10 Steps for a Healthier You

with Jennifer Johnson, M.D., Internal Medicine specialist, Advanced Healthcare

Last Updated: Oct. 1, 2003

We’d all like a road map for a healthy life – a blueprint for a way of living that guarantees that we won’t fall victim to one of our nation’s most common ailments, such as cancer, heart disease or diabetes. While medical science offers no guarantees, recent studies are showing that you can stack the odds in your favor. Jennifer Johnson, M.D. an Internal Medicine specialist with Advanced Healthcare offers a “top ten” list of what the average person can do to decrease his or her risk of serious diseases, and increase the chances for a healthier and happier life.

Jennifer Johnson, M.D., Internal Medicine specialist, Advanced Healthcare "When people have a healthy lifestyle, not only are they less likely to get sick, but they also will tolerate it better if they do develop a disease."

Here they are:

1. Maintain your ideal body weight. Today, doctors determine a person’s ideal body weight by using the Body Mass Index, or BMI. An ideal body weight will score a BMI in the 18.5 to 24.9 range. A score of 25-29.9 indicates someone is overweight. A score of 30 or higher is considered obese. Studies have linked obesity with heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. To check your own BMI, go to www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm

2. Exercise regularly. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise per day, five or more days a week. Exercise, which can include walking, running, bicycling, gardening and just about any sport, is good for the heart, lungs and overall outlook. “There’s almost nothing exercise is not good for,” Dr. Johnson said. She noted that regular exercise has a positive effect on just about everything on her “top ten” list. Regular exercise can bring down weight, lower cholesterol and lower the risk for heart disease. In addition, Dr. Johnson noted that once people make exercise a habit, they want to continue it, because they feel better on the days they exercise than the days they don’t.

3. Stop smoking or don’t start. “If you’re only going to do one thing on this list, and you smoke, this is it,” Dr. Johnson said. “It is the single best thing you can do.” Johnson said the people who are most successful at quitting smoking are those who are doing it for themselves rather than for a friend or family member.

4. Stay current with recommended screenings. For women, this means a Pap smear every year from 18 on and a mammogram every two years between 40 and 50 and once a year after that. Men should have a PSA test every year starting at age 40 for black men and 50 for white men. Both men and women should have a colonoscopy every 10 years starting at age 50.

5. Eat Mediterranean. Eat more fish, more vegetables, and substitute olive or canola oil for other types of oil in cooking. “There are a lot of recommendations out there in terms of diet, but this is the only diet proven in studies to lower the risk of heart disease,” Dr. Johnson said. She stressed that the canola oil and olive oil should be used instead of other oils in cooking, rather than in addition to the other oils.

6. Maintain an ideal cholesterol level. The total should be under 200, with the HDL (good) cholesterol being over 45 and the LDL (bad) being under 100. The triglyceride level should be under 150. Dr. Johnson recommended that people should get their cholesterol tested with a blood test once when they are in their early 20s, and then every 1-3 years after age 35 for men and 45 for women.

7. Maintain normal blood sugars. Diabetes is on the rise in the U.S., and a high sugar diet is one of the factors. “Ice cream, cakes, cookies and pastries should not be a daily treat,” Dr. Johnson said. “They should be looked at as something to eat once or twice over the weekend. You need to consider fruit as a dessert.”

8. Wear a seatbelt. Seatbelts reduce the risk of death and serious injury in auto accidents. Seatbelts offer protection that airbags do not.

9. Nurture yourself. Go to church, spend time with friends, relax, enjoy the arts. “Data shows that people who go to church or engage in another type of worship more than once a week stay healthier and live longer than those who do not,” Dr. Johnson said.

10. Avoid controlling relationships. People who are in a relationship with someone who is controlling are at greater risk for both depression and domestic violence.

Dr. Johnson believes that a major part of her role as a doctor, in addition to helping people when they fall ill, is to help educate her patients. “These are everyday things that the average person can do to lead a healthier life,” she said.

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