Use chopsticks and drink Chilean wine ... PAIN-FREE ways to transform your health
MaNy of us start January with good intentions, only to shelve them before the month is up. according to a study published last week, our lack of willpower can even be encouraged by the festive holiday blowout.
overeating changes the dopamine receptors in the brain responsible for motivation, which can create a vicious cycle of putting on weight and failing to exercise, say researchers at the National Institutes of health in the u.S.
But rather than setting ourselves up for failure with overly ambitious or restrictive resolutions, experts suggest we should build small changes into our lifestyle instead.
Whether you want to eat well, take more exercise or simply adopt better habits, try these small steps for a healthy new year without the hardship . . .
GET YOUR EARLY NIGHT ON TUESDAYS
fINNISh researchers analysed the heart rates of 5,000 people and found that Tuesday is the day when sleep is most restorative.
on friday and Saturday, just 48 per cent of your night’s sleep will revitalise the body and brain. however, on Tuesday, 55 per cent of the sleep you get is revitalising. one theory is that on Tuesdays, we’re less likely to consume alcohol, rich food and stay out late — all of which can interfere with sleep — than later on in the week or the weekend.
FRY YOUR VEGETABLES INSTEAD OF BOILING THEM
you may think frying vegetables is the less healthy option, but a study in the journal food Chemistry found that frying potato, pumpkin, tomato and aubergine can actually boost disease-fighting substances called phenolic compounds.
These help prevent chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes and macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. But the key is using olive oil. ‘ olive oil transfers health-boosting compounds not present in raw vegetables,’ said Professor Cristina Samaniego Sánchez, one of the study’s authors.
PUT A PLANT ON YOUR DESK
If you want to feel happier at work, head to the garden centre. Scientists from the university of Exeter say foliage can boost productivity and job satisfaction by a fifth — while offices lacking any ‘human touch’ such as pictures on walls or photos on desks are the ‘most toxic space you can put a human into’.
one theory is that a green office communicates to employees that their employer cares about them.
USE CHOPSTICKS
ThIS will help with portion control, says Dr Sally Norton, an NhS consultant specialising in weight loss and bariatric surgery.
‘unless you are a total expert it is pretty difficult to eat a meal quickly with chopsticks. Eating slowly gives your body more time to realise you are actually eating, and to signal back to your brain when you have had enough.’ This, in turn, means you are more likely to eat less — promoting steady weight loss.
START CALLING YOURSELF A ‘RUNNER’
. . . or a cyclist, golfer, weightlifter or whatever your exercise of choice is. a study of 124 women at Winona university in Minnesota found that as soon as you start giving yourself a particular label, you begin to see the name as part of your identity and will actually start to encourage behaviour to achieve it.
DRINK CHILEAN CABERNET SAUVIGNON
WINES where the grapes are left to ripen in the sun have higher levels of health-promoting compounds that may lower the risk of heart disease and cancer, say researchers at Glasgow university. Their analysis found a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile contains 58mg of these compounds per litre, while a Beaujolais ( which doesn’t use sunripened grapes) had just 9.9mg.
GO FOR YOUR WALK IN THE MORNING
you’ll get a 10 per cent fall in blood pressure if you do, say researchers at appalachian College of health Sciences u.S. — that’s a greater drop than measured at lunch or 7pm. This may be because morning exercise lowers levels of hormones such as cortisol (known as the stress hormone) that contribute to high blood pressure; cortisol levels peak in the morning, which impacts on blood pressure levels.
VIDEO YOURSELF WHEN BRUSHING YOUR TEETH
DENTal students who filmed themselves during their dental routine found their technique improved, a study by u.S. and Indian scientists found. This may be because filming created the impres- sion they were being watched. ‘or they may have had more fun or been more curious about a sometimes mundane task,’ says lance Vernon, clinical researcher at Case Western reserve university School, who led the study.
film yourself every other day for a fortnight to help your technique.
DRINK COFFEE BEFORE YOUR WORKOUT
ThIS could make exercise easier, so you do more of it. It’s all because caffeine blocks adenosine, a substance in the brain that makes us feel tired, says sports researcher Professor Samuele Marcora, from the university of Kent. Try a small black coffee 20 minutes before your session, he suggests.
GET REFILLS FROM A FEMALE WAITRESS
WoMEN are likely to pour about 9 per cent less wine in a glass than men do, a study from Iowa State university found. Why this should be is unclear, but other studies have shown the same effect. In research published in 2009 as part of the Government’s Know your limits campaign, when men and women were asked to pour an estimated single, 25ml, serving of spirits, women poured 32ml, men poured 43ml.
another trick is to place your glass on a table — the same study found we pour 12 per cent bigger measures into a glass being held in someone’s hand.
CHOOSE COMEDIES AT THE CINEMA
CINEMa-GoErS ate 28 to 55 per cent more popcorn while watching the tragedy love Story than when watching the comedy Sweet home alabama, a study in JaMa-Internal Medicine found.
It’s thought we overeat to cheer ourselves up. however, this applies to healthy food, too. So a sad movie is ‘a quick and mindless way of getting more fruit or veggies into your diet at home’, says lead author Professor Brian Wansink.
