Do You Want to Live a Long and Healthy Life?

March 28, 2012 by

Do you want to live a long and healthy life?

Here are five tips that will help to extend your lifespan:

Enjoy Time With Your Friends

Many studies have shown that having a strong network of friends, acquaintances and community can help you live a longer and happier life.Active Seniors

Having companions around you will help reduce your stress and give you a sense of belonging. This powerful feeling has numerous effects on your health and mood.

Move Somewhere Else

Did you know that where you live can actually affect your longevity? All of the subtle environmental influences of a particular location such as air and water quality, climate, and other health factors can have an effect on your body over time.

A recent study conducted in St. Louis, Missouri found that low air quality and dirty streets tripled the amount of disabilities that elderly residents suffered later in life.

Keep Your Brain Active

Your brain is a muscle, and you can keep it active and youthful throughout your life span by continuing to use it and challenge it.

If you never stop learning and continue to fill your life with mentally challenging activity this can have very positive effects on your longevity and can help prevent degenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Don’t Retire!

Ok, you can quit your 9-5 job if you really want to, but don’t let old age stop you from contributing to the community in some way.

Start volunteering or become involved in some sort of project or organization. Older people who are involved in their community in this way tend to live longer and retain their health and mental function for longer.

The feeling of taking part in this way brings happiness, vitality, and a sense of purpose.

Stop Smoking

It is common knowledge that smoking is bad for your health, but did you know that non-smokers are twice as likely to live past the age of 90 as those who smoke?

Even if you are already hooked on the habit, quitting will still improve your health and the longer you stay off smoker the more your body will repair the damage done.  

These are just a few ways that you can keep yourself healthier and live a long and happy life!

 

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How to Boost Your Energy Level

March 21, 2012 by

TiredAre you feeling lethargic and tired?

Having low energy levels can make even the most basic tasks seem daunting and can really negatively affect your productivity.

When we are at work and we feel our energy levels start to drop we are more likely to get distracted and be lead off task, or make errors and mistakes in our work.

How can you lift your energy levels so that you can get more done and take on life?

  • Get some exercise. Go for a ten minute walk, do some yoga, or dance around the room to a good song. Getting your body moving will increase circulation, boost happy endorphins and give you a burst of energy.
  • Take a quick nap. This doesn’t work for everyone because some people find that sleeping in the middle of the day makes them feel even groggier. However, if you can lie down for a quick 10-30 minute snooze this can sometimes really reinvigorate you.
  • Talk to someone who inspires you. When you speak to a positive friend this can really boost your energy.
  • Choose something small and easily achievable on your to-do list and get it done. The satisfaction of checking off that item will make you feel great and give you more energy.
  • Avoid reaching for sugary snacks to give you a boost of energy. Sure, they will make you a bit hyper for a while but then you will get a post-sugar-binge crash and that is not pretty. Instead, look for healthy treats such as granola bars, fruit, nuts and water which will give you lasting energy.
  • Breathe deeply! You might be feeling less energetic because you are not getting enough oxygen, so sit up straight and take a few deep breaths in through your nose and exhale slowly out through your mouth.

These are just a few ways that you can revitalize yourself quickly and get your energy levels high again so that you can achieve something great today!

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Did You Know Your Friends Can Make You Sick?

March 19, 2012 by

Angry GorillaWe all know how having a frustrating friend or negative roommate can be annoying, but did you know that it can actually be bad for your health?

Bad Interactions Increase Inflammation

A study from the University of California in Los Angeles has linked negative social interactions with increased inflammation, an immune system response to fighting infections.

Inflammation itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can lead to health problems further down the road. If the body suffers from chronic inflammation it can lead to several health issues including hypertension, coronary heart disease, depression, diabetes and even cancer.

How the Study Worked

The study had 122 healthy young adults keep a diary of their social interactions, such as conflicts with messy and rude roommates, competition with others at school, and time spent with friends.

They then measured the levels of cytokine in their bodies. They found that the study participants who had the most negative or stressful interactions with others had a higher level of cytokine which is a protein that causes inflammation.

Effects Accumulate Over Time

The researchers hypothesized that repeated exposure over many years to a negative social situation could cause serious health problems especially in people who are genetically predisposed to heart disease or arthritis.

So how can you avoid negative social situations from having an adverse affect on your health?

One strategy is to surround yourself with supportive, positive, and encouraging people who you get along with.

