If you wish to enjoy the pleasures of life, you have to stay healthy. To stay healthy you have to give up certain undesirable habits and maintain discipline in your eating and living habits. Given below are the ten commandments of staying healthy.

1. Do not smoke and avoid smokers—It is an established fact that the risk factor of getting lung cancer and heart attack due to smoking is extremely high. With over 300,000 Americans dying every year due to lung cancer, it makes sense to quit smoking and to avoid smokers, as passive smoking is as dangerous as active smoking. Did you know that nearly three quarters of the deaths caused by emphysema and bronchitis are the direct results of smoking? If you are a smoker, you should stop smoking right away.

2. Take balanced nutritious diet and maintain your Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.8—Your body needs vitamins, proteins, minerals, and carbohydrates in the right proportion through a balanced diet. This will maintain the right weight, lessen the fat in your body, minimize the aging process, improve the immune and cardiovascular system, and regulate sugar and cholesterol levels. It will also prevent the BMI from going up as a high BMI indicates extra weight, which is very risky.

3. Stay away from alcohol—Alcohol harms the central nervous system and the heart functions, causes stomach ailments, damages the liver, and can cause blackouts. The biggest risk of taking alcohol is that you can get addicted to it leading to many health risks. You should avoid alcohol if you want to lead a healthy life.

4. Daily exercise is essential—A minimum of 10 to 15 minutes of exercise every day is required for good health and for avoiding many diseases. You should walk at least 5000 steps daily. In your daily activities, you should avoid elevators and walk up the stairs. Instead of walking, you should do some running.

5. Get enough sleep at night—It is very important to sleep right as a good night’s sleep will rejuvenate you. Without proper sleep, the above tips will prove futile.

6. Get all your vaccinations—Your body is exposed to illnesses all the time. In order to build up the body’s immune system so that antibodies are produced to fight these illnesses, vaccines are required. It is, therefore, essential to get all of the vaccinations.

7. Use the correct condoms—Find the right condom, as there are many shapes, sizes, and colors available.

8. Visit the doctor regularly—Visiting the doctor regularly will allow an early diagnosis of any ailment so that it can be treated more easily.

9. Recognize your body symptoms and signs: It is essential to know your body as the signs and symptoms it shows are indicative of impending diseases. As such, you should be able to recognize these symptoms so that corrective measures can be taken on time.

10. Stick to your therapy: People infected with HIV have a new lease of life with the Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). However, there are some problems also. Successful treatment requires strict compliance to your regimen. The above tips will help you.

It is not difficult to follow the above suggestions. All that you need is a little bit of determination and discipline to get on the road to good health.