Table of Contents
Smoke free for health
Quitting smoking has been in the top ten of good resolutions for years. Studies show that so-called nicotine replacement therapies in particular make it easier to persevere. And it’s worth it: no other lifestyle change has such a rapid and lasting effect. That’s why she’s starting here. Smoke your last cigarette – and look forward to what happens next.
After 20 minutes
heartbeat and blood pressure are relaxed again like non-smokers. A few hours later, the poisonous gas carbon monoxide, which is produced by smoking, has evaporated in the blood and made way for healthy oxygen.
After a day
The risk of suffering a heart attack is already decreasing slightly.
After two days
the nerve endings begin to regenerate. Smell and taste are slowly returning.
After nine months
, fits of coughing and shortness of breath improve. The pulmonary hairs are again successful in removing mucus, cleaning the lungs and thus reducing the risk of infection.
After a year
, your risk of heart attack is half what it was before you stopped smoking.
After five years
you have halved your risk of mouth, throat and bladder cancer. After this period, cervical cancer and stroke are just as likely to occur as in non-smokers.
After ten years and more
The risk of dying from lung cancer is half that of smokers. The probability that your coronary arteries will become ill is also as low as if you had never smoked.
eat healthier
This works best with the ten rules of the German Society for Nutrition in Bonn . “It’s about reducing meat consumption and increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruit and fish,” summarizes Prof. Christoph Bamberger. The goal: a mix ofTolfioow substances that slows down the aging process and can protect you from various diseases .
After a minute
Chewing each bite well stimulates the production of the salivary enzyme amylase. It already breaks down carbohydrates in the mouth, which should come from whole grain products or potatoes as often as possible. This preparatory work relieves the stomach and intestines and avoids a feeling of fullness and flatulence. In addition, the saliva effectively neutralizes acids that form in bacterial plaque. This reduces the risk of tooth decay.
After 31 days
A so-called fatty liver has already receded significantly if you have avoided “liver pests” such as alcohol or animal fats for at least a month.
After six weeks
, the pain subsides, joints swell and mobility returns. This was the experience of rheumatism patients in a study by the University of Umeå (Sweden), who skimped on red meat and high-fat dairy products and preferred a Mediterranean mix of olive oil, vegetables, fruit and fish. The explanation: Animal products contain arachidonic acid, which fuels inflammation. Sea fish provides the antagonist, healthy eicosapentaenoic acid.
After twelve weeks
Anyone who regularly enjoys tomatoes – also as juice, soup, pasta sauce or tomato paste – already after three months their skin is less sensitive to UV rays. Responsible for this is the tomato pigment lycopene, a so-called carotenoid, which intercepts cell-damaging oxygen compounds (“free radicals”). This is what researchers at the American University of Alabama found out. Nevertheless: sunscreen is mandatory; Tomatoes only have a sun protection factor of 2-3.
After a year
Diligent water drinkers – 1.5 to two liters a day is ideal – have now lost up to five kilos of body fat. This works because water without its own calorific value stimulates the metabolism. In a study by the Berlin Charité, the energy expenditure of overweight people increased by up to 100 calories. That doesn’t sound like much, but: extrapolated, water fans consume up to 36,500 more kilocalories within a year.
After 24 months
Two years of conscious nutrition act like a fountain of youth on the blood vessels. The thickness of the arterial walls, a measure of their calcification, decreases by up to five percent during this time. This significantly reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. Incidentally, whether it was a Mediterranean diet, low carb or low fat did not play a major role in the study by Ben Gurion University in Israel: All three healthy food variants slowed down vascular aging in the 140 overweight participants equally.
After six years,
350 grams of extra fruit or vegetables a day – around two apples – are now making themselves felt. Anyone who perseveres this long gains an average of 17 percent less weight due to age. That’s what the German Institute for Nutrition Research in Potsdam-Rehbrücke found out when it evaluated data from a Europe-wide long-term study with over 90,000 participants.
Anyone who has also eaten fatty sea fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel) at least once a week in the past 72 months will also stay young longer in their heads. Age-related degradation processes in the brain are up to 15 percent slower, found the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago in a study with 4000 participants. Responsible for this fresh cell cure are healthy omega-3 fatty acids, important building blocks for the gray matter.
