From Your Health Journal…..”This is a great article from Shape Magazine via The Huffington Post – two great publications with interesting health stories – I strongly recommend your visiting both sites for more great articles. The concept behind this article are healthy concepts to live and learn by – with some great inspirational messages. First, the article mentions how it is never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Each day can bring a new ‘healthier beginning’ for many of us, and all it takes is a little effort, pride, and determination. The article continues to discuss how exercise is helpful, along with healthy eating habits. On top of creating a healthy lifestyle for yourself, it is important to have a great attitude, which includes being positive and laughter. Please visit the Shape Magazine site (listed below) to read the full article.”

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Maximize your quality of life with the best diet, fitness, and health advice from the past year

We made it to the end of December—and the world didn’t end! This seems like an appropriate time to approach the impending new year with reflections on the past 12 months, along with resolutions and hopes for the future.

In years past, we may have chalked that future up to genetics and a dose of good luck. But research now suggests we have much more of a hand in our destiny than previously believed. In fact, a number of straight-forward nutrition, fitness, sleep, and other health tips can help assure you maximize the life in your years.

Here are seven of those things that we learned in 2012.

1. It’s never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle. An advanced age is no excuse to give up on healthy habits! A 2012 study showed that exercise, eating right, and avoiding harmful habits such as smoking helped people 75 or older live 5.4 years longer than their less health-conscious peers.

2. Exercise really works. There’s nothing new about the fact that exercise helps us live longer. But a recent study did take a closer look at just how powerful regular activity really is: The physically active benefit from several years added to their lives. Black women in particular seem to benefit the most from regular exercise, HuffPost Black Voices reports. The study found that for every additional hour of exercise that a black woman gets, she can gain 11 hours of lifespan.

3. Cook at home. A survey of Taiwan residents over the age of 65 found that those who cooked up to five times a week were 47 percent more likely to still be alive 10 years later. There are some limitations: For example, the least healthy of participants wouldn’t be able to cook or perform the errands associated with making meals at home because of their health—but even after controlling for these factors and more, researchers found that something about simply cooking at home more frequently can extend your years.

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