From alcohol to smoking, from smartphone addiction to food preservation: ten rules for a healthy 2025
2025 has begun and like every year, after taking stock of the 12 months that have just passed, it arrives time for good resolutions for the new yearthat phase in which we decide to make a series of decisions to improve our lives during the year that is starting. This year, theIstituto Superiore di Sanità with a practical decalogue to follow not only to improve ourselves, but also to protect the environment in which we live and to avoid falling into the trap of fake news.
1. Get out of smartphone addiction
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The ISS states that more than 5% of the world’s population suffers from behavioral or substance addictions, with a serious impact on health and relationships. Problematic smartphone use is among the main addictions, especially among younger people, and can have negative effects on sleep, concentration and relationships. How to get out of it? The advice of experts is to establish a “smartphone free zone” at home, so as to encourage quality moments and begin a gradual path of disconnection. The goal is not to eliminate the smartphone, but to learn to manage it with greater awareness.
2. Say goodbye to alcohol
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Alcohol is a toxic and carcinogenic substance that increases the risk of developing over 200 different diseases. According to ISS experts, doing without a glass of alcohol per meal will allow us to end 2025 with 7-9 kilos less. For young people delay the consumption of any type of alcohol beyond the age of 24 It allows the brain to develop and mature in all its functions, guaranteeing a cognitive capacity that is not damaged or compromised by drinking in a period of extreme vulnerability.
3. Stop smoking
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Stop smoking It’s one of the best resolutions you can make for the new year. The short, medium and long-term health benefits are invaluable and the data confirms this: the first beneficial effects begin 20 minutes after the last cigarette, when heart rate and blood pressure decrease by improving circulation. After 8 hours the body begins to regenerate, freeing itself from carbon monoxide and restoring oxygen levels in the blood. One year after quitting, the risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced by 50% and after 10-15 years the risk of developing lung cancer approaches that of a person who has never smoked.
4. at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day
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The benefits of regular intake of fruit and vegetables have been established several times in recent decades. It is not necessary to change your eating habits, just start gradually and the rest will follow: it is useful to start with small steps, such as add a fruit to breakfast and a portion of vegetables to each mealto promote a healthier and more balanced diet that helps maintain good health and reduce the risk of pathologies such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
5. Pay attention to the pressure
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High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction, aneurysms, peripheral arterial disease, chronic renal failure, retinopathy, and age-related diseases, such as memory impairment and disability. To maintain a good state of health, explain the experts from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, it is essential to measure it regularly and keep it within desirable levels – 120 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and 70 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure – adopting healthy lifestyles: balanced, low-salt diet, regular physical activity and abstention from smoking.
6. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
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Health and the environment go hand in hand and in 2025 it is more important than ever to start reducing the impact of waste on the environment, starting with reduce the amount of waste we produce. Implementing responsible consumption habits helps to reduce not only pollution due to waste, which it can also cause health effectsbut also, from a circular economy perspective, the consumption of resources and energy.
7. Be careful when purchasing and storing food
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We often do not pay due attention to the preparation and preservation of the food we consume. Why not start 2025 by forcing yourself to read the instructions on the label carefullyfocusing not only on the expiry date, but also on the nutritional information, storage and preparation methods? The ISS specifies that in the hottest periods of the year, products from refrigerated or freezer counters must be transported in refrigerated airtight containers and once home placed in the same temperature conditions as the purchase. Furthermore, the home pantry should be cool, dry, well ventilated and periodically inspected to check the expiry date of the products.
8. Protect psychological well-being
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Mental health is increasingly important for our well-being and there is nothing wrong with asking for help when faced with stressful experiences in the family or in social relationships, and in school and work contexts. Taking care of your health means first of all cultivate your psychological well-beingalso thanks to the help of experts through psychoeducational or psychotherapeutic interventions or in association with pharmacological treatment.
9. Prevent infectious diseases
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It may seem superfluous, but take small and simple precautions to reduce the risk of being affected by infectious diseases it can make us and those around us live better. Where to start? By increasing the frequency of hand washing, so as to reduce the transmission of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens and infections. Likewise, experts suggest getting vaccinated to reduce the impact of flu syndromes in the most susceptible age groups and on fragile populations and, in case of travel to new or exotic places, take the necessary precautions and protections for zoonoses and arbovirus.
10. Beware of fake news
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THE’excess of information, even false or distortedcan be very dangerous to health, causing confusion and potentially harmful behavior, and undermining the authority of health authorities dealing with public health. One of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves is to rely on authoritative sources and, especially in the case of health news, check always the author and the reliability of the source.
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