4 Best and Worst Health Habits

What are the best and worst things you can do for your health?

If you're committed to healthy living, check out the little things you do each day. Is breakfast a donut or two? Is lunch a burger and fries? At home, do you park yourself on the couch -- after sitting all day at work? Are you always keyed up, and just can't shake a constant feeling of stress?

There's no getting around it: Your worst and best habits greatly affect your heart, mind, and overall health.

"People don't realize that heart disease develops over a long period of time, and a pill won't erase the damage caused by a lifetime of bad habits," says Leslie Cho, MD, medical director for preventive cardiology and rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic.

Your mental state is a big part of your overall health picture, Cho tells WebMD. "Research shows that depression causes heart disease, and so does stress. Dick Cheney, Ken Lay, and Slobodan Milosevic all had heart attacks when under stress. Only Cheney survived his. When the body is in a constant state of heightened alert, heart disease and heart attack can occur."

What habits are worst and best for your heart, mind, and body? Here's Cho's list:

Worst Habits for Healthy Living

Which of these habits describe you?

Smoking. You know you should quit, but... Face it, smoking is absolutely the worst thing you can do. Smoking causes heart attack, stroke, lung cancer, and mouth cancer.

Fast food and red meat. Your diet is the fast-food menu -- full of salt, fat, cholesterol, and calories. Red meat is a mainstay; fried anything is your favorite treat. And you love those Danishes and donuts for breakfast, and cookies or chips when the afternoon drags.

Too much sitting. You work long hours, with a good-sized commute that eats up your day. The longest trek you take is from garage to kitchen to couch.

Never seeing a doctor. You just don't think to get your cholesterol checked -- much less anything else.

Best Habits for Healthy Living

Eating the good stuff. You eat cereal -- even oatmeal -- for breakfast. You're eating more fresh produce: apples, tomatoes, bananas, oranges, grapes, green salads, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes. You've switched from white bread to whole-wheat, from steaks to salmon. You've seen the light!

Walking. You've found the secret to getting off the couch -- turning off the TV. You start walking after work. You park your car away from your office building, to get some extra steps. You take the stairs once in awhile. You may start slow, and do a little -- but you try to get a little exercise every day. Any exercise is better than no exercise.

Annual doctor visits. You see a doctor every year, and get the basic tests -- cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes. You see specialists when necessary. You take all preventive measures necessary, as advised by your doctor.

Relaxing. You have found ways to cope with stress. You have a dog, a good walking partner. You try yoga, meditation, or praying regularly. You have a hobby, an interest outside your work. You join a social group, a church, or a temple, and make friends. All these things help to lower stress -- and that reduces your risk of heart disease and heart attack.

Published May 18, 2007.

Medically Reviewed April 18, 2007.

SOURCE: Leslie Cho, MD, medical director for preventive cardiology and rehabilitation, Cleveland Clinic.