Health

5 Ways To Tackle Alcohol Abuse

August 7, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Alcohol abuse is one of the biggest hindrances to living a healthy and happy life. Unfortunately, the ease with which it is available has made alcoholism a huge societal problem. Alcohol and its abuse are responsible for so many different kinds of negative effects on the body and brain. And aside from the fact that it causes so many health problems, alcohol also affects a person’s social lifestyle as well as their relationship with their family and loved ones. However, it is one thing knowing you need to quit drinking, and quite another thing knowing how. So, in this article, we will take a look at the latter.

Don’t keep alcohol at home

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The first rule, when it comes to dealing with a bad drinking habit, is to make sure that you do not come into contact with alcohol in your home. It is almost impossible to overcome a drinking problem when alcohol is readily available, only a few feet away. The first thing to do is to get rid of all the alcohol you have at home. It doesn’t matter how you get rid of them – pour them down the drain, give them away, or throw them in the trash. Once done, immediately replace them with health drinks or juice.

Join a support group

It can be very difficult trying to quit by yourself. For most people, it is almost impossible to quit drinking without any form of support. This is why joining a support group can be very beneficial. You will be in a company of people whose success story will encourage you as well as people still struggling with the addiction. Regardless of the severity of your addiction, having a support group to lean on can reduce your chances of depending on alcohol, which, in turn, will help quicken your recovery journey.

Make friends with people who don’t drink

One of the easiest setbacks when it comes to trying to tackle alcohol abuse is hanging out with friends who will encourage you to drink. So, find out if the friends you have are making it more challenging for you to stay sober. If they do, then it is probably time to make some new friends. It is easier to recklessly drink when you have people around that enable you. Non-drinking friends will be better placed to put you in check.

Find help

If you are convinced that you need professional assistance, then find out which professional organization near you offers assistance for people with alcohol addiction problems. There are different kinds of organizations, depending on your location. A simple search online should reveal the options available to you. Thanks to technology, there are some techniques you can use while you seek professional help. For example, you can try using stop drinking hypnosis to help put you in the right frame of mind to start your battle against alcohol abuse.

Know your limits

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According to experts, low-risk alcohol consumption can be equated to four drinks or even fewer in a single day. However, this does not necessarily apply to people who have a drinking disorder. Thus, based on one’s age or weight, it is important to know what your limits are.

What are some ways you think could be helpful to cut back on drinking?

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

4 Ways to Treat Sports Injuries

August 6, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Sports injuries can occur while playing a sport or while training, and they can occur at whatever age and fitness level. Anyone who has had a sports injury in the past will understand just how annoying it is – one minute you’re doing the activity you love, the next you have to go to the doctors for treatment. Often, sports injuries are a result of causing damage to ligaments, stretching them or even tearing them. While it can be a frustrating time, there are a lot of things you can do to help heal your injury and increase your chances of getting active again.

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Quick Response

No matter what the injury – sprains, strains, muscle swelling – a rapid response can make all the difference. Use the common treatment of RICE, which stands for:

Rest
Ice
Compress
Elevate

This treatment is most useful for those with mild injuries and is most effective in the first 24-48 hours of an injury. If you see no improvement in the injury after 36 hours of RICE, contact a medical professional.

Rest Up

Perhaps the most annoying part of a sports injury is that rest is often crucial. For a sporty person, this can be really, really difficult. So, keeping your mind active and positive can be as much a treatment than the rest prescribed by a doctor. Consider taking up some helpful daily practices, like meditation or yoga. There are a number of apps and programs that can help guide you.

Cutting-Edge Therapies

If you have a chronic injury that you’re struggling with, it may be time to consider some cutting-edge therapy to help the healing. There are several options, such as regenerative medicine, which repairs damaged tissues with healthy tissue. By doing so, it stimulates tissue repair naturally, without surgery. Practitioners of regenerative medicine can offer platelet-rich therapy – which increases blood flow – and amniotic cell to promote tissue repair.

Complementary Treatments

If you’ve suffered from a sports injury recently, or you’re struggling with one that’s recurrent, finding yourself a physiotherapist may be one of the best things you can do. They will be able to guide you through treatment and help you recover. Additionally, alternative therapies such as osteopathy and acupuncture can effectively treat many sports injuries, in non-invasive ways.

