Tag Archives: healthy

Feeling Off? 4 Simple Steps To Getting Back On Track

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Feeling Off? 4 Simple Steps To Getting Back On Track

It happens to most of us, doesn’t it? Whether it’s due to stress at work, home, or something of our own accord that has skidded down a slippery slope, we have all had a wobble with our overall well being at one time or another. And, if you have been lucky to have not hit a sticky patch in your life so far, you’ve probably been close to someone who has to some degree.

It’s not the greatest feeling in the world, as we know, and it’s not the easiest place to escape from. Even if you’re at a stage where you’re struggling to overcome the obstacle in your life, and others are telling you that it’s much simpler than you think, it’s understandable that you still can’t quite crack the code. Something so very annoying and confusing can be unlocked, however, but things like this take time, and the solution won’t arrive straight away. Here are a few simple things to think about when trying to improve your overall health:

Make A Plan:

It doesn’t have to be the most complex of plans. It can be a simple as a weekly routine that could keep you organized so that you know what to do at certain times. For example, if you’re looking to clear up your eating habits, you can jot down a certain rigid time that you’ll eat every day. Keeping a scheduled routine can help you to worry less and also feel as though you’re heading on the right track to achieving your goal.

Getting Back On Track And Staying There:

We’ve talked about the idea of realization and preparation, and now it’s time to act on what you’ve been preparing for. Taking that concrete step into the world of a new diet, mindset, or into a stage of recovery may seem scary, but it’s more comfortable than you think. It could merely be a change in calories or as big a move as biting the bullet and getting help from drug and alcohol rehab centers. This step could take you into your new life and, when looking back, you might see it as the pivotal moment when things began to improve.

Nutrition:

Food! Getting the correct food into the body won’t just help you physically reach the stage you want, it’ll help you out mentally. Having knowledge of nutrition in your life can save you. It doesn’t have to be a strict routine of every health food known to man – you can have a cheat day once a week to keep moral nice and high!

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 That salad looks so good!

Getting Enough Exercise:

Exercise is often played up as the ultimate killer of mental health problems – while that’s not entirely true, it’s still a significant factor in tackling some of the issues and creating overall happiness. It’s, of course, also very beneficial to your body and, if you want to keep that ticker going for as long as you can, getting the blood pumping from even the most moderate of walks around the block can help.

The post New Year’s Resolution funk or a current rough patch can make us feel tired and just downright blah. Use the tips above to help get yourself back on track!

 Featured Image By: Unsplash

Progress!

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Progress!

Hi! These past few months have been a whirlwind. December and a portion of January was spent recovering from surgery. While the rest of January and this month have been spent playing catch up from all of the missed time from work. I’ve been very busy going from client to client, maintaining the blog, and still working in time for skating lessons when I can. And, I’ve got to say, I’m feeling awesome!

Even though the recovery from my surgery gone wrong was a great big bitch, a lot of progress was made for my health unintentionally. For example, I quit smoking. I also quit drinking pop and my coffee intake has been very limited, too. Did I want to do any of this? Absolutely not. But, with so many open wounds in my mouth, smoking was impossible. And coffee and pop just didn’t sit well in my stomach once I was able to drink anything comfortably. There was a time when I even considered being a part of a coffee club so I could get coffee delivered regularly, but now it just wouldn’t be worth it with my current state, oh well.

Everyone knows that I am (or was) a Diet Coke fiend and I would never say no to a hot cup of coffee or a trip to Starbucks if I was asked. But, shockingly, I am very okay with these changes, because I have been too busy sipping on the tea to notice. Yes, I have become addicted to green tea and I love it so much that I’m okay with replacing one addiction with another!

During surgery recovery, tea always made me feel a little better. It was refreshing, mild on my stomach, and it put a minuscule pep in my step. And, now, tea makes me feel AWESOME. It energizes me, tastes delicious, and it makes me feel light without the heaviness of a caffeine crash from drinking coffee.

