1 . Back pain can make it difficult for many people to function in everyday life.     1     If you suffer from back pain, read on for four everyday fixes.

Our bodies need adequate movement throughout the day to avoid the stiffness that contributes to aches and pains. If the weather is good, don't hunt for the nearest parking spot; don't take the elevator when you have the option of one or two flights of stairs. When you need to sit for long periods, set a timer to get up every hour and be active for just a few minutes.     2    

When we overuse our dominant side, we create muscle patterns of weakness and tension that increase pain, especially in our backs. Consider the actions you take repeatedly throughout the day that shift your weight to one side.     3     And use your opposite hand every so often for basic activities, such as opening doors.

Psychological stress is a noted risk factor for back pain, according to research. Most mental stress is caused by focusing on the past or future.     4     A few minutes a day of mindfulness can go a long way toward minimizing the impact of stress. Additionally, mindfulness practices like tai chi have all shown effectiveness in reducing back pain.

    5     That is, you can create a game plan of daily activities to practice for back health. If your back hurts at the end of the day, don't just decide it was a “bad” day. Ask yourself if you practiced the activities to help you avoid the stress and tension. Taking an active, daily-life approach to maintaining a healthy body is the key to keeping back pain at bay.

2 . “Just think positively!”

“It could be worse.”

“You should look at the bright side!”

We’ve all heard (and maybe used) these phrases without much thought. But they could be contributing to a culture of toxic(有毒的) positivity. For those new to this term, it might sound like an oxymoron(矛盾修辞法). How can positivity be toxic? Isn’t it supposed to be helpful, or “positive”, as the name suggests?     1    

“Toxic positivity is when somebody avoids all negative thoughts or feelings, pretending everything is going well when it is not,” explains Melissa Dowd, a therapist at PlushCare, a virtual health platform for primary care and mental health services.Whitney Goodman, the author of Toxic Positivity describes toxic positivity as the “endless pressure to be happy and positive, no matter what the circumstances are.”     2     It’s also something we can cause other people to experience.

Expressing toxic positivity to others may look like offering them a simple solution to a complicated problem that we know nothing about, or not allowing people around you to appropriately express negative emotions.

Toxic positivity causes us to suppress our emotions, which can make them worse.     3     “Although it can be helpful to look on the bright side when facing challenges,” Dowd says, “not coping with negative feelings in a healthy way in the moment can lead to those feelings resurfacing later in different areas of your life or as a form of anxiety.”     4     “If I feel like you’re going to dismiss me, I’m going to stop sharing how I’m feeling,” Goodman adds.

    5     If you’re using toxic positivity against yourself, Goodman suggests remembering it’s OK if you’re upset about something. It’s valid if something annoys you. “Allow ourselves and other people to share when they’re going through a difficult time,” she says. Dowd adds that it’s essential that “we all learn to cope with and process our emotions in a healthy way as opposed to avoiding how we feel” as life’s stressors continue to rise. For example, instead of simply saying “Just think positively,” we’d better say “Sometimes bad things happen. How can I help?”

3 . Has anyone ever told you, “Stand up straight!” or scolded you for sitting lazily at a family dinner? Comments like that might be annoying, but they’re not wrong.

    1     It is the foundation for every movement your body makes, and can determine how well your body adapts to the stresses on it. These stresses can be things like carrying weight, or sitting in an awkward position.     2    

If your posture isn’t good enough, your muscles have to work harder to keep you upright and balanced. Some muscles will become tight and inflexible.     3     It increases the likelihood of accidents, and makes some organs, like your lungs, less efficient.

So what does good posture look like? If you’re sitting, your neck should be vertical, not tilted forward. Your shoulders should be relaxed with your arms close to your trunk. Your knees should be at a right angle with your feet flat on the floor. But what if your posture can’t be that great?     4     For example, adjust your screen so it’s at or slightly below eye level. Make sure all parts of your body, like your elbows and wrists, are supported.

It’s also not enough to just have good posture. Keeping your muscles and joints moving is extremely important. In fact, being still for long periods with good posture can be worse than regular movement with bad posture.     5     And be sure to exercise. Using your muscles will keep them strong enough to support you effectively, on top of all the other benefits to your joints, bones, brain and heart.

5 . Many people don’t treat themselves very well. They break promises to themselves, eat poorly, don’t get enough sleep, are self-critical or fail to take good care of their bodies.

A great technique for treating yourself better is by developing your Inner Nurturing Parent. Imagine you had a little child. You’d make every effort to keep her healthy and safe; to love and support her; to be forgiving her mistakes and her inevitable slips; and to let her know how precious and important she is.    1    Only, in this case, you’re the parent and the child.

    2    Tell yourself, “I love you and appreciate who you are.” When you do something well, give yourself a pat on the back. Say, “Great job! I’m so proud of you.” When you’re struggling or feeling low, be supportive by saying, “I’m here for you. You’re not alone,”

Take good care of yourself. A loving parent would make sure you eat right and get plenty of rest sleep, fresh air and exercise.     3     Practicing good self-care is an essential part of this process.

Set healthy boundaries with others. Let people know what you want and don’t want. Tell them what’s okay for you and what’s not. If you have a friend who’s always late and you end up waiting for her and feeling annoyed,   tell her how you feel.    4    

Be concerned about yourself.    5    You’re human and you’re going to make mistakes. Don’t punish or blame yourself.   Reassure yourself. Comfort yourself. Accept yourself unconditionally.

7 . Late-night eating has long been connected to a higher risk for obesity or overweight, which can pose all kinds of risks to your heart.

    1     A recent study found that when meals are delayed by four hours — say eating at 10:30 PM rather than 6:30 PM and keeping all other lifestyle factors the same, people burn fewer calories, have stronger appetite, and experience changes in fat tissue that promote weight gain, according to the study’s author.

The study was rather small, featuring only 16 overweight or obese people.     2     In the weeks before, they maintained a regular sleep schedule and stuck to identical diets and meal times at home. Each participant reported on their hunger and appetite, and provided data needed. Besides feeling hungrier, burning fewer calories, and showing changes in fat tissue, late eating also impacted the hunger-regulating hermones (荷尔蒙) ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is the hormone that tells you when to eat, while leptin tells you when you’ve had enough.     3    

The solution may be relatively simple. Keeping your eating schedule in line with your body’s natural clock makes sense.     4     It can minimize weight gain and reduce the risk for high blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors. Besides, try eating a big breakfast, slightly smaller lunch, and small dinner with healthy snacks throughout the day.     5     So pay attention to portion (食物的一份) sizes and what you’re eating.

Yangsheng is a key part of traditional Chinese medicine    1    pays attention to preventing illness and improving health. It is a lifestyle typically valued by middle-aged or older people. However,     2     (force) by the stress from life and work, many young people try to make themselves dynamic. Besides,     3     (change) in society have increased their awareness of health. Therefore, yangsheng is becoming more and more popular with young people now.