Healthy lifestyle rules that it's time to stop following and here's why

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Do you try not to eat after six in the evening, actively use SPF products even in cloudy weather, and accurately calculate the calorie content and amount of food eaten at dinner? It seems that you are doing everything possible to maintain your health and beauty, but you should not rush to such an unambiguous conclusion. Some popular healthy lifestyle rules may not only not bring significant benefits, but also harm the body. How and why this happens – we understand our material.

Do not eat after 6:00 PM

Oddly enough, you should eat not by time, but by appetite. If after 6:00 PM you don't want to eat, and maybe you go to bed early, then this is one situation, but if you constantly struggle with hunger and think only about food, then such behavior will only bring harm and zero benefit.

You can and should eat after 6:00 PM. The only question is what exactly. Regardless of the time of day, you should follow the principles of proper nutrition when eating, which must include protein (meat), fiber (fresh vegetables), carbohydrates (cereals, whole grain bread) that are slowly digested, and fats (first of all, the “right” fats, which are mainly represented by omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids).

It would not be a mistake to eat a good steak (red meat) with fresh vegetables after 6:00 PM. This will not bring the body many calories (most of them are spent on digesting meat and vegetable fiber), but it will provide you with a good mood and necessary nutrients. Meat contains essential amino acids that we cannot get from any other food. At the same time, amino acids are the building blocks for protein hormones. Melatonin (the sleep hormone) and growth hormone are synthesized at night. Scientists attribute their insufficient production to a key role in triggering aging mechanisms. That is why it is important to create the “right conditions” for their synthesis.

So, the conclusion: eating meat after 6:00 PM, we get a minimum of calories and a sufficient amount of building material for hormones produced during sleep, and also get rid of the feeling of hunger, which can lead to stress and loss of full sleep.

If you are not a fan of meat, replace it with fish, seafood.

Returning to the phrase “you need to eat not by time, but when you feel hungry”, it is important to clarify that normally the feeling of hunger in a healthy person after a full meal disappears for 4-6 hours. If you feel hungry constantly, regardless of what and how much you have eaten, this is a reason to see a doctor.

Eat often in small portions

And this is the right way to gain weight. With each meal, the hormone insulin is released into the blood, the main function of which is to help cells absorb glucose (sugar) that comes with food. But insulin has another feature – an increase in its level in the blood causes and maintains a feeling of hunger.

As a result, we eat food, provoking the release of insulin, but since we eat little, excess insulin supports a constant feeling of hunger, forcing us to “snack” more and more often. 6-8 snacks per day of 200-300 kcal each – and we get the number of calories that we are not able to spend during the day. The result is weight gain.

Periodically “go on a diet”

There are so many diets today – fruit, kefir, keto, diet named after a famous person. Any diet is bad if the word “diet” means significant dietary restrictions. As mentioned above, nutrition should be balanced and complete all the time. The human body needs the same amount of protein (building material for muscles, cells, hormones), carbohydrates (slowly digestible, are a source of glycogen, necessary for the work of all muscles of the body), fiber (thanks to which the intestines will work properly) and fats (ensure the stability of cell) membranes, are a building material for many important hormones and vitamins).

A diet is a deprivation of the body of certain useful nutrients, which is why “losing weight” on a diet is accompanied by the loss of not only fat mass, but also muscle. After all, it is the quantity and quality of muscles that determine our health and quality of life.

In addition, after experiencing a period of strict dietary restrictions, our body seeks to compensate for what has been lost as quickly as possible, which is why often after the end of the diet, a person gains extra pounds again.

Use sunscreen (“They prevent skin aging”)

Age-related changes in the skin, like those of the entire body, are a complex process that depends on genetics (what is laid down in us long before birth, our heredity) and the influence of environmental factors.

Stress, dry air, irregular or improper care, unhealthy habits, poor nutrition, age-related hormonal changes – all this affects the condition of the skin. It is believed that the skin needs to be protected from the sun, the effects of which accelerate aging. And this is a big mistake.

The fact is that our skin is the main source of vitamin D synthesis in the body, and this vitamin is synthesized under the influence of sunlight on the skin. By applying sunscreen, we “protect” ourselves, first of all, from the synthesis of vitamin D. It is known that vitamin D deficiency is the cause of many diseases (rickets, osteoporosis, reproductive disorders, depression, which causes the development of obesity, diabetes, immunodeficiency states and even oncology).

Speaking directly about the skin, vitamin D synthesis also occurs in the skin, and this process is very important for the condition of the skin. Maintaining a normal level of vitamin D in the skin optimizes metabolic processes, increases the skin's resistance to external influences, and maintains optimal skin moisture (read also: “Vitamin D and skin aging”).

With age, the skin gradually loses its ability to synthesize vitamin D. As a result, the skin's natural barrier function deteriorates, it becomes drier, “flabby”, and less resistant to external influences. We supplement this situation by applying “Sunscreen” and we get accelerated skin aging.

It is much more useful to saturate the skin with provitamin D, which is a source of vitamin D synthesis in the skin. There are even creams with provitamin D. Using external products with provitamin D gives a unique opportunity to create a depot of provitamin D in the skin regardless of the season and day. Once in the sun, the skin will be ready for active synthesis of vitamin D.

Running in the morning

Surprised? Undoubtedly, physical activity is necessary for everyone. But when choosing a type of physical activity, individual characteristics must be taken into account. Morning jogging is one of the most common ways to combat hypodynamia, but not all “morning runners” will benefit from this type of activity.

First, it is important where the run takes place. It is important to choose a place with good ecology, and you also need to be sure of your good health. You can’t run (and do sports in general) if there are any “problems” in the body, scientifically speaking – deficiencies: iron deficiency (suffered by 70% of women and 40% of men), vitamin D deficiency (suffered by 80% of the population of countries with chronic in winters), deficiency of thyroid hormones; deficiency of sex hormones (menopause in women)

All of the above deficiencies lead to sarcoponia – loss of the quantity and quality of muscle mass, which, in turn, makes playing sports not only a difficult test, but also a danger for health.

In addition, there is a category of people for whom morning sports are contraindicated, and it is better to postpone physical activity to the evening. In other words, physical activity is very important and necessary, but it is better to choose the time and method together with a competent specialist.

Take multivitamins

Yes, we live in difficult times, when poor ecology combined with the stresses of megacities and the deterioration of the quality of food products leads to a lack of vitamins and trace elements. But these are all common words, and they cannot be a reason to take “some vitamins.” Oddly enough, most of the vitamins listed in multivitamin complexes are obtained from food in sufficient quantities, and those vitamins that may actually be lacking (A, E, C, D, B12, iron, etc.) are contained in such “complexes” in too small quantities, insufficient to replenish the deficiency.

In fact, every deficiency, including vitamin deficiencies, has symptoms and methods of detection (tests). If you think you need vitamins, take the time to see a doctor, get examined, and take what you need.