The definition was updated in the 1986 WHO "Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion" to say health is a "resource for everyday life, not the objective of



living", and "health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities."

1. Sleep: more sleep is not necessarily better. Recommend sleep hours are different for individuals at different age. Recommended sleeping hours reduce as you get older. Too much sleep, or not enough of it can actually kill a person. A British Study suggests that getting less then 6 hours of sleep a night, and getting more then 8 hours of sleep a night, doubles a persons risk of an early death from any cause. Adults should aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.

2. Vitamin B12: comes naturally only from animal sources, so vegans should look for fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soy beverages, veggie meats, or Vitamin B12 supplement.

3. Thyroid: Even a mildly underactive thyroid can increase individuals chances of getting heart disease by 65 percent. A blood test is an easy way to assess your level of thyroid stimulating hormone.

4. House hold cleaners: using household cleaners once a week increases your risk of getting an asthma attack by 76 percent.

5. Drink Tea in the morning: According to International Journal of Cancer drinking hot tea can cut your risk of kidney cancer by 15 percent

6. Vitamin D: According to an Archives of Internal Medicine 400 IU of vitamin D a day reduces your risk of an early death by 7 percent.

7. Iron: women specially need to take in enough iron, because they lose lot of it during their menstruation period. Dried beans, spinach, enriched products, brewers yeast, and dried fruits are all good plant sources of iron.

8. Calcium and Vitamin D: dairy products provide calcium as do soymilk, rice milk, and orange juice. Certain green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and Chinese cabbage as well as almonds, figs, and blackstrap molasses are also good sources of calcium. Sunlight enables us to make our own Vitamin D and cows milk, fortified soymilk, and rice milk have vitamin D.

9. Sodium: Recommended sodium intake is about 2000 mg/day. A typical fast-food meal with regular fries and a small shake gives you about 1500 milligrams of sodium.

10. Fiber: a daily intake of between 25 and 30 grams of soluble fiber each day has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels. You can find this type of fiber in oatmeal, oat bran, lentils, legumes, and fruits such as apples, and strawberries.

11. Soy: Soy protein is found in soy beans and other products such as tofu, tempeh, and soy beverages. Consuming soy products may help to reduce elevated levels of LDL cholesterol.

12. Fish: eating fish improves cardiovascular health in a number of ways. All fish, but especially salmon, mackerel, herring, trout and sardines, contains omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the stickiness of your blood. Fish may also prevent erratic heart rhythms, a common cause of sudden cardiac death. The recommendation for eating fish is two to three times per week.

13. Broccoli: steam your broccoli instead of boiling it. Italian researchers found that steaming broccoli actually increase its concentration of glucosinolates by 30 percent. Glucosinolates is a cancer fighting compound found in broccoli.

14. Happy Mood: Exercise makes people feel good from the inside out. Exercise boosts mood, increases energy, reduces anxiety, improves concentration and alertness, and increases the ability to handle stress. This may be the result of increased levels of mood-elevating brain chemicals called endorphins.

15. Move your body: Make it a daily goal to find ways to move your body and stay active on your feet. Climb stairs rather then taking the elevators, walk your dog, play with your kids rather then watching the TV, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your body is not only a fitness tool, but it will also help you lessen your stress. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic exercise. Just take more steps a day and become as active as u can.

16. Floss Your Teeth: Recent studies show that flossing can actually help you live longer.

17. Protect Yourself from Pollution: If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard.

18. Never wear shorts and go for a run in the cold: We often see people jogging outside during winter time, and that too in their shorts. This is really bad for your bones, and increases your chances of developing osteoporosis. If you want to go for a jog in the winter, always wear full pants.

19. Quit Smoking: There are no physical reasons to start smoking. The body doesn't need tobacco the way it needs food, water, sleep, and exercise. In fact, many of the chemicals in cigarettes, like nicotine and cyanide, are actually poisons that can kill in high enough doses. Smokers not only develop wrinkles and yellow teeth, they also lose bone density, which increases their risk of osteoporosis. Smoking can also cause fertility problems and can impact sexual health in both men and women.

20. Wine: Israeli study found that drinking red wine actually helps your body block fat absorption, due to a compound in the wine named Pilyphenols.

21. Avoid Excessive Drinking: While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease and cancer.

22. Attic Fans: Don't use your attic fan during allergy season. The fan sucks pollen into the house.

23. Controlling Your Asthma: If you are using your quick-relief inhaler to stop an asthma attack more than two times a week, it may be time to ask for a different medication. In fact, if you have to refill your inhaler more than two times a year or are awakened by asthma symptoms two nights or more per week, you also probably need a different medication.

24. Orange and Cancer: orange peel may help protect you against cancer. Grated citrus zest -- the outmost layer of the peel, includes compounds that may provide health benefits, such as inhibiting development of some cancers and lowering cholesterol. Scrub the rind with warm water before starting to grate. Press a piece of wax paper onto the grater to make clean-up easier; the zest accumulates on the paper instead of getting stuck in the holes of the grater. Best of all, you can use the zest for a flavor boost in low-fat baked goods, pilafs, salad dressings, marinades and fruit salads.

25. Never wear your lenses in the shower: University of Illinois found that wearing your lenses in the shower can expose your eyes to infection causing waterborne microbes.