October is traditionally considered a time of despondency and boredom. Let’s change stereotypes! Autumn is a natural time-out to take care of yourself and strengthen your body before the winter cold. Don’t believe? Read the advice of a general practitioner on Goodshapetips!
Autumn is not the time forcoldsand depression. This is the season of harvest and vitamin abundance, a time of change, bright colors, warm memories of summer holidays and grandiose plans for the future!
After all, for health you need not much at all: nutrition, movement and good mood!
Diet for wellness
The best autumn diet It’s no diet! Starting in September, our “inner voice” is increasingly demanding calories. And not in vain! In cloudy, cool weather, a growing appetite is not a whim, but a natural need.
In autumn, do not deny yourself animal food! Meat, fish, poultry contain a large amount of vitamins, proteins, essential fatty acids, and finally, iron and zinc in an easily digestible form. All these “usefulness” are extremely important for health.
They help us to strengthen the immune system, increase efficiency, feel alert and active in the most chilly weather.
With a lack of animal food in the autumn diet, anemia develops, weakness, drowsiness appear, and the body’s defenses decrease.
It’s no secret that a temporary rejection of meat can have a beneficial effect on the body. However, autumn is not the best time for vegetarianism.
Do not forget about natural antibiotics: horseradish, onion and garlic. These vegetable seasonings have long been used to combat colds.
Horseradish contains 5 times more vitamin C than citrus fruits. The roots of this plant are crammed with a huge amount of sugars, mineral salts, essential oils, phytoncides, contain B vitamins, nicotinic acid and lysozyme.
Horseradish has a bactericidal, anti-inflammatory effect, can reliably protect us from colds with regular use. It is used for loss of strength and fatigue.
Our ancestors cooked horseradish just before eating, without adding vinegar. Chopped on a grater, horseradish was poured with boiling water, cooled and served with sour cream, salt and sugar
This seasoning is suitable for consumption no more than 1-2 days, but retains all its useful properties and taste.
Adding vinegar to horseradish extends its shelf life up to 2 months, but “kills” many of its useful properties.
Onions are rich in essential oils, vitamins C and B group, flavonoids, iron and minerals. Onion juice has an excellent antibacterial effect, contains plant hormones that reduce blood sugar levels.
To protect against colds, you need to eat a raw half of a medium bulb a day.
Garlic has excellent antibacterial, antiviral and immunostimulatory effects.
Since ancient times, garlic has been used to treat not only colds, but also plague, cholera, and smallpox. We now know that garlic has anti-cancer effects, lowers cholesterol, and thins the blood.
Therefore, in the fall, do not neglect these spicy seasonings. It was they who helped our ancestors cope with diseases in harsh weather conditions.
Say “no” to inactivity!
In autumn, store shelves are full of colorful fruits and vegetables. Some of us can boast of our own country harvest.
Try to eat as many ripe vegetables, dark leafy greens, fruits as possible.
Tomatoes – contain vegetable fibers, vitamins A, C, E, group B, minerals, especially potassium. Tomatoes have an antioxidant effect, have a good effect on the functioning of the heart and kidneys.
Tomato juice – an excellent component of face masks. It has a rejuvenating and tonic effect.
Beet – contains fiber that improves bowel function, phosphorus, potassium and calcium. Serves as a source of vegetable iron, zinc and folic acid. Rich in vitamins C, PP, E and group B.
Cabbage – rich in vitamins C, A and group B, potassium, phosphorus and iron. It helps to gain femininity and harmony, removes excess fat from the body and optimizes bowel function.
Sauerkraut is an excellent remedy for the prevention of flu and colds. In it, the content of vitamin C increases several times.
Bell pepper – is a rich source of lutein, necessary for eye health, vitamins A, E, C, group B, manganese, iodine, copper, fluorine, zinc, silicon. Moreover, the fruits of the autumn harvest are much more useful than summer ones.
Pumpkin – contains a large amount of carotene and vitamins D, C, group B, easily digestible fiber, minerals. Pumpkin is useful for vision, bones, liver, genitourinary system, proper functioning of the intestines, for hematopoiesis and prevention of atherosclerosis.
Watermelon – an excellent mild diuretic, contains useful fiber, magnesium and potassium. Prevents the appearance of kidney stones, stabilizes blood pressure, improves bowel function and fat metabolism.
