5 Easy Ways To Get Healthier From Your Couch—No Strict Diets or Tough Workouts Here!
These easy tips improve sleep, heart health and energy—right from the comfort of your living room
Love cozying up on the sofa after a long day? Us, too. And it turns out doing so is one of the easiest ways to improve your well-being.. Here, we break down the science-backed tricks to get healthy from your couch.
5 ways to get healthy from your couch
While you kick back and catch up with your favorite sitcom or the latest Netflix drama, try these simple tips to deepen your sleep, protect your heart, improve your mood and more.
Sleep soundly with fuzzy socks
Dream of getting longer, sounder sleep? All it takes is donning a pair of thick socks in the evening, then leaving them on once you head to bed. You’ll fall asleep more than 7 minutes faster, sleep 32 minutes longer and experience deeper, more restorative Zzzs. Scientists from South Korea say it’s because warming your feet activates temperature-sensitive neurons in the brain that help regulate sleep.
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Protect your heart with ginger tea
Relaxing after dinner with a soothing cup of ginger herbal tea helps you digest your meal by stimulating your gastrointestinal tract. Another big benefit: Regularly drinking this zingy brew is good medicine for your heart.
According to a new review of 822 studies from scientists in Malaysia, compounds in ginger (such as gingerols and shogaols) lower levels of artery-clogging LDL “bad” cholesterol by limiting how much is produced in the body and blocking its absorption, reducing your risk of serious heart trouble.
Not a fan of tea? Snuggle Fido instead. A study from the State University of New York at Buffalo shows that pet owners have significantly lower blood pressure than folks without furry friends. Dogs, cats and other animal pals lower stress, which takes pressure off arteries so blood flows more easily.
Increase energy with an imaginary straw
If you notice you tire out quickly during active hobbies (like pickleball) or from just walking up the stairs, do this: During a commercial break, put your feet flat on the floor while sitting, then lean forward and rest your forearms on your thighs. Breathe in through your nose with your mouth closed for 2 seconds. Then purse your lips like you’re holding a drinking straw and breathe out through your mouth for 4 seconds. Continue for 1 minute, then repeat this at least once a day.
A recent study in the journal Medicine shows that this simple exercise improves energy so you don’t run out of steam. Its secret? The combination of leaning forward and creating slight resistance when exhaling improves lung function by strengthening respiratory muscles. This makes it easier to take in bigger breaths that fill you with revitalizing oxygen.
Soothe knee pain with bergamot
Look forward to lounging on the couch because it takes pressure off achy knees? That doesn’t have to be the only way you get pain relief. While sitting, rub bergamot-scented massage oil (which you can make with 1 oz. of sweet almond oil and 3 to 12 drops of bergamot essential oil) onto your knees for 30 minutes twice a week.
A new study from Turkey shows you’ll experience a significant drop in knee discomfort within 4 weeks. Once absorbed by the skin, compounds in bergamot reduce inflammation and spur the production of pain-masking endorphins, allowing you to stand and walk with ease.
Also smart: New research out of Virginia University of Integrative Medicine shows that rubbing certain acupressure points for about 10 minutes, twice a day, reduces knee pain within 12 weeks. One spot: Bend your knee, then place your fingers on the upper edge of your kneecap. Move upwards about two finger widths along the outer edge of your thigh, then rub in a circular motion. Check out a quick how-to in the video below:
Lower your blood sugar by stretching
Have you been told by your doctor that your blood sugar is creeping up, putting you at risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D)? Start stretching for at least 20 minutes a day, which you can do right from your couch. For example, while sitting up straight, gently bend one ear toward your shoulder, then bend the other. Or raise your arms above your head as far as they’ll comfortably go.
A new review of 13 studies from researchers in Italy shows that stretching daily lowers blood sugar. That’s because it improves the health of blood vessels, which increases how much glucose is ushered out of the blood and sent to muscles and other tissues in the body.
Feeling peckish after your stretching session? Snack on popcorn. A new review of 37 studies in the Nutrition Journal shows that eating more whole grains throughout your day (popcorn counts!) lowers your risk of T2D by reducing blood sugar and improving insulin sensitivity.
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