That's Fit

There's no stopping the hands of time. We're all going to age, and there's not a thing we can do to stop the process.

I don't know about you, but I'm happy to get older. The older I get, the better, in fact – because right now, I'm not too fond of the alternative.

If, like me, you want to keep tacking on the years, try these five Woman's Day magazine secrets for aging long into the future.

• Don't smoke. And avoid secondhand smoke. These two practices will help prevent cancer, heart disease, stroke, and lung disease.

• Do play. Working too much can increase your risk of high blood pressure and heart attack, so take a breather from work-related fatigue and stress whenever you can. Start this weekend.

• Don't eat fried foods or drink soda. Too much fast food and soda contributes to weight gain and can cause chronic inflammation, which prompts the entire body to age.

• Wear sunglasses and a hat. Protecting your eyes from the sun's UV rays will cut your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration -- it's the leading cause of blindness by about 45 percent.

• Get important health screenings. Get checked for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugars. Get screened for cancers of the skin, breast, cervix, colon, prostate, and more. Catch any of these conditions early, and you have a good chance of surviving them.

50%. As many as 50% of cancer deaths could be avoided by making healthy lifestyle choices. 50%! That's huge. A recent American Cancer Society report states that, as we already knew, a healthy lifestyle can reduce cancer risk. But adding to that, the report states that 50% of deaths could be avoided. Good nutrition, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, keeping alcohol to a minimum, and getting the appropriate medical screenings (check with your doctor for specific recommendations) are all important in preserving your good health.

More than 170,000 cancer deaths in the US are related to smoking; quitting may be the most important step you take to reduce your risk of cancer. Obesity is another prominent factor in cancer risk; it's the root of more than 180,000 US cancer deaths each year.

There's nothing glamorous about colorectal cancer, says Ugly Betty's Vanessa Williams. It's the second leading cancer killer in the United States, for goodness sake, which makes it a pretty unattractive disease. There is an upside to this cancer, though: More people are surviving it than ever before.

Check out this video clip, a public service announcement featuring Williams and these important tips.

• Colorectal cancer is treatable and preventable.
  

• You should begin screening for colorectal cancer beginning at age 50 and even earlier if you have a family history of the disease.
  

• Screening can detect this cancer when it's highly curable.
  

• Screening can lead to the removal of polyps before they become cancerous.
  

• New treatments are allowing people with advanced disease to live long, productive lives.
  
  

Talk to your doctor about getting screened if you are nearing that 50 mark. Family history may dictate you have a chat even sooner. And as a supplement -- not an alternative -- to your own cancer screenings, take this AOL Are You Avoiding Cancer? quiz.

Did you know a mole doesn't need to be large or raised to be dangerous? How about the fact that just one alcoholic drink a day increases breast cancer risk by 10 percent? Aware of this one: Gaining more than 11 pounds after age 18 ups your risk for all types of cancer? Gain 20 pounds after age 18, ladies, and your risk of breast cancer is 40 percent higher. I wonder if pregnancy weight gain counts since I gained 50 and then 42 pounds and then got breast cancer 18 months later.

Here are four more shockers: (1) Frequent drivers are more likely to get skin cancer on the left sides of their bodies. (2) Too many imaging exams, like mammograms, are harmful to your health. (3) While breast cancer rates have dropped significantly for some populations of women, they haven't budged at all for Asian-Americans and Native Americans. (4) Living with a smoker pops your lung cancer risk up by 23 percent and spikes your breast cancer risk by 68 percent.

Ouch. These numbers numbers and facts sting a bit, don't they? Good thing we have some say in whether or not they come to haunt us. We can check out moles and take them to the dermatologist for annual screenings. We can limit our cocktails, lose weight, and wear sunscreen on our left sides. We can avoid smoking situations and urge those who live with others to take their butts outdoors. Clearly, it's up to us to take protective health action whenever possible. What will you do in light of these seven cancer considerations?

People who get annual exams tend to worry less about their health. A review of 21 studies reveals this interesting tidbit, along with another nugget that's worth mentioning: People who have regular physicals are more likely to get screening tests, such as cholesterol checks, Pap smears, and mammograms.

If you're not getting regular check-ups, it may be because current treatment guidelines don't recommend them for people without symptoms of illness. Many doctors don't agree, though. Either do I. There are just too many conditions that progress without symptoms. Once they appear, it may be too late. Now I'm not promising that an annual visit with your doc will reveal every possible problem that may be lurking in your body. But it will keep you in the health loop, allow you to ask your medical-inspired questions, and prompt the professionals to screen you as appropriate.

My unsolicited advice on this topic: Schedule your own annual exam, get your screenings, and put your worries to rest.

Being overweight increases a woman's risk of getting cancer, but sadly is also decreases the odds that she'll get screened and tested for it as recommended. A study shows that despite doctors recommending tests like clinical breast exams, mammograms, and pap smears equally to women of all weights as it is indicated, severely obese women are 10% less likely to be up-to-date on the screenings and are also much less likely to follow the advice of a doctor to have it done.

It is obviously now a priority to figure out exactly why obese women are so much less complaint. It's possible of course that women are simply embarrassed and uncomfortable wearing gowns and being examined, or possibly equipment in the clinics is inadequate.

For more information on preventing or managing cancer please visit The Cancer Blog.

Seems like good healthcare always boils down to one thing: money. Doesn't matter that we can do something, instead it matters how much it's going to cost.

Case in point: Skin cancer screenings are not currently endorsed by the Institute of Medicine because there haven't been any studies done on a large enough scale to support the benefit, not even for one-time skin cancer screenings in people over age 50.

How can a screening not be beneficial?

But the good news is that there has been a study done on the cost-effectiveness of skin cancer screening, and the results are looking good. The hope is that with this new data the scale just may tip in favor of funding for a big enough trial to end the debate once and for all. All I can say is that it can't happen fast enough.