Health - Small change
2004-03-19 13:53
Cape Town - It's easy to discount the effects of lack of exercise, stress and a high-fat diet while you're young. Here are seven ways to reverse the damage you did when you didn't know any better.
Remember what your parents use to say during your boozy, smokey varsity days: "You'll pay for that later, young man."
Well, the bad news is that they're right and later has arrived sooner rather than, well: later! (I knew I shouldn't have done that "12 beers in 20 minutes challenge" in first year!)
Hypertension, adult-onset diabetes, cancer, heart disease and many other major diseases are more the result of how you have treated yourself in the past than genetics, says Pamela Peeke, a doctor, author and consultant for Shape magazine. Small lifestyle things can have a cumulative effect that may not show until serious damage has been done.
So we're targeting the seven surprisingly simple changes that could produce major impact benefits down the line.
Get one more hour of sleep
The average person needs eight to nine hours of sleep, but typically gets only six to seven. That one- to two-hour loss can have more bad effects than just a set of saggy eyes.
"Studies have suggested that sleep deprivation can affect every aspect of how the body functions, from the ability to memorise and logically reason, to the repair of neurons and development of muscle," says sleep disorders expert Paul Gross.
Drink three more glasses of water a day
"By the time you get thirsty, your body is already about 2% low on water," says Susan Kleiner, author of Power Eating (Human Kinetics). "Losing just 1-2% of your body weight in fluid can lower your physical and mental performance by up to 20%."
Known as chronic mild dehydration, this can negatively affect every function of the body.
"All biochemical connections throughout the body either occur in water or use water as a conduit," says Kleiner. "If you are not well hydrated, everything from joint lubrication, digestion and reproduction to breathing can be compromised."
The minimum amount of water a person should be getting is eight glasses a day. Most of us only get one or two.
Eat a few extra vegetables
Most of us don't get enough of them. Packed with fibre, vitamins and anti-oxidative phytochemicals, vegetables can make a profound difference in decreasing your risk of obesity, certain types of cancer, gastrointestinal problems and a host of other diseases.
To improve your habits:
Start early in the day Add spinach and mushrooms to your omelette whenever you're having a big breakfast, put a slice of tomato on your toast, and drink a glass of carrot juice.
Add one new vegetable each week Think bok choy (Asian cabbage), kale, broccoli.
Opt for the brightest in the bunch In general, it doesn't matter what colour a vegetable is, so long as that colour is bright. The richer the colour, the more nutrient-dense the vegetable is, whether it's bright yellow, red, orange or green.
Add 10 minutes of resistance training to your routine
By the time you're 25, a sedentary LIFE works against you. The average person's metabolism slows down from their late 20's due to a loss of up to 500g of muscle (which burns 150 - 200kJ a day) every year. This translates into a slowed metabolism, which increases body fat.
Compensating just means incorporating regular resistance training into your week. If this seems impossible, aim to:
Choose compound exercises instead of isolation movements. Lunges, squats, dumbbell-presses and pull-ups work several muscle groups together, making your gym time more productive and multiplying your results.
Make working out a priority If it's a firm appointment, you won't miss it.
Crunch in between Instead of saving your crunches for the painful last, do a set of crunches in between each set of your regular weight workout. You'll finish without ever feeling like you've started.
Let go of one stressful thing each week
"Unrelieved stress affects almost every function of the body, causing insomnia, high blood pressure, constipation, depression and an assortment of anxiety- driven aches and pains," says Peeke.
Left untreated in the long term, stress contributes to heart disease, ulcers, immune-system deficiencies and hypertension.
And what's causing your stress may surprise you. Most of our stress comes from simply not knowing if we're on target with our lives.
Stopping to work out one or two big-picture goals for the six major areas of LIFE (family, work, finance, self, community and intellect) can help. Once you have well-defined goals, they become filters to sift what is important from what isn't, bringing into your LIFE a perspective that can lower stress and the disease-inflicting cortisol that comes along with it.
Organise your personal LIFE like your office. Structuring certain parts of your home (such as having a desk with a bills box, letter opener and your chequebook, or keeping a basket for newspapers and magazines next to a reading chair) just like your office (according to your priorities) can help make sure your downtime is just as efficient.
Lose a few kilograms
If you're overweight, dropping just 5-10% of your total body fat can have a profound health benefit. Think cardio-vascular and arterial complications.
Regular exercise and an eating plan that derives less than 30% of its kilojoules from fat can help, but shaving additional kilojoules can be as easy as a few minor tweaks:
Eat six to seven smaller meals instead of three large ones. Spreading your daily intake among several meals can help curb binges.
Count fibre, not kilojoules. Research has shown that eating more fibre means you tend to gain less weight. Foods naturally high in fibre tend to have fewer kilojoules and leave you feeling more satisfied. Try for at least 25g a day.
Eat a low-energy-density dish before every major meal. Studies have shown that eating a low-fat, low-energy-density dish (filled with fruits, vegetables and other foods rich in water and fibre, such as soup) before a main meal can reduce the total amount of kilojoules consumed during the entire meal by 26%.
Get an annual medical exam
"Many of the health issues that affect us as we get older actually start showing up in our late teens and early 20s," says Peeke.
"A family doctor has the means to perform lab tests such as cholesterol screening and checking skin growths that should be monitored regularly." Pick a doctor who's a family practitioner to perform your annual check-up.
Some sleep shorts!
Go to bed and wake up at a set time every day, even on your days off.
'Sleeping in' on weekends can disrupt your sleep cycle later in the week.
Stay away from alcohol for at least two hours before bedtime. Alcohol may make you sleepy, but it also prevents REM sleep, the deepest kind of rest, making whatever sleep you manage to get less restorative.
Take a nap. Snagging a 15- to 20-minute nap between 1 and 4pm can improve your alertness, sharpen your memory and help reduce fatigue.
Watch when you work out. Exercising for at least 20-30 minutes a day promotes sleep, but avoid working out for at least four hours before bedtime.
Water tips
Switch to a larger glass.
Add a dash of fruit juice. It makes it more interesting.
Compensate when having caffeine. For every cup of tea, coffee or caffeinated drink, have a glass of water as well.
Stress busters
Give yourself five minutes every hour. Getting enough 'me' time is something most people never seem to do. Instead of trying to save up time for the end of your busy day, step away from your work for five minutes every hour.
Learn to dissipate anger. Staying angry creates competitive situations that make us unnecessarily aggressive, even at 'rest.' Instead of holding on to negative feelings or viewing yourself as a victim, let feelings go by reconciling, restructuring or, if necessary, even ending relationships.
Things to remember at the doctor
Sex secrets
Share your sexual history with your doctor (research has shown that physically active people get more sex than sedentary individuals). If you're sexually active and not monogamous, informing your doctor about your past encounters can give an indication of which sexually transmitted diseases you may have been exposed to and should be tested for.
Request a urinalysis
A urine test can detect abnormal kidney functioning. Finding unusual things such as red blood cells in the urine can detect early kidney disease, while excess sugar could reveal if you're pre-diabetic.
This feature is brought to you by the editors of Shape magazine. Self, health and everything else.