The best habits to avoid illness

From cold showers to eating eggs, discover healthy habits that can help you get sick less and live longer.

Cold shower

Cold showers have the same stimulating effect on the body as exercise. Research from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, published in the journal Cell Metabolism in 2014, supports this idea. Scientists found that shivering stimulates the conversion of energy-storing “white fat” into energy-burning “cooking fat.”

Don't get sleep deprived

Just 30 minutes less sleep per day on weekdays can lead to obesity, according to scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Doha. Due to social and work commitments, we often miss out on sleep on workdays and catch up on sleep on weekends. However, this can lead to long-term metabolic disturbances that can promote the onset, or worsen the progression, of type 2 diabetes.

Always moving

Going to the bathroom every morning is an effective way to improve your health. Constipation affects 1 in 7 adults at any given time, and can lead to hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, bleeding and discomfort.

Additionally, in 2012, scientists from the American Gastroenterological Association reported a link between chronic constipation and an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. Staying hydrated and exercising regularly also help prevent constipation.

Regular blood tests

Cardiovascular disease causes more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK. One of the main risk factors is high levels of low-density lipoprotein – known as “bad” cholesterol – which can cause fatty deposits to build up in artery walls.

Knowing your blood lipid levels can actually motivate you to make changes to your diet and exercise routine to reduce your risk of heart disease. Regular testing can help you better understand how specific changes to your diet and exercise routine will affect your blood levels.

Try fasting

There is a lot of evidence that fasting is good for your health. Cardiologists at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Utah have found that periodic fasting not only reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes, but also significantly changes a person’s blood cholesterol levels. Both diabetes and high cholesterol are risk factors for coronary heart disease.

Eat eggs

Eating eggs has long been linked to high cholesterol. But official advice from the British Heart Foundation now says that eating up to one egg a day will not increase the risk of heart disease in healthy people, and can be part of a healthy diet. Eggs are a particularly good source of folic acid, which can reduce the risk of stroke, scientists from Beijing First University Hospital, China, reported in 2015.

According to Dantri