After eight years
You know that (tap) water is considerably better than sweet soft drinks. A study by Harvard University provides another important argument for consistently avoiding coke: Anyone who drinks sugary soda every day gains 4.5 kilograms within eight years. In addition, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases significantly.
After ten years and more,
you can celebrate your tenth anniversary in style! Above all, the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables pay off in several ways: now you have halved your risk of stroke, venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, according to studies from Holland and the USA. The same applies to the risk of diabetes.
Neurologists at Columbia University in New York have also found that fruit fans are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits are particularly effective.
Have you been drinking green tea regularly for ten years? Good! It protects against osteoporosis (bone loss): the fluoride contained in it is incorporated directly into the skeleton. It’s not the daily amount of tea that counts, but patience, according to scientists at Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University.
More sport
You should consume an additional 1500 to 2000 calories per week through exercise. That means: sweating three times for 60 minutes within seven days. “But even three times 30 minutes bring a lot”, adds Prof. Bamberger. “It is important to supplement endurance training with strength exercises. This prevents age-related muscle loss.”
After ten minutes
Shortly after exercising, the brain experiences an oxygen shower. This increases the ability to think. Walking or cycling also improves blood flow to the brain by 20 percent, and intensive jogging by as much as 30 percent.
After 15 minutes
The craving for sweets disappears. Scientists from the University of Exeter in Great Britain found this out when they sent 25 sweet-toothed test subjects on a brisk walk after several days on a chocolate diet. Subjects who were allowed to rest for the same amount of time continued to have sweet cravings.
After 30 minutes
Just half an hour of endurance sport lowers blood pressure. This effect lasts for up to ten hours. After half a year, you can achieve permanently less Atü in the veins – namely up to 8 mmHg – if you exercise for 30 minutes two to three times a week.
After 60 minutes
If you get off your bike after an hour, you have pedaled away around 350 calories at a moderate pace. A badminton player has about 380 calories during this time, a swimmer about 620 calories (all figures refer to a woman weighing about 65 kg).
After 14 days
The shopping bags feel noticeably lighter because you have more power and stamina. The muscle fibers in women do not thicken that much through regular exercise. The increase in strength is mainly due to the fact that the nerve cells “spark” faster and muscles, tendons and bones are better coordinated.
After six weeks
your whole body now feels better, more ready to perform. Reason: Regular exercise changes our personal body image in the brain. The ability to concentrate and visual memory have also increased. This is proven by a study by the University of Ulm with 29 jogging newcomers who trained three times a week for 30 minutes each. The explanation: Endurance sport stimulates the formation of new nerve cells.
After eight weeks
From now on, no bus will drive away in front of you. A study by the University of Münster with Nordic Walking beginners shows that their stamina increases significantly within two months. They completed three training rounds of 60 minutes each per week, from which the arm and torso muscles also benefited enormously.
After twelve weeks
, after three months, people who are active in sports only catch a cold half as often as those who don’t exercise, because there are significantly more immune cells circulating in their blood. In addition, part of their passive fat tissue is converted into active muscle tissue. As a result, your body uses more energy even when you are resting. Digestion also works faster. This reduces the risk of colon cancer.
After four months
, you no longer twist your ankle as easily when you walk in stylish high heels. This is because sports such as jogging, hiking or walking make the ligaments and tendons strong – this stabilizes the ankle joints and thus prevents “shifting”.
After six months
your bones have become more stable because the slight vibrations during exercise stimulate bone metabolism. But: Jerky movements and violent impacts (e.g. squash, tennis) can increase the risk of arthrosis. A so-called vibration plate (available in specialist shops) offers the best protection against osteoporosis. With their help, bone density increases by one percent in six months, scientists at the University of Leuen in Belgium found out.
After a year and a half
Sporty women have a significantly lower risk of falling as they get older. The participants in an 18-month sports program at the University of Erlangen, which was aimed primarily at women over the age of 65, recorded 42 percent fewer falls than their peers who only completed a wellness program during the same period.
