Do you really know how to stay slim and enjoy the health and happiness that comes with it? In order to enjoy good health, we use all sorts of ways to take care of our bodies. Perhaps you think you know how, but you will still be surprised when you learn the facts below. According to foreign reports, American scientists have recently pointed out ten common misconceptions in daily health practices. Misconception One: Eating at Night Leads to Obesity
According to surveys, 4 out of 10 Americans work night shifts, which means many people eat dinner very late. Can eating dinner late lead to obesity because our bodies can't burn those calories while we sleep? Nutritionist Eric Blackberg says: "It depends. Eating late at night generally doesn't increase fat, unless your total calorie intake for the day far exceeds your usual. However, whether eating at night leads to weight gain depends on what you eat. Many people want a change of pace at dinner and will have ice cream or french fries. Eating these foods late at night often leads to weight gain." Misconception Two: If You Stop Exercising, Muscle Turns to Fat
For those who spend 3 to 4 days a week on physical exercise, if they stop, will their muscle turn to fat? Health expert Donna Richardson-Yule says: "That won't happen. Muscle is muscle, and fat is fat. The two do not convert into each other." Walter Thompson, a professor of exercise science at Georgia State University, says muscle is a denser substance, while fat is more compact. When you stop exercising, your muscles may become a bit flabby, but they won't turn into fat. And what about the reverse? Unfortunately, exercise doesn't turn fat into muscle either. Ral Szimanski, a member of a sports club, says: "Although fat doesn't turn into muscle, if you want to build muscle, you must do strength training to remove excess fat from your body." Misconception Three: Diet and Exercise Equal Weight Loss
If you think that doing just these two things is enough to guarantee weight loss, you are very wrong. You might be ignoring another major factor: sleep problems caused by dieting. Dr. Eve Van Cauter, a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago, says: "Globally, Americans get the least sleep. As you know, Americans also have the highest rates of being overweight and obese. Perhaps we should consider the possibility that there is a link between obesity and sleep. Lack of sleep can disrupt our appetite." She and another sleep researcher from the University of Chicago, Es Tasali, tested the hormone levels of people who don't get enough sleep. The results showed that everyone has a normal sleep requirement. If you sleep even one hour less than this, it can cause hormonal imbalances.
After analyzing the blood of these sleep-deprived individuals, they found that the levels of leptin, a hormone that controls appetite, were decreased. When we have eaten enough, leptin "tells" us we are full. At the same time, the levels of plasma ghrelin in the blood increase. Plasma ghrelin's role is to send hunger signals when our body's energy supply is low, prompting us to eat. Misconception Four: All-Natural Ingredients Give You Beautiful Hair
Do you believe that natural herbal ingredients are better for hair care than chemical ones? This is a mistaken belief. After studying 4,000 hair care products, internationally renowned cosmetics expert Paula Begoun wrote a book on hair care and concluded the opposite is true. She says: "Herbal ingredients in hair products actually don't clean hair. The real ingredients that care for our hair are the chemically synthesized ones that are often not talked about." But few manufacturers advertise that their hair products contain chemicals, because people have long held the view that chemicals can have harmful effects on the body. Misconception Five: Shaving is Better Than Waxing for Hair Removal
Shaving has a history of thousands of years, while waxing was used in ancient Egypt. Which is the better choice? Dermatologist Pat Axline says: "When you wax, you pull the hair out from below the skin's surface. So it takes 3 to 4 weeks for it to grow back." If you shave, the hair will grow back in about ten days, and it will feel very coarse. Because shaving blunts the edge of the hair, when it grows back, you may feel a prickly sensation. This discomfort doesn't exist with waxing. When you pull out a hair, it forms a scar in the follicle, and the formation of this scar can reduce the amount of hair that grows back. Misconception Six: Skin Cream Can Prevent or Remove Wrinkles
People who are very careful about skin protection often spend a lot of effort choosing various skin care products to keep their skin soft and smooth, but it seems many of us don't know what the best and most basic anti-wrinkle method is. The annual sales of face creams are as high as $250 million, but do moisturizers really have anti-wrinkle effects? Dermatologist Andrea Camb says: "Skin creams can improve the appearance of the skin, but they do not have anti-wrinkle effects." Some beauty companies claim in their advertising that their products have excellent anti-wrinkle effects. Camb says: "This is purely misleading advertising. If you want to prevent wrinkles from appearing prematurely, you can choose other very easy methods." He offers some suggestions, such as not smoking. Smoking can cause serious damage to the skin. Apply sunscreen or a moisturizer with an SPF of 15 or higher before going outside. Finally, don't assume that a more expensive skin cream is necessarily more effective. Some inexpensive skin creams can also have good skin care effects. Misconception Seven: Reading in Dim Light Hurts Your Eyes
Does reading in poor light really hurt your eyes? Robert Cotter, an associate professor of ophthalmology at New York University, says this is a common question, and in fact, the statement is false. He says: "If someone whispers in your ear, does it hurt your ear? Of course not. Similarly, reading in dim light won't hurt your eyes." Does staring at a TV or computer screen for a long time cause muscle fatigue, which in turn damages your vision? Cotter says: "Completely wrong. You might feel some fatigue, but it won't damage your eyes in any way. However, due to the specific structure of the human eye, a person can become nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism. In this case, you need glasses, contact lenses, or laser surgery to correct your vision."
