3 Ways you can live healthier, longer
The second cornerstone of health is a health promoting lifestyle and there is no doubt that living healthy improves longevity and the quality of your life. The 3 major contributors to a healthful life are, avoid smoking, exercise, and get a good night’s sleep.
1. Quit Smoking
We all know smoking is not good for you, even those who do smoke are fully aware. However, we all do things that are not good for us some or other time, so no judgment please.
A reminder to the support team, you cannot force someone to quit, you can only encourage (without the nagging) and support them, they will have to decide for themselves. If you hear them say that they are thinking about quitting, meet them there it is a great start. Thinking about quitting is the first step necessary to complete what often looks like the impossible task, you just need to be reminded of the good reasons to stop.
• Smokers have a significantly higher risk of developing cancer or heart disease.
• Smokers age physically quicker than non-smokers.
• The average smoker dies seven to eight years prior to their non-smoker friends.
• Smokers have a greater burden of disease, meaning they have an increased risk to develop all sorts of other conditions and not just cancer and heart disease.
Life is fatal but living doesn’t have to be a burden, so consider those around you who loves you.
Changing habits
It is not easy changing a habit and change does not happen overnight. We go through stages from thinking about something you want to change to planning and then executing. Sometimes we fall back into old habits and that is ok - CHANGE DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL AT ONCE, and not all of us begin at the same starting point.
Research has identified 5 stages of change that most people go through to adopt new habits and behaviours:
1. Pre-contemplation - Not even thinking about changing your habit
2. Contemplation - Giving it a thought every now and then, but not doing it yet
3. Preparation – Practicing the new habit irregularly
4. Action - practicing the new habit consistently but for less than 6 months
5. Maintenance – you are a pro and maintaining the new habit for 6 months or more
The point is – change takes place in stages and progress is not always in one direction. It is normal to take 2 steps forward and one step back! Every move forward or backward is part of the process of changing a habit. One may stay in the stage of contemplation for a long time before moving forward, or go through the stage of preparation quickly and then stay in action for a short while, stumble and fall back into contemplation or preparation – this is NOT a sign of failure – It is a sign of trying to change! So be patient with yourself or your loved one trying to make these changes.
What is the key to moving through the stages?
Using skills such as: Keeping track of your progress, recruiting help, removing barriers, preventing lapses, and thinking positively.
A few tips on quitting
1. List the reasons you would like to quit and review them every day, but also list the reasons why you enjoy smoking.
2. If you are planning to quit sometime in the future, set a date now and start preparing for the day. Also plan to replace that habit with another good habit, e.g. cycling, a hobby, a good diet, etc.
3. On the day, make sure you have thrown away all cigarettes and ashtrays.
4. Avoid the places or things you associate with smoking.
5. Take one day at a time.
6. Visualise yourself a non-smoker and use affirmations like, “I am living a healthy life, I am relaxed, I feel great…” (see the previous article on affirmations and PMA)
7. Join an online support group or programme if you feel you need the support.
8. Tell your friends in advance and ask their support.
9. Eat healthy foods as this will reduce the cravings. You may want to supplement with Folate or a Vit B complex.
10. You may want to reward yourself, not with something to eat please, but rather save the money you would have spent on cigarettes and spoil yourself with new fitness apparel or save towards a new bicycle or spend it on whatever your new hobby is.
You can do it!
2. Exercise
Need I say more? Regular physical activity is vital to good health and longevity. Despite the fact that we all know this, less than 50% of the population participate in regular physical exercise. Your entire body benefits from exercise and although the immediate effect of exercise may stress your body, with regular activity you become stronger and your body will function more efficiently and will have greater endurance.
Research has shown that for every hour of exercise, you have a two-hour increase in longevity. That is a phenomenal return on investment in anyone’s book. Studies have shown that the highest age-adjusted death rate (all causes) was observed in men who were unfit compared to those that were moderately and very fit.
10 Great Reasons to include Exercise in your daily routine
1. Exercise enhances the transport of oxygen and nutrients into cells and at the same time it transports carbon dioxide and other waste products out of cells – helping healing processes in the body.
2. Exercise exerts a powerful positive effect on your mood. You will feel less tense, restless, depressed, and have reduced feelings of inadequacy and worrying will diminish greatly with regular activity.
