Systematicity. It is a virtue and a method to build habits. But have you wondered what happens when you… About it in the article. Find out what effect doing the recommended healthy habits every day has on your body.
What happens when you meditate every day?
One of the main benefits of daily meditation is the reduction of stress levels. Meditation affects the body in exactly the opposite way to stress. It positively affects concentration abilities, improves mood, increases empathy towards oneself and others and also… it is completely free.
Researchers have become interested in the impact of meditation techniques relatively recently. Research shows that there are many meditation techniques, e.g. breathing meditation, loving-kindness meditation, movement meditation, related to body scanning and analysis of body sensations, mantra meditation (and many others) and each of these techniques has slightly different effects. It is worth remembering that meditation is an important self-help technique, but it will not solve all problems. When choosing your favourite meditation technique, be guided not only by the type but also by your personal preferences.
What happens when you sleep 8 hours every day?
Disturbed sleep can be both a cause and a result of health problems. It turns out that sleep also affects mental health – insufficient sleep can exacerbate the symptoms of many illnesses, as well as increasing stress levels, trouble concentrating (e.g. recalling memories, performing complex tasks), creativity (a tired, sleep-deprived brain will generate fewer ideas), increased levels of irritability and, therefore, anger more easily (every parent of a young child knows what a sleep-deprived toddler means – as adults we react in a more rational way, but the strength of the emotions is similar).
By sleeping around 8 hours every day (the optimum sleep time is 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep), we significantly reduce the risk of many diseases and also take care of our mental well-being. It is worth knowing about good practices that enable quality sleep.
Researchers point to, among others:
1. a routine – i.e. a gradual, consistent calming of the body before going to bed. It is a good idea to always perform the same activities.
2. preparing the bedroom – cooler temperature, ventilated room, blackout curtains and … just sleeping in bed. Only sleeping – it turns out that doing other activities in bed – e.g. working, eating, watching TV affects the quality of our sleep.
3. watching blue screens – end a minimum of one hour before going to bed.
4. Eating before bed – light snacks are advisable, with the last larger meal 2-3 hours before bedtime.
5. Alcohol, caffeine and nicotine – they stimulate our energy, make us feel energised, and are the last thing we need before bed.
6. Physical activity – during the day, before bed and whenever you need it. A tired body sleeps better!
What happens to your body when you do CARDIO training for 30 minutes every day?
Any physical activity induces very numerous and multidirectional changes in the body, affecting most organs and systems. Due to its rather significant complexity, it is worth analysing this issue separately for the 3 basic categories of training, i.e. endurance (cardio), resistance and functional training. They differ in their primary health goal and the degree of involvement of the above-mentioned systems and organs.
In cardio training, the primary goal is to develop a specific fitness characteristic, i.e. endurance, i.e. the ability to perform effort over a long period of time. Performing physical activity for a long period of time is only possible with full availability of oxygen, which is necessary for burning energy substrates, which is why aerobic training is often synonymous with endurance training.
Similarly, the interchangeably used term ‘cardio’ is essentially correct. Cardiac function is central to endurance (aerobic) training. As the intensity of exercise increases, the heart rate increases. This is due to the need to deliver more oxygen with the blood to the exercising muscles. The increase in the number of heartbeats per minute results in an increase in circulating blood volume known as minute volume.
In untrained individuals during endurance training, the increase in heart rate is significant. This is a fact commonly observed by beginner exercisers, sometimes causing considerable but unnecessary anxiety, because after some time of systematic training, the increase in heart rate is already noticeably lower.
What does endurance training give you?
It improves the diastolic function of the heart. This means that systematic endurance training keeps this part of the heart’s function at a sufficiently good level even in the case of diseases such as hypertension or the initial stages of heart failure.
It increases the compliance of the arteries, i.e. the vessels that distribute blood from the heart to the target organs. This is why systematic aerobic training is a widely recognised way of preventing cardiovascular degradation with age and with the progression of diseases such as hypertension or the initial stages of heart failure.
Improves the consumption of glycogen from muscles.
The periodic removal of glycogen from muscles, significantly improves their insulin sensitivity long after training, causing a significant improvement in basal metabolism, crucial for weight reduction.
It increases parasympathetic activity, resulting in a lower resting heart rate, but also a lower increase in heart rate under stress. A progressively slower heart rate, optimally measured immediately after getting up, is the simplest proof of the effectiveness of training, i.e. parasympathetic nervous system activity dominating and our heart becoming increasingly efficient.
A valuable parameter that significantly describes the impact of endurance training on the body is mVO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake by the body), a value calculated by various smartwatches available on the market, but also during specialised tests in medical centres.
The maximum value of mVO2 depends not only on the above-described function of the heart, arteries, metabolic changes, lung function, but also the density of small vessels in the muscles and the efficiency of their metabolism. Therefore, it is the strongest single indicator, influencing life expectancy, the effectiveness of treatment, the incidence of various diseases and much more.
What happens to you if you start drinking 8 glasses of water a day?
If you are dehydrated you will definitely feel an improvement in your well-being if you start drinking water regularly. Here are some of the changes that may await you:
1. weight loss – Drinking liquids other than water – sweetened beverages – increases energy intake and thus weight gain. Such liquids do not make you feel satiated, and are essentially a meal. Substituting sweetened drinks for water is associated with reduced energy intake.
2. fatter wallet – Sweetened drinks are more expensive than water. End of the period.
3. More efficient thermoregulation – Hydration status is crucial to the body’s temperature control process, or thermoregulation. The loss of water from the body through sweat is an important cooling mechanism.
4. More energy to perform – At relatively mild levels of dehydration, we may experience a decrease in performance associated with reduced endurance, greater fatigue, reduced motivation and increased perceived exertion.
5. calmness – Mild dehydration (especially during hot weather) can cause anxiety and is associated with increased cortisol levels, increased sweating and electrolyte imbalances
6. increased performance – Mild dehydration can cause disturbances in mood and cognitive functioning, resulting in impaired concentration, alertness and short-term memory, impaired task performance, reduced arithmetic ability and psychomotor skills.
7. healthier digestive system – People with mild dehydration experience constipation, hydration reverses this process. Water is involved in the digestive process throughout the digestive system.
8 Healthy cardiovascular system – Dehydration results in lower blood volume, which means more work for the heart. Drinking too little water increases the likelihood of serious heart disease. Staying well hydrated can prevent or at least slow the changes in the heart that lead to heart failure. One measure of hydration status is the amount of serum sodium. Sodium concentration rises when we are dehydrated, and its increase contributes to heart failure.
9. better mood – Water deficiency and dehydration can lead to the development of headaches. In addition to impaired concentration and increased irritability, a lack of water can trigger migraines and prolong migraines. In people with headaches caused by water deficiency, water intake brought headache relief to most people within 30 minutes to three hours.
10. beautiful looking skin – Water intake, especially in people with low initial water intake, can improve skin thickness, density and hydration, even out transepidermal water loss. However, this is not enough to prevent wrinkles or other signs of aging that are linked to genetics, sun and environmental damage. Studies show improved deep skin hydration and increased surface hydration after an additional intake of 2 liters of water per day for 30 days or an additional intake of 1 liter per day for 42 days.
11 Health – There is strong evidence indicating that good hydration reduces the risk of urolithiasis. Weaker evidence links good hydration with reduced incidence of constipation, exercise-induced asthma, hypertonic dehydration in infants and hyperglycemia in diabetic ketoacidosis. Good hydration is associated with reductions in urinary tract infections, hypertension, fatal ischemic heart disease, venous thromboembolism and cerebral infarction.