Top Health Tips

 To get you start follow these ten general health tips.  These are a foundation of many other tips we will talk about later. Since we have to start somewhere the foundations for a healthier and happier life are a great place to start.  These are not in any particular order of importantance.  You'll find that one person is getting enough sleep but struggles eating right.  Another person stretches routinely but doesn't lift weights. You'll find that if you can live up to these ten tips you should be off to a better start and happier life.

Get enough Sleep-This is when your body regenerates.  Getting enough sleep helps improve memory, live longer, spur creativity, become a better athlete, improve grades and more. Click here to learn more about these studies

Exercise sufficiently-Exercise done at even a small amount is better than no exercise at all. How much exercise do adults need? 2.5 hours of moderate aerobic activity every week or 1.15 hours of vigorous intensity aerobic activity per week. You can even do a mix.  You don't have to do all your exercise at once.  (1)

Eat right-This is "the" most or the second most important element in weight loss in my opinion.  Exercise all you want, but if your diet is not controlled you might still not lose weight. It comes down to calories in and calories out. Get enough fruits and vegetables. Have you ever heard of someome say, I've eaten too many apples this week and it shows? Me either.

Stretch routinely-Static stretch after every workout.  Dynamic stretch before every workout.  Foam roll before your workouts too.  Click on the links to learn more about each one. Stretching can balance the muscles, reduce injury, warm up the body and more.

LIft weights-It is recommended that you lift on 2 or more days a week your major muscle groups. Focus on movements not muscles.  This means, for example, that to work the shoulders its better to do a shoulder press than a lateral raise,typically. A lateral raise isolates the shoulder whereas the shoulder press works a whole movement-pressing.

Exercise safely-At no point should your actual workout regimen cause injury. Use simple guidelines like: a set is over when techinique breaks down, not when my reps are done. If your knees hurt badly on a run, STOP. Stop being stupid and start exercising safely.

Think Positively-This post is about ten tips for a happier life. If you think negatively find the book "As a man thinketh." It's a real old book so I think you should be able to find it free somewhere on the internet.  It will teach about the mind and how our thoughts affect our life.  It is a must read.

Help someone in need-I've heard it said before, when you are down help someone else. Helping others not only lifts them, but lifts you too.  Do one thing when you help someone else,  don't tell anyone about it.  Let your true reward be the great feeling you receive from the help you provided that other person.  If you feel worthless, hopeless, and just need a good ole fashion dose of goodness, start here.

Exercise the Core-Really this can be included in the weight lifting section but is important enought to consider here. First, crunches alone don't constitute core training.  Second, crunches alone will not give you a six pack.  There is no such thing as spot reduction.  Core training works the lumbo pelvic hip area.

Throw out the gimmicks-Base your healthy lifestyle on these principles.  You don't have to go nuts on the most recent atkins diet, south beach diet, or buy a crazy gym to get results. KISS-Keep it simple stupid.  Exercise, eat right, lift weights, sleep enough and so on.  Yes this is not an all inclusive list of healthy lifestyle tips, but it is a good start. Go for a walk, follow the nutrition tips on myplate.gov etc and you will have started on the road to getting healthier.