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Healthier Lifestyle Tips

It’s Time To Address Your Health; Let’s Do It Together!

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Are you looking for ways to improve your health? If so, this post has got you covered!

Of course, there are going to be moments whereby you need medical intervention, whether this is testosterone therapy, surgery for sore joints, or something else. However, for the most, a balanced diet and some good exercise is the recipe.

So, what are some of the most beneficial options?

Try salsa

Salsa classes can and will help you get fitter. Attending classes in salsa will dramatically improve the fitness of your body as well as your mind’s wellbeing in a relatively short time, simply because it’s an enjoyable yet rigorous form of exercise. 

Salsa is renowned for its Latin flair, quick beats, and even quicker steps – it’s a style of dance that really gets the body moving and the heart pumping. Learning to dance at salsa classes has all-around beneficial health-related improvements, helping to keep your body in tip-top shape. For starters, bone and joint health are improved significantly, thanks to all the movement you’re doing while dancing salsa. The joints are kept well-lubricated and flexible with all those steps and arm maneuvers, so you don’t have to worry about them getting stiff as time goes by. Its effects can go even deeper by preventing and helping treat osteoporosis – a condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile – for both men and women. 

The next thing that salsa dancing excels at is helping you to keep your weight down to a healthy level. Dance exercises generally allow your body to burn all those calories away due to the constant circulation and movement, so you don’t have to close your eyes in fear the next time you step on the weighing scales. And for salsa, in particular, it’s estimated that this form of dancing actually burns away anything from five to ten calories per minute depending on the speed and intensity of the dance itself. With salsa, an intensive exercise workout is something you can guarantee. 

CrossFit bumper plate exercises

CrossFit bumper plates are identical to those used by Olympic weightlifters for training and competitions. This makes these plates suitable for activities beyond the usual curls and presses of traditional strength and conditioning exercises. You might be surprised at just how much you can do with them, though. 

When fitted to a good barbell your bumper plates can be used, obviously, for overhead lifts, but can also help you to work on your legs. Deadlifts and squats are easy to do with a barbell and plates, and these exercises are wonderful for toning your calves, glutes, quads, and hamstrings. When using weights, your squats can also work towards strengthening your core and shoulders. Smaller bumper weights, such as 10 and 25lbs, can be used in ab workouts, too. If you remove the bumper from your barbell, it can be used for Russian twists and rollbacks to keep your core tight. 

If you want fewer run-of-the-mill exercises to work on your arms, you could scrap the fancy gym equipment and use the plates for reverse triceps extensions and reverse wood chops. These bumper exercises can help you get toned and fit when done in quick 20-minute bursts. You can track your workouts too. Do them in circuits, blocks, or as high-intensity intervals to blast fat and raise your metabolism, but definitely fit them in every day. Exercises like this, which incorporate only one piece of kit, like bumpers, are a great time- and money-savers.

Baseball

One sport that is very popular around the world is baseball. From health benefits to the social side of things, there are various different reasons you should consider taking up this game.

There is only one place to begin and this is with the health benefits of baseball. Of course, any type of exercise is recommended, as it is important to keep fit. Nonetheless, baseball is a sport that presents several great advantages when it comes to your health and fitness. It is excellent when it comes to improving your hand-to-eye coordination and balance, yet it also presents a good cardiovascular workout as well. Because of this, you are benefitting from a complete workout, which is always important. You may be shocked to discover that baseball promotes good cardiovascular health. However, the fact that you stand and then run means you are going to be doing a lot of short bursts of running, as well as throwing, which is how baseball provides a cardiovascular workout. You will find that your endurance and stamina improves as well. 

In addition to the points that have already been mentioned, baseball also helps to promote a healthy state of mind. This is something a lot of people do not think about. Nevertheless, when you work out and engage in the exercise you are left feeling good about yourself and this is important. Taking up baseball will help to reduce stress levels and it can also be good for your confidence. When you start to become better and better at something your self-esteem picks up and this is something that will influence other areas of your life.

