Tag Archives: healthy

May14

“Bouncing Back” After A Personal Difficulty

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“Bouncing Back” After A Personal Difficulty

Suffering any setback in life can result in an influx of negative emotion. While it’s easy to say that you need a positive mindset in which to cope with these issues, it’s never that straightforward in practice. Regardless of what’s happened in life, be it a personal tragedy or a string of bad luck, there appear to be a few constants that can help us keep on:

Resilience (A Skill You Can Improve On):

Throughout personal difficulties, it can feel far easier for you to bury your head in the sand. People will tell you that you need to keep going on, as life does inevitably go on. The one thing we can learn through these difficult aspects in life is some form of coping strategy. But, when resilience is brought up, it can feel like it’s a thing that either we have or we don’t. And, depending on our reaction to the problem, it can highlight what level our resilience is really at. But resilience is one of those great skills in life that we can fine tune. The way we do it is by going through difficult circumstances and, gradually, as our comfort zone increases, we develop tolerance to these situations.

Self-Care Is Important:

When we suffer a setback, a personal problem, or we’re going through a really horrible time, we can neglect self-care. But, in even the most basic of ways, self-care can do wonders for ourselves. Fueling ourselves with the right foods and staying away from toxic friendships are two things that help to nurture our body and our mind. You know what is good for you because you will either feel good or you will feel bad. But what we struggle with these days is actually tuning into this and using the knowledge to help turn the situation around.

…So Is Getting Help When Necessary:

Help is one of those things that we can either feel too proud to ask for or we think it’s a sign that we are weak. Getting help comes in many different forms. Sometimes it’s professional ones, which makes life easier after a common problem like a house fire, where services like SERVPRO help with the cleanup of a property. Help is something that can make life easier. If you’ve done all of the hard work and you need a bit of help getting back on your feet, either through professional help or by just leaning on someone a little bit more than usual, why shouldn’t you?

Regardless of the difficulty, there’s an abundance of services to help people in their hour of need. And when it becomes too much, it’s these people that we will turn to. You only have to look at organizations like The Samaritans to see that there are people out there that can’t turn to their loved ones for help, but need an impartial listener, either to vent or for someone to actually help before things get out of hand.

Tragedy Can Bring Joy:

What’s interesting to note during tragic circumstances, especially when it comes to the death of a family member, is that there is a diverse range of emotions on display. Sometimes you see the grieving partner that’s completely catatonic, but you’ll also see the other side, where there’s so much humor on display, that from an outsider looking in, it can be very perplexing! Gallows humor is one of those interesting things because it’s a wonderful coping mechanism for those people who have had pent up emotions relating to negativity for so long. When you see family members get together for a funeral, and they haven’t seen each other for a long time, it can almost seem like a reunion. And the difficult circumstances we go through in life have little glimmers of joy that we may feel on occasion are the things that will carry us through the tough times.

You always hear about someone who listened to an album ad nauseam because it helps them. And in terms of therapy, laughter is one of the greatest. And this is underselling it somewhat. Laughter is a fantastic reliever of stress. But when you get a bunch of people together in the same room that is going through a terrible time, it’s amazing how much joy and laughter can come out. And, it doesn’t detract from the situation but, rather, it adds to the emotions experienced. So turn on your favorite comedy or chat with your funniest friend and enjoy the laughter.

Difficult situations in life make us realize who we really are and what is really important. While it’s never a good thing to endure at the time, through the darkness, light can come through.

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May14

How To Avoid Running Related Injuries

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How To Avoid Running Related Injuries

From warding off depression to getting you in cardiovascular shape, exercise is amazing. Aside from the myriad of health reasons a sport like running gives you, it also offers you some much-needed alone time. Great for your mental and physical health, exercise in general is vital for improving our health and well being. But, there are times when we can expose ourselves to injury and in this blog we take a look at how runners can keep themselves safer and injury-free:

Common running injuries:

From runner’s knee to plantar fasciitis, runners can find themselves facing a host of injuries and there are several key steps that they can take to help prevent them, starting with the right shoes. Sure, you just want to throw on a pair of trainers and head out the door, but it’s essential to make sure you’re wearing the right shoes. Everyone’s a bit different and if you have a tendency to walk with a slight rolling in of the foot or a slight rolling out, then you need to have shoes that support your style.

The best thing you can do is get a gait analysis done by a professional at a running store. They’ll assess your individual style and advise you on a shoe that will support you best. So many of the more common aches and pains can be addressed with something as simple as the right footwear.

