Lynds in Real Life

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Health

Family Matters – Oldest to Youngest

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No one likes to think about something terrible happening to their family, and often, that is why millions of us are unprepared. We all want to take care of our families, to provide for them in the long and short-term. With each new addition that joins your family, a lot of love follows them – but so do financial responsibilities. 

Those responsibilities aren’t just yours; they belong to everyone. However, it is essential that you do everything you can to make sure it all goes as smoothly as possible. 

Photo by Jake Thacker on Unsplash

Smallest

The beautiful thing about children is that you have a clean slate. You can start saving for them; you can start growing a nest egg. A simple savings account with a few dollars a month can help your children pay towards college, books, meals, travel, and more when they reach an age that they really need it. 

The most important thing and the one money can’t buy is, of course, time. We all have free time that we don’t always use to the best of our ability. Moreover, is there anything better than spending it on the smallest members of your family? Maybe they are your kids, and perhaps they aren’t – but spend the time, and you will feel those rewards for years to come. 

Middles

There are probably more family members in the 18-58 age bracket. Usually, this age group has the most modern pressures. The young end of that spectrum have exams, job stress, trying to afford a home, and sometimes they can feel like others are too busy being successful, or living their own lives to check-in. So take the time to say hi, grab a coffee, and just listen. 

It is nice to ask ‘Are you okay?’ it’s more helpful to ask ‘hey, do you need help with anything, what can I do?’. 

Emotional and mental support is a big deal, and all it takes is to make sure that you are there. Also, the kind offer of helping with week of grocery shopping, or even a monetary offer, usually won’t go amiss. 

Elders

The elder members of your family need just as much love and support as the younger ones – but it might need to be in a different form. The 58+ bracket sadly comes with more ailments and illnesses. If you can, start talking about their will, and if they don’t have one, it might be time to get one written up. Talk about what might happen if they can no longer care for themselves, and check out in home health care professionals so that they can stay in a place they are happy. 

It isn’t a surprise really, but the best way to take care of people is to be there for them, through the good and the bad.

•How do you and your family take care of each other? Please share below in the comments section!

Thank you for reading!

Fitness

Finding The Perfect Gym For You: 4 Helpful Tips

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While it is possible to work on your fitness at home, a gym membership undeniably has its advantages. A gym is a dedicated workout space, so your home can be reserved for relaxation; the equipment is more likely to be high-end. There’s a range of different classes available for when you feel you need to shake things up, and help will be on hand if you run into any difficulties.

However, it’s fair to say that the experience of visiting a gym can vary. Some gyms are excellent, offering a wealth of benefits to their members that more than justifies their fees. Others… aren’t so excellent, and in the worst cases, could actually harm your ability to meet your fitness goals.

If you’re on the lookout for a new gym, here are four tips that can help to make sure you find the perfect gym for your needs.

#1 – Time Your Visit Carefully

Touring a gym before joining is highly recommended. Make sure you plan your visit around the same time as you would usually be working out. Doing so allows you to get a rough idea of how busy the gym is, and allows you to assess the atmosphere and conditions based on what you are most likely to experience if you sign-up.

#2 – Check the Machines Thoroughly

During your visit to a gym you are considering, take the time to check the machines in detail. First and foremost, look at safety aspects; do the machines look modern and well-maintained, or are they in the kind of disrepair that suggests using them may result in needing to call a personal injury attorney in future? In addition, assess the cleanliness; good gyms tend to ensure that their equipment is thoroughly cleaned regularly, so any sign of accumulated dirt will make that gym a no-go.

#3 – Examine the Existing List of Classes and Ask How Popular They Are

If you are considering a gym because they offer a range of classes you are particularly excited to try, it’s important to ask a member of staff how popular each class actually is. Gyms often cancel classes that have relatively few attendees, so you’ll need to make sure that the class you want to try will actually be available. On the flip side, if the classes you are interested in are bordering on too popular, you may find yourself having to join a waiting list before each class – so it may be worth trying a different gym to see if they have better availability.

#4 – Read the Fine Print

It would be impossible to discuss finding a great gym without a discussion of the contract you will be asked to sign, especially given that gym membership contracts have a tendency for being difficult to break.

*Just ask my boyfriend: Planet Fitness will only allow him to cancel his membership by GOING TO THE GYM HE SIGNED UP AT, which mind you, is in California! We live in Nevada now. Ugh, it is so frustrating. Don’t fall into that trap.

Always ask for time to read through your contract in full before signing, paying particular attention to the clauses related to canceling the contract. Hopefully you won’t need to cancel anytime soon, but it’s always important to make sure you know exactly where you stand before you sign on the dotted line.

The four tips above should help you to find the best gym for your needs. Once you find one, come back here and share which gym you chose! I’d love to hear more about it.

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health

In Our Right Mind: Getting Free From Addiction Using The Right Tools

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Suffering from any addiction is crippling in the mind and body. When we suffer a problem that we can’t appear to overcome, is it about mind over matter? Our mindset has a lot to do with overcoming any obstacle in life, but can we use this to break free from addiction? When we have numerous bad habits in life, from biting our nails to smoking cigarettes, it’s mostly about the power our brain has. So does this mean we’ve got to put our brain into gear to get over some sort of addiction? It appears so, right? How can we use our mindset, or acquire one to ensure that we put a stop to an addiction that is harming us?

Assessing Our Current Mindset

The big problem that we have in terms of addiction is that we stand in our own way. Maybe we don’t have the ability to admit that we’ve got a problem. As is the usual procedure, when we need help, it has to be us that instigates the fact that we need some sort of support. By assessing our current mindset, it could very well be done independently. When it comes to quitting something, we have to look at which mindset we currently have. Tolerance is one of those mindsets that are connected with addiction. It’s a physical and psychological process. But what happens is, when a behavior is repeated, you become less sensitive to something. You develop a physical or mental tolerance. And on the flip side, we experience withdrawal, either in physical or mental symptoms. And it’s these two things that can get in the way of truly addressing our addiction.

