Healthy to be...

Our health is influenced by many factors. From the most obvious - such as a good diet and lifestyle - to the most complex, such as an inherited set of genes. When it comes to diet, basically everyone knows what to do to feel good. The only problem is to adhere to these health-promoting principles.

So, eat less but often, pay particular attention to fruit, vegetables, fish and whole-grain bread, and avoid simple sugars and excessive fat. A bit of exercise doesn't hurt either, especially in winter when it's snowing, the nights are long and the days are short. These are all factors that are within our control - unlike our own genes. Although scientists maintain that this will soon change too.

Prevention above all

For the time being, we are left with wise preventive health care, which, as studies in highly developed countries show, is by far the cheapest form of health care.

How you sleep is how you sleep

Another important factor influencing the health of our body and well-being is the right amount of rest. Research shows that many factors can affect the quality of sleep, first and foremost a life free of permanent stress, but also a comfortable bed and the wearing of warm, light and comfortable pyjamas. If you really want your night's rest to be undisturbed, you should also take care of the right temperature in the bedroom.

Experiments show that we sleep best when the room temperature is between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius. You can easily realise this by recalling how badly we sleep on hot summer nights. Some of the more hardened tend to sleep with the window slightly ajar, even in winter. If we are not so adventurous, it is enough to ventilate the bedroom before going to bed.

Optimists have it easier

As has been proven, our mood has an extremely powerful effect on the body. For example, the work of the immune system is significantly impaired whenever we are exposed to prolonged stress. Of course, with today's lifestyles, it is impossible and - indeed - pointless to avoid tension altogether. 

All we need to do is to find a few minutes for ourselves each day, to relax, perhaps through yoga, meditation or in the sauna. It has been proven that we are able to cope with much greater challenges if only they are accompanied by periods of relaxation, when our body and nervous system are able to regenerate really deeply.