As the weather is getting warmer and the days are getting longer, we tend to focus more on the quality of our food. Whether you’re trying to lose a little weight or just make some healthier choices, you’ll often hear people say it’s more expensive to eat healthy. While that is sometimes the case, it doesn’t always have to be. It’s easy to get caught up in all the “try me” healthy recipes we come across, but eating healthy is as simple as shopping what’s in season. How? Let’s take a closer look.
While many people may associate stretching with their workouts, loosening up before or cooling down after, it’s actually a very beneficial practice to get into every single day regardless of your workout routine. Whether it’s first thing in the morning, every hour or two throughout your day, or winding down before bed, taking a few minutes to stretch and release the tension in your muscles can help you to move and feel better.
Right now, you may be suddenly working from home, and many of you have never had to do that before. So that means, you may not have access to a private home office and are likely making due with what you have. You may be using your dining room table or couch for work spaces, but that’s not the best for keeping your body in proper position. So, here are some tips on how to make your at-home office comfortable and ergonomic.
Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, this kind of isolation that we’re all facing right now is likely taking a toll on your mental health. Being distanced from your extended family, as well as close friends and coworkers, being out of a job temporarily, it can all leave you feeling unlike yourself. Here are a few tips to help you take care of your mental health while in isolation.
Let’s face it, we’re all going a bit crazy with our current temporary way of life. Being separated from our close friends and family, becoming make shift teachers, working from home (if you’re able to), and cooking three times a day; it’s a lot. If you’re an essential worker, although your job has remained the same, the knowledge of the invisible enemy is constantly at the forefront of your mind, not to mention the process you go through when you get home at night to ensure you don’t contaminate your home or family. Some essential workers have had to separate themselves from their family out of fear they will bring something home to them unintentionally. We’re all in some way or another isolated from the outside world, or the world that we’ve known most of our lives. So how do we stay connected with others while we’re social distancing? Here are a few tips.
The news is overwhelmingly negative at the moment, people are frightened, worried about what’s going to happen to themselves, their families and jobs. It can seem as if there is no gap in the clouds at all…but when you’re having one of those days cooped up and wondering when all this will end, there are a few ways you can try to reframe what’s going on to make it, if not entirely positive, a slightly more positive experience.
Welcome to the new decade, and boy what a start it's been! It’s time to make the twenties an upgrade on the teenies (is that what we’re calling them??) and start putting ourselves first with a self-care routine that gives us the inner strength to deal with whatever the new decade brings. It’s no secret that people who don’t give themselves the care that they give to others will usually end up stressed and burned out. To stop this happening to you, develop an attitude of nurturing - take care of your mind, body and soul every day, in small ways and occasionally (but regularly) bigger ways too. Self -are is nonnegotiable these days, but you have to make an effort to make space for it. And what better time to start than now, while the whole world is quarantining themselves during the Co-VID 19 pandemic. Here are a few ideas for things to do that rebalance, reenergize and replenish.
While we all might like to think we’re not angry people, the second we’re caught in traffic and running late for an appointment across town, or the kids do that one thing at the end of a crazy evening that is the last straw in the patience you had allotted for the day, another side of you might come out. Small instances like that aren’t alarming, but what happens when the frequency of them increases? How does anger affect out health? Here’s what you need to know about the cause and effect of anger, and how to stop anger in its tracks.
So how does anger become an issue? The first thing you need to know is there’s a direct connection between stress and anger. When you’re stressed out your body goes into fight or flight mode. While in this fight or flight mode, your body can perceive any situation as a major threat even if it’s not. When your body or mind senses this stress, this attack on your well-being, instead of running (the flight part), you might lash out in fight mode instead. That anger seems to bubble up out of nowhere and you find that you’re less likely to react to situations rationally, which results in more stress and more anger. It’s like a vicious cycle that never stops.
Chronic sleep deprivation is defined as getting less than the recommended seven or eight hours of sleep each night for an extended period of time. It isn’t just associated with new parents trying to survive that first year with a baby; anyone getting less than the necessary sleep on a regular basis is suffering from chronic sleep deprivation. Between all of our to-do’s, stress, lifestyle choices, and sleep disorders, this is a common problem to fall into. For some it just seems like a way of life and you may even feel like it’s not a big deal. You’re coping and still working your way through each day. But did you know that chronic sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your body, often in ways you may not even realize are connected.
People everywhere are looking for a more natural way to keep themselves, their homes, and their families healthy and happy. To do so, many are readily stocking up and using essential oils. Like any other product that becomes popular, essential oils tend to be accompanied by a lot of misinformation. So, let’s look at how we can use essential oils safely so we can reap the benefits and avoid any negative side effects.
