Health hacks you’ll love!

IMPROVING your health doesn’t have to mean wearing Lycra, necking wheatgrass or doing hot yoga. Here are a few health tips and tricks you’ll actually enjoy!

Give away your scales

Research shows repeatedly weighing yourself damages how you feel about your body – and may even cause you to gain weight. This is because a disappointing result can often lead to comfort eating, warns Professor Jane Ogden, health psychologist at the University of Surrey.

Try mini meditation

Chris Wharton, personal trainer and director of Better Body Group (betterbodygroup.co.uk) says: “This simple, more manageable version of meditation, using the ‘five-second box technique’ gets great results in a fraction of the time.”

Inhale to the count of five, hold your breath for five, breathe out to the count of five then stay exhaled for five seconds. Repeat for two minutes. Try to stay mindful of your breathing for the full time.

Think like a foreigner

Where we may moan about winter, Californians envy our variety! Learn to think positively, says psychotherapist Sharon Eden (sharoneden.biz). Try to relish the great things about seasonal change – that crisp, freshness in the autumn air and the chance to snuggle up near a fire.

Make a date with mates

Connecting with friends on a regular basis is one of the best things you can do for your memory and brain health. In a Swedish study published in The Lancet that monitored 1,200 people for three years, researchers found those with a limited social network had a 60% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Do a jigsaw

Studies have shown that keeping the mind active with jigsaw puzzles can lead to a longer life expectancy and reduce the chances of dementia.

Go to the pub

Visiting your local makes you healthier, happier and boosts community spirit, say psychologists at Oxford University. Lead researcher Professor Robin Dunbar says: “This study showed that frequenting a local pub can directly affect how engaged you are with the local community. Our networks provide us with the single most important buffer against illness.”

Make a racquet

Playing racquet sports – like badminton, tennis or squash – can reduce the chance of dying prematurely by a whopping 47%. The figure for swimming was 28%, aerobic activity 27% and cycling only 15%.

Grate apple on to your porridge

Apple provides natural sweetness as well as important antioxidants, flavonoids and dietary fibre, which keeps you fuller longer without the sugar crash. Studies show that including apples in your diet daily is good for brain health – helping to prevent plaque build-up linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia – and gut health. Braeburn apples have the most antioxidants.

Enjoy your morning latte

Scientists found that the caffeine in coffee blocks chemicals which can trigger heart disease. The study, by Stanford University, didn’t specify how much coffee needs to be drunk to be beneficial – only noting “moderate consumption” – but previous studies suggest around three cups a day had an antiinflammatory effect.

Grab a nap

A study of more than 1,000 people found that taking a snooze of less than 30 minutes improves our sense of wellbeing – 66% of ‘short nappers’ reported feeling happy.

Get into a good book

Immersion in an engrossing story doesn’t just keep the mind active, it can ease stress and even help you live longer, say researchers at Yale University. Experts tracked the health and habits of more than 3,500 people for up to 12 years and found regular readers were 20% less likely to die during the course of the study.

And scientists from Kingston University, London, found regular readers were more empathetic.

Embrace gratitude

Listing things you’re grateful for decreases stress, say experts. The feeling of gratitude boosts the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, both associated with happiness and calm.

Simply writing down five things you’re grateful for each day can rewire your brain and have a dramatic effect on stress levels. Even small things like fresh bed linen or enjoying a skinny latte are enough. (Try a gratitude app: getgratitude.co.)

Change the layout of your fridge

You’re three times more likely to eat the first food you see in the fridge than the fifth one, says Brian Wansink, author of Slim by Design (William Morrow, £17.82).

Have high-protein, low-calorie snacks like natural yoghurt and turkey slices on the middle shelf of the fridge and wrap leftover takeaway foods in foil so they’re less visible.

Drink a small glass of wine a day

In a recent study, those who drank one glass of wine or beer a day had a 53% lower chance of developing diabetes compared with abstainers. The Greek study, published in the journal Diabetes and Metabolism, suggests that moderate alcohol consumption could boost cells’ sensitivity to the hormone insulin.

Have an active sex life

Never mind Sudoku or crossword puzzles, the key to a healthy memory is regular sex, say Canadian researchers. Women with the most active love lives registered the highest scores in memory tests. It’s thought regular sex bolsters the neurons in the hippocampus region of the brain.