So, how did you react to your healthy life score? Maybe you feel there are so many things you have to fix that you don't know where to begin. Or perhaps you're thinking: if those are the changes I need to make to achieve long health, that's easy, so let's get started.
Hopefully you're ready to get started on a life of long health, but even if not, the message is the same: go slowly. Make one change at a time. Be patient and mindful of what your body's telling you.
The truth is that slow change can create a health revolution. When you make one change at a time in important areas affecting your health, you're setting yourself up for success. You won't feel overwhelmed. You'll have the time to fit a new habit into your life, no matter what else is going on. You'll see real benefits and build a foundation for making more changes successfully, too.
Starting with the next and for much of the rest, you'll discover the exciting, research-proven core concepts of a long and healthy life - that is, the ways to eat, move, de-stress and prevent disease that keep the world's longest-lived people vibrantly healthy for decades into old age. And the processes are broken down into lots of easy, small steps. Our hunch is that you'll want to try lots of them, and quickly.
Some experts would advocate that you overhaul your whole life with dozens of new rules to follow for what to eat, when and how to exercise and required relaxation techniques. And honestly, for a few people, it works.
But when US researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston compared the success rates of people who took an all-or-nothing approach to health (they stopped smoking, cut back on sodium and started exercising, all at once) to that of people who adopted one healthy new habit at a time over an 18 month period, just 6 percent of study volunteers in the all-or-nothing group could maintain all of their new habits. In the same study, the 'slow change' group had more success at exercising (they added far more steps to their days) and lowered their cholesterol levels more than the all-or-nothing group.
A prescription to move
The benefits of an active lifestyle are so great compared with other forms of health intervention that some GPs are actually prescribing exercise as an alternative to drugs. And a poll commissioned by Natural England showed that 94 percent of people would welcome this if their GP throught that outdoor exercise would work instead of prescription drugs. So if you're having trouble getting started, ask your GP what kind of exercise would be best for you.
For most of us, starting small is smart, practical and most likely to help to ensure that you succeed. And, there's plenty of cutting-edge research on how our brains adapt to change that suggests it really does work best.
Experts who work with older people agree, too. It takes time for your body to adapt to a new level of activity, and you need to feel enthusiastic about the changes you make, not intimidated or discouraged. It's important not to rush at things so fast that exercise feels uncomfortable or painful - but even a few short, gentle exercises can build up to a habit that offers impressive health benefits. In one study at London's Royal Free Hospital, older people taking a 12 week exercise programme had a 30 percent increase in muscle power - that's equivalent to regaining three decades of lost strength.
Small, it turns out, is big when it comes to changing your health habits.
THE POWER OF ONE SMALL CHANGE
Don't think little changes mean small health benefits A little tweak - such as switching from white bread to whole-grain bread, ordering unsweetened iced tea instead of a fizzy drink or fitting 10 minutes of exercise into a busy day - can add up to big health bonuses. Consider:
And never believe it's too late to start. When researchers at the Medical University of South Caolina tracked health-negligent, middle-aged adults who began eating five or more fruits and vegetables every day, exercised for half an hour five days a week and didn't smoke, they reduced their risk of heart disease by 35 percent. After four years, they even got their risk down to the same safe level as people who had always been active and eaten a healthy diet.
So where do you begin? Read the eating, exercise and everyday living chapters that follow and choose the changes that appeal to you most. Perhaps these are the things that sound fun or delicious or as if they'd feel really good. Maybe they're the smart ways finally to overcome a not-so-healthy habit that's been bothering you (perhaps fruity iced tea in place of gallons of sweet drinks, grilled
fish rather than a cheeseburger, or a walk with your best friend instead of meeting for coffee and cake). Try one change in each important area.. then commit to sticking with it for the next four weeks.
TRAIN YOUR BRAIN FOR HEALTH
Forming a new habit - one that you'll do automatically, as your 'default' setting - takes at least two weeks of faithful repetition. The reason: you're rewiring your brain. Researchers have discovered that giving up bad habits such as overeating, watching TV instead of exercising or anything else that may feel good but isn't great for your health works against the brain's pleasure systems. Your brain may actually go into withdrawal when you swap bad habits for good habits, because you're no longer supplying the activity or foods that send surges of the feel good chemical dopamine washing through your brain cells.
Outsmart withdrawal by substituting another feel-good food or activity - the kind you'll find throughout the coming session. Experts suspect that sticking with a new, healthier pleasure for long enough will teach your brain to release dopamine when you experience it - so that you actually look forward to that walk or slice of whole-wheat cinnamon toast in the morning.
It's not received wisdom, but change doesn't have to hurt to be good for you. That's especially true for exercise - 'no pain, no gain' is a myth. If it hurts, don't do it. Exercise that causes you pain will be
very difficult to stick with. Instead, look for exercise options that make you feel energised, that match your body type and personality, your likes, dislikes and interests.