Get a check up:

Whether you’re a regular runner or you mix it up a bit, make sure that you get any aches and pains addressed. Find a sports therapy practitioner that can see you regularly and advise you on how to stay injury free.

Complement your sport:

Finally, no matter what you do for cardiovascular activity, find some complementary exercises that will support your body. Think about improving your core strength with planking or some leg weight exercises that are going to strengthen the muscles surrounding your knees to support them better. Stretch it out with some yoga or go for a swim for weightless, low impact exercise.

Give yourself some variety for greater efficiency and think about your body as a whole. When it comes to looking great, first you have to feel great, so allow exercise to give you a mental as well as a physical lift. Find some time to stretch and breathe deeply, whether you just carve out a few minutes of your day for a moment of calmness or whether you go for a more structured approach like mindfulness or meditation.

Your body and mind are unique, so stay in great shape mentally and physically and look after yourself.

Featured Image By: Pixabay

May10

Taking Care Of Yourself When You Have A Chronic Condition

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Taking Care Of Yourself When You Have A Chronic Condition

A chronic condition is one that is likely to stay with you over the long term, sometimes even for life. So, managing it is much different than getting sick with something like the flu and then recovering after a short time and getting back to your normal life. Take a look at how to deal with a chronic health condition along with some specific examples and suggestions in the post below:

General advice:

First of all, it needs to be stated that each chronic condition and the individuals that suffer from them will require different treatments that are customized to their needs. What works for one person may not work for another. That’s why we go to the doctors’ for their advice. However, there are some more general principles that can help if you find yourself in this situation.

The first is learning self-compassion. In fact, it’s vital that you can not only forgive yourself when you can’t do what everyone else around you can because of your chronic illness. Otherwise, your mental health can really suffer, as well.

Secondly, patience is crucial when you have a chronic condition because you are likely to experience times when you are in remission and times when things become worse. Of course, patience can really help you to get through the difficult times without spending all of your energy and motivation on worry and frustration.

Diabetes:

One chronic condition that is very common in the Western world is diabetes, both type 1 and type 2. What few people realize is that some doctors recommend treating type 2 diabetes with diet and lifestyle changes.

Type 1, however, is something that you are born with or develop in early life, and that means you need to get used to monitoring your own condition including regularly testing your blood with a meter that you can get from a diabetic medical supplies specialist. If your blood sugars are too high, you will need to take insulin, and if they are too low, then you may need to fuel your body with a sugary drink or snack. It’s crucial that you adhere to the advice that the practitioner in charge of your care has given you.

Depression:

Another common chronic condition is depression. In fact, it can seem as if this is a plague as so many people suffer from it. Once again, each different type of depression will need a separate type of treatment. However, there are some factors that can commonly help if you do find yourself suffering from this issue.

The first, is to take regular aerobic exercise, something that has been shown to be at least as effective as antidepressants in studies. Additionally, making changes to your diet, as well as seeking out therapy that focuses on how you relate and act on your more negative thoughts (namely CBT) can help too, especially over the long term. Something that can make depression, although a chronic condition, much more easy to manage.

Treatment will be different for everyone but use the advice above to help you take the first steps in monitoring your chronic condition.

May7

4 Alternative Ways To Feel Your Brilliant, Beautiful Best

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4 Alternative Ways To Feel Your Brilliant, Beautiful Best

It’s all too easy to fall into a bit of a slump. We’re not unhappy, far from it, but we’re not exactly walking the streets feeling our most brilliant, beautiful best. But why shouldn’t we? There are plenty of things that we have to do as adults, but it’s the fun things that we’re capable of that make life worth living. If it’s been some time since you were feeling fantastic about yourself, then take a look some of the tips that we’ve outlined below. You’ll be walking on cloud nine and find that you’re all-around able to better handle the humdrum aspects of everyday life:

Get Dressed Up:

There are few things better than getting dressed up and heading to the city for a night out. Alas, we only ever really do this when we’re celebrating a special occasion, at which point it’s not really something that we want to do, but something that we need to do. It’s much more fun and enjoyable to get dressed up and go out into the town for no other reason than that we want to live life to the fullest. So the next time you have a free weekend, hit the stores, get a new outfit, and go out to enjoy all the possibilities of an evening out.

