At the beginning of every year, everyone inevitably feels like they have crossed a threshold with new hope. In order not to relive what we failed to achieve in the past year, the negative experiences we had, and the events we had regarding our health, we turn a new page and thanks to the lessons we learned, we do not want to experience these negativities again. We can make new decisions and want to make healthier choices, especially for our health, which is the most important thing. Raise your hands to those who are thinking of eating the heaviest meals, desserts and maybe alcohol for the last time on New Year's Eve and setting sail for a new life from the next day.
It's all normal! We all think and act the same way. Especially if we are overweight or have a chronic disease for which we have to take many medications, we want to get rid of them. Changing all these actually requires changing our way of life, our perspective on life, and our behavior. It was said that in order for a person to change his behavior, he had to do the same behavior for 21 days. However, recent studies show that in order to truly change behavior, it is necessary to hold on to the behavior knowingly and willingly for 66 days. Then the person naturally incorporates this into his life. So, let's know that whatever we are going to do, we need to follow this behavior consciously for at least 2 months.
So, if we look at the things that come to our mind to be healthy, the most desired ones are losing weight, exercising regularly and eating healthy. . If you are aware, these are all interrelated.
What behaviors should we change to eat healthy? First of all, we should give up carbohydrate and sugary foods. We should eliminate all kinds of bread, pastries, rice, pasta, bread and of course milk and dough desserts from our lives. Carbohydrate foods disrupt our intestinal microbial structure, cause excessive insulin secretion and cause fat storage. These two factors cause diabetes, arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. Of course, the worst thing is that it causes weight gain.
Another food that we should eliminate from our lives in a healthy diet is packaged products. Preservative chemicals and nitrates in all kinds of industrial, packaged products are extremely harmful chemicals. It accumulates in the body, disrupts energy metabolism and It deteriorates the system over time.
For a healthy diet, trans fats should also be avoided. Olive oil and butter are the safest oils in this respect. It is very important to protect them from light and high temperatures when using and consuming these oils.
It is also important to access healthy protein sources. Eggs, village chicken, red meat from small cattle and marine fish should be preferred. Since we live in a very locally suitable city, I think it is easy to access healthy protein sources.
We should include all kinds of vegetables and herbs on our table. There should be at least four colors on every table. For example, arugula, carrots, purple cabbage, red pepper. However, it is important to consume vegetables according to their season. The same goes for fruits. Especially the darker the color of the fruit, the more benefits it provides to the body. However, fruits contain a very high concentration of a sugar called fructose. For this reason, fruits should be limited, especially for people who want to lose weight, and should not exceed 2 portions. Fruit consumption should be in the morning, not at night.
Dried nuts are foods with high nutritional value, but they should be consumed especially with their shells, broken when eaten, and roasted ones should not be preferred. Dried fruits should be eaten if we are sure that their storage conditions are good, because the harmful substances produced in dried fruits that are not stored under appropriate storage conditions are extremely harmful.
Spices, on the other hand, should be obtained from good sources and consumed in abundance. In particular, spices such as turmeric, black pepper, hot chili peppers, sumac and cloves are extremely useful. For example, a quarter teaspoon of sumac completes our daily antioxidant needs.
Meal times are also very important. Any kind of eating after 19:00 in the evening prevents the increase of beneficial hormones that rise at night, so our last meal of the day should be at 19:00 at the latest, and even chewing activity should not be done afterwards. Only unsweetened tea and herbal teas can be consumed. Meal breaks should be at least four hours. Frequent eating causes both gastrointestinal complaints and weight gain.
When it comes to exercise, the most important thing is that the person does the exercise he likes. This is essential for continuity. The easiest exercise everyone likes It is the walk he loves. One should be out of breath while walking and cannot sing, and 150 minutes per week should be achieved. These 150 minutes can be divided as many times as desired. In addition to walking, sports such as pilates, yoga, swimming and dancing are sports that have extremely beneficial effects.
It is certain that weight can be lost if healthy nutrition and exercise rules are followed. However, the last thing I would like to add for a healthy life is to breathe correctly. Many people breathe shallowly during the day. As a result, lung capacity decreases, and cell renewal and waste clearance become difficult as tissues are not sufficiently oxygenated. Therefore, taking deep breaths for at least five minutes a day and trying to calm down by focusing only on the breath is a very simple but very important behavior to protect health.
May the new year bring goodness, peace and health to everyone. I am happy if I could be a small light to those who want to turn a new page in their lives with these little suggestions I mentioned.
Hope you stay in good health.
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