By the way, your mother was right on some points. To protect your vision, you should eat carrots. New research confirms that scientists have found an antioxidant called beta-carotene in oranges, yellow and red fruits and vegetables that is very good for protecting the eyes. Misconception Eight: Tight Underwear Damages Male Fertility
What do tight underwear, laptops, and hot tubs have in common? Reports say all three can reduce male fertility, causing serious consequences for couples who want to have children. Dr. Harry Fiske, who treats male infertility, says: "Testicles are located outside the body because they need to cool down. If the temperature of the scrotum rises, it will have a negative impact on sperm production." He is referring to the effect of wearing briefs on men, but there are no clear research results yet, so this is just a guess.
However, the damage to male fertility from hot tubs is greater. Fiske says that if the bath water is too hot, it will reduce sperm count. Fiske says: "Over the next two months, the sperm count will continue to decrease. It takes 4 to 6 months for the sperm count to return to normal." Efim Snenkin, a professor at the State University of New York, studied the impact of laptops on male fertility. In his published research report, he pointed out that long-term placement of a laptop on the lap can cause permanent negative effects on male fertility. Misconception Nine: Chocolate is Not Good for Your Health
For a long time, people have considered chocolate to be the most typical fattening food. But the latest research shows that chocolate also has beneficial effects for people. Cocoa beans are rich in a substance called flavanol, which can promote human health. Katherine Tallmadge, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, says: "Chocolate is very good for the heart. Chocolate has the effect of relaxing blood vessels. It may also lower blood pressure and reduce blood vessel blockage. This effect is similar to aspirin and can reduce the incidence of heart disease." Flavanols are also found in red wine, green tea, apples, and onions. The content of this substance is high in cocoa beans, but it is removed during the chocolate-making process because it tastes bitter and affects the taste of chocolate.
Before chocolate manufacturers measure the flavanol content in their chocolate and label it on the packaging, if you want to get the most health benefits from chocolate, drinking cocoa powder is a good choice. Tallmadge says: "If you want to buy less-processed chocolate, choose the darkest chocolate, the one with the highest cocoa content and the lowest calories." The bad news is that because chocolate is high in sugar and fat, it is not a health food. If you really want to benefit from it, eat only one ounce of dark chocolate at a time. Misconception Ten: The Feeling of Revenge is Sweet
John Stossel, a famous host at ABC, sees revenge this way: In movies, people praise revenge. I love watching the moment of successful revenge in a movie. It's satisfying to see the villain get the punishment they deserve. But is the taste of revenge really sweet? Fred Luskin, a psychologist at Stanford University, says that the feeling of forgiving others is sweeter.
Many studies show that holding hostility towards others has many negative effects. Luskin says: "It can easily lead to heart disease and other stress-related illnesses, and it can also raise blood pressure. The thought of harming others is like taking poison yourself; in the end, you will also be harmed." It is natural to feel a desire for revenge after being wronged. But from a psychological perspective, hatred is unhealthy. The demon of hatred can seize a person's mind and drain their vitality. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is very good for health; it can reduce depression, anger, and stress. Luskin says: "You might get a momentary thrill from revenge, but forgiveness can heal the wounds of a lifetime."