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Healthy Choices for Women

Contributed by Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group

senior woman playing golf

It is never too late to start making healthy choices and living healthy. Making healthy choices does not have to be hard or time-consuming. These eight tips can help you on your path to wellness.

Eat a well-balanced diet

  • Eat foods low in saturated fats and avoid processed sugars

  • Choose vegetables, fruits, and home-cooked food

  • Limit red meat and sodium

  • Avoid soda, junk food, fried foods, and fast food

Exercise regularly

  • Check with your health care provider first, particularly if you have any medical conditions

  • Start gradually

  • Aim for 30 minutes a day, at least five days a week

Make time for enough sleep

  • Most people need seven or eight hours a night

women veterans health care managing stress posterManage stress

  • Stress can be physical, mental, emotional, or chemical

  • Feeling worried or pressured about money or relationships is very common among women

  • There are things you can do to reduce your stress level

Avoid heavy drinking

Get enough folate

  • The recommended amount is 400 mcg daily

  • Most important if you are of childbearing age

  • Found in fortified cereals, fruits and vegetables, and most multivitamins

Avoid too much sun

  • Use sunscreen when exposed to sunlight

Maintain a healthy weight

These eight tips can help you set goals for your health. When setting health goals, remember that everyone is different. What may work for you may not work for someone else. If you need help, talk with a member of your health care team.

Active Learning

Test Your Knowledge about Women's Health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Test your knowledge about women's health issues by answering a few questions and learn more about the topic

Folic Acid IQ (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)

Folic Acid Quiz (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Read More

Healthy Living (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - a variety of topics for staying healthy

Make Healthy Choices (Healthier US Government) - options and resources to help you make healthy decisions

Women's Health: Preventing the Top 10 Threats (Mayo Clinic) - Take steps to promote women's health and reduce your risks today

Updated May 1, 2010