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Summary

What is healthy living?

Healthy living means taking care of your body and mind by making choices that support your overall wellbeing. Many things affect your health. Some you can't control, like your genetic makeup or your age. But there are many daily habits you can change to help you feel your best.

Creating new healthy habits takes time, but small, steady changes are easier to maintain and can become part of your everyday routine.

Why is healthy living important?

Healthy living can help you feel better, boost your energy, and lower your risk for serious health problems such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

What steps can I take toward healthy living?

You don't have to change everything at once. Start with a few steps to build a foundation for a healthier lifestyle. These can include:

• Get the screening tests recommended for you, including those specific to women's health and men's health
• Stay up to date on vaccines to protect yourself from disease
• Maintain a healthy weight that's right for you
• Eat a variety of healthy foods, and limit calories, added sugar, and saturated fat
• Be physically active, even small amounts of exercise can be helpful
• Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in a healthy range
• Don't smoke, or take steps to quit if you do
• Protect your skin from too much sun
• Limit alcohol, or choose not to drink at all
• Get enough sleep each night to help your body and mind recharge
• Manage stress and work on improving your mental health, such as by practicing meditation, relaxation techniques, or gratitude
• Protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Visit your health care provider regularly for checkups
• See your dentist and eye care specialist for routine care
• Stay connected with friends, family, or community groups, and do activities you enjoy

Healthy living is a lifelong journey. Over time, small steps can add up to big health benefits.

Start Here

• Creating Healthy Habits: Make Better Choices Easier (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• How Can I Live a Healthier Lifestyle? (American Heart Association) - PDF
• What You Can Do to Maintain Your Health (American Academy of Family Physicians)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Health Screening: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Changing Your Habits for Better Health (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Disability, Health, and Well-being (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Mindfulness for Your Health: The Benefits of Living Moment by Moment (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Music and Health: What You Need To Know (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Nurturing Healthy Neighborhoods: Communities Affect Health (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: A healthy lifestyle education intervention for metabolic syndrome risk reduction among...
• Article: Effect of a community-based lifestyle intervention on predictors of behavior change...
• Article: Intervention fidelity and behaviour change mechanisms in a health promotion intervention...
• Healthy Living -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Definitions of Health Terms: General Health (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

• AMA Find a Doctor (American Medical Association)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish

Children

• Healthy Living (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)

Teenagers

• Teenagers: How to Stay Healthy (American Academy of Family Physicians)

Older Adults

• Healthy Aging: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Healthy living (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish