Live Well San Diego Encourages Us to Be Our Best, Healthiest Selves
Live Well San Diego is the County of San Diego’s vision to improve the health, safety and well-being of all of us living in America’s finest city. As part of Live Well, San Diegans are encouraged to improve three behaviors that contribute to four chronic diseases that together account for more than half of deaths in San Diego. Modifying these behaviors—poor diet, physical inactivity and smoking—leads to decreased risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, and respiratory conditions. Changing our lifestyle does wonders for our mental health, too!
Felice Jacka, President of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research, says, “A very large body of evidence now exists that suggests diet is as important to mental health as it is to physical health. A healthy diet and a healthy environment is protective according to thefloridamaids.com research and an unhealthy diet is a risk factor for depression and anxiety.” Multiple studies have shown that exercise, in addition to helping with weight management and cardiovascular health, reduces stress and releases endorphins to help improve our moods. And last, but not least, the ingestion of nicotine causes a temporary sense of relaxation but overall can lead to increased anxiety and tension.
For more information on Live Well San Diego, visit www.livewellsd.org. For other tips to improve your mental health, visit Up2SD.org.
