In today's society, everything moves very fast, and sometimes we don't have time to think if our lifestyle and habits help us feel better. In this blog, we try to give you some health advice to help you reflect and improve your life habits, always adapting them to your tastes and preferences. And it is that staying healthy goes far beyond the absence of disease and has a lot to do with simple actions that are under our control, such as habits related to food, sports, sleep or hygiene.
What do we understand by health?
Having health is not only not preventing diseases but also enjoying a certain quality of life in various areas. This is how the WHO (World Health Organization) expressed it in its definition of health :
"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
The power of self-care
As the saying goes, and as we explained in the article Get to know the preventive and personalized medicine of the 21st century, "prevention is better than cure". In this sense, each of us has a great responsibility in preserving our health and the prevention of diseases.
For this reason, the first concept that we are going to see is self-care, which has to do with actively participating in the promotion of our health. We turn again to the WHO definition:
"(Self-care) is the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health care provider."
In short, self-care refers to all those habits and attitudes with which all of us, every day, can preserve and improve our health.
How to do it with the following seven health tips
1. Take care of your diet
We have already seen it in articles such as "The beneficial health effects of a balanced diet: "We are what we eat".
And it is that feeding ourselves properly has a great impact on our quality of life: it means providing our body with all the nutrients it needs for its optimal functioning and, in addition, it helps us maintain our weight, which reduces the risk of diseases, such as obesity, and the risks associated with it such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol.
Take note of these simple habits that will help you eat healthily:
Make a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains the foundation of your diet. Remember that it is recommended to consume five portions of fruits and vegetables a day. It is possible to do it with innovative and simple recipes that make healthy food rich and fun. This is one of the most basic health tips that you should apply in your day to day life.
Always eat at the same time. We know that nowadays this can be complicated due to our pace of life, but you should make an effort to achieve it. Skipping a meal often creates a yo-yo effect, causing much more food to be consumed than necessary at the next meal.
Eat breakfast every day: it has to do with the previous point. Breakfast gives our body the energy it needs to be active in the morning and helps prevent excessive food intake throughout the day.
Avoid snacking between meals and, if you do, choose healthy snacks, such as non-fried nuts or a piece of fruit that, in addition to filling you up, provide essential nutrients for your body.
Reduce salt and sugar consumption: both substances are found in excess in ultra-processed foods, so avoid them, as they considerably increase the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Keep your body hydrated: it is recommended to drink two litres of water daily. Drinking water helps you eliminate toxins, aids in digestion and prevents constipation. A tip that may be useful to you is to add a few slices of cucumber or lemon to your water bottle, which will flavour the water and make it easier to drink.
Replace trans and saturated fats with polyunsaturated ones: minimize the consumption of ultra-processed foods, which are rich in the former, and opt for foods with polyunsaturated fats such as salmon, vegetable oils, nuts or some types of seeds.
2. With alcohol, be careful!
Do you know that alcohol causes 3 million deaths worldwide every year? This figure, collected in WHO reports, attests to the harmful effects of abusing this substance, which is also associated with more than 200 pathologies and the development of mental and behavioural disorders.
If you consume alcohol, it is best to do so in moderation. That is, do not drink more than one unit per day if you are an adult woman or man over 65 years of age, or more than two if you are an adult man under 65 years of age. One drink unit is equivalent to a medium-sized glass of beer or a glass of wine. This one will make a great change in your life among all the health tips.
3. Quit smoking
Smoking is linked to numerous pathologies, from eye cataracts to cancer, the risk of which doubles in those who have this habit and quadruples in heavy smokers.
In addition, it is responsible for more than 90% of deaths due to chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and increases the risk of heart disease and cerebrovascular problems.
If you smoke, you should be aware that, in addition to seriously damaging your health, you are also harming those around you since they passively inhale cigarette smoke and all its toxic substances.
Quitting smoking is always a good decision for your health and that of your loved ones. Did you know…?
- After 20 minutes without smoking, blood pressure decreases.
- After 12 hours, the carbon monoxide in the blood reaches a normal level.
- At three months, blood circulation and lung capacity improve.
