These five most harmful habits are like five fingers that are clenched together into a fist, roughly and mercilessly beating the body and undermining health. This fist knocks out youth, strength and natural ability to recover from it. As a result, a person gets the notorious metabolic syndrome, and with it – a multitude of age-related ailments.
Habit number one: Craving something sweet
And in tea, and in coffee, and in sweets, and in gingerbread, and in carbonated drinks, and instead of a snack, and before bedtime – in short, without sweets, nothing. Meanwhile, this is an extremely bad habit. Sugar, refined carbohydrates are not products necessary for the body. Although they can give a short-term surge of energy and pleasure, their regular use, day after day, turns them into substances that form a strong addiction.
One of the main problems that develop due to frequent sugar consumption is insulin resistance. To earn it means to prepare the body for an unpleasant, painful ending. In this state, the body will constantly lack energy, and it will begin to quickly wither. The brain, heart, blood vessels and skin will be the first to age.
How much added sugar does the body need? The answer is not much. If, for example, salt is a product without which the body cannot exist (yes, yes, the same “white death” – the body needs salt in small quantities), then it is ideally better to give up added sugar altogether. The body should normally get energy from complex carbohydrates – vegetables, cereals, herbs, nuts, etc. If you cannot completely get rid of added sugar, reduce it to a minimum: 1-3-5 teaspoons per day, no more.
Friend's habit: Can't get enough sleep
Sleep is not only a physiological property of the body, but also a skill, and even an entire science and culture. It is a period of time when the body and psyche undergo a necessary stage of self-recovery and reboot.
If your sleep is disturbed, you need to work on it. Change your bedtime (for example, try going to bed an hour earlier), prepare for sleep (turn off the TV and gadgets, take a walk, take a warm shower, meditate), sleep conditions (complete darkness in the room, orthopedic mattress), etc.
Remember: poor-quality sleep leads to fatigue, decreased tone, impaired digestion, skin aging, rapid development of chronic diseases, and premature wear and tear of the body. If you cannot get rid of sleep problems on your own, seek help from a specialist.
Habit number three. Craving a drink
To calm down, to celebrate good news, out of boredom because it's Friday, to warm up (or vice versa – to cool down), and even just for fun.
As a result, it turns out that even those who consider themselves moderate drinkers can exceed the recommended alcohol consumption limits by 2-3 times (although the concept of a “safe limit” is a very controversial issue, as modern studies indicate that there is no absolutely safe dose).
Alcohol is harmful to the heart, liver, and brain. It reduces the body's defenses and leads to accelerated aging, and together with other harmful factors, it leads to the development of a number of pathological conditions, including very serious ones.
It is best to treat alcohol as a substance whose consumption should be limited as much as possible. After all, even the most refined alcoholic beverages are harmful to the body. In this way, you will significantly reduce its negative impact on health, regardless of whether it is a low-quality product or an elite one.
Habit number four: Too lazy to do gymnastics
To keep your heart, brain, and immune system in tip-top shape, as well as prevent premature aging of your skin, exercise most days of the week. Moderate exercise improves circulation, strengthens the body's defenses, and gives you a more youthful appearance.
If going to the gym is a problem for you, just do some squats every day. If that's too difficult, try walking 7,000-10,000 steps a day. Most health organizations recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week.
Habit number five. I want to smoke.
A cigarette is a magic wand for aging. Take it, inhale it, and exhale a day of your life: that's how it works.
Since smoking became unfashionable and governments began to crack down on it, people in many countries have begun to kick the habit en masse. And, lo and behold, within a few years, this has begun to affect average life expectancy.
Remember: tobacco smoke is not only a toxin that poisons the lungs and central nervous system, but also a dangerous destroyer of blood vessels. And smoking changes the complexion and significantly deepens wrinkles – this is not just an observation: this fact is confirmed by research (it is especially important not to forget for those who see some aesthetics in the process of smoking).
