Take care of yourself:

A healthy habit for healthy aging

Take care of yourself. Simple as it may seem, it's one of the best, most practical choices you can make to lead a healthier, happier and longer life. Your health depends a great deal on the responsibility you take for it. In many ways, you make decisions every day that affect your health in later years.

"People often focus on career and financial objectives when they're young, but it's important to keep health the No. 1 priority," says Paul Takahashi, M.D., a specialist in geriatrics at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. "The reality is, as you get older, if you don't have your health, you can't enjoy what you've worked for."

Not all diseases and conditions are avoidable, of course. But many of the most serious ones can be prevented by making good decisions each day about:

• Eating healthy
• Being physically active
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Getting regular medical care, including preventive health maintenance
• Paying attention to your body
• Having reasonable expectations for yourself

Making your health a priority doesn't necessarily mean giving up favorite foods and activities or becoming concerned about your health to the exclusion of other things. It's about keeping your life balanced and making sure that self-care is as important as meeting other responsibilities.

Preventive care: Managing your health risks

If you want to live a longer and healthier life, it can help to know what your specific health risks are and how to manage them. Conditions that commonly lead to premature death include heart disease, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. The good news is that many risk factors for these diseases are determined by personal health habits — behaviors that you can change.

Here's a list of health tips that could save your life:

• Get regular checkups. Many risk factors and diseases are highly treatable when detected early. Regard your doctor as an ally to help you identify specific health risks and take appropriate action.
• Monitor your blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) is called the silent killer because it usually has no symptoms. Try to keep your blood pressure below 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Although you can't cure high blood pressure, you can control it.
• Get periodic screenings for specific cancers. Tests such as a colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy or barium enema for colorectal cancer should be done every year after age 50 — sooner if you've had colon polyps or have a family history of colon polyps or colon cancer. Your doctor might recommend other tests every five to 10 years. If you're a woman, you should also have cervical cancer screenings (Pap tests) every three years. And if you're a woman over 40, you should have a mammogram every year. Regular screening for breast and cervical cancer saves lives.
• Tell your doctor about all of the medications you're taking. Include herbs, dietary supplements, over-the-counter medications and prescription medications. When combined, some drugs and herbs have dangerous interactions. Also remember that aging can change your tolerance for many drugs and may increase some side effects.
• Kick the smoking habit. Smoking causes more premature deaths than any other lifestyle behavior.
• Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can reduce your risk of heart attack. Aim for 30 minutes or more of moderately intense aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, biking or swimming, most days of the week.
• Eat less saturated fat and cholesterol. These two dietary villains increase your risk of developing heart disease. It might prove helpful to have your cholesterol checked at least every five years, and more often if you're on medication.
• Drink alcohol in moderation — if at all. For women, this means no more than one drink a day. For men, it means no more than two drinks a day. The older you are, the less you should drink.
• In the vehicle, buckle your seat belt. If your vehicle has air bags, keep 10 inches between your chest and the center of the steering wheel.
• Protect yourself from the sun. Decrease your risk of skin cancer by using sunscreen or wearing sun-protective clothing when outdoors.