Although the changes above were far from intentional, I’m proud of that progress. Without my horrible oral surgery, I don’t think I would have ever bothered to quit smoking or drinking pop and for that I am thankful. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t have a cigarette or two while I’m drinking. And, I’d definitely be a liar if I said that I didn’t enjoy a Baja Blast when I hit up Taco Bell. But, these every once in a while occasions are much better than every day habits and I can live with that!

Who else has made some good progress lately? Who has been keeping up with their New Year’s Resolutions? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

How To Make Supplements A Regular Part Of Your Diet

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How To Make Supplements A Regular Part Of Your Diet

Dietary supplements are an important part of a modern day, healthy lifestyle. As eating habits change, they bridge the gap between the body and its deficiencies. Plus, they help people work out harder for longer and that leads to a decrease in stress, cholesterol, and blood pressure. There is no doubt supplements are important, but taking them regularly is tough. Not only are they easy to forget, but some of them can be pretty disgusting. Anyone who has tried any oil based supplements will understand!

With that in mind, here are a few tips on making supplements a regular part of your diet easier:

Pop Them With Food:

A routine is the best way to take supplements regularly as it acts as a trigger. As soon as the clock strikes a certain time, for example, you open the drawer, place the pill on your tongue, and swallow. Sometimes, time flies by so clocking when to gulp down cod liver fish tablets isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. A basic solution is to take them with food. Seeing as the average person eats three times a day, it means you’ll have three opportunities to add nutrients to your system.

Add Them To Smoothies:

Because of the taste, you may not want to take them straight. Thankfully, smoothies are on hand to help mask the flavor so that they go down easily. You can add something like CBD oil to any drink, but a smoothie works well because it’s a mix of ingredients. If the supplement comes in pill form, the blending part of the prep will merge it with the rest of the drink. Just make sure to give it a good stir before drinking it to stop it from settling at the bottom. It won’t get rid of the taste altogether, but this trick should help.

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Make Supplement Recipes:

Another problem is the monotony. Routines are good to a point, yet people often get stir crazy. The last thing you want to do is to make a smoothie as you’ve done for the last couple of weeks; it feels like Groundhog Day. There are ways to incorporate supplements into tasty treats to spice things up a little. This beta hydroxybutyrate gummy bear recipe is perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. Okay, it doesn’t contain refined sugars but it will still hit the spot. There are also popsicles!

Take Them In The Morning:

If you pop a supplement in the morning, you’ll be set for the rest of the day. Sure, doing them several times a day is helpful but it isn’t a must. Depending on the type of health products you’re using, you may only need to take them once anyway. By doing it in the morning, you can get the process out of the way and begin to enjoy the benefits of them sooner. This is an especially good idea if you are taking a supplement like Endo-met Labs Megapan to help boost your metabolism. A morning dose can provide a welcome energy enhancement to perk you up and set a positive trajectory for the day.

Hopefully, these tips will help you to succeed and live a healthier lifestyle!

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Don’t Let Your Disability Define Your Life

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Don’t Let Your Disability Define Your Life

Disability is something that has been defining people for years and years. There’s, sadly, still so much bullying and hate that we just can’t stand to think of. Because those with disabilities deserve support the most. Not support to live their lives, but support to help them believe they can live their lives on their own, without carrying around that label of having a disability. If carrying around a label is something you feel like you’ve been doing all your life, it’s time to rip it clean off. There are so many things you can do with your life, and so many things your mind can think if you don’t let your disability define you. Some of which, we want to talk about today. It’s the perfect time to think about how the rest of this year is going to be totally different. Have a read on to find out more:

The Mindset Of Other People:

This is a really important one that we wanted to start with, because we think that more often than not it’s the mindset of other people rather than yourself that’s holding you back. And, thankfully, we will say that there is now such a better understanding of the different disabilities out there, how they can affect the life of that person, and how they deserve to be treated. At the end of the day, even though our body’s or minds might be a little different, we still crave those basic human needs of love, affection, and normality. What we’re trying to say here is, if you ever come across someone who you know is being a bit awkward and standoffish because of your disability, simply try and educate them. Don’t be afraid to talk about your condition and express that you’re no different to anyone else in the things that you want out of life. If this doesn’t work, just walk away. You really don’t need negative people like that in your life, and you should gravitate as much as you can towards the people who are positive to you.

