Healthy lifestyle is a trend of our time. Although its basic principles are variety and moderation in diet and exercise, the topic of physical well-being is surrounded by many prejudices.
A Glass of Red Wine Is Good for Your Health
This misconception is called the French paradox, and it arose in the 1990s after reports that French residents were much less likely to suffer from heart disease, despite the abundance of fatty foods in the national cuisine. Some scientists at the time suggested that the French were protected from cholesterol by the traditional consumption of red wine. Today, that hypothesis has been disproved. No amount of alcohol is good for the body.
All Dietary Supplements Are Empty
In fact, supplements are necessary if there are gaps in the diet and deficiencies in lifestyle. A person who doesn’t consume oily fish, olive oil, avocados and nuts should get omega acids and vitamin D with supplements. Vitamin D is produced by the body’s ultraviolet rays, so those who don’t walk much are shown it in supplements. Melatonin won’t cure insomnia, but it will help correct jet lag.
Sweeteners Are Evil
Sugar is what everyone loves eating while resting, searching for the best sports betting odds, or watching movies. But it increases weight, provokes cellulite, spoils teeth, skin and triggers the glycation process that kills body cells. Therefore, an analogue has been invented. However, there are studies showing that alternative sweeteners provoke cancer, cause a rise in insulin and have a negative effect on the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract. In fact, the harm of sweeteners on the human body isn’t proven.
You Should Drink 2-3 Liters of Water a Day
If a person is engaged in sports, runs a marathon or walks in the heat, he should have a bottle of water. But if you don’t feel like drinking, you don’t need to. You have to drink when you need to. Otherwise, if you overdo it, the result could be hyponatremia – a lack of salts in the body. And this increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Superfoods Exist
There is a myth about miracle products that somehow know what the human body lacks. Their characteristic feature is their exotic origin. Chia seeds, goji berries, spirulina, quinoa – the mysterious names have incredible magic. In fact, there is no mono-product that can replace all the others.
You Have to Walk 10,000 Steps a Day
Although it has long been known about the spread of the idea of 10,000 steps in an advertising campaign for the Japanese pedometer, many continue to perceive this figure as a kind of standard. Recent studies have shown that the benefits of walking increase only up to 7,500 steps, and after that it ceases to have a noticeable increase affecting health indicators. The number of steps should be selected individually and empirically, based on age and physical capabilities of the body.
The More Exercise, the Better
People who began following the principles of a healthy lifestyle often spend five days a week in the gym, neglecting the recovery period after an active workout, which lasts 72 hours on average. If the goal is to make weight training a mandatory part of your lifestyle, get used to it gradually, starting with two sessions a week.
Health Is a Beautiful Body
Ideal lines and shapes of the human body are often achieved in a way that is not the healthiest – “drying”, which includes a certain diet and physical activity. Professional athletes usually have an attractive body, but it has been proven that there are almost no long-livers among them. And the maximum life expectancy is demonstrated by people whose body mass index is between the upper limit of the norm and overweight.
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