Easy Does It: 31 Instant Health Fixes
Sometimes the tiniest changes reap the biggest rewards. Become a better you with these top, time-saving tips.
Instant health fixes
Work with plants
Surrounding yourself with foliage boosts creativity in the workplace, according to researchers from Texas A&M university. Even a cactus on your desk can make a world of difference.
Test your pillow
Fold your pillow in half and put a book on top. If the pillow flops back to flat, it’s a keeper. If not, it’s knackered, and might even be doing your neck some permanent damage.
Touch your toes
Stretching is as important a part of your workout as hammering weights or holding a plank, and should be done both before and after training. “Stretching before exercise is best done dynamically. This warms up your muscles, increasing your range of motion and helps you avoid injuries,” explains personal trainer Scott Laidler. High knees and lunges are a good place to start. After exercising, move to static stretching, where you hold a pose for 30 seconds. “This form of stretching helps you to reduce pain and aching after exercise and increases flexibility,” says Laidler.
Drink up
Even a 2% drop in your body’s water content can lead to dehydration and related symptoms (like sluggishness and poor short-term memory). Stay hydrated.
Pull a sickie
Don’t tell your boss we said this, but sometimes, if you’re really, seriously stressed, taking a day off to catch up on life admin, sleep or just veg out on the sofa can have genuine, legitimate health benefits.
Blink more
Humans’ eyes are designed to blink about 18 times a minute, but studies suggest that people only blink about half as often while using a computer or other digital device. The result is dry, tired, itchy eyes. Follow the 20-20-20 rule, says Sarah Farrant, from the College of Optometrists. “Once you’ve been staring at the screen for 20 minutes, break for 20 seconds and look 20 feet away.”
Clean your teeth
According to a national survey by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, 74% of adults feel an unattractive smile can hurt a person’s chances for career success. So, charge the electric toothbrush, bring out the floss, and get whitening.
Have more sex
Just in case you needed a reason to have more sex more often, researchers at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania found that college students who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of antibodies that fight off germs and viruses compared to students who had sex less often. Get to it.
Download a decent app
A number of studies, including one conducted by the Stanford School of Medicine, have shown that people who track and manage their health require fewer hospital visits. There are thousands of apps that claim to help you get healthy, but My Fitness Pal (free on iOS and Android) is the most useful for motivation. Input your food, your workouts and your goals into the app, and monitor your – and your friends’ – progress.
Light a candle
Lighting a jasmine-scented candle for just one minute before bed leads to a better quality of sleep, found scientists at Wheeling Jesuit University.
Touch yourself
No, not there. Learning the art of self-massage can help you reduce stiffness, aches and pains (not to mention save a packet on sports massages). Tension tends to concentrate in the shoulders, especially if you’re tapping away at a keyboard all day. “Stroke and squeeze the muscle lightly to warm the area. Then use firmer pressure to work on knots in the muscle,” says Jade Rowland, from the Mandara Spa at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel. “To stretch your shoulders and back, pull your arm across your chest, which will help loosen the muscle around the shoulder and help improve your mobility.”
Spray on colour
Tanned skin looks healthier and makes your body look more trim and toned – hence why bodybuilders are so fond of the fake stuff. Just don’t overdo it or you’ll go from ‘healthy glow’ to ‘TOWIE berk’.
Wash your hands
You may wash your hands after dropping the kids off at the pool, but not everyone does. So every time you touch a doorknob, cash point or human hand, you’re potentially coming into contact with nasty, disease-causing germs. If you want to take fewer sick days this year, then use hand sanitiser.
Get rolling
Yes, they look stupid, but foam rollers are one of the best (but surprisingly painful) ways to release deeper tensions and flush the muscles of built-up toxins. “After lengthening the muscle through rolling, find the trigger point in the muscle (where the pain radiates from) and hold the pressure on that spot for 10 to 50 seconds,” explains Jess Schuring. “Don’t forget to keep breathing and follow up with gently rolling over the area after to lengthen the muscle again.” Foam rollers work especially well on large muscle groups like your quads.
Stick a hose up your bum
Before you start sniggering at the idea of “having your pipes cleaned”, colonic irrigation can help weight loss, decrease your chances of colon cancer, and improve your immune system. “This procedure involves a gentle infusion of warm water into the colon by means of special disposable tubing,” explains Esther Fieldgrass, the founder and director of EF Medispa in Kensington. The water dislodges waste that may have become trapped in the body for reasons that may include stress, poor diet, insufficient exercise or other causes. “Colonic hydrotherapy helps enhance immunity, improve the balance of good to bad bacteria in the bowel, and allows nutrients into the body.”
Scrub your skin off
The ladies in your life have known about exfoliation since before your testes dropped. Scrub the dead skin away using an exfoliating glove or brush to unclog your pores and keep your skin healthy.
Listen to your heart
“Using a heart rate monitor can help you train smarter by giving you direct access to your heart,” explains Luke Copeland, an exercise physiologist. “Whatever your goal is, monitoring your exercise intensity through your heart rate can be a great way of ensuring that maximum exercise benefits are achieved.” Keep track of your ticker with the Pulse in-ear headphones from Jabra. As well as playing your running playlist, a sensor in your ear sends your real-time heart rate to an app, allowing you to fine-tune your workout.
Take a cold shower
Standing under cold water releases feel-good hormones in your brain. An Ice Bucket Challenge is a good start, but to really feel the benefits, keep the cold tap running for a full minute.
Pop a sunshine pill
Exposure to sunlight is a natural source of vitamin D – but this is India, so take a tab and lower your risk of lethal sunburn by as much as 7%.
