Sunny Health

Have a sweet tooth and finding it hard to steer clear of sugar? Don't berate yourself for lack of willpower. It could boil down to genetic influences, according to a new study from the Monell Centre, published in Twin Research and Human Genetics.

Well, at least you now have a good excuse when mum nags you about your unhealthy diet. But that does not resolve the dilemma of cutting back on this sweet toxic. Too much sugar is bad, and here are  some reasons to remind you why that should not be an excuse to go on a sugar binge:

• Sugar is empty calories that causes one to put on weight yet provides no essential nutrients. As such, sugar is a leading contributor to obesity in children and adults as well as a myriad of diseases related to high cholesterol and obesity. Large amounts of fructose raise triglycerides, small, dense LDL and oxidized LDL, which are culprits of obesity.

• Excess sugar cannot be converted into energy, instead, it turns into liver fat which leads to chronic metabolic diseases including diabetes and heart disease, according to the Telegraph.

• Sugar can alter your mood. The phrase 'sugar-high' is not a product of fantasy or exaggeration. Eating a lot of sweet things does make you feel 'high' but when you go off it, you get anxious, moody and eventually exhausted. Gwyneth Paltrow quit sugar for this very reason. Unfortunately, because of its addictive nature, some sugar lovers find it very hard to lay off it despite the potential health problems it causes.

• Sugar can cause insulin resistance, and as insulin is a key hormone involved in the growth and multiplication of cells, studies suggest that too much sugar has a harmful impact of metabolism, contributing to cancer.

• Sugar provides easily digestible energy for bad bacteria in the mouth, which explains cavities from sweets.

100% abstinence is not practical and not necessary. A small amount of sugar to provide texture and flavour to a balanced, healthy diet is all right. Here are some more tips on consuming sugar healthily:

• Take sugar with foods rich in soluble fibre, because fibre slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. When high levels of sugar enter the bloodstream, it causes insulin levels to spike. When blood sugar levels and insulin levels go up and down at extreme rates, it causes inflammation and consequently, diseases.

• Keep it out of your drinks. You may add a packet of sugar to your tea, but steer away from soda and supposedly healthy fruit drinks that are really 95% syrup in disguise. Drinks are very convenient and quick to consume, more so than a meal. It's easy to go overboard chugging down a few glasses of refreshingly cold and sweet but unhealthy drinks!

• Use honey to flavour your food and drinks in place of sugar. Honey is filled with fructose and as with grapes, one should not assume it is healthy to consume frequently. However, honey has perks like antioxidants and antibacterial benefits, so it's much better than sugar!

Other 'natural' sugars like raw brown sugar and cane sugar are not healthier alternatives to white sugar. They have slightly more minerals than white sugar does, but the difference is not significant. Instead, the best thing to do, when baking or cooking, is really to cut down on your sugar usage. We have more than sweet receptors on our taste buds for a good reason. By cutting back on the sweet stuff, you are exposing your taste buds to a greater variety of authentic tastes, and you'll soon find that even when life is less sweet, you're not missing much.

https://www.yahoo.com/health/why-some-have-a-sweet-tooth-and-others-dont-124607382552.html
https://www.yahoo.com/health/yes-you-can-eat-sugar-5-nutritionist-hacks-to-122348329057.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/healthyeating/9987825/Sweet-poison-why-sugar-is-ruining-our-health.html

Our bedroom is where we recuperate our bodies, so it only makes sense that it should be healthy and promote quality sleep. Before worrying about diets and exercise, start off the year with a fundamental and highly achievable goal of making your bedroom hygienic and comfortable!

Keep the rubbish out of your room

Many of us are fond of snacking while watching our favourite Youtube videos in our room, blowing our noses and throwing it into the waste paper basket out of convenience. Junk in the room breeds germs and insects. Make it a regular practice to clear your waste paper basket or rubbish bag on a daily basis, morning and night. Move that waste paper basket to the kitchen and walk out to throw your rubbish. You get more exercise this way too.