3. Exercise promotes the efficient burning of fat, helping you manage your weight and speeding up your metabolism.
4. Helps with digestion and elimination.
5. Improves self-esteem - makes you feel like a million dollars.
6. Improves sleeping pattern.
7. Improves your immune system.
8. Increases muscle strength and joint mobility and therefore can also prevent falls in the elderly, promotes a good posture, reduces your risks of injury, and improves your balance.
9. It is good for your heart, it lowers blood pressure, strengthens the function of the heart, and improves circulation and lowers cholesterol.
10. Prevents Osteoporosis.
7 Steps to help you develop a successful exercise programme
Step 1 Realise the importance of Physical exercise.
There is no doubt! It is vital that you make exercise a top priority in your life.
Step 2 Consult a Professional
If you are over 40 and have family history of heart disease, please speak to your doctor before you embark on a new exercise plan. If you have been inactive for quite some time and not sure where to start, please see a Biokineticist to personalise your training routine.
Step 3 Select an activity you enjoy
In order for your activity to count as exercise, your heart rate must increase during the activity, but there is no point in starting an activity that you absolutely hate. The aim is that you will do this on a regular basis so you too may enjoy the benefits of exercise. Get a friend to do this with you or take your dogs for a walk, make it fun.
Step 4 Monitor your Intensity
You want to increase your heart rate during your exercise session, that way you know you will increase blood flow, strengthen your muscles and heart. A quick way to determine your training heart rate is to simply subtract your age from 185, this will give you your maximum heart rate, and to determine the bottom of the training zone, simply subtract 20. E.g. You are 53, 185 – 53 = 132, your maximum training heart rate is 132 beats per minute, and the bottom range is 132 – 20 = 112. There are many ways to do this, but this is quick and effective. The easy way, buy a smart watch that monitors your daily activity.
Step 5 Do it often
To gain significant cardiovascular benefits one has to exercise a minimum of 20-30 minutes three times per week. According to the American College of Sports Medicine one needs at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, that is really only 30 minutes of exercise 5 days per week or 21 minutes exercise every day of the week – that is really not too difficult!
Step 6 Stay motivated
This is probably the most difficult part of exercise and at some point, you may lose your enthusiasm. Take a break, not too long, just skip one or two sessions, and look for things that will inspire you again:
• Page through fitness magazines.
• Look on the internet for ideas.
• Set goals.
• Vary your routine by alternating your endurance activities with strength training exercises.
• Keep a record of your activities and progress.
Step 7 Dress for Success
If you are starting an activity, make sure you have the right shoes for your activity and comfortable clothes. If the activity needs special gear, well then you will have to invest a little more than just the shoes.
3. Sleep
O soft embalmer of the still midnight,
Shutting, with careful fingers and benign,
Our gloom-pleas'd eyes, embower'd from the light,
Enshaded in forgetfulness divine:
O soothest Sleep! – John Keats
Sleep is possibly one of the least understood physiological processes and its value to human health unquestionable. Many health conditions including depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and stress are related to sleep deprivation or disturbed sleep. Many people use over-the-counter sedatives to combat insomnia, while others seek stronger prescription medications. As with other health conditions, the most effective treatment is based upon identifying and addressing the cause.
The most common causes of insomnia are psychological - depression, anxiety, and tension. If psychological factors are not the cause of your insomnia, then various foods, drinks and medications may be responsible. There are numerous compounds in food, drink and medication that can keep you awake at night. You may want to consider a food intolerance test in this case.
Some of the benefits of sleep are mediated through growth hormone (GH), the antiaging hormone. GH stimulates tissue regeneration, liver regeneration, muscle building, breakdown of fat stores, normalisation of blood sugar regulation and a whole lot more. To get these benefits, sleep.
Sleep is an antioxidant for the brain, when you sleep free radicals that can damage your brain cells are removed. Most people may be able to tolerate a few days without sleep, although they might not be readily tolerated by others, however chronic sleep deprivation accelerates aging of the brain and elevates the stress hormone cortisol, causing more stress, high blood pressure, poor glucose regulation, weight gain, etc.
If you sleep less than 6 hours sleep a night or have disturbed sleep, explore good sleeping habits, you will not only feel well rested but you may make more friends.
The importance of a health-promoting lifestyle cannot be overstated. if you want to be healthy and improve the quality of your life, simply make healthful choices.