If you are like most people, you want to be healthy and feel good, while enjoying your life. You may find that some of the things you do that you enjoy aren’t always good for your health. Doctors want to guide you to find the things you want to do that will help you achieve a healthier and happier life! 

Here are some of the things that doctors want you to do (and stop doing).

1. Eat less  
Sometimes we aren’t happy with the results of our behaviors. If you take comfort in food you may find yourself unhappy with your weight. If your weight is too high, you won’t be happy with the limitations on your activities, and you may be distressed when you discover your blood pressure is too high or that you have developed diabetes. 

Doctors want you to pay attention to how much you eat. Be deliberate in your portion sizes, and be aware of how many calories different foods have. 

2. Eat better
It’s not only how much we eat, it’s what we eat that matters. Stop eating foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value. This means cutting out junk foods and eating less highly processed foods. Don’t eat at fast-food restaurants, the food there can kill you (or at least, contribute to poor health and an early demise). Instead, find foods that you like that are fresh and seek out foods that have bulk with fewer calories. Find a vegetable that you like and make it part of your routine diet. Minimize the amount of saturated fats in your diet by limiting red meat intake, and switch to meat sources that are more healthy, such as poultry and fish. (But if you are pregnant, stay away from the fish that are known to contain higher levels of mercury.)

3. Select healthy drinks 
The amount of added sugar (usually in the form of corn syrup) in cola and other sweetened sodas is astounding, and is single-handedly responsible for much of the obesity and diabetes in our nation. Find a less or unsweetened drink that you like instead. For example, you can try bubbly flavored water. 

4. Stop smoking
The rate of smoking is falling, but there are still many millions who are addicted to nicotine. Most smokers know that cigarettes (and cigars, and chewing tobacco) are bad for your health, but it’s hard to quit. Quitting starts with wanting to quit, and making a commitment to do what it takes to overcome the addiction. Just as with overcoming any addiction, social support is key. Ask family and friends to help, and avoid others who enable your habit. Talk to your doctor about proven methods to help you quit. 

5. Temper your alcohol intake
If you drink more than two or three drinks per day, you are on a path for future health consequences, from ulcers to liver damage, and worse. We used to think that less than two drinks a day has if anything a mild health benefit (especially if it includes red wine). Now it turns out that there is at least some damage from even smaller amounts of alcohol. That doesn’t mean you have to become a teetotaler, but it does mean you should take steps to avoid excessive and frequent intake of alcohol. 

6. Manage your stress
This is a big one. Our hectic lifestyles and the stresses of daily living can have dramatic and unhealthy consequences. Not only does it give you wrinkles, it causes high blood pressure and has a damaging effect on your heart. How can you fix it? Start by acknowledging and being aware of the stress you are experiencing, and recognize the sources of that stress. If you can, work to reduce the sources of stress in your life. Mitigate the inevitable stress that you have by some combination of relaxation efforts, meditation, and exercise. A 20-minute daily aerobic exercise routine can work wonders to reduce how you experience your stress. 

7. Get better sleep
Getting a good night of sleep can help your health in many ways. But it’s not enough just to set aside the time you need to sleep. Create a sleep routine that prepares you for a good night. Plan to wind down your activities at least an hour before bedtime. Avoid stressful activities, such as watching action movies on TV, or reading a suspense novel before sleep. No caffeine or nicotine in the evening.

8. Be more active 
If you have a job that has you at a desk all day, create a routine that gets you to stand up and injects movement in your day. Find a reason, set an alarm to remind you to get up from your chair at least once per hour and do something that involves walking during the day. Even better, find an aerobic activity that you enjoy (like running or brisk walking, bicycling, swimming or whatever gets your heart going). Develop a routine, make it a habit for at least 20 minutes daily (or at least three times per week).

9. Manage your health risks
We are all subject to future health problems, no matter how good we feel. Understand that by adopting a healthier lifestyle, not only will you feel better now, you will live longer and enjoy a longer healthier life. 

10. Talk to your doctor
Talk with your doctor about all the ways you can prevent future health problems. If you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or a family history of heart problems or diabetes, then you are at future risk of many serious medical problems that you can avoid if you pay attention now. 

• Get your blood pressure checked, and if you need to, take your blood pressure pills and measure your blood pressure at home. 
• Get your cholesterol checked and listen to what your doctor tells you that you can do about it. 
• Ask your doctor if you are at risk for diabetes (and get your hemoglobin A1C checked to make sure you aren’t developing it already) 
• Ask your doctor about ways to manage your stress
• Ask your doctor what other preventive health measures you may benefit from -- such as screening mammograms and Pap smears, stool tests for colon cancer, and more.
• Take the vaccines your doctor recommends. Don’t forget the shingles vaccine (if you’re over 65 years old).