That's where mindfulness comes in. As you make changes check in with yourself throughout the day. A change that's right for you will help you to feel energised yet relaxed. You may feel a little tired if you've just taken a walk or performed a few strength-training moves, but you shouldn't feel achy or exhausted. You may feel a little lighter in the tummy if you're eating more moderate portions, but you shouldn't feel starved. And if you're trying to add more relaxation, more hobbies and more
socialising to your day, you should expect to feel excited and busy, but never overwhelmed.
why? Change shouldn't become a source of stress. Research shows that when it does, stress hormones impel us to do whatever we've always done to calm down. That might mean eating a cake or smoking a cigarette, having a glass of wine or complaining. Stress then, could interfere, with your efforts to change.
Remember this point: if you start with changes that are easy to make, and stick with them for a few weeks, you'll find that the next waves of changes is even easier. And suddenly, you are well down the path towards the long health you desire.
4 traits of successfully healthy people
1 They're patient It takes at least two weeks - and probably more like four to eight weeks - to turn a new strategy into something that's second nature. You have to stick with it long enough to face all the
challenges you meet regularly in your life and find a way to fit it in, no matter what. If you can do something for three weeks in a row, you've established a good habit. You'll know it's working because if for some reason you can't get your usual exercise, you'll miss it. or suddenly realise that you're not feeling so good because you haven't had your usual exercise 'dose'.
2 They take it seriously Buy the healthy foods you need. Set aside time for socialising. Schedule exercise. Don't leave change to chance. Make your new-found habits a regular part of your day, or log them in your diary and treat them as a commitment.
3 They get support Tell other people about your new routine and ask them to help - by reminding you, encouraging you or coming along with you. You can get even better motivation by joining or creating an exercise group or finding an exercise chum - someone with whom you can walk or work out, or just communicate by phone or via an online support group.
4 They know that small changes lead to big things Once you start making changes, you'll find that one move leads to another. When you start to see the benefits and feel the rewards, you'll be encouraged to carry on, and to make more changes to multiply the gains.
Hopefully you're ready to get started on a life of long health, but even if not, the message is the same: go slowly. Make one change at a time. Be patient and mindful of what your body's telling you.
The truth is that slow change can create a health revolution. When you make one change at a time in important areas affecting your health, you're setting yourself up for success. You won't feel overwhelmed. You'll have the time to fit a new habit into your life, no matter what else is going on. You'll see real benefits and build a foundation for making more changes successfully, too.
Starting with the next and for much of the rest, you'll discover the exciting, research-proven core concepts of a long and healthy life - that is, the ways to eat, move, de-stress and prevent disease that keep the world's longest-lived people vibrantly healthy for decades into old age. And the processes are broken down into lots of easy, small steps. Our hunch is that you'll want to try lots of them, and quickly.
Some experts would advocate that you overhaul your whole life with dozens of new rules to follow for what to eat, when and how to exercise and required relaxation techniques. And honestly, for a few people, it works.
But when US researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston compared the success rates of people who took an all-or-nothing approach to health (they stopped smoking, cut back on sodium and started exercising, all at once) to that of people who adopted one healthy new habit at a time over an 18 month period, just 6 percent of study volunteers in the all-or-nothing group could maintain all of their new habits. In the same study, the 'slow change' group had more success at exercising (they added far more steps to their days) and lowered their cholesterol levels more than the all-or-nothing group.
A prescription to move
The benefits of an active lifestyle are so great compared with other forms of health intervention that some GPs are actually prescribing exercise as an alternative to drugs. And a poll commissioned by Natural England showed that 94 percent of people would welcome this if their GP throught that outdoor exercise would work instead of prescription drugs. So if you're having trouble getting started, ask your GP what kind of exercise would be best for you.
For most of us, starting small is smart, practical and most likely to help to ensure that you succeed. And, there's plenty of cutting-edge research on how our brains adapt to change that suggests it really does work best.
Experts who work with older people agree, too. It takes time for your body to adapt to a new level of activity, and you need to feel enthusiastic about the changes you make, not intimidated or discouraged. It's important not to rush at things so fast that exercise feels uncomfortable or painful - but even a few short, gentle exercises can build up to a habit that offers impressive health benefits. In one study at London's Royal Free Hospital, older people taking a 12 week exercise programme had a 30 percent increase in muscle power - that's equivalent to regaining three decades of lost strength.
Small, it turns out, is big when it comes to changing your health habits.
THE POWER OF ONE SMALL CHANGE
Don't think little changes mean small health benefits A little tweak - such as switching from white bread to whole-grain bread, ordering unsweetened iced tea instead of a fizzy drink or fitting 10 minutes of exercise into a busy day - can add up to big health bonuses. Consider:
- A brisk walk three times a week can reduce mild, moderate and even severe depression, researchers have found.