WASH YOUR PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE
MaNy of us spend our days slurping out of a refillable water bottle at our desks or in the gym. But make sure you wash it daily, because these bottles can harbour more germs than a toilet seat or many times more than a dog’s toy.
Gym equipment website TreadmillReviews.net tested 12 water bottles that had been used over the course of a week and found
thousands of moisture-loving bacteria on spouts and caps, including those linked to blood poisoning, pneumonia and skin infections.
SWAP HUMMUS FOR SALSA
Supermarket dips such as hummus can contain more salt per 100g than four packets of crisps, a recent report said. they are also loaded with fat.
the campaign group behind the report, Consensus action on Salt and Health ( CaSH), advises choosing dips such as salsa, or a vegetable-based dip, rather than sour-cream or cheese-based dips.
TRY A QUIET PUB
WHen there’s music on, alcohol tastes sweeter and you’re likely to drink it faster, according to a study of 80 people at the university of portsmouth. ‘Humans have a tendency to associate high music pitch with sweetness,’ says the study author psychologist Dr Lorenzo Stafford.
TAKE THE STAIRS
CLimbing stairs may sound like an obvious way to build exercise into your day, but a surprising bonus is that it can make your brain bigger and more youthful.
after examining the brains of healthy adults of various ages, a study by Canadian researchers suggested that walking up four flights of stairs every day reduces brain age by more than two years. exercise boosts levels of a substance called bDnF (brain derived neurotropic factor), which promotes the growth of brain cells.
TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE HOME
iF you live within one kilometre of a pub you’ll be 13 per cent more likely to drink heavily, say Finnish researchers, as it’s easier to give in when temptation strikes.
but walking past the pub is even more likely to trigger cravings than living near one, they found, so choose a pub-free route home.
WATCH YOUR JOGGING POSTURE
you’LL use 4 to 6 per cent less energy running with an upright posture than if you slump forward, and this could help you exercise for longer.
‘if you lean forward the hip muscles have to work harder, which requires more energy and could make running feel harder,’ says Dr Stephen preece a gait specialist at the university of Salford.
EATING OUT? ORDER OVER THE PHONE
reSearCH from the university of pennsylvania found planning in advance slashed the risk of succumbing to high-calorie foods when really hungry. instead, diners opted for healthier, lower calorie options.
those who ordered several hours in advance could spare them- selves up to 1,000 calories per meal. So look at the menu online beforehand and plan ahead.
BUY A LIGHTER PAIR OF TRAINERS
tHiS will instantly make you run faster, says a study from the university of Colorado boulder.
researchers added tiny lead weights to runners’ shoes and found that for every 100g of weight added, the athlete’s speed dropped by 1 per cent because of the extra energy needed to move the weight.
SWITCH OFF THE TV AT MEALTIMES
tHat’S because the more we can hear ourselves chew, the less we want to eat. Scientists at brigham young university and Colorado State university conducted three tests to see how the sound of munching affected food consumption.
they found the so-called ‘crunch effect’ sound makes us more conscious of what we’re eating. For example, those who could hear themselves chewing pretzels ate 30 per cent less.
PICK THE RIGHT TIME TO LIFT WEIGHTS
iF you’re a woman, timing could make all the difference. researchers at umea university in Sweden asked 59 women to do leg weights for four months and tested when they gained most muscle.
the results showed that they gained most muscle during the two weeks between the start of their period and ovulation when oestrogen, a muscle- building hormone, was highest.
AVOID DIET MIXERS WITH YOUR DRINK
tHey may sound like the healthier option, but diet mixers can increase how fast alcohol enters the system, research suggests.
When scientists at the university of kentucky breathalysed 16 people who drank vodka with lemonade then measured them again mixing the drink with diet lemonade, their breath contained 25 per cent more alcohol after the diet mix. it’s thought sugar slows the rate of alcohol absorption.
NEED A MOOD BOOST? PICK UP LITTER
iF you want to improve your mood, try acts of kindness.
a study published in the journal emotion found people who helped others ‘felt better about themselves and the world they live in’ than those who treated themselves. those who collected litter or helped someone cook dinner had an improved mood compared with those who, say, took a day off work.
‘our findings suggest the best way to feel happy is to treat someone else,’ u.S. researchers said.
AN APPLE A DAY REALLY CAN HELP
Women who ate more than 100g of the fruit each day — the equivalent of one small apple — reduced their risk of dying prematurely by up to 35 per cent.
university of Western australia scientists credit the high concentrations of fibre and flavonoids in apple skin. Flavonoids are plant compounds credited with helping prevent cell damage and premature ageing. apples are among the top contributors to total flavonoid intake, but other good sources include blueberries, pears, strawberries and radishes.
TAKE OFF SHOES FOR A BETTER MEMORY
running barefoot improves your memory by 16 per cent after your run, say researchers at the university of north Florida. Wearing shoes didn’t give the same boost.
‘During barefoot running you pay more attention where you place your feet,’ says psychologist and study author Dr ross alloway. ‘this mental demand may help improve working memory.’