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    3 ways to be healthy (without being perfect)

    By | Healthy Living – Tue, Jul 1, 2008 11:49 PM EDT

    Good health does NOT have to be expensive, time-consuming, or a lot of hard work. A much better approach: Realize that every little bit counts. For those of us with a perfectionist streak (guilty as charged), learning to relax your standards can save you loads of frustration-and you can still protect your health. Here's my short list of three healthy living essentials-the gold standard when there's time and the good enough version that will deliver all those disease-fighting, healthful-weight-maintaining benefits you're looking for.

    Sunscreen
    Gold standard: Slathering on SPF 30 multiple times a day
    Good enough: Applying SPF 15 once in the morning
    Unless you're poolside or beach bound, you can easily stretch your sunscreen dollar by protecting your face, neck, and hands (and any other exposed areas) once early in the day. Studies show that SPF 15 blocks about 93% of rays (SPF 30 blocks about 97%), so if you're outside for only a short time, you're still getting substantial protection.

    Exercise
    Gold standard: 30 minutes of cardio five times a week
    Good enough: 17 minutes a day
    Conventional wisdom says that to get the health benefits of a workout, you need to devote time and sweat, when, in fact, you can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke by 27% in less time than it takes to watch a sitcom.

    Fruits & Vegetables
    Gold standard: Up to nine servings of fruits and veggies a day
    Good enough: Five servings a day
    This is sufficient to get the antioxidants and fiber you need to reduce cancer risk and maintain a healthful weight. Because I'm a big fan of slightly higher priced organic produce (which has more readily available antioxidants, and thus more bang for your disease-fighting buck), this is particularly happy news for my wallet.

    Get six more "good enough" tips to live healthier today.

    What healthy shortcuts are you looking for? Let me know and I'll share more great ideas in a future post!


    More Tips on How to Live Better:
    100 Ways to Look Younger
    Find Natural Cures
    Top 10 Belly-Flattening Foods


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    Want more from Liz? Check out Flat Belly Dietto slim your tummy.