16 Essential Health Tips from Dr. Oz

On The Dr. Oz Show, I've seen that once people are emotionally involved, change happens quickly, especially if they feel that their behavior is letting loved ones down. We want simple routines that we can automatically follow. Adopt some of the steps here, which anyone can do, and you will like your life more in just a couple of weeks.

Here are 16 essential tips:

1. Don't Skip Breakfast. My morning dose comes from steel-cut oatmeal, usually mixed with raisins, walnuts, and flaxseed oil.

2. Hit the Sack. Seven hours of sleep a night not only helps you live longer, but also lowers your stress, sharpens your memory, and reduces cravings for pants-splitting foods. Set a bedtime and stick to it.

3. Admire Your Work. Poop should be smooth and S-shaped, like your colon. Increase your fiber and water intake.

4. Don't Pamper Your Bad Back. Even if you're hunched over in agony, taking to your bed will only make a bad back worse.

5. Taste the Colors. Eat nine fistfuls of colorful fruits and vegetables each day and you'll reap the benefits without having to give up other foods.

6. Brushing is Not Enough. If you plan to spend your later years eating more than yogurt and applesauce, invest in some floss. No matter how thoroughly or long you brush your teeth, you're missing a good portion of their total surface.

7. Take a Deep Belly Breath. Push out your bellows and suck air through your nose until your lungs are full. They'll fill with nitric oxide, a chemical found in the back of your nose that opens up blood vessels. The dose of oxygen will make you feel happier and more alert.

8. Join a Yoga Class. Yoga is the most important exer cise of my daily routine. Being surrounded by beautiful women in spandex should be reason enough for you to join a class, but if you need more motivation, consider this: Yoga eases stress, lowers blood pressure, slows heart rates, and increases flexibility.

9. Don't Be an Island. With another person's love and support, that inner aging can be reduced. Don’t forget to reach out to your friends when you need them.

10. Avoid Fad Diets. The secret to weight loss is not to avoid carbs, fats, yellow foods, solid foods, or foods that start with the letter G. The real trick is to lower your daily intake by about 100 calories. Calorie restriction has been shown to lengthen life.

11. Lose the Belly. Grab a tape measure and put it around your body at the level of your belly button. That number should be less than half your height.

12. Go Green. Drink green tea three times a day. It's packed with heart-boosting and cancer-stopping polyphenols that black tea doesn't offer. Green tea also delivers a boost of alertness, but from a smaller dose of caffeine than black tea. Green tea can even fight dandruff, although only if you pour it directly onto your scalp.

13. Sweat Till You're Wet. If you can work up a sweat for just 1 hour a week, you'll enjoy a range of benefits: reduced risk of heart attack, better mood, and lower blood pressure. Your muscles will become more efficient, so you'll have more stamina for more enjoyable activities that also work up a sweat.

14. Have as Much Sex as Possible. If a 50-something woman could have sex 700 times a year, the exercise and stress reduction would make her look and feel years younger.

15. Add Some Weights. Just 30 minutes twice a week spent lifting weights can build significant muscle mass. Try lifting yourself: Pullups are the most valuable muscle-building exercises I do.

16. Learn to Cook. If you can cook, you not only save money but also gain control over what goes into your meals.