lyndsinreallife

Steps to Safeguarding Your Health

February 27, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

These days we are all tending to live longer, and through medical breakthroughs and advances in technology, we aren’t getting as sick as we may have in the past. We tend to have better places to live, access to good food, clean water, and have a support system around us. All of which can go a long way to helping us to really thrive. However, with an increased life expectancy comes some more challenges to us, and as a result, we need to take charge a lot more and take on some responsibility for our health.

We have so much going on in life, from our family life, social commitments, work, and other responsibilities, that we can put our health on the back burner. It might not seem as urgent as cleaning the house, meeting a deadline, or getting the kids lunches packed, but it can mean that we don’t take action or make changes until it is too late. So as a result, we need to make sure that we are taking some steps to safeguard our health and do all that we can to make sure that we are looking after ourselves and improving our health and well-being.

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Have regular checkups

If you want to look after yourself and look after your health, then looking at it in a preventive way is one of the best things that you can do. Conditions like cancer, diabetes, and hearing problems can be spotted early and dealt with, as long as you are having the right kind of check-ups and are going to these appointments regularly. See your doctor about the check-ups that you will need to have, as well as getting help to fix your hearing aids or get your eyes checked, with the right professional. Leave things too late in a lot of cases, and the damage has already been done.

Monitor mental health

In the day and age we live in, it is great that there is a much more open conversation about mental health. The good news is that being open and talking about it can help you to feel better, or to help you to get the help that you need. If you are feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed, and feel those ways in a pretty much constant state, then it will be wreaking havoc on your health in a variety of other ways. It could lead to you feeling exhausted, irritable, sad, lonely, and stop you from being active or eating well. So keep an eye on things, and make sure that you reach out if you are feeling low.

Keep your brain active

Keeping your brain active is something that is good at any age really. But as we get older, our brain function can quite rapidly decline if we let it. There are some aspects of genetics that are out of our control, however we can do things to help. Reading regularly, staying active, doing puzzles, and taking up hobbies are all good ideas to help your brain to stay active and focused.

•How do you safeguard your health?

Thank you for reading!

Health

How To Cope With Sudden Hearing Loss

February 27, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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Finding out that you have hearing loss can be an emotional rollercoaster. All your life, you’ve quite happily lived in the knowledge that you’re able to hear the world around you. But when you get a diagnosis of hearing loss, it can send you into a crisis. You feel a mixture of panic, grief, and sadness. It’s not a pleasant experience.

Often, though, the feelings you have are more a reflection of your expectations, not reality. You might believe that your hearing will continue to decline and that you’ll eventually go deaf. And you might think that there’s nothing you can do to prevent the progression of symptoms. You tell yourself you may never hear again.

Of course, none of this is true. Modern science has come up with all sorts of solutions to hearing loss. Some of the best hearing aids can help you listen to sounds that you haven’t heard in many years, such as birdsong or the sound of children playing. And other therapies provided by audiologists can get to the bottom of any issues in your ear canal or inner ear that might be preventing the transmission of sound.

Let’s take a look at some of the things that you can do to cope with a diagnosis of hearing loss and why it’s not a reason to panic.

Most People With Hearing Loss Have Options

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The first thing to tell yourself is that you still have options. There are plenty of things that you can do to mitigate your hearing loss and get back to health. As discussed, you can get hearing aids – small devices that you put in your ears to amplify and clarify incoming sounds. Hearing aids can make it easy to listen to voices in a crowded room so that you’re not struggling all the time to concentrate on the conversation when you go out.

Hearing aids also make it much easier to hear specific tones. Your hearing health expert will run a series of tests to determine the frequencies you can’t hear and then calibrate your device to amplify them.

Don’t Bottle Up Your Feelings

Losing a sense is a little bit like losing a person you love. You feel as if your loss will forever impoverish your life.

It is essential to allow yourself to feel these emotions. Losing function in a part of your body is always tough. The grieving process is a necessary part of the healing process as it allows you to come to terms with what’s happened and find closure.

Adopt Strategies That Make It Easier To Hear The World Around You

People with hearing loss should adopt a range of strategies that make it easier for them to hear the world around them. By doing this, you encourage greater communication and less friction. Strategies include:

Asking people you know to talk slowly and clearly without covering their mouths
Speaking in quiet places without lots of people around
Turning off background noises like the TV and dishwasher during a conversation

Hopefully this article provides you some comfort!

