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Our daily lives are framed by the policies, systems, and environments that either support or limit our ability to make healthy choices. An individual’s health also depends on factors such as our education, income, zip code, race, and family history. Live HealthSmart Alabama meets people where they are, evolves how communities interact with their environments and removes barriers to good health at a systemic level. These are four of the areas addressed by Live HealthSmart Alabama: Nutrition, Physical Activity, Prevention and Wellness, and Education.
I need access to healthy and affordable food
I need access to no cost health screenings
I need physical activity resources
I need educational resources
I need prevention and wellness resources
I need good nutrition resources
Tips to Live HealthSmart
1. Take steps in the right direction
Experts say you’re supposed to exercise 150 minutes per week. But they don’t know your busy schedule, right? Try this: Whatever exercise you do now—even if you’re starting at zero—increase it by five minutes. Then, add five more minutes of exercise each week. Before you realize it, you might create a habit that could raise your energy level and improve your health.
2. Plant good habits
While some of your food choices should come from a garden, you don’t have to plant one to eat better. Adding an occasional serving of fruits and veggies to your diet gives you important nutrients that can help you feel better and live longer.
3. Throw out old junk
There’s a reason junk food is called junk. The high-fructose corn syrup that manufacturers put in almost all processed foods isn’t good for your body. It can lead to obesity, diabetes, and all many other unwanted problems. Consider cutting back on soft drinks, juices, candy, and desserts.
4. Pass on fried foods
In the south, asking someone to stop eating fried foods might seem like saying, “Turn off the football game.” But fried food isn’t doing our bodies any favors. Try substituting grilled chicken or fish when possible.
5. Cut down on “drinking up”
Not only is alcohol is filled with empty calories—meaning your body receives no nutritional value from what it is taking in—but it also suppresses your metabolism. This makes your body work harder to burn off what you drank. Hold off on that last drink, and you’ll be glad you did.
6. No smoking, no vaping, no chewing
There’s a reason people say you shouldn’t smoke or vape, which includes smokeless tobacco. Whether you vape or use tobacco, you’re putting yourself—and others via secondhand smoke—at risk for a variety of cancers and health problems.
Learn how to Take Down Tobacco, Alabama.
