As the name suggests - To a Lung and Healthy Life: Your Lungs - chapter 5 of the book is dedicated to the study of our lungs. In trying to keep the book easy to understand as well as entertaining, the authors establish a pattern throughout - one that focuses on popular myths about organs of the body and an action plan to keep this area healthy. In this vein, the authors dispel three myths about our lungs:
Myth # 1: If you're not a smoker, you have nothing to worry about.
Myth # 2: Being in good cardiovascular shape means you have healthy lungs.
Myth # 3: Snoring is a sign of a serious breathing problem.
The Live Younger Action Plan for lungs is aimed at making your respiratory system efficient and clog-free. The authors suggest the following -
1) Go Deep: Most people do not use their full lung capacity when they breathe. Deep breathing can help lungs and blood vessels function better. Another benefit is that it helps improve the drainage of the lymphatic system, which removes toxins from the body. Additionally, deep-breathes can be meditative in nature and help relieve stress. The authors recommend taking ten deep breathes in the morning and ten at night.
2) Take a test: An easy test that determines whether your lungs are in pretty good shape is to briskly run up two flights of stairs or walk six blocks. If you can do either without pausing to rest, your lungs are probably in pretty good shape.
3) Be your own air traffic controller: This means taking some control over the type of air that you breathe. For e.g. spending time at a nursery, taking supplements, using a neti pot (this cleans out the nasal cavity by running water through the pot into one's nostrils) and avoiding toxins.
4) Take Cover: A simple idea such as changing pillows frequently or using vinyl casings can reduce the risk of mite infestation, which can lead to high incidence of asthma.
5) Shake Your Butt: i.e. shake the tobacco habit. An important fact to note is that no matter how much or how long one has smoked, seven-eights of the effects are reversible just by taking the first step -- i.e. by quitting.
Chapter 6 - Gut Feelings: Your Digestive System - examines the human digestive system, starting from the mouth, the esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, intestines and all the way to the rectum, and views is as the plumbing system for our bodies. Using this idea, the three myths that are challenged in this chapter are -
Myth # 1: Stress causes ulcers.
Myth # 2: Bad breath comes from your mouth.
Myth # 3: Blood in the stool usually indicates cancer.
Using the analogy of plumbing and pipes, the authors recommend an action plan to keep the digestive system clean. This includes the following:
1) Eat Fiber - Wash it down: Fiber helps keep digested food bulky and soft and makes it eay for it to move through the intestines without much pressure being applied to them. Fiber is largely indigestible and contains contains no calories but makes you feel full, helping control overeating. In RealAge terms, men who eat 25 grams of fiber and woman who eat 35 grams a day
2) Change how you eat: Small adjustments like avoiding late meals, using smaller plates for portion control, eating more fiber and substituting healthy desserts or switching to another way to end a meal, like a glass of wine can make a big difference to one's metabolism and digestive efficiency.
3) Really feel what you eat: This tip really means focusing on what goes into your body and slowly eliminating foods that can irritate the digestive system. The authors recommend a process of elimination by isolating the food that maybe causing issues. It's important to experience how the body feels when eliminating a particular food or food group.
4) Supplement your food: A fiber supplement called Psylly can help digestive flow, soaking beans before they are cooked can prevent gas and a supplemental intake of B12 can have a RealAge effect of making you up to one year younger.
5) Spend 120 seconds at the sink: Flossing, toungue scrapping and spending time on dental hygine keeps inflammation in the gums and subsequently in the arteries at bay and can be one step toward a healthier body.
6) Clean up: Finally, staying clear of toxins from bad foods, throwing away sponges used to clean dishes can keep bateria away from the body. Another way to keep the body clean is to use wet wipes after using the toilet. The author suggests wetting toilet paper or using smaller versions of baby wipes to stay clean and avoid hemorrhoids.
As always, the authors use visual aids , call-out factiod boxes and quizzes throughout the chapters to keep the reader engaged and interested in topics that are more serious in nature. Like the chapters before, the focus is on prevention and ability to stay ahead of time (RealAge) by following these tips and tricks.
Next week we'll read chapters 7 and 8. Stay tuned.
Reena