Our health is our number one asset, without it we’d be nothing, and we definitely won’t be able to enjoy life. Keeping healthy is often thought to be difficult to achieve, and not for lack of trying either: many assume that to be healthy you have to avoid delicious food and exercise constantly. While there’s some truth to these statements, they’re misleading and doesn’t apply to everyone. Each person’s body reacts differently to the same stimulus, it’s all in the matter of finding out what works for you. There are many ways to keep healthy, and some might sound usual- but don’t judge them till you’ve heard the science behind them. Here’s an interesting few to look at.
Drink Red Wine
Drinking wine or any other form of alcoholic beverages are commonly associated with everything but health. You’d be surprised by the number of health benefits moderate consumption of alcohol consumption brings, especially red wine. According to recent studies, one or two glasses of red wine a day is connected to lower chances of getting coronary heart disease, which is a major cause of death in developed countries. The science is still being studied, but scientists lean on concluding that red wine having effects that protect the cardiovascular system.
Another positive effect of red wine is that it boosts the gut flora found in our digestive system. This means that we metabolize nutrients from food better, and it also aids with the digestive process. There are also reports that it aids with decreasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, and even vision loss. Due to these benefits, red wine is commonly associated with an increased lifespan. It’s a staple in Mediterranean cuisine and diet, something that’s long been connected to a long and healthy life.
Get Your Wisdom Tooth Checked…or Removed
You’ve heard about how painful they are, but you’ve never really experienced it. While that’s great, it doesn’t mean that you should be complacent and just let it be. Even if you don’t feel any pain (for now), they might be trapped underneath your gums (also called ‘impacted’ wisdom teeth). This can potentially result in infections, that damage neighboring teeth, and the gums. Your wisdom teeth may also protrude in a strange manner, pushing against the other teeth, causing pain and deformation.
Getting your wisdom tooth removed, especially if it’s not fully emerged is a common process. While many only opt for this when the pain is out of hand, many dentists rule that it’s better to remove wisdom teeth earlier, before it’s completely developed and the roots have not set yet. This results in a faster recuperation after surgery and is a great preventive measure against potential ailments.
Use a Standing Desk Instead
We always hear that “sitting is the new smoking”, that sitting for extended periods leads to negative health effects, and all of that but what can we do? If you work in an office, you’re practically hunched over or slouched back on a chair for eight hours. Luckily, there IS something you can do about it, and while it might seem strange the benefits can’t be denied: try a standing desk.
A standing desk is really just that: a desk that allows you to work standing up. While that may sound strange, the benefits it brings are serious. Standing up lowers the risk of heart disease and weight gain, and lowers your blood sugar levels. It also burns more calories: 100 to 200 calories are burned in an hour of standing up, compare that to sitting down which only burns 60 to 30 calories. Don’t forget back pain, in a 2011 research, researchers discovered that standing up for at least 70 minutes during an 8-hour workday reduces upper back and neck pain for up to 54%. That’s something worth considering, especially since virtually everyone is dealing with some sort of back pain.
Laugh More
Believe it or not, laughter counts as healthcare. Yes! With the litany of advantages laughter brings, it might as well count as vitamins. While it’s not a cure-all for diseases, it does however help with your health. A good laugh helps you stimulate your organs: you breathe more oxygen when laughing, and this oxygen goes to the lungs, the heart, the muscles, and it even releases a chemical called endorphins that relax the brain. And these are immediate, short-term benefits too.
Some studies show laughter helps with significantly reducing the systolic blood pressure of participants in a laughing control group versus the non-laughing control group. Their stress hormones (cortisol) are also reduced. These are undeniable health benefits, and even without the physical health benefits, laughter is a natural anti-depressant. And that’s something everyone needs right now.
