Did you know that houseplants can reduce stress, boost our mood, increase productivity and improve oxygen levels in a room?
And that’s not all… looking after our plants generally makes us feel good, giving us a sense of purpose and joy when we see them thrive.
The more houseplants you have, the more air-purifying benefits thay may bring. Plus potting soil is full of microbes which could increase your serotonin levels helping to make you feel more relaxed and happy.
Try easy-to-grow, good-value varieties, such as Boston ferns, and enjoy the positive effects of s leafy living space for yourself.
Aim to spend a few hours each week in a green space, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells.
It’s great to just stop, look around, breathe in the smell of the trees and appreciate the pattern of light passing through the leaves.
Pausing to notice your environment in this way shifts your focus outwards, makes you more engaged in the world around you and less in your own thoughts.
There are plenty of studies showing that just being in green spaces can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Surprisingly, it can help boost your immune system too. So go to a park or a patch of woodland whenever you get the chance.
One in 20 people reading this will have a gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease 15-fold. This gene, called AP0E4, doubles someone’s risk. And having two copies of this gene, as some people do, increases the risk significantly.
However, experts say most carriers are able to ‘out-exercise’ their genetics, meaning that if they look after themselves, exercise and eat well, then their risks are reduced to a similar level to those without the gene.
Around 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week is needed: this includes cycling, swimming, power-walking or strenuous gardening.
It goes to show how we are so much more than our genes, and how environmental factors – such as how healthy a lifestyle we choose to live – influence our health in such an important way.
It is often said that an apple a day keep the doctor away – but now in-depth research looking at more than 150 studies has shown this might well be true.
It concluded that flavan-3-ols, a compound found in high quantities in apples, can improve blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
For maximum benefits, aim for 500mg of flavan-3-ol a day, which is the equivalent of an apple, some berries and two cups of tea.
First things first: don’t beat yourself up if you’re not exercising as much or as hard as you think you should.
Many people believe you have to be dripping with sweat and working as hard as you possibly can in order to make gains from a workout. But that’s not what exercise is all about.
Whatever you’re doing, as long as you commit to it and you’re consistent, you’re going to get benefits. Don’t ever think that just doing 10 minutes of something is not enough. It’s better than doing nothing.
Recent discoveries in the science of anti-aging show that we may be able to extend healthy middle-age well into our 80s and live to be 100, whilst keeping in pretty good shape.
So from whom can we draw the most valuable lessons about ageing? New research suggests those who live on the Japanese island of Okinawa have the answer.
The Okinawans are often healthy well into their 90s or even 100s, with five times as many reaching the century than elsewhere in Japan. So what is the secret to their longevity?
1. Clean plates a no-no
The Okinawans eat a low-fat, low-salt diet of fruit, vegetables, tofu and seaweed. But it’s also about how much they eat – at least 10% less than Britain’s of the same height. This is what they call the ‘Hara Hachi Bu’, which means ‘stop eating when you’re 80% full’ – so leaving a fifth of your food on the plate, or stopping eating when you can say: ‘I’m not hungry anymore’ rather than: ‘I’m full’.
How to do Hara Hachi Bu:
Eat slowly and concentrate on your food. It takes 10 minutes for hormones, secreted as you digest, to register satiety in your brain.
Put your knife and fork down occasionally and consciously sense how satisfied you feel.
Prioritise protein and high fibre foods. A person uses about 10% of daily energy expenditure in digesting food, on average. But this percentage changes, depending on the type of food you eat.
When you eat matters – daytime is better. Your body clock regulates sleep patterns, hormone levels, body temperature and metabolism. As we are daytime animals, our metabolism is slower at night.
Allow at least a 12 hour gap between dinner and breakfast to help your system utilise all available glucose. Once this is done, the body switches to using fat for energy.
2. Do the flamingo test
You may have read before about the benefits of standing on one leg – a simple way to improve balance. But did you know that how long you can stand on one leg is a good predictor of how long you live in good health?
To do the test, time how long you can stand on one leg with hands on hips. Stop counting when your raised foot touches the floor or your other leg, or you have to lift your arms off your hips to steady yourself.
This is what is considered ‘normal’ for your age:
Under 40: Eyes open – 45 seconds Eyes closed – 15 seconds
Inspired by the Okinawans’ amazing longevity, research found that having a purpose in life was key to healthy mental ageing.
People with purpose take more care of their health and take up preventative medical screenings, have protective diets and a more active lifestyle. They want to stay around long enough to achieve their goals.
We also know that thoughts and emotions can affect your health even at a cellular level, meaning positive thinking can help you live longer. In Okinawa, positive thinking is known as ‘ikigai’, which translates as ‘motivating force’. It’s your sense of purpose, curiosity and excitement about life.
4. Drink seaweed soup
Miso soup is often made with brown seaweed, a staple of many Asian diets. It’s rich in fibre and minerals and also contains fucoidan, which can reduce inflammation and improve the immune system.
Fucoidan also appears to help mitigate the effects of viral infection where lung damage is involved – including in coronaviral infections. So eating seaweed could be a way to help protect yourself from COVID-19 too.
By creating a fitness routine you provide yourself with a structured approach to gaining and then maintaining a strong, healthy body and a strong healthy mind.
You may not be an elite athlete who is supported by a whole lot of other professionals (trainers, nutritionists, physiotherapists, etc) but that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the same smart system that helps them maintain their focus.
So, what is it you need to put together?
1. Visualisation
The power of the mind to affect fitness is undeniable. New studies show that by visualising our self performing a specific physical activity we are priming our brain and body to do it. What’s more we prime our self to do it well even when we don’t really feel like it.
