TO look and feel your best at every age, it’s important to make smart lifestyle and health choices. Here are six simple things that women can do every day (or with regularity) to ensure good health:

1: Eat a healthy diet. Eat a lot of natural foods as you can. This means a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods.

Healthy eating will help you maintain a proper weight for your height, which is important because being overweight can lead to a number of illnesses. Looking for a healthy snack?

Try some raw vegetables, such as celery, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, or zucchini with dip made from low-fat yogurt.

If you’re not getting enough vitamins and nutrients in your diet, you might want to take a multivitamin and a calcium supplement to make sure you’re maintaining good health.

2: Exercise. Plenty of exercise keeps your heart healthy. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week, if not every day. Aerobic exercises like walking, swimming, jogging, bicycling and dancing are good for women’s health in general and especially for your heart.

3: Avoid risky habits. Stay away from cigarettes and people who smoke. Don’t use drugs. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Most women’s health studies show that women can safely consume one drink a day.

4: Manage stress. No matter what stage of a woman’s life, they deal with a lot of pressure and stress. Take a few minutes every day just to relax and get your perspective back again.

It doesn’t take long, and mental health is important to your physical well-being. You also can manage stress with exercise, relaxation techniques, or meditation.

5: Sun safely. Excessive exposure to the sun’s harmful rays can cause skin cancer, which can be deadly. To protect against skin cancer, wear sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 if you are going to be outdoors for more than a few minutes.

Even if you wear sunscreen faithfully, you should check regularly for signs of skin cancer. Warning signs include any changes in the size, shape, color, or feel of birthmarks, moles, or freckles, or new, enlarging, pigmented, or red skin areas.

If you spot any changes or you find you have sores that are not healing, consult your doctor.

6: Check for breast cancer. Starting at the age of 20, women should be on the lookout for any changes in their breasts and report any concerns to a doctor.

All women 40 and older should get a yearly mammogram as a mammogram is the most effective way of detecting cancer in its earliest stages, when it is most treatable.

A woman’s health needs change as she ages, but the basics of women’s health remain the same. If you follow these six simple healthy living tips, you will improve your quality of life for years to come.

Everyday Health