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Ready to get serious about your health? If you’re looking to make a positive change in your life and aren’t quite sure where to start, begin by examining your habits. Are you proactive about your health? If not, are you ready to start? Check out these doctor-endorsed preventive health care tips to help you get started.

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Preventive Health Tips

Preventive health receives less attention in America than it deserves. Staying proactive about your personal health not only helps your mental health, but it also helps to prevent developing diseases or chronic health conditions from worsening any further. Fortunately, you don’t have to go to a doctor for every kind of preventive health. Let’s take a look at a few things you can do to take control of your health:

  1. Walk everyday
  2. Wash your hands
  3. Get health screenings
  4. Watch your diet
  5. Wear sunscreen

1) Walk Everyday

The CDC recommends aiming for about 10,000 steps (5 miles) per day. If you work in a sedentary environment like an office, find ways to incorporate more walking throughout the day. Get up every hour and walk around the office. Park your car a little further from the building and walk the extra distance. Whatever you choose, find simple ways to take more steps every day without sacrificing work time.

2) Wash Your Hands

Washing your hands seems like an elementary lesson, but a surprising number of adults don’t do it or do it improperly. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that your hands are generally clean. We handle bacteria-covered objects every day, from doorknobs to computers to our own housekeys. Worse, touching shared objects means that if the last person to use the item didn’t properly wash their hands either, the bacteria and grime are passed on to you. Wash your hands thoroughly several times a day, but especially in a few key scenarios:

  • After using the restroom
  • Before preparing or eating food of any kind
  • After leaving a public place, such as school or the mall
  • If you or a coworker, family member, etc. are sick

Learn more about the importance of proper handwashing on the CDC’s hand hygiene page.

3) Get Health Screenings

Several diseases or potentially dangerous health conditions, including several types of cancer, can show little to no symptoms. Without periodic health screenings and exams, this could mean that the diseases lie dormant until damage has already been done. Fortunately, your doctor is trained to look for any signs of something wrong during a detailed exam. Annual or biannual screenings will ensure that if a hidden disease surfaces in your body or a chronic disease grows worse, your doctor will catch it in time to begin treatment.

Pro Tip: If you have a family history of severe health conditions, such as cancer, schedule your health screenings more frequently. Combat your higher risk with high attentiveness to your body.

4) Watch Your Diet

Exact nutritional and caloric needs vary from person to person. However, any doctor will tell you that it’s difficult to go wrong eating a large amount of fruits, vegetables, and protein sources daily. Try cooking healthy recipes or opting for fresh produce instead of the all-too-common junk foods that abound in the stores. The more nutrients you’re able to consume, the healthier you’ll be in the long run.

5) Wear Sunscreen

Sunscreen is not exactly pleasant to apply before spending time in the sun. However, using sunscreen products in tandem with other forms of protection, such as sunglasses, umbrellas, and UV-reflective clothing, will significantly reduce your exposure to harmful UV rays from the sun. In turn, this will reduce your risk of skin cancer significantly. Stay protected when you spend time outside!

Take Charge of Your Health!

While doctors can provide invaluable services and help you choose the right path to health, the choice to improve is ultimately yours. No amount of doctor visits will help if you don’t take the initiative. Now is the time to start! Follow these preventive health tips for an improved life and better health.

Connect with us to learn more about preventive services for your whole family in The Woodlands, TX.