Common Sense Health Advice for Adults
While each person is unique, we have some general guidelines that make sense for most of our adult patients. Please review and of course discuss any concerns you might have with your primary care provider. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) also provides additional information through your primary care provider, staff in our Community Health Resource Centers, printed handouts, and classes and lectures from our Health Education Division.
Exercise
How much should you exercise? Your goal is to get 30 minutes of exercise every day. Exercise enough to raise your heart rate to a level based on your age using the following formula: (220 - your age) x 70 percent. So a 40-year-old would try to achieve a heart rate of (220 - 40) x .07 percent = 126 beats per minute, during 30 minutes of aerobic exercise.
Weight bearing exercise is best. Examples include brisk walking, jogging and aerobics. Swimming and biking are not weight bearing, so they don't benefit your bones. However, they are great for your heart, lungs and the muscle groups used. Stretch, especially after exercise.
Any exercise is certainly better than none. Do the best you can, and don't feel guilty if you can't live up to your ideal. No one is too old to start. Enjoy!
Back to top
Stress Management
Everyone feels stressed at times. Identify what makes you feel stressed and try to build stress reduction and play time into every day. No one should work all the time. Seek professional help for dealing with stress and depression if you need it. Your primary care provider can help. We can also refer you to professional counselors, psychiatrists and support groups.
Back to top
Sleep
Most adults need seven to eight hours of a sleep a night. If you are "getting by" on less, consider whether you are doing so through stimulants like caffeine and denying your fatigue.
Back to top
Nutrition: You Really Are What You Eat!
Calcium builds strong bones. You can find calcium in foods (especially dairy products) or calcium supplements.
- Premenopausal women and teens need 1,200 milligrams a day
- Postmenopausal women need 1,500 milligrams a day
- Men need 1,000 milligrams a day.
- Vitamin D: 400 IU a day is sufficient.
- Folic Acid (Folate): 400 micrograms a day, especially for women who might become pregnant.
- Vitamin C: no data confirm benefits of high doses. Keep intake to less than 1,000 milligrams a day.
- Iron supplements may be necessary for menstruating women whose food intake of iron is inadequate.
Alcohol: Moderation is your guide. Drink generally no more than seven drinks a week, and not all at once! Those with concerns about their alcohol intake can abstain entirely without compromising their health.
Caffeine: Limit your intake to no more than three 8-ounce cups of regular coffee per day or equivalent.
Back to top
Smoking
Don't start. Don't inhale someone else's smoke and quit if you are a smoker yourself. Quitting really does improve your health no matter how old you are or how long you've been smoking. It's never too late! We have many ways to help you quit, including medicines for the psychological craving and physical craving and classes to help with the social habits that you've established around smoking.
Back to top
Preventive Tests and Screening
We have detailed recommendations on the frequency of various preventive tests. How often and when to begin and end such tests depends on your own circumstances and family history. Routine tests include:
- Screening for chlamydia (a sexually transmitted infection)
- Pap smears and mammograms (for women)
- Blood pressure screening, lipid (cholesterol) testing
- Colon cancer screening through stool cards and sigmoidoscopy
- PSA screening for men (discuss with your provider)
Back to top
Immunizations
Routine immunizations for healthy adults:
- Tetanus-Diphtheria every 10 years
- Pneumovax ("pneumonia shot") once after age 65
- Influenza ("flu shot") every year after age 65
Back to top
Safety
Cars: Make sure everyone in your car uses seatbelts adjusted to the proper size. Use booster seats and car seats for your young passengers. No children under the age of 12 or older persons shorter than 4'9" (145 cm) should sit behind a seat with an airbag. Don't drive or allow others to drive while under the influence of alcohol or other mind-altering substances.
Sports: Wear a helmet while bike riding, skateboarding, snowboarding, etc. as appropriate. Even though the law doesn't require helmets for bicyclists over age 16 years, your older skull and brain are still vulnerable.
Guns: Lock them up unloaded and away from children. Secure ammunition separately from firearms. Use safety locks. Make sure others you visit do the same in their homes.
Ultraviolet light protection: Protect yourself from skin cancer. Wear sunscreen products and/or cover your skin when in direct sunlight for more than 15 minutes, especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Let us check any suspicious skin changes, bleeding or painful areas of your skin.
Domestic Violence: No one deserves to be abused, physically or emotionally. If you have any concerns, please discuss them with your provider. We can help.
Back to top
Sexual Health
Contraception: Use a reliable method to prevent unwanted pregnancy. There are many safe and effective options for contraception. Your family medicine provider can help you determine which one is right for you.
Emergency contraception: The "morning after" pill is safe and effective in preventing pregnancy when taken within 72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. Women should talk to their provider about how to obtain this medication.
Practice "safer sex": Unless you are sure you are in a mutually monogamous relationship, use condoms to reduce the chance of contracting sexually transmitted infections. See a health care provider if you have any concerns about exposure to such infections or if you have any symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease.
Concerns about sexual desire or function:Please discuss them with your health care provider.
Back to top
