Staying Healthy Archive

You may be able to save time and money—and spare yourself frustration—by adopting a more minimal approach to preventing disease.

 Image: monkeybusinessimages /Thinkstock

As the Shaker lyrics go, "'Tis the gift to be simple," and simplicity is a gift you might want to grant yourself in the new year. If so, you'll have some help from health experts. In the past few years, complicated advice for diet and exercise has given way to simpler, more sustainable guidelines, and the FDA has come down in favor of simple soap and water over antimicrobial cleaners to prevent infectious diseases.

If you've vowed to make positive changes in your lifestyle this year, you're likely to be more successful if you don't take on complex new regimens. "People can achieve remarkable changes in their lives one small step at a time," says Dr. Edward M. Phillips, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and medical editor of the Harvard Special Health Report Simple Changes, Big Rewards (www.health.harvard.edu/change).

Harvard Fitness Expert Michele Stanten demonstrates how to use the medicine ball to add a little challenge to the plank position.

You should have some strength training under your belt before trying this workout. While you can modify the moves, it is still an advanced routine that combines both strength and power in many of the moves. This makes it a time-efficient workout, but also a more intense one. You may notice that your heart rate goes up more than during other strength workouts.

Harvard Fitness Expert Michele Stanten explains the difference between strength and power, and how to work out each of these attributes in many of the same exercises.

The Basic Workout is good for everyone. If you're new to strength training—or haven't been exercising for a month or more—this dumbbell and bodyweight routine is a great starting point. But even if you lift weights regularly, this workout can help by targeting muscles in new ways.

Harvard Fitness Expert Michele Stanten shows the proper form for using the kettle bell to maximize the health benefits and minimize injuries.

Kettlebells supply resistance when you are strength training, which builds muscles. This not only makes you stronger, but also increases your muscles' endurance and strengthens your bones as well.

Reduce your dependence on medications with these strategies.

More than a third of all adults in the United States have high blood pressure—a systolic pressure (the top number in a reading) of at least 140 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), or a diastolic pressure (the bottom number) of at least 90 mm Hg, or both. The condition injures blood vessel walls and forces the heart to work harder, increasing the risk for heart disease and stroke.

Taking medication to treat high blood pressure is just part of the solution.