Optimize Your Health and Happiness

Staying healthy mentally and physically isn't simply a matter of good genes. It's a proactive project that lasts your entire life.

"Like a finely tuned car, it's important to think of health in terms of preventive maintenance," says Charles Inlander, author of "Family Health for Dummies." "By keeping your body and mind in good working order, you may delay the onset of certain diseases and conditions or even eliminate the chances they'll happen."

Mr. Inlander offers the following suggestions to help you keep your body and mind running like a well-oiled machine.

Use the right fuel

To stay healthy over the long run, "start with your diet," says Mr. Inlander. "It's the easiest thing you can control."

Every day, you have numerous opportunities to give your body good nutrition for preventive maintenance. Mr. Inlander recommends following the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid, sticking to a low-fat diet and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables to reduce your risk of obesity, heart disease and cancer.

"Expand on the foods you like and look for variations," he says. "The idea is to fend off the feeling of deprivation by focusing on the healthy foods you can eat more of, not the not-so-healthy foods you're trying to avoid."

Rev your engine

"People who get regular exercise are fitter and trimmer and have a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and even some cancers," says Mr. Inlander. "They also tire less easily, are more flexible and agile and are less prone to injury."

In short, exercise helps keep you younger longer. But you don't have to join a health club to reap these benefits.

Even walking for 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week at a brisk pace can boost your heart rate and help keep your joints limber, he stresses.

Need more motivation? "Keep in mind that besides its physical benefits, exercise is also an effective stress reducer that can help fight off physical and mental illnesses, such as depression," he says.

Tune up your social life

"Studies show that people who interact with others have less illness and are more likely to be happy," Mr. Inlander says. All told, happiness produces endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals in your brain that reduce stress. In turn, less stress reduces the potential for physical and mental illnesses.

Don't shift into neutral

Finally, if you're diagnosed with a chronic illness, continue to be proactive so you can function normally for as long as possible.

If you develop arthritis, for instance, take up swimming. If you develop diabetes, learn how to manage your condition properly.

The point? In most cases, you can help yourself feel better. "To optimize your health, strive to get the most out of whatever age you are, no matter what condition you're in," Mr. Inlander says.