The Things You Think Will Hold You Back:

Finances are something that is talked about a lot in life and, disability or not, everyone goes through a struggle at some point. If you ever feel like you are in a rut with money, don’t be afraid to look at loans for people on disability with bad credit. It’s a quick way of getting that pick me up that you need, without having to worry about being rejected. We will promote safe lending and encourage you to always make sure that you’re only borrowing what you can, so that you don’t find yourself in more financial trouble further down the line.

The Life You Need To Think About Living:

The life you need to think about living is a free one. It’s a life where you’re out with your friends or family, making the best experiences for you to look back on when you get older. Don’t be that person who is always staying in on the weekend, because before you know it a whole life is passing you by. Going out for food or drinks, swimming, walking, going to the cinema… there is a world of things out there for you to do, you just need to have the motivation to go and do it. You might feel limited in what you can do compared to your other friends, but if they’re true friends they’ll be the ones encouraging you to do it. Surround yourself with the right people who are going to enrich your life. If you feel like you don’t have the right people in your life, it might be time to join a new crowd. Participate in clubs, do things you don’t usually do, and you’ll soon start to feel your mood lifting completely.

We know the world is changing so quickly and so is the views of disability, but let’s change how you view your world and its surroundings, too!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Using Keystone Habits To Build A Healthier Daily Routine

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Using Keystone Habits To Build A Healthier Daily Routine

We all have habits that we carry out every day. Some habits are healthy, such as going to bed early and drinking a lot of water. Other habits are not so healthy, e.g. smoking and snoozing the morning alarm ten times. The healthier habits we have, the better our day usually goes. Overall, this can add up to a much more productive, satisfying life. Those with healthy habits tend to achieve more, enjoy life more, and feel their best. Wouldn’t you like to be one of those people?

In this post, we’re going to focus on keystone habits. What’s a keystone habit? A keystone habit is a habit that can impact how you act the rest of the time. They are the habits that can spark chain reactions. If you’re still confused as to what this is exactly, we’re going to go through a few great keystone habits to pick up:

Making Your Bed In The Morning:

Making your bed in the morning takes mere seconds, but it’s a habit that can spark more productivity and a sense of achievement for the rest of the day. People who make their bed without fail get that sense of having completed something great before really getting the day started, and this can have a fantastic impact on mental attitudes.

Drinking A Pint Of Water Before Anything Else:

Drinking a pint of water rehydrates the body after a long sleep, flushes out toxins, and keeps us energized. Doing this before you have your daily coffee will get you off to a great start, and you’ll likely drink more water throughout the day as a result.

Exercising Earlier On In The Day:

This isn’t an essential keystone habit – some people prefer to exercise later on, and that’s fine. However, many people report feeling absolutely unstoppable after a morning workout and, of course, this can directly impact how much a person gets done during the rest of the day.

Journaling:

Journaling can free the mind from wandering and annoying thoughts. It can help you to spot patterns and come up with solutions. It can even help you to reduce your stress levels and increase your productivity! Journaling is a great way to cope with difficult times, too, so if you know you’re going to be heading somewhere like the radiation oncology department, journaling beforehand can help you to deal with your feelings and get into a more positive mindset.

Meditation:

Meditation is said to reduce stress and depression as well as improve sleep and creativity. Even just 5 minutes per day is better than nothing at all.

A Morning Routine That You Enjoy:

Getting up and starting the day with a total morning routine that you enjoy could give you a headstart on the day. For instance:

  • Brush your teeth and wash your face
  • Make your bed
  • Drink a pint of water
  • Read a chapter of a book with a coffee or tea
  • Work out
  • Eat a healthy breakfast
  • Shower and get ready for the day

Doing all of the above in succession will literally make you feel unstoppable and you’re far more likely to have a better day because of it! How will you use keystone habits to build a better daily routine?

