The most powerful tools we have to improve our health is prevention. At Carolina Insurance Professionals we believe living a happy healthy lifestyle starts with five steps. Following these five simple steps will help reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some types of cancer.

Step One: Daily Exercise

Exercising on a daily basis dramatically decreases your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Something as simple as walking the neighborhood or riding a bike will over a lifetime will also help improve brain function later in life.

Step Two: Maintain a Healthy Weight

Over the past five years not a single state in the U.S. saw a decline in obesity rate. Obtaining and keeping a healthy weight is a difficult task, but even losing a few pounds can have drastic impact on your overall health.

Step Three: Take Precautions

Taking the right precautions can prevent many deadly and debilitating illnesses. A yearly flu shot can reduce your risk of catching the virus. However, only 42% of people 50 to 64 get the yearly shot. Additional precautions like routine health screenings, mammograms, knowing and managing your cholesterol and blood pressure is crucial to early detection and elimination of deadly disease.

Step Four: Stop Smoking

Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Nearly 9 out of 10 of those cases are directly linked to smoking according to the National Cancer Institute. The good news is between nicotine replacement therapies, patches and nasal sprays there are numerous ways to cut the urge.

Step Five: Laugh

Its true, laughter is the best medicine. Laughter is proven to relax the body, boost immune system, releases endorphins, reduces stress and improves blood flow. Laughter and humor enable you to stay physically and emotionally healthy.

Please contact Carolina Insurance Professionals about insuring you are living your healthiest lifestyle.