In the following text, you'll learn simple steps to improve your overall health. But before we begin listing the promised techniques, we must first learn to accept something very important. And that is: Don't mask the symptoms of illness if you want to maintain your health!
Many people neglect their health until their bodies begin sending alarming signals. Sometimes as headaches or other symptoms like dizziness, insomnia, loss of appetite, or something similar. Regardless of the symptoms, most of us will first turn to a fast-acting, synthetic medication.
But what's the problem here? The answer is simple: Synthetic medications generally help relieve unpleasant symptoms, but they don't always eliminate the cause of the discomfort.
If your faucet was leaking and causing a flood, you'd probably call a professional to fix the problem. But if the professional just collected the water instead of fixing the problem, that would simply be illogical. Wouldn't it?
Yet, when it comes to our health, many people do just that: Instead of "fixing the damage," they stubbornly "pick up the slack." More specifically, instead of addressing the root cause of the problems, they constantly cover up the symptoms. Do you understand how crazy this all is?
When symptoms are removed in this way, they are actually only masked, so that the symptoms often reappear and are more intense than before.
That's why NOW is the right time to make 10 changes with the goal of maintaining health:
1. Healthy, varied and simple diet
Consume so-called "superfoods" in the form of grains, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and nuts every day, which reduce the risk of various diseases. These are valuable foods because they are rich in plant proteins, healthy fats, essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
Avoid complicated recipes that require unnecessary, long storage in the kitchen. Instead, prepare simple and healthy recipes that minimize heat treatment. This saves you time and allows you to absorb the original power of food.
2. Eat raw food at least once a day
One of the benefits of raw foods is the maximum utilization of the enzymes they contain. Enzymes aid in the digestion of food. Although our bodies produce their own enzymes, their quantities are insufficient, and the body expends a lot of energy to produce them. Therefore, fatigue and drowsiness can often occur after consuming large amounts of heat-treated foods.
What's really going on? The body uses all of its energy to process the food it consumes, neglecting normal function. What remains in the stomach rots and poses a potential for the onset of various diseases.
Therefore, it's ideal to plan at least one raw meal during the day, ideally more. This will also save you more energy for other activities.
3. Avoid “empty” calories
The empty calorie group includes foods that provide energy because they are rich in fats and carbohydrates. However, they lack nutrients such as vitamins , minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, or fiber. To make things easier for you, we've compiled a list of the foods that contain the most empty calories:
- Fried foods like French fries and other fast foods are high in fat and have no other nutritional value.
- White bread has a high calorie content, so it should be avoided or eaten in smaller quantities.
- Alcoholic beverages contain literally empty calories, which is why they're called antinutrients. Avoid them or keep them to a minimum.
- Various coffee-based drinks and other drinks that contain a lot of sugar. You may not have realized it, but in many drinks, it's not the caffeine but the sugar that keeps you awake. Sweets, juices, and carbonated drinks are full of sugar. Their consumption has a lot to do with taking drugs, because the longer we consume them, the more the body craves them. Here's an explanation: When refined sugar is consumed in processed foods, the body's energy levels rise sharply, but then drop sharply. The tired body craves sugar again, and headaches or concentration problems can occur. These sudden discomforts keep coming back because the body is trying to achieve a balanced state. And that's why most people can't resist these foods.
- Avoid all industrially processed products that contain artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, emulsifiers, thickeners, preservatives, and other additives. Numerous studies show that many of them are harmful and even carcinogenic.
4. Never skip breakfast!
Scientists also confirm that skipping a morning meal causes blood sugar levels to drop dramatically. This leads to fatigue and dizziness, and your metabolism slows down, halting the calorie-burning process.
If you eat at some point during the day, it's harder to feel full. By skipping breakfast, you slow your metabolism and contribute to the constant instability of your blood sugar levels. You're also much more likely to overeat during the day.
5. Stay away from snacks between meals!
If there is no break between meals for about 4-5 hours, the stomach stops functioning. It doesn't process the old food as it should until new food arrives and is digested. "Old food" sits in the stomach, rotting and putting a strain on the blood and the body. It takes 2-3 hours for the food to be broken down in the body. The stomach then needs another 2 hours to rest. Therefore, it's ideal to leave a break of about 4-5 hours between meals. With shorter breaks, the stomach weakens and no longer functions optimally.
