Carol James is founder of InspiredLiving.com, which offers over 500 pages of products, articles, resources and newsletters to help you achieve a healthier body, mind, spirit and environment.

Poor health is not something that just happens to you, it's the result of the lifestyle you live. Yet no matter what your present health situation is, you can improve it. Here are 9 lifestyle changes that can lead to better health:

1.) Eat Healthier Food. Out of 2.1 million deaths a year in the United States, 1.6 million are related to poor nutrition. Improve your diet by making better food choices and buying healthier, fresher seasonal food. A good motto to follow is: If it grows, eat it. Reduce carbohydrate intake, especially low fiber carbs; such as bananas, tomatoes, all cereals and grains (bread and pasta), potatoes and rice.

2.) Drink Lots of Pure Water. Lack of water (dehydration) is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. Plus 45 million Americans drink water contaminated with lead, radiation, parasites and bacteria. Drinking lots of clean water is imperative to your health. In fact, drinking 5 or more glasses of water a day can reduce your risk of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 79% and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. Buy a high quality UV water purifier to produce safe, healthy water, and then carry a bottle of the purified water wherever you go.

3.) Breathe Clean Air. Indoor air can be 2 to 10 times more hazardous than outdoor air, and, as a result, billions of dollars are spent annually for medication to help Americans breathe or cure their respiratory illnesses. The solution is to get outside more, open windows to let fresh air in and clean your indoor air with a high quality UV negative ionizer air purifier that destroys a broad range of harmful pollutants and energizes the air.

4.) Exercise More. Physical inactivity doubles the chances of developing heart disease and increases the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. Even moderate exercise such as a brisk walk for 30 minutes most days helps control weight, cuts stress, anxiety and depression, maintains full functioning, improves circulation and oxygenates your cells. Find ways to walk more, like parking farther from the door or using stairs instead of an escalator or elevator, or find other physical activities, like gardening, raking leaves, dancing, etc. Take frequent breaks to stretch various parts of your body to relieve tense, tight, tired or sore muscles and to remain flexible.

5.) Do Work You Love. Career unhappiness can lead to discouragement, self-doubt, feelings of inadequacy, hopelessness and depression, lowered morale, negative attitude, loss of motivation, and reduced productivity—all of which cause stress and diminished health. If you are unhappy with the work you do, take a deeper look to determine if it can be fixed before you decide to jump ship. If it can't, identify what type of work will really get your juices flowing. Consider the advice of a career consultant before you make the big, scary leap!

6.) Spend Time with Good Friends. Good friends lead to better health! If you consistently feel exhausted or stress-out after spending time with a friend, assess if that friendship is worth diminishing your health. A good way to tell whether a person is a real friend or not is to look at the ways they have enhanced your life. If they are loving and supportive of you, even if they disagree, they are a true friend.

7.) Think Better Thoughts. Negative thoughts cause stress, which impairs your immune system, tenses muscles and changes metabolism and fat circulation. Recognize when you are in a bad mood so you can take action to shift your energy. Remind yourself that there are always different ways to look at something and find one that feels better. Talking things out with someone you trust has a way of lifting stress and opening your eyes to a better way. Letting go of things you can't change eases stress, too.

8.) Make Better Choices. Each choice you make in every moment of each day leads to a future outcome. Unfortunately, most people make choices for all the wrong reasons, so before making a choice, ask yourself, Does it feel like the "right" thing to do? Before you act on a decision, decide to feel good about your choice regardless of the outcome, and then you will feel better about your choice no matter how things turn out.

9.) Give Love Freely. Love reduces stress hormones and strengthens immune response leading to greater resistance to infections and disease. Focusing on what you love acts as an antidote to unpleasant experiences during the day. Love makes you happy, and happy people are healthier and live longer, so spend more time focusing on what and who you love, and on finding more people and things to love.