Looking At Our Fixed Mindset

If we have a fixed mindset, this provides a major obstacle to overcoming any addiction. It’s about being immovable on a subject. We may embody a fixed mindset in a very black and white way. For example, if we fall off the wagon, we consider ourselves to be a failure. We may feel our abilities right now determine that they cannot be moved. This is something that provides a major barrier to overcoming any form of problem in our minds, not just addiction. Once we start to establish that we have a fixed mindset and that these things can be moved, this is when we can start to make progress.

Establishing A Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is all about progression. In a simple way, it’s about positivity, but having a growth mindset allows you to progress forward. In a biochemical sense, it can help to create extra neural pathways. It’s all about this idea of habit. We’ve learned new habits throughout our life, but it’s about breaking the ones that don’t help us. Sometimes it’s by assimilation; we could go to a group therapy practice, or involve ourselves in a sober living community so we are influenced by others that are going through the same issues. Because we stand in our own way of success, when we see others undergoing the same problems, or are just far along in the recovery process as us, it’s humbling, but it’s also a perfect way to provide stimulation and motivation. A growth mindset is vital for recovery, and it’s something that can be harnessed. Counseling is one approach; especially with counselors who provide cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Developing New Thoughts

Because we have specific thought patterns that we may think are fixed, this is what will lead to a more negative mindset. Issues like a self-fulfilling prophecy, negative opinions of oneself will begin to cloud our judgment. A growth mindset is not just about training yourself in terms of new thought processes; it’s about undertaking the right practices that will help you on the road to recovery. This could very well be about getting rid of certain pressures in life. It could be through social situations, or friends that are a bad influence on you. Once we start to liberate ourselves of our old thought patterns, we can begin new thoughts, and grow to become a completely different person.

Making It Work Together

Naturally, all of these things are fantastic in theory, but can be difficult in practice. The most important piece of information that we can all learn in life is that it takes as long as it takes. When we are learning a new skill, or overcoming a dependency on something, we’ve got to break free of the antiquated notion that we are “limited.” That there’s only so much we can accomplish. Time and time again, it’s been shown that the mind and body are more than able to overcome obstacles, either by highlighting the effect that neuroplasticity has on our brains, or the fact that our body is a machine, and was built for physically demanding situations. When it comes to making all of this work together, it is mind and body, but also spirit. Whether you are religious or not is beside the point; once we equip ourselves with the tools, it’s about making it all work together according to what we want.

Like they say in rehab facilities, “we provide the tools, but it’s down to you to make sense of them.” Nobody can hold our hand through a unique problem like addiction, because we are suffering from it in our own heads. We can ask for help and guidance, and we can be given the tools, but it’s down to us to make it all work. Learning as much information as possible about overcoming something, disregarding the irrelevant tools, and making the most of the relevant ones can be a lengthy practice; but it’s all about ensuring that you are going in the right direction.

Is It Mind Over Matter?

It’s such an antiquated expression, but it is mind over matter when we have the tools at our disposal. Getting “over” an addiction isn’t about taking a magic pill. Addiction is something that can stay with us long after the physical symptoms have gone. This means that we have to develop a sense of inner strength, but also equip ourselves with all the necessary information and tactics. In this respect, it is mind over matter.

•Have you struggled with an addiction? How were you able to overcome it?

•If you’re still struggling with addiction, what are some tools that would help you be successful in breaking that addiction?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health

Is It Time For A Full Body Detox?

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Our bodies are designed to naturally get rid of all the bad stuff. However, we can often end up shoving so much of this bad stuff into our bodies that they cannot cope with the demand. Undertaking a full body detox can help to flush out the backlog of toxins in our body, allowing us to feel fresh again. Here are just several ways in which you can go about giving yourself a full body detox.

Cut Out the Bad Stuff

In order to stop all the bad stuff from piling up, you need to temporarily stop putting this stuff into your body. Some of the biggest culprits include alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, refined sugar, and trans fats. Try going a week without consuming these ingredients or try significantly lowering your intake – while the cravings may make you feel worse at first, you’ll feel so much better a few days in when these unhealthy ingredients are no longer in your system.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

It’s when we’re asleep that our body does most of its natural detoxification. If you’re not getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, you’re likely not letting your body complete this process. By upping your sleep for a week, you could help to rejuvenate your body. You’ll also recharge your energy reserves, making your brain feel much more alert and your body feel much more limber.

Drink More Water

Drinking lots of water will help to flush out all the toxins in your body. Focus on trying to drink 8 glasses of water per day. You can also try other drastic rehydration methods. To get all the toxins out of your bloodstream, you could consider IV hydration. Meanwhile, if you’re constipated and bloated, you could give colonic hydrotherapy a go.

Consume More Probiotics

Probiotics are your body’s source of healthy bacteria. These are needed to balance out the unhealthy bacteria in your gut. Too much unhealthy bacteria could be affecting your ability to digest food, your ability to absorb nutrients, and your ability to fight bugs and infections. Probiotics can be found in various foods such as yogurt, kefir, miso, and sauerkraut. They can also be taken as supplements.

Stay Active

Exercise is also important for detoxing your body. When we are active, our blood flows faster around the body, allowing antibodies and nutrients to get to the right places more quickly. Exercise helps us to get oxygen into our bodies faster and also helps to speed up our digestive system. All in all, it’s essential for a full body detox.

How do you detox your body? How often? Share below!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health

Surprising Causes of Headaches and How to Stop Them

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Did you know that it isn’t just stress and colds that can cause headaches? Sometimes little things, like cleaning your home or even sleeping in, can cause them too. If you want to help yourself then here are the top surprising causes of headaches.

Relaxing

Do you find that headaches strike you more on the weekend? Especially on a Saturday morning? If this is the case, then there is a very good reason. As you relax, the tension from the week subsides, and your stress hormones start to drop. This can cause a release of neurotransmitters, which sends out impulses to the blood vessels in the brain. When this happens, the vessels constrict and dilate. This can cause serious headaches, and it may cause you to suffer all weekend as a result. If you want to stop this, then try to avoid the temptation of sleeping in on the weekend. Instead, go for a yoga class or a walk.

