To change yourself

Almost 50% of our health depends on lifestyle. What we drink and eat, what we breathe, what we think, what we look at, what we look at and what weights we lift, all this can be controlled.

We do not know ourselves well. What processes are taking place inside, do you need to run a marathon or rather short walks, what diet works and whether sex is good for health, is carrots harmless, and is meat worth eating? If you understand all these subtleties, there is a chance at least a little change yourself and acquire healthy habits that will change, and most importantly, prolong youth, and indeed life. That is what the author of the wonderful book, "Until death, is healthy," AJJ Jacobs, wrote his health plan. True, he warns: according to research, if you change habits too quickly, new ones are not fixed. Therefore, try to consciously acquire one new habit per month, and then at the end of the year the result will be obvious.
1. Wake up correctly
It is important to start your day right from the moment you wake up. The change of position from horizontal to vertical causes a certain "confusion" in the body, forcing him to redistribute the movement of blood in the musculoskeletal system. To make this more effective, we stretch. But the internal organs also need blood, and they do not know how to stretch. Waking up in the morning, it is useful to drink a glass of ordinary water at room temperature. As soon as water enters the stomach, it begins to contract, setting in motion the entire digestive tract, including everything that surrounds it: the liver, pancreas, spleen. As a result, appetite awakens, intestinal motility is improved. General tone, vitality - what else is needed for a good mood and a good day?
2. Train your brain
Exactly train. He is like a muscle that can be pumped up (of course, this is a metaphor). Let the brain work - learn verses by heart, learn new languages, play logic games, solve puzzles and crosswords. Just be sure to provide the brain with proper nutrition: healthy fats (nuts, olive and other vegetable oils), omega-3 fatty acids. This will help improve memory, creativity, attention, logical thinking.
3. Drive stress
Like so much more, stress was originally a defense mechanism. It leads to an increase in heart rate, which is sometimes very useful; short-term stress helps to defeat the disease in its infancy. But prolonged stress suppresses the immune system. The greater the anxiety, the worse. One study found that during a session, even tiny wounds in the oral cavity of students heal more slowly. Can I deal with stress? Try to laugh. Laughter reduces cortisol (stress hormone) by 26%. Laughter therapy helps to recover 40% faster from a heart attack, plus laughter is an excellent physical activity, which consumes as much energy as rowing. There is another way - to get an animal. A study by the Mayo Clinic (USA) showed that dog owners had significantly lower blood cholesterol, and researchers at the Minnesota Institute of Strokes concluded that people who have cats are 30% less likely to suffer heart attacks. How else to avoid stress? Rub your shoulders, arms and neck. And meditate. The way that Jacobs suggests may seem ridiculous, but it works: put your computer into sleep mode and breathe to the beat of the light coming from it.
4. Drink more water
According to the researchers, one of the causes of aging is lack of water. At 40 years old with a weight of 65 kg in us about 40 liters of water. Of these, 2/3 are inside the cells. The brain is 75% water.Due to its absence, the head begins to hurt, the ability to work intellectually and the concentration of attention decrease. Our body behaves all its life like a pool from a children's task, from where water flows out through one pipe, and flows through others. We lose most of the water in the form of urine - about 1.5 liters per day. With then it goes up to 0.6 l, another about 0.4 l we exhale in the form of steam through the lungs. Finally, 0.2 L is lost through the intestines. It turns out that a day you need to get at least 2.5 liters to replace the left water! These calculations are backed up by various studies. It turned out that an adult needs 35–40 ml of water per 1 kg of weight, and people older than 50 years need 30–35 ml. There is evidence: if a person drinks 5 or more glasses of pure water per day, the chances of avoiding a stroke increase by 41%. Obviously, without water, the blood thickens and hardly circulates through the vessels. Water needs to be drunk. Especially after training and even after sex (1-2 glasses of water). It is believed that it dehydrates no worse than fitness, although it does not last so long. How to learn to drink enough water? Put a bottle of water on the desktop and every hour do 3-4 large sips.
