Must-do list for healthy aging

By Victoria Dolby Toews, MPH, Mar 1, 2006 12:00 PM

Calcium
(1,200 mg daily)

Protects bone mass
Lowers blood pressure
Improves insulin's effectiveness at processing blood sugar

Chromium
(200 mcg daily)

Helps the body process blood sugar
Lowers cholesterol
Aids weight loss efforts

Multivitamin/mineral
(daily)

Prevents vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Reduces the risk of several diseases, including heart disease and osteoporosis

Regular exercise
(30–60 minutes, five days a week)

Weight loss aid
Preserves bone mass
Reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes
Relieves stress
Improves sleep

Healthy weight
(BMI: 18.5–24.9)*

Keeping body mass index (BMI) in the normal range reduces the risk of obesity, premature death, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and osteoarthritis

* Body mass index (BMI) is a formula for determining obesity. BMI equals a person's weight in pounds divided by height in inches squared. This number is then multiplied by 703. BMI=(pounds/inches2) x 703.