schrittauftritt - Hint

If you don't like the idea of spending your evenings in the kitchen, choose simple dishes that don't take long to prepare. You can make yourself something good without spending hours on it. Take your time over the meal. Create a calm atmosphere. Leave the television turned off. You can also turn making your evening meal into a ritual, using the time to switch off.

Make it easy on yourself:

• Keep preparation time down: ready-washed salads and vegetables from the chilled cabinet or deep-freeze are healthy, rich in nutrients, and save time.
• Prepare a little extra: you will have pre-cooked food in reserve that only needs warming up.
• If you use ready-made meals, make sure they either already contain vegetables or can be eaten with a salad.
• Risotto and spaghetti go very well with lots of vegetables or a light tomato sauce.

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Sitting still doesn't use much energy. Even normal everyday activity helps to keep energy metabolism up to scratch. Trained muscles need energy even when they're at rest, and this increases the body's basal metabolic rate. That's why regular movement is important. To me sure you enjoy it, try out different alternatives to see which one suits you best. Maybe you'll discover that a particular activity brings an unsuspected benefit: the scenery you enjoy when cycling, the people you meet when walking, the pleasure you get from seeing your windows sparkle after you've cleaned them.

Find out what's best for you.

• Try doing things at different times of day. An early-morning walk may do you more good than at lunchtime or in the evening.
• Variety is important: without it you'll soon get fed up. Keep changing the type of activity you take.
• You can get your muscles working even when sitting in a meeting or standing at the bus stop. Simply tense them, count to five, then relax again. You can carry on doing this for as long as your strength and enjoyment last.

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Few can resist sweet temptations – and they don’t need to be resisted. As always, it's the quantity that counts. A piece of chocolate, a pastry or a few biscuits are fine. Every day, even. But not if, say, you eat biscuits straight from the packet and suddenly find it's empty. Instead, put a few of them on a plate and put the packet away. Keep confectionery for after a meal rather than snacking on it. Cravings between meals? Fruit, vegetables, yoghurt or a slice of bread are just the thing.

If you have a sweet tooth, the possibilities are endless:

• certain sweet things – Basler leckerli, for example – contain very little fat
• gummi bears contain hardly any fat, but a lot of sugar
• cream desserts are easy to make: simply dice or purée fruit, add it to quark or yoghurt, and sweeten with honey.

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A good day begins with a good breakfast. If you can't get anything down first thing in the morning, a substantial mid-morning snack will keep your energy levels up, and with it your performance and concentration. Skipping breakfast to save calories doesn't work. Your performance deteriorates during the course of the morning, and by mid-day you're ravenous. Healthy snacks between meals – fruit, vegetables, yoghurt or wholemeal bread – will stop you reaching for the chocolate or crisps.

Ideally you should have three main meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and a snack every morning and afternoon.

Healthy eating is just as easy on the road:

• breakfast at home: bread or muesli, plus fruit or fruit juice
• pack a picnic lunch: lightly-buttered bread, cheese and a piece of fruit
• prepare your muesli the night before and put it in an airtight container to take with you
• take fruit and vegetables to snack on. Supermarket fridges offer a wide range of ready-to-eat items.

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Many people these days say they don’t have time for a healthy lunch. But it isn't just a matter of time. A healthy lunch doesn't have to take two hours. Take just 20 minutes, and focus entirely on eating. This is time out, you-time, and you can spend it however you like. Make it an oasis of calm in the midst of your busy day, an oasis where your top priority is to enjoy lunch.

Why not go for a short walk in the lunch break, taking a sandwich with you? Or sit on a park bench in the sun, eating the muesli you brought from home? Try to eat a deliberately healthy lunch twice a week. You'll be surprised how easy it is.

Good planning is half the battle.

• You can also make your own sandwiches. Lightly butter wholemeal bread or rolls, add the filling – lean sausage, chicken or cheese – and garnish with salad or vegetables. If you buy ready-made sandwiches, make sure they contain no sauces or mayonnaise.
• Don't have more than one really substantial meal a day. If you don't have the choice, make up for it by having a fruit-and-vegetables-only day. The possibilities are endless. You could have raw vegetable sticks dipped in a quark-and-herb sauce, for example, or fresh seasonal fruits, diced and mixed with yoghurt or quark.
• For lunch you might have a pasta, rice or couscous salad with vegetables. When preparing pasta or rice, cook a little extra and make tomorrow's cold lunch with the left-overs. Dice and mix in a few vegetables, make a vinaigrette with oil and vinegar, and add fresh herbs.
• If you have lunch in a staff restaurant, you can go for the vegetarian option and team it up with the salad of the day. Or you can ask for a double portion of vegetables instead of side-dishes.