Clean your mattress

Many of us change our mattress sheets, but we don’t do anything about the mattress, which is unhygienic as the mattress can absorb perspiration and be a potential home to dust mites and toxins.
If you live in an apartment block, it is quite impossible to give it some strong sunlight, the best way to eradicate germs. However, vacuuming it frequently can get rid of dust, while using a dry cleaning product like Febreze to spray the mattress whenever you change the sheets helps to reduce the toxics and gives your mattress a fresh smell.

Sun your sheets

If it is a sunny day, sun your sheets instead of popping them into the drier. Sunning your sheets not only dries them but also gets rid of bacteria.

Don’t sleep with the air-conditioning

If your air conditioner is not cleaned or maintained regularly, bacteria can build up easily within the aircon units, causing you to fall ill. In addition, the air conditioner is drying on skin. Switch to the fan on a warm day; it is a greener and cheaper way to stay cool.

No lights at night

Sleeping with the light switched on can impair a person's body clock. Our body sleeps more restfully in the dark. If there is light, the body will assume it is day time, a time to be awake and alert. This can affect the quality of sleep. A pitch dark room is most conducive for restful sleep. If your bedroom window faces a well-lit corridor, cover it with curtains. For those who have night blindness or do not feel comfortable without lights, sleeping with some dim night lights is fine.

Trade mothballs for lavender

Put lavender sachets in your storage boxes and cupboard in place of mothballs. Lavender is a natural moth and mite repellent, and smells great too. You can make them yourself by buying dried lavender and sewing them in a little pillow. Place one next to your pillow. Lavender has sedative qualities that help to induce sleep.

Stair climbing is a great form of exercise as it provides an effective workout. It is also often the recommended alternative to taking the elevator or escalator in daily life to promote an active lifestyle. It is also convenient for HDB dwellers as you can simply climb up and down your stairwell. Yet as with all good stuff, and high intensity exercises, inappropriate and excessive stair climbing can hurt your knees and cause pain and swelling. In the long run, knee injuries can become chronic, and especially painful and inconvenient in old age!

However, by utilising the following tips, you can still go about your daily stair climbing while keeping your knees in healthy, painless state.

Adopt the correct posture when climbing up or down stairs. The key is to engage the whole body when climbing the stairs, rather than allowing your weight to drop into your legs. Place your foot flat on the step, putting weight on the inner side of your foot and big toe. Putting too much weight on the outside, something which we may be more inclined to do so, can move the knee out of alignment. Bend your knees slightly.

Pull your stomach in, back straight, shoulders over hips. Avoid leaning or bending forward as that forces one to put extra stress on the knees to stabilise the body.

Wear knee guards to absorb shock. Hold on to the railings for greater stability.

Strengthen the muscles that support your knees. Work on the quadriceps in the front of your tie - lie on your back with your torso propped up on your arms, left leg bent and right leg straight out in front. Lift your right leg off the floor a few cm, feel your thigh muscles as you hold for five seconds, then switch legs. Do two sets of 10 repetitions. Stretch the quadriceps by standing behind a chair, place your left hand on the chair for support, then grab the right ankle with your right hand and gently pull it toward your back, hold the stretch for 30 seconds, then switch legs.

Work on your hamstrings, which are the group of muscles in the back of your thigh. Stand behind a chair with legs together, hold onto the back of the chair of support, then raise a foot up toward your buttock in a right angle. Hold for five seconds, switch legs, and do 2 sets of 10 repetitions per leg. Stretch the hamstrings - sit on the floor with legs straight out in front, slide your hands down your legs as far as you can go. When you feel the stretch, hold for 30 seconds, then slowly return to position.

If you're obese, high impact activities like stair climbing is bad for your knees. Make a point to lose extra weight with recommended exercises from the doctor before you embark on regular stair climbing.

Cross-train. Rather than climb the stairs everyday, alternate it with other exercises, like yoga, aerobics or swimming for example.

If necessary, use aids like crutches or walking stick.

Sources:

http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/fitness-fixer/better-exercise-stairs
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/features/why-you-must-protect-your-knees
http://www.livestrong.com/article/546772-how-to-climb-stairs-to-minimize-knee-strain/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/333409-the-proper-posture-when-climbing-down-the-stairs/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/458015-stair-climbing-knee-health/