Rose hip – an excellent source of vitamin C, which we need to strengthen connective tissue, iron absorption, the formation of certain hormones and enzymes, beautiful skin, strong blood vessels. Rosehip decoction will be a good help at the first sign of a cold.
Treat yourself to sweets. Sweet is simply necessary for a good mood and increased efficiency in conditions of lack of light and heat.
Chocolate, hot cocoa or airy cake will add vigor and self-confidence.
A good help for a sweet tooth will be apples baked in the oven or microwave. Such a dessert will perfectly replace a high-calorie cake or butter cookies, and will also enrich your body with dietary fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.
Hardening with pleasure
Every working day begins with stress: we are constantly in a hurry and still late. Want to cheat time? Get up 30 minutes earlier. You won’t sleep for half an hour anyway.
10 minutes can be added to breakfast – and, finally, to feel the taste of oatmeal, sandwich or juice, which you usually have to swallow without even smelling it!
Take 20 minutes to recharge. A few simple exercises to cheerful music will not only energize you for the whole day, but will also cheer you up and your loved ones.
Great tonic – cool shower. If you want to do without pills and mustard plasters this season, start right now. After your morning shower, douse yourself with water a couple of degrees colder than usual.
Start by dousing the legs, arms and face, after a couple of days – the buttocks and abdomen, and then the whole body. Gradually lower the temperature of the water, but in such a way that it brings pleasure! You should never engage in hardening through force.
This mode will require effort from you. However, there is a law: only the first 20 days are difficult. Survive the trial period, and after it, morning exercises and invigorating showers will become your good habit.
With each autumn day, the sun and heat become less and less. In order not to freeze and fall into “hibernation” you just need to move!
If the weather is fine, walk one stop from work. Daily walking is a great way to improve your health in the fall.
In medicine, this is called “terrenkur” and is considered a wonderful healing and restorative procedure.
If you have nothing against an active lifestyle, now is the time. think about the gym.
Regular physical activity will not allow you to gain extra pounds over the winter, and therefore in the spring you will not have to sit on kefir and sigh while trying on your favorite swimsuit.
We create a good mood!
If possible, buy a pool pass. During swimming, all muscle groups work evenly, the load on the spine and joints is reduced.
Water has an excellent hydromassage effect on the body, the skin becomes elastic and smooth, blood circulation improves, and metabolic processes are accelerated.
In addition, visiting the pool has a tonic and hardening effect on the body.
Autumn is the time for a bath! A hot steam room will be a great contrast for the autumn coolness and bad weather. In the bath, sweating improves, the body is cleansed of excess salts, “slags” and other metabolic products.
Hot air trains the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, warms up the joints and internal organs. No wonder the bath has long been considered the best remedy for colds and other diseases.
And according to the effect on the skin, not a single salon lifting can be compared with a bath. With regular visits to the bath, the skin is smoothed and becomes more elastic by 30-50%, acquires a healthy color. If the bath is in nature, on the shore of a reservoir – this is a special pleasure!
It has long been known that the lack of sunlight causes a breakdown, apathy, neuroses and depression. And a bad mood makes us more vulnerable to autumn infections. What to do?
Add light! Clean your windows, open your curtains, let more autumn sun into your home. Do not save on electric light bulbs, let the house be bright and comfortable in bad weather.
Try to spend as much time outdoors as possible. The lunch break is your legitimate rest hour. If it’s a clear day, don’t sit at the computer with a sandwich, it’s better to take a walk along the autumn alley.
Add passion! Arrange yourself a “weekend vacation”. Surely there are places near the house that you have long wanted to visit. New emotions and impressions – what could be healthier?!
You can go to nature, armed with a camera. After all, autumn is a time generous with masterpieces.
Barbecue with friends and active games with children in the fresh air will not leave a trace of the seasonal blues, and a romantic dinner with your loved one will be a harmonious end to the day!
Add some inspiration! Turn on the music, because even daily homework is more fun to do “with a song.”
Dream up: change your hairstyle, boring shoes. Buy yourself a bright umbrella, through which the rainy sky will not seem so gloomy.
Autumn is the time to change something in the interior, to do repairs. Then there is simply no time left for autumn boredom!
And most importantly, try to laugh more. Even the ancient sages said that the arrival in the city of one fakir, who knows how to make people laugh, brings more benefits to the health of the townspeople than a whole caravan with medicines.
A smile is the only curve that makes the shortest path to health and beauty!
Natalia DOLGOPOLOVA,
general practitioner
