10 Healthy Choices to Make Before You're 30
Make healthy behaviors a habit while you're still young, and you're more likely to hold onto them throughout your life. To that end, here are 10 health choices every woman needs to make by time she reaches the big 3-0. (And if you've already blown out 30 candles but haven't made some of these choices yet, there's still time — better late than never.)
| Ditch The Food Guilt |
Not only is it just plain un-fun to sit around moping about that piece of chocolate you ate—but it may also sabotage any weight-loss goals you have. The truth is that it's OK to indulge in sugary or fatty foods once in a while—and even if you do find yourself going overboard sometimes, beating yourself up about it isn't going to help anything.
Why obsessing about the donut or bag of chips you just inhaled won’t accomplish anything
You just ate some cake. How does that make you feel: awful, or joyful? Experiencing food-related guilt may sabotage your weight-loss efforts, according to the results of a new study published online in the journal Appetite.
The details: Researchers wanted to figure out if guilt motivates a person to stick with their weight-loss efforts—or if guilty feelings undermine their resolve and compel them to give in to the bag of chips calling their name. So they devised a study that involved asking about 300 study participants if eating chocolate cake would make them feel celebratory or guilt-ridden (thus, the question above). Those who said that consuming cake would provoke guilt were less successful in losing pounds, while participants who viewed eating the cake as enjoyable were more successful.
Bottom line: Feeling bad about yourself because you ate something indulgent doesn’t motivate you to double-down and try harder to shed flab. Instead, it weakens your willpower so you more easily give in to temptation. It's much more productive to view treats as celebratory and, by that token, not completely off-limits—even if you're trying to lose weight. Now that'ssomething to celebrate.
| Protect Your Heart |
Forty percent of women rarely give their heart a second thought, according to a poll conducted by Women's Health, the American Heart Association (AHA), and Weekend Today. But scarily, one in four women will die from heart disease—so the actions you take now to keep your ticker healthy could literally be the difference between life and death.
| Avoid Harmful Chemicals |
It’s true that we don't have conclusive evidence about the long-term effects of exposure to various chemicals, including BPA. But we hope it goes without saying that it's better not to play a game of Russian roulette with your health.
| Get Your Flu Shot |
When you're young and lazy, you might risk not getting a shot—but once you hit 30, you have no excuse. Don't just get it for your own sake, either—if you don't get the flu, you can't spread it to anyone else. Get the details on some of the different options available.
| Actually Stay Home When You're Sick |
Nearly four out of five people say they go to work while ill, even if they know they're contagious. Don't perpetuate this cold- and flu-spreading habit!
| Get Outside Regularly |
Women who spend more time in green spaces are happier, healthier, and more even creative—but there's been an increase recently in what some doctors are calling "nature deficit disorder." Use these tips to add more nature to your life.
Travis Stork's Get-Outside Tips
The Doctors star Travis Stork, M.D., considers himself, first and foremost, an outdoorsman. Here, he shares his five tips to get more nature in your life
"I'll bike to work or to the grocery store. I don't drive unless I have to—not even in L.A. Always ask yourself, Could I bike or walk there instead?
| Fight Less With Your Partner |
Brand-new research finds that people who don't feel supported by their partner tend to experience higher levels of coronary artery calcification, or hardened arteries that restrict blood flow to the heart. We get that sometimes you feel like you just have to prove how right you are, but it's not worth it.
| Disconnect Regularly |
A number of studies indicate that spending too much time on your digital devices can disrupt sleep. Other research links increased cell phone use to worsened physical fitness and your number of Facebook friends to your stress levels. So go ahead and log off whenever you can—you'll be better off for it.
Study: Your Cell Phone Is Ruining Your Sleep
And no, the built-in alarm clock has nothing to do with it
Everyone loves to get a “goodnight” text, but sending too many messages before bedtime may cut into your sleep quality: Sending and receiving too many text messages can lead to poor sleep, according to a new study published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture.
For the study, 83 college students answered an online survey about their sleep quality, as well as the average number of text messages they send and receive on any given day. Sure enough, researchers found that the more people text, the less sleep they get.
Why? Study authors say that, since people often sleep too close to their phones, the buzzing or ringing of late-night messages might knock them out of their slumber. Plus, it doesn’t help that people may feel pressured to respond immediately to messages—even if they come in the middle of the night.
If you want some quality shuteye, try this easy fix: Turn your phone on silent (not vibrate) or “Do Not Disturb.” And since the study points out that a phone’s backlight can also be an issue, make sure to flip your phone so that the screen is facedown while you sleep. Because if you don’t give your phone a rest, you won’t get any, either.
| Log 7-8 Hours of Sleep a Night |
Skimping on shuteye doesn't just leave you exhausted—it also comes with a host of health consequences.
| Forgive Yourself for Health Slipups |
No one's perfect 100 percent of the time—and beating yourself up about minor missteps won't help anything. In fact, an increasing amount of research shows that self-compassion is vital to your mental wellbeing. Learn how to be kinder to yourself.
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