Dr. Oz's 10 Ways to Live Healthier

Step 1: Find a Doctor and Schedule a Checkup

Dr. Oz says the key is to choose the right physician.

During your first visit, there are key questions to consider. "When you go to their office, do the other patients … look like you? Are they board certified? Do they get along with the staff?" Dr. Oz says. "If you get along with them, that person becomes your health coach. Because, remember, the word 'doctor' means 'teacher,' so it's a two-way street. If you come up with the right person, you're on the right path."

Even if you're one of 50 million Americans without health insurance, Dr. Oz says it's important to take this step. "There are free clinics. There are community health plans. If you really don't have enough money to afford a doctor, usually you'll qualify for Medicaid," he says. "But … I don't want to let people off the hook either. Half the people in America who don't have health insurance have some money. They just make the economic decision to not buy it because it's so expensive."

Step 2: Know the 5 Ingredients to Avoid

To make your diet more healthy, Dr. Oz says to remember his "rule of fives." Look at the labels of the foods you eat. If you see one of these five ingredients listed as one of the first five things used to make it, don't eat it.

High fructose corn syrup
"We most commonly get this in soft drinks," Dr. Oz says. "It's an inexpensive sugar, which means we're getting a lot of it in our diet."

Sugar
Dr. Oz says when you eat sweets, your brain receives schizophrenic messages. "It says: 'I got calories, but I didn't get any nutrients,'" he says. Your body will keep craving food until it gets those nutrients.

"Enriched"
Also watch out for products made with "enriched" flour, like white bread. "Why would they take bread and have to enrich it? Because they take all the important vitamins out of it, and they sprinkle just a little bit back in there," Dr. Oz says.

Trans fat
Also known as hydrogenated fat, these are fats that were once in liquid form but have hydrogen added to make them solid at room temperature. "It extends the shelf life of the product," Dr. Oz says. "But it shortens the human life."

Saturated fats
These fats come from four-legged animals like pigs and cows.

Step 3: The Healthy Foods to Add to Your Diet

Dr. Oz suggests starting with foods that don't need a label, like fresh fruits and vegetables. "If they're coming out of the ground looking the way they look when you eat them, they're good for you in general," he says.

Antioxidants
You should also fill your grocery cart with items that are high in antioxidants, such as tomatoes, broccoli, kidney beans, blueberries, artichokes and prunes. "Whatever has that deep color like a blueberry, you know it's rich in antioxidants," he says. Try to eat five to seven servings of these foods every day.

Omega-3 Fats
Increase your intake of omega-3 fats to 3 grams a day. "Remember, 80 percent of our brain is fat," Dr. Oz says. "We need to have the right kinds of fats in our body to make sure our brain is the most resilient to stress and can learn the fastest." Some good sources include ground flaxseeds, walnuts, salmon, scallops, soybeans and squash.

Fiber
Dr. Oz says the average American gets about 12 grams of fiber a day, but he recommends double that amount. Oatmeal, 100 percent whole grain bread, lentils, pine nuts, peas and raspberries are all great sources of this nutrient.

Olive Oil
The last item to add to your shopping list is virgin or extra-virgin olive oil. Ideally, Dr. Oz says you should consume about a tablespoon every day. One nutritious—and delicious—way to eat olive oil is with tomatoes, made into a pasta sauce. "If you get that into your diet a couple times a week, you're getting these nutrients naturally."

Step 4: Take a Multivitamin Every Single Day

With so many variations to choose from, how do you what vitamin is right for you?

If you're a young, premenopausal woman, Dr. Oz says to look for a multivitamin that contains iron. "If you're menstruating, you'll need the iron to make new red blood cells," he says. "And you don't want more than 5,000 units of vitamin A."

If you're a postmenopausal woman or a man, Dr. Oz suggests a multivitamin without iron and no more than 2,500 units of vitamin A. "You don't need the iron, because you're not bleeding every month," he says.

Before you add this step to your daily routine, consult with your doctor. Dr. Oz says people who are taking medication to lower their cholesterol may need a different dosage.

Step 5: Know Your Numbers

Waist Size
Suck in and measure your waist at your belly button. It should ideally be less than half your height—about 40 inches for men, 37 inches for women.

Blood Pressure
The ideal blood pressure is approximately 115 over 75. "If the systolic or first number is 140 or above or if your diastolic or second number is 90 or more, alert your doctor," he says.

Cholesterol
This ratio is the third number you need to know. "You want your LDL, or lousy cholesterol, to be less than 100," Dr. Oz says. "You want your HDL, or healthy cholesterol, to be greater than 40."

Resting Heart Rate
Take your pulse when you get out of bed in the morning and strive to get it as close to 60 as possible.

Blood Sugar
A simple finger stick can help you discover your blood sugar levels. "When your blood sugar is high, it's like if I take [a] glass and crack it on the ground and take the glass shards and scrape the insides of your arteries," he says. "That's what those sugar molecules do inside of you."

