HEALTHY HABITS: 10 daily habits that changed my life (science-backed)

 Hello good people and welcome back onboard. Here we learn everything health (#allmattershealth) to reward ourselves with healthy eating and today we look at good daily habits that can help us hack through every day activities. Karibuni.

 Before we go on further, remember that habits are built over time and you should not put pressure on yourself to do them every day.

  Good daily habits can make such a big difference to your overall health and your life.Let’s engage.

 Take a glass of water first thing in the morning - this makes a big difference in your energy levels. When we are sleeping, we do not take water and when we wake up in the morning we can be mildly dehydrated thus our fatigue levels go up. Start your morning by getting enough hydration. Remember you can also add in some lemon for taste in your glass of warm water.

 Meditate for 10 minutes every day - Meditation can do things like reduce anxiety, improve your immune function and it can help reduce pain. It also gives you mental clarity and makes you feel much more calm.You can try guided meditation versus meditation where you're just doing it on your own and give yourself time.

Guided meditation can really help you stay on track and can really guide you through the process. There are apps that can help in guided meditation like CALM and HEADSPACE which you can try.

 Go  for a brisk walk outdoors.Walking is very essential in keeping your health on track.  Walking is not just a mood booster but it is also a way of exercising and especially if you are not a gym person.

  Remember World Health Organization (WHO) recommends about 150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity every week or 75 minutes of cardiovascular activity -  a walk can count if your heart rate is high enough and there are apps that can help like Samsung health app.

In additional to walking, you can include some weight training and yoga.World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at the average at least two sessions a week for adults because as we age we tend to lose muscle mass as a normal part of aging.Another normal part of aging is losing bone density but we can slow that process down with weight training. Speak to a professional to learn the proper moves so you don't get injured eventually.

   Eat well, eat green! Green vegetables are very nutrient dense and you get a variety of vitamins and minerals. The easiest way to add greens to your diet really is smoothies.

 ü  Fruits

Eat at least two to three servings of brightly colored fruits and veggies every day.  

Brightly colored fruits and veggies basically suggest eating fruits and veggies from different colors. Different colors mean they have different phytochemicals which mean they have different health properties. Some phytochemicals can help with cancer prevention, keeping your liver healthy and some can help with  overall metabolism.

There are different reasons to have those phytochemicals and it's a good idea to get a variety.

  Music. Listen to soothing music

  Every evening as a way to wind down listen to music. Nature sounds and relaxing music can help reduce stress that  can help reduce the stress hormone called cortisol.

Nature sounds rustling with leaves and things like a waterfall are calming and relaxing.  

 Read or learn something.

 Reading or learning something new every has benefits especially when it comes to brain health. Mental stimulation through reading can slow down the natural decline in our memories.

   Quality time

Spending quality time with our loved ones means being properly engaged with them and in good communication.  Cuddling can also help you release oxytocin which is known as the cuddle hormone or the love hormone and it can help reduce stress.

 Avoid phone 1 hour before bed

Being on phone right before bed makes it very difficult to fall asleep because your brain is all over and mentally stimulated.

Phones also emit something known as blue light that goes to your brain sending signal that it is not time to sleep so the brain does not release melatonin and it becomes harder to sleep.

 These are the few tips or habits that are helpful for a healthy lifestyle. I do hope that you enjoy and use the habits to stay healthy.  See you in the next blog.

 

 

https://youtu.be/6ajmuRg2o3Q

 

Nutrition for a Healthy Life

 From the minute we are  born, we are aging. Constant exposure to our environment, the things we eat, and stresses from both inside

and outside our bodies all cause us to age over time. Aging is highly complex, but scientists are starting to understand what happens at the

Cellular and molecular levels.

For example, healthy cells are damaged over time when our immune systems shift from reacting to short-term problems like injuries and infections, to gradually producing chronic inflammation throughout the body.

Time also gradually shortens the telomeres that act as protective caps for our DNA-containing Chromosomes. These and other changes make our bodies less and less able to deal with stress from inside

and outside of our body, so when damage reaches a critical level, our cells, tissues, and organs may no longer perform normally and our health starts to decline. The changes associated with aging start to happen on some level at day one. We begin to experience their effects early in life.

For example, we lose the ability to hear certain high-frequency sounds as teenagers, our cognition and memory slowly decline after they peak in our mid-20s, the strength of our bones starts to decrease in our 30s, female fertility sharply declines after 35, age-related near-sightedness begins in our mid-40s, and our hair starts to gray and thin as early as our 30s and 40s. After the age of 50, the changes of aging become increasingly noticeable, and because aging is the biggest risk factor for most of the diseases that affect us as adults,

the older we get, the higher our risk of chronic disease becomes.

While scientists have not yet found a way to stop these processes of aging, they are learning more and more about how to maintain health throughout our lives. Some aspects of aging are out of our control--like our genetics and our family history--but we can educate ourselves about moderate risk factors and do our best to reduce them through healthy lifestyle and diet choices. Most of us can be healthy and active well into our later years, if we take care of ourselves.

It's no surprise that regular physical activity can help maintain a healthy weight, improve moods and sleep habits, and boost overall health. And it's clear that a well-balanced diet full or nutritious foods, is critical to good health. But when it comes to understanding which foods are the best choices, much nutrition research has focused on how certain foods or nutrients may have a negative effect on health, or even play a role in disease development. More recently, scientists have begun to explore and understand how nutrition may play a role

in promoting healthy aging throughout of all life's stages. We are rapidly learning about what foods and nutrients should be emphasized in our diets, and how they can enhance our health.

Diets full of fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and lean meats, have proven health benefits like lowering blood pressure, improving glucose control in diabetes, weight loss, improving arthritis, and reducing the risk of cancer and cardiovascular events,

to name a few. And we are learning more about the specific nutrients that can impact health.

For example: plant pigments found in bright orange and red fruits and vegetables may prevent and slow the progression of eye diseases.

·         Calcium helps to keep bones strong.

·         B vitamins play a role in maintaining brain health and,

·         Flavonoids from many plants may improve the health of our cardiovascular systems.

The bottom line is that YOU have the power to maintain and improve your health, add vitality to your years, and reduce your risk of diseases, and it's never too late to make a change.

To learn more about the nutrients that are critical to your health and how to safely turn to supplements if you aren't getting enough of these nutrients in your diet, watch Healthy Aging With Nutrition at www.agingresearch.org/nutrition.

 

https://youtu.be/c06dTj0v0sM