Wellness Archives - Page 3 of 46

7 Health Strategies to Get In Shape & Stay Healthy

December 15, 2020 by Mandy

When you are born, you only get one body. It is your responsibility to care for it. Unfortunately, by the time people reach adulthood, many of them have let themselves go. Much of this is due to a simple lack of knowledge. You have the power to take control of your health. You just need to know what to do.

Core Concepts:

Health Is Vital to Living a Fulfilling Life
Your Daily Habits Directly Impact Your Health
Improving Your Health Does Not Have to Be a Chore
The Most Effective Strategies Vary Depending on the Person

Are you ready to turn a new page in your life? If so, the following techniques should give you a great start. It is up to you to commit to the changes you need to make. Nevertheless, working on your health will improve nearly every aspect of life. As long as you are willing to try, you are already on the way to success.

1. Maintain a Healthy Diet

What does your diet look like? If it is similar to the standard American diet, then you likely eat a lot of processed foods. Plus, most people eat out several times a week. The first step to a healthier life will always be cleaning up your dietary habits.

It Is Easy to Out Eat Your Exercise:

Plenty of people think they can eat a big slice of cake because they went to the gym. Did you know that a single oreo has enough calories to fuel while you run for over a mile? Do not make the mistake of eating poorly because you exercise.

Up Your Intake of Plant Foods:

The easiest way to clean up your diet is to start preparing your meals at home. Make plants the focal point of all your meals. That way, you get all of your essential nutrients.

2. Regular Strength Training

Strength training is the next most important aspect of a healthy life. Even people without any expertise in the gym will benefit. However, remember to always start slowly and increase the intensity gradually.

Bodyweight Exercises Are Great for Beginners:

Beginners often feel a little trepidation about going to the gym. In that case, start a bodyweight routine. Bodyweight exercises are less stressful to the body, making them ideal for novices. As you get stronger, then you can add some weights.

3. Consume Adequate Amounts of Protein

Next, increase your protein consumption. Otherwise, all of your hard work will be wasted. For the body to repair muscles, it needs sufficient amino acids. These come from protein. Do not forget to consume a variety of protein sources.

Plant Proteins:

The most commonly overlooked protein source would be vegan protein USA. Plants have numerous proteins. Many of them are even healthier than the ones from animal sources. The best diets have protein from a variety of sources. Nevertheless, there are various options available to plant proteins such as supplements.

4. Work on Flexibility With Yoga

After working on your strength, it would be best to work on your flexibility. You will appreciate this as you get older. The sooner you start, the better the long-term results.

Focus on the Breath:

As you practice yoga, focus on your breath. Ensure that you are taking deep breaths and holding it at the top. Then, slowly exhale. One more tip, remember to listen to your body. If a pose hurts, do not push yourself. It could lead to injury.

5. Mentally Envision Success

Visualizations are a lot more powerful than you realize. Some people call it the law of attraction. The point is straightforward. By envisioning success, you make it that much more likely. Never underestimate the power of your mind. It is, by far, the most powerful tool any human has.

6. Pick Up a Hobby That Acts as a Cardio Exercise

Keep the blood flowing by picking up a new hobby that emphasizes cardio activity. For example, you could start swimming or kayaking. Not to mention, this way you can exercise while doing something you enjoy. That way, you avoid burnout.

7. Remember, Rest and Recovery Are Equally Important to Health

Hitting the gym 7 days a week might sound good. Nevertheless, it is actually quite counterproductive. Getting enough rest is essential. Without it, your body won’t fully recover.

The Consequences of Over-Exertion:

Overexertion does more than just make you tired. Muscles will break down unless you give them time to recover after you exercise.

The Key to Living Healthily

Living healthily sounds like an insurmountable obstacle to many. However, this is simply a matter of perspective. By shifting your lifestyle, it becomes as easy as waking up in the morning. Things will be difficult at first. However, as long as you persevere, you will be much healthier before you know it.

3 Tips to Care for Aging Parents

December 10, 2020 by Mandy

Most seniors reach an age when they need a bit of extra support. Knowing how best to care for an aging parent can be a challenge, and they may be resistant to your help. If you’re looking for ideas on how to support a senior, then here are three tips for caring for aging parents.

Tip 1: Assess how much care they need

As your parents get older, it’s important to assess how much care they need regularly. For instance, aging parents may start to need assistance with things like running errands or doing household chores. If this true in their case, then you could offer to visit once a week to help out or arrange for a carer to see them at home and provide assistance. As your parents get older, they are likely to require more intensive care, particularly if they develop health conditions. If your parents need high levels of support, then it might be worth considering residential care. When your elderly parent moves into a senior living community, you can have peace of mind knowing that their care needs are met. Often, seniors enjoy much more fulfilling lives once they move into residential care as they are surrounded by other seniors and have access to specialist programs and activities.

