One Small Step
One of the most common questions I hear is from people who want to know how
to increase their longevity.?Everyone wants to know the "secret?to a long-and
presumably healthier-life.?The "secret?is that there is no one secret!?The
road to good health and long life-like any road-is made up of a series of small
steps.?What I'd like to challenge every reader to do today is to commit to
making one small step-only one small change-today on the road to better health.?
My health challenge today is to make one small change and then try this change
daily for the next week.?If it's working for you, do it again for another week.
Once you've implemented this new behavior successfully for 28 consecutive days,
it will become a healthfully ingrained habit.?
What will your small step be??Most people know what the one most important
thing they need to improve is, but for those who need some prodding, I've offered
some suggestions below.
- Smokers:?either quit cold turkey or resolve to smoke one
less cigarette each day.
- Make your appointment for your annual physical or gynecologic exam
- Schedule your overdue mammogram or other overdue screening tests.
- Take your daily vitamin.
- Take any prescriptions daily, as directed.
- Exercise!
- Increase your portions of fruits and veggies.
- Decrease dessert or between meal snacking.
- Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water per day.
- Go to bed earlier.
- Take an aspirin a day if indicated to reduce your cardiac risk.
- Cut calories.
- Get your eyes examined.
- Don't skip breakfast!?(A doughnut and coffee is not breakfast!)
- Avoid after dinner snacking.
- Brush and floss your teeth twice/day.
- Schedule your dental exam and cleaning.
- Practice safe sex.
- Use contraception religiously, unless you want to get pregnant.
- Take an adequate amount of daily calcium.
- Take time to smell the roses.?
Created: 12/2/2003 - Donnica Moore, M.D.
