The doctor showed how to protect your health from abnormal weather fluctuations

In 1948, the World Health Organization defined "health" as follows:

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

The healthcare system exists to help people maintain this optimal state of health. According to the Russian Ministry of Finance, healthcare costs in 2021 amounted to 713 billion rubles [Russian Ministry of Finance, 2020]. However, despite these expenses, people in Russia have a lower life expectancy than people in other developed countries. This is due to a number of factors, including access to health care, environmental influences and the individual's lifestyle.

And if we cannot always influence the first two factors, then we can change our lifestyle. In the “Healthy Lifestyle” course, we systematically approach the issues of nutrition, sports and mental health, so if the issue of maintaining health is relevant to you, we invite you to take it. Well, today in this article we will explain why you should adhere to a healthy lifestyle and tell you about some ways to maintain it.

Scheduling

And so, you already have a firm belief that a healthy lifestyle is simply necessary and you can’t live without it.
But what to do with her now? Run to the nearest store and buy a year's supply of avocados? Of course not. A good place to start is to sit down and create your daily routine. We would like to warn you right away that if you do not have sufficient knowledge about how to properly lead a healthy lifestyle, then it is better to consult a specialist so as not to make any mistakes. Helpful advice: take a DNA test before contacting a nutritionist. This will not only simplify the doctor’s work, but also make his recommendations more accurate and effective.

When drawing up a schedule, remember that each of us is unique at the genetic level and what suits your boyfriend or girlfriend will not necessarily suit you.

For woman

It is simply necessary for women and girls to maintain a healthy lifestyle, because any unhealthy habit primarily affects their appearance. For example, smoking is the main reason for the rapid destruction of collagen protein, which is responsible for skin elasticity and hair health.

Of course, any healthy daily routine will be personal. It should take into account a variety of individual characteristics: from sleep patterns to the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. But some general points can still be highlighted:

1. Quality sleep. By this we mean 2 aspects related to how you sleep. Firstly, this is normal sleep duration. Yes, those same notorious 7-8 hours a day. Secondly, sleep patterns, because in order to get a good night's sleep, experts recommend getting up and going to bed at the same time.
2. Suitable nutrition. Not just “correct”, but tailored to the characteristics of your body. Remember how we talked about DNA testing a little earlier? So, according to NCBI, nutrition selected with its help is 2-3 times more effective than general recommendations!
3. Physical activity. It is important not only to play sports, but to do it regularly and not neglect physical activity during the day. For example, prefer stairs to elevators. Even if the bags of buckwheat are very heavy.

For a man

The most common recommendations for a healthy daily routine are also suitable for any man. Naturally, one must adhere to them wisely.

Perhaps the main advice on a healthy lifestyle for a man is to play sports. This will have a beneficial effect on hormonal levels and will make a real macho out of almost any mattress. Moreover, playing sports allows you to become more self-confident, which will never hurt either in life or in your career.

For a teenager

We can talk a lot about how important it is to form healthy habits in a child. You can even devote an entire article to this, which we will definitely do, but next time. Now I would like to talk specifically about adolescence, because it is during this time that many acquire a variety of harmful addictions.

Most parents know firsthand how difficult it is to maintain discipline with a teenager. However, scientists insist that habits developed during puberty are among the strongest.

Now we will not remind you that a properly organized daily routine is also a harmonious development for a growing organism, both in the physical, spiritual and mental spheres. Let us recall what exactly is included in this mode:

• Correct distribution of load and rest.
• Regular meals.
• High-quality sleep with precisely defined times of waking up and going to bed.
• Time for morning exercises and hygiene.
• Time for homework.
• Rest with mandatory walks in the fresh air.

For dental health

Brush your teeth lightly

Those who brush their teeth too zealously and for a long time can damage their gums and enamel.

Be careful with mouth rinses

Mouthwash freshens breath and prevents tooth decay, but don’t get carried away with it, but rather think about why you have bad breath? This is a signal that something is wrong in the body. And instead of endlessly rinsing your mouth, you should visit a doctor.

Drink tea

Tea prevents the spread of bacteria that cause tooth decay. Naturally, we are talking about real tea; you are unlikely to find all these beneficial substances in bagged tea.

Properly balanced nutrition

Contrary to popular misconceptions, a healthy balanced diet not only does not imply diets and fasting, but requires constant eating in small portions. In accordance with this, you will have to change your schedule: food is consumed in small portions of 100-200 grams from 5 to 7 times a day with breaks between meals of 2 hours.

