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Better Health in Minutes

© Gretchen Malik

You can do more for your health than eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away. All it requires is a few minutes each day. These few minutes will not only keep the doctor away, it will also put and keep you on the road to good health. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

1. Regular brushing and flossing will make you feel six years younger. According to a University of Illinois anesthesiologist and internist, flossing your teeth everyday can make your arteries younger. This is because a link exists between the bacteria pervasive in tooth decay and the bacteria found in artery clogging.

2. Trying to lost weight, take a walk. Just a few minutes of walking at a brisk pace can help you to burn lots of calories. Ten thousand steps per day (15 minutes) will decrease your chance of a heart attack.

3. Taking a daily dose of folic acid can help reduce your chances of developing colon cancer. Yes, folic acid is great against birth defects, but it can also help women reduce their risk of colon cancer by 75% if they take a daily dose of 400 micrograms of folic acid.

4. Enjoy yourself. When you relax or do something pleasurable for yourself, your immune system is aroused, helping to fend off illnesses.

5. Slow down with soup. Did you know soup could help you to consume fewer calories if you begin your meal with a bowl? Hot soup fills your stomach helping you to eat less during your meal.

6. Yoga can help relieve back pain. Just three minutes of yoga positions known as Cobra or Sphinx can relive some lower back problems.

7. Cook with soy to save your arteries and heart. Adding soy to your diet can lower your cholesterol by 11%. It may even reduce your diastolic blood pressure by six points.

8. Have your children help keep you healthy by getting them to wash their hands. If you children washed their hands thoroughly with soap four times a day, they would be in school 75% more, have 25% fewer colds and have 50% fewer stomach flues.

9. Get a quick overall workout when you exercise. How you ask? By doing only three exercises: crunches, push-ups and squats.

10. Sharpen you mind. Closing you eyes and relaxing for a few minutes a day will help you make clearer decisions. Even better, take a daily power nap (15 minutes). You'll be amazed how revived you will be for the rest of the day.

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