Certain medical conditions like incontinence, which is common in older adults (ages 65 and up) will require a higher level of care that only a dedicated caregiver can better provide. In one report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 43.8 percent of older adults living at home say that they experience bladder or bowel incontinence. While incontinence protection pads and underwear are available to help people with this condition, the aftercare can still take a toll on older adults, especially if they have limited mobility. A senior living community with around-the-clock care or home care service is worth considering for your aging parents. It’s important to discuss this with your parents to ensure that you respect their needs and wishes.

Tip 2: Encourage them to make healthy lifestyle choices

Leading a healthy lifestyle is particularly important as people get older. Seniors are more at risk of developing illnesses, so they must focus on staying as fit and healthy as possible. Aging parents can be resistant to change, but there are lots of ways to encourage them to make healthier lifestyle choices. For example, cook them healthy meals so they can try new food and ingredients. You can also promote your aging parents to exercise more by helping them find an exercise group that is tailored to seniors. This can be a great way to get your parents moving and help them meet other seniors in their local area. You could also offer to exercise with your aging parents by going for a walk together or doing a home workout DVD. Your parents are far more likely to exercise if they have someone to motivate them and do physical activities with.

Tip 3: Stay in regular contact

Recent statics show that around 13.8 million older adults live alone in the US. Living alone puts seniors more at risk of developing mental health issues like depression. Seniors are also more likely to experience the death of a partner or friends due to age or illness. Regular socialization can help seniors live longer and happier lives. Research has found that social interaction can boost feelings of well-being and reduce stress and anxiety. Make an effort to stay in regular contact with your aging parents and check how they are doing. Planning family gatherings can be a great way to bring your loved ones together and celebrate special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries.

3 Ways to Relieve Consistent Bloat

December 9, 2020 by Mandy

Whether you’re indulging in a second serving of your favorite holiday dish or sampling delicious new delights throughout the winter season, you might suddenly find yourself dealing with a bout of unpleasant bloating. Nobody wants bloat to ruin their holiday enjoyment, but it’s an unfortunately common experience. You might have already stocked up on detoxification products like polisorb powder but could still want a few other tricks up your sleeve for relieving bloat when it happens, so you don’t have to worry about letting it hang over your time with family and friends. Here’s what you need to know about the root causes that can lead to stomach bloating, and a few ways to get easy, effective relief.

What Causes Stomach Bloating?

When a bout of bloating hits, you might be stuck frustrated and wondering what went wrong. Before you embark on remedies like a detox herbal cleanse, it’s important to understand potential causes. First of all, you may simply have eaten a food that you have an allergy or sensitivity to, or one that causes many people problems due to fiber content or other factors, such as many legumes. Another possible issue is that you ate too much or too quickly, causing you to swallow air that develops into gas.

Quick & Long-Term Bloating Relief

You might be wondering at this point what you can do to get relief from your bloating, regardless of what the cause may have been. There are three straightforward methods you can try, both right away and for preventative measures:

Eat a little bit less at a time, or chew slowly, so that you won’t be putting too much pressure on your stomach with excessive portions; this also helps you avoid accidentally swallowing air while eating, which can end up producing gas

Shy away from certain foods that have given you trouble in the past or are likely to give you trouble, including foods high in fiber like beans, and other foods you may have sensitivities to, like dairy products or grains

Swap out sugar replacements for the real thing – sugar alcohol can actually cause significant digestive issues, resulting in uncomfortable gas; it may be better to enjoy small amounts of treats made with real sugar

Don’t forget that you can always use polisorb or other detox treatments to get relief as well. If all else fails, consider sipping on some water and giving your body the time to feel better.

When you’re in the middle of a tasty meal or a cozy evening with close family and friends, the last thing you want to have to deal with is persistent, frustrating bloating causing you to feel discomfort throughout the evening. If this has been a problem for you in the past or if you simply don’t want to take any chances with the upcoming holiday season and its food festivities, you can use this extra knowledge about stomach bloating and relief methods to prep yourself for quick relief. Rather than putting up with unwanted bloat, you now know how you can quickly detox and get straightforward relief.