Prevention is Better Than a Cure

Some sports injuries are beyond control and will happen no matter how many precautions you take. However, some injuries can be prevented by taking specific steps, like always warming up your muscles before strenuous activity. By warming up, you increase blood flow to the muscles, and they become more flexible. This is particularly important after you’re recovering from an injury – light activity will help you get ready for the sport, and it will also allow you to test the muscle or joint for pain before you start.

While sports injuries can be painful and downright annoying, there are a number of ways to treat sports injuries that can speed up your recovery.

Thank you for reading!

Health

The Basics of Gut Health and What You Should Know

July 30, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Gut health is a complex topic, but for many, a bad gut can seriously affect day to day life. Making sure you know how to take care of your gut effectively and avoid problems in the long run is key to a healthy life. Below, you’ll find the basics of gut health and what you should know. Take a look:

What Are The Signs Of An Unhealthy Gut?

There are many signs you can look for in an unhealthy gut. If you’re regularly experiencing an upset tummy, constipation, diarrhea, and unintentional weight changes, then it’s likely your gut needs some TLC. Many people with poor gut health also experience sleep disturbances and fatigue, and sometimes skin irritation. If you have to deal with these symptoms more often than not, then your gut could definitely use some help.

What Can You Do For Gut Health?

If you know your gut needs some help, what can you do? It doesn’t all involve medication, and you will need to be willing to put some effort into your gut recovery.

Reduce your stress levels – find ways to reduce your stress levels. You can do this with methods like meditation, walking, gentle exercise, massage, spending time with friends and family, and anything else that helps you to feel more relaxed and at peace.
Get plenty of sleep – uninterrupted, quality sleep is crucial for every aspect of a healthy life. Try to get 7-8 hours a night for the best results. That being said, an unhealthy gut can disrupt your sleep, so you may need to work on other methods of healing your gut.
Eat slowly – don’t wolf down your food. Make sure you eat slowly, chewing your food properly, and putting your cutlery down in between bites.
Stay hydrated – stay hydrated with lots of water. Aim for 2-3 liter s per day.
Check for food intolerances – it could be worth having a test to see if you’re intolerant to certain foods. You might be surprised at the food that is giving you a bad stomach.

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Depending on the issues you are having with your gut, you may be able to find medication to address the issue. Your doctor or GP might prescribe tablets to stop diarrhea, for example, which can be a huge relief. However, it could be worth working on things the holistic way first. See if you can also reduce the amount of high sugar, high fat foods you eat, and make sure you’re also eating a diet that is high in fiber, onion and garlic, and fermented foods.

Another thing you should plan on doing is visiting a primary care doctor regularly. Only visiting a doctor when there is something wrong means never being able to visit a doctor that knows what you look like when you’re healthy! This sort of doctor won’t be as helpful when it comes to diagnosing your problems. By having a primary care doctor that knows you when you are healthy, you will more effectively be able to combat issues with your gut and health in general.

Thank you for reading!

Health

Proven Ways To Deal With Lower Back Pain

July 28, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

There’s nothing worse than waking up one day with back pain and realizing that you’ve somehow hurt your back. You begin hobbling around and feeling sorry for yourself, wondering why this sudden onset of back pain has appeared. While there are many reasons for back pain to happen, it can be difficult to pinpoint precisely what has caused it this time, especially if you’ve not done anything strenuous that could have triggered any pain. It’s a frustrating time, but there are many things that you could do to ease the pain, both long term, and short term. Here’s a guide on how to relieve lower back pain so you can get on with your day.

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Short Term

NSAIDs

You’ve probably come across the term NSAIDS before, but for those that don’t know what it means, it stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These are basically paracetamol and ibuprofen. While they might not take all of the pain away, they will undoubtedly relieve some of it so that you can try and continue your day. Try to take them at different intervals so you can make the most of having pain relief in your system. Remember though to follow the guidelines on the packet.

Back massage

One of the easiest and quickest ways of relieving pain is by massaging the area, so why not get a loved one to give you a gentle massage on your back? You can also buy vibrating back massagers that will also apply heat to the area, providing more relief. You can use this while watching television or sitting up in bed. They’re relatively inexpensive, but are without a doubt worth the money that you pay for them! They are also useful to have even when you’re not experiencing back pain, because you can use them for a short while daily, and this might eliminate the onset of back pain, to begin with!

