The Good Enough Guide to Health

June 24, 2008— -- Perfectionism may seem like a desirable trait, but to boost your health, aim for "just enough."

"Trying to do everything right promotes an all-or-nothing attitude," says Martin Binks, a psychologist at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, N.C.

So if you can't do something perfectly (i.e., work out an hour a day), you don't do anything at all (i.e., watch TV instead). A better mindset: Believe that every little bit counts. "It's small changes that are most effective," Binks says.

So forget perfect! Here, the "good enough" guidelines for nine common get-fit recommendations that will ensure you're on your way to a longer, healthier life.

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For more health tips, check out the latest issue of Prevention, on shelves now!

Boost the Benefit: Keep 'em cool and eat a rainbow of colors. Refrigerating berries, citrus, and fruit with edible skin (think apples), as well as veggies, preserves antioxidants. And aiming to eat from at least three different color groups (such as green, orange/yellow, red, white, and blue/purple) a day will ensure you get a wide variety of nutrients.

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"You don't even have to do it all at once. No fewer than 10 studies since 1995 show that breaking up physical activity into small segments of about 10 minutes is just as effective," says Barry Franklin, director of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise laboratories at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., and spokesperson for the American Heart Association's national "Start!" program.

Boost the Benefit: Pick up your pace for 30 to 60 seconds several times during your workout. A study from McMaster University in Canada found that people who did a total of two to three minutes of high-intensity exercise in the form of 30-second all-out sprints improved their cardiovascular fitness and muscle endurance as much as those who did 40 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise.

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SPF 15 blocks 93 percent of rays, compared with 97 percent for SPF 30 (which also lasts longer). Unless you're spending the day poolside, put a moisturizer with at least SPF 15 on your face, neck, chest, hands, and any other exposed areas in the morning.

Boost the Benefit: Reapply sunscreen before you go out for lunch, when the sun's rays are strongest. Day recommends Colorescience's Sunforgettable ($50; colorescience.com for stores), a colorless powder with an SPF 30 that easily goes over your makeup in just five seconds. (You can use it on other body parts, too.)

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In fact, food makes up about 20 percent of your water intake daily. A recent National Academy of Sciences panel determined that healthy women get adequate amounts of fluids (an average of 11 glasses a day) from normal drinking habits like having beverages with meals, through the foods they eat, and by letting their thirst guide them.

(The exception: Active women and those living in hot climates may have to make a concerted effort to stay hydrated.)

Boost the Benefit: Gulp before you eat. A study from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University found that postmenopausal women who drank 1 1/2 cups of water prior to eating a meal reported feeling fuller, and as a result consumed about 60 fewer calories than those who didn't drink beforehand.

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But less than that and you might: Research is turning up links between inadequate sleep and heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. A study from Case Western Reserve University of about 68,000 middle-age women found that those who slept five or fewer hours were 32 percent more likely to experience major weight gain, and 15 percent more likely to become obese, than those who slept an average of seven hours.

"Sleeping less than six hours even just a few nights has been tied to poorer decision making and reduced alertness," says Zafarlotfi. Make it a habit and your risks of diabetes and depression increase, too.

Boost the Benefit: Slip on socks. Warm feet widen blood vessels, which better enables your body to transfer heat so you sleep more soundly. And turn your alarm clock away from you. Light signals your brain to wake up, and the "blue light" from your digital clock and cell phone are the worst offenders.

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Doubling up on these types of foods can quickly add to your total calorie intake, while extra large portions of fruits and veggies do less damage, and their high fiber content makes it hard to overeat them.

Boost the Benefit: To naturally cut back on calories, start lunch or dinner with one or two baseball-size servings of high-fiber water-filled vegetables (such as steamed cauliflower, broccoli, or spinach). "You'll be less likely to overeat the more calorie-rich foods in your meal because you'll already feel full," Mo says.

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"It took them several weeks longer, but the results were similar," says Wayne Westcott, fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Mass., and coauthor of Get Stronger, Feel Younger (published by Rodale, 2007, which also publishes Prevention).

Boost the Benefit: Slow down! Taking your time while lifting builds muscle faster. Allow three to four seconds to lift or contract a muscle (like raising a dumbbell during a biceps curl), and three to four seconds to release or lower the weight.

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"The length of time is less important than simply doing it regularly--especially after you use the bathroom, touch someone who's ill, or handle raw meat or unwashed vegetables," says Dr. Paul Lyons, an associate professor of family and community medicine at Temple University School of Medicine. "You don't have to be stringent about technique either; just create a lather and rinse thoroughly."

Boost the Benefit: Skip the antibacterial soap. Regular soap and water is not only just as effective, but it may actually be better for your health, too.

"Some research suggests that overuse of antibacterial soaps may contribute to the development of super-resistant strains of bacteria," explains Diana Noah, an infectious disease expert with the Southern Research Institute, a nonprofit health research organization in Birmingham, Ala.

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"Numerous other studies show that it's also enough to lower blood pressure and cholesterol as well as risk of heart disease," says Dr. David Arterburn, an obesity researcher at the Group Health Center for Health Studies at the University of Washington.

Boost the Benefit: Exercise and eat MUFAs. More commonly known as monounsaturated fatty acids, these healthy dietary fats, found in olive oil, nuts, and avocado, can help you shed some of the most dangerous body fat -- the disease-promoting kind around your middle. And dieters who also exercise lose up to 57 percent more belly fat than those who aren't active.

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