Health 360°

1. Eat slowly

You might not be aware that eating too rapidly might result in weight gain.

Faster eaters are more likely to be overweight than persons who eat more slowly, according to study. This is 115% more likely to occur in middle-aged women, according to one research.

As you eat, “fullness hormones” are released by your body, alerting your brain that you’ve had enough and should stop. Since this process takes around 20 minutes, rapid eaters may eat too much food and not realize it for a while, which accounts for the “post-buffet bloat” you could experience after a filling lunch.

Make a point of eating more slowly the next time you eat, and see how it affects your appetite.

2. Drink more water

Although the advice to “drink 8 glasses of water a day” may be well known, few people really adhere to it. Instead, they commonly choose to tally their total daily liquid consumption, which typically includes sodas, coffee, and other beverages.

But soft drinks and beers don’t make up your body. Approximately 60% of the human body is made up of water, depending on age. Drinking more water has several advantages, including reducing calorie consumption, reviving our muscles, protecting our kidneys, and hydrating our skin.

You’ll experience fewer cravings for sugary or unhealthier beverages as you keep hydrated with water.

3 – Read nutrition labels

Make it a practice to study the nutritional labels on your food when you go grocery shopping if losing weight is one of your health objectives.

Watch out for a product’s total calorie count, not just the number of calories in one serving, which is often what is listed on the label.

You may avoid merely reading marketing labels like “rich in fiber,” “low fat,” or “zero sugar” by reading nutrition labels, as these labels may be deceptive. If you hadn’t studied the nutrition label, you might not have realized that a product that is “rich in calcium” could also be heavy in sugar.

4. Eat more fruits and vegetables

According to a health survey with more than 65,000 participants, those who consumed the highest portions of fruits and vegetables (7 or more) daily had a 42% lower chance of passing away (from any cause) than those who consumed less than one portion daily.

It was shown that canned and frozen fruit might also significantly raise your chance of passing away by 17%, so you might want to pick more fresh food instead.

Do you need advice on how to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet? After lunch, go out and purchase some cut fruit, then bring it to work. That fruit will be the most accessible and easy snack the next time you’re hungry.

5. Work out (at least) 3 times a week

Adults should perform at least 150 minutes of moderate to strenuous physical activity each week, according to Active Health (a project of the Singapore Sports Council). However, just 26% of Singaporeans really do this.

It’s not tough to achieve this aim. You could try:

Increase the amount of what you already do.
Choose a hobby you believe you’ll like, then start engaging in it.
These alterations may be minor. For instance, put on your running shoes and jog with your dog instead of going for a stroll. Additionally, if you currently run twice weekly, add a third day so you can take some time to enjoy yourself and discover new routes.

6. Quit smoking

Smoking is still a reasonably widespread habit in Singapore despite laws that has disease-ridden imagery on cigarette cartons and banned tobacco promotion for decades. Six Singaporeans every day pass away from ailments linked to smoking, said HealthHub.

Although it might be difficult, giving up smoking can be one of the most significant decisions you ever make. Exercise, support groups, breathing exercises, and even nicotine replacement treatment are among methods for overcoming the addiction.

7. Get a fitness tracker (and use it)

Fitness trackers are revolutionizing how people live and exercise today. These sophisticated wrist-based gadgets can monitor your heart rate, measure the length of your run, and calculate the number of calories you burn while exercising.

While the dependability and repute of fitness trackers (and smart watches) have reportedly improved significantly in recent years, their accuracy has been questioned in the past.

8. Sleep for 6 – 8 hours daily

Did you know that individuals need sleep between 6 and 8 hours each night in order to maintain good health? In a study on sleep duration and mortality, researchers discovered that those who receive fewer than 7 hours of sleep each night had a 12% higher risk of passing away before their time.

A 30% increased risk of early death was discovered in those who slept more than 8 to 9 hours each day, so take care not to oversleep.

The verdict? Obtain 6 to 8 hours of sleep by going to bed early. Then, wake up when the alarm goes off, not after repeatedly pressing the snooze button.

9. Smile and laugh more

One of the easiest yet most effective improvements you can make to enhance your mental health is this one.

How does this function? When we laugh, our heart, lungs, and muscles are stimulated because we breathe more deeply and take in more air. Additionally, it enhances the endorphins our brains release, which have a favorable impact on our physiology and emotions and instantly put us in a better, happier condition.

So feel free to grin frequently and add extra joy to your day. Laughter may sometimes be the best medicine.

10. Keep a journal of daily wins

In her TEDx talk on finding success via tiny victories, educator Mehrnaz Bassiri quotes a Harvard Business School professor who claims that maintaining a daily journal of progress allows us to reflect on our days and capture all the little victories that might otherwise go unrecognized.

Even on those discouraging days when we feel like we haven’t achieved anything, this practice encourages us to remember and enjoy our minor victories.

These “wins” might range from choosing a healthy lunch option to responding constructively to a challenging circumstance at work. They can also just include accomplishing something for the first time that made you pleased or inspired.

Just keep in mind that you may live a better life by making tiny adjustments one at a time. First, choose a few of your favourite tips mentioned in this article and incorporating them into your daily routine!