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Pent up Anger

When you are angry, all the muscles that are in the back of your scalp and your neck really tense up. Of course, this will cause you to experience a constricting sensation around your head, known as a tension headache. If you want to try and stop this from happening, then try to breathe in deep and slowly. Also, focus on breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. This will relax your back and your neck.

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Poor Posture

Poor posture can create a lot of tension in your upper back. This can cause you to experience a headache, and you may find that you get a throbbing pain in the back of your skull. If this is the case, then avoid sitting in one position for a long period of time. If you get pain behind the eyes, this could be because of an eye problem. If this sounds like you, then check out Biotrue ONEday for astigmatism. I have astigmatisms in BOTH eyes, so I know the pain and frustration associated with it.

Perfume

If you think that housework gives you a headache, there is a high chance that you could be right. Cleaners, fragranced air fresheners, and strong perfumes can all contain chemicals which are notorious for bringing on headaches. If you want to fix this, then try and avoid heavy perfumes, and also make sure that you keep your windows and doors open as much as possible. The same applies to your workplace as well. When someone is spraying perfume, open the window and always make sure that you turn on your air conditioner where possible.

Bad Weather

If you are prone to getting headaches, you may find that they are brought on by high humidity, increasing temperatures, and even grey skies. Pressure changes can trigger electrical and chemical changes in the brain and this can irritate your nerves. This can then lead you to developing headaches and other side effects. If you want to stop this, try and take some pain relief for when bad weather does strike. I get terrible migraines, and they’re almost always due to the barometric pressure (or a change in air pressure). High humidity causes mine, as well. When in Ohio, where it’s always over 50% humidity, I get severe migraines. Here in Las Vegas, the humidity is almost always under 10%, and I get fewer migraines!

Do you get headaches? How do you combat them? Comment below!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health Uncategorized

Why Helping Yourself On Your Fitness Journey Isn’t A Bad Thing

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Like anything people can become passionate about, the fitness community can sometimes have those who take everything they do with utmost seriousness, and can become quite draconian when imparting advice. Of course, when this comes to matters of health and safety, or when it comes to actually promoting what works, this is completely fine. However, sometimes you may be intimidated, thinking that unless you are following ‘the perfect way,’ you’re not following a way at all.

Fitness is a metaphor for our life, in that if we want something, we have to stay committed and work for it. However, over time this can prevent you from making the progress you want despite putting work in. Fitness, like anything you do to better your life, should be enjoyable and something you look forward to when it’s at its best. If you hate every gym session, every healthy meal, and feel as though you simply have to suffer through it – you’re not going to last very long at all.

This is why, especially in the beginning, helping yourself out on your fitness journey isn’t a bad thing at all. After all, if you want to climb a mountain, it’s a good idea to bring climbing gear.

Consider:

A Shoulder To Lean On

A gym can be an intimidating place to be your first time there. You likely do not know what most of the equipment is outside of the obvious fixtures, and trying to navigate a busy gym during peak times can be a nightmare. This is why it can be important start with a gym induction, and to simply walk around the place to see what you can and can’t do. Asking questions such as what the weightlifting chalk policy can help illuminate what actions you should be taking.

Sometimes, it can be hard to simply get in a routine schedule. If you haven’t gone to the gym for some time, what makes your current need so different? Also, how might you ingratiate yourself into the fitness lifestyle well? We’d recommend that finding a shoulder to lean on could be a great idea. Perhaps you could look online at a forum dedicated to your local area, and try to find a gym buddy that way. Perhaps you might ask one of your friends to start this new lifestyle with you, if they have also suggested that they wish to become fitter.

When you have someone waiting on you as you’re waiting on them, both of you will find it much harder to let the other person down. This can help you both enjoy one another’s company and also gain a stronger and more dependable approach when helping each other overcome their lifts.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing this. In fact, it can be a much safer method of attending the gym. For example, having someone ‘spot you’ on the bench press can help you avoid being punished by gravity if placing too much weight on the bar. You can also both help each other with scheduling, your diets, observing the other’s form, and giving one another safety pointers. In fact, the more specialized an athlete becomes, the more they will have to rely on the opinions and help of other people. So as a novice, there’s absolutely zero shame in finding this for yourself, and the same goes for the use of excellent personal trainers.

Getting Active & Alert

While many of us love attending the gym, getting up at an early hour in the morning, walking to the gym in the pouring rain, and having to wake yourself up on the treadmill or by lifting weights can be enjoyable, yet a little rough to experience. Sometimes, we might wake up feeling full of energy and well rested. Other times, we might feel the complete opposite.

Does that mean we should cancel our gym session the moment we feel just a little tired? Of course not, that would be rather ridiculous. But it might also be that we need just a little help in getting active and alert each morning. For example, it might be that you decide to homebrew beautiful filter coffee to keep you alert and active each morning. You might also decide to use pre-workout to help you get in the zone. You might decide to run to the gym in order to wake up, or perhaps join a certain specialized class you must attend in order to get the blood moving. On top of that, ZMA supplements can help you feel more alert after a great night of rest.

Getting active and alert is the key to success with your fitness lifestyle. We would recommend you consider the powerful benefits of doing this. You never know just how much it could help.

Supplementation

Added supplementation can be a wonderful thing. From using Vitamin C and D supplements to help your immune system (preventing you from catching something such as a seasonal flu from gym equipment,) purchasing T5 fat burners to help you drop weight naturally, and also fulvic acid can help you gain minerals you might have lost out on before.

Protein supplements can help you repair your muscles after an intense gym session, and help you meet your daily macro requirement. On top of that, weight shakes can help you bulk up and put weight on, allowing you to exceed your daily need for certain calories if hoping to build muscle. BCAA’s can help your muscles repair even more appropriately, as they are literally providing the amino acids necessary to help you heal in the most fundamental manner possible.

If you have a fitness issue, either hard work, readjusting your schedule, sleeping, eating better, or supplementation can help it. But supplementation is often a dirty word, because of all the questionable products that can be sold, especially overseas. But enjoying the use of these, if properly vetted, can help you get to the next level of your fitness life. To that extent, this can be a net positive.