How to look after the older generation as well as the younger generation of your family

December 9, 2020 by Mandy

As your parents and the older generation of your family looked after you while you were growing up, it often only feels right that you should help them once they require more help during their later years. The only problem is with a busy work life, social life and parental life, it can be hard to find time to properly look after them. If you find you’re worrying about not being able to give your loved one enough time and attention, here are some ways you can help your loved ones as they grow older.

Seek extra support if needed

You might think the best person to look after your parents, your partner’s parents or even other older relatives is yourself. You know all of their personality traits, their favorite things as well as their bad habits, and can use all this knowledge to best look after your loved one. The only problem is while you’re looking after your own child it’s often hard to find time to care for an elderly relative as well.

Often the best decision you can make to look after an elderly relative is to ask for help. Many people are reluctant to go into a nursing facility because they think they will restrict the number of things they’ll be able to do. In fact, most if not all of these preconceptions are myths and facilities like these actually help your loved one live a much fuller life. The trained staff are best placed to spot any problems in their health and treat them, so you can rest assured that there is someone there to keep an eye on them throughout the day.

Take them for regular check ups

As your loved ones get older, they may develop a number of health conditions that they didn’t have earlier on in life. Some of these are hard to spot. You might even put the symptoms down to minor ailments like a cold, tiredness or even old age. It’s important to regularly take them for a medical check-up so you can check whether these symptoms are being caused by something much more serious. While you feel like you might be wasting a doctor or nurses’ time, you could be making their job a lot easier if you allow them to diagnose and begin treating the condition as early as possible.

Teach them how to use the latest technology

For some of the older generation, learning how to use the latest technology is the last thing they want to be spending their time doing. Devices like tablet computers or mobile phones can be very daunting to anybody who hasn’t used them before.

With a little practice, they could open a wealth of possibilities to anybody who uses them. This can include anything from video conferencing to receiving photos from their children and grandchildren. You can even get apps installed on their phone that allow you to track your loved one to make sure they get home safe.

3 Things to Know When Someone You Care Is Facing Cancer

December 2, 2020 by Mandy

It’s not easy when you learn that someone you know – a friend, colleague, or loved one dear to your heart – has cancer. And it’s not easy to let go of general beliefs that cancer can lead to death in most cases. Some of the stories that we hear or read on the news have been ingrained in us. People often pick up impressions about dealing with cancer patients from such stories, movies, and the internet.

Fortunately, you can do yourself a big favour by looking at the scientific facts. Not all cancers lead to death, and in the majority of cases, the physical and emotional toll it takes on the person can be reduced to a significant level through knowledge and patience.

1. Expect Physical Changes

Cancer affects not only the inside organs but the physical appearance of the person as well. Those are the side effects of either cancer itself or the treatment that one undergoes, such as chemotherapy and medications. So obviously, expect the person with cancer to have:

Weight loss or gain
Appetite loss or gain
Tiredness
Hair loss
Changes in smell or taste
Disfigurement
Changes in skin colour
Insomnia
Lack of interest in work or hobbies

And so on.

2. Expect Emotional Turmoil

Every person eventually develops his or her own way of coping with cancer. Sometimes the affected person may resort to conflicts for little or no reason. The next thing, he or she will develop a habit of staying silent and get all bottled up and tensed. The person’s emotions may change every day, even every hour. In fact, cancer doctors inform us that the person’s fluctuating hormones – as a direct result of cancer – can shape their emotions and memory.

The alternative: Expect this to be normal. Understand that some amount of conflict is the new way for the person with cancer to talk or express how they feel. This shouldn’t be a serious matter if you educate yourself and be prepared to face such changes. Knowing the ways in which people with cancer deal with emotional turmoils differently will lead you to change perspective, try a new way of communicating, and move on.

In essence, there are no true behavioural patterns about cancer patients that fit all of the people. Expect that the person will have good days and bad days, and learning to live with this uncertainty is the first step towards a cure. Over time, you will be able to adjust with these emotions and to the new reality in your life.

3. Expect Improvements and New Coping Mechanisms

People with cancer develop new ways to cope with their disease. Paul, for example, has always believed that stress or worrying is a precursor to more serious side effects of his thyroid cancer. So he found a new passion and is now a guitar player for a popular music band. His cancer went into remission because he believed that any amount of stress couldn’t be good for the health.

Some people with cancer use humour or alternate lifestyle to find relief from this illness’s serious nature. Additionally, work can bring a great sense of importance in a person’s life. A person with cancer can not only boost their self-worth through work but focus more on their skills and ability rather than the illness itself. All of these coping mechanisms can enable one to meet issues head-on without fear. Their passion and interest in something can become opportunities to delve more deeply into their own feelings, concerns, and needs.