Hot and cold compress

As mentioned above, applying heat to the affected area can help soothe the pain, but using ice packs will also have a soothing effect too. Ice helps to eliminate any swelling in the area that could be causing you pain, and will also numb the bottom of your back. Try alternating hot and cold compresses so that you can get the most out of the pain relief.

Keep moving

While your back pain might be making you feel like you don’t want to move, it’s important to try and keep your mobility up so that you don’t end up seizing up again when you come to move. Also, moving will warm up your muscles and help relieve the pain naturally too, just make sure that you’re not doing anything too strenuous to avoid damaging your back even further.

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Long Term

Know when to speak to a GP

Having back pain doesn’t always mean that you need to see a Doctor, sometimes simply following the short term methods above will get you back on your feet in no time. However, if the back pain doesn’t subside or you’re experiencing other symptoms with it, then you should make an appointment to see your GP. Symptoms like incontinence or fever might mean that you have an infection that is causing the pain. So, if you’re experiencing anything other than the pain, it’s time to make an appointment to help get to the bottom of the problem.

If you have spoken to your Doctor regarding your back pain, they may have prescribed you stronger painkillers. Remember that it’s essential to follow the dosage instructions correctly. Misuse can lead to much bigger and much harder to cure health problems, including organ failure and addiction.

There’s also a chance that when speaking to your doctor about your back pain, they’ll recommend going to see a Physiotherapist, and it’s definitely something you should consider! Physiotherapists will help you change small things that may be contributing to your back pain, such as your posture, the way you walk, the way you sleep, or even something as simple as which arm you hold your handbag. These changes, along with exercises they will give you, will help relieve your back pain over a longer period. However, the effects of this will be much longer-lasting than any short-term solution.

Keep yourself fit

Being fit and healthy is important in ensuring that your health is good in general, but it can also contribute to eliminating your problem with back pain. Exercising often so that you can build up muscle strength in your back and your abdomen is important. Sometimes a lack of muscle strength in your abs can be the reason for your sudden onset of back pain. You can do some exercises at home, which can strengthen your core and hopefully avoid this problem happening again. If you have been to see a Physiotherapist about your back pain, try performing the exercises they have recommended. While they may not be giving you a strenuous workout, they’ll help support your back in the long run.

Lose weight if needed

Another major reason for people experiencing back pain is because they need to lose weight. The spine is a strong bit of bone, but it can only hold up and support so much weight. Women with large breasts often struggle with back pain, too, because of the weight that the spine needs to support. Consider losing some weight, not only to eliminate the chance of back pain occurring, but for your general health, too.

Unfortunately, there are no magical cures for your back pain. There are no ‘hacks’ that you can try out; it’s just taking care of yourself, plain and simple. Remember that if you’re experiencing anything other than just the pain, see a GP. Keep yourself fit, healthy, and within the right BMI range and you will notice that your back problems might virtually (if not wholly) disappear!

Thank you for reading!

Health

3 Tips To Help You Lead A Life Of Happiness And Health

July 23, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

We all know that following a healthy diet and getting enough exercise and physical activity is beneficial to your overall health, but they are far from the only things you can do to stay healthy. There are plenty of things that you can do to improve your physical health and your mental health, too, and stop you from turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

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Get a good night’s rest

Sleep is essential for maintaining both physical and emotional wellbeing. However, these days, it is not given the priority that it deserves. We are so busy working and caring for others and doing everything else that our active lifestyles demand that we tend to fall into bed exhausted and wake up feeling pretty tired still.

Try putting your sleep first for a while and see how much happier and healthier you feel. It is recommended that you get seven or eight hours of sleep a night, but of course, some people need more, some people need less. Try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning to get your body into a routine. Cut out or reduce caffeine in the run-up to bedtime, drink plenty of water, and put down your cell phone and other technology devices for at least an hour before bed. Spend this period doing something relaxing and let your body and mind rewind. Some people find warm, milky drinks, or a hot bath can help them.

If you still wake up feeling tired after all of this, take a trip to your doctors. It may be that there is something that is disrupting your sleep cycles. The good news is that there is sleep apnea treatment available and other sleep disorders.