- If you watch TV for several hours a day, cutting out just an hour could reduce your risk of a serious pre-diabetic condition called metabolic syndrome by 19 pecent, according to one study.
- Switching to whole-grain bread, brown rice and whole-grain breakfast cereal could lower your risk of diabetes by up to 33 percent, say German scientists.
- Drinking two glasses of skimmed milk a day could cut your risk of insulin resistance by 62 percent and cut your risk of heart disease by 5o percent, say British researchers who followed 2,375 men for 20 years as part of the United Kingdom's landmark Caerphilly Prospective Study.
- Losing just 1/2kg (1lb) lightens the load on your knees by 2kg (4lb) with every step - that translates to 2,200kg (4,800lb) less pressure every time you walk a mile.
And never believe it's too late to start. When researchers at the Medical University of South Caolina tracked health-negligent, middle-aged adults who began eating five or more fruits and vegetables every day, exercised for half an hour five days a week and didn't smoke, they reduced their risk of heart disease by 35 percent. After four years, they even got their risk down to the same safe level as people who had always been active and eaten a healthy diet.
So where do you begin? Read the eating, exercise and everyday living chapters that follow and choose the changes that appeal to you most. Perhaps these are the things that sound fun or delicious or as if they'd feel really good. Maybe they're the smart ways finally to overcome a not-so-healthy habit that's been bothering you (perhaps fruity iced tea in place of gallons of sweet drinks, grilled
fish rather than a cheeseburger, or a walk with your best friend instead of meeting for coffee and cake). Try one change in each important area.. then commit to sticking with it for the next four weeks.
TRAIN YOUR BRAIN FOR HEALTH
Forming a new habit - one that you'll do automatically, as your 'default' setting - takes at least two weeks of faithful repetition. The reason: you're rewiring your brain. Researchers have discovered that giving up bad habits such as overeating, watching TV instead of exercising or anything else that may feel good but isn't great for your health works against the brain's pleasure systems. Your brain may actually go into withdrawal when you swap bad habits for good habits, because you're no longer supplying the activity or foods that send surges of the feel good chemical dopamine washing through your brain cells.
Outsmart withdrawal by substituting another feel-good food or activity - the kind you'll find throughout the coming session. Experts suspect that sticking with a new, healthier pleasure for long enough will teach your brain to release dopamine when you experience it - so that you actually look forward to that walk or slice of whole-wheat cinnamon toast in the morning.
It's not received wisdom, but change doesn't have to hurt to be good for you. That's especially true for exercise - 'no pain, no gain' is a myth. If it hurts, don't do it. Exercise that causes you pain will be
very difficult to stick with. Instead, look for exercise options that make you feel energised, that match your body type and personality, your likes, dislikes and interests.
That's where mindfulness comes in. As you make changes check in with yourself throughout the day. A change that's right for you will help you to feel energised yet relaxed. You may feel a little tired if you've just taken a walk or performed a few strength-training moves, but you shouldn't feel achy or exhausted. You may feel a little lighter in the tummy if you're eating more moderate portions, but you shouldn't feel starved. And if you're trying to add more relaxation, more hobbies and more
socialising to your day, you should expect to feel excited and busy, but never overwhelmed.
why? Change shouldn't become a source of stress. Research shows that when it does, stress hormones impel us to do whatever we've always done to calm down. That might mean eating a cake or smoking a cigarette, having a glass of wine or complaining. Stress then, could interfere, with your efforts to change.
Remember this point: if you start with changes that are easy to make, and stick with them for a few weeks, you'll find that the next waves of changes is even easier. And suddenly, you are well down the path towards the long health you desire.
4 traits of successfully healthy people
1 They're patient It takes at least two weeks - and probably more like four to eight weeks - to turn a new strategy into something that's second nature. You have to stick with it long enough to face all the
challenges you meet regularly in your life and find a way to fit it in, no matter what. If you can do something for three weeks in a row, you've established a good habit. You'll know it's working because if for some reason you can't get your usual exercise, you'll miss it. or suddenly realise that you're not feeling so good because you haven't had your usual exercise 'dose'.
2 They take it seriously Buy the healthy foods you need. Set aside time for socialising. Schedule exercise. Don't leave change to chance. Make your new-found habits a regular part of your day, or log them in your diary and treat them as a commitment.
3 They get support Tell other people about your new routine and ask them to help - by reminding you, encouraging you or coming along with you. You can get even better motivation by joining or creating an exercise group or finding an exercise chum - someone with whom you can walk or work out, or just communicate by phone or via an online support group.
4 They know that small changes lead to big things Once you start making changes, you'll find that one move leads to another. When you start to see the benefits and feel the rewards, you'll be encouraged to carry on, and to make more changes to multiply the gains.
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