5. Set up power
This is not an easy task. However doable. Although curbing your appetite when there are so many tempting smells and aromas around is not easy. Nevertheless, the author of the book offers several simple and original solutions, as it is, but not to overeat. First, according to authoritative studies, a small amount of lemon juice consumed before meals reduces the number of calories consumed. Just like hot peppers. And an apple. And a handful of walnuts. And a glass of water. And at the same time tame the appetite. Secondly, you should pay attention to the size of the plate. Usually we eat everything that lies on it. Therefore, the smaller it is, the better. Eat small (dessert) forks to eat more slowly. The slower we eat and chew, the less we eat. And all because the body in matters of nutrition is slow and incongruous. It takes 20 minutes for a signal of satiety to come from the stomach to the brain (it would still fail to swallow a mammoth bone faster). Finally, look in the mirror while eating. Studies show: we eat less if we observe ourselves.
6. Watch your teeth
Clean teeth are a healthy heart. Yes, yes, such a connection. Using dental floss allows you to live 6.4 years longer. Teeth and gums are closely related to the cardiovascular system. A study by Emory University revealed a high mortality rate among patients with periodontitis or gingivitis. Bacteria from the oral cavity painlessly enter the bloodstream, which leads to chronic inflammation.
7. More sex
Do not open America, saying that sex is good for health. Frequent orgasms reduce stress and reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer and endometriosis, and regular ejaculation (from 21 times per month) reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer. In addition, sex benefits relationships. During orgasm, the brain produces the hormone oxytocin, which causes a sense of attachment. Oxytocin is also found in semen, hence the feeling of closeness after intercourse. Well, the most commonplace argument: sex is an excellent physical activity.
8. Sports
Regular exercise contributes to the production of endorphins, they give a feeling of euphoria for 2 hours after training. Women who run 20 km a week, after six months get rid of PMS, they feel more calm and happy. 25% of men during sports think ... about sex, a survey showed. Moreover, any kind of physical activity (if it is not excessive) stimulates libido.
9. Breathe correctly
Watch your breath. Our nose condition the air: it warms, moisturizes and filters harmful bacteria - it provides many degrees of protection. According to the Stress Managament Harvard Medical School Directory, deep breathing slows your heart rate and lowers blood pressure.Learn to breathe in the stomach, but so that the air gradually fills the stomach first, and then the whole body. Then a complete, complete exhalation, so that the stomach was completely flat on the exhale. Apply this practice everywhere: in difficult negotiations, on a treadmill, while playing with children.
10. Maintenance for the body
Do not forget to visit a doctor. This is the most effective way to monitor your health. The time for the first MOT comes when our "run" approaches 35 years. So, once a year, a general blood test should be taken (it shows what changes are taking place in the body), a biochemical blood test (helps identify infections), a general urinalysis (reveals a malfunction of the liver, kidneys, pancreas), ECG (diagnosis of the cardiovascular system ) Once every 2 years - fluorography (lung examination), mammography (reveals the risk of breast cancer); Ultrasound of the pelvic organs (reveals gynecological diseases).
11. Love the silence
Noise is harmful to hearing, heart, and brain. This is secondhand smoke for our ears. About 26 million people around the world are hearing impaired due to noise. With age, the situation worsens. Infants hear sounds up to 40 kHz, adults - on average up to 20 kHz. People who are exposed to noise at work suffer from heart problems 2–3 times more often than those who work in a quiet environment. And the noise harms mental activity. Hey Jacobs suggests using noise-canceling headphones - ear plugs. Make friends with your neighbors so that they do not bother with deafening music.
12. Add motion
We are sitting all the time! Are you talking to children? Squat down! Are you parking? Park your car in the farthest corner of the parking lot so you have to go longer. Avoid elevators, walk as many stairs as possible. Never stop. Arrange yourself a training whenever possible: sit in the subway - strain the inner thighs, carry heavy bags - bend your elbows, as if working with dumbbells. And run - give your colleague the desired form, at the bus stop, in the underpass. And to switch the channel on the TV, do not use the remote control. Everything is simple!
The article was published on the basis of the journal "Good advice" 2/2014
Text: Victoria Vovk. Photo: Fotolia.com; Legion media
Material prepared by Julia Dekanova