Featured Image By: Pexels

The Surprising Side Effects Of Stress To Your Body

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The Surprising Side Effects Of Stress To Your Body

None of us are immune to stress. Problems with the boss. Issues within our families. Financial worries. These are just some of the factors that bring about the side-effects of stress. And when we say ‘side-effects,’ some of them will be of little surprise to you. Headaches, feelings of depression, and bodily aches and pains are some of the common symptoms of stress many of us experience.

However, there are other more surprising side-effects that stress causes to our bodies. You probably have experienced these before, and while you may not have attributed them to stress previously, you might after reading this article:

Skin Issues:

When stressed, your body produces more cortisol, and that can cause your skin to become oily and sensitive. As a result, you might notice a break out of acne, blisters, and eczema around your body. Psoriasis symptoms, Inspire have suggested, can also occur, and you might also have signs of vitiligo (white patches around your skin). While reducing your level of stress will alleviate these conditions, you should still see your doctor if they persist.

Tooth Pain:

Toothache is intolerable, and it is usually brought about by some of our worst bad habits, such as not brushing regularly and unhealthy eating. However, it can also be brought about by stress, as we are more prone to clenching and grinding our teeth in both our sleeping and waking hours. We might also experience jaw ache. The problem can be alleviated in the short-term with a mouth guard, but in the long-term, finding ways to cope with the stress we feel is crucial to prevent damage to our teeth. Not only will we stop clenching and grinding our teeth, but we might also be less prone to reaching out for those sugary items we use as comfort foods.

A Lower Immune System:

Stress produces the hormone corticosteroid, and that can suppress the effectiveness of your immune system. As a result, you will become more prone to colds and other viruses. So, if your boss has been wondering why you have been taking a lot of sick days recently, the fault may lie with him/her if they have been stressing you out at work. You can boost your immune system with stress-relievers, such as sleep, exercise, and healthy eating. You might also want to have a word with your boss about your workload if that has been a contributing factor.

Cold Hands & Feet:

Don’t turn up the heating just yet! Stress can cause you to experience cold hands and feet, no matter the warmth of your home. This is caused by the ‘fight or flight’ response that is activated by stress, which can bring about physiological changes to your body, such as the redirection of your blood flow. You can find out more here. So, if you have the heating on full, and are sitting with multiple pairs of gloves and socks on and still can’t get your hands and feet warm, then stress might be the reason for the problem. See your doctor for advice – there might be other reasons for cold hands and feet – but if you know you are stressed, look for ways to relax and calm your body too.

Stress manifests itself in many different ways. Have you ever experienced any of the above?

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How Do You Take Care Of Childhood Or Unexpected Skin Damage?

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How Do You Take Care Of Childhood Or Unexpected Skin Damage?

If you had any kind of serious skin condition growing up, it could continue to affect you in your adult life. For example, if you grew up with eczema that was quite bad, skin scarring is normal. You could have patches of skin that have darker or lighter pigment. You might also have little dents and dips in your skin, especially on the face since that’s where a lot of soft skin tissue is. Or you could have dry patches of skin that somehow never really seem to heal fully. They feel coarse and rugged as you graze your hands over them, despite not scratching or having a condition in that spot for a long time. So how can one repair skin damage of different kinds to get back to your normal color and healthy bounce? Find out below:

The thicker the better:

Stop using store-bought creams if you can. They often have acids and harmful chemicals in them to make them more broad in terms of use. It’s far better to speak to a doctor that can give you advice for every day emollients that come in ointment form. Emollients are purposefully designed to sink into the skin layers and retain moisture. That’s where the issue is in dry skin. Because it cannot retain moisture it cannot properly heal, so the pigment doesn’t change and the skin feels very coarse. Ointment is a lot thicker and sinks into the skin deeper than cream can. The trouble is, that it takes time for this to happen, so go easy on the amount you use and spread it around evenly.