However, you can’t always control who you spend your time with and you might end up with an irritating co-worker or neighbor that you are forced to interact with.

When you do have to deal with a person who grinds your gears, approach the situation as calmly as possible and try not to focus on your negative feelings.

Deal with them in the best way you can and don’t dwell on how much they stress you out.

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Want Beautiful Skin? Foods to Eat to Make Your Skin Glow

March 16, 2012 by

Beautiful SkinHave you ever heard the expression “you are what you eat?”

When it comes to beautiful skin, it couldn’t be truer. The healthier your diet is, the more your skin will look firm, even, clear and healthy.

If you have a poor diet it can leave your skin looking blemished, sallow, dry, red, irritated or otherwise unattractive.

No matter how many expensive face creams and cleansers you spend your money on, changing your diet will have a much greater effect of the overall look of your skin.

Here are a few delicious and healthy foods that will give you glowing and beautiful skin:

Water: The number one change you can make to your diet to improve your skin is to drink more water. It will help your skin look moist and soft, and it will flush out toxins from your body.

Cantaloupe: High in antioxidants, this delicious fruit will help your body to absorb free radicals and reduce skin problems.

Broccoli: This vegetable is very high in Vitamin A, which is the vitamin which encourages your body to create new skin cells. If you eat more broccoli, your skin will be renewed more quickly and the healthy and fresh skin will show through.

Salmon: This tasty fish, as well as other fishes such as tuna and sardines, is full of Omega 3. This is a type of “good fat” which our body needs, and it will help to reduce inflammation in the skin.

Grapefruit:  This zesty breakfast treat is high in Vitamin C, which helps to delay or reduce wrinkles in the skin.

Lean Red Meat: If your skin is looking pale and sallow, you might have an iron deficiency in your diet. Lean red meat which is low in fat is a healthy way to increase your iron intake. If you don’t eat red meat, eggs are an alternate source.

Almonds: This snack is filled with Vitamin E, which protects your skin against sun damage.

Include these healthy items on your next supermarket shopping trip, and see if they make a difference in the health and appearance of your skin!

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Is Your Weight Loss Plan Sustainable?

March 5, 2012 by

It’s a never ending cycle.

You start to feel a bit chubby and unhappy with what you see in the mirror. So you throw away all of the junk food in your kitchen and head to the supermarket and buy nothing but lettuce and lean chicken breast.

Diet ScaleYou strictly deny yourself all donuts and forgo your morning late for green tea instead. You buy a gym membership and brand new yoga pants and start sweating it out on the treadmill every single day.

Flash forward to one month later. You are again sitting on the couch in your sweatpants after a hard day at work, eating an entire pizza to yourself and guzzling from a two liter bottle of Coca Cola.

What happened?

If you are prone to going 100% into a fitness routine, and then burning out and resorting to your old unhealthy habits after a short while, it’s time to ask yourself if your weight loss plan is sustainable.

For a change in your fitness to be sustainable, you need to be able to continue it for a long period of time so that it becomes a long term, ongoing habit in your life.

For example, when you strictly limit yourself to 1,200 calories per day and lose 5 pounds in one week to fit into your favorite jeans for a hot date you might have achieved the results that you wanted but this method of weight loss is not sustainable.

If you are starving yourself, you are going to eventually crack and start eating again and all of the weight will pile back on again.

The only way to lose pounds for good is to make changes to your habits which will last for the longer term.

These changes should be:

Achievable: It’s admirable to try to hit the gym twice every day, but you also have a lot of other things to do in your day. Start with every second day instead and your goal will be much more easily achieved, which will help you not give up as easily.

Balanced: Strictly limiting yourself to certain foods will not last long, and this type of withdrawal sets you up to crave a huge junk food binge. You’re not going to give up on ever having another piece of chocolate cake for the rest of your life, are you?  It doesn’t have to be all or nothing! Allow yourself dessert a couple evenings per week, and a cheat meal on the weekends so that it is easier to stick to your routine. You will crave your guilty pleasures less if you indulge in them every now and then.

Healthy: Eating nothing but salads for a week will make you drop pounds quick, but if you continue that diet for the long term you will become very malnourished. You need protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and even a small amount of healthy fat. Don’t starve your body; treat it right by giving it the healthy meals it needs to survive.

Once you make permanent changes to your routines which are sustainable, you will be able to stick to them for the long term and see fantastic results!

