Dr. Mehmet Oz is trustworthy, so when he says this is a tried-and-true plan for getting healthy, we know it is definitely worth pursuing.

He tells us that cancer doesn’t kill most of us but lack of exercise and a poor diet do.

The good news about that? We may not be in total control of all of our tiny little cells that run through our body, but we are in control of how much we exercise and what goes into our mouths. We can be our own health destiny makers.

Oz was trained as a cardiologist, and at age 35 The New York Times Magazine called him “probably the most accomplished” cardiothoracic surgeon of his age in the country. He’s now 50 and the host of The Dr. Oz Show.

Here’s his advice for living a healthy life. Daily to dos:
• Walk 30 minutes
• Floss when you brush
• Drink two cups of green tea
• Take 400 mg of DHA omega-3s, 1,000 IU vitamin D, and 1,000 mg calcium
• Sleep 7 to 8 hours
• Meditate for five minutes a day

He also has a monthly routine that if followed can improve your health:
• Month One: Diet makeover
• Month Two: Know your numbers. Keep up with your tests. Your waist size should be no more than half your height. (See my previous blog.)
• Month Three: Increase exercise
• Month Four: Manage your stress
• Month Five: Find purpose in your life
• Month Six: Congratulate yourself for sticking to a six-month plan

Keep a log of your progress. This will help you track your ups and downs. Maybe you can find patterns in your behaviors that will make you avoid the missteps.

Here’s a fun fact from Dr. Oz that may surprise you: Have more sex! Couples who increase their lovemaking from once to twice a week increase their longevity by three years.

All of the details of Dr. Oz’s program are in the May & June 2010 issue of the AARP magazine. Reprints are available by calling 1-866-888-3723. Do your friends a favor and order copies for them as gifts.

His final advice is to ask three strangers how old they think you are. Their answers are a strong indicator of how healthy you are. Remember the old saying that looks aren’t everything? Well, that’s true. However, they can tell you something about your health, and if you look radiant and young, you’re probably doing a few things right.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 2:10 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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