Thank you for reading!

Health

A Beginner’s Guide to Health in 2020

February 26, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

Health is important for everyone; every age and gender. Whether it is the amount of exercise we do on a daily or weekly basis, or the food that we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But, of course, it is easy to fall behind and become a little lazy when it comes to health, so this little guide should help show you how to can get your health kick back this year!

Change your Food Habits

Food is one of the most important parts of maintaining good health. ‘You are what you eat’ is often how the saying goes! A big part of how diet can be changed is the schedule when you eat, and how regularly. Diets are often touted as the way to do this, but by simply cutting out snacks like cookies and others, and only eating main meals in the morning, noon, and evening, can really make a difference. For snacks in between meals, choose something with protein! This simple change can really alter your health and attitude towards food. Food on the go, eating and working, all of these factors can hinder your health in the long run.

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Explore the Great Outdoors!

The indoors can always seem to be a comfy alternative than going outside and braving the outdoors, but the outdoors is there to be explored. Find a map, and pinpoint somewhere new you have no explored, or go somewhere you know it is completely up to you. Going for a walk, exploring the local park, a forest, a hike up a hill, regardless of where the location is going outside and exploring nature in all of its glory is such a simple, and accessible way to better health. Whether is raining, sunny or snowing, don’t delay but make sure you have dressed appropriately for whatever weather you encounter!

Don’t forget your posture

Something often forgotten is posture. In today’s world (working at the desk, the counter, the office), all of this sitting and hunching over computers and keyboards does not do wonders for posture. After all, the skeleton and our bones are the foundations of our body. Without them, we would be a mess. So just like diets and going outside, your posture needs love, too. Simple exercises can be one example of fixing this, however it is always best to see a specialist, like ScripHessco and more; this is the best way to determine the best path of fixing posture going forward.

Do what you feel is best for you

After hearing all the advice above, the best and most tried solution is simply trial and error and finding what works best for yourself. What works for someone may not work the best for someone else, and visa versa. Health is extremely important, and it should always be treated with the most care, so try what is mentioned in this article, and see how it works. Never do anything that you cannot do, as if you push something that isn’t working, this could be hindering your health in the long run.

Thank you for reading!

Health

A Guide To Adult Incontinence And What Can Be Done About It

February 26, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

It might seem like an embarrassing problem to talk about, but the truth is that adult incontinence is a lot more common than you might think, especially for women who are pregnant or have had a baby at some point. For that reason, it’s important to talk about what we can do to make life a little easier when we’re not always in quite as much control. We’re mostly going to look at urinary incontinence here, but some of the tips may apply to adults with all kinds of incontinence.

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Know the different kinds of incontinence

Which type of incontinence you experience will affect which is the best way to deal with it. There are four main types of incontinence: Stress incontinence is when stressing the abdomen causes the bladder to leak, such as sneezing or coughing. Urge incontinence is when the urge to urinate is felt very strongly, to the point that it is unstoppable. Overflow incontinence happens when the bladder is permanently full. Total incontinence is the rarest form and is when urine continuously leaks. If you experience any of the above symptoms, then your doctor can help you address the underlying causes. Otherwise, they can help you better identify which tips might help better remedy the situation.

Make sure you have protection

We’re going to be looking at tips that can help you alleviate urinary incontinence, but it’s important to make sure that you’re protected against any embarrassing mishaps. Nowadays, there are plenty of discreet incontinence liners and pads that can offer comfort as well as a little security. However, the risk of adult diaper rash is also something to be aware of. You can deal with this by washing the irritated skin with warm water and allowing it to dry, before using diaper cream to soothe the affected area. Diaper rash affects you mostly if the chemicals in urine or other waste are allowed to stay put, so changing out of pads and liners can help prevent it, too.

Strengthen your pelvic floor

Also known as Kegel exercises, these workouts will strengthen the pelvic floor, the series of muscles that support the bladder and helps to better control it and the passageway of urine. There is a range of pelvic floor exercises, including the Kegels/pelvic muscle training. Squats and bridges can also be great for strengthening the pelvic floor. Some studies have also shown that doing pelvic floor muscles as part of a dance exercise can lead to even better long-term results of full incontinence recovery. The higher rate of recovery might in part be due to the fact that dance is a more fun method of working out, helping the participants manage a higher level of engagement and motivation, which helped them stick with it for longer.

