Mar 9

Mar 9 10 easy ways to boost your health in less than a minute

I’m naturally suspicious of anything that claims to be a quick fix when it comes to health. But I do know, from my own experience, that there are certain, simple and speedy things that, if you do them regularly, definitely can contribute to your overall health and wellbeing.

So here are ten less-than-a-minute health boosts that I’ve tried and found work.

1. Start each day with a glass of water

The obvious reason for this is that rehydrates you after a several hours of not drinking whilst you’re asleep. But it’s also been shown that it can help to make you feel fuller so reducing your calorie intake during the day. I certainly find if I drink a glass of water, or a mug of hot water with lemon and honey (which, granted, takes longer than a minute to drink) I tend to feel less starving for breakfast.

2. Floss your teeth every day

I’m ashamed to admit this is something I didn’t do until an embarrassingly long way into my adulthood. But knowing, also from unpleasant personal experience, that you’re not only far more likely to suffer from gum disease if you don’t, but that research has shown that people who suffer from gum disease are at increased risk of heart attack, stroke or other serious cardiovascular events, was finally enough to prompt me to ensure that flossing is something I now do every day before my bedtime tooth brushing.

There’s a whole blog dedicated to tooth care HERE

3. Always wear SPF

We all know about the damaging effects of the sun, but harmful UVA rays can penetrate cloud, so even on dull days there’s a need to protect yourself. Applying a sun protection cream with an SPF of at least 30 and with at least four-star UVA protection should become part of your daily skin care routine. I’m religious about doing this on my face, ears, neck and lips, but still a little too haphazard about the backs of my hands - another area where skin cancer most commonly develops - so that’s a work in progress.

4. Stand up and move around at least once an hour

As someone whose work is almost entirely sedentary, and as I’ve got older and considerably more creaky, this is something I find not just beneficial but absolutely necessary. According to the NHS if we sit for too long it slows down our metabolisms and that, in turn, affects our body’s ability regulate blood pressure and blood sugar, and break down fat. Because I tend to get very absorbed when I’m working, it’s helped me hugely to set a timer on my phone when I’m working to remind me when I need to get up.

5. Dry your hands

If nothing else, the pandemic taught us the importance of washing our hands thoroughly, but whilst that’s important to stop the spread of germs, drying them well is just as necessary. Wet or damp hands, it turns out, spread 1,000 times more bacteria than wet ones. I’ve always been really fastidious about making sure my hands are completely dry after washing mainly because I hate having damp hands, so discovering I’m stopping the spread of germs was a welcome validation of my natural fussiness.

6. Take deep breaths

When we’re stressed or anxious we tend to take short, shallow breaths. What this does is to increase our blood pressure and heart rate, which in turn keeps us in a heightened state of alert. The exact opposite of what we want. Taking a minute to take full breaths (breathing in for a slow count of four, and out to the same count), using our stomach muscles creates more of a balance between the oxygen coming in and the carbon dioxide going out and the result of that is to make our body relax. Phew.

7. Cut back on salt

This is something that took a big leap forward for me when I started cooking for my little grand-girls because anything I make for them has no salt in it at all, but rather uses lots of other herbs and spices to add flavour. As a result, I’ve found that my taste for salt has definitely decreased. Which is good news because too much salt (the recommended adult daily intake is 6g) can increase blood pressure, damage arteries, and put strain on our hearts. Don’t go cold turkey on the salt front, but a gradual decrease and a corresponding increase in other seasonings will help to re-educate your taste buds.

8 Sprinkle some chia seeds

Chia seeds date back 5500 years when they were grown in Mexico and used by the Aztec and Mayan people (in the Mayan language, chia meant ‘strength’). For such a tiny seed, they’re packed full of digestion-improving fibre and omega-3 fatty acids which are great for our eyes, heart and brain, along with other important nutrients. I add them to my smoothies and sprinkle them on top of my daily gut-improving plain greek yoghurt to give them extra health punch.

9. Pay attention to your posture

THIS BLOG explains in detail why posture matters so much (and shows you 5 easy exercises to do to improve it). Hopefully knowing that having good posture can improve balance, reduce pain, prevent muscle fatigue, and cause less wear and tear on joints and bones will be enough to convince you to spend a daily minute checking yours (says she straightening up in her desk chair).

10. Check your body for lumps and bumps

Getting into the habit of spending at least one minute examining yourself on a regular basis could be not just beneficial to your health, but actually life saving.

We women know we need to check our breasts – this helpful video from Coppafeel will talk you through the steps - but health experts recommend that men check their chests too. Dr Hillary’s useful demonstration will show you how.

Men can check their testicles themselves at home – you can read more about how to do this on the MacMillian Cancer Support website.

And we all need to be keeping an eye out for new moles and making sure that existing moles aren’t changing in size, colour, or shape. Bupa’s guide has plenty of useful information on what to look for when doing this.

Obviously if you ever find anything you’re at all anxious about, make an appointment to see your GP.