than 250 dangerous chemicals into the air.
Secondhand smoke, like smoking itself, is a risk factor for four leading causes of death in the U.S. These include heart disease, cancer, respiratory illness and stroke.
Children who breathe secondhand smoke are especially at risk. They have higher rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems and severe asthma. So protect yourself. If someone’s blowing smoke your way, walk away. No amount of smoke is safe.
Everyone thinks about sun safety during the summer or at the beach. But it’s important to protect yourself all year long – even on cloudy and hazy days. The sun, as well as tanning beds and sunlamps, gives off an invisible kind of radiation called ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Too much exposure to UV rays can damage your skin and eyes, and lead to cancer.
The hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. are the most dangerous for UV exposure. To
play it safe, stay in the shade; use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protective factor (SPF) of 15 or higher; and wear full-coverage clothing, sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats.
The eMagazine dedicated to improving members’ well-being
In each issue you will find information and inspiration to help you with your health and wellness goals.
Whether you eat three or six meals a day, maintaining a healthy weight comes down to what you eat, how much you eat and how much energy you use. We gain weight when we eat more calories than we burn. So it’s really important to couple balanced meals with an active lifestyle.
Everyone has different calorie needs in order to function. Avoiding extra pounds is just a matter of making sure your energy in (calories from food) equals your energy out (daily energy usage) over the long run. Once you learn your daily calorie needs, you can plan the right kind of diet and exercise to keep a healthy weight.
Health affects everything: Your quality of life. Your emotional and mental well-being. Your relationships, work, and finances. Even what you do for fun.
So don’t take your health for granted. Spread a healthy living message to everyone you know. It’s not hard to do. You can ride your bike more and motivate others to do the same. Or start a community garden that gets your neighbors moving and socializing. Good health is contagious, and little choices can make a big impact.
More than 60% of your body is made of water, which you need to function. When you sweat, go to the bathroom or even breathe, you lose a lot of that water. And the best way to get it back is through food and drink.
How much water does the average healthy adult need in a day? There’s no one formula that fits every person, and it depends on things like your age, health, activity level and the climate you live in. But generally, men should drink about 13 cups (3 liters) and women about nine cups (2.2 liters) of water daily.