136 Unit 2 Nutrition and Wellness Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Someone who looks his or her best has more confi dence to accept new challenges. He or she will be more willing to approach customers to make a sale or to ask supervisors for help. In similar ways, healthy choices can have benefi ts in personal life. A nutritious diet, regular exercise, and ample rest can give people strength and energy. This will help them manage all the tasks in their daily schedules. They will have more positive attitudes when interacting with family members and friends. Mental Benefi ts Making healthy choices can help people have a good mental outlook (attitude). Along with diet, daily activity choices have a big impact on the way people look and feel. People who choose to be active enjoy greater strength and fl exibility. They have an easier time maintaining healthy body weight. These physical benefi ts help people have more positive attitudes about themselves. They are less likely to become anxious and depressed. Risks of Unhealthy Lifestyle Habits Just as making healthy choices can have a number of benefi ts, making unhealthy choices can have a number of risks. For instance, making too many unhealthy food choices could result in a lack of some nutrients. This could lead to defi ciency diseases. Choosing portions that are too large can bring about unhealthy weight gain. Choosing to spend excessive amounts of time in sedentary (requiring much sitting) activities can cause a loss of muscle strength and energy (Figure 8.2) . Unhealthy choices go beyond decisions about food and activities. Lifestyle choices often become habits. Habits, such as those involving tobacco, carry many health risks. Choosing to use tobacco in any form is hazardous to health. Smoking tobacco is linked with lung and heart diseases and many cancers. It can also weaken bones and damage the digestive tract. Using smokeless tobacco has been shown to cause cancers of the mouth, throat, and tongue. Choosing to be around secondhand smoke (inhaled from nearby smokers) is nearly as dangerous as smoking. Using alcohol in excess is another lifestyle habit that has a number of health risks. These include liver disease, high blood pressure, and some cancers. Excess alcohol also causes many car accidents, suicides, and acts of violence. Heart disease and stroke Cancer Obesity Type 2 diabetes Osteoporosis Health Conditions Related to Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity Figure 8.2 Healthy diet and physical activity choices made early in life can decrease or prevent risk factors for these common diseases.