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Maintaining your weight

As with many things, your dietary habits and how active you are will influence your experience of incontinence. This is because being overweight can exacerbate the issue a great deal. In large part, this is due to the extra pressure on organs like the bladder causing them to want to empty more frequently. There are plenty of tips on losing weight that don’t involve dieting, but maintaining a healthy balanced diet is going to be much better for your body in the long-run. You are also likely to see much more consistent results if you start a calorie-controlled diet and do the necessary exercise to help your metabolism better process what food you do eat.

Training your bladder

Aside from working out the muscles that support it, there are also methods of “training” your bladder to behave as it should. The point of this is to increase the break you take between urinating. When incontinence makes you go to the bathroom more often, it also makes your bladder get used to holding less urine, meaning it becomes more sensitive, and you get the urge to pee more often. Bladder training is all about creating a schedule for bathroom visits, noting when you urinate and whether it empties your bladder fully or not, and trying to make it less frequent. Delaying urination where possible is a core part of this strategy. Of course, it’s better if you’re wearing protection so you don’t get caught out.

Watch your caffeine intake

There isn’t a straight line between drinking coffee and urinary incontinence, and the link between the two seems to be stronger for men than women, but it might be worth being careful with how much you drink anywho. Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning that it will make you more likely to need to go to the toilet to pee. For most women dealing with incontinence, their bladder doesn’t need to be even more sensitive. Caffeine-free tea and coffee are much more widely available these days, so if you want to shake your caffeine consumption but you don’t want to give up your morning cup of tea, it is becoming a lot easier, thankfully.

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Make sure you hydrate

It might sound like drinking plenty of water would only make you go to the toilet more often. In the short-term, that might be true. However, drinking water helps fill your bladder more often, which means that it slowly grows a larger capacity. The bigger your bladder’s capacity grows, the fewer times you will need to go to the toilet each day. The average person should aim to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day. If you have any chronic health conditions, however, it’s worth asking your doctor about whether or not you should follow this tip. Aside from its link to urinary incontinence, not getting enough hydration can also lead to or exacerbate problems with constipation.

Hopefully, the tips above have shown you that there are solutions available to deal with adult incontinence. However, what’s most important is that you address the question with your doctor. There are different kinds of incontinence that might need a closer look.

Thank you for reading!

Lifestyle

The Obstacles: Learning The Concept Of Loving Again

February 26, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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Learning to love again is all about getting over the obstacles within yourself, which is something that we all can struggle with. When you are on approach to a happier you need to think about the overall challenges that come with learning to love again. Ultimately when we have our hearts broken, or we are looking to start all over again, either because it’s later in life or we feel we are ready to begin again, we’ve got to remember that learning to love again isn’t something that happens overnight. Some people don’t want to give love for whatever reason. And there are numerous reasons and ideas that can help you to consolidate yourself with the concept of learning to love again.

You Can Still Protect Yourself

Some people feel that they put up a barrier between themselves in the world because there’s just a lot of concerns about relationships, especially in a physical sense. Whether it’s the alarming statistic that there were 504 new cases of HIV in Missouri a few years ago or that there is so much social media catfishing, we can feel that temptation to be overprotective of ourselves. This is natural but we have to remember that we can still protect ourselves.

When we fall in love with someone again, we have to remember that we aren’t completely giving ourselves over, it’s about finding someone that’s a perfect fit for ourselves. Some people think that when they fall in love, they have to give themselves over completely. But this is not the case. You have to remember that when you fall for someone, you can still protect yourself, and you can pull back if necessary. But you have to remember that if you are tearing away because you are sparing yourself pain rather than finding someone perfect for you then this is where you have to start addressing concerns within yourself.

Everybody Has Love To Give

Some people are so reticent to open themselves up that they can go their entire life without loving someone ever. We have to remember that as human beings, being loving is part of our nature. Sometimes we’re not born into loving families, and sometimes we are, but if we’ve had our heart broken once, this can be the very simple reason we put up our barriers between the world and us. But you have to remember that making the choice not to love someone is exhausting. You’ve got to continually protect yourself, and over time, this can become a very exhausting practice. It becomes part of your psychological makeup, and you then find that it becomes who you are and when not loving someone is natural, this means you are, to an extent, depriving yourself of something wonderful.

Are You Depriving Others?