Attend a Shoot:

We don’t get as many opportunities to really show off the sensual side of our personality. As such, it can feel like it’s forever just lying under the surface, just waiting to get out. So why not let it out? A boudoir photo shoot is a fantastic way to express yourself and always leads to an increase in confidence (just wait till you see how good you look). Book a photo shoot here and let your inner and outer beauty shine through. You’ll be walking high with confidence afterward!

Listen to Music:

There are some tracks that just make us feel good. Indeed, this is one of the fun things about music: it transports us, briefly, to another world, and allows us to explore sides of ourselves that are sometimes left dormant for too long. If you want to feel great about yourself, then there are few better ways than heading out to dance for the night. People can get put off by super clubs and the like (and understandably so), but there are plenty of more niche, focused dance halls in your area, too. Grab some friends and dance the night away.

Hit the Spa:

Our bodies take a bit of a beating as we go through life. Sometimes, the weariness begins to feel normal, but it’s not! It’s only after you hit the spa or do a spot of yoga, that you realize that your body can feel oh so much better. Treat your body well, and you’ll be comfortable, relaxed, and just as you were supposed to be.

Whatever you end up doing, make sure you do it with confidence and a smile on your face!

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Apr25

Simple Techniques For Improving Your Mindset

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Simple Techniques For Improving Your Mindset

Whether it’s trying to find success in your business, get a promotion at work, or improve your relationship, one of the most important aspects to changing anything in a positive way is by improving your mindset. But, this is not always as easy as it sounds because most people have been conditioned to have a negative mindset, so it’s something that will take daily work on a consistent basis and a lot of the same stuff over and over to finally change.

However, it’s completely worth it, and one of the best things you’ll ever do for yourself. In this post, we’re going to share with you some simple techniques for improving your mindset:

Journal:

When most people think of journaling, they think of teenage girls writing in their diary about their latest crush at school. But, true journaling is nothing like this at all, and can be one of the most effective ways to really create change in your life. The great thing about journaling, is that there isn’t just one way of doing it. So, if you’re thinking that you don’t know how to journal properly, then there really is no proper way – it’s simply about writing down the things you feel and even the things you’d like to believe about your life until you actually start to believe them. Journaling can be a very healing thing, so if you’re looking to improve your mindset, then this is something you should try.

Upgrade your circle:

It’s been said that you become the average of the five people who you spend the most time with, and if you look at most people, you’ll see that this is true. While this certainly doesn’t mean that you should go cutting family and friends out of your life, it just means that you should be careful of the company you keep, because their mindset will become yours and if you’re constantly around people who are complaining, who seem to be constant victims, and never move forward in life, then don’t be too surprised when the same things become true for you.

Feed your mind:

Improving your mindset takes work and it’s work that needs to be done consistently. It is important to make sure that you’re feeding your mind with positivity and things you want to be surrounded with instead of getting sucked into negativity and drama – especially on places like social media where you only see negative things. Follow people and read things that inspire and lift you up instead of making you feel like everything is rubbish all of the time.

Avoid the media:

The mainstream media today is one of the biggest sources of negativity in the world, so if you really want to improve your mindset, then this is something to be avoided. This doesn’t mean to bury your head in the sand and pretend like bad stuff doesn’t happen. But, instead of listening to everything bad that’s happening, look for the good that happens, because there’s plenty of it, it just doesn’t make for good headlines or news reports.

Improving your mindset will improve all aspects of your life, so get started on changing yours today!

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Apr6

Detoxifying Your Lifestyle

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Detoxifying Your Lifestyle

They say we should treat our body like a temple, but many of us are very good at ignoring that advice. In fact, some of us behave more like our bodies are toxic dumping grounds and completely forget that the things we consume actually have a significant effect on our health and well being. Luckily, if we know what is good and bad for our body, we can make much more educated and healthy decisions. A topic you can read more about in the post below:

Liquids:

There are some things that are good to drink and some that aren’t so great for you. Of course, water is essential, as staying hydrated can not only help you be more mentally alert but can help your body function better all the way down to the molecular level! Be careful, though, because you can have too much of a good thing. In fact, if you go over your recommended daily water amount it can actually make you quite ill.

There are some drinks that you should try to stay away from, as well, or at least minimize your consumption of, due to their toxic nature. These include alcohol, sugary soft drinks, and even caffeinated beverages. You don’t have to give them up entirely if you don’t want to, but they all can have a dehydrating effect. Sugar and caffeine can also cause an increase in anxiety, while too much alcohol is not only bad for the liver but can seriously impair your judgment.