You don’t need to replace all your culinary preferences in one fell swoop:

• Make it a habit to drink at least a glass of water immediately after waking up and half an hour before meals. Water dulls your appetite and helps you maintain small portions when eating. Learn to carry water with you in a small jar or a special thermos so that it is always at hand.
• You will have to give up sweet and carbonated drinks (including juice-based nectars). Tea and coffee are consumed without sugar. You can add herbal infusions to your daily drinks: rose hip tea, mint tea, ginger tea, etc.
• To begin with, you can refuse fried foods: meat and fish are boiled or steamed.
• Sausages, sausages and frankfurters are replaced with chicken breast dishes - this light dietary meat can be consumed even when following a strict diet.
• Pizza, hamburgers and other fast food are replaced with red fish, avocado and bran bread sandwiches.
• Ice cream, cakes and other sweets can be easily replaced with fruit smoothies, curd desserts and dried fruits.

It is also advisable to gradually reduce the amount of salt in dishes and, ideally, completely abandon it. At first, food without salt will taste strange or not tasty, but gradually your receptors will get used to it and you will begin to feel the natural taste of the food.

Fish fat

As the name implies, fish oil is extracted from fish, mainly from the large (on average one to two kilograms) cod liver. Also, fish oil is found in large quantities in sea fish: herring, mackerel, etc.

Fish oil has been used as food for a long time. From the records of the 10th century Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan it follows that the Bashkirs, Khazars, Rus and Bulgars cooked exclusively with fish oil. Much later he reached Europe.

Fish oil was first used in Norway about 150 years ago. This led to the fact that in the 19th century, the Norwegian pharmacist Peter Møller noticed that residents of the west coast of Norway, whose diet regularly contains cod liver oil, have better health and immunity than the rest of Norway. A little later, he developed his own technology for the production of fish oil and became the first to sell it as a medicine.

In the post-war years, at the dawn of the development of the Soviet food industry, Soviet scientists came to the conclusion that the majority of Soviet citizens lacked polyunsaturated fats and introduced mandatory consumption of fish oil in educational institutions. These polyunsaturated fatty acids contain the main benefits of taking fish oil. Polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce the risks of developing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Green tea

Drinking two to three cups of green tea daily helps burn excess fat, improves metabolism throughout the body and strengthens the cardiovascular system. And all thanks to the fact that green tea contains many antioxidant catechins. They protect the body from free radicals and prevent cell damage.

Constant consumption of green tea energizes and improves overall well-being.

Water

As mentioned above, water is the basis of a balanced diet. Let's look at this in more detail.

Firstly, maintaining the body's water balance has a beneficial effect on metabolism and the removal of waste and toxins from the body. Secondly, the feeling of thirst can often easily mix with the feeling of hunger and intensify it. Therefore, it is recommended to drink at least one glass of water before starting a meal.

In modern megacities, every apartment has a central water supply, and this is, of course, a high achievement of civilization, inaccessible to residents of many countries that often suffer from drought and lack of drinking water. But, for a number of reasons, the quality of this water leaves much to be desired even after boiling.

For a healthy diet, spring water (of course from a clean, proven spring), melt water or, as a last resort, filtering boiled home water is best suited. But frequent consumption of mineral water is not recommended - if you use it too often, a lot of excess minerals and salts can accumulate in the body.

Fruits and berries

Apart from the fact that berries and fruits contain almost all the vitamins and microelements necessary for the body:

• They don't need to be cooked. These products have a good taste and are easily absorbed by the body in their raw form.
• There are many dishes and drinks that can be prepared from fruits and berries. These dishes will replace any unhealthy sweets and desserts.
• Fruits and berries can be prepared for the winter in various ways and eaten all year round.

Juices

Speaking of juices, let's immediately forget about the bright tetrapacks with a large inscription "juice" and a smaller inscription "nectar" - these, like other juice-containing drinks, are not juices as such, and contain a lot of sugar and preservatives.

Only freshly squeezed juice that you prepare for yourself using a juicer can be considered healthy. Before use, this juice must be diluted with water one to two. In undiluted form, it can harm the stomach due to its high acidity. For the same reason, it is recommended to drink juice through a straw to protect tooth enamel from destruction by acids.

Due to the many different juices and their high content of vitamins and microelements, you need to know exactly the characteristics of your body, its intolerances and allergic reactions. Today, the most accurate way to obtain such information about the individual characteristics of your body is DNA testing.

For brain health

Take a deep breath and count to 10

Anger and rage cause headaches. It's even more dangerous than depression or anxiety. Try to tame your anger so as not to pay for it with pain.

Mediterranean diet

Research shows that people who eat high amounts of mono- and polyunsaturated fats perform better on intelligence tests. Sources of such fats: olive oil, butter, cheese, fish.

Complete rest

Lack of sleep negatively affects our ability to concentrate, remember information, and solve mental problems.