Give your fingers a rest
Bad news: texting lowers your life expectancy. A recent study suggests a link between the forward-leaning posture of texters with hyperkyphosis, an arching of the spine, closely linked with pulmonary disease and cardiovascular problems. So do yourself a favour and put the phone down.
Look for health on the middle shelf
Researchers at Cornell University found that you’re 2.7 times more likely to snack on healthy food if it’s on the middle shelf in your fridge. The brain works in mysterious ways…
Sing your heart out
It’s no coincidence that Japan is officially the healthiest country on the planet and home of the noble art of karaoke. Professor Takeshi Tanigawa of Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine says that taking regular trips to your local karaoke bar is positively good for you. “Singers use deep breathing, which is good for the nervous system. And after, they usually receive applause. It is a good kind of social support.”
Bring out the box sets
It turns out there’s truth in the old adage that laughter is the best medicine. When we laugh, we stretch muscles throughout our face and body, our pulse and blood pressure go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues – much like a workout does. “The effects of laughter and exercise are very similar,” says Steve Wilson, a psychologist and laugh therapist. (Yes, that’s an actual thing.) So dig out your old comedy box sets and LOL yourself healthy.
Get a grip
Want to lift heavier weights? Then work on your grip, not your lats. Grip strength is your muscles in your wrists, fingers, and hands. Personal trainer Mark Hoban has three exercises to help develop them: “First, the straight-arm hang: get yourself on a pull-up bar and hang for as long as you can with straight arms. Second is the static barbell hold: put a weight on the barbell and allow it to hang with straight arms, with your hands either side of your thighs. Finally, the gripper squeeze: grab a tennis ball or squidgy equivalent and squeeze as many times as you can.”
Make time for morning glory
A study from the University of New South Wales found that exercising in the morning before breakfast is the best time if you want to lose weight. Scientists believe this may be because exercising before you eat means your body has to burn fat for fuel, as your glycogen stores will be depleted after a night of fasting. “Five-minute core training sessions will give you visible results in no time,” explains celebrity trainer Jess Schuring. “One of the most basic exercises you can do is the plank.” Hold for 45 seconds, and then repeat on both sides.
Go green
Put the kettle on, but ditch the builder’s brew. Practically calorie-free, green tea packs in theanine, an amino acid that reduces anxiety and stress chemicals in the brain, making you feel calmer. There’s caffeine in green tea too, which when combined with the theanine improves brain function, perking your brain all the way up.
Get up, stand up
Back in your grandpa’s day, there was no such thing as a job that didn’t involve standing up. Now, most of us are glued to office chairs, which researchers believe is increasing our chances of high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. Dr Mike Loosemore, head of Exercise Medicine at University College Hospital, says standing up for three hours a day, five days a week for one year would be the equivalent of “running 10 marathons”. So raise your computer monitor, ditch the chair and work on your feet.
Eat carbs (but only the good ones)
Carbs have taken a beating recently, but they’re not all bad. In fact, you need carbs to fuel your workouts, and cutting them out entirely can make you ill. The landmark Vermont Study found that when calories and carbs are too low, levels of a vital glucose management hormone – known as T3 – drops, making you feel sluggish and cold. Swap out the refined sugars in crisps and white pasta and replace them with wholemeal grains, quinoa and bulgur wheat.
Get some shut-eye
Not getting enough sleep can be lethal; it can increase your chances of diabetes and heart disease, kill your sex drive, and contribute to depression. Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a sleep and energy consultant at Nightingale Hospital, says eating breakfast every day within 30-45 minutes of rising can help you get a good night’s sleep. “You’ll be less reliant on caffeine and will produce more melatonin during the day, so you’ll sleep better at night,” says Dr Ramlakhan. To really sleep like a baby, cut out caffeine after 3pm.
Embrace playing with a strap on
From Novak Djokovic to Mario Balotelli, elite athletes from all sports are covering their aching muscles with sticky tape. It may look like something from a children’s stationery set, but ‘elastic therapeutic tape’ is used to help athletes gain a greater range of motion after injury – and it could help you stay trim while you’re recovering from a gammy leg.
Get intimate with a furball
Cats, dogs, gerbils, ferrets, rabbits, your pal Rich’s chest, hamsters – if it’s hairy and you stroke it, your mood and general well-being will get a much-needed lift.
Beware: fake fixes
Some corners can’t be cut – don’t try these at home.
Fasting to burn fat
Not eating throws your body into starvation mode – breaking down muscles, storing fat and messing with your metabolism. Don’t stop eating, just eat clean.
Jog yourself thin
Slow, steady running will get you in shape eventually. But to burn fat fast, you’re better off doing shorter bursts of exercise with high-intensity intervals.
No sex for high performance
Abstaining from sex before a big game? You’re doing it wrong. Sex actually increases testosterone levels – ideal for athletes.
Diet by detoxing
Your body’s a detox machine – that’s what your liver, kidneys and pancreas have evolved to do. Drinking nothing but juice for three days will not work.
Eat ‘free-from’ foods
If you’re neither lactose intolerant nor have celiac disease (which is likely), your body is entirely capable of digesting a cheese sandwich on its own.
Crunch to shed the belly
Work your biggest muscle groups (thighs and arse) with weighted squats; they’ll uncover your abs quicker than a plank.
Gargle your teeth clean
Mouthwash helps fight gum disease, but some contain alcohol, which can lead to bad breath. For healthy teeth, simply brush twice a day.
Sweat out your man flu
Working out when you’re feeling under the weather can actually weaken your immune system and make things worse. Take it easy!
Frozen ‘health’ foods
There are loads of low-cal frozen meals on the market, but in reality, they have a high sodium content and weird preservatives in them. Stay away.
From the November 2014 issue of FHM India.
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