Everybody deserves to be loved, and when there are people that hurt in the past, choosing to hold up a barrier between us and the world means that we can be depriving others of love that we can give them. It becomes a part of who you are when you start to consciously avoid any sense of affection. But when you begin to look at the people in your sphere like your friends and family, if you don’t give them the affection that they need from you it can result in a strained relationship. If you have a friendship with someone who you might not have so much affection for, but they are in your life, you have to remember that these people deserve to be loved just as you do. Sometimes it’s those little things that everybody can benefit from, like a small gift. It doesn’t take much to do a simple act of love for someone. Keep it simple and show people that you do care about them.

Is Withholding Love Depriving You Of Happiness?

Because we are making such an active effort not to show others our affection for them when we don’t share anything, it goes back to the love that we have for ourselves. You may think that if you don’t care about others as much, this gives you more opportunity to look after yourself and love yourself more. But you have to remember that when you are protecting yourself, it’s not necessarily selfish, but it could be about low self-worth. If you are withholding love to others it may be important to go back to the drawing board and to teach yourself to love yourself. Self-esteem is one of those crucial things that there’s a difference between protecting yourself and loving yourself.

Learning To Be Who You Are

If we are reticent to love others, it can be about that barrier between us in the world, but it’s also about protecting ourselves. After a while, we start to lose track of who we are because we’ve put barrier after barrier up. And when we’ve gone through a lot of pain or suffering, we need to stand back and really think about who we are. We could perceive being loving as exposing our vulnerability, but if you learn to open yourself up, this means that you are being more honest with yourself, and in turn, it helps you to become who you are. It’s an incredibly difficult thing to recognize, but when we are more open and especially with those that we trust, we learn to be more connective. But then when you start to limit your love for others, you can struggle to be you. Learning to be who you are isn’t an overnight fix, and it’s something that can happen a long way from now, but what if we start to open ourselves up and stop being a shell? This can make us realize of what we’ve been depriving ourselves.

Loving Is Never A Bad Thing

It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. And when we learn to open ourselves up to someone, we are opening up to ourselves. Learning to love someone is never a bad thing because it helps us to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings, but it also gives us the opportunity to lay our hearts on the line. And yes, it means that you are running the risk of having it broken, but when you love someone, it’s not about the worries that could occur because they may never happen. Besides, when you look back on relationships, even the ones that failed, they are a series of moments that congregate in your mind. And a lot of these moments you look back on with fondness, regardless of the outcome. Sometimes we can miss these moments or miss the person, but we have to remember that loving is living.

Choose Life And Choose Love

Some people can definitely feel that it’s an overused concept, especially now in the modern age, where the very act of a relationship can seem non-existent for some people. But love isn’t necessarily about a relationship in the traditional sense; it’s about finding someone that you connect with. We can sometimes forget that there are important people in our life that will make us feel that life is worth living. We don’t have to be husbands or wives or partners in the traditional sense. But there’s still a lot of pressure that society puts on us to have a proper relationship in order to feel the merits of happiness. In reality, it’s essential to look at what you want and decide if a relationship is worth it. Loving someone isn’t about the traditional relationship; it’s about finding those people in your life that make everything worthwhile. Learning to love again isn’t about finding the right person; it’s about bringing the barriers down and realizing that you can experience love in so many different ways.

Some people feel put off by the idea of having a partner, and it’s unsurprising because of the various social and relationship problems out there. However, this means that in order to feel any sense of fulfillment, maybe it’s about finding the right social group? Learning to love again is not just about the people that suit you, but it’s about making sure that you are open and receptive to finding happiness in other ways. It’s not about the typical constructs. Of course, if the time comes that you feel you need to get into a relationship, then you will know. It’s about trusting yourself and remembering that when we open ourselves up to love in so many different ways that we’ve got to be comfortable with who we are. It’s such a terrible cliche, but we’ve got to learn to love ourselves before we do anything else!

Whether we are finding love in a relationship sense, or we are looking to strengthen connections with people in our lives, learning to love again is about bringing those barriers down. It’s never an easy thing to do because it requires taking a long look in the mirror. And when our heart has been broken, this can mean that we are jumping through various psychological hoops. But the practice of learning to open yourself up is worth it entirely.

Thank you for reading!

Beauty

Quick Tips For Top To Toe Beauty

February 23, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

There is, of course, so much more to life than beauty. But feeling great can happen in so many ways, and feeling beautiful is a personal thing. You don’t need to spend big cash on feeling and looking great. There are some small lifestyle additions you can make that can make a lot of difference.