Start saying no

There are only so many things that one person can do. Not only is there only a certain amount of time in a day to do things, but everyone has a mental and physical capacity, and when that is full, anything else can lead to exhaustion and mental health stresses. The best way of dealing with this is knowing when to say “no”. Whether it is turning down an extra hour or two of overtime at work or declining a social invitation so that you can get a good night’s sleep, learn to say no to things that will take you over your mental and physical capacity.

Reach out to others

Loneliness and feeling isolated are two of the biggest causes of depression and other mental health issues, so if you do feel like you are struggling, reach out. In an age where we are surrounded by technology, it has never been easier to communicate with other people, whether that is face to face, via video call, social media, or email. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a friend or family member. There are support groups available for almost everything and online groups and forums where you can chat and make friends if doing it in person is a challenge.

•What are your tips for living a healthy and happy life?

Thank you for reading!

Health

Looking After Your Hearing Health

July 21, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Image Credit Pixabay.com License CC0

Have you ever stopped and wondered what it would be like to lose your hearing? Your hearing is an important sense. It gives your brain so much information about the world around you. It warns of danger, and it brings you pleasure in the form of sounds that you enjoy such as music, birdsong, or the sound of the voice of a loved one.

So what would you do if you lost your ability to hear?

Hearing loss is something that affects many people in their lifetime. It can affect you at any age, it is not just something that is reserved for older people.

Taking care of your hearing is essential. Here are six ways that you can take the best care of your hearing.

Get Your Hearing Checked Out

If you think that you might be experiencing hearing loss, then it is important to go for an audiological hearing test so that your audiologist can get to the bottom of the problem.

There are many causes of hearing loss. It is essential to identify the causes so that the right treatment can be put in place. Your audiologist will start off your hearing test by asking you about your lifestyle and any existing or historical medical conditions that you may have. This will help them to narrow down the root cause of your hearing loss.

Once they have done this, they will test your hearing. This will often involve having a series of sounds played to you. You’ll need to indicate when you have heard the sound. This will give the audiologist an idea of the extent of your hearing.

From this, they will be able to recommend treatment or that you get a hearing aid.

Avoid Loud Noise

There are lots of places where there are loud noises, nightclubs and concerts will typically play their music very loud. In these situations, you should avoid being too close to the speakers. Think about wearing ear protectors such as earplugs to help dampen the sound.

If you work somewhere particularly noisy such as a factory or a construction site, you should be cautious. Make sure that you wear any ear protectors provided. These might include earmuffs and earplugs. If possible, limit your exposure to loud noises by working in a different area.

Listen to Your Music at a Safe Volume

If you enjoy listening to music, particularly through headphones, then the volume that you listen to may have an impact on your hearing health. Listening to music too loudly can cause serious longterm damage to your ears. If someone else can hear what you’re listening to through your buds, it’s too loud!

Consider using noise-cancelling headphones that will prevent the sounds outside coming through. This will give you a clearer listening experience without having to turn your music up to the maximum volume level.

Many modern devices have safe listening levels set. Pay attention to any warnings that your device gives you and make sure that you keep the volume of your headphones down to a minimum.

•How do you protect your hearing?

Thank you for reading!

Health

Show Self-Neglect the Door

July 20, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

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Most people assume they take adequate care of themselves, but self-neglect can occur in many different ways. If you’re not making your health a priority, you’re not motivated at work, or you’ve lost interest in your hobbies, it may be a sign that you’re neglecting yourself. Fortunately, there are effective ways to reignite your zest your life.

To make a start right now, take a look at these top tips for banishing self-neglect!

Make your health a priority

When you’re feeling down or despondent, you don’t tend to prioritize your health or wellbeing. If you’re overdue for a medical check-up or you haven’t got up-to-date hearing aid products, make an appointment to see a professional. With routine checkups and assessments, you can ensure your physical and mental wellbeing is a top priority.

Be responsible

Self-neglect can be the start of a vicious cycle. When you stop taking care of yourself, your mindset change, rather rapidly. Before you know it, you’ll feel like you’re not worth making an effort for and then your self-neglect will worsen. But recognizing that you’re worthwhile and capable of making positive changes gives you the power to enhance your life. By taking responsibility for your mood, outlook and mindset, you give yourself the power and freedom to change them.