Products:

I know you’re expecting the next section to be all about things you should not eat because they are toxic, but before we get to that, we want to talk about the lesser known issue of products that we use that can have an adverse effect on our health. In particular, makeup, perfume, and cosmetics need mentioning here, because they are nearly always applied directly to the skin and so are easily absorbed by the body. What that means, is that if there is anything nasty in them, it will end up in you!

In fact, recently, there has been a move towards more natural and healthy products in the cosmetic and toiletries industry including non toxic perfume and paraben free toiletries. Using beauty products that are better for you has never been easier.

Food:

Finally, when it comes to food, there are plenty of things that can be toxic if you consume them. However, apart from the basic poisonous plants and berries, there are also other things that you need to watch out for. These include sugar which, while we love the taste is beginning to be thought of like a narcotic style substance that can cause many problems when ingested.

It’s also wise to be mindful of the containers you store your foods in, as some can leach out plastic molecules, which we then end up ingesting. This is something that can lead to a toxic buildup in our system and contribute to all sorts of health problems!

Treating your body as a temple includes being mindful of what you’re putting in it, so use the tips above to detoxify your lifestyle today!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Mar22

Taking Care Of Number 1 (4 Tactics For Looking After Your Own Health)

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Taking Care Of Number 1 (4 Tactics For Looking After Your Own Health)

While looking after others is an enviable quality, our own health needs to take priority. If you don’t put on your own oxygen mask first, you can’t help anyone else. Of course, it can be tough to put ourselves first especially if we aren’t used to it, but to help you we have put together the guide below:

Watch your diet:

They say that we are what we eat, and that is for the most part true. Two meals can be identical in energy but be very different when it comes to all of the other things they contain including the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that we need to stay healthy in the long term. It is well worth investing some time in learning about how to feed your body correctly. With so many diets being lorded as the right way to eat, this can be somewhat confusing. So, a holistic approach to food with a high nutritional content like the one discussed at https://www.mindbodygreen.com/ may be the best choice, if health, well being, and longevity are your ultimate goals.

health

Yum!

Rest time is not a luxury:

We often judge how successful our days are by how busy we have been and what we have achieved. However, it is also important to bear in mind that rest is just as essential as working, exercising, and spending time with our families.

Sadly, in modern life, we can see rest as something to do when we have no better options, and it is often solely relegated to sleep. However, both the body and the mind need rest regularly to thrive, and that is why we need to schedule in regular downtime, as well as build up a good sleep schedule if we want to be as healthy as possible.

Get treatment when you need it:

Next, when taking care of our own health, it is vital that we seek out treatment when it is necessary. In fact, most, if not all conditions will get worse the longer they are left, and many can transform from being an issue that causes a minor discomfort to a chronic and even life-threatening condition.

The cost of seeking treatment is what often puts people off or leads them to wait for as long as possible until they find help. If the problem you are suffering with is a result of an accident, using a professional team like https://thehadleylawfirm.com/ to claim for compensation can help you pay your medical bills. This will make getting the right treatment and looking after your health much easier.

Mind and body make a whole:

Lastly, remember that health isn’t just about how your physical body is doing, it’s also about your emotional and psychological well being. What this means, is you need to take just as good care of your emotions as you do your body. In fact, when it comes to taking care of number 1, caring for psychological health is crucial.

Taking care of yourself in the way that your body needs will reflect positively in all aspects of your life so make sure you look out for number one today!

 

Mar19

What The Sbux?

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What The Sbux?

Hiii everyone! Before my surgery, I was all about getting iced coffee from Starbucks. A venti iced coffee with cream and vanilla would be my treat on Monday morning to begin my work week. So, before things went screwy and I was still working, I ordered my usual and went off to a client’s house.

During that visit, I was drinking my coffee (without a straw, a-thank-you) and all of a sudden, my mouth began bleeding profusely. I ran to the bathroom and spent five minutes spitting blood into the sink until I realized that I probably needed gauze. I acquired some and once I thought that it was safe to remove, my mouth began bleeding like a faucet again.