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Feel the Burn: How to Get the Most from Your Workout

February 24, 2012 by

Body Builder Weight LiftingSo you have signed up for a gym membership, bought yourself some new running shoes, and you are ready to get in shape.

Here are some tips that will help you get the most out of each visit to the gym and will have you seeing results much quicker:

Fuel Up

Your body is like an engine, it needs fuel in order to perform to full capacity. If you do to the gym on an empty stomach you will become tired and hungry quicker and you will not be able to push yourself to your full potential.

Before going to the gym, you should eat a small meal with workout-friendly foods such as whole grains, fruit, and protein.

Drink Water

Keeping hydrated is essential during your workout, because your muscles need water to perform and you will be losing lots of fluid through your sweat.

Drink a big glass of water an hour or so before you head to the gym, and then bring a water bottle which you can sip from as you are working out.

Then when you return home, drink another big glass to replenish the fluids you have lost.

Build Your Muscles

As you get stronger, you need to slowly increase the intensity of your weight training routine so that you can build up your major muscle groups.

The more you develop your muscles, the more calories your body will burn even when you are at rest. You will also be able to do more cardio and won’t tire as quickly.

When you are doing weight training, you should start with a weight that you can only lift 8-12 times before you can’t lift it any more.

If you can’t do 8 reps, it’s too heavy for you and if you can do more than 12 it’s too light. As you get stronger, slowly increase the amount of weight.

Go Hard or Go Home

No one ever lost any weight by sitting on a stationary bicycle and pedaling slowly while reading fitness magazines. For your gym visits to be worth your time, you need to put more effort into your fitness routine.

Rather than doing longer periods of less intense exercise, you are better off spending less time at the gym but really pushing yourself while you are there.

Challenge yourself to higher levels of resistance on the elliptical, stair climber or rowing machine. If you swim, try to beat your own time for how many laps you can swim in 15 minutes.

The more you push yourself, the more you will burn.

Good luck, and enjoy your workouts!

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Bored With Your Workout — How to Spice Up Your Fitness Routine

February 18, 2012 by

Do you find that after a few weeks of going to the gym at the same time and doing the exact same exercises you become bored?Workout Tips

If your workout gets in a rut, you can feel unmotivated to go to the gym and this can get in the way of accomplishing your fitness goals.

Also, if you always do the same exercise each time you work out, you won’t enjoy the benefit of strengthening all of your muscles. Just sticking to one exercise routine is not the best way to achieve overall fitness and better health.

So what can you do to keep your fitness routine varied and interesting and keep yourself motivated?

Here are some tips:

Try a Class

Check the group exercise class schedule at your gym or your local recreation center. There will likely be a good selection of different classes to attend, such as yoga, dance, Pilates, kick-boxing, step aerobics, and many more.

Make it your goal to try as many as you can until you find your favorite. Classes can be a great way to work out, because you are more likely to push yourself more than when you exercise by yourself.

You will also work different muscle groups, and meet other people who are motivated and living a healthy lifestyle.

Challenge Yourself

Here’s another way to kick start your motivation for working out. When you go to the gym, take a small notebook and pencil with you.

When you do an exercise, such as push-ups, sit-ups, lifting weights, swimming lengths do as many as you can without stopping until you just can’t do any more.

Make a note with the date and write down the details of how many you did. Now, your goal for your next workout is to beat all of your past records. You can also make a goal to try a new exercise every time you workout.

Keeping score in this way helps you to track your progress, and it also gives you a goal to aim for. If you are trying to outdo your own performance, you will push yourself harder and be more motivated.

You can even promise yourself a reward if you manage to beat your previous totals, such as going to see a movie or doing something else you enjoy.

Bring a Friend

If one of your friends is moaning about how they need to get in shape, bring them to the gym with you! Most gyms will offer free guest passes or let your friend come for the day at a discounted rate if they are with you.

You can challenge and encourage each other, and teach each other new exercises. Just make sure that you don’t spend all of your time socializing!

These are a few ideas for mixing up your fitness routine and getting yourself motivated.

Have fun working out!

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How to Stay in Shape When You Work From Home

February 10, 2012 by

Whether you own your own business, work remotely, or freelance, working from home is fantastic. You don’t have to worry about morning traffic, you can work in your pajamas if you so desire, and you can create your own work environment.

However, one of the downsides of working at home is that it can make it harder to get motivated with a fitness regime. It’s easier to make yourself go to the gym on your way to and from the office, or ride your bike to work, but how can you stay fit when your only exercise is walking downstairs to your computer chair?