An unexpected burn:

Our skin is incredible and the largest organ on the body. However, even though we can walk away from horrific accidents, our skin may not be aesthetically pleasing. The body doesn’t care about looks and it just wants to survive and heal as best as it can. If you have been unexpectedly involved in an accident of some kind be it in a car accident or a machinery accident at work, you should let NBA Law Firm handle your legal case. They have many different kinds of legal case experience. It’s not just your typical personal injury claims they deal with, but burn victims too. They recognize that burns can be both emotionally and physically traumatic and can get you compensation, which can then be used for surgery that can help your burned skin. But, for everyday maintenance, you should be using sensitive skin creams and doctor-prescribed topical steroid creams. These will prevent cracks from occurring in already damaged skin and protect you from the sun’s rays.

Skin damage can occur when we’re little and unless we take action to heal up by ourselves, our bodies may never make that final push. Speak to your dermatologist today and see what can be done to help your skin heal.

Boosting Your Health & Well-Being In 2019

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Boosting Your Health & Well-Being In 2019

It’s a new year, so it’s time for a new you, and this means looking at how you can improve your health and look after yourself better. There are a lot of things that you can do to achieve this, and it is important to get this right as much as you can. Think about how your health and fitness plays a role in your every day life, and what you can do to make improvements. Here are some ideas that will help you to boost your health this year:

Exercise is Key:

It is vital that you get out and about and be sure that you are focused on exercise as much as possible. You have a lot to keep in mind when it comes to improving your well-being, and this is something that plays a big part in the process. Make sure you think carefully about the different things that you can do to keep fit. Getting out and staying active as best as you can is going to be really important in helping to keep you in shape and improve the way you do things.

Self-Care Matters:

There are a lot of elements of your health and well-being that are important, and one of the biggest is self-care. There are so many things that play a massive part in the process, and this is something that you can always get right. The balance of mind and body through self-care is one of the best things that you can do in your day to day life. Make sure you are looking after yourself and watch as your mood improves for the better drastically.

Improve Your Mental Health:

Your mental health can positively or negatively affect your life and it is up to you to determine how it does. Seeing experts like Cynthia Telles Kaiser can be helpful if you are having problems that you need to talk through and so can improving your self care routines as previously discussed.

Get More Rest:

Resting is a great way to rejuvenate your body and mind, and help you to operate at the best level that you can. We all need our rest, and you must never underestimate how much of an impact this sort of thing can have on your health. Catch some Z’s and get yourself feeling well rested and ready to take on the day.

Being in the best shape you can possibly be in, both physically and mentally makes the hassles of your daily life seem a lot easier. Take control of how you feel in 2019 and be amazed at how your new world opens up to you.

The Science Of Sleep: How To Get More Quality Shut-Eye

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The Science Of Sleep: How To Get More Quality Shut-Eye

Imagine regularly engaging in an activity that stops your brain from processing and filing away your days’ experiences. That negatively affects your memory and stress levels and robs your body of much-needed energy. That literally stops your body from repairing itself. Well, science has shown that this is precisely what you are doing if you are denying your body enough sleep. Read on to find out more:

Shift work:

Traditionally, those working in a shift pattern rather than the traditional 9-5 or 8-6, as is more common these days, have had trouble regulating their sleep patterns and getting enough to optimize their health. Of course, with the disadvantage mentioned above, this can be something that can significantly affect both their physical and mental well being and so steps need to be taken to rectify this.

One method that can be helpful, is to identify your own personal sleep rhythm and find work that best fits around this. For example, those that wake naturally later in the day and are often up past midnight may suit working the late shift much better than someone that thrives on being up at the crack of dawn.

Noise disturbance:

Something else that can cause you to get too little sleep is noise disturbance. In fact, there is a significant number of people whose sleep is disturbed by factors, such as traffic, noisy pipes, and even a partner that snores. Each issue needs to be dealt with individually but, the good news, is that there are things that you can do to help.

