Most of us know that exercising regularly
and leading a relatively stress free life go a long way in ensuring a healthy life. Read on for more tips that go a long way not just in ensuring a healthy
life, but also in preventing the onset of debilitating diseases such as
cancer.
1] Get adequate sleep. Your body
requires at least eight and a half hours of slumber, but most people only
sleep for around six to seven hours on an average. While you may not realize
it immediately, you are indeed harming to your body - and this will show
up in more ways than just dark circles and puffiness around the eyes. If
you must cut down on your sleep a particular night, try and catch forty
winks the next afternoon, or make it a point to sleep early if you know
you have to wake up early the next day. Your body remembers every single
time you deprived it of sleep, so give it a break before it rebels and
stops working altogether. According to studies, sleep deprivation can have
an effect on everything - from the development of your muscles, to brain
functions. Avoid drinking alcohol 2 hours before sleeping, because
although it makes you sleepy, the quality of sleep you get is not as good
as when you go to bed sober. Exercise also helps you sleep better, but
avoid exercising four hours before going to bed. Walking after dinner is
a good idea, but strenuous exercise should be avoided, as it pumps up a
bit too much adrenaline to put you off to sleep just when your body needs
it the most.
2] Don't wait to feel thirsty before
drinking water. When you do this, your body is already hurting from the
lack of water, which is why it cries out in thirst. All bodily functions
are carried out with the help of water. Thus, the body needs water to function
properly, and depriving your body of the amount of water it needs can negatively
affect your health in more ways than you can imagine. Though every woman
should drink at least eight to ten glasses of water a day, few actually
do this. Drinking large quantities of water is not easy, and somehow, no
matter how often we say that we will drink more water, we don't manage
to do so. Some easy tips to increase the
amount of water you drink are:
Switch to a larger glass.
Keep a bottle of water with you, and
keep sipping from it. Needless to say, make sure you refill it when it's
empty.
Every time you drink a cup of coffee
or a coke, make it a rule to drink a glass of water. This will not only
reduce the amount of caffeinated beverages you consume, it will also counter
their diuretic effect.
Add a touch of flavour to your water.
While pure water is the best, flavoured water is a good alternative.
3] Eat more vegetables, and stay
away from pasta, other forms of maida, burgers and pizzas. If you don't
think you are getting enough vegetables, add them wherever possible. Add
tomatoes, onion and mushrooms to your omelets, add some more vegetables
to your toast, try out new vegetables that you have never tasted before.
Instead of making plain rice, add vegetables like peas or cauliflower.
Once you've discovered the tremendous variety of vegetables available,
never again will you wonder what vegetarians eat!
