How much protein should you consume a day?

• Get 10 to 35 percent of your total daily calories from protein. Protein has 4 calories a gram. Based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, this amounts to about 200 to 700 calories a day, or about 50 to 175 grams a day.
  
  Emphasize plant sources of protein, such as beans, lentils, soy products and unsalted nuts. Include seafood twice a week. Meat, poultry and dairy products should be lean or low fat.

How many vegetables do adults need a day?

• According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the amount of vegetables per day you need to eat depends mostly on your age and gender, although physical activity makes a difference as well.

Most men from the age of 19 to 50 should eat about three cups of vegetables per day. Men over the age of 50 may only need about two and one-half cups. Men who get more than 30 minutes of exercise every day may need more vegetables.

Women from the age of 19 to 50 need about two and one-half cups every day, while women over the age of 50 need about two cups. As with men, women who are physically active every day may need more vegetables.

Do you have a "workout buddy"?

• Exercise can be a tedious task, but if you enlist the help of a friend, you both will benefit.
  
  Make exercise dates a few times a week when both of you can commit to a 30-minute workout. Go for a walk, hit the treadmill together, join a fun fitness class or share a personal training session. A workout buddy will motivate you and help you stick to a routine.
  
  Studies show that those looking to hit the gym or engage in exercise tend to do better with a buddy

Can you "can" the soda habit?

• Research shows that over the last 30 years Americans consumed 278 more calories per day even as physical activity levels remained relatively unchanged.
  
  One of the biggest changes in diet during that period was the enormous increase in soda consumption, accounting for as much as 43 percent of all new calories.

How many added sugars should you limit yourself to each day?

• Recently the American Heart Association came out with the recommendation that we all stick to no more than about 100 to 150 calories worth of added sugars each day.
  
  Avoiding excess sugar will help you lose any extra fat and help keep you healthy.

How much should the average person exercise each week?

• To achieve health benefits, the government recommends that adults perform at least 2.5 hours of weekly moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, and twice weekly muscle-strengthening activities.
  
  More exercise will lead to even greater health benefits. New exercisers should consult their physicians first.

How long do you need to exercise each day to reduce your risk of many diseases?

• Twenty two minutes a day is all the moderate activity you need to reduce your risk of so many conditions including heart disease, diabetes and cancer, according to guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  
  Make it even easier by sneaking in 10-minute sessions so they add up. What counts as “moderate”? Brisk walking, ballroom dancing and gardening.
  
  If you’re exercising to lose weight, though, you’ll need to do about an hour daily.

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