1. Sleep enough. The average American does not sleep anywhere near enough each night and does not sleep well enough. Lack of sleep slows down your metabolism and potentially increases severity of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

2. To reduce risk of potentially disabilitating diseases such as arthritis, maintain a healthy weight. A good way to do this i s eat a lot of fiber and always fill 3/4 of your plate with grains, vegetables, legumes and fruit. The last quarter of your plate should be meat, chicken or fish. This will keep your fat intake down and nutrients high. Also, eat early in day. Do not make final meal of day largest. Your largest meal should be lunch. The final meal should consist of least food. And always drink plenty of water. Have a glass of water before you begin eating each meal. This will help your body digest food quicker and allow you to eat less.

3. Always use sunscreen on all parts of your body exposed to sun including your lips. Even in winter and on cloudy days, it is important. Damaging UV rays can cut straight through clouds and are amplified by snow in winter. Radiation can also damage blood vessels and even inhibit immune reactions in skin.

4. A recent study done at Harvard Nurses' School reported by Katie Hansen Bruno, "Women who are all-around health conscious-exercise, eat right, maintain a normal weight, drink occasionally, and don't smoke-reduce their chance of heart disease by an amazing 82 percent".

The Atkins Diet has been in existence for over 30 years and has enjoyed a surge in popularity over last few years.

Pioneered by Dr. Robert Atkins, theory behind Atkins Diet is simple. Your body prefers to utilize carbohydrates (such as in grains, cereals, breads, etc.) for energy and will burn them first prior to body fat. By cutting down dramatically on carbohydrates in your diet, you force your body to burn fat for energy.

Reducing carbohydrates in your diet puts your body into a state called "ketosis." This word is derived from "ketones" that are used by your body for energy when sugars/carbs aren’t available. When you are in this state of ketosis, your body is producing ketones from your fat that is being burned for energy. Ketones are essentially leftovers from this process and are used in place of sugar in body.

For more information on ketosis, go to

http://www.ketosis-ketoacidosis-difference.com/

One of major misconceptions about Atkins Diet that has been widely reported is that you can or should eat extremely unhealthy, fatty foods all time. This is not actually true. Dr. Atkins recommends that you limit your intake of these types of foods (e.g. butter, sausage, bacon, etc.) and instead focus on healthy fats such as olive oil, fish oil, nuts, etc.

The Atkins Diet has many positives and negatives that have been associated with it. Some of positives include:

Rapid Weight Loss - though first couple of days majority of weight lost is water, your body does become more efficient at fat burning and you do lose fat.