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Finding The Perfect Gym For You: 4 Helpful Tips

June 12, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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

June 11, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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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?

June 5, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Image Source. Licensed under Creative Commons.

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

June 4, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-woman-raising-both-hands-1556691/

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.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-blue-and-brown-plaid-dress-shirt-touching-his-hair-897817/

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

May 29, 2019 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

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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

May 28, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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

May 28, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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 Lifestyle

Does Replacing Bad Habits for Better Ones Really Work?

May 23, 2019 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

Do you have bad habits? Do you find it difficult to break them, despite knowing the damage they do to you or the people around you? If so, you’re not alone.

Breaking a habit is arguably one of the most difficult things to do in life, and it is extremely tough to last for more than a few days. Depending on what those bad habits are, there’s a chance that your body isn’t physically capable of breaking a habit. For example, heavy drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms if they don’t drink, because their body is so used to the increased alcohol content. That makes people feel like they have to drink and sustain their bad habits just to live.

Fortunately, there are ways around this. One of the most popular methods of beating a bad habit is to replace it for a better one. In this post, we’re going to take a look at how you can replace bad habits with better ones, and why it works!

Photo Credit

Finding Healthier Alternatives

Almost every bad habit consumes time and alters our body in some way. Whether it’s eating junk food, relying on alcohol, or smoking cigarettes, they all have healthier alternatives that can be used as a substitute for a bad habit. Many people believe that this doesn’t work, but the golden rule to remember is that cutting down on something is the only way to gradually train your mind and body to get rid of a bad habit. This is how people free themselves from serious addictions and it avoids the danger of going completely cold turkey. Which, in some cases, could be dangerous to the body.

It’s important to first understand what alternatives are available. For example, if you’re a heavy smoker, then finding a solution such as Blazed Vapes can be a worthwhile investment. It functions similarly to a cigarette, it’s not as harmful, and can be a step towards freeing yourself from the bad habit of consuming nicotine.

Image Source

The Fear of Relapsing

One of the biggest concerns people have when trying to break a habit is relapsing. You’re not alone. Relapses are actually fairly common. In fact, most smokers try several attempts at quitting before they finally make any progress, and the same counts for any other bad habit. Seek support when trying to quit; it could make all the difference.

It all comes down to recognizing why you want to break those bad habits, what you plan to do in order to do so, and figuring out what makes you fall back into it. For instance, if you’re an emotional eater that has slowly made progress to cut down on excessive snacking, then you might eventually discover what triggers you to start eating unnecessary amounts of food. It could be something to do with your mood or even a physical issue. I’ve found it tends to be due to boredom, especially while watching TV.

In short, while replacing bad habits with better ones does work to overcome that habit, keep in mind the reasoning behind why you want to break a bad habit and what you can do in order to prevent yourself from relapsing. It’s all about being mindful.

What bad habits are you trying to break? If you’ve been successful, what helped you? Comment below!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading! Find me on Instagram to keep in touch.

Health

How To Switch Off And Relax

May 17, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Photo by picjumbo.com from Pexels

Finishing work for the day, leaving work on a Friday afternoon, or going on vacation are all the perfect times to relax, but do you ever truly switch off and relax? It’s really important for your health that you do and also for your job (or whatever it is that stresses you out). You can perform far better if you have had a break from it, and you can come back with a fresh perspective after having a good rest. So, how can you do this?

Get A Hobby

What? Add more things to your life you need to fit in? Yes, the more you do you’ll find the more you can do and doing a hobby after work whether it’s painting, pottery, gardening or learning a language will completely take your mind away from the stresses of life and work.

Exercise

It might be the last thing you want to do when you finish work or get up in the morning, but exercise has so many benefits and clearing your mind and relaxing you is one of them. You’ve never heard anyone say that they regretted going for that workout or that run or swim, so even if you don’t want to do it and you feel too stressed, keep your eyes on the prize and remember how good you’re going to feel after it.

Meditate

If you don’t know where to begin, luckily for you there are apps which can teach you and help you with meditation techniques now, and they are well worth it. Even if you’ve only got five minutes on the train on your way to work, a little bit of meditation or mindfulness each day can be so beneficial.

Eat Well

A bad diet can have all sorts of adverse internal effects on your body, some which aren’t visible to anyone else. Eating healthy food doesn’t just affect your weight and your skin, but it really can affect your mood. A bad diet can make you irritable, and ultimately, it can make you stressed. Eat well, and you’ll soon see the benefits and find you can relax a lot easier.

Read A Book

Getting stuck in a good book is total escapism and relaxation. It can completely take your mind away from whatever it is that you can’t stop thinking about and transport you to another world entirely. The best thing is that you can read anywhere, you need your book and you, and that’s it. So whether it’s by a pool, curled up on your sofa, in bed or on a train, reading a good book (unrelated to work) is one of the best medicines for stress.

