Supercharge Your Life

#1 Age-Proof Your Brain

Our brain is pretty much like the CEO of our body. Our brain oversees many of our body’s functions. It controls our movements, processes all the information, stimuli and emotions that are presented to us over the course of the day. Our brain pretty much calls the shots on our emotions, our memories, and how we react and interact with others.

An important function of our brain is the ability to process, store and use information and knowledge that we have gained from our education as well as our work & life experiences. As we get older, our brain ages as well.

As part of our brain’s ageing process, we might start to notice some changes in our cognitive and memory functions. We might take some time to derive a solution or we might have episodes of forgetfulness – most of these occurrences are not unusual when one gets older.

Nevertheless, there are ways that we can aid our brain in functioning optimally at every age. Picking up a new hobby, learning a new language or taking up an interesting course, are all activities that can challenge and stimulate our minds to stay sharp and “on the ball”. Research shows that activities that “exercise” our brain help to stimulate new connections between nerve cells that may help the brain to generate new cells, develop neurological "plasticity" and build up a functional reserve that provides a hedge against future cell loss.¹

Feeding our brain right is also an essential element when it comes to supercharging mental focus and concentration. Foods like sugar, refined carbs and alcohol have been associated with reduced cognitive function. Instead, try adding blueberries, salmon, avocado, freshly brewed tea and dark chocolate to your daily diet as they help to promote better brain health. Herbs like Ginkgo Biloba and DHA are also known to be natural brain boosters. To help keep your mind sharp and on point, reach out for supplements like LAC Brainspeed® which is specially formulated to fuel peak mental performance.

#2 Watch Your Eyes

It is easy to forget to give our eyes screen breaks at regular intervals while we are binge watching serials on Netflix or rushing reports and work matters. For many of us, spending 8 to 10 hours a day with our eyes locked on laptop, mobile or TV screens would inevitably expose our eyes to harmful blue light. Prolonged screen time can cause eyestrain, blurry vision, dry eyes, headaches, and neck, back and shoulder pains.² Therefore, it’s important to give our eyes regular breaks in-between from the screen by following the 20-20-20 rule. Rest your eyes after every 20 minutes of looking at the screen by looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

It can also be helpful to make conscious effort to set aside “screen-free” time during mealtimes, before bedtimes or while we exercise to give our peepers some well-deserved rest.

Good eye health also starts with the food on our plate. Consuming foods that are rich in nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, Vitamin C and E such as spinach, fatty fish, eggs, nuts and citrus fruits can help. If the nutrients above are lacking from your diet, taking eye health supplements such as LAC Berry Clear that features an optimized blend of eye-friendly nutrients is a convenient and fuss-free way to keep your eyes well-nourished!

#3 Listen To Your Heart

It is a good idea to slow down and listen to our heart. With our daily hustle and bustle, we often pay little attention to our heart. When it comes to our heart health, there are 3 Highs that we want to avoid – High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure and High Blood Sugar. These conditions tend to sneak up on us, often showing no symptoms until they show up on our health screening report.

Given how these heart conditions often go undetected, it is important for us to listen to our heart, be disciplined in watching our diet and be proactive when it comes to our annual health screening checks.

Staying active by aiming for 10,000 steps a day or 30 minutes of moderate physical activity such as brisk walking, cycling or dancing. Focus on eating well and consuming a healthy balanced diet. Avoid unhealthy fats, reduce sugar and salt intake, and placing a cap on your alcohol limit are actions you can take to keep the 3 Highs at bay.

To show some well-deserved love to your heart, consider heart-loving supplements like LAC TRIMAX™ Omega Fish Oil and LAC Activated Heart Protect

#4 Mindful Breathing

When we are in a rush, occupied with the 101 things on our to-do list, we often go into quick but shallow breathing. Instead of taking deep breaths to fill up our lungs fully, our mind is preoccupied with “breathing just enough” for sustenance. While the benefits of deep breathing are known – such as reducing stress and lowering blood pressure, the busy pace of life plus a sedentary work environment have conditioned many of us to take only quick, shallow breaths. Over time, this weakens the strength of our respiratory muscles. It also creates tension in the upper body that can alter our posture and undermine our health.³

Our lungs are one of the most important, but constantly overlooked organs in our body. We can go for days without food and water, but only briefly without air. Unfortunately, our lungs are constantly exposed to factors such as weather, pollution, harmful bacteria and toxins.

Breathing exercises can help get rid of the stale air in our lungs and restore our lungs’ natural springiness. Protect your lungs by staying well-hydrated. Hydration keeps the mucosal linings in our lungs thin, allowing them to function better.⁴

In addition, keep your lungs happy and healthy with the right foods and nutrients. Lung cleansing foods like ginger, apples, green tea and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower help to flush out toxins from our lungs.⁵ Supplements that contain antioxidants, Vitamins A and E, Coenzyme-Q10, Cordyceps or a combination of traditional Chinese medicine can also help nourish our lungs to relieve internal body heat and dryness as well as relieve cough and sore throats.

#5 Detox Your Liver

Alcohol is often singled out as the culprit that causes liver damage. But aside from alcohol, do you know poor sleep, high fat diet and laying on the sugar can also cause stress to our liver?

Our modern lifestyle habits include eating out more frequently which inevitably means more oil, less vegetables, more processed foods and higher consumption of sugar and salt laden dishes which means our liver is taxed to work hard to remove the toxins consumed through our diet.

Further to what we eat, habitual late-night owls can disrupt our liver’s natural detoxification cycle – a process that takes place only when we are in deep sleep. Hence having enough sleep (at least 7 hours per night) is crucial so that our body can optimally reset its functions for the next day.⁶

Given the demands of our modern-day lifestyle, protect your liver by considering Traditional Chinese Medicine herbs to maintain healthy liver functions and its ability to metabolise alcohol and fats.

As with all things, it’s all about taking baby steps and making small but sustainable adjustments to our habits, fitness regime and lifestyle as we work towards making our health a core #selfcare focus. We hope these tips can help reset your health and kickstart your journey to a better, stronger, supercharged you!

References
¹https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/12-ways-to-keep-your-brain-young
² https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/good-eyesight
³ https://www.healthline.com/health/breathe-deeper-improve-health-and-posture
⁴https://www.webmd.com/lung/ss/slideshow-ways-to-keep-lungs-healthy
⁵https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lung-cleansing-foods
⁶ https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/overworking-health-effects-heart-disease-stroke-fatigue-high-blood-pressure-306481