4 Ways To Care For Your Family’s Health Needs

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Thanks to recent world events, we have all taken steps to protect the health needs of our families. Cleanliness and hygiene have taken precedence in our homes and we have done our best to advise our children and older family members on better ways to care for themselves during the pandemic.

Still, there is much more we can do to care for our family’s health needs and we give a few examples below. Consider each of our suggestions and then take the appropriate next steps if you haven’t done so already. 

#1: Learn how to provide first aid

You don’t need to be a doctor or a nurse to apply a bandage. And you don’t always need to wait for an ambulance before applying any kind of first aid to a family member. If you are equipped with a few basic skills, you will be able to do what you can yourself, even if you do have to call on a medical professional to finish what you started. So, take a first aid course if you haven’t already. You will learn how to treat burns and wounds, give CPR, manage fractures, and a myriad of other things. Visit MyCPR NOW for some examples or sign up for courses within your local community.

#2: Encourage regular exercise

If your family prefers to sit at home on their various devices instead of taking part in exercise, then their wellbeing is obviously at risk. Physical activity is recommended for all who are able, from the youngest to the oldest members of your family, so remind them of the health risks of an inactive lifestyle. Do something with them each day, even if it’s just walking around the neighborhood with the family dog. And on a weekend, plan fun things to do, such as games in the park, family walks on the beach, or any sport that you could all do together.

#3: Make an effort to cook healthy meals

You already know that healthy eating is important but if you’re super-busy, it might be that you neglect this aspect of your family’s health needs. Microwave meals and takeout foods could be your preferred style of catering if you don’t have time to cook in the kitchen. And if members of your family are picky eaters, you might give up on the idea of healthy eating in favor of giving them whatever they ask for. If you’re relating to what we’re saying, know that you’re not alone. However, make an effort you must, so take a look at these quick and easy healthy recipes and pick out the foods your family will like.

#4: Let your family talk about their feelings

Children as young as 3 are said to suffer from mental health issues, and senior citizens can also experience mental health problems due to loneliness and grief. It’s for this reason that you should give your family time to talk about how they are feeling. In some cases, mental health issues can be alleviated or prevented if feelings and worries are allowed to be shared. You will also have reason to seek out professional help if you pick up on any mental health problems your family might be having, so this is another reason why talking should be encouraged. 

Take care and thanks for reading!

Why Do You Constantly Feel Drained Of Energy?

Do you consistently find yourself feeling exhausted throughout the day? If so, then you need to make sure that you are taking the right steps to correct this issue. The first step is always going to be figuring out the cause behind your lack of energy. 

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Insomnia

Are you struggling to sleep at night? If so, then you might be suffering from a condition known as insomnia. Insomnia can have a variety of different causes and there’s no set rule on how it will impact an individual. If you are experiencing issues with insomnia, then you may want to speak to a therapist. Or, you could try sleeping pills. Natural sleep remedies such as lavender by your bed can also prove to be effective here.

Disrupted Sleep

It’s possible that you go to bed at a reasonable hour each night and still wake up everyday feeling exhausted. What’s going wrong here? Well, you might be dealing with a disrupted sleeping pattern. This is usually caused by a problem in your diet. You can address it by increasing your potassium intake. A banana a day could ensure that you are not tossing and turning all night. 

Alternatively, it could be a problem with sleep apnea. This occurs when something is blocking your airwaves and making it difficult to breathe. It can be treated with surgery or even changes to your diet.

Depression

You might find that you are struggling to get out of bed each morning. If that’s the case, then this might be a sign that you are suffering from a form of depression. Depression is a period of sadness that lasts for more than a few days or is recurring. Depression is far more common than most people realise and many people suffer from depression without fully realising it. 

If you are worried about depression it’s best to speak to a cognitive therapist. They can help tackle the root cause and may prescribe medication. Be aware that some medication can be natural such as CBD. Products from suppliers such as CBDistillery have proven to be effective in helping people with depression have more energy through the day.

