Many factors affect your health. Some you cannot control, such as your genetic makeup or your age. But you can make changes to your lifestyle. By taking steps toward healthy living, you can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and other serious diseases. For example,

• See your doctor for regular screenings, not just when you are sick
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Eat a variety of healthy foods, and limit calories and saturated fat
• Be physically active
• Control your blood pressure and cholesterol
• Quit smoking
• Protect yourself from too much sun  

Source:  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health