Avocado nutrition: Health benefits and easy recipes
Swimming lessons save lives: What parents should know
Preventing and treating iliotibial (IT) band syndrome: Tips for pain-free movement
Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health
What can magnesium do for you and how much do you need?
Dry socket: Preventing and treating a painful condition that can occur after tooth extraction
What happens during sleep — and how to improve it
How is metastatic prostate cancer detected and treated in men over 70?
Could biofeedback help your migraines?
What is autism spectrum disorder?
Staying Healthy
Achieving and maintaining good health means adopting healthy lifestyle habits, from consuming nutritious foods and getting regular physical activity to prioritizing sleep and reducing stress.
Dietary patterns that are most closely linked to a longer, healthier life tend to focus on unprocessed or minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts as well as fish and healthy fats.
Physical activity can mean going for long walks, riding your bike, gardening, playing pickleball, or regularly participating in any activity you enjoy. Exercise lowers your risk for serious health problems, strengthens and tones your muscles, helps preserve independence, and boosts your mood.
Restorative sleep is similarly vital to your health and wellbeing, as is managing stress. Regular checkups, screening tests, and other preventive health measures are also important.
Over time, these efforts will pay dividends. You’ll be rewarded with more energy, improved mobility, less pain, a brighter outlook, and enhanced physical and mental health.
Related Articles
Exercise & Fitness
Punch up your exercise routine with fitness boxing
Nutrition
Mind the holiday buffet
Controlling Your Blood Pressure
Which blood pressure drug is right for you?
Harvard Health Letter
Easy ways to stay regular
Colorectal Cancer
Harvard researchers link coffee with reduced colon cancer recurrence
Exercise & Fitness
Injuries are up among older cyclists
Nutrition
Spicy foods associated with longer life, Harvard researchers find
Stuart Quan, MD
Too little sleep and too much weight: a dangerous duo
Harvard Health Blog
Healthy, convenient meals on the go: Yes, you can
Women's Health
Should postmenopausal women boost their aerobic exercise time?
Exercise & Fitness
5 tips for getting started with a walking program
Mind & Mood
3 ways to harness positive psychology for a more resilient you
Free Healthbeat Signup
Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!
Sign Up