Vitamin D
You should also know your vitamin D levels—more Americans are deficient in vitamin D than any other vitamin. Vitamin D can help a person prevent cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, autoimmune ailments and thyroid problems. You can get enough through 15 minutes a day of sun exposure during the summer or a daily vitamin D supplement with 1,000 units.

C-Reactive Protein
This is a way to tell if your body is full of inflammation and irritation. "If you've got gingivitis, prostatitis, vaginitis—if you've got any of these inflammations in your gut—they can elevate the C-reactive protein," he says. "C-reactive protein tells us how much of a battleground there is inside of you."

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, or TSH
As Oprah learned the hard way in 2007. "If you have unexplained weight gain. If your hair has changed. If you don't have the get up and go. If your libido's off, the number one thing that we check is thyroid stimulating hormone," Dr. Oz says. "It tells us whether your thyroid gland is functioning normally."

Step 6: Find a Health Advocate

Dr. Oz says a health advocate can be anyone—your spouse, child, relative or friend. "Bring someone who's actually going to pay attention and understands the process and takes notes," he says.

When you are under stress from doctors' diagnoses or are too sick to speak up for yourself, it's crucial to have someone helping you. "Get someone who you trust and make them your partner in this process."

Step 7: Organize Your Health Records

Make sure you get an updated copy of your medical file before you leave the doctor's office. In case you need to see another physician, he or she will be able to make a diagnosis more quickly and accurately.

While this can be intimidating, Dr. Oz says you need to get over that intimidation. "Here is the reality. You want to know your family history. You want to know immunizations. You want to understand what your doctor's been thinking and doing with you," he says. "Because when you go to the next doctor, you don't want them being Columbo, trying to figure out what's going on with you. Why make it hard for them?"

Step 8: Get the Medical Tests You Need

First things first, Dr. Oz says everyone should get an annual checkup, see their dentist every six months and get an eye exam every two years.

The rest of your health test schedule depends on your age and gender.

Step 9: Start Exercising

There are four main exercise goals you should be aiming to achieve this year.

Start Walking
Your goal is to get up to 10,000 steps a day, but Dr. Oz says it's okay to start by walking for 30 minutes a day. This will make for 3,000 steps. Get your steps in with a pedometer and simple changes like taking the stairs instead of the elevator. "Societies that have 10,000 steps under their belt every day don't have much under their belt," Dr. Oz says. "It's one of the best ways to stay thin."

Get Your Heart Rate Up
Besides walking, you need some more strenuous exercise as well. You should work out hard enough to be sweating for at least 60 minutes a week.

Flexibility
Stretch for at least five minutes a day. "If you're not flexible, you'll get hurt and you'll stop exercising," Dr. Oz says.

Strength Training
You need to do some kind of weight lifting or resistance training for at least 30 minutes a week. "If you don't rebuild those muscles, you get frail," Dr. Oz says. "And that's what aging is all about."

Step 10: Get 7 to 8 Hours of Sleep a Night

While steps 1 to 9 are important, you could lose all of the benefits if you skip sleep. "If you don't get sleep, you'll crave other things like carbohydrates," Dr. Oz says.

Put Your Mind and Body to Rest

Plan for a Good Night's Sleep
Getting quality, consistent sleep can be quite a feat. Try these tricks and solutions to make happy, healthy sleep your reality.

Plan for It

Decide when you want to wake up and count backward about seven hours. Now take about a 15-minute period before that to start your slowdown process. That means taking five minutes to finish up must-do chores, followed by five minutes of hygiene stuff (flossing, washing face and so on) and five minutes of relaxing into your sleep state, through things like meditation and saying "I love you" as you lie in bed.

Prepare Your Body for Rest Before Bed

Use the Night

Most of us do things at night that are counter-productive to actually sleeping. Instead, make slight changes in your rituals to prepare your body for rest.

• Dim your lights several hours before bed to avoid the stimulation caused by artificial light pollution—which is all around us through TV, computers, and indoor lighting—and serves to stimulate us.

• Come up with a regular, rhythmic evening ritual that allows you to embrace anxieties that get released when you slow down. Meditation, prayer, and deep breathing are all good methods.

• Surrender to sleep. After all, you go to the movies, you shouldn't go to sleep. There is nothing you have to do to sleep—except let go of waking. Practice "dying" into sleep—rather than forcing yourself to sleep—and cultivate awareness of your personal twilight zone.

Fight Insomnia and Get Your Mind Off Sleep

Attack Insomnia

Tossing and turning works for salads, not sleep problems. If you can't fall asleep within 15 minutes, the answer is not to keep trying. Don't force yourself to stay in bed, because the wait will be interminable. Instead, get out of bed and do some light activity. Getting your mind off sleep resets and reboots your system. Try a yoga pose, meditation, or a short walk. To get back to sleep, music and meditation seem to work best.

