10 Simple Tips For Healthy Living
Posted by in Healthy Living on July 25, 2011
By John R Bradstreet
With all the emphasis on maintaining a healthy lifestyle sometimes we overlook some of the basic things that help us accomplish this. We are going to look at some of these today. Many may seem to be a matter of common sense, but if you follow these you will be on your way to healthy living.
1. Drink plenty of water. It is suggested that we consume 8-10 glasses per day. This includes water that we get from foods and other drinks that we have. A good tip is to drink a glass before eating. Sometimes we are not actually hungry but are dehydrated.
2. We all know that eating fresh fruits daily is advised. But did you know that it is best to eat them in between meals or before meals. If you eat them directly after a meal your body will store it away as unused energy.
3. You should eat a protein with each of your meals. Some excellent sources of protein would include fish, beans, meat, protein bars and shakes. Your body needs these proteins so ensure that you are getting enough of them.
4. There are some foods that are better avoided. These would include potatoes, white bread, instant oatmeal and french fries. The reason is that these are foods that that body breaks down quickly into sugar.
5. Start a regular exercise program. If you are not in the habit of exercising start out slow and work your way up to something that is more strenuous. Choose something that you enjoy doing. If you enjoy the type of exercise your chances of continuing it over the long term increases. Over time you should work your way up to 3 to 5 times a week for 30 minutes or more. You will be surprised at the extra energy it will give you and the improvement in your mood. Try to incorporate some weight training in your schedule. This is an excellent way to naturally increase your metabolism.
6. Include raw vegetables into your daily diet. Nutritionists tell us that the darker the vegetable is the richer it is in nutrients. Concentrate on the ones that are dark green, dark purple and dark orange. This will give you the most benefits.
7. You should eat smaller meals with snacks in between. Eating every two to three hours is optimal. This will help you to naturally increase your metabolism and that is essential to healthy weight control. Peanut butter on a cracker is a good example of snacks you should include. If you wait until you actually feel hungry it may be too late. This causes your body to go into a fasting state.
8. Include fatty acids into the diet. Ground up flax seed is a good source to have with foods or cereals. It also gives you fiber.
9. Eat foods that are high in fiber. These foods will help you control cholesterol levels as well as giving you the feeling of feeling fuller. Some examples of these types of foods would be whole grains, fibrous vegetables and legumes. You may also want to look at supplementation as there are some good ones out there. You would want to speak to your doctor before beginning any supplementation program.
10. Raw nuts and seeds are a good source of essential fatty acids. You should limit the. amount to about a handful. These fatty acids not only help us burn fat but also
assure that we have healthy hair, skin and nails.
These are some very simple things that can be done to improve your overall health. You will feel and look a lot better by knowing the basic ways to change or improve your lifestyle.
Exercising Your Way to a Healthy Mind
Posted by in Mental Health on July 25, 2011
By Thomas Mannon
No matter how busy your life is, there are important components to make your day a success. This means you must invest in a wellness that extends to brain fitness. Majorly, this will enable you to carry out your duties given that everyone needs good health to perform their activities. Also, the brain plays an important function on the duties that can be linked to senses like smelling, tasting or hearing. This is because the different parts of the brain like frontal lobes, temporal lobes and parietal lobes play important and different functions which can be enhanced by brain fitness exercises.
There are many healthy brain programs that are fun to engage in given that they are enjoyable in nature. This includes game teasers. The good thing about this is that you will get to educate yourself, keep your brain fit and not incur any major expenses in the process. Basically a combination of physical exercises and brain teasing games will turn out to be a powerful recipe for a healthy mind.
When the brain works overtime, it is very easy to sink into depression. The daily hustles of life don’t make the process of keeping your brain fit easy either. However, if you familiarize yourself with all the right brain fitness program and techniques, you will realize that it is actually very easy to decrease the feeling of depression and any other signs it may bring about.
If you jog or engage in other physical exercises like weight lifting, pull ups, sit ups, pushups and many more, it can be very healing. You can also do this by ensuring you eat a well balanced diet. Also, do not overlook other activities like yoga or massages. These activities help in decreasing tension, modulating your appetite and enhance immune system. When done in the right times and in the right way, you will certainly maximize mental being since you will be able to allow your brain to relax thus leading to a healthy brain.
The best tip for using exercise to ensure a healthy mind is by concentrating and balancing the exercises that work for you. For instance, many people find crying to be healing when they are low or just want to overcome a sad feeling. This is what you should do. Brain teasers or games are readily available and work wonders even without your realizing it. At the same time, a stroll or a jog can help you feel fresh and get rid of various things you may have on your mind.
Since you now have an agenda of keeping your brain fit, you can complete all your routines by ensuring you get enough rest or sleep. With the ever increasing challenges being faced everyday, you will only be able to thrive when your overall health is good if not excellent. Besides, the greater levels of competition we face in life will also require you to work smarter and reward yourself with brain fitness exercises that will pave way for a healthy mind