- At nine months, the risk of infections, shortness of breath and cough decreases.
- After a year, the risk of coronary heart disease is reduced by half.
- At five years, the risk of neck cancer and stroke is the same as that of nonsmokers, and the risk of cancer of the throat, oesophagus, mouth, and bladder is halved.
- At ten years, the risk of lung cancer is cut in half.
- At age 15, the risk of heart disease is similar to that of a nonsmoker.
As you can see, it is well worth giving up smoking. Also, did you know that the appearance of your skin will also improve? Climbing stairs won't tire you out either, the smell of your clothes will be much more pleasant, and your sense of taste and smell will improve.
4. Play sports, move!
Sport is one of the pillars of healthy lifestyles. If you think you do not have time or that your physical form is inadequate do not worry. Sport is available to everyone. Practising moderate and long-term physical activity daily, such as walking briskly for 30 minutes, has numerous health benefits:
- It helps you maintain your weight
- It helps control blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of coronary heart disease.
- Promotes sleep quality.
- Reduces the risk of premature death.
- Increases self-esteem and improves depression.
- Take note of these tips to include sport in your self-care routine:
- Take the opportunity to play sports with small changes in your routine: for example, climb stairs instead of taking the elevator.
- If you spend many hours sitting, get up every 60 minutes and walk around a bit to keep your muscles active.
- Gradually increase the intensity of the sport you practice. Learn to listen to your body, and try not to force it.
- Breathe through your nose to prevent flatus.
- Choose suitable equipment for the sport you practice. Good footwear is essential, as well as breathable clothing.
5. Take care of your hygiene
Although you cannot see them, everything around you is full of microorganisms, and some of them are capable of causing diseases. That is why it is very important to maintain good personal hygiene and cleanliness. Some basic tips are:
Wash your hands when you get home, before eating and when you have been in contact with animals.
Shower daily to control germs that may affect your skin. Specifically, it would help if you did it after physical exercise since this favours sweating and contact with bacteria present on the surfaces with which our skin comes into contact.
6. sleep well
All our body functions are affected by lack of sleep: from the hormonal, immune or respiratory system to blood pressure or cardiovascular health.
In addition, several investigations indicate that not sleeping adequately can increase the risk of obesity, infections and coronary diseases.
And well, what hours of sleep are adequate? The general recommendations depend on age and are as follows:
- Newborns up to 3 months: 14-17 hours.
- Babies up to 11 months: 12-15 hours.
- Children up to 2 years: 9-15 hours.
- Children up to 5 years: 10-13 hours.
- Children up to 13 years old: 9-11 hours.
- Adolescents up to 17 years old: 10 hours per day.
- Adults: 7-9 hours daily.
- Seniors over 65 years: 7-8 hours daily.
To sleep better, we recommend that you implement these habits:
- Have a regular time to go to bed and wake up.
- Link some routine when you go to sleep. They can be simple actions like brushing your teeth, taking a bath, or reading.
- Practice physical exercise, but try not to do it just before going to sleep.
- Do not drink stimulants such as coffee or other caffeinated beverages after 4 pm.
- Sleep in comfortable clothes, in a dark and quiet room.
7. Don't forget about your mental health!
As we saw at the beginning of this article, mental well-being is a fundamental part of health, as the WHO itself indicates in its definition.
Mental and physical health are closely linked because it will harm the other if one is not good and vice versa.
Today we know that stress is associated with a less healthy lifestyle, leading to addictions to tobacco and alcohol and a poorer diet.
You must worry about taking care of your mind and your body. Here are some health tips that can help you:
Humans are social beings, so encourage and take care of your interpersonal relationships with family and friends.
- Learn to ask for help when you need it.
- Rest, eat well, and play sports for all the benefits that entail, as we have already explained.
- Value yourself and accept yourself as you are.
- Take a few minutes a day. Meditation is a good resource to improve mental well-being.
- Set one or several vital purposes since having a long-term motivation favours the health of the mind.
- Take charge of your health.
As you have seen, there are many health tips that you can adopt to maintain a good state. The most important thing is that it is up to you to implement them or not.