We Aren’t Exercising
Losing weight nearly always tops the list of New Year's resolutions. But it's tough to lose or maintain your weight if you're not exercising. And few of us are. A new
report reveals only 5 percent of Americans get regular, vigorous exercise. This inactivity isn't just bad for our waistlines, it's bad for our health. Dubbed Sedentary Death Syndrome, dozens of studies now show that lack of exercise more than doubles the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, says Stephen Sinatra, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut.
Fix: People are twice as likely to succeed at making exercise part of their daily lives if they start with smaller, simpler workouts instead of high-intensity sessions, explains Dr. Sinatra. That can mean a 10-minute stroll each day. Follow that formula for a few weeks, he suggests, then add a bit more time each week until you work up the stamina to stride for 30 minutes daily. Eventually, you may want to increase your pace to jog or run. But even a regular walk at a brisk pace can provide health, and weight-loss, benefits.
Including five servings of nutrient-rich fruits and veggies in your daily diet has been shown to slash a person’s blood pressure by 11 points, plus cut your risk of a heart attack, stroke, and even cancer by up to 30 percent, say Yale researchers. (A piece of fruit, like an orange or apple, counts as one serving, as does a half-cup of vegetables like baby carrots, corn, or peas.) But most Americans are only consuming about two servings daily, a shortfall that’s sickening up to 400,000 of us annually, report the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fix: If you're having trouble fitting enough fruits and veggies into your diet, bridge the gap with juice. Just eight ounces of fruit juice at breakfast, and eight ounces of vegetable juice at both lunch and supper can effortlessly add three servings of produce to your daily diet, say scientists at UCLA. Bonus: This simple strategy will more than double your intake of health-boosting antioxidants too! Just be careful not to overdose on high-sugar juices like orange juice.
We Complain Too Much
While grumbling hardly seems like a health-sapper, discontentment can up your risk of serious health conditions like cancer and heart disease so dramatically that it can knock 12 years off your life, say researchers at State University of New York Upstate Medical Center. Turns out, complaining dials up production of cortisol, a stress hormone that speeds aging in every organ in the body.
Fix: Start appreciating the little things. “Paying attention to small treats like the smell of brewed coffee, or the feel of fresh sheets provides more long-lasting contentment, and a more significant health-boost, than major coups like buying a car or going on a cruise,” says Kathleen Hall, Ph.D., director of The Stress Institute in Atlanta. Why? Smaller pleasures crop up more frequently than larger perks, she says. “Every day, you can find dozens of small things to feel good about; however, if you keep waiting for something major, like a lottery win or a better job, you’ll only feel happy and content a couple of times a year.”
We're Always Indoors
Most women get less than 10 minutes of fresh air and sunshine daily, say researchers at San Diego’s University of California. This is bad news, since scientists say being cooped up indoors raises your risk of viral infections 38 percent, and doubles your risk of insomnia, depression and obesity. The reason: When we’re deprived of natural light and fresh air, it disrupts the function of our brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a cluster of nerves that helps control our body’s production and use of hormones, explains Michael Smolensky, Ph.D., a professor of environmental physiology at the University of Texas.
Fix: Spend at least 10 minutes relaxing outside daily. Too cold for your comfort? Squeeze in more outside strolling by parking a little farther from your office, or pick up a hot beverage and sip it on a park bench for a few moments to soak up nature. Norwegian research suggests even this modest nature break can give your SCN the same boost as an hour or two outdoors.
Sadness, boredom, anxiety... almost half of Americans regularly eat for the wrong reasons and 129 million of us are overweight as a result, according to a recent survey from the American Obesity Association. Plus, weighing even 10 percent more than you should raises your risk of breast and colon cancer, arthritis, diabetes and high cholesterol, say UCLA researchers.
Fix: To steer clear of diet disasters, pay cash for food. People who dole out actual dollars for their fare are more likely to buy healthful products and eat for the right reasons, say scientists at Cornell University-- perhaps because they're more conscious of what they're buying. Study authors say putting away the plastic and paying with cash also makes it easier for people to feel in control, helping them avoid those last-minute, health-sabotaging impulse purchases.
We Sip Too Much Soda
Experts say the average American downs a whopping 56 gallons of the sweet stuff annually. This is bad news since Harvard researchers say this habit can single-handedly increase your risk of diabetes 83 percent, while also causing a creeping weight gain of at least 12 pounds annually.
Fix: Assume you have no self-control and stock your fridge with water, seltzer, iced tea and other healthy, low-calorie options, instead. A study at Northwestern University found people who believe they possess a lot of self-control are actually three times more likely to backslide into bad old habits. The reason: They expose themselves to more health-sabotaging temptations--like a fridge well-stocked with chilled soda.
We Super-Size Our Stress
Recent surveys suggest 72 percent of Americans are constantly stressed out. “A lot of that turmoil is caused by sky-high expectations -- like thinking the house should be spotless, and all the odd jobs done, even when we’re worn out,” explains Michael Roizen, M.D., author of
You: The Owner’s Manual and an
iVillage expert. But whatever the reason, such anxiety overload is so damaging to the heart and immune system, that it can up your risk of heart disease and cancer 25 percent, plus contribute to worse allergies, chronic fatigue and dozens of other health problems, according to scientists at The University of Utah.
Fix: Make a list of tasks that you can delegate or ditch, so you can carve out half an hour daily to de-stress. Studies suggest people are 10 times more likely to get off the gotta-do-it-all train if they put their action plan in writing.
We Don’t Get Enough Sleep
At least 95 million Americans wake up groggy every day, say Cornell researchers, thanks to sub par slumber. A lack of zzz’s doesn’t just make you miserable, it can actually knock 10 years off your life by doubling your risk of infections, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease, explains Smolensky. That’s because sleep is your body’s prime time for cellular repair, he says, the rebuilding of immune cells, growth of fresh new tissue and destruction of abnormal and even cancerous cells. Without that sleep time, your body cannot repair itself.
Fix: Have a feeling you won’t be able to sleep tonight? Folks feel sleepy sooner, and drift off faster, if they enjoy a high-carb snack before bed, say University of Sydney researchers. (It revs up production of serotonin, a brain compound that triggers drowsiness within 20 minutes.) Look for foods that are healthy and high in carbohydrates and calcium, like a bowl of whole-grain cereal with milk or a peanut butter sandwich on wheat.
We Watch Too Much TV
Americans spend 35 hours weekly sacked out in front of the tube, “and that encourages other harmful habits, like not exercising, staying up too late, and mindlessly munching,” explains Dr. Sinatra. On top of all that, Cornell researchers say slouching on the couch while watching TV pinched nerves exiting the spinal cord, worsening neck, shoulder, back and headache pain for 90 percent of people studied.
Fix: Use a journal to rein in and record the number of hours you watch each week. Why? Journaling your goals and progress triples your ability to ditch tempting habits, say researchers at State University of New York Upstate Medical Center. Can’t come to an acceptable number? Research at Yale University reveals that people don’t start seeing the negative effects of tube time until they get past the two hours daily mark. So, 14 hours or less a week would be a good goal. Then, turn off the tube at all other times.
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