10 Ingredients for Healthier, Happier Living

1. Balance Your Energy
Eat the right number of calories to maintain your body’s structures and fuel all of the jobs that your body does. Every person has different demands, but to create a balance means consuming no more calories than you’ll burn throughout the day. The more calories you burn, the more you can eat. To help you find a better balance could mean keeping a daily food log and paying close attention to the types of foods you consume. Visit the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) dietary guidelines resource online at mypyramid.gov to create your personalized nutrition Plan.

2. Balancing Essential Nutrients
Find the right balance of six essential nutrients—carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water—in the right proportion for your body, activity level, and personal preferences. Visit MyPyramid online to learn about healthy food choices, portion sizes and how to measure quantities of food correctly. A few healthy tips: Cut up fruits and veggies and place them into zip lock bags to enjoy at work. Prepare lunches at home rather than eating out. It’ll save you money and help you avoid the many pitfalls associated with eating away from home.

3. Strong Metabolism
Balance input and output. In other words, for weight management it’s important to consume a healthy diet and to exercise regularly. The Pyramid offers users valuable tools for weight management, keeping in mind that little steps can go a long way. Start by using the stair steps instead of the elevator and move wherever and whenever possible to burn calories.

4. Satiety
Eat little meals throughout the day and don’t starve yourself. Restricting food intake can lead to hunger, bingeing, and subsequently, overeating.

5. Cardiovascular Exercise
To help reduce your risk of developing a variety of chronic diseases, engage in 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity on most days of the week. Richmond recommends, at a minimum, engaging three to five days in an activity you enjoy each week: Walking, jogging, biking, dancing, whatever it takes to get and keep you moving. However, to manage body weight and prevent gradual unhealthy weight gain in adulthood, takes at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity on most days of the week without exceeding caloric intake requirements.A lot of people feel they don’t have enough time, but Richmond and Patterson recommend rethinking your daily activities by making physical activity a priority.For some people that may mean packing their gym bag and work clothes the night before, and setting it by the front door to hit the gym early. For busy moms, it may mean taking their children to the health club or stressing family activities, such as weekend bike rides and hiking. Don’t have 30 minutes to spare for exercise? Break it up into three 10-minute sessions a day for a very similar effect.

6.Strength-Training
Participating twice to three days a week in a basic strength-training program is a key to a comprehensive fitness program. It helps trim excess body fat, increase lean muscle mass and strengthen bones for men and women. Richmond recommends performing 8 to 15 repetitions each time working on strengthening the major muscles groups of the body, stabilizing the core, stability and enhancing balance.

7. Flexibility Training
Another component of a good exercise program is stretching for good posture, spinal alignment and keeping muscles strong and balanced. Performing 8 to 10 stretching exercises (held for 10-30 seconds) for all of the major muscle groups at least three times a week (ideal is five to seven days a week) represents a good start. Note: As a general rule, stretch to a point of mild discomfort.For more information on flexibility, including yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi, visit the ACE web site.

8. Manage Stress
Most people can’t escape stress. While some stress can actually be beneficial, such as revving up your heart rate up during aerobic exercise for good heart health, negative stressors, such as balancing high demands at work with a busy family life, can increase your risk for disease, compromise your daily activity and cause you to eat more.Hence, finding a stress release is critical. The trick is to learn what’s right for you. Mind-body exercises, such as yoga, Pilates and mediation are proven remedies. For others, removing themselves from a stressful environment, even for a few minutes, such as taking a walk and enjoying time alone, can make a significant difference.

9. Sleep/Rest
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 30 percent of Americans habitually get less than six hours of sleep a night, which is far less than the recommended seven to nine hours; an estimated 50 to 70 million people suffer from sleep disorders or sleep loss.The National Sleep Foundation offers the following tips for a good night’s rest:
• Try to go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning, even on weekends.
• Develop a sleep ritual: A hot bath, drinking a cup of herbal tea or reading a book just before bed can cue your body to settle down for the night
• Exercise regularly to relieve tension, but not too close to bedtime
• Cut down on stimulants and avoid smoking or drinking
• Unwind early in the evening and try to make a to-do-list for tomorrow so you won’t think about it all night.
• Try relaxation exercises before bedtime
• Sleep on a comfortable, supportive mattress
• Create a restful sleep environment such as a dark, quiet room without noise
• Make sleep a priority

10. Joy
Make sure to take time each day to be with people, go to places and do things that make you laugh and happy