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Be more active

If you’ve neglected your usual workout routine or stopped going to the gym altogether, now is the time to start a new fitness plan. Small daily goals will give you an achievable target and get you back into the routine of working out regularly. As you begin to accomplish your initial goals, you’ll start to enjoy the process of pushing yourself further and achieving more.

Modify your diet

Eating an unhealthy diet is one of the most common forms of self-neglect. When you don’t have the energy to prepare a healthy meal, it’s easy to order junk food instead. If you don’t get the right mix of vitamins and minerals, your physical and mental health can suffer. By committing to eating a healthy diet and incorporating more fruit and veggies into your meals, you can enhance your mood and increase your energy levels.

Be kind to yourself

Recovering from a cycle of self-neglect isn’t always straightforward. You may be breaking patterns that have been in place for months or years, so be kind to yourself. If you fall back into unhealthy habits, don’t waste time chastising yourself. Instead, recognize it as a bump in the road and find ways to switch to healthier options.

Recognizing Self-Neglect

When someone stops socializing, gives up work and fails to maintain their appearance, it’s easy to spot that they’re neglecting themselves. However, self-neglect manifests itself in many different ways. If you’re not taking enough time for yourself, prioritizing your own needs or constantly taking on too many responsibilities, it’s likely you’re in a spiral of self-neglect too. By recognizing the signs, you can commit to taking action before things get worse, and begin enhancing your quality of life right away.

•Do you tend to neglect yourself? How do you try to fix that?

Thank you for reading!

Health

10 Grown Up Ways To Take Care Of Your Health

July 8, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

Your health is important, and it’s your responsibility to take care of it. Being responsible for your health is part of being an adult, but it can be easy to neglect when you’re too busy having fun!

It’s time you took your wellbeing more seriously; here are 10 grown-up ways to take better care of your health.

Image Credit: Unsplash under Creative Commons

1. Ditch your bad habits

There comes a time when enough is enough. If you’re smoking, drinking too much, and/or eating fast food more than a home-cooked meal, then it’s time to change your ways and start adopting some more grown-up habits!

The good news is that it can be easy to break bad habits when you put your mind to it. Address the behaviors you want to change and start making some changes to make sure you put your health first from now on.

2. Learn what healthy eating really means

Understanding healthy eating can help you make better choices when it comes to food. Many people think of healthy eating as going on a diet, but it’s actually about finding balance with the food you eat. A healthy diet should involve a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, as well as vitamins and minerals. You can start with little changes to make your nutritio n healthier, helping to give you the energy you need while also keeping your body strong and healthy.

3. Educate yourself

They say ‘ignorance is bliss’, but that’s not true when it comes to your health. Firstly, it’s important to understand how different choices can affect your health, while also understanding what to do if you encounter a health problem.

Your female health is one place to start. From understanding how to check your breasts for lumps to how to get a medication abortion, you’ll feel more empowered by understanding your health. There are a lot of online resources to help you, as well as friends and family you can speak to; although the best medical advice will always come from a professional.

4. Get yourself checked out

It’s important to keep up with your health checks. From going to the dentist regularly, to visiting your gynecologist, or getting an STI (sexually transmitted infection) check, you should plan regular checkups to make sure your health is in order. It’s easy to neglect these sorts of appointments when you have a busy schedule, but with prevention being better than (possible) cure, you never know when you could benefit from one of your regular appointments.

A visit to the dentist or doctor is always an opportunity to ask questions too, so if you’ve got something you need to know, make sure you ask during your visit.

5. Focus on getting more sleep

Do you get enough sleep? Eight hours is what’s recommended, but many people rarely get the right amount of sleep each night. There are multiple benefits to getting enough sleep, including feeling more alert and focused, while also helping you to look younger and healthier. Your sleep quality affects your weight, as well. If you’re struggling with weight loss, consider doing a sleep study (or using a Fitbit that tracks sleep).

If you find getting 8 hours of sleep is a struggle, you should try changing your habits. Some of the ways you can sleep better include avoiding screens too close to bedtime, having a cut-off for caffeine, and making sure you exercise during the day to help burn off excess energy.

6. Workout and be active

Exercise is important for your health, not just to help you maintain a healthy weight, but to keep your body strong and ensure a healthy heart and lungs. Exercise can be enjoyable once you start getting into it, and it can help you form a balanced routine.

