You have to think it before you can do it, so living a healthy life starts out as  a psychological issue. That is why I’m giving you some general rules to keep in mind. If you remember to keep it simple, you will change your behavior and live healthier.

1.  Don’t smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products. The latest research tells us that even second-hand smoke — being around someone who is smoking — is dangerous. When polycyclic-aromatic hydrocarbon, a substance in tobacco — is burned, it changes your DNA, causing cancer-forming agents within 20 minutes of taking it. That’s the latest research and follows 20 years of earlier research showing that smoking cigarettes, as well as being around others when they are smoking, affects us immediately and is dangerous to our system.  Clearly, this is the one thing you can do if you want to live a healthier life. Don’t smoke.

2. Exercise. I don’t care what you do, but  do it every day. Everyone needs to exercise. Make the time to do it. Get up in the morning and do something —  it doesn’t matter what. New studies show that the amount of exercise we need is much more than we thought — about six hours of fairly rigorous activity a week. From an evolutionary standpoint, it makes sense. We are animals and animals spend all day in movement looking for food and trying to survive. We need a lot of exercise to stay healthy, much more than the average American does. Studies that look at cultures where the people live long lives show that heavy physical activity is one of the key components in addition to being born with good genes.

3. Make a conscious effort to drink water all day long — not soda or other drinks. Water is best for your body and it needs it all day long. Quarts.

4. Proper diet. Here is a general rule. Eat colorful fruits and vegetables. Eat lean meat, fish and chicken. Keep away from food that has hormones and pesticides in them and eat more organic foods. Eat whole grains and nuts.

5.  Avoid foods that have sugar, salt and white flour. Be vigilant. Salt / Sodium is in all canned and boxed food. Salt is a killer. The body cannot handle salt. It hurts the body. It stresses it. It leads to multiple systems problems: heart, lung, kidney, skin. Keep away from potatoes, white rice, white bread and pastries. Keep away from white flour, which is very similar to sugar.

6.  Everyone needs sleep. If you don’t sleep, your cortisol level goes up, which puts fat on your belly. You have to sleep to stay healthy.

7.  Keep your mouth clean. Get dental check-ups. You must make sure you don’t have cavities. They will seed the system with infection and cause disease. People with unhealthy mouths become ill.

8.  Protect yourself from the sun. Skin cancers, basil cell cancers, melanomas, can be deadly. Use sunscreen.

9.  And this one is common sense.  Avoid activities that can traumatize your body. Avoid doing dangerous things that may hurt you – like riding motorcycles or taking part in dangerous sports or contact sports.

10. Spend time with friends and loved ones. Studies show that people with more friends and more social contacts have healthier lives and live longer.

11.  Think positive. Take everything you can in life and find a positive. Even in the darkest of times, there is no value in a negative thought. It hurts the psyche.

12.  Here’s another common sense rule. Keep your body as clean as possible. If you don’t, you’re subject to infections and disease. It’s critical. Keep your environment and your body clean.

13.  Don’t use drugs or alcohol.

14  Stay thin. Don’t gain weight. Weight will bring you disease: diabetes, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, and arthritis. All of the studies indicate that a thin person lives longer and has a healthier life.

15.  Live within your means. Live  in such a way that you are saving money every month. Psychologically, it is a better choice to make.

16.  Educate yourself so you are aware of the risks and dangers around you. Pay attention. Are poisons or insecticides being sprayed next to you or dumped into your community’s water system? Do you live near a farm that uses toxic fertilizers or a manufacturing plant that releases toxic fumes? Find out. Simply because you’re ignorant and not realizing what others are doing will not keep you safe. You’re poisoning yourself. Keep away from dangerous chemicals, poisons, and dangerous situations.

17.  Understand your family history and inform the doctors who are treating you about it. Certain illnesses run in a family, and can be prevented. If breast cancer, diabetes, asthma or seizures run in your family, make sure your doctor knows, so you can be prepared and prevent it if possible.

18.  See a medical doctor once a year for a check-up.

19.  Make sure you factor in vacations. This is not an option. It’s a necessity. Try and take time off every three months, so that you regularly have a little time to decompress, look at what you’re doing and how to do it better, more efficiently and more successfully.

20.  Try and enjoy your work. You spend most of your time there, so you might as well enjoy it.

21.  Love the one you’re with. Whoever is around you, love them. That, psychologically, is a healthier way to be.

22.  Be spiritual. You don’t have to be religious, and I’m not preaching any sort of worship, but have a spirituality about you, a sense of a higher power —  something that you could pray to. Individuals with some sense of spirituality or a higher power do better.

23.  Focus on people and not things. Things consume us. The consumption of things requires mental energy to store them, insure them, take care of them, use them and pay for them. Focus on people. Defocus on things.

24.  Finally, do things that are good for your body. Anything that can make your body look and feel better is a good thing. Take care of it.

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