The healthiest number: 10,000

Using a pedometer helps sedentary types meet their walking goal of 10,000 steps

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The You Docs

How many steps will you walk today? You don't know? What, you don't have a pedometer yet? People who have a number in mind (and track it with a pedometer) walk a whole lot more than people who don't. Studies prove it.

The best number to go for is 10,000. That's not many more steps than you're probably already taking. Most people log between 3,500 and 5,000 steps daily just by looking for the remote, double-checking that they fed the dog and otherwise going about their day. Even if you take 5,000 steps – about 4 kilometres – experts consider you to be less than minimally active, or what our research friends politely term "sedentary." But the good news is that if you're doing that much without even trying, it's not going to be hard to bump up to the amount that counts when it comes to making your RealAge younger.

Research shows that people who kept the 10,000-step goal in mind logged about 2,000 extra steps a day. Wear a pedometer and experiment. How close to your goal do you get by taking the long way to the cafeteria or produce section of the grocery store?

Those goal setters also lost weight and improved their blood pressure. Do it, and bring on other benefits: Walking lowers your lousy LDL, raises healthy HDL and decreases inflammation. And our favourite: It makes you feel great.

DO IT TONIGHT: If you've been short-sheeting your shut-eye, you're like most people over age 30 who are getting record-low levels of sleep. Blood pressure is on the rise for these folks, and is related to lack of sleep.

A bit of background: A group of 32- to 59-year-olds who got fewer than five hours of sleep a night for several years were found to be twice as likely to develop high blood pressure as those who got a healthy seven or eight hours each night.

Here's how it works:

When you snooze, your body goes into a lower blood pressure mode. Too little time in this low-key state can lead to consistently high blood pressure.

Less sleep means you spend more time dealing with stress instead of resting.

Cutting back on a full night's sleep also adds to your desire to eat. Lack of sleep leads to a lack of the feel-good brain chemical dopamine. Your brain receptors crave dopamine, so they trigger sugar cravings because sugar also releases dopamine – but constantly overdoing sugary foods increases your weight and your high blood pressure risk.

If getting enough shut-eye is a challenge, consider this: Whatever work is keeping you from bed will still be there tomorrow. But with rest, you'll do those tasks better and probably faster.

POP THESE PILL MYSTERIES: What do good mystery novels and new prescriptions have in common? Both can keep you guessing. An estimated 2 per cent of North Americans are harmed by the meds they need. How do you tilt the table more in your favour? Get these six facts when you're given a new drug:

1. The trade or generic name of the medication. Many drugs sound the same – witness Zyrtec (for allergies) and Zyprexa (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder). Their generic names (cetirizine and olanzapine) help clear up confusion.

2. Why you need it.

3. How long you should keep taking it. If you think it's a blood-pressure pill, but it's really for a sinus infection, you don't want to keep refilling it. Conversely, don't do a Clinton and get a heart attack because you stop taking a drug without telling your doctor.

4. The potential side effects. Find out what to look for and what to tell your doc. If you do not have a partner, you may not want a drug whose side-effect is increased libido.

5. How much you should take.

6. How many doses you need, and when you should take them. Write down the answer. One study found that people's brains play an evil trick: After being given a very clear order, such as "don't take this pill in the evening," they'll remember broad details – pill, evening – but not specifics. Guess what happens.

IT'S GOOD TO SEE RED: When it comes to fruits and legumes, it's pretty much impossible to reach for anything bad. But often you can get extra goodies by reaching for red. Try these three heavy hitters:

Red bell peppers: They have almost twice as much vitamin C as their green siblings. And getting ample C is credited with a 30 per cent reduction in the risk of stroke. Vitamin C helps your arteries stay young and keeps your immune system strong.

Red kidney beans: These are right up there with blueberries when it comes to total phytonutrient value. And phytonutrients – protective substances found in plant foods – help your body produce more antioxidants. These defenders swiftly mop up free radicals, the cellular byproducts that can damage DNA and lead to cancer, heart disease and early aging. So brighten up salads now and stews later by tossing in some crimson beauties.

Red grapefruit: The red varieties contain more lycopene, a phytonutrient that may add extra anti-cancer and heart-health benefits, than white grapefruit does. Lycopene is absorbed better, though, when fat is around, so try tossing red grapefruit segments into a sauté or salad drizzled with canola or olive oil. Or if you love spooning out the sections one-by-one on Sunday morning, eat them with a side of whole-grain toast spread with peanut butter.

TAKE A MEETING, THEN RUN: The surprising cure for job stress: schedule one more meeting. You can't change what researchers call "collective uncertainty about the future," but you can book a meeting with your supervisor to discuss the company's goals and define your role in achieving them. Research shows that clearly defined goals make workers happier and healthier.

Then run. Not from your job, but for the financial health of your company (and your own health). See, gym-goers perform better at work than sedentary people. And when one study looked at entrepreneurs, it was clear that those who took time away from their business to run regularly were not only better at attaining personal satisfaction, but also had significant improvement in sales over companies managed by non-runners.

Why does that work? Physically active people process data faster, and they're more likely to have less stress or handle it better than chair-bound types. Workouts help your mind relax, so it's a better incubator for new ideas and solutions.

The You Docs, Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz, are authors of the best-selling YOU: On a Diet. Send questions to the good doctors on their website, realage.com