10 Habits of Highly Healthy People

Your primary care provider provides education on medications and daily routines, is available when you get sick, and helps you find specialty care when you need it. Think of this as your “medical home,” where you can talk with medical providers you trust, and who know you and your background.

• Get help finding a primary care doctor
• Sign up for Cone Health’s MyChart and use it to view your medical record and communicate with your providers.
• Every time you talk with a doctor, nurse or pharmacist, use the “Ask Me 3” questions below to better understand your health.
  • What is my main problem?
  • What do I need to do?
  • Why is it important that I do this?

• Several Cone Health practices in Greensboro serve patients with limited incomes, no insurance, or difficulties paying for care.
  • Community Health and Wellness Center 336-832-4444
  • Tim and Carolynn Rice Center for Child and Adolescent Health 336-832-3150
  • Center for Women's HealthCare 336-832-4777
  • Cone Health Family Medicine Center 336-832-8035
  • Cone Health Internal Medicine Center 336-832-7272

Learn about programs that make health care more affordable.

Healthy relationships are a key ingredient for health. Your support network gives you a sense of belonging and self-worth, and helps you manage stress.

• Learn why a healthy social life is important to your wellness.
• Cone Health’s 24-hour, toll-free helpline offers immediate assistance and guidance for mental illness and substance abuse issues. Call 336-832-9700 or 1-800-711-2635.
• Cone Health Behavioral Health offers both outpatient and inpatient treatment.
• Find more information from the Behavioral Health agency that serves your county:
  • Cardinal Innovations (Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Chatham, Orange, Person, Stanly)
  • CenterPoint Human Services (Forsyth, Stokes, Davie and Rockingham)
  • Sandhills Center (Anson, Guilford, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph or Richmond county)

Make sure that you understand the directions – how many times each day, how much medication and for how many days – and never take anyone else's medications.

• If you or someone you know takes the wrong medications, or too much medication, immediately call 911 (if a medical emergency) or the Poison Control Hotline at 1-800-222-1222. http://www.ncpoisoncenter.org/
• Learn about local resources if you have difficulties paying for medications:
  • NC Med Assist
  • Medication Management Clinic in Burlington
  • Community Prescription Assistance Program in Rockingham County
  • Medication Assistance Program at Guilford County Department of Health and Human Services
• Find sites for safe disposal of old or expired medications

It is important to know what a healthy weight and diet is for you. Discuss this with your primary care provider, as things like your age, gender, physical activity level and medical history need to be considered.

• Learn how to measure your waist circumference.
• Use an interactive tool that calculates your BMI and assesses your health risks.
• Get information on how to take control of your weight and your well-being.

Make healthy eating fun. Start with small changes and gradually build on your healthy eating habits. Celebrate your changes along the way!

Local resources to help you eat healthy:

• Cone Health Nutrition Counseling Services in Burlington, Greensboro, Mebane and Reidsville.
• US Department of Agriculture’s Nutrition Guidelines

Get ideas for delicious recipes and shopping tips for healthy cooking:

• Eat Smart, Move More, North Carolina
• Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4 per Day (a free cookbook download)

Many people living on limited incomes may find it difficult to afford healthy and nutritious food. The information below may help:

• Search for a Farmer’s Market in your community to purchase fresh, local, tasty and affordable food.
• The WIC program serves women, infants and children and, based on your income, may provide vouchers to purchase healthy food at participating stores.
• The SNAP program helps people with limited income purchase food:
• The Little Green Book and The Little Blue Book lists all the free meals and food pantries in Greensboro.
• Cone Health partners with St. James Presbyterian Church (820 Ross Ave. Greensboro) to offer a “Message and a Meal” with free hot meal and health education every Sunday at 3 pm.
• Many more resources are available through the United Way’s community directory. You can dial “211” on your phone, or search the online directory.

Bring a friend along. If you haven’t been active for a while, that’s OK. Set small goals and gradually increase your activity over time. Ask your primary care provider what physical activity is OK for you.

• View a short video on exercise for people who don’t have enough time to exercise.
• Find a local YMCA:
  • Alamance County
  • Greensboro
  • High Point
  • Reidsville
• Discover available resources at the .
• Use these parks and recreation websites to find a park, trail or recreation center near you:
  • Alamance County
  • Burlington
  • Greensboro
  • Guilford County
  • Reidsville
  • Rockingham County Paths
• Download the Physical Activity Resource guide for Rockingham County.

Smoking causes cancer, low birth weight babies, and damage to organs, lung and skin. Smoking is deadly. Make your “Stop Smoking” plan today and get your life back!

• Register for a free smoking cessation class at Alamance Regional Medical Center (Burlington), Annie Penn Hospital (Reidsville) or Wesley Long Hospital (Greensboro) at this site, and get a list of dates, times, and locations that is most convenient for you.
• Call the toll-free 24-Hour Hotline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or get more information online.
• Avoid smoking while pregnant or while caring for a newborn.

If you don’t drink alcohol, don’t start. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For women, that’s no more than one drink per day, and two drinks per day for men. Pregnant women should avoid alcohol.

• Do you have the symptoms of alcohol dependence? This is a medical problem that can be treated. Use this interactive tool to learn more about your symptoms.
• Do you have a problem with alcohol? Find a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.
• Get information on how alcohol affects people with diabetes.
• Learn the effects of alcohol use during pregnancy.
• Cone Health’s 24-hour, toll-free helpline offers immediate assistance and guidance for mental illness and substance abuse issues. Call 336-832-9700 or 1-800-711-2635.

Practicing a relaxation activity just once a day can help to combat the negative effects of stress. Exercise helps with stress, too!

• Check out the “10 Keys to Happiness” – the first five keys are about how we interact with the world, and the second five are about the attitude we bring to life.
• Get information on coping with trauma and acute stress.
• Cone Health’s 24-hour, toll-free helpline offers immediate assistance and guidance for mental illness and substance abuse issues. Call 336-832-9700 or 1-800-711-2635.
• View a short video on how to avoid “emotional eating,” and practice mindful choosing and mindful eating.
• Attend one of Cone Health’s weekly Tai Chi and yoga classes for cancer survivors and their loved ones.

Sleeping fewer than seven to nine hours each night, irregular sleep schedules or poor quality sleep has been associated with many health risks. Have a bedtime ritual of going to bed and waking up the same time each day. Limit bedtime activities to sleep or sex, turn off the TV and avoid using electronic devices/computers before bed.

• Discover information on sleep health.
• Get help with a sleep disorder?
• Watch a short video on important strategies for getting a good night’s rest.