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YOUR BODY, YOUR LIFE

Rebecca Jerman

You don't need to spend
a lot of money to eat well
and stay
fit.

 

Magazine and television ads often show products and diets that promise us good health. But you don’t need to spend a lot of money to eat well and stay fit. A good diet, regular exercise and about eight hours of sleep each night can help make you healthy. Dr. Anita Redahan of Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, USA, offers these basic suggestions to improve your health.

DIET

Eat a variety of foods. This makes your body stronger and helps you fight disease. For example, milk gives your body calcium and vitamin D. (Low-fat or skim milk is better for you than whole milk.) Fruits and vegetables give your body fibre and vitamins. Beans are low in fat and rich in fibre and protein. Grain also gives your body fibre. (Try eating wheat bread instead of white bread.)
Meat is also good for you. Red meat is rich in iron, but you shouldn’t eat too much of it. Instead, buy low-fat cuts of meat like pork and chicken or beef tenderloin. You can also eat healthy meat substitutes such as tofu, tempeh (a mixture of soybeans and grains), vegetarian (veggie) burgers and portobello mushrooms.
Doctors say you shouldn’t have too much salt in your diet. This can lead to high blood pressure. Avoid adding extra salt to your meal. Canned vegetables, soups and sauces are often very salty. Try not to eat them. Remember: fresh food is always preferable.
If you are trying to lose weight, stay away from the diets that make big promises. Dr. Redahan thinks people should not follow some of them. She says that you should just try to cut 500 daily calories from your diet. This way, you will lose about a pound a week, and you will develop better eating habits. You can cut calories by avoiding fatty foods. Drink water or other beverages without sugar. Don’t drink sugary soft drinks or juices.

EXERCISE

Regular exercise is a fun way to stay healthy. The best types of exercise for your heart are walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, aerobics and rollerblading.
It’s important to do regular, vigorous exercise at least three to four times a week. More relaxed exercise, such as walking or dancing, can be done every day. Always stretch and warm up before you begin. Otherwise, you can cause damage to your muscles. After exercise, cool down with more stretching.
Do exercises that you enjoy. Jog or swim, if you like to exercise alone. If you like to be with people, you may want to participate in a team sport. Ask yourself these questions: Will I need to join a club to exercise? If so, can I afford it? Will I need to buy special equipment?
Remember, be realistic about which type of exercise you will really be able to do. ”Exercise should be fun and demanding,” says Dr. Redahan. ”Exercise should not be exhausting.”

SLEEP

Regular sleeping patterns help reduce stress in your life. If your mind and body are tired, you will probably sleep better, so stay active during the day. Quiet activities in the evening, such as reading or watching television, help to relax your body before bedtime. Don’t take naps during the day or you may not feel sleepy at bedtime. If you miss a few hours of sleep, don’t worry. Try to keep your sleeping hours regular most of the time.

TEN THINGS TO HELP YOU LIVE LONGER

1.

Drink as much water as you can.

2.

Protect your eyes from the sun: Wear sunglasses or a hat.

3.

Take the stairs instead of the lift whenever possible.

4.

Don’t eat junk food and fast food.

5.

Stop smoking now!!

6.

Eat fruit or vegetables three times a day.

7.

Walk more and drive less.

8.

Don’t fry food. Grill or steam your food instead.

9.

Always wear sunscreen. Use sunscreen marked SPF (Solar Protection Factor) 15 or SPF 30, even in the winter.

10.

Visit your doctor for a check-up every year.

Source: New English Digest

GLOSSARY

fit: physically and mentally healthy (entero, en buen estado físico)
ads = advertisements (avisos)
disease: illness (enfermedad)
whole milk: milk from which no constituent (such as fat) has been removed (leche entera)
beans: edible seeds of plants of the family Leguminosae (las leguminosas, los porotos)
grain: dry seedlike fruit produced by the cereal grasses, e.g. wheat, barley, Indian corn (los granos, los cereales)
wheat: grains of cereal (trigo)
iron: this substance plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood (hierro)
tenderloin: the tender meat of the loin muscle (lomo)
tofu: c
heeselike food made of curdled soybean milk (queso de soja)
soybeans: native to Asia and extensively cultivated for its nutritious oil-rich seeds (porotos de soja)
veggie: colloquial word for edible seeds, roots, stems, leaves. etc.(las verduras)
canned vegetables = tinned vegetables: vegetables sealed in a can (las verduras enlatadas)

very salty: containing too much salt (muy saladas)
fatty foods
: foods containing too much fat (alimentos grasos)
sugary: containing too much sugar (azucaradas)
rollerblading: travelling on shoes with a single line of rubber wheels attached to their soles (patinando)
warm up: do preliminary exercises so as to stretch the muscles (haz ejercicios de precalentamiento)
patterns: practices (prácticas, patrones, hábitos)
naps: s
hort sleeps (siestas)
sleepy: ready to fall asleep (con sueño)
lift (England) = elevator (USA) (ascensor)
junk food: food that tastes good but is high in calories having little nutritional value (comida chatarra, comida basura)
steam: cook something by letting steam pass over it (cocina al vapor)

check-up: a thorough physical examination which includes a variety of tests depending on the age and sex and health of the person (control médico, chequeo clínico)

 

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