Staying fit and active is very important and will help you be more productive and successful in your work. Here are a few things you can do to stay in shape when you work from home:

  • When you first wake up in the morning, do 20-30 minutes of exercise before even turning on the computer. You can go for a jog or a walk, do some yoga, or dance around to your favorite music, whatever feels good. This will wake you up and make you more productive at work, and will also mean that you make sure you get your exercise done before getting caught up in your work.
  • Buy a few simple tools for working out at home, such as a yoga mat, barbells, jump rope, or kettle balls.
  • While you are sitting at your desk all day, take a break every hour and do five or ten minutes of physical activity, such as jumping jacks, pushups, squats, lunges, or sit ups. This will give you a burst of energy to keep you focused on your work, and will help you burn calories throughout the day.
  • Look for a group exercise session at your local community centre or gym, such as yoga, dance, martial arts, or aerobics. Working at home can be lonely, so these types of classes give you a chance to meet other people while also keeping in shape. When you make friends in the class who you look forward to seeing, you will be more likely to make the commitment to going every week.

Getting enough exercise can be a challenge when you work from home. With these tips you can turn exercise into part of your routine.

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Trying to Lose Weight? Eating to Get the Most Out of Your Workout

January 23, 2012 by

Did you know that the food you eat before and after working out can have an impact on how effective your exercise regime is? Strawberry Smoothie

Working out takes energy, and the food that you use to fuel that energy makes a big difference. When you fuel up on the right nutrients you can superpower your workout and make the most of your time in the gym.

What to Eat Before the Gym

Some people swear by working out on an empty stomach, but studies have shown that because you have no food in your system to use as fuel this can cause your body to burn your muscle reserves for energy.

You are going to the gym to build muscle, not deplete it so it is better to eat a small meal before working out to give yourself some energy.

This meal should include lean protein, lots of fiber, complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, and a small amount of fat. These types of foods take longer to absorb and make you feel fuller for longer, and they provide lots of fuel to energize you for your workout.

A great pre-workout snack would be whole wheat bread with peanut butter and a banana, scrambled eggs and toast with fruit, or a protein shake or smoothie made with yogurt and fruit. If it is less than one hour before the workout, go for a small meal but if you have more than two hours before you get to the gym you can eat more.

What to Eat After the Gym

Once you are finished working out, you should be drinking lots of water to replenish the sweat that you have lost.

Within one hour of finishing your workout, you should have another small snack with high quality protein, because this will help build your muscles and aid your body in recovering.

Nourishing your body with healthy proteins and complex carbs before and after a workout will give it the fuel to build muscle and become stronger.

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Tips for Breaking the Junk Food Habit

January 14, 2012 by

Do you find yourself struggling to lose weight and constantly craving sweets, desserts and salty snacks?

Have you ever said to yourself, “After this last bucket of fried chicken I am going to eat healthy” only to order the same meal the very next week?

Studies are showing that junk food is so hard to give up because it actually becomes a Junk Foodpsychological and physiological addiction in the body. The cravings for these foods which are high in sugar, salt and fat become deeply ingrained and it is hard to break the habit.

Here are some tips for reducing the amount of junk food you eat and living a healthy life:

Know What You Are Eating

Most people who eat lots of fast food and junk food don’t even realize how bad it is for their bodies. Do some research about the nutritional content of these foods, read about their affect on health, and watch videos such as “Super Size Me” and “Food Inc”. Watching these programs will also put you off eating these foods.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

If you are in the habit of eating junk food, even simply seeing one of your favorite unhealthy snacks will make you crave it. Stop stocking your cupboards with cookies, potato chips, chocolates, and other treats because they will be very tempting for you.

Plan Ahead

It’s easy to say that you will resist that bag of potato chips every time, but when you have finished work late and you arrive home absolutely starving you might just find you can’t help snacking before dinner. The trick is to plan your meals ahead so that you never find yourself getting very hungry without a healthy alternative to eat.

If you know that you sometimes arrive home late, try cooking up larger batches of healthy meals on the weekend which you can easily microwave for a fast but nutritious meal. You could also stock your fridge with healthy snacks such as fruit, vegetables and yogurt that you could snack on while waiting for dinner to cook.

The good news is, once you overcome the initial difficult period of withdrawal from these greasy, salty, and sweet snacks you will find that you don’t really miss them. Your body will crave them less and you will be on the path to leading a healthy life!

 

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