Photo by Camille Brodard on Unsplash

Hair

Having luscious locks can make you feel like a million dollars. If you have frizzy hair or suffer from dry hair, then this is for you. First, you should either schedule regular appointments with a hairdresser, or you can learn to do a unicorn cut, or trim split ends, yourself.

If you want something that is budget-friendly and quick-acting then the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle reconstructor might just be your new best friend. It can kick your frizz into touch, and leaves you with sleek and shiny hair in no time. Well, 3 minutes actually.

If you want to use something more natural, then you can slather your hair in honey and coconut oil for dry hair, and ACV and lemon for oily hair.

Face Skin

Face spritzers are a big trend right now. They are really quick to use and can give your skin a big boost. You need to make sure that you are having enough water before you can expect miracles from face creams, lotions and spritzes. After adding more water to your diet, check out Mario Badscu’s Facial Spray with Aleo Herbs and Rosewater. It’s great for calming dry and irritated skin. You’ll feel dewy all day long.

Neck

People tend to forget their neck when doing their daily routines. Make sure that you extend your cleansing and moisturizers down your neck and decolletage. And if you want an extra trick, then neck contouring is a thing.

Scrub

To keep your skin looking great, all you need is three things:

Drink plenty of water
A great exfoliator
A rich moisturizer

If you want to create a scrub yourself, all you will need is brown sugar and some olive oil. You can swap sugar for salt, it’s up to you which you prefer. This is ideal if you are avoiding harsh chemicals. Coconut oil is an excellent moisturizer too. However, aloe vera and other natural oils work their wonders as well!

Feet

Your feet are super hard working. You are likely on them all day, so you have to take care of them. If you have a job where you are walking a lot, then consider insoles for plantar fasciitis. They will give you a cushioned protection. Also, consider some foot packs. They are brimming with nourishing ingredients to leave your feet soft and relaxed. If you suffer from hot or swollen feet, then a peppermint foot spray will provide a cooling sensation for your tootsies.

These small beauty tips can be done in just a few minutes and can help you feel calm, relaxed, and beautiful all week long. Feeling pampered and hydrated helps you glow from the inside and out!

Thank you for reading!

Beauty Nutrition

Worried About Hair Loss? Eat These Foods

February 22, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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One of the things we all want to maintain in life is our hair. Our hair can become a huge part of our identity and many of us use our hair to convey our personality by cutting it or dyeing it.

But what happens when we unexpectedly begin to lose hair? There are many different conditions that can result in hair loss: cancer, alopecia, stress, age and more. For example, telogen effluvium is caused by stress as well as diet choices. A lot of the time these conditions can be hard to resolve, however there are methods to reduce or reverse hair loss using natural means.

Today we are looking closer into the diet we eat, and what food could actually prevent hair loss, and keep us feeling confident throughout our life.

Prunes

Prunes are dried plums, and they are a food most of us often forget exists. Prunes are one of the most popular dried fruits and they actually have some great health benefits. If you are noticing that your hair is starting to fall out or that it is dry and brittle, eat some prunes. Prunes are full of iron, and this helps to strengthen hair.

Walnuts

Nuts are a superfood in their own right, and walnuts are the best for your hair. Walnuts are packed with omega 6, zinc, iron, vitamin B, and protein. Protein is essential for the repair and formation of tissue and will be instrumental in keeping the hair follicles strong and healthy.

Eggs

It’s no surprise that eggs are featured on another healthy eating list. Eggs are filled with the building blocks of life, and as a result they offer some incredible health benefits for anyone who wants to eat them. Containing iron, zinc, vitamin B, and protein, this is the ideal superfood for anyone who doesn’t want to lose their hair.

Peas

Peas are one of the most well-loved vegetables on the planet (and by me!) and most of us love a good portion of peas with our meals. Peas are not only rich in vitamin C and fiber, but also vitamin B1 which is essential for strong hair. B7 or Biotin can also be taken as a supplement and is proven to help the hair grow thicker and longer.

Carrots

Carrots are always associated with eyesight, and while they do provide us with essential Vitamin A for our eyes, they also provide benefits to the hair. Vitamin A helps to keep our scalp healthy and moisturized. A healthy scalp is the catalyst for healthy hair, and it ensures that as new hair grows it is shiny and thick.

