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• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests

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• Related Issues

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• Journal Articles

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• Older Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Many factors affect your health. Some you cannot control, such as your genetic makeup or your age. But you can make changes to your lifestyle. By taking steps toward healthy living, you can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and other serious diseases:

• Get the screening tests you need
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Eat a variety of healthy foods, and limit calories and saturated fat
• Be physically active
• Control your blood pressure and cholesterol
• Don't smoke
• Protect yourself from too much sun
• Drink alcohol in moderation, or don't drink at all
• Get enough sleep every day
• Work on improving your mental health, for example by practicing mediation, relaxation techniques, or gratitude

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Start Here

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

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
• Health Guides: Healthy Lifestyle Includes Mind and Body (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Mind/Body Connection: How Your Emotions Affect Your Health (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• 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: The effect of motivational interviewing on healthy lifestyle behaviors and quality...
• Article: Associations of socioeconomic status and health lifestyles with chronic obstructive pulmonary...
• Article: A proactive approach to prevent non-communicable diseases through screening and educating...
• Healthy Living -- see more articles

Reference Desk

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

Find an Expert

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

Children

• Passing Healthy Habits on to Your Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Tips for Healthy Children and Families (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Older Adults

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

Patient Handouts

• Healthy living (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish