Even healthier in 4 steps

1. Breathe

Count how many times you breathe for a minute. Breathing about 6 to 7 times per minute is sufficient, but most people breathe 10 to 15 times per minute.

How do you breathe optimally?

Psychiatrist Bram Bakker, author of the book Relief: “Breathe in slowly and make sure you exhale into the abdomen. Then exhale slowly, it is important to exhale longer than
to breathe in.”

What are many people doing wrong?

Bakker: “Most people breathe too quickly due to stress, while there is no physical reason to do so. For example, if people are sitting in front of a computer, 9 out of 10 breathe too fast. 16 times per minute
breathing is no exception. But that is also the breathing of someone who is cycling 18 kilometers per hour against the wind.”

Why is that bad?

Bakker: “The body cannot withstand breathing too quickly day in and day out. It can lead to fatigue, agitation, poor sleep, depression and burnout. I even think it increases the risk of a heart attack, although that is never investigated.”

How can it be better?

Bakker: “Try to make it a habit to do a breathing exercise for 5 to 10 minutes 3 times a day, the last time for example just before going to sleep. It relaxes; no sleeping pill can compete with that! Moreover, the body touches it so easily used to alternating fast breathing with a slower pace Many people are used to breathing at the same – usually too fast – pace all day, but after doing something stressful, it is important to be able to relax again .”

2. Standing and sitting

A wrong posture creeps in unnoticed, resulting in back problems.

How do you stand and sit optimally?

Rianne Nijendijk is Cesar and Mensendieck remedial therapist. “With a good standing posture, the weight rests for 60 percent on the front of the feet, the knees are stretched smoothly and you keep the chest forward. Sitting well means: buttocks back, back against the railing, feet on the floor and knees a fist’s width apart.” In addition, it is important to change position regularly and to walk a bit every now and then.

What are many people doing wrong?

“Most people are slumped and don’t use the entire backrest. And people mostly stand on the heels, overextend the knees and keep the shoulders and head too much forward.”

Why is that bad?

Nijendijk: “The vertebrae are then not neatly positioned one above the other, which puts extra strain on muscles, ligaments and joints. And that can eventually lead to back problems, but also to neck, shoulder and knee complaints.”

How can it be better?

“Set a kitchen timer for 30 minutes if you have to sit or stand for a long time and walk a bit when the timer expires, for example to get coffee.”

3. Poop: go when urged and don’t strain

The ‘big message’ regularly causes problems: 1 in 5 Dutch people visit their GP at least once in their life with hemorrhoids, constipation or other anal complaints.

How do you do it optimally?

Vera Rempe, proctologist surgeon at the Proctos Kliniek in Bilthoven: “It’s really not about how often you do it, but whether you can do it without straining. If you feel the urge, sit down on the toilet and relax your pelvic floor muscles. is good, the stool will come out in one piece.”

What are many people doing wrong?

Rempe: “They ignore the urge and stop defecating because it doesn’t suit them at the time. Furthermore: many people strain.”

Why is that bad?

Straining increases abdominal pressure, which can lead to hemorrhoids. According to pelvic physiotherapist Slieker-ten Hove, ignoring the feeling of urgency eventually disappears. And that leads to constipation.

How can it be better?

Rempe: “Listen to the body. Make sure you have a good toilet posture. And ensure a good composition of the stools by drinking a lot and getting a lot of fiber. These are mainly found in vegetables, fruit, dried fruit, whole grain products and legumes. “

4. Peeing: sitting upright

Every day we pee about 6 to 8 times, usually 1 time at night. Pay close attention to your posture to avoid problems such as a bladder infection.

How do you pee optimally?

According to pelvic physiotherapist Marijke Slieker-ten Hove, urination is actually a very passive process. “Whether you are a woman or a man, sit upright on the toilet, both feet flat on the floor and the undergarments on the ankles. Relax the pelvic floor muscles. The bladder will then automatically squeeze and the urine will automatically drain out. no more urine, you get the last remnants from the bladder by tilting the pelvis forward and back a few times by making a round back and a hollow back.And for women: wipe from front to back to prevent bacteria from the anus to the urethra.”

What are many people doing wrong?

“Many men pee standing up and women, especially if the toilet is not so clean, often hang over the seat,” says Slieker-ten Hove. “Many people also sit completely slumped on the toilet and some strain while urinating.”

Why is that bad?

“Standing or hanging over the toilet, the pelvic floor is not properly relaxed, and when you sit bent the bladder is tilted. When pushing, the urethra is squeezed a bit closed. In all these cases, residual urine can remain in the bladder, which can cause a bladder infection. cause.”

How can it be better?

“If the pee doesn’t start, breathe into the lower abdomen to relax the pelvic floor. Or tense and relax the pelvic floor muscles a few times to get the urination reflex going. Never interrupt the urination, as was often advised in the past with “Dotted urination”. In this way the bladder does not empty. If you often urinate small amounts, you can increase the bladder capacity by delaying urination for a while. Do not drink less, because concentrated urine stimulates the bladder.”