Oats

Isn’t oatmeal just one of the best breakfasts on a cold day? Well, you’ll be glad to know that the simple oat is full of good stuff. It is packed with fiber to aid digestion, but for the hair in particular it contains a good dose of iron, as well as omega 6. Omega 6 is a fatty acid, and fatty acids are great for lubricating the body with essential oils. As these oils form on the scalp, they will hydrate your hair and keep it strong.

•How do you keep your hair healthy and growing?

Thank you for reading!

Health

Wonderful Ways to Keep Your Body Strong and Aligned

February 22, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

Your body is a precious structure that keeps you safe, secure, and comfortable in everything you do. If you don’t take time to care for your body by keeping it strong and aligned you are doing yourself a disservice. Whether you’re trying to find a gym that caters for your needs or you are recovering from an injury, it is so important to look after your body. Staying strong and aligned is easily possible, no matter how old or active you are. Here are just some of the ideas you can implement into your everyday life.

Visit a Specialist

If you have been injured or you feel discomfort in a certain area of your body, then you need to see a specialist who can help you. Your first option should be a chiropractor as they will be able to manipulate the bones in your body in order to align everything into a comfortable, relaxing, and more flexibly position. This type of treatment is ideal if you have a constant ache or pain in a certain area of your body. You may need several appointments before the issue is fully resolved, but it will be worth it when your body feels strong and aligned again.

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Develop Better Habits

If you work at a desk all day, you need to make sure you are sitting correctly. So many people cause long term damage to their backs, shoulders, arms, and spine because of their posture at work. Seek out a comfortable, but supportive chair and make sure your eye line is level with the top of your computer screen. Making these small changes will help to improve your habits and prevent you from gaining long term injuries.

Practice Yoga

Yoga is so effective when it comes to strengthening and elongating your body. Even if you aren’t particularly flexible, you will start to see results if you are consistent with your yoga practice. Join a local beginners class and you are bound to fall in love with it!

Nourish Your Body from the Inside

You can do all of the exercise in the world, but if you aren’t feeding your body the correct sustenance, you won’t be able to support yourself effectively through each day. You can nourish your body with delicious smoothies every single day and feel an instant burst of energy when you drink them. Speak to a professional nutritionist if you don’t know how to improve your daily diet; they will be able to provide you with tailored advice.

As soon as you start making these changes, your body will feel incredibly strong and aligned. Seeking professional help when you’re struggling to see the results will be the best idea you have ever made. Sometimes people carry out their everyday lives without checking in with how they feel within themselves. This is so important, otherwise you aren’t going to find your method of healing. Hopefully these ideas have inspired you to align your body and feel strong again!

Thank you for reading!

Food

Spice Up Your Life With These Favorites

February 20, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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Spices can add huge amounts of flavor to any dish. Many spices also have powerful health benefits – they’re packed with nutrients and often have anti-inflammatory properties that can help to numb pain. Here are just a few notable spices and how you can incorporate more of them into your diet!

Chili

Chili is great for the heart and can help alleviate many types of pain from migraines to achy joints. Of course, too much of it can be painful on the tongue (and just as painful when it comes out the other end), so it’s worth always using it with moderation. There are countless ways to use chili in cooking from seasoning chicken to giving pasta dishes a kick. It’s particularly common in oriental dishes such as curries and stir fries (as are many of the spices on this list).

Ginger

Ginger is great for the gut and can help beat stomach pain and nausea, while also fighting inflammation elsewhere in the body. There are lots of tasty ways to consume ginger, like in cakes, and also as a tea. Ginger can also liven up many savory dishes – just check out this amazing shoyu chicken recipe. You can also eat ginger with fish.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a root vegetable within the same family as ginger. It has a long list of impressive health benefits and is believed to be able to reduce the risk of cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s. Turmeric is often used in curries and can also be added to stews and chicken dishes. You can even mix it into rice or sprinkle it on scrambled eggs.

Garlic

Garlic is a favorite spice used in many forms of Mediterranean cuisine including pasta and garlic bread. As well as keeping the vampires away, garlic can reduce blood pressure and improve the immune system. Smelly breath is one of its less friendly side effects, but it’s worth putting up with for the added explosion of flavor and health benefits.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice found under the bark of the cinnamomum tree. It’s thought to have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties, helping to fight off illness. The spice is commonly found in sweet foods such as cakes and cookies – especially around Christmas. Too much cinnamon can damage the liver, so make sure to consume it in moderation (although if you’ve tried the cinnamon challenge, you’ll know just how hard it can be to eat large quantities of cinnamon).