With these tips, you’re certain to help yourself on your fitness journey!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health

The Relationship Between Work & Health

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You have heard plenty in the past about the work/life balance – but what about the work/health balance? While it is not necessarily clear cut to say that working more means having less health, there is something of a link there which is worth looking into if you want to try and make the most of your life. Your health is obviously the most important thing to you in the world, and as long as you are living in a way which pays respect to that, you should find that you are moving in the right direction. But there are many ways in which your work can get in the way of that, and it is a good idea to try and look into what you can do to stop that from happening too much. In this post, we will look at some of the ways in which your work and your health are related, and what you can do to make sure you find the right balance.

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Choosing A Job

Let’s be honest: most of the time, people choose jobs based on circumstance and chance rather than a top-down kind of objective approach. That is the nature of working in the world today, and that is the reality for most people. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t choose to try and put a little more effort into finding a job that you will hopefully love, and one which is not going to cause you too much strain or trouble with your health. If you are thinking of switching jobs or getting a job, you will want to keep your health at the forefront of your mind. As long as you do that, you should find that you are much more likely to get hold of a job that will be fairly good for you, or at least not do you too much harm. Again, this is not always possible to do, but insofar as it is, you should make sure that you are happy to make the right choice and always put your health first ahead of any job.

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Working Safely

An important way to make sure that your work is not going to negatively affect your health is by focusing on what you need to do to work safely. The more that you are able to work in safety, the more likely it is that you will keep your health where it needs to be, and that’s obviously what we all need and want. There are many things to consider here to make sure that you are working as safely as necessary. For a start, there are likely to be a number of health and safety rules which you need to adhere to in your workplace, so make sure that you are aware of these and that you appreciate what they mean and really entail. You should also make sure that you approach your work with common sense and don’t do anything unsafe on purpose, and that you don’t do anything physical which you know you probably can’t do. Remember that your employer has their side to keep up here too, and if they don’t then you should seriously consider contacting a personal injury lawyer to get their legal assistance. As long as you do that, and you work safely, you can at least be sure that your work won’t cause you any actual injuries, which is a hugely important thing to be aware of on the whole.

Taking Regular Breaks

One of the ways in which work can affect your health is if you work too much, an affliction which many people find that they adhere to from time to time. If you do work too much, then it will only mean that you are going to cause your body and mind to experience much more stress, and that will inhibit the function of your immune system to the point where you are considerably more likely to develop an illness at some point in the future. This is clearly no good for you at all, and absolutely not worth the extra working hours. Instead, you should aim to take regular breaks wherever you can, so that you can be sure you are going to keep that stress as low as necessary, and not allow it to become too much. There will be a legal requirement for break time which you should follow, and hopefully your employer will let you take a little more too, so make sure that you are happy to do that if you want to really look after yourself. Taking breaks is essential for your health.

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Eating Well

Many people fail to eat properly when they are at work. This might be because they are rushed off their feet and they don’t find it easy to get hold of good food, or it might be that the stress of the day means that they crave fast food. Whatever the underlying reason, you need to try and make sure that you don’t go too far down that hole. Instead, try to make a point of eating as well as you possibly can when you are on lunch break and other breaks. You can do this by preparing a healthy meal at home which you bring in, or simply by making sure that you make a point of making better decisions when you buy your lunch. The healthier you eat during the working day, the better off your health will be on the whole – and you will also find that it makes it much easier to carry on working without getting too overwhelmed or stressed too. Food is one of the most important parts of this whole process, and you should make sure that you treat it as such. Your diet is the central pinnacle of your health, especially when you are already stressed from work.

Understanding the relationship between work and health and taking the steps above will help you to lead a much healthier and happier life!

•How do you balance your work and health life?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health Nutrition Reviews

Food Intolerance Testing with York Test Labs Pt 2: Results

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A couple weeks ago, I shared about Part One of my food intolerance testing with York Test Labs. Quick summary: I was given the opportunity to take an at-home food and drink intolerance test. I sent two little cotton swabs of blood to be tested for over 200 common intolerances. Note: this blood test checks for intolerances (some are possible intolerances), not allergies.

Disclosure: Lipton Publicity provided a sample, and the opinion I express is 100% my own.

I’m back to share my results with you! Via email, I received these results:

The top red ones (in the first photo) with the black dots are what my blood reacted to. The only one I’m sad and surprised by is the cocoa bean! I’ll definitely have to get more info on the specifics of that. If I can’t have chocolate ever, what kind of life would that be?! 😉

I’m not surprised by the milk and eggs (including yolk). I’m bummed about beef, because I love a good cheeseburger. With the eggs, it’s funny: exactly 5 years ago, I started eating food that only felt good in my body, even though some of the foods I couldn’t eat were considered healthy. Here’s the post:

That post was specifically talking about eggs! Eggs have always made me feel bloated, despite never feeling full. It felt good reading these results and knowing it wasn’t all in my head.

The yellow food/drinks with the black dots are things my blood sort of reacted to. Those are possible intolerances, but not a “for sure.” Everything else, I didn’t have a reaction to! Pretty awesome.

Had I taken this test a year ago, I’d be so sad about the intolerances to wine. But, luckily, I no longer drink, so it’s not a big deal to me.

•••

After receiving the results, you’re given a phone number to call and schedule TWO 30-minute nutritional therapy sessions! You’ll talk with a professional to better understand your results and ask any questions. You’ll also receive a food diary and guidebook.

I feel extremely satisfied with the testing process with York Test Labs, and the results I received. I highly recommend checking out their website to learn more, & to purchase your own kit! There’s nothing more important than your health.

PS: There’s currently a SALE happening! Use code MAY20 to receive 20% off!

Thank you for reading!

Keep in touch on Instagram 🙂

Health

4 Tips That Will Help You Sleep Better

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Sources claim that 8 hours of sleep is essential per night. However, with the active and busy lifestyles that many claim, we do not always have enough hours in the day to accomplish this. Not only is it the time we don’t have, but sometimes the mental capacity to turn off and get the sleep that we need. When we don’t get enough sleep, we function slower, may get headaches, feel lethargic and drained. We may also feel shaky, nauseous and unsteady. Therefore maintaining a good sleep routine is in fact vital to health. So how do we accomplish this? Here are some quick tips to rescue you! 

