Tips to Be Fit: Making changes to reduce your risk of developing cancer

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Eighteen percent of all cancers diagnosed in the U.S. are related to excess body weight, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption, poor nutrition and smoking. These health issues can be changed by all of us. All of these changes will take some planning.

There are a few changes you can make to reduce your risk:

Limit alcohol. The more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of developing cancer. If you choose to drink alcohol, which include beer, wine or liquor, limit yourself to no more than one drink a day. If you can't control your consumption, stop drinking completely.

Control your percentage of body fat. If you are overweight or obese you increase the risk of cancer. This is especially true if body fat is a factor later in life. Good nutrition is very important in controlling your body fat. Make sure you get in enough calcium, B vitamins and iron through a balanced diet. Keep a food diary for two weeks to determine what you need to add to your diet. An active person needs about 10 to 13 calories for every pound of body weight. You should eat 4 to 5 small meals that include 3 to 4 servings of fruits, 3 to 4 servings of vegetables, 2 to 3 servings of whole grains and 2 servings of proteins every day. Remove the skin and fat from meat, poultry and fish. A healthy diet will help you maintain a healthy body fat level.

Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can help you maintain a low body fat content, which in turn helps prevent cancer. Healthy adults should work out every day. Strength training exercises should be done at least three times a week. If you're just starting, start slowly and build intensity gradually. A complete workout should include exercises for each body part. This will include the chest, shoulders, triceps, back, biceps, forearm, thighs, calves and your abdominals (midsection). Start with 2 or 3 different exercises for each body part. Gradually work up to 8-12 repetitions for each exercise. Do each exercise 1-3 times to start. If you can do more than 12 repetitions for a set, the weight is too light. If you can’t do at least eight repetitions for a set, the weight is too heavy.

You’ll also need to do aerobic exercises. Doing aerobic exercises for up to 20 minutes will work the heart, lungs and circulatory system. Aerobic exercises will also help burn body fat. You don’t start to burn body fat until you’re about 20-25 minutes into the workout. To burn significant amounts of body fat you should perform between 45 and 60 minutes of aerobic activity. If you’re not already working out it may take you several weeks to reach this goal. You should start with between 5 to 20 minutes of aerobic activity at a moderate pace. As your body becomes stronger you want to increase your time and intensity (effort level) gradually.

Avoid exposure to environmental pollution. Avoid exposure to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in vehicle exhaust, secondhand smoke, cleaning chemicals, dry cleaning flumes and other air pollution.

Carry your own glass, steel, or ceramic water bottle filled with filtered tap water.

Reduce how much canned food you eat and how much canned formula your baby uses.

Use baby bottles with labels that say "BPA free."

Avoid handling carbonless copy cash register receipts.

Don't cook food in plastic containers or use roasting/steaming bags; the plastic residues may leach into food when heated in a regular or microwave oven.

Use glass, porcelain, enamel-covered metal, or stainless steel pots, pans and containers for food and beverages whenever possible, especially if the food or drink is hot.

Recycling symbol 1 is also OK to use, but shouldn't be used more than once (no refilling those store-bought water bottles!). Keep all plastic containers out of the heat and sun.

Drink water. We require more water than any other thing we ingest. We may survive for a few weeks without food, but we would only last a few days without water. It carries nutrients to your organs and tissue by way of the blood stream. Water also aids in the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients into the body. It carries away bodily waste and cools the body through perspiration. Water also moistens the mucous membranes and lubricates the joints.

Don’t smoke. If you smoke, quit. Stay away from people that smoke. Medical research shows that the particles that make up secondhand tobacco smoke can attach itself to the hair, clothing and other surfaces. Any amount of smoke is dangerous and will cause health problems.

Make the changes and reduce your risk of developing cancer.