Health – the overall state of physical, mental, and social well being and not just the absence of disease. This is the definition given by the World Health Organization (WHO) to the word Health. Achieving health and remaining healthy is an ongoing process. Effective strategies for staying healthy and improving one’s health include the following elements that one must incorporate in his daily routine:

1. Move More

Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it’s a stress buster.

2. Cut Fat

Avoid fried foods and other fatty meats. Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts.

3. Quit Smoking

The jury is definitely in on this verdict. What else do we need to say?

4. Reduce Stress

This is easier said than done. Some techniques recommended by experts:

* Think positive thoughts
* Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like
* Get a massage, a facial or a haircut.
* Meditate.
* Count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated.
* Avoid difficult people when possible.

5. Protect Yourself from Pollution

If you can’t live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares.

6. Wear Your Seat Belt

Statistics show that seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes.

7. Floss Your Teeth

Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why.

8. Avoid Excessive Drinking

A glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease and cancer.

9. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook

There’s a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life.

10. Choose Your Parents Well

The link between genetics and health is a powerful one.