1. Take supplements 

This may seem a simple solution but it may be one that you have dismissed. Supplements are not addictive. They do not harm the body and they are often very gentle on the digestive system. Therefore, you should consider lavender supplements, or perhaps even cbd for sleep which helps relax you. Afterall, it is often the ‘turning off’ part of sleeping that is the most difficult for us.

2. Eliminate the snoring

Snoring is a sleep problem that interferes not only with snoring, but also with those who share it with him or her. There is something known as the Philips device, which is a type of smart belt that is fastened around the center of the body at night, and it produces a gentle vibration to make you change position while sleeping and stop snoring. Whilst there are plenty of other gadgets on the market, it is worth researching them because the chances are that snoring will in fact inhibit you. Try playing some gentle sounds in the background to try and eliminate the heavy breathing also. 

3. Exercise a little before bed

Exercise, of course, raises body temperature so if you go for a run in the evening or go to the gym be sure to do it 4-6 hours before bedtime, so you don’t disturb the body’s cooling system. If you are too warm before bed then you won’t sleep as easily. You should consider gentle yoga also before bed and could also consider reading which will make your eyes tired. 

4. Quality or quantity

Not only quantity, but also quality – as mentioned, many people choose to sleep less than they need to sleep. In such cases, the quality of sleep should be improved rather than the quantity. If you know that longer hours of sleep just aren’t possible, then you must try to improve the quality of the sleep.

The deep sleep states, stages 3 and 4 of sleep which are closest to a state of coma, and they produce long and slow brain waves (these are incidentally different stages of REM sleep, which is also dream sleep). Research is still ongoing, but there is already an understanding that these stages have to do with memory quality, the immune system and cognitive performance. You can improve this type of sleep with magnesium supplements and going to bed at the same time every night. Try to stay positive! 

Thank you for reading!

Health

How To Get Rid Of A Stiff Neck

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Neck pain can occur for all kinds of reasons. It could be a repetitive strain injury caused by poor posture, it could be muscle tension caused by stress or it could be a tissue tear as a result of a car accident or sports injury (AKA whiplash). 

A stiff neck could make day to day activities like driving or turning around to talk to people difficult. It could also affect your ability to sleep. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to treat a stiff neck that can help reduce pain and help it to heal. Below are just some ways to get rid of a stiff neck.

Avoid sharp neck movements

It’s best to avoid any activity that may require you to make sharp neck movements. This could include driving or playing sports. Moving our head is something many of us do instinctively when talking to people or looking for things – for serious neck injuries, it is often worth wearing a neck brace to prevent you from turning your neck sharply by accident. 

Do stretches

While you should avoid sharp neck movements, you shouldn’t avoid moving your neck entirely. Doing some slow stretches could help any muscles or tendons to heal – keeping muscles and tendons active can stop them from seizing up. 

Apply heat and ice

Both hot and cold compressions can help to reduce inflammation, which in turn can reduce pain. Cold compressions are best for when an injury is still fresh – this could include pressing an ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables against your neck. A compression could involve using a water bottle or a warm wet towel. Taking a hot bath can also be a way of relaxing muscles and reducing inflammation. 

Adjust how you sleep

Neck pain can often make it difficult to get comfortable while sleeping. It could be worth using a neck pillow and lying on your back. If you can’t sleep on your back, lying on your side is the next best option (avoid sleeping on your front).

Look into chiropractic treatment

It’s possible that you may be able to relieve some tension through the help of a chiropractor. This type of treatment involves manipulating muscles and joints. Only ever use a qualified chiropractor.

Try acupuncture

Acupuncture works for some people. It involves placing long thin needles into pressure points in order to relieve pain. Neck pain is one of the most common types of pain that acupuncture is used on. Always use a licensed practitioner. 

Know when to see a doctor

Neck injuries may not always heal by themselves. In some cases, there could be serious muscular or spinal damage. If you’ve recently had an accident and your neck is hurting, it’s worth seeing a doctor to check that there aren’t any serious injuries. If your neck pain is accompanied by strange headaches, loss of sensation to limbs, loss of coordination, nausea or dizziness, you should similarly consider seeing a doctor. 

I hope these tips help!

Thank you for reading!

Health

4 Habits That Will Make You A Happier You

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The idea of true happiness differs from person to person. For some, happiness means being at peace with who and where they are. For others, true happiness is finally seeing life plans falling to place. However, regardless of what your definition of happiness is, there are some habits you can adopt today to make you a happier person. So, what habits put you on the journey to Nirvana? Here are four practices to make you a happier you today!

  1. Keep a gratitude journal

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Journaling is a great way to organize your thoughts, express yourself, and make plans. Keeping a gratitude journal gives you the chance to express the joys of your life, no matter how big or small. Jotting down the little things that have made you happy every day is a small way to overcome the emotional upsets you may have. It also brings you to the realization that there is always something to be happy about! Besides writing them down, you can keep a photo journal. Apps such as ForKeeps help you create a digital album, easily accessible on your devices. Therefore, you can capture moments and other things you are grateful for.

  1. Declutter your space

Yes, you read that right! Developing the habit of decluttering once in a while can make you happier. According to scientists, being around clutter has adverse effects on your mental health, as it can increase stress levels and lower self-control. However, decluttering elevates your feelings of accomplishment and productivity, making you happier. It also brings about a sense of order and organization, which gives you a free mind. Therefore, do not see decluttering as one of the many daunting chores you need to do. Instead, view it as an activity that would help you be a happier person.

  1. Go on “ghost mode”

Sometimes, ditching your phone is a great way to be happier. The biggest distraction most people deal with today is their phones. There is always someone to text, a story to follow, social media trends to update yourself on, etc. As great as phones are, it is important to unplug. Turn off your notifications or delete apps such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to take a break from the adverse effects these apps may have. You can pick up other activities, such as going for a walk, meeting some friends, reading a book, or meditating.

  1. Practice self-care

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Unfortunately, this fast-paced world has made it easy to forget to take care of yourself from time to time. Self-care, contrary to what many may think, is not an act of selfishness at all. It is essential to give your mind and body the TLC it deserves. Take some time to take a nice warm relaxing bath, adopt a skincare routine, cuddle up with some wine to binge-watch your favorite movies and show. You should also consider exercising and healthy eating in your self-care routine.

