Findings

A. Exercise

1. The Best Exercises, According to Fitness Trainers

• A survey of fitness trainers found that the following are the most-popular exercises that they themselves do when working out: (1) Burpees, (2) side lunges, (3) "[r]everse lunge to overhead press with knee drive," (4) "crouching tiger push-up", (5) squats, (6) "offset load Bulgarian split squat," (7) jumping rope, (8) "downward facing dog," (9) donkey kicks, and (10) hip thrusts.

2. The Best Categories of Exercises

• According to Harvard Medical School, "the [four] most important types of exercise" are (1) aerobic, (2) strength training, (3) stretching, and (4) balance exercises.
• For aerobic, 150 minutes of exercise at a moderate level of intensity is recommended per week. Good types of aerobic exercise including cycling, swimming, step aerobics, and jogging.
• Strength training is important because it "stimulates bone growth, lowers blood sugar, assists with weight control, improves balance and posture, and reduces stress and pain in the lower back and joints," in addition to increasing strength overall.
•  Stretching is important because it promotes flexibility, which decreases with age.
•  Balance exercises are important in order to prevent falls and increase stability. An example of a common balance exercise is the standing knee lift.

B. Lifestyle Modifications

1. Prepared Grocery Shopping

• Proper preparation for grocery shopping is actually a great way to maintain a health body, as doing so can improve the quality of foods that are purchased. In support thereof, research published by the European Journal of Clincial Nutrition found "that most unhealthy food comes from the grocery store."
• For example, research has found that eating a snack before grocery shopping leads to fewer purchases of unhealthy foods, as a result of eliminating the hunger factor which can otherwise motivate such decisions.
• Registered Dietitian Keri Gans says that it's important to have a plan for grocery shopping by making a list in advance of going to the store, as most problems with food purchases result from not doing so.

2. Getting Sufficient Sleep

• A sufficient amount of sleep and the quality of that sleep are an essential to having a healthy body.
• A lack of the aforementioned can contribute to adverse health effects such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
• To achieve proper sleep, it's recommended that a person generally follow a regular sleep schedule.
• Sleep provides the body with numerous benefits, including "help[ing] the body repair itself," increasing productivity, inhibiting weight gain ("people who sleep fewer than seven hours per night are more likely to be overweight or obese"), improving memory, increasing attentiveness, reducing body inflammation, lowering stress, and promoting heart healthiness, among other benefits.

C. Diet Plans

• According to U.S. News and World Report, the three best diets (in descending order) are the Mediterranean Diet, DASH Diet, and Flexitarian Diet, as determined by health experts.

1. Mediterranean Diet

• The scores given to the Mediterranean Diet are 4.9/5 for health and 3/5 for weight loss, for a combined overall score of 4.2/5.
•  The Mediterranean Diet largely consists of vegetables, fruits, olive oil, seafood multiple times per week, beans, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. Examples of foods that are to be limited with this diet include red meat, sweets, yogurt, cheese, and eggs.

2. DASH Diet

• The scores given to the DASH Diet are 4.8/5 for health and 3.1/5 for weight loss, for a combined overall score of 4.1/5.
• "The DASH Diet . . . stands for 'dietary approaches to stop hypertension' and The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute promotes it.
•  The DASH Diet largely consists of vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, dairy that's low in fat, and fruits. Examples of foods that are discouraged with this diet include those with large amounts of saturated fat, sugar-laden foods and drinks, and dairy products with full fat.

3. Flexitarian Diet

• The scores given to the Flexitarian Diet are 4.7/5 for health and 3.4/5 for weight loss, for a combined overall score of 4/5.
• The Flexitarian Diet gets its name from a combination of vegetarian and flexible.
• The principle of the Flexitarian Diet is to mostly eat vegetables, while eating a lower quantity of meat.

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