If you eat late at night, you need to go to bed at least three hours after dinner. Otherwise, you won't sleep well and will wake up tired and puffy.
6. Drink enough water!
The human body is made up of 70% water. Adequate fluid intake is essential for its normal function, especially in summer when temperatures are high. A person can survive for several weeks without food, but only a few days without water. The ideal water intake for an adult is approximately 2 liters and for children approximately 1 liter.
Water is essential for all metabolic processes in the body. It is important for kidney function, participates in the transport and elimination of toxins, regulates the absorption of substances, and ensures the maintenance of a constant body temperature and thermoregulation of the organism.
If your body isn't used to consuming water, fat will accumulate around your ankles, eyes, thighs, and waist. Once you consume the recommended amount of water, you'll notice these deposits slowly disappear and you'll lose weight.
When it comes to water, you should also consider the following important things:
- Don't drink water during meals, as it dilutes and weakens stomach acid. This impairs digestion and prevents the nutrients from food from being absorbed.
- You shouldn't drink water immediately before eating, but at least 15 to 30 minutes before. And you should wait until 1-2 hours after eating to allow the food to digest, as water disrupts digestion.
7. Get a good night’s sleep!
Some people need six hours of sleep, others up to ten. This also depends on our age, the time of year, and our physical activity level. The important thing is to get a good night's sleep, because sleep strengthens the body.
Good sleep is linked to the secretion of hormones necessary for our body's proper functioning. Because melatonin is only secreted at night, you should go to bed earlier. Melatonin is secreted at its peak between 2 and 3 hours after midnight. While the highest concentrations occur between midnight and 8 a.m., they are 5-10 times higher than during the day.
Turn off all light sources before going to bed, as artificial light can disrupt melatonin synthesis and thus sleep quality. Scientists believe that melatonin can prevent the growth of cancer cells, which is another important reason to go to bed on time.
8. Be physically active and spend as much time as possible in the fresh air
Fresh air has a positive effect on our mood and immunity, and moderate exercise is good for our bodies. Choose the ones you enjoy most. And don't forget your morning stretches. Although very simple, many physiotherapists recommend it as a daily must.
Exercise is recommended at least three times a week, as your BMR (basal metabolic rate) increases during exercise and remains so for about 48 hours. If you take a longer break, your BMR begins to decrease.
If you can't schedule your exercise yourself or don't have much time for sports , try the simplest physical activity: walking!
- Regular walks improve fitness and, with proper nutrition, also lead to weight loss, as walking speeds up the metabolism.
- When you walk, your muscles form, get into top shape and maintain it.
- Improves blood circulation and therefore overall health, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Walking is accompanied by proper breathing, which improves the proper functioning of the lungs.
- This simple activity easily relieves stress and clears your mind, leading to better mental health. If you don't like walking alone, adopt a dog! They are your most loyal allies in maintaining your mental and physical health!
9. Avoid stress and stressful situations as much as possible
"As our thoughts are, so is our life," and that's truly true. Your mood reflects the quality of your life. Many psychologists recommend a simple exercise that releases positive endorphins in the brain, making you feel good.
This is achieved through the words "please," "thank you," and "I love you." Your brain can also release negative endorphins when you scream or swear. This then prevents the immune system from functioning properly and leads to illness.
Try to be kind to others as much as possible. It costs little, almost nothing, and to another person it can mean a lot, sometimes even everything. This way, you'll always reap a double benefit: doing good to others and strengthening yourself.
10. Pay attention to mental health
Each of us consists of two components:
- the physical, our body
- the spiritual , that which makes up our spirit.
To lead a generally healthy and quality life, it is necessary to achieve an ideal balance between these two areas. You can achieve this by "feeding" your mind daily, just as we feed our bodies daily. If everyone devoted at least 10% of their time to their mind, just as they devote to their body every day, they would notice significant changes in their lives.
Pay attention to what you see, what you hear, the environment you live in, the people you meet, and how you spend your free time. All of this affects the quality of your life and represents your life.
These 10 rules are a sure formula for maintaining health!
If you follow these simple guidelines every day, your body will thank you. Remember: health is priceless! Don't sacrifice it for "irresistible" flavors or unhealthy lifestyle habits.
– He who has health has hope; he who has hope has everything – (Tomas Karlajl)
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