3 ways to improve our life

1. DIET

Having a good and balanced diet will not only make us healthier, but it will also make us feel better and improve our brain function. There are several types of diets that differ from each other. However, there are some widely accepted facts about healthy eating that include:

• Eating a lot of fruit and vegetables, which are an important source of fibre.
• Eating healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts, seeds and oily fish.
• Choosing natural, unprocessed foods instead of processed ones. 
• Using herbs and spices, which have anti-inflammatory properties.
• Avoiding sugar-based products, trans fats, refined carbs and vegetable oils, which are linked to increased inflammation.
• Drinking a lot of water. Drinking tea has also been shown to have multiple health benefits.
• Not overeating.

Some ideas

• For breakfast, you could enjoy a bowl of porridge, with some high-quality honey, a bit of organic raw cocoa powder, flaxseed and cinnamon, or a smoothie with berries and other fruit. You could also add spices inside the smoothie such as ginger and turmeric, two of the healthiest spices. 
• Make sure you include a generous amount of mixed vegetables in your meals. A wide variety of vegetables is important for a wider range of health benefits.
• You could snack on nuts, dark chocolate and Greek yoghurt, all of which have a lot of health benefits. 
• You could also add lots of herbs and spices in your food to make it tastier and healthier. 
• You could eat whole-grain or sourdough bread instead of white bread.
• In the winter months, when there is not enough sunlight to produce vitamin D, it might be worth taking vitamin D supplements.

2. EXERCISE

The benefits of exercise are widely known in terms of physical health, but it can also improve mental health and mood. It is not necessary to go to the gym to do exercise. There are multiple ways to exercise and it is even better when it is incorporated in our daily life. Choosing to walk whenever we can, using the stairs instead of the elevator, dancing, playing with pets, riding our bike and doing a few push-ups at home are all things that can make a difference. Make sure to perform all three types of workout to increase your overall well-being (1. Aerobic exercise (e.g. running) 2. Resistance training (e.g. push-ups) 3. Stretching). 

Some ideas:

• Use the parks of your city to take a long walk or go for a run.
• The cheapest way of resistance training is to do bodyweight exercise, which doesn’t require any equipment and uses multiple muscle groups.
• Use online videos to guide you in your exercise.

3. LEARN A LANGUAGE

Learning a language has great benefits for your brain. Learning a new language means you are practicing your thinking skills, since you memorise new words, understand complex grammar, learn new rules and start thinking in a new language. This improves your memory, problem-solving skills and multi-tasking ability. By learning a language, you can also understand your own language more by comparing and contrasting. Research has also shown that it might delay brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s. In addition, it looks great on a CV, it makes traveling easier and it allows you to connect with other cultures. Not only will this allow you to connect with new people and build life-long friendships, but you can also watch news, videos and read books that are not available in your language.

Some ideas

• Make the most out of the free Languages for All courses that the university offers. You can choose to do intensive or weekly courses. There is a great variety of languages and levels to choose from.
• You can start using a language exchange app (such as Tandem) that allows you to practice a language and socialise at the same time.