Focus on workouts that work on your cardiovascular system, as well as those that boost your strength. It’s also important to add stretching to your routine to help your muscles stay strong and flexible.

Being fit doesn’t just have to be about exercising daily. Making little changes such as walking more and taking the stairs can make a big difference to your overall fitness and leave you feeling great.

7. Learn first aid

Would you know what to do if you witnessed an accident, or became injured yourself? Having some basic first aid skills is important; you never know when you might need them. Some workplaces provide first aid training, and you should take advantage of it if you can. Knowing how to treat basic injuries and illnesses can help you avoid multiple trips to the doctor, saving those appointments for those who really need them. Knowing first aid and the Heimlich Maneuver might help you save someone’s life if something happens in your presence.

Don’t forget you can visit your pharmacist for minor illnesses and injuries to help you treat them yourself at home.

8. Open up about your mental health

As well as being more responsible for your physical health, don’t forget to care for your mental health. Mental health is a hot topic right now, and deservedly so – the more we talk about mental health, the more the stigmas and misconceptions can be broken down. If you’re struggling, make sure you talk to someone about what you’re feeling as this can be a good way to prevent problems from building up.

There are all kinds of mental health resources out there to help those who need them, so try your best to take advantage.

9. Learn to cope with stress

Life can be stressful. From work to our home lives and relationships, there are all kinds of things that can cause stress in our lives. Stress affects people in different ways, but by learning to relieve stress and avoiding your trigger points, you can stop it from having a serious impact on your health.

10. Don’t be too hard on yourself

Finally, try not to be too hard on yourself. We all have bad days or times when eating healthy or working out is simply not on today’s agenda. What’s important is that you pick yourself up and try again. Making healthy lifestyle changes will take time, and it’s the effort you’re making that counts. Over time your new habits will become the new norm, giving you a fresh perspective on your health.

Learning to take care of your health is important, and the sooner you start, the better. Consider the ways you could improve your health to help you enjoy a better lifestyle and look forward to a brighter future!

Thank you for reading!

Health

5 Reasons You Need To Start Drinking More Water Now!

July 7, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

Photo by Vitalii Pavlyshynets on Unsplash

People are always telling you that you need to drink more water, but you just keep forgetting, or maybe you find that a Diet Coke is better for quenching your thirst than plain, tasteless water.

The reason we keep hearing this advice is because it works (and it’s 100% necessary for survival). Staying well-hydrated on a regular basis really does give life-changing benefits to your body, both inside and out.

Getting Your H20

For those of us lucky enough to have clean water supplied directly to our homes, there’s no reason that we shouldn’t be drinking our gallon+ per day. If you’re not sure about the quality of water in your home, invest in a water filter jug or special tap that filters the water at the source. Take a look at this article to find out what could be causing your water to taste weird and what you can do about it.

Still skeptical? Here are just five of the many benefits of drinking more water:

Improve Your Memory

Our bodies are made up of about 60% water so it’s important that we keep our levels topped up. Even just being slightly dehydrated can affect your memory and ability to concentrate.

So if you want to get that mental edge at work, you know what to do!

Reduce Headaches

Headaches can strike for a number of reasons, so if you’re a person who finds themselves getting frequent headaches and migraines, make sure to reach for a big drink of water (as well as the ibuprofen). *I’m not a medical professional and this is only a recommendation from my opinion.*

Control Your Appetite

Your body often finds it difficult to distinguish between hunger and thirst. The problem is, we often reach for a sugary treat before we think about reaching for a glass of water. When you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water first, and see if your hunger subsides. I’ll be honest, this happens to me all the time!

Being hydrated is also an important part of weight maintenance and weight loss. Having water before and with meals can help you feel full quicker, so you’ll (generally) eat less.

Lower Your Risk Of Bladder Infections

Women get a raw deal when it comes to bladder infections; we are much more prone to urinary infections than men. Luckily, drinking water can reduce the frequency and severity of cystitis and kidney infections.

So remember to drink a lot of water and urinate frequently during the day! This is the best way to push out the bacteria. *If you feel like you have an infection, see a doctor as soon as possible. Antibiotics are needed when an infection is present.

Improve Your Performance At The Gym

Exercise makes us sweat, and most of us know to rehydrate after a workout session. But it’s important that we hydrate before exercising, too! Hydration makes a big difference in how we feel during and after a workout.

