By Selma Roth
Saudi Gazette
Admittedly, there is no shortcut to good health. Some people are blessed with a strong and healthy body and mind; others need a hefty amount of discipline and perseverance. But whatever condition is, there are simple ways to make yourself healthier just by making the right choices day after day. Which ones do you choose?
Online shopping vs. going to the store
The Internet has made our life so much easier. Do you remember what life looked like without email, search engine, or social media? Online shopping, whether it is for groceries or a new wardrobe, is just another convenience this medium has brought us. But how does the choice to do your groceries from the couch impact your health? A UK top doctor recently urged people to walk to the supermarket and carry their bags home instead of shopping online. Professor Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, said simple changes to our routine could help boost basic fitness, and carrying your own groceries burns calories and builds muscle. So if you have no time for a gym routine, reconsider at least your shopping habits.
Coffee or black tea vs. green tea
The detrimental effects of sugary sodas have been well established, so if you want to improve your health you should not even consider drinking those. However, both coffee and black tea as well as green tea have been associated with numerous health benefits, including reduced risk of dementia, improved heart health, and protection against type 2 diabetes. Most doctors, therefore, endorse the consumption of any of these, albeit in moderation and without sugar. Not Dr. Michael Greger, founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and writer of the book How Not to Die: “I don’t recommend drinking coffee not because it’s unhealthy but because of the opportunity cost. Every cup of coffee is a missed opportunity to drink something even healthier (like green tea).” In other words, if you can’t live without your morning cuppa go ahead, but if you want to improve your health remind yourself of how much better green tea is for you compared to coffee and black tea every time you get yourself a hot drink.
Ordering a meal ahead
vs. choosing something on the spot
Is it better to order a meal hours before your lunch break or go to the office canteen and decide what to have there and then? The New York Times recently reported on a series of experiments at Carnegie Mellon University that suggested that people chose lower-calorie meals when there was a significant delay between the time they ordered their food and the time they planned on eating it. The more hours people planned ahead, the fewer calories they ordered, and the fact that they were less hungry at the time of placing the order accounted for only a small part of the difference, according to the researchers. Eric M. VanEpps, who led the research, thinks that people are better at weighing the short-term and the long-term costs and benefits – such as taste and health – when they order a meal in advance. “If a decision is going to be implemented immediately, we just care about the immediate consequences, and we discount the long-term costs and benefits,” he said. This study adds to the existing evidence that timing matters when it concerns healthful eating and is something to consider incorporating into your life. Even if you cannot order your lunch hours ahead, you could decide in the morning what you will have for lunch and stick to that.
Sitting down for lunch
vs. taking a walk during your break
According to a 2007 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, sitting down for a meal can help you consume less food and make healthier food choices. The reason? You are more likely to eat slowly and pay attention to what you are eating when you sit down, which will increase your feelings of satiety. That said, a sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to our health, and taking regular walks could partially undo the damage caused by our sedentary jobs. So what is one supposed to do? In this equation, doing both is probably better for your health than picking just one. And why shouldn’t you? If 30 minutes is all you have at noon, you could still go out for a brisk 10-minute walk and then sit down for lunch. If, on the other hand, you have a full hour off at lunchtime, you could consider hitting the gym for a quick workout and have your meal afterwards. An increasing number of gyms offer noontime classes. After just 15 to 30 minutes of high intensity workouts, there is still plenty of time to sit down for a meal, especially if you bring your own lunch. It takes some planning, but your waistline will thank you for it.