Stress

Finally, you could find yourself feeling drained of energy because you are incredibly stressed. Stress can have a range of impacts on your health and wellbeing including making you feel more lethargic than usual. If you do think that you are overly stressed, then you should explore different ways that you can relax more in life. There are lots of possibilities that could suit you. For instance some people relax in the evening with a long hot bath. This can be perfect for easing any tension.

We hope this helps you understand some of the key reasons why you might often feel totally drained of energy and completely lethargic through the day. If you take the right steps here, then you can quickly get your mental health back on the right track and ensure that you have more energy to do the things you love or achieve your business goals.

Bringing Positivity To Your Life This Week

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Life is not easy, and it is common for us to become dissociated from our lives now and again as well as overwhelmed by all that we have to do. When life gets difficult it is important for us to bring some sense of positivity back into it, and this will help us to relax, reset, and remember what all of the stress is for.

Today we want to take a look at some of the different ways that you can bring some positivity into your life to ensure that you stay happy, positive, and healthy too. 

Search for inspiration

One of the things you can do when you are feeling overwhelmed with life is to look at inspirational websites for some comfort and to see if it jogs anything in your mind that will help you cope. Inspirational websites and quotes can be a great way to take a step back from the stress of your life and take in what is possible. It is so important to feel like you can achieve the best you can, and this is sometimes the easiest way for you to do it.

Try a new outfit

One of the things you can do this week to make you feel a little happier is to try out a new outfit. Whether you treat yourself to a new piece or two or you opt to look through your wardrobe for a fun combination – there are so many merits to doing this for your own mental health and confidence. Trying on a new outfit to make you feel renewed and fresh is a wonderful way to add some fresh confidence and style to your life. 

Redecorate your home

Sometimes the root of a problem at home is down to being stuck in the same drab and uninspired place for too long. Lockdown hit many of us hard, and being stuck in your house every day for months might have made you numb to your surroundings and this is a sign for change. Consider revamping your home this fall and bring a new sense of design and colour to the home. It will make a bigger difference than you think and can be a wonderful way for you to renew the space. 

Make some sweet treats

If you are having a rough day and you are in need of a break, one great idea would be to get yourself in the kitchen and make yourself some sweet treats. A batch of cookies is an easy thing to whip up and you can customise your toppings and flavours to create your favourite combinations. Consider making a batch of wonderful chocolate cookies this afternoon and fill your home with a beautiful sweet smell. Chocolate is also good for the mood and it will help you to feel happier and more positive about your day. 

Chocolate cookies

Ingredients:
  • 125g butter 
  • 175g golden caster sugar 
  • 280g flour 
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder 
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp baking powder 
  • 100g white chocolate 
  • 100g milk chocolate 
  • 100g dark chocolate 
  1. In a bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and smooth. Beat in the egg until completely combined.
  2. Add your dry ingredients and mix until a thick batter is formed. 
  3. Chop your chocolate roughly and add to the cookie batter. 
  4. Shape your cookie batter into balls weighing approximately 120g each. Place in a freezer safe container and freeze for 1 hour. 
  5. Preheat your oven to 190C. 
  6. Take out your cookies and spread them out on a baking sheet ensuring to give them plenty of space. 
  7. Bake your cookies for 15 minutes. 
  8. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a rack or a cookie tin. 

Get out in nature

One of the most effective ways for you to bring some positivity back to your life this week, you can head out into nature and get some fresh air. Being out in nature can bring clarity to your life in a way that nothing else can and it will allow you to escape from your stresses and refresh. Consider packing yourself and your family a picnic and stay out for the day sitting in the sun enjoying yourself. 

Spend time with family

Family is the key to everything and for many of us, they are the reason we work and do what we do. To bring some positivity back to you life this week there is nothing better than spending some quality time with the people you love.

