What is the most important preventative measure for having a healthy voice for ones entire life?
Taking care of your voice is the most important preventative measure for having a healthy voice for a lifetime. This involves properly hydrating your body with at least 64 ounces of water a day, using adequate support from your abdominal muscles when you speak or sing, and avoiding vocally abusive behaviors such as throat clearing, coughing, yelling, screaming or prolonged loud talking. You should warm up your voice before you use it, just as you stretch before exercising. You should also speak at a pitch that fits your voice. Listen to where you say “mm-hmm” naturally. If your speaking voice is markedly higher or lower than that, you are not at an optimal pitch and could be straining your voice to maintain that pitch.