Watch less TV

“When you watch TV, it’s like your brain is lying on the couch. He's not active! says David Niven, Ph.D., author of The 100 Simple Secrets of Healthy People. It is better to read or do crossword puzzles, this way you keep your brain in good shape, and this helps to avoid diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

Master a musical instrument

Learning to play a musical instrument helps you memorize words quickly. This way you can learn a foreign language at the same time!

Add cranberries to your diet

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts believe that regularly eating cranberries may reduce the risk of paralysis. Cranberries, a source of antioxidants, protect blood vessels and help prevent stroke.

Physical activity and exercise

To lead a healthy lifestyle, it is not at all necessary to “die” every day in the gym using various sports equipment. It is enough to do a little exercise every day, walk around the city (walk to work if it is not relatively far), get involved in active recreation: play street tennis, go swimming, or simply not use the elevator when living on a high floor.

The main thing is to maintain an active rhythm of life and not stay in one place. If you have a sedentary job, then it is recommended, if possible, every 50 minutes to be distracted for 10 minutes and take a walk - this is good for the mind, which will be a little unloaded during this time, and for health. Otherwise, you might think about changing your job - work takes up a significant part of our lives and has a significant impact on our health.

For eye health

Install your computer monitor correctly

It is known that you can prevent excessive eye strain if the monitor is directly in front of you at arm's length. The top of the screen should be at eye level. Clean your monitor regularly to avoid glare. And don’t be lazy to adjust the brightness and contrast of the screen as you feel comfortable.

Eat an omelette

Eggs, as well as colorful fruits and green leafy vegetables, are high in lutein and help fight macular degeneration and cataracts. From all these products you can make a variety of very tasty omelettes.

Stop eating fast food

As in the case of bad habits, the dangers of fast food have long been defined and probably everyone has heard about it. We can only add that in addition to transgenic fats (and obesity due to their accumulation in the body), some researchers have linked fast food eating to an increase in the incidence of cancer in developed countries.

Benefits of healthy lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle has a significant impact on immunity.
According to a survey of those who recently changed their lifestyle, after starting a healthy lifestyle, their well-being, mood, and worldview changed noticeably. In addition, striving to live a healthier life leads to the following improvements:

• The frequency of relapses of chronic diseases is reduced;
• When you wake up, there is no fatigue, you feel a surge of strength;
• Increased endurance during sports training is observed;
• The frequency of colds is reduced and their severity is reduced;
• The skin becomes firmer and cleaner.

In addition, research shows that this lifestyle can reduce the likelihood of developing a number of age-related diseases. In addition, this is an excellent example for loved ones, and, first of all, for children.

Why is healthy lifestyle cool?

Every year, a healthy lifestyle is gaining more and more popularity among successful and famous people. A healthy lifestyle not only makes you feel better:

• This makes you more visually attractive and charismatic.
• Along with good health comes healthy sleep and energy. What makes a person more effective and successful in any endeavor.
• A passion for healthy lifestyle immediately attracts most civilized people to you. This will provide an advantage both in employment and in running a personal business.
• And finally, leading a healthy lifestyle is a good example for your children (if you have any) and those around you!

For women's health

Sleep in the dark

A large study was conducted at Harvard University called the Nurse Examination. It found that nurses on duty who dozed in the light had a slower production of melatonin, a hormone that suppresses tumor growth.

Move!

If you walk briskly for just 1-2 hours a week, your risk of getting breast cancer will decrease by 20%. Just 1–2 hours, isn’t that much?

Eat fruits and vegetables

Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits will help you reduce your risk of ovarian cancer.

Preventive measures

Preventive measures include:

• increasing immunity (a set of measures aimed at improving the functioning of all vital systems of the human body);
• physical activity, sports;
• mental activity (brain simulators);
• hardening;
• prevention of stressful situations;
• body weight control;
• regular medical examinations, etc.

Modern psychology has another type of prevention and healing. This method involves healing music set to the sounds of nature. High-frequency sounds directly interact with specific areas of the brain, causing biochemical resonance in the production of hormones and neuroregulatory peptides, which results in significant improvements in the implementation of various brain functions and, as a result, improved health. From this link you can download the disk itself and a description of the technology. As they say: combine business with pleasure.

Practice self-awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand one's own moods, emotions and desires. By developing it, you increase your chances of mental and physical well-being.

By deeply understanding our feelings, motivations, and behaviors, we act more mindfully and ultimately make better decisions.

Dr Nadine Sammy, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Exeter

For example, try to understand your motivation to exercise. When do you stick to your workout schedule and when do you not? Why?

There are many ways to develop self-awareness: journaling, meditation, mindfulness practice, and simply self-reflection after certain activities or in the evening at the end of the day.

Having understood ourselves, we can make the most of our strengths and begin to work on our weaknesses. And it inspires you to become the best version of yourself.