After that fateful incident, I was turned off from coffee and began a green tea kick. But, now, I have grown weary of all green tea everything and am ready to try something new. So, my question for everyone is what do they get from Starbucks? I tried my iced coffee order last week when I was working and it was just not as good as I remember it being. I would prefer something that’s calorie friendly with some coffee in it but not an extreme coffee taste.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!! ❤

What is your Starbucks order? Are you a coffee or tea drinker or both? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar14

Making Your Life That Little Bit Better

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Making Your Life That Little Bit Better

There’s always room for improvement in life. So, if you’ve decided that you want to be that little bit happier each time you wake up in the morning, now is a better time to start than ever! Leading a better quality life is more fulfilling and will leave you feeling more content. You will be able to enjoy your life to the utmost and minor problems won’t seem all that bad. So, what can you do to improve your quality of life? Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling:

Wave Goodbye to Unhealthy Habits:

We tend to get entangled with unhealthy habits, as we find engaging with them enjoyable or pleasurable in the first place. We get some sort of immediate benefit from unhealthy substances and continue to engage with them as a result. But over time, they can prove significantly detrimental to our overall health and well being. The good news, is that there are ways to kick unhealthy habits. You can:

  • Quit smoking with nicotine replacement products.
  • Combat excessive alcohol consumption with men’s sober living.
  • Tackle obesity with a balanced diet and exercise regime.

These are just a few examples derived from common bad habits that people have. But, whatever your unhealthy habit may be, it’s time to wave goodbye to it!

Assume the Best in Others:

Many of us spend time ruminating on others’ wrongdoings and negative experiences that we have had with other people in the past. Betrayal, deception, and other harsh acts can make us skeptical of others and their intentions. This, in a way, can help us. We are less likely to be caught off guard or hurt. But, at the same time, we can find ourselves cutting off potentially positive relationships because we assume the worst in someone who has given us no reason to doubt them. So, start assuming the best of others. It will open you up to better and more rewarding relationships and provide you with a more positive mindset.

Pick Up a New Hobby:

So many of us waste hours on end scrolling through social media feeds and yearning for the fun filled lifestyles that others seem to be leading. But, this is counterproductive. Instead, why not get out there and actively engage with something that you genuinely enjoy? You could put your spare time to much better use. Pick up a hobby. Choose something that appeals to you. Common hobbies include:

Not only can having a hobby provide you with something stimulating and rewarding to do, but it can expand your social circles, putting you in touch with others who have similar interests to you.

These steps may seem relatively basic. But, it’s definitely worth putting a reminder out there. Following the above advice could help you to live your life to the utmost and wake up with a smile on your face!

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Feb28

Introduce These Basic Ideas To Help Your Health

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Introduce These Basic Ideas To Help Your Health

We all want to have better health, but we don’t all have the time to commit to the many programs and plans that come up when we look on Google for help. Another problem with these ideas, is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach out there, because we are all different and experiencing different things.

Someone who has struggled with weight might need to address underlying mental health problems, while another person who has got caught up in drug addiction will need therapies that use things like methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone to help them get back on track. And that is all important to remember whenever someone promises you a quick fix guide. What we are going to look at is the basics.  Health is a spider web and you could be on any strand. But, every web has to start somewhere and that is what we are going to look at:

Exercise:

The big E-word. It can strike fear into some people while lighting a fire under others. For a basic idea instead of a quick fix, we are going to turn to medical science for help rather than the million YouTube videos of a guy in a gym making false promises. The Mayo Clinic recommends that we should all get a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise and three days of strength training per week. That means with a little over three hours worth of working out, you can be doing what you need to do for a healthier lifestyle.

What do they mean by these terms? Well, aerobic exercise refers to the type of workout that gets your cardiovascular muscles working such as running, swimming, cycling, and even brisk walking. Strength training looks to use resistance to improve your skeletal muscles with exercises such as push-ups, squats, and lunges. So there is plenty of wiggle room for you to create a routine that suits your needs and nothing that asks you to start lifting weights like an Olympian.

basic1

Photo by geralt from Pixabay

Diet:

Another area of life that we all struggle with is a healthy diet. It can be quite cruel to tell someone who is having difficulties with their weight about a fad that will help them meet all their aims, partly because they are either short term fixes or just not going to work. No, instead you should focus on getting a balanced diet of the six nutritional food groups that your body needs to operate. These are:

  • Carbohydrates
  • Proteins
  • Fats
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Water

There is a good chance that at some point someone has told you to cut out one of these or increase another. But, the truth is, that your body needs them all in a balanced way to ensure that you are getting the energy and immune system support you need. Once again, this should provide you with the base of an idea to build your own diet from so that you are in control of what you are doing.

While it is easy to turn to Google to find all of the answers to your questions, it is always best to speak with a medical professional to get the help that you might need to start improving your health today.

Featured Image By: geralt from Pixabay