Improving Health

I've perhaps discussed these multiple times with many people, but never thought of writing about it. Here it goes, finally. These are the list of top 5 items I've personally found to be useful in improving my health. YMMV. Also see https://todaypurpose.com/posts/time-money-health/

1. Food

It all started with Hungry for Change (2012). To summarize, we should have a meal containing only raw foods. Choose items usually served raw in salads such as carrots, beetroot, cucumber, watermelon, pomegranate, etc. Also include other non-toxic items such as raw bitter guard, bottle guard, mint, etc. Note that some raw foods are toxic (usually in large quantities), such as lima beans, potatoes, seeds of apple, etc. So exercise caution when choosing the items.

If it's not possible for you to eat such large quantities of raw foods in one go, then just blend it and drink along with the pulp. It's not necessary to have this as a meal everyday, but at least try to consume a few times every week.

Apart from that, put an end to all packaged or processed foods, i.e., most of the items that are sold in bottles, packets, boxes, etc. such as soft drinks, wafers, chips, instant noodles, biscuits, cookies, cakes, puffs, bakery items, chocolates, ice creams, etc. Especially avoid foods that contain trans-fat!

With these minor dietary changes, there would be significant improvements in health.

2. Exercise

Next most important change is to exercise regularly. That doesn't mean to exercise daily with great intensity! Just a minimum of a couple of hours' exercise per week is sufficient. That too not intense. Just walking fast to sweat a little and make your heart beat faster than usual is enough.

However, do not exercise daily in exactly the same way! The body will get used to the routine and you'll see diminishing returns. So, always keep surprising your body for best results. For example, take a break for a day in a week instead of repeating the same routine exercises everyday. Also try different exercises. Perhaps create a weekly schedule with varied exercises on different days of the week if you wish to exercise daily. However, elaborate plans and measures are not needed if you're only aiming for good health and not to become a body-builder.

3. Sleep

Make sure that there are minimal or no disturbances while sleeping. Also, wake up without an alarm so that your body is adequately rested. Waking up with an alarm for one or two days in a week is perhaps fine, but not everyday! See https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/24/health/sleep-debt-health.html

4. Sunlight

On an average, try to expose yourself to at least 15 minutes of sunlight everyday, even if it's the early morning or evening sun. It's fine if the sun exposure is on limited parts of the body, such as only the arms, neck and face. However, if the exposure is in harsh sun such as a hot summer afternoon, then go prepared with sunscreen. Note that sunlight exposure inside a vehicle (e.g., car), or inside your house, from glass windows is harmful and ineffective because the useful rays from sunlight are mostly reflected by glass although it appears transparent.

If daily exposure to sun is not possible, then perhaps aim for a couple of hours per week. For example, going for a long brisk walk every week on a Sunday morning could accomplish the weekly exercise and sunlight goals.

5. Weather

The ambient temperature affects our health in several ways. For example, we sleep longer and lighter during winters, but shorter and deeper during summers. Our immunity goes down when the temperatures are low, which is why there's a higher chance of getting infected with seasonal flu during winter. There are other factors and different ways the weather affects our health.

We cannot always control or change the weather (e.g., temperature), although sometimes we could use fans, air conditioners, or humidifiers, etc. One of the effective ways to make our bodies adapt to the weather is to take the usual daily shower, i.e., bath, with cold tap water directly without heating. That is, especially during winter, do not heat the water unless it's freezing cold. If you're able to wash your face, hands and feet without feeling much discomfort, then you should easily be able to take bath with the water without heating it up. Just imagine going to swimming pool. The tolerance built by the body helps in many other ways too.

If possible, live in a city where the average temperatures are always in the comfortable range, i.e., below body temperature during summer and not freezing cold during winter. In India, Bengaluru is perhaps one such metropolitan city where the weather is great, with Hyderabad not too far behind.

Note: I'm sure you'll find evidence for pretty much everything I've mentioned in this blog post. I've accumulated several of these insights based on many HN articles (YCombinator HackerNews). Some of them are based on my interpretation and extrapolated common sense from the vast amount of advice found on the internet! Don't assume or completely agree with what I said. When in doubt, do your own research and question the obvious! That's how we gain wisdom. Wishing you all the best.