Being a happier person is not a challenge, and these four habits would set you on the right path. And, don’t forget to smile!

Thank you for reading!

Health

4 Reasons Why a Standing Desk May Be Right for You

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If you work all day then comfort is of the utmost importance. In order to get comfortable, you will need to ensure that you have the proper work equipment and workstation. Recently a lot of people have been trying standing desks especially if they do creative work.

However, you may be wondering if a standing desk is right for you and what are the benefits you can get from using it. Here is a look at some of the key reasons why a standing desk can be beneficial for you.

Build Your Muscles

Muscular atrophy is very real and it is something that a chiropractor will have to deal with if it gets severe. If you don’t use your muscles they will literally waste away. When you sit all day around a desk you are not using some of your muscle groups.

However, when you get a standing desk you are forced to move and use up most of your muscles. Not only will your muscles be healthier but they will also be more flexible.

Improve Your Posture

A standing desk will encourage better posture. This is because it is impossible not to become more aware of how your back and neck are being used when you use a standing desk.

You will find that you don’t slouch as much as you would if you are sitting in a chair. The more you stand, the stronger the muscles in your back and neck will become and you will see spine alignment improving.

Improve Circulation

Sitting for long periods can restrict the circulation of blood in your body. When you use a standing desk the opposite is true it will facilitate better circulation all over your body.

Proper circulation is important because it sends oxygen to the cells. Not only that but proper circulation will ensure that that the cells get the right nutrients and this will keep your body healthy.

Improve the Health of Your Spine

If you have been having problems with your spine then the perfect solution may be to get a standing desk. While sitting supports the back it can also make the disc in your back become a lot more compact and this can increase or cause pain.

Standing reduces pain in your back and allows for greater flexibility and movement of the spine. This increases the overall health of the spine and your back.

Try it Out

If you find that you are currently having back pains or you just feel uncomfortable after sitting for several hours the perfect solution may be to get a standing desk. Even if you do not use this for the entire day, using it for a few hours may be just what you need to improve the health of your spine and back.

Standing desks are relatively inexpensive and easy to install which means that there is much to gain and very little to lose if you decide that it is not for you.

Thank you for reading!

Health

Up Your Wellness Game in 5 Easy Steps

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The concept of wellness incorporates virtually every aspect of your life, from your physical and mental health to your social relationships and financial fitness. Although this broad definition enables you to focus on everything that really does impact your well-being, it can be tricky to know where to start when you want to make your life more wellness-focused.

Fortunately, things aren’t as complicated as they seem. To find out how you can make wellness a bigger part of your life, learn how to up your wellness game in 5 easy steps now:

1. Recognize the Components of Wellness

As wellness incorporates so many things, it can be useful to look at each component individually. You may have clear ideas about how you want to improve your physical health, for example, but be less sure about where to start when it comes to your emotional well-being, and that’s ok. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the concept and components of wellness, you can move on to the next step. 

2. Set Achievable Goals

It’s always easier to stay motivated when you have goals to aspire to, but make sure they’re achievable. Some goals, like running the Ogden Marathon, might be more ambitious than others, such as setting a budget for your income and expenditure, but this doesn’t mean they’re more or less important. Instead, you’re simply enabling yourself to improve every aspect of your wellness in a consistent and achievable way. 

3. Look for the Why

When you’re deciding which goals to set for yourself or trying to stay motivated on your wellness journey, remember why you started. You may want to enhance your quality of life, feel less anxious or reduce your health risk factors, for example. Whatever your reasons for wanting to optimize your wellness, think about them frequently and use them to inspire and motivate yourself. 

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4. Make Sustainable Changes

Before you set your wellness goals, think about your lifestyle and how you’ll manage to achieve them. If you’re working and/or raising a family, for example, you may not have time to train for a marathon, start a side hustle and do yoga every day! 

Trying to do too much at once can make it hard to achieve anything so, instead, implement sustainable changes that will get you closer to your goals. When your new wellness regime fits easily into your lifestyle, it will be far easier to succeed. 

5. Focus on the Long-Term

Enhancing wellness is a lifelong pursuit, so don’t expect there to be a finish line. As you reach one goal, find new ones to take you a little further on your journey. By doing so, you can ensure that the concept of wellness becomes an underlying factor in every aspect of your life. 

Making Wellness a Top Priority

When you prioritize wellness, you’re essentially prioritizing the most important things in life. This can help you to identify what really matters to you and, as a result, it can increase your happiness and enhance your quality of life. 

Thank you for reading!

Health

5 Treatments to Help Improve Your Wellness This Spring

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Acupuncture

There’s never a bad time to pay attention to your wellness levels. On the contrary, it’s always a good time; you can never have enough wellness in your life. That said, the light air and warm sunshine of spring is ideal for getting your wellness levels back up to where they should be. 

Acupuncture is an excellent treatment for holistic wellness. The ancient practice uses fine needles to release blocked energy in your system and make you feel like new again. If you’re unsure about this therapy, give it a try and review the results. 

Singing Bowl Sound Therapy

Some people may not like the idea of putting small needles in their body. It could be too uncomfortable, or perhaps they have a phobia of needles. Luckily, there are several other wellness treatment options that can help to harmonize your energy centers and reorientate your system. One type of treatment is sound therapy. 

Singing bowl sound therapy is a very effective treatment option. Using small metal bowls tuned to particular frequencies, your sound therapist will play them in a harmonizing sequence that will unblock any trapped energy and move it to wherbit should be. You won’t regret sound therapy!

Chiropractor Back Work 

Back and spinal issues are very common, especially in people who work at a desk in a home office. Your spine can become misaligned and curved if you’re not careful. The spine is also an overlooked source of stress and tension in the body; yet it has a vital role to play. 

When you go for chiropractic treatment at your local Chiropractor you will have your spine realigned and obtain treatment for any stiff joints. For maximum wellness you need to have flexible joints and a healthy spine, so don’t overlook this vital component of your health. The chiropractor above also offers treatment options for children. 