Having a good level of water in your body can be the difference between a mediocre session and a great one. The more water you drink, the more stamina you’ll have to get through your workout.

How Much Water Do You Need?

The general consensus is that the average adult needs half of their weight in ounces of water per day (ex: if you weigh 200 pounds, you need to drink 100 ounces of water daily). Ideally, this should be plain water, but other drinks without sugar are acceptable. Try not to drink too many diet drinks as even though they contain fewer calories, they are full of synthetic sweeteners.

If you’re exercising or in a hot climate, then you’ll be losing much more water through sweating, so you will need to up your daily intake.

•Do you drink enough water? What do you do to make sure you’re consuming enough water?

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

5 Import Reasons To Incorporate Stretching Into Your Daily Routine

July 6, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 3 Comments

While people rave about the many benefits of yoga and meditation (and rightly so), stretching tends to be forgotten about and is often an overlooked part of many people’s fitness routines. Even if you aren’t a professional athlete and are new to exercise, stretching should be a part of everyone’s daily routine due to the many short and long-term benefits. These include improved flexibility, posture and a reduction in body aches and stress, to name but a few. Here are 5 reasons why you should incorporate a 5-10 minute stretching routine into your day.

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Greater Flexibility

Improved flexibility is probably one of the things that stretching is most famous for and one of the first things that come to mind. Lots of research has been done into stretching, confirming that it can help to improve flexibility significantly as well as the range of motion of the joints and can even help to delay reduced mobility that comes with aging. Stretching increases blood circulation to the muscles, decreasing the risk of injury when exercising, and improving the performance of physical activities as the muscles work more effectively. Improved flexibility and healthier muscles also improve balance, but it’s essential to ensure that all stretches are done safely and using correct techniques to avoid injuries.

Improves Posture

If a typical day for you includes being hunched over a laptop for hours on end, you are not alone with sedentary jobs having increased up to 83% since 1950. Sitting for so many hours a day isn’t only detrimental to our fitness, but also our postures. Nine times out of ten, most of us are sitting incorrectly, slouching, and hunching over, leading to weakened and shortened back, core, neck, and shoulder muscles. Over time our bodies start to adapt to these poor postures, leading to potentially significant health problems, not only with our physical form but impacting blood circulation and how the body produces hormones. Once we have gotten into the bad habit of slouching, it’s tough to get out of. With just five to ten minutes of stretching a day, you can strengthen your back muscles, improving postures and encouraging proper alignment. Not only will you feel better and stronger physically, but you’ll also appear taller.

Relieves Stress

We all know that stress has a significant negative impact on our bodies and general health. Long periods of stress can contribute to problems including high blood pressure and a weakened immune system as well as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

When experiencing stress, no matter the level, your muscles’ response is to tense up. Stretching is, therefore, a great stress reliever, helping you to release much-needed tensions in areas prone to holding stress such as the neck and upper back. Stress also causes your breathing to be narrow and short but can be combated by a few daily stretches. These relax the body, encourage you to be calm, and help you get a better night’s sleep – and the benefits are often immediate.

Reduces Pain After Exercise

If you’ve ever experienced stiffness and soreness after a workout, to the point where it hurts to walk or even move, you’ll know just how painful delayed onset muscle soreness can be. This is especially true if you’ve been applying the muscle mind link when weightlifting or practicing Calisthenics. Even though it is necessary to break the muscles down to repair themselves stronger than before, the immediate after-effects can cause tiredness and affect coordination, which isn’t always ideal in our daily lives. The key to reducing delayed onset muscle soreness is to prepare your body through performing dynamic stretching before you exercise rather than after. This makes it easier to deal with any pain you might experience afterwards and helps to prepare your muscles for physical activity. It is also recommended to stretch after a workout when warming down; however, if you have pulled a muscle or are incredibly sore, then you should stop. Remember that stretching doesn’t actually heal your muscles post-exercise, but just like with stress, it is a great way to release any tension or tightness that you might be feeling.

Calms the Mind

Much like meditation, stretching regularly has a calming effect on the mind, providing a mental break for the stresses of everyday life. The production of stress hormones is slowed down as stretching stimulates the nervous system’s receptors while improving the circulation and flow of blood throughout the body. Combine stretching with meditation techniques and exercising to recharge your batteries and feel calmer.

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