Paprika

Paprika is made from ground peppers, but tends to be a lot less fiery than chili. Its health benefits include lowering cholesterol, preventing inflammation, and improving eye health. Paprika can be sprinkled over pretty much anything – much like salt or black pepper. It tastes particular good sprinkled over deviled eggs or potato salad.

Cloves

Cloves come from the flower buds of a clove tree. They’re full of antioxidants and are great natural painkillers – rubbing cloves on your gums is still a popular way to ease a toothache. Cloves are very versatile and can be used to glaze meat, liven up rice, or give sweet snacks a kick (they’re commonly used in food like pumpkin pie, alongside cinnamon and ginger).

•What spices are your favorite? Comment below!

Thank you for reading!

Health

“Normal” Stress vs Excess Stress: Identification, Management, & More

February 20, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

Modern life, for all of the wonders it can undoubtedly bring, is also inherently stressful. When juggling so many different requirements and responsibilities – on both professional and personal levels – it’s fairly normal to experience a few flutterings of stress here and there, and some even argue that this stress is helpful; that it helps to increase productivity, and isn’t inherently bad for us in moderation.

The key, however, is the phrase “in moderation.” A little stress can have its benefits; it might not be the most pleasant of sensations, but the sense of urgency and the need to focus that stress tends to bring can be useful in certain situations. Unfortunately, a person’s experience of stress can cross a line, to the point where the benefits are almost completely nullified, and stress becomes harmful rather than helpful.

What are the signs that stress has become excessive?

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Everyone tends to process stress differently, but there are a few signs that can suggest stress levels have exceeded the normal/helpful classification and become more problematic, such as:

Feeling overwhelmed on a regular basis, even when completing tasks you understand well.
Struggling to enjoy normal activities or relax and have fun
Being more susceptible to bugs and viruses and/or experiencing more frequent headaches or stomach-related issues, such as acid reflux
Exhaustion, even if you have slept normally and should feel rested.
Using coping methods, such as eating or drinking alcohol to excess, to try and ease feelings of stress or “unwind”
Feelings of hopelessness or lethargy, particularly when it comes to planning for the future
Emotional changes, such as being more liable to cry or experience bursts of anger

If any of the above symptoms develop, then it could be that the balance has tipped: stress is no longer a helpful motivator and part and parcel of modern life – it’s now a worrisome issue that has to be addressed.

What are the next steps if you develop the symptoms above?

It’s always advisable to check out the above symptoms with a doctor before attempting to make any changes. Should your doctor confirm that the symptoms are attributed to stress, then you can start to make lifestyle changes that can potentially help to manage the symptoms of the condition, in the hopes of finding a long-term cure.

Here are a few ideas you might want to consider:

Reaffirm the basics of healthy living: ensure you get enough sleep each night, eat a balanced diet that is rich in foods that are thought to help lower stress, ensure you stay hydrated.
Exercise can be especially helpful when it comes to combating stress; aim for around 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week to help address symptoms.
If coping methods, such as consuming excess amounts of alcohol, have been an issue, then seeking assistance from the likes of Renaissance Ranch can prove to be advantageous.
If experiencing GI symptoms, avoiding foods and beverages that can exacerbate these issues (such as nuts, fried food, spicy food, artificial sugars such as maltodextrin, and alcoholic beverages) can provide relief.
Many people dealing with stress find that therapy or life coaching can be very beneficial.
Cut back on as many activities as possible in order to address feelings of being overwhelmed or too busy.
Relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and meditation, can help with management of stress symptoms.
Keeping a diary can allow you to externalize any concerns you have and process them, which in turn can assist with alleviating stress.

Can excess stress be cured, so that you only experience “normal” stress in the future?

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Stress is the kind of condition that can, on occasion, rear its ugly head and become problematic – there is no absolute “cure” that will ensure the issue never comes up again. However, the key to managing stress is to be on the lookout for any of the symptoms that indicate stress has become problematic, and if these manifest, to take action – using the options above – accordingly.

It is also helpful to be aware of circumstances that are more likely to cause harmful stress – such as a house move or a change in personal circumstances – so that you can be particularly cautious to monitor your well-being during these times.

In Conclusion

Stress may have its uses, but it can be a hindrance if it becomes excessive. In such a scenario, treating the condition directly and making changes to your lifestyle can help bring it under control, and help you work towards a future where the only stress you experience is beneficial in nature.

Thank you for reading!