Simple Truths Behind Ten Big 'Health' Beliefs

At New Year, it seems timely to simplify current 'take away' conclusions about popular health beliefs (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jan/04/truth-behind-10-of-the-biggest-health-beliefs). Lifting Weights Will Make You Bulky It depends on how and why weights are lifted. Body builders are trying to increase their bulk. Power lifters, on the other hand, want to train their muscles 'to fire, at the same time' when making a lift. These latter individuals will consequently not tend to bulk up. Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day This can be true but, only to the extent of helping dieters get through the rest of their day, without over-eating. You Should Walk 10,000 Steps per Day Although 10,000 is an arbitrary number, it's about the right amount of exercise to provide clear health benefits. After 10,000 steps, picking up the pace is of greater benefit than adding to their number. You Need 8 Hours of Sleep Per Night Getting 7-8 hours of sleep improves, cognitive performance. It also reduces all-cause mortality risk. You Should Aim to eat 5 Portions of Fruit and Veg per Day This is good advice but 10 portions would actually be better. Not all fruit and veg, however, provide equal benefits. More dark green leafy vegetables should be included and berries substituted for bananas. You Should Drink 2 Litres of Water per Day An adult human needs circa 2.5 litres of water per day. They don't, however, have to drink 2 litres of water per day. Much of our water comes from eating prepared food. Coffee, tea, milk, soft drinks, beer, fruit and vegetables also count in terms of fluid intake. A Daily Glass of Wine is Better Than Abstinance This is based on an eagerly seized correlation, showing that moderate drinkers are more healthy than heavy and non-drinkers. Moderate drinkers, however, tend to have superior socio-economic circumstances to the other groups. When these factors are controlled for, the 'benefits' of moderate drinking almost completely disappear. Abdominal Exercises Will Give You a 'Six-Pack' Whether you will have clearly visible abdominal muscles, depends more on your level of body fat and where it's stored, than on the number of sit ups carried out daily. Dieting Can Slow Your Metabolism, Making it Difficult to Lose Weight Bodies do not actually enter a 'starvation mode' of metabolism, reducing weight loss. Rapid weight loss should, however, be avoided. Alternating dieting with periods of energy balance, followed by an increase in gentle exercise, may be the most effective regime. Red Meat is Bad For You Unprocessed red meat from healthy/happy animals can be safely consumed. It's the processed red meats (bacon, sausages, burgers and deli meats) that are really problematic. This is quite a complex list but it does provide simplified pointers for adopting a healthy lifestyle.