Prevention Tips for a Good Night's Sleep

Know the No's

Generally, we don't like telling you not to do something—unless it's smoking, slurping trans fats, or spending 16 hours in front of the tube. But for optimum sleep preparation, there are a few things you should avoid to increase your chance of falling—and staying—asleep.

• No alcohol or nicotine for 1.5 hours before bed.

• No exercise that makes you sweat for 1.5 hours before bed (doing things that make you sweat in bed are okay).

• No caffeine, caffeinated beverages or food, or caffeine in pills for as long as you need to avoid (we recommend three hours) before bed.

• No eating three hours before bed, so you can avoid reflux issues that can disturb sleep.

Back and Knee Pain Affects Sleep

Find Your Pain

Some sleep problems don't arise because of worry or melatonin problems. Some are caused because your back hurts like stink. Truth is, some people get through general back pain or knee pain during the day because they're so focused on other things. But when trying to get to sleep, they feel the pain—and focus on it. A simple over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication can help—not specifically to get you to sleep, but to help alleviate the pain that's preventing you from sleeping. Take aspirin with a glass of water at least one hour before bedtime so that the acid doesn't have as much chance of refluxing up from your stomach to your esophagus.

Allergy Treatment and Sleep

Treat Allergies

Allergies can make sleeping trouble worse because of the congestion they cause. About 40 percent of people with allergic rhinitis have trouble sleeping. Over-the-counter nasal strips and sprays help open up everything and clear up symptoms like headaches, watery eyes, runny nose, or new-onset snoring. If you experience those symptoms and aren't aware of any allergies, search for the source in unexpected places. Some have allergies to gluten (wheat, barley, oats), which can lead to congestion and increase insomnia, as can allergies to detergents and the cleaning products you use on your clothes or sheets. One note: Decongestant nasal sprays are addictive and raise your blood pressure. Saline or antihistamine sprays (or a prescription steroid spray) are better options.

New Approaches to Lack of Sleep

Think Opposite

You'd think that the way to treat a lack of sleep is to get more of it, but one way that sleep docs treat insomnia is by making their patients sleep less. For instance, they'll take a patient getting five hours a night and force them to get only four a night, and then gradually increase for 10 or 15 minutes a night once a week. The sleep-deprivation approach can work as a way to force your body to reset back into a regular sleeping pattern.

Herbal Supplements May Help with Sleep

Consider Herbals

Several supplements have been shown to decrease sleep problems. These are the ones we recommended:

Valerian root: It contains ingredients with sedative properties and is generally considered one of the more effective herbal therapies for sleep. Our recommendation: 300 milligrams.

Ginseng: Studies have shown that the ingredients in ginseng help decrease the amount of wakefulness in a 12-hour period and increase the amount of slow-wave sleep. Try 200 to 600 milligrams of the extract.

If you are one of the 70 million Americans who don't get enough sleep, there is help.

Set the Mood

1. A Cool, Dark Room
Everyone, well almost everyone, is aware of personal hygiene—but most people don't think about sleep hygiene! Create the perfect sleep environment, and get the ZZZ's you deserve.

The temperature and darkness is a signal to the pineal gland to kick up melatonin production and knock you out.

2. No Laptops, No TV
Ideally, the bed is used for two things and two things only. If you have any other type of stimulus like work, or a TV, you're not sending your body the right message that it's time for sleep. Need more incentive to kick Leno to the living room? People who don't have a TV in the bedroom have 50 percent more sex than those who do.

3. Add White Noise
Use a fan for background noise, or one of those machines that lets you pick sounds, from the rainforest to the ocean. This drowns out the couple fighting next door and the drag races outside so your subconscious stays pristine as you count sheep.

4. Dress Appropriately
The best clothing should be non-restricting and non-allergenic (both the fabric and how it's washed). Your body is better at keeping itself hot than keeping itself cool, so you'll make it easier on yourself the fewer and looser clothes you wear.

5. Establish a Standard Wake-up Time
This includes weekends! This helps reset your circadian rhythm and trains you to stay on schedule if your rhythms happen to wander, like during traveling.

6. Get the Best Mattress
We believe there are four things in life you should overpay for. The first three: Pillows, mattresses, and their coverings. The fourth thing? A good kitchen knife (not to be used in the bed). While there's no one standard mattress that works for everyone, you have to pick what feels right for you (and try it out with your partner if you sleep with one). But you can't judge that in 30 seconds in a store. Tell the salesperson to back off and give you 15 minutes to get the feel for a mattress before you pick it. Judge it for comfort, support, and heat (you don't want heat dissipated too quickly, but a mattress pad may help). One good option: A memory foam mattress, which bounces back to the original flat plane after you get out of bed (rather than forming an indentation). They can be costly (up to $2,500). Instead, you can take a standard mattress and flip it every couple months to avoid body indentations that will disrupt your sleep. And get a 1 micron cover that blocks allergens from floating from the pillow or mattress to your nose and body.