For instance, those plagued by traffic noise may choose to have their windows triple insulated against the sound or wear earplugs at night. While those kept awake by a partners’ snorting can research into the latest practices such as how fotona laser can treat snoring and will minimize any issue of disturbance. Something that will be a great relief to anyone whose quality of sleep is affected by this issue.

Methods of opening obstructed airways, can not only provide relief to the person kept awake by the snoring but can also make it easier to breathe during the night for the person having the treatment, too. Therefore, allowing them to get a much better and more refreshing night’s sleep as well.

Sleep hygiene:

Lastly, when it comes to the science of sleep, what researchers have recently found is there are all sorts of things that can interfere with your ability to drift naturally off to sleep and stay asleep for the required amount of time. Many of these issues arise from over stimulation of the brain, either from caffeine, sugar, light, and particularly blue light. To that end, many specialists are now recommending a return to a more traditional routine before bed know as sleep hygiene.

This routine cuts out too many stimulating factors and naturally allows our bodies and, most importantly, our minds to relax, decompress, and prepare for sleep in the right manner. Something that has been proven to have a positive effect on both nodding off, and staying asleep for the right amount of time to promote optimum well being.

 

What’s Stopping You From Living Healthily?

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What’s Stopping You From Living Healthily?

The vast majority of people have health problems to some extent. It’s a part of life that we’ll become unwell and injure ourselves from time to time, but the real issues start when health issues become a big part of our daily lives. If you’ve been struggling with your physical and psychological well being for a long time, then it might be time to start making an improvement to your life. What’s stopping you from living healthily? That’s the question you need to answer. Let’s talk through some potential reasons as to why you’re struggling to live well:

A lack of physical activity:

Many people struggle to live healthily because they don’t move enough. You don’t have to become a fitness fanatic to stay physically healthy; you just need to find a way to work out your body today. Maybe you find it boring to run on a treadmill for 20 minutes. Why not run around your local park for 20 minutes, instead? That’d be a little more scenic. Or maybe you find jogging boring. Well, you could take up dance classes or join a sports club. There are so many ways to get your body moving. The important thing, is that you find something you enjoy. Find a form of cardiovascular activity and strength training that works in your daily routine.

Of course, you might be deterred from exercising because it’s been unenjoyable in the past. Maybe you’ve pushed yourself too hard at the gym and hurt yourself. An injury can definitely discourage somebody from wanting to exercise in the future. But it’s important to gradually move past that incident because injuries are most often caused by things outside of your control or a lack of experience. You might want to get help from personal injury attorneys if you’ve hurt yourself at home or the gym. Getting some closure on the incident might help you to ease back into regular physical activity.

Inconsistent eating habits:

This is something that stops many people from living healthily. Overeating is unhealthy, but fluctuating between an excessive and restrictive diet is even more damaging to your body and mind. Lots of people think that dieting is all about cutting back on food, but the goal is to cut back on unhealthy food. Otherwise, you’ll deny yourself the nutrition you need and end up craving the junk food you’re missing. You need to develop a consistent diet if you want to live healthily in the long-term, and the key to that is filling your meals with food that gives you the sustenance you need. In turn, you won’t crave the junk food you’ve cut out.

Sleep deprivation:

Sleep deprivation is something that stops many people from living healthily. You might be eating well and exercising regularly but failing to see the results you want because you’re not getting enough rest. Perhaps you think sleep deprivation only affects your energy levels and concentration, but it can also slow your metabolism and muscle repair. So, your waistline might suffer as a result. You need to improve your sleep routine if you want to improve your overall health. Make sure you get 8 hours of sleep every night. Go to bed earlier if you have to. Maybe you need to get up at 7am to get ready for work every day. If that’s the case then you shouldn’t be going to bed past midnight. Make your well being a priority.

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Hit the hay!

With New Year’s resolutions right around the corner, use these tips to help you get and stay in shape.

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