Nadine Sammy

Summer

Comfortable weather conditions provide many opportunities to strengthen the immune system.

Hardening will help improve your health in the summer: dousing, dipping with a gradual decrease in temperature. A person who uses a contrast shower tolerates heat and cold more easily and gets sick less.

Fresh air is good for the respiratory and cardiac systems and has a calming effect. Active rest strengthens the musculoskeletal system better than passive pastime.

A wide range of berries, fruits, and herbs helps enrich the body with minerals and vitamins. Products grown in the garden and vegetable garden are very different in quality from those purchased in the store. Summer is the best period to begin the transition to a vegetarian diet.

It is worth paying attention to all systems of the body: for those suffering from high blood pressure, a seaside resort with a mild climate will be useful; for those with intestinal problems, mineral springs will be useful; respiratory diseases are treated in mountain conditions.

Sleep after lunch to increase productivity

The desire to sleep at about two o'clock in the afternoon is quite natural: this is one of the two daily periods of minimal human activity. During this time, people tend to feel sleepier and colder. The second period of minimal activity occurs around three o'clock in the morning, so it may not be noticed.

If you want to make the most of your day, try drinking a cup of coffee and then taking a 20-minute nap. This is a short enough period of time that you won't wake up groggy, and long enough for the caffeine to take effect.

Short naps have been shown to help air traffic controllers working night shifts stay alert. One small study of 10 Japanese students found that taking a 20-minute nap after a cup of coffee improved reaction time on computer tasks within an hour of waking up.

For the digestive system

Listen to slow music while eating

If you listen to fast music while eating, you will swallow food faster, while slow music makes you eat more slowly. At this pace, you will chew your food thoroughly and avoid overeating, since you will realize in time that you are already full.

Get enough calcium

Calcium not only strengthens bones, but also helps maintain colon health, which helps prevent cancer. So keep an eye on your calcium and vitamin D balance.

Everything should be in moderation

Excessive alcohol consumption (about 400 ml of strong alcohol every week for 10 years) will seriously compromise the health of your digestive organs. The risk of polyps and colon cancer increases. At the same time, very moderate consumption of high-quality alcohol can strengthen the digestive system.

Adjust the dose of medications containing antacids

Excessive use of such drugs can cause food allergies and, as a result, digestive problems.

Take Vitamin E

High levels of alpha-tocopherol (a form of vitamin E) reduce the development of stomach and esophageal cancer. However, with a balanced diet, there is rarely a deficiency of this particular vitamin.

And again about coffee

German researchers have discovered an antioxidant in coffee that protects against colon cancer. Avoiding caffeine? Decaf coffee also contains these compounds.

For the back

Stretching

Regular stretching of the lower back, shoulders and chest will help you keep your back straight. You will also avoid back pain and remove excess stress from the spine.

Maintain balance

When carrying a heavy bag, change your shoulder or arm. If you constantly carry heavy weights in one hand, this will eventually cause muscle imbalance, which will develop into chronic diseases of the back and neck.

Don't lean on one leg

Pay attention to how you stand. Very often we shift our weight to one leg, sticking our hip out to the side and leaning slightly towards it. This posture causes lower back pain. Try to distribute your weight on both legs and tighten your stomach. This way your back will be straight, and you will soon notice that you have become more toned.

Mental comfort

Mental comfort has a significant impact on physical health. Problems in personal relationships and in the work team affect your well-being. If work or study brings burdens or psychological damage, you should not keep it for the sake of dubious advantages, it is better to change your activity.

Emotional problems in the family also need to be resolved constructively, not prolonging the time of suffering, not increasing negative consequences, but eliminating the causes of conflicts.

If discomfort is associated with insufficient self-realization, you need to honestly admit your needs and decide what brings happiness and satisfaction. This will help you begin to realize your desire step by step.

How to maintain and improve health? It is necessary to plan weekdays and weekends in such a way as to find time for pleasant emotions and meetings with friends. It is important to follow cultural events. Concentrating on the positive is one of the factors that strengthens human health.

Avoid exposure to pollutants

If you live in a metropolitan area, especially an industrial one, your lungs are bombarded with thousands of pollutants every day. This can only be avoided if you always travel during the day only in a car with good air conditioning and do not open the windows in traffic jams. There are a few more simple techniques that you can use to avoid additional strain on your lungs:

• Make your home a smoke-free space. Just don't smoke indoors to avoid increasing your exposure to tobacco smoke;
• Do wet cleaning and dusting at least once a week;
• Ventilate your home more often to improve ventilation - in the midst of a pandemic, this is especially important;
• Avoid using synthetic air fresheners and scented candles that contain formaldehyde and benzene. It is better to purchase an aromatherapy diffuser and essential oils;