Go Outside

Get fresh air. If you’re stressed during the day at work, then go out for a walk! You’ll be surprised at the difference a little fresh air can make and it can change your perspective too. Nature is a beautiful thing, and it does wonders for your relaxation, also.

How do you relax?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health

What’s Holding You Back From Achieving Your Dreams?

May 14, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

We all know that we only get one life, but that is something that we prefer to keep at the back of our mind. Life is much simpler if we’re not continually reminding ourselves of our mortality. However, it is something that we should use to shape our lives. Many people end up having regrets towards the end of their life, which may have been avoided (or at least reduced) if they’d followed their dreams and lived life the way they wanted to live it. If you’re currently living a life that’s not quite all that you’d want it to be, what’s holding you back? We take a look at some common dream-busters below.

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Walking Your Own Way

Everyone’s got a dream inside of them. In some people, it’s louder than others, but it’s something that’s present in everyone. The trouble that people have is that there’s no set route to get to where they want to be (and how could there be: it’s YOUR dream). It’s much easier to settle into the prescribed path that’s already well-trodden. If you’re going to do something that’s yours, then you need to forge your own way. There’s no-one else to guide you, and you’ll just need to accept it.

The Negative Voice

There is a side of our brain that’s creative, fantastic, inspired, all the good things we need to make magical things happen. And then there’s the other side, the negative voice, the one that shouts over the positive side of our brain. Everyone has this voice, though some people listen to it more than others. It’s worthwhile acquiring the presence of mind to disassociate yourself from these thoughts — they are, indeed, only thoughts. They’re not a true reflection of your actual capabilities and prospects. You’ll never stop the voice entirely, but you can turn the volume down.

Waiting for the Perfect Time

Ideas are much more enjoyable when they’re just in the ideas stage. You can enjoy the thought of success, all without doing anything whatsoever. It’s a win-win situation. That is, until some years have passed, and you realize that while you’ve been talking a big game for some time, you haven’t actually done anything. If you’re one of those people that is forever talking about “future plans,” then there’s something you should know — that mythical perfect time you’re waiting for is never going to arrive. You can get to work on it, or you can just let the ideas languish in your mind for a little longer. Your call!

Past Issues

You didn’t just end up as you are. Everything is an accumulation of all the things that have happened to you and that you’ve done in the past. While these things are responsible for the formation of your dreams, they could also be the things that are holding you back. Who knows what’s going on under the surface that’s preventing you from following your dreams? To get an idea of what these past issues could be, take part in a free tarot reading. You might just find that there’s one underlying issue that’s holding you back. Once you’ve come to terms with it, you’ll be free to make your dreams come true.

Distractions

It’s easy to get lost in the obligations of day to day living. There’s oh so much to do, which is what we tell ourselves when we’re trying to explain why we haven’t made too much progress with our dreams. But when we break it down even further, we sometimes have to concede that this assessment isn’t completely correct. We spend some of our time doing things like working, cleaning the house, and so on, but we also dedicated much time towards watching television shows, socializing with friends, and all around having a good time. Sometimes the biggest barriers to our success aren’t practical concerns, just distractions. Cut them out of your life, and you’ll find that you’ve gained a lot of time.

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You Can’t See What’s Possible

It’s only when we’ve reached the end of a journey that we can see how far we’ve come. But how far we go will be determined, in part, by how we see. If you’ve only looking twenty feet ahead, then that’s the only place you’re going to make a route toward. Instead, get out those binoculars, and look further. You may just climb to the top of the mountain if that’s how far you’re looking.

Practical Matters

We have to dedicate some space to talk about practical matters. It’s all good and well expanding your mind and believing that everything can be achieved, but that’s not going to magic the money you need to get the ball rolling into your bank account. The truth is, you do need some cash if you’re going to make your dreams come true. But it’s also true that this may not be as much as you initially think. Look at putting some of your money towards your future plans, and you might just find that things start moving faster than you realize.

Fear of the Unknown

There’s a reason why so many people choose a life of the “grind” even though they’re complaining about it all the time. It’s because it’s comfortable. It might not be everything, but better the devil you know, as they say. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is the fear of the unknown. When you take a different path, it’s akin to diving into the deep end, and waiting to see if you sink or swim. Alas, there’s no way to know for sure, though it is useful to work on your self-confidence before jumping. A little bit of self-belief can go a long way.

Waiting for Permission

There are many rules and expectations in society. But here’s the thing: it’s not like you need to wait for permission to follow your dreams. Indeed, you shouldn’t — it’s not going to come. The only person who can authorize your move is you. Give yourself permission, and get going.

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!