10 Tips to Feel Healthier and Look Better After a Month

All sounds great. Unfortunately, they are often empty promises that you cannot use. But that doesn't mean it's impossible to feel and look better in a short amount of time.

 

In the past decades, scientists have done an incredible amount of research into how our bodies work. If you adjust a few small things in your life, it will have an effect.

 

We don't promise anything extreme. If you follow the tips below, you really won't have a six pack a month later. You may also have to try a little harder to lose five kilos.

 

But now that summer is approaching, the 12 tips below might help you. Each tip has a measurable effect in a month, and you will benefit from it much more in the longer term.

 

Move! It is the simplest and most effective thing you can do. An intensive one-minute workout can improve your fitness considerably if you only repeat it regularly.

Exercise changes your body quickly and can reduce the risk of death. "After two to four weeks, your nervous system is already better at contracting your muscles," said Robert Newton, director of the Exercise Medicine Research Institute at Edith Cowan University.

 

Regular exercise makes your heart, muscles and mind healthier, and it doesn't really matter what kind of sport you do. Recent research from McMaster University found that a set of three 20-second, vigorous body movements can improve a person's fitness by 20 percent in three months. But after a month you are also well on your way.

 

Researcher Martin Gibala calls this approach the “1-minute workout,” but it amounts to 10 minutes of exercise, three times a week. The routine consists of a two-minute warm-up period, three intense 20-second sprint workouts, and then a three-minute cool-down period. "This is how athletes train to stay fit," says Gibala.

 

Eat less salt and fewer ready-to-eat meals

6 grams. That is the recommended maximum of the amount of salt you can eat per day. Yet the Dutch are often far above that. In 2015, a survey was conducted among nearly 300 adults. Half of the men studied had a daily salt intake of 9.7 grams or more. This was 7.4 grams or more in half of the women.

 

If you consume too much salt for a longer period of time, it is bad for your health. You run an increased risk of high blood pressure, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, stomach cancer and osteoporosis.

 

Therefore, ignore the salty snacks for a month and try to eat more fruit and vegetables. If you lack salt as a flavor enhancer, you can also add lemon juice or spices to your meal. In any case, it is wise not to buy ready-made meals, because they are known for their high salt content.

 

Eat more fiber

Fiber-rich foods keep your energy levels more stable than sugar or a lot of carbohydrates. Fiber makes you feel full and contributes to a good bowel movement.

 

If you want to eat a lot of fiber, it is best to choose grains, vegetables, fruits and nuts.

 

Sleep seven to eight hours a night

 

Not getting enough sleep makes you more susceptible to viruses, more likely to be involved in an accident and unnecessarily straining your heart. Sleep deprivation is also increasingly associated with cancer. The World Health Organization warns that working night shifts increases your risk of cancer.

A week without enough sleep - in which you sleep four hours every night, for example - can already cause your blood sugar to rise so much that alarm bells for diabetes start ringing for doctors. That's because your tired body cells become less sensitive to insulin, says sleep expert Matthew Walker, author of the book “Why We Sleep”.

In his book he writes: "If you sleep too short, you gain weight." He recently revealed his own good night's sleep formula to Business Insider. He ensures that he is in bed for 8 hours and calls that time “sleeping opportunity”. It doesn't mean he's in dreamland for the full 8 hours, but at least he's giving himself the chance.

An adult's body is more than 60 percent water, so it's no surprise that getting enough fluids is important. If you drink enough, you will get rid of your waste products more easily, you will feel more energetic, you can sweat and your body can pump blood more easily.

 

But it can also aid in weight loss.

A 2016 study of more than 18,000 people in the US found that those who drank more water ate fewer calories every day. They also took in less sugar and ate less salt, fat and cholesterol than the people who drank less water.

Another, smaller study from 2015 found that people who drink a large glass of water half an hour before a meal can lose more than 5 pounds in three months.

Drinking (a little) coffee can also have a positive effect on your health: it can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of all kinds of cancers. The idea that coffee would dry you out has been debunked.

For healthy skin, you have to be careful about using certain types of sunscreen and lotion

The best way to take good care of your skin is to protect yourself from the sun. Dermatologists recommend applying a day cream with a UV filter every day, so that your skin stays young and you are less likely to develop skin cancer.

If you really plan on getting out in the sun, SPF 30 is sufficient for most people. But don't forget to reapply every 2 hours.

Are you concerned about dry skin? Then David Leffell, chief of dermatological surgery at Yale School of Medicine, recommends a moisturizer with lactic acid as the main ingredient. But beware of wipes and makeup removers with alcohol or isopropyl alcohol as the main ingredient. These ensure that your skin dries out further. 

It may take a few weeks before you notice the effect of these measures because your cells are slow to renew.

 

Drink enough water to stay hydrated (and maybe even some coffee if that's your thing)

 

An adult's body is more than 60 percent water, so it's no surprise that getting enough fluids is important. If you drink enough, you will get rid of your waste products more easily, you will feel more energetic, you can sweat and your body can pump blood more easily.

 But it can also aid in weight loss.

A 2016 study of more than 18,000 people in the US found that those who drank more water ate fewer calories every day. They also took in less sugar and ate less salt, fat and cholesterol than the people who drank less water.

Another, smaller study from 2015 found that people who drink a large glass of water half an hour before a meal can lose more than 5 pounds in three months.

Drinking (a little) coffee can also have a positive effect on your health: it can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of all kinds of cancers. The idea that coffee would dry you out has been debunked.

  

For healthy skin, you have to be careful about using certain types of sunscreen and lotion

The best way to take good care of your skin is to protect yourself from the sun. Dermatologists recommend applying a day cream with a UV filter every day, so that your skin stays young and you are less likely to develop skin cancer.

If you really plan on getting out in the sun, SPF 30 is sufficient for most people. But don't forget to reapply every 2 hours.

Are you concerned about dry skin? Then David Leffell, chief of dermatological surgery at Yale School of Medicine, recommends a moisturizer with lactic acid as the main ingredient. But beware of wipes and makeup removers with alcohol or isopropyl alcohol as the main ingredient. These ensure that your skin dries out further.

It may take a few weeks before you notice the effect of these measures because your cells are slow to renew.

Some people also believe that eating certain foods is good for your skin, but this has not been scientifically proven.

 

But your health isn't just about your physical body - your mood is important too. Research shows that exercising for 50 minutes twice is enough to "significantly" improve your mood 

If you want to relax for a while and forget about everything, exercising is a good option: it produces the happiness hormone endorphins and makes you feel better and happier in the long term.

In a small study, 39 women participated in 50-minute sports sessions twice a week for three months. The researchers saw that the women felt “significantly” better when the study ended: the women were more optimistic, had less anxiety and were more confident. 

On the other hand, adults become more grumpy when they don't exercise enough, this study of 7,000 people followed for 20 years showed. Sitting on the couch makes you less cheerful, less enthusiastic and more negative.