Deep Tissue Massage

Nothing revitalizes you better than a deep tissue massage. These massages are designed to access the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissues that accumulate stress and tension, often without you realizing it’s there. If you follow a professional treatment, you will notice the difference. 

A deep tissue massage involves laying face down on a massage bed and letting your therapist use their strength and hands to soften the deep muscles on your back and legs. This can be uncomfortable at times, but you will notice a beginning difference in wellness for days and weeks. 

Empowerment Healing

If you haven’t heard of empowerment healing, it’s time you found out about it and perhaps signed up for some sessions. Empowerment healing is proving to be an effective way of exploring your mental, physical, and emotional issues to accelerate your wellness levels. 

An empowerment healer will work with you to explore some of the deeper issues that are causing you stress, tension, and discomfort. In some cases, this will be thoughts and feelings about yourself, in other cases it might be a life situation. Your empowerment healer will use techniques to unlock your inner potential. 

I hope these techniques help! Thank you so much for reading!

Health

5 Things You’re Doing That’s Messing Up Your Life

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Most people tend to adopt behaviors that ruin their lives, and often without knowing it. What such people fail to realize is that if they want to lead a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life, they need to make the right decisions, no matter how trivial or significant they are.

Every day, every human faces a battle against various things that contribute to failure. However, as long as you remain persistent and make better choices, you can overcome such setbacks. To make things a little easier for you, here are some of the things you could be doing that are screwing up your life.

1. Lack of Committing to a Goal(s)

Of course, everyone has a goal in life. And these goals are what make people get up every day and work on being productive. You may have a goal to become financially secure by the time you reach a certain age.

You may have a goal to start a family, change your career, hit the gym every day, drink water regularly, buy a car, house, and many other things. However, the sad truth is that most people fail to commit to such goals. Failure to commit to a plan leads to a lack of acts that can help achieve and fulfill such goals.

Without a goal, you are headed nowhere. And without a goal commitment, you are more than likely to receive mediocre results. Therefore, it would be best to ensure you commit to all the goals you have in life. And committing means finding ways to achieve them and not giving in to any temptations. By this, you can avoid screwing up your life.

2. You Don’t Have a Fitness or Health Routine

Being healthy and fit should be a part of your life, no matter where you are. This is one of the best ways to live happily and boost your self-esteem and confidence. Besides, living healthily can help you achieve your goals in life. For instance, if your goal is to be productive at work, how can you achieve this if you are not mentally and physically fit?

Be it as it may, there is more to having a health and fitness routine. If you fail to commit to what you do, you will not achieve your desired results. Also, committing and adjusting to changes are guaranteed ways that lead to better health results.

There are multiple health routines you can adapt and stick to in life. For instance, you can make it a habit to meditate in the morning if you want to maintain your mental sanity. Have you tried indulging in cold therapy treatment? This is where you submerge your whole body in cold water daily.

There are many health benefits of cold therapy, such as increased happiness, boosting your immunity, and reduced weight loss. If you haven’t tried this out yet, you should definitely consider doing so!

You can also have a healthy routine of going for a run in the morning, hitting the gym regularly, taking healthy meals, getting enough sleep, and drinking a lot of water.

3. Lack of Progress in Your Career

Another thing you may be doing that’s s negatively affecting your life is lack of progress in your career. There are various things you can do to ensure you achieve your full professional potential. Reaching your full professional potential can mean getting a better role in your company or changing your career to something you like.

Sometimes, you can ruin your life by sticking to a career you don’t like. And if you don’t want your job, you tend to be less productive, which leads to a lack of progress. Fortunately, there are proven ways that can help you progress in your career.

For instance, you can start by finding a career mentor. Even if you don’t want to move up the ladder in your job, you must have someone who can advise you on what to do about your career. Career mentors are valuable to have. They can help you set a goal, commit to it, and even help you find light in your career path.

To progress in your career, you should also find ways to boost your skills. While most companies invest in their employees by strengthening their skills, it is also fundamental that you invest in your skills. Look into your various career goals and determine what skills you need to upgrade.

4. You Are Always Procrastinating

Procrastination of various activities in your life is detrimental to your health. Procrastination is the act of postponing or delaying activities where you promise to do them later. While others have good reasons for postponing specific actions, others tend to make it an unhealthy habit.

Procrastination can lead to a lack of achieving your goals in life. It can also make you experience high levels of stress, guilt, frustration, and anxiety. These are primarily mental effects. And if you have poor mental health, it will have impacts on other aspects of your life.

To avoid screwing up your life, it would be best to avoid procrastinating. The first step to overcome this habit is accepting you are doing it. Secondly, identify the primary cause of your procrastination habit. After that, ensure you commit to all your tasks, minimize distractions, reward your efforts, and most importantly, have someone check up on you to keep you moving.

5. You Live in Regrets

By living in regrets, you are screwing up your life every minute. Living in regrets can have adverse impacts on your health. For one, regret can make you experience sadness, which impacts your mental health. It can also lead to high anxiety levels by continually thinking about the better choices you could have made at a certain point in life.

Living in regret also causes feelings of shame, and it can limit you from making better choices in life. Therefore, it would be best to avoid living your life in regret. You can do so by forgiving yourself for your past mistakes and finding better ways to change the situation. If not, you should accept and embrace your mistakes and make better choices in the future.

If you want to be happy and live a fulfilling life, it would be best to consider the above things. Start by having a goal in life and stick to it no matter what. Additionally, ensure that you adopt a healthy and fitness routine, find ways to progress in your career, avoid procrastination, and don’t live in regret!

Thank you for reading!

Health

Embracing Your Bad Habits and How To Control Them

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Type in the term “bad habits” into Google and you’ll get pages and pages of articles teaching you how to break those bad habits. While it sounds like a great idea to get rid of your bad habits, it’s creating a rather unhealthy attitude around what people consider to be good and bad habits. It’s getting to a point where it’s starting to affect our mental health, especially if we find it hard to break off from a certain habit of ours.

But there might be a different approach to these kinds of problems. Instead of thinking too much about your bad habits, embracing and learning to control them might be a much better alternative that is overall healthier for both the body and mind.

