20 Tips, 30 Seconds to Action, For 40 Somethings To Use. Daily
The 20 quickest, simplest, health tips that work
Quick and effective health hacks that really work.
THE BRIEF
Time to read: 4 minutes 10 seconds
Time to action: 30 seconds, of course
Mantra: Can you dedicate 1 minute a day to self-care?
Main message: Time to focus on the self(ish) for just a little bit of everyday day
Stat: 6/10 people surveyed said they felt ‘too tired’ to take care of themselves
Can you give us 30 seconds?
How about a minute?
One minute, this week, to take care of yourself.
There are 525,600 minutes in a year. How many would you be prepared to commit to feeling good? If you decide how much time you want to give, we’ll give you the technique that fits – the timeframe - 30 seconds a week to 30 minutes a day. Record your time week-by-week and see if you want to do more or less next week. Do it. Find the time to take care of yourself.
30 SECONDS TO ACTION: DAILY TIPS 1-3
AT BREAKFAST… Absorb more vitamins, consume less fat, wake up faster
1. Drink the milk left in your cereal bowl. Up to 40 per cent of the vitamins in breakfast cereal quickly dissolve into the milk
2. Take a whiff of lemon, coffee and peppermint. These three were found to be the best scents to help prevent the inactivity of a long commute from taking its toll on your sleeping patterns.
3. A coffee has 10 calories and no fat. A latte has 210 calories and 11g of fat. Go black and you save 73,000 calories (21lb) a year.
30 SECONDS TO ACTION: DAILY TIPS 4-7
WHEN USING YOUR DAY… increase antioxidant intake, decrease stress, reduce resting heart rates
4. Swap tea for microwaved tea. Microwaving tea helps release more polyphenol antioxidants linked to a lowered cardiovascular risk.
5. TRY… The linoleic acid found in omega 6 could be powerful at extending your life expectancy. A new study found that the linoleic acid in omega 6’s can help keep cardiovascular disease risk at bay by some distance. In a 22-year study people with the highest levels of linoleic acid had a 43% lower risk of premature death. Foods with the highest levels include flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnut oil and sesame oil.
6. AT LUNCH TIME… The smell of mown grass is a natural stress-busting relaxant. The chemicals released into the air lift your mood, and can even improve your memory. Plot any route you have to take to walk past a park - or even a posh house and gardens to take in as much 'green space' as possible.
7. SUPPLEMENT WITH… 1g of fish oil a day to reduce your resting heart by an average of 6 BPM in just 2 weeks.
30 SECONDS TO ACTION: DAILY TIPS 8-10
AT THE SUPERMARKET… Fight disease, beat high blood pressure, reduce heart attack risk
8. Wherever possible choose organic over regular tomato juice. It might sound a bit 'duh' but in this instance, the uptake is a staggering 23% more disease-fighting polyphenol. It might just be worth the extra outlay if you can
9. If you've been warned about your high blood pressure, eat celery. Celery’s natural salty taste will help stop your sodium cravings.
10. Avoid foods that say “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” on the label. You can cut your heart-attack risk in half by cutting 4g of trans fats each day
30 SECONDS TO ACTION: DAILY TIPS 11-13
WHEN SNACKING…Reduce fat storage, fight serious illness, promote muscle mass
11. For that essential 11am ‘pre-lunch’, eat raspberries to help your waist management. Raspberries' ketones help reduce fat stores as we age. Frozen raspberries work just as well and are more affordable in this COL crisis.
Think of them as sophisticated Maltesers and add them as the 'in-between' meals of choice.
12. As a post-lunch ‘booster’, eat peanuts to help maintain muscle mass. According to the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, this helps more as you age. Being 40+ means pub snacks are officially back on the menu.
13. According to a paper in JAMA Oncology, eating a diet high in yoghurt and fibre means a potential cancer risk reduction by as much as 33%. The surprising immunity boost may be down to the probiotic properties and microorganisms that can change gut microbiota for even more good.
30 SECONDS TO ACTION: DAILY TIPS 14-18
WHEN YOU WORKOUT…increase energy, count for performance, relax to perform
14. One gram of carbohydrate to each half a gram of protein an hour before a workout. This combo will add energy to your workout and your routine, so fatigue won’t be on the agenda.
15. This is (arguably) the best thing you can do for your body. Did you know, 75% of your body weight is lifted in the humble press-up? Try it. Try it for just 30 seconds then try again tomorrow and maybe, the day after? Simple as that, we bet your number increases in just one week. How much better will you feel? We'd say about...75%?
16. When counting repetitions, start at the target number and work backwards. You'll focus on how many you have left, not how many you've done which means you're more likely to get there.
17. As a self-test, being able to sit cross-legged and stand from the floor without using your arms is a key predictor of longevity. Test yourself once a month to make sure your body is always on track.
18. If you're exercising but not hitting your pres or sets, do not give up. Take a 15-second rest then try again. This will help you work significantly more of your muscles than if you try to stop each time your muscles fail. Try it for one week and we promise you, you'll feel the difference.
30 SECONDS TO ACTION: DAILY TIPS 19-20
AT THE END OF THE DAY…. Find a bit more calm, sleep that much better
19. Struggle to get a good night's sleep? Kiwis can help you conk out 35 per cent faster due to their serotonin content, a brain chemical that regulates your sleep.
20. Stretch before bed, especially your tighter muscles, and hold each stretch for 30 seconds to increase your flexibility. Remember to breathe deeply to bring home the zen-like happiness.
HOROLOGY FOX
Fox is a woman of her time. A busy work-life balance of a city job and a wellness practice, Fox has developed thousands of techniques for getting more from less and getting a bit of everything into everyday life. Key to the idea behind FORM, Fox is a firm believer in taking even the smallest amount of time to do what you need to keep yourself going.
