5 Ways To Be More Proactive About Your Health

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Henry Ford Cancer Institute. All opinions are 100% mine.

As someone who has a family history of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, taking preventative measures to improve my health is something I try to be mindful of.

Whether that is cutting out foods I am intolerant to, exercising more, or setting aside time to meditate and reflect, I try to strive towards a healthy lifestyle by improving my habits each day.

Here are five ways to be more proactive about your health:

1. Eat Healthy Foods

You’ve heard it time and time again, but it’s true– eating healthy can reduce your risk of disease.

Limiting your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and increasing your sources of omega-3 fats and fiber are a great way to improve your health.

You can do this by adding antioxidant-rich berries to your diet like blueberries and raspberries, dark, leafy green vegetables, wild-caught seafood, and nuts and seeds like flaxseeds and chia seeds.

Even knowing what foods to stay away from that may trigger your headaches, nausea, indigestion or compromise your gut health is a step in the right direction. For me, that means following a gluten-free diet.

2. Exercise Daily

Exercising daily can improve your health and lower your risk of disease, too. It doesn’t have to be intense, either. Even a 30 minute walk each day can drastically improve your mood, longevity, and overall health.

I personally like to go to the gym with my sisters several times a week. On days that I can’t make it to the gym, I try to at least walk around the track at the park during my little one’s soccer practice.

If you are someone who looks at exercise as a chore, then make it fun and do something you will enjoy. Dancing, swimming, biking– these are all great forms of exercise that are fun and make you feel good. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can go for a hike outdoors or try a low-impact activity like kayaking.

3. Know Your Family History

Did you know that 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime?

Your risk for breast cancer is also greater if a relative on your mom or dad’s side of the family has a history of breast or ovarian cancer.

One of my maternal aunt’s had ovarian cancer in her lifetime, so my sisters and I make sure to include this information in our family history questions during our visits to our doctors.

By knowing your family history, you can provide additional information to your healthcare providers that may help you be more proactive about your health, including when to begin screening mammography for breast cancer.

The Henry Ford Cancer Institute is encouraging women to be more proactive about their health by offering a FREE online Breast Cancer Risk Assessment.

You can visit Breast Cancer Risk Assessment to answer some questions about your family history and current health and wellness practices. You will immediately receive a report from the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment that you can easily download and share with your doctor.

Understanding Your Breast Cancer Risk & What You Can Do About It is an important step you can take to be proactive about your health.

4. Get a Breast Screening

Sometimes preventative measures are not enough because some risk factors may be out of your control. Things like your age, family history of a disease, and even gender may increase your risks for certain diseases.

There are many health screening tests available, including mammograms. Getting a screening is a great method for early detection of a disease so you can start your treatment right away. You can visit Henry Ford Mammography and Breast Screening for more information.

5. Visit Your Doctor

Getting an annual checkup is another way to get proactive about your health. There are things that your primary care physician will screen for during certain stages of your life. If you are regularly checking in with your doctor each year, these things can be taken care of before they become serious.

You can talk to your doctor about when to get a mammogram and learn how to prepare mentally & physically for a mammogram before getting one done.

The Henry Ford Cancer Institute has one of the nation’s leading breast cancer programs. They have the most advanced technologies available to detect and diagnose breast cancer and specially trained breast radiologists who read all mammograms and imaging results.


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