One of the biggest problems is that many consider essential oils to be natural, so they must be safe, right? Wrong! Essential oils, while derived from plants, are created by using complex distillation processes that concentrate these volatile organic compounds into the essential oils you know and love. They are amazing and fragrant, and for many provide great benefits, but they’re not completely safe in all ways just because they’re derived from a plant. Arsenic is a natural substance, still something you wouldn’t want to ingest, right? Just because something is natural – or is marketed as natural – doesn’t mean it’s 100% safe to use in any way.
It’s that time of year again. Time to work on a healthier lifestyle. For some of you that may mean just getting started into this whole running lifestyle, and for others, that means training for a 5K, half marathon, or marathon. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to run daily, and it also puts a lot of wear and tear on your body. While running is great for your health, it’s not the only exercise you should be doing. When you’re running, you’re usually only working within a single plane of movement – flexion and extension. This can create some imbalances within the hips and legs, making you more prone to injury, so it’s important to regularly perform some exercises that go beyond those movements, strengthening the supporting and stabilizing muscles throughout the hips and pelvis. So, here are 5 of the best hip exercises for runners to keep your body balanced and moving freely.
Struggling with productivity is something that many of us deal with daily. We live busy lives and it’s easy to let our lack of energy and lack of focus prevent us from accomplishing tasks we need to. However, there are ways you can improve your productivity that don’t require buying the latest program to help get you there. Here are 6 easy steps to help improve your productivity that you can implement today.
Balance in life is something that we all seek, but many struggle to find. We all wear so many hats; employee, spouse, parent, friend, child, volunteer, the list goes on. While many of these hats bring us immense joy, they also bring us a feeling of stress and failure when we aren’t able to balance it all. All that stress, especially when it’s chronic, can cause negative emotional and physical effects, ranging from muscular tension to depression and even heart problems. So, here are a few simple ways to bring more balance into your life every day.
The busiest time of year is upon us. Holidays are meant to be spent enjoying the company of family, dear friends, and our loved ones. However, somehow the holidays can sometimes become more stressful than any other time of year. We all have huge parts to play in the enjoyment of the holidays and if we aren’t taken care of we can’t do our parts. Here are a few self-care tips to help you survive the holidays.
A muscle imbalance is simply when one muscle or muscle group is stronger than another. For example, your right arm may be stronger than your left, or your biceps are stronger than your triceps. It’s typically not much of a problem; we’re rather asymmetrical beings in general anyway, but muscle imbalances in some areas can play a role in creating problems within the body leading to injuries and pain.
One problem that can occur is that your weaker muscles tire out before the stronger muscles. If those weaker muscles tire out during a workout or strenuous activity, the stronger muscles will work even harder to pick up the slack. This can put undue stress on them, causing overuse and resulting in injuries and pain.
Let’s face it, when was the last time you were in a restaurant and everyone around was paying attention to those at the table as opposed to looking down at their phones? I’m sure you can’t quite recall. We often stay on our phones now more that we have real, direct interaction with others, whether it’s for work or entertainment. With this, you may have heard the term ‘text neck’ which is often used to describe the neck pain and damage sustained from looking down at your cell phone, tablet, or other wireless devices too frequently and for too long.
Shoulder impingement, also known as subacromial impingement or swimmer’s shoulder, is caused when the tendons of the rotator cuff become trapped as they pass through the narrow bony channel known as the subacromial space. This little tunnel in the shoulder normally allows those tendons to slide back and forth with no restriction as you move your arm. However, repetitive use of the shoulder, more specifically repetitive overhead movement (like that of freestyle swimming strokes) can cause that tunnel to narrow, putting pressure on the tendons.
More than 4.5 million Americans are living with at least one knee replacement. While there’s numerous reasons you may need a knee replacement, arthritis – the degenerative wear and tear on the joint over time – is the most common. Whether you’ve recently had a knee replacement or your doctor just mentioned it as a possibility, looking at what you can expect after the surgery is a great way to decide if and when it’s best for you.
Foam rolling for recovery is something you see quite frequently when at the gym and is often promoted in workout videos, blogs, and magazines. Almost as soon as someone completes an intense lifting session or workout, it’s not out of the ordinary to see them run over to their foam roller in an attempt to prevent soreness the next day. While foam rolling certainly does have its benefits such as shortening the recovery time and increased range of motion, there are a few things you need to be cautious of before pulling that foam roller out.