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Did you know that as well as being good for the body, exercise also has a positive effect on concentration? Endurance and coordination exercises are particularly good for keeping the brain up to par. Scientists have discovered that regular endurance exercise stimulates the supply of blood to the brain, promoting the formation of new blood vessels and nerve-cell connections. Exercise thus has a positive effect on attention, cognitive processes and the memory.

• Take up juggling. Studies have found that 5-10 minutes' juggling a day can increase cognitive performance.
• Stand on one leg and try to keep your balance. If possible, read a book or make a phone call at the same time. Try using a balance board if you have access to one.
• Chew gum occasionally. It improves the blood supply to the brain by up to 25%, and also prevents tension in the neck.
• Let a little fresh air in now and again. It ventilates the brain as well as the room.
• Make sure you have enough light to work. Insufficient light is tiring to the eyes, and that's bad for the concentration.

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About one in four people in Switzerland has trouble sleeping. This is not merely annoying; it can also cause health problems. It has been discovered that extended sleep deprivation triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol, and that can weaken the immune system. Not getting enough sleep also slows down your metabolic rate, and that can make you overweight. This is what you can do about it.

• Take a brief nap every now and again. This is called power napping. It only takes 20 minutes, yet it speeds up your reactions and improves concentration.
• Get some exercise! Your body needs enough exercise during the day to get you tired enough to go to sleep at night.
• You should avoid late-evening sporting activity though, because it has a simulating effect that delays sleep. Tension in the body makes it harder for us to go to sleep.
• Try to establish a daily rhythm that's as regular as possible. Ideally, all your daily activity, including mealtimes, should be as regular as possible. This improves your body's preparations for sleep.

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You are said to have high blood pressure if it is found consistently to exceed 140 over 90 when repeatedly measured at rest. The symptoms of high blood pressure are very non-specific, and as a result people are often completely unaware that they are suffering from it. Permanently high blood pressure can have serious consequences. Hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis), circulatory disorders of the organs, heart attack and stroke are just some of the risks associated with high blood pressure. There's plenty you can do to protect yourself.

• Have your blood pressure checked regularly.
• Get some exercise! Physical activity can bring blood pressure back to normal. Exercise also has a positive effect on blood pressure by combating excess weight, which is itself a risk factor for high blood pressure.
• Drink plenty of water! A high water intake can reduce high blood pressure.
• Enjoy the sun! Sunlight has a positive effect on your blood pressure.

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Have you ever heard of "neurobics“? Does the word make you think of aerobics? If so, the association is quite correct. Aerobics is exercise for the body; neurobics is exercise for the mind. It has been discovered that even at an advanced age we can go on forming new nerve cells, which means we remain capable of learning throughout our lives. But if nerve cells are not in regular use, they atrophy. And that's the point of neurobics: it disrupts the daily routine, giving the brain new challenges to deal with. Here are a few examples.

• Try out different perfumes: they activate new nerve pathways.
• Take a shower with your eyes closed: that activates the senses.
• Brush your teeth with the "wrong" hand: that uses the side of your brain that is normally inactive.
• Ring the changes at mealtimes. Sit in a different place, for example.
• Try to do things that you do every day differently from how you usually do them. It's fun and good for the brain too.

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To keep your performance up throughout the day, you need to drink at least 1.5 litres of water. You'll feel good, and it will help you to concentrate. Too little liquid can give you a headache and make you feel out of sorts. If you don't have time for anything more than the occasional cup of coffee, you're not giving your body enough liquid.

Here are a few hints to make sure you drink the right amount every day:

1. fill a jug with water when you start work in the morning, and drink it all over the course of the day.
2. drink a glass of water with every cup of coffee.
3. drink some diluted fruit or vegetable juice for a change instead of water.
4. change the type of tea you drink every now and then. Try out new combinations, drink it with lemon juice, and with as little sugar as possible – if any.