The power of visualisation to help us overcome obstacles is so well documented that there are now studies on how it can be used in sports rehabilitation to help overcome sports-related injuries faster.
Visualisation or mental role playing helps the brain allocate attention. This changes the way mental resources are apportioned and focus is directed. The brain is absorbed in the role that’s visualised and many of the obstacles that prevent us from exercising, such as tiredness, stress, lack of organization, are diminished in our perception and removed.
2. Focus
Exercise is the means through which we reprogram the body and brain. Even a single session of physical exercise affects our memory and improves our ability to learn. Sustained exercise helps the brain create thicker, better connections that lead to improved cognitive function.
In order to do this in the first instance, we need to be able to focus on something that is important to us. Something that will get us moving even on days when we don’t want to.
The trick is to find a way to activate the brain’s reward system so that a dopamine spike is experienced each time, which leads to associating exercise with a pleasurable sensation and some anticipation.
In order to achieve this, you can keep track of exercise with a fitness tracker or a diary of workouts done, work on a monthly challenge where each day is crossed out, work towards a realistic and specific goal such as improving the number of push-ups you can do, or the distance you can run or the length of time you can exercise.
These are goals which provide a focus. To be able to use this to motivate our self even when we feel tired, low and dispirited we must have a clear target that is achievable, a finite period of time to achieve it in providing us with an end in sight and a clear means of recording it all in a way that shows progression towards our goal. Use whatever works easiest for you, as long as it motivates you to keep on going.
3. Variety
The next element we need is a means of maximising the benefits of the time we invest in exercise. Because we haven’t got hours and hours to waste we need to be able to get the most from whatever time we put in.
The best way we can do that is by providing our muscles with a mixed bag of exercises each time. That way the body doesn’t optimise its fitness routines, we stay fresh and motivated as boredom doesn’t get the chance to set in and we see fitness and health benefits much faster.
By choosing a variety of workouts, changing up and even sometimes changing down the tempo of our exercise routines and also trying various types of exercises, we ensure that the stimulus to which the body responds with adaptations, remains fresh and challenging.
4. Nutrition
Food is fuel. The quality of the fuel we ingest determines how quickly out body responds to the physical, mental and psychological demands being made of it.
Research shows that there is a direct link between building strength and a diet that supports it. There is also a direct link between what we eat, long-term and how it affects bone strength which, in turn, affects the health of our brain.
Most of us are locked into some type of eating routine because we like it, we find it easy to use and we are accustomed to it. By experimenting with healthier options and small reductions in the ingestion of food stuffs like unsaturated fats and sugar that we know are harmful to us we can deliver small, consistent boosts to our fitness and overall health.
5. Support
Sustaining a weight-loss or health and fitness drive, entirely on our own soon depletes our mental and physical resources and makes it hard for us to stick to it. And this can lead to failure.
This is where emotional support really helps. Studies have shown that weight-loss and fitness routines undertaken in a virtual or real-world community setting deliver better results by helping the participants stick to what they are doing when they feel low.
Studies show that those who workout with others have a high success rate, benefitting from the added motivational boost that a friend, a family member, or trainer can add to their fitness routine.
Our diet has a huge impact on how well we sleep, but what should we be eating – and avoiding – to ensure we get a good night’s rest?
Sleep-friendly foods:
Oily fish This is a high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, which increased levels of serotonin. This is later converted into melatonin, the sleep hormone. Sardines, mackerel and tinned salmon are excellent sources.
Whole grains A low-fibre diet is associated with lighter, less restorative sleep. Fibre helps balance blood sugar and is good for your gut flora and cardiovascular system, in turn helping sleep. Try to eat wholegrains like wholemeal bread, brown rice and wholegrain cereals.
Nuts and seeds Many, like sunflower seeds and Brazil nuts, are high in magnesium, which is commonly referred to as the sleep mineral.
Probiotics Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and yoghurt are thought to help promote good gut bacteria. This correlates with better quality of sleep.
Protein Protein-rich foods like turkey and peanuts contain tryptophan, and amino acid that helps us doze off more easily. Protein also makes us feel fuller for longer, meaning we are less likely to give in to snacking!
Nighttime no-nos:
If you’re struggling to sleep soundly, you should avoid the following…
Caffeine Coffee, tea and most energy drinks contain caffeine, a stimulant that affects our ability to nod off. Have a couple of cups of coffee in the morning but switch to herbal teas after midday.
Alcohol You might feel it’s easier to drift off after a glass of wine but alcohol is proven to disrupt sleep because it can cause us to skip the vital first stage of sleep, known as REM (rapid eye movement). Worse still, alcohol upsets our blood sugar levels and leads to dehydration. There are all sorts of mechanisms by which alcohol disrupts sleep.
Sugar White carbs and sugar-based foods reduce sleep quality. If you’re having blood sugar highs and lows, your body’s constantly trying to balance everything, which is a stress on your system.
Snacks High-fat foods like cakes and crisps are harder to digest and can cause issues at bedtime when our digestive system should be winding down.
By
choosing Fairtrade where possible, we can help to make a positive contribution
to the world when we buy food.
It’s a
widely supported idea that poverty in developing countries can be overcome by
supporting small-scale farming and businesses.
The more
Fairtrade we buy, the more we can help people to move from poverty to
sustainability and independence. Of course not everyone is able to make the
most ethical, environmental, and health conscious choices when buying food.
Health food, especially organic products, can have a hefty price tag.
In most
cases, though, there are good budget options that are just a little less hip.
And the most essential healthy foods are cheap – kale, spinach, whole grains,
beans, and lentils, for example.
Careful
food planning and prepping can save you money and reduce waste. Cooking from
scratch is also great for keeping within a tight budget.
