7 Easy Steps To A Healthier You

(CARLSBAD, CA) - It’s the little things that count. What’s true for romance is also true for wellness, says Jazzercise founder Judi Sheppard Missett. The health is in the details, so to speak, and the small things you do each day can add up to big improvements. Following are eight easy ways you can improve your health immediately:

— Get enough sleep. We live in a sleep deprived culture where 25 percent of adults are exhausted on any given day. Fatigue alters mood, reaction time, concentration, even metabolism. If you want to maintain a healthy weight, look your best and remain mentally sharp all day long, get eight hours sleep per night.

— Change your snacks. Many people get it right at mealtime – lean meat or fish, vegetables, whole grain breads – then blow it when it comes to between meal snacks. Give your snack shelf a once over. Throw out the chips, cookies, candy, and granola bars, and replace them with nuts, dried fruits, fresh fruits, whole-wheat crackers, vegetables and low fat cheeses and yogurt.

— Drink plenty of water. Everyday your body must replace two-and-a-half quarts of water. If you’re not drinking enough, you jeopardize all the bodily functions it assists, including the digestion and absorption of food, regulation of body temperature, blood circulation, the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to cells, and the removal of toxins and other wastes. Water also cushions joints and protects tissues and organs from shock and damage. Chronic dehydration, on the other hand, is associated with other problems such as hypertension, asthma, allergies, fatigue and migraine headaches.

— Wear sunscreen. Exposure to sunlight is important to combat seasonal depression and to ensure that our bodies make enough Vitamin D, but the UV rays also make it risky business. Protect your skin everyday with sunscreen, and try to avoid direct sunlight during the peak hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

— Get an annual physical. There’s simply no better way to catch illnesses early and to monitor your health as the years roll by. 

— Share your family history with your physician. While you’re at the doctor’s office each year, be sure to provide him or her with a family health history. For example, if your mother or sister has had breast cancer, your risk is two to two-and-a-half times as great as women with no family history of the disease. Knowing this, your doctor can help you to take the appropriate preventive measures and order the appropriate screening tests. The same holds true for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc.

— Exercise. According researchers from the Cooper Institute, a Dallas-based research organization that focuses on exercise, fitness is a stronger predictor of mortality than fatness. Their study found that women who were physically fit had a lower risk of death than did sedentary women even if their weight was above recommended levels. Certainly obesity is a risk factor that shouldn’t be ignored, but regular exercise has an undeniable impact on health and can also help individuals reach and maintain a healthy weight.

Luckily, squeezing regular exercise into your schedule is not as difficult as it seems.  Tools like resistance bands and tubes are inexpensive, lightweight, and portable, so they can be used virtually anywhere.  Try the following triceps extension to strengthen your arms, shoulders, and upper back. 

Stand tall, with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees and toes pointed forward.  Hold one end of a resistance tube in each hand, then loop it loosely around your hands to take up the slack.  Lift your elbows to shoulder height and bring your hands in front of your shoulders.  Keeping your upper arms stable and your shoulders down, pull your hands apart and straighten your elbows.  Pause briefly before slowly bending your elbows back toward your shoulders.  Repeat 10 to 15 times, rest, then repeat for up to 3 sets if desired. 

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 6,000 instructors teaching 20,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information on Jazzercise go to jazzercise.com or call 1(800) FIT-IS-IT or (760) 476-1750.

Courtesy of Jazzercise, Inc. - jazzercise.com