Thinking About A Nip And Tuck?

Yeah, it’s all become very easy of late to think of ways in which we don’t quite measure up. But while most of those considerations are driven by the glossy mags of fashion designers and actually intended for those wax-like mannequins that don’t even remotely resemble reality, there are those moments in everyone’s life, where we think about what we could do to make ourselves better. Those elements of our exterior appearance are genuinely inclined to a little self-improvement.

These are those places that inherently connect with our inner beings and when “tweaked” reflect what we think of ourselves.  Sure, we can rationalize “plastic surgery” as an act of pure vanity and for sure if that’s what you need, have at it, but there are also somewhat more “wholesome” reasons for having a little work done, let’s unpack those here.

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Look, there are great benefits to considering plastic surgery at any stage, but over and above the pure existential elemental version of the concept, there are a few areas in which self-improvement under the guise of, “the knife”, could add real value to your life.

A word you’re going to hear a lot of in the coming period is “lived existence” and this pertains to your journey through this thing we call “life” and how you interact with that experience. Combined with what we think we’re supposed to look and sound like while we navigate that life, provides for a big part of our “frame of reference”.

So here, we’re going to look at just a few of those elements of surgically inspired procedures that lead to a greater sense of self-acceptance.

THE MOST POPULAR PLASTIC SURGERIES IN THE UNITED STATES

Something of a loaded question, because it’s very much based on personal experience but the top 3 procedures in America today are:

BREAST AUGMENTATION

This may surprise you or not but the #1 “plastic surgery” procedure in American today, is breast augmentation, otherwise knowns as “the boob job”.  As the name suggests, this involves increasing (or decreasing) the size of the breast in terms of actual size, versus the shape and contour of the breast.  Many reasons exist for this, but mostly it’s cited by proponents as a means to  “look better” in certain styles of clothing, or as corrective procedures post medical necessities like cancer, injury, or a less than “favorable” birthright.

LIPOSUCTION

What is often considered as the “wonder cure” for those of us who have a little extra in the hip or tummy area, make no mistake, liposuction is not for the faint of heart, and neither should it be.

It involves the medical “sucking” of fat from problematic areas on the body and reshaping these areas to better reflect the mental “idea” of what you may think you should look like.  Often deployed as a means to reach a certain goal in terms of self-development, it is by no means a quick fix but should rather be deployed as part of a holistic and comprehensive program.

FACIAL AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY

Without a doubt when we think of this type of “work” being done, we invariably lead towards…teeth.  Even though the area encompasses all of what greets us in the morning mirror, one of the biggest issues in America today, is how white our teeth are, and this may lead you onwards to a cosmetic dentist.  You must choose the right provider for what you’re needing because a good orthodontist can do way more than just brighten up your gnashers, they can also guide you towards surgical work that will change your overall appearance and make you feel better about it besides.

All in all, whenever you’re thinking about getting a “little something” done, you should really examine all of your intentions first. You may not have what you think you want, but there is also some peace to be found in the kind of self-acceptance that loves all of you, as you are.

The Link Between Pain And Stress

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Pain and stress can form a vicious cycle. Being stressed can lead to aches and can often exacerbate existing pain. Being in pain can meanwhile cause more stress hormones to be produced. This post further delves into the link between pain and stress – and how to break the vicious cycle.

How does stress cause pain?

Stress isn’t just a mental state, but a physical response. Stress hormones (known as cortisol) travel around the body. These hormones prepare the body for fight or flight – our muscles get tense, our mind becomes more alert, and our inflammation response kicks in to ward off toxins and viruses. 

Unfortunately, when stress isn’t released and it is left to build up, it can become a hindrance instead of a help. Chronic stress can often tire us out and lead to pain. This includes:

  • Achy muscles
  • Headaches
  • Increased inflammation

Any pain from previous injuries or conditions is likely to be made worse by stress because of the increased inflammation and muscle tension. 

How does pain lead to extra stress?