After ten years and more
A US study by the Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis, which evaluated data from 150,000 women and men, found that those who exercise regularly for ten years protect themselves against colon cancer. It also has a clear long-term effect on the slim line: Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston found that sporty women gain less than 2.3 kilos within 13 years. The highlight: You don’t have to spend your entire life to do it. About an hour of moderate exercise every day that is fun (e.g. yoga, Pilates or cycling) is enough for this “slim effect”. Literally in passing, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (“senile diabetes”) or dangerous high blood pressure decreases: it is two-thirds lower for sports fans than for couch potatoes, according to a recent American long-term study. And: Those who run diligently also get their gray matter moving, as the German Sport University in Cologne found out. The brain activity of athletic 70-year-olds is almost comparable to that of 30-year-olds. Just three 15-minute endurance sports a week can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 30 to 40 percent.
More silence
Stress is not inherently harmful. But dangerous when the body constantly runs in alarm mode. “Then he is permanently exposed to an increased level of stress hormones, the high blood pressure stabilizes, and the blood sugar also remains elevated,” says Prof. Bamberger. “Chronic stress directly accelerates the aging process.”
After a minute
The heart beats slower and blood pressure drops as soon as acutely stressed people begin to breathe consciously. Just take a deep breath through your nose and into your diaphragm. Pause for three seconds, breathe out slowly. Pause before taking your next breath.
After five minutes
Less stress hormones, more self-confidence – this is how women react to a five-minute neck massage. Psychologists from the University of Zurich have proven this in test subjects who then had to undergo a stress test. The feel-good effect is due to the cuddle hormone oxytocin, which the pituitary gland releases when it comes into contact with the skin.
After 15 minutes
, if you want to relax for a quarter of an hour, e.g. B. TV skits with “Mr. Bean” looks, is up to ten percent less sensitive to pain, researchers at Oxford University found out. They suspect that the cause is endorphins (“happy hormones”), which the brain releases when you laugh and which apparently act like a strong painkiller in the body.
After 40 minutes
pent-up anger and aggression dissipate in no time during such a long walk in the woods. The ability to concentrate, on the other hand, increases with every step, scientists at the Swedish University of Uppsala found out. After a stressful psychological test, they had test subjects go for a walk either in the forest or in the city. Result: We recover much better under the canopy of leaves. A study by the University of Padua in Italy shows that pictures of natural landscapes can also help to relax mentally.
After 45 minutes
Blood pressure normalizes as soon as you have slept for three quarters of an hour after an acute stress phase. This is reported by US researchers at Allegheny College in Meadville.
After 60 minutes
Anyone who sings for an hour brings body and soul together. The inner tension disappears and the stress-weakened immune system recovers significantly. This discovery was made by musicologists from the University of Frankfurt/M. with members of an amateur choir rehearsing Mozart’s Requiem. As she sang, the number of antibodies in her blood increased.
After six weeks
Stress researchers from the University of Trier have been able to prove that a two-week cure with a high dose of vitamin C can protect against the consequences of emotional stress. They gave 60 volunteers 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C or a placebo every day. Result: The vitamin group had fewer stress hormones in the blood and lower blood pressure. Tip: Sea buckthorn, rosehip, blackcurrant and paprika are particularly rich sources of vitamin C.
After six weeks
Do as the English do: Treat yourself to a tea break (“tea time”) every day. A study by the Institute for Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London shows that after just one and a half months you are noticeably more relaxed in dealing with mental stress. In contrast, the researchers observed significantly stronger stress symptoms in those who hated tea.
After twelve weeks
, yoga is one of the most effective ways to reduce stress. After only three months, the nervous system has clearly strengthened through the asanas. This is especially beneficial for migraine sufferers. After three months of practice, you have fewer headache attacks. The intensity of the pain also decreases, the US specialist magazine “Headache” quotes an Indian study.
After five months
Anyone who takes 15 minutes a day for relaxation exercises (e.g. progressive muscle relaxation, imaginary journeys) for 20 weeks can bring some of their blood pressure medication back to the pharmacy. This is confirmed by a US study by the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with 100 high-pressure patients. Every third participant was able to do without one or more medicines thanks to the short daily meditation.
After four years
Regular gardening keeps the coronary arteries fit and thus reduces the risk of infarction and stroke, reports the German Society for Cardiology in Düsseldorf, citing a study from Japan, for which 111 patients were observed for an average of four years.
After five years and more
A pet protects body and soul. The German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin found that people who have looked after a dog, cat or other animal for at least five years need 18 percent fewer practical appointments. Those who maintain intensive “human” friendships for just as long also cope much better with stress and are less likely to develop depression, discovered US researchers from Brigham Young University who observed volunteers for seven and a half years.