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Failing to break a bad habit sucks and makes you feel like you’ve wasted time

One of the biggest problems with trying to break a bad habit such as smoking or drinking is that it makes you feel awful when you try and fail for the 10th time. It’s much better to try and fail than to never try at all, but given that there are entire industries built around helping people get off these products, it can end up being extremely expensive, time-consuming, and perhaps worse off for your health than if you just continued your bad habits in moderation.

As such, you should always try to break off a bad habit. However, you should start by controlling it and lowering the frequency that you rely on it instead of just outright trying to remove it from your life. Going cold turkey never works, but gradually shifting it out of your life (if you choose to) can do wonders.

There are ways to control your habits if you just embrace that it’s a part of who you are

There are certainly ways to control your bad habits if you’re willing to accept them as part of who you are.

A great example of this is smoking. You could try to avoid smoking by not buying any cigarettes or carrying anything with you, but it’s just going to end up giving you withdrawal symptoms. A great solution to this is to buy yourself a premium joint case. This allows you to store a certain number of cigarettes or joints, then you can consider that your daily limit.

People aren’t perfect and we should never feel forced into another person’s ideals

There’s this stigma against people that drink, smoke, or even engage in other perceived “bad” habits. The thing is, people aren’t perfect. Everyone has their vice and people need something to help blow off steam, relax, or unwind. Some people rely on video games, other people might smoke. Some people drink a bit too much, others engage in stress eating.

Embracing these bad habits as part of who we are can actually help us overcome them. Instead of just avoiding them outright, it’s a good idea to accept that we have these issues, understand why we engage in them, then slowly work out how we can control those urges and reduce the chances of it happening in the future.

Thank you for reading!

Beauty Health

4 Tips to Make Yourself More Appealing

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Human beings are social creatures, and interacting with other people is necessary for good mental health. Everyone wants to be liked, and some people will go to extreme lengths to make themselves appealing. 

However, you can be simple and genuine and still be appealing. It all depends on your overall presentation. 

Here are four tips to make yourself more appealing: 

  1. Smile & Laugh More Often 

Smiling is associated with sunshine because it lightens things up. Smiling makes you look friendly, and it can ease even the tensest situations. 

Smiling at someone usually prompts them to smile back, setting your interaction off to a good start. However, ensure that your smile is genuine and warm. Looks also matter, and a straight smile will be more appealing than a crooked one. To this end, it is advisable to straighten crooked teeth using invisalign braces for a straight smile. 

Laughing is also just as appealing as smiling, especially when it induces natural laughter in everyone else. However, laughing should only be done at appropriate times, or else it will feel awkward – and it will seem like you are trying too hard to be likable. 

  1. Be Yourself 

People often try to be someone that they are not just to fit in with the right group. This is too much work (and some would argue that it is pathetic), and it can have adverse effects on your personality. It is also a recipe for disaster, as your friends will stop trusting you if they suspect that you have something to hide. 

There are lots of people who share your interests and preferences, and you will fit in just by being yourself. You will also have an easier time being yourself, and it will help you grow your personality.  

  1. Listen & Talk with Purpose 

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People often complain about being ignored or underappreciated because no one listens to them. To this end, many people will open up to you if they know that you are willing to listen – and really listen. You will become their shoulder to lean on – and you will also have a shoulder to lean on. Listening is especially important for personal relationships. 

It is also advisable to talk with purpose, in addition to listening. This means striking a constructive conversation about a topic that interests you and your audience. 

  1. Mind Your Looks 

You shouldn’t judge a person by their looks, but most people still do. To this end, many people will avoid you if you are dressed like a gang member, while many people will trust you if you look friendly. 

Appearance is a complex subject. For example, your clothes’ color can have varying impressions on the people you meet. Additionally, your sense of fashion can be appealing to some segments of the population and unappealing to others. However, don’t read too much into it – dress in something that fits your personality but still looks presentable. 

Final Thoughts 

Being likable is good, and you don’t have to try too much to get people to like you. All it takes is a simple smile and these other tips. The most important tip is to be yourself!

Thank you for reading!

Health

How To Work On Your Health Without Seeing A Doctor

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Sometimes you just don’t want to see the doctor. Whether this is because you don’t have insurance or because you’re afraid, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, you are looking for ways to improve your health without the help of a medical professional. And that’s fine as long as you understand that the treatments aren’t foolproof. You need to be working your health constantly in order to see any kind of impact, so if you can dedicate to that, keep reading down below to find out more!

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Exercise More Frequently

One of the things that you are going to need to do is exercise more frequently. You might not think that this is going to make a huge difference other than in the way that your body looks, but this isn’t true. Exercise has a number of benefits for the body, including both physical and mental ones. You are never going to feel better than when you have just finished a workout. Sure, you’re going to feel tired, but you should also feel a new sense of energy that you didn’t have before, and you should feel good because your body will have released endorphins while you exercised. 

Exercise is one of the best things that you can do for your health, so you would be silly to ignore it.

Look Into Alternative Medicine

If you’ve ever had medication from the doctor, you know that there are usually some kind of side effects. Not all the time, but a lot of people experience side effects from one or more of the drugs that they have given you. Of course, there is nothing wrong with taking this medication, but there are other things such as cbd and certain teas that may be able to help far better. If you are going to be using something like cbd, ensure that you check the cbd dosage chart to ensure that you are taking the right amount. It’s important to understand that it doesn’t always work for everyone, so try not to get your hopes up that it will magically calm your anxiety or kill your pain.

Get Some More Sleep

Lastly, you don’t really realize how important sleep is to your health until you’re not getting any. You should be sleeping around seven hours per night for your body to be completely rested and not feel so run down. Sleep is when your body does everything that it can’t do when you’re awake, so you need to find a way to sneak in naps if you don’t have time to sleep a full night.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be doing when it comes to working on your health without seeing a doctor. There are plenty of reasons why you should see a doctor, but if you have come to this website for advice rather than a medical professional, then there must also be a good reason why you’re not doing this. Hopefully the advice is helpful and I wish you the best of luck!

Thank you for reading!