Studies have found that those suffering from chronic pain often have increased cortisol levels in their blood. This is because pain triggers the production of cortisol – pain after all can be a sign that the body is under attack.

This leads to a vicious cycle of constant pain and chronic stress. Fortunately, there are ways of breaking the cycle.

Finding ways to relieve pain

One way to break the cycle is to explore different forms of pain relief. By treating the pain, you can reduce the production of further cortisol.

Over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen and aspirin and prescription painkillers such as tramadol and morphine can help to interfere with pain signals. You can also explore herbal pain relief such as turmeric and hemp

On top of this, it can be worth looking into treatment procedures. A doctor may be able to recommend treatments such as injections or surgery to help with certain injuries or conditions. You can also try alternative treatments such as seeing a chiropractor for back pain or getting a sports massage for a sports injury. 

Finding ways to relieve stress

Another way to break the cycle is to find ways of relieving stress. By reducing stress, you can prevent this stress from leading to extra pain.

Because stress is a way of preparing your body for fight or flight, it makes sense to release this stress through a physical activity where possible. Doing some boxing on a punchbag or going on a run could be the perfect way to release your stress. 

You can also relieve stress by engaging in other activities that cause a release of endorphins (feel-good hormones). Endorphins can help to flush away cortisol. Exercise is one activity that releases endorphins, however, there are other activities such as laughing and listening to music that can also release these feel-good hormones. 

Meditation could be another way to relieve stress. This is a way of clearing the mind of negative thoughts that may be unnecessarily triggering your body’s stress response. Often by taking time out from the situation, you can then assess the bigger picture – unless you are facing imminent physical danger, there is often no positive reason to get stressed.

Top tips for living with roommates

Sharing a house with other people is something almost all of us will do at one time or another. It’s a fantastic way to save some money on rent and utilities, make new friends when moving to a different city, and ensure that you always have someone to hang out with at home. Of course, there are also some potential downsides to living with roommates, including a lack of privacy, personality clashes, and disagreements over whose turn it is to clean the bathroom. 

Luckily there are a few steps you can take to help minimize the chances of falling out with those you live with. Here are some of the best.

Set ground rules from the start

Whether you’re moving in with friends or strangers you met through roomclub.com; it’s best to have a discussion right away and put some ground rules in place that you’re all happy with. This could be anything from no loud music after 10 pm to always letting people know if you’re having a visitor over. It’s better to talk about your pet peeves in advance to avoid arguments in the future.

Be fair about money

Most of the time, the fairest way to deal with shared expenses such as utility bills and cleaning supplies is to split them equally. Make sure you’re all in agreement with this and then use money-sharing apps or a similar system to stick to it. Don’t be the one who always owes people money!

Split chores in a way you’re all happy with

Very few people enjoy cleaning, but sadly it’s a necessary part of life! Work out a chore chart or other system with your roommates so that everyone knows who is responsible for what and when. You could take turns with the worst tasks, such as cleaning the bathroom, or divide them up according to preference. It doesn’t matter what system you use as long as you’re all happy.

Communicate openly and honestly

It’s best to talk to your roommates if there’s something bothering you to avoid a small issue growing into a larger one. They might not even realize that what they’re doing irritates you and be happy to change their behavior after talking things over. Just make sure that you’re willing to compromise too.

Respect each other’s space and property

Just because you live with someone, it doesn’t mean that you have to share everything. Don’t barge into people’s private bedrooms without knocking, and don’t use their stuff without asking for permission. This includes eating their food, watching their movies, borrowing their clothes… everything! Even if you’re happy to share all your possessions, other people might feel differently.

Be considerate

Essentially, this is what it all comes down to. Consider how your actions will impact those you live with, and adjust your behavior accordingly – whether it’s playing music through headphones rather than out loud, always doing your dishes after meals, or asking before inviting lots of people over. Finally, don’t forget to set aside time to hang out with your roommates so you can get to know each other as friends too!