Want To Wow This Summer? Eat A Balanced Diet!

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Ladies love to look great every single day, but summer is the most important season on the calendar. When the temperature rises, the clothes come off and we tend to spend more time in social situations. So, when you are out with the girls baring more skin, it’s vital to be on top of your game. Plus, there is the beach to think about when you go on an inevitable summer vacation. For these reasons, women have wondered about the best way to wow. Well, The Kashonna Files can confirm it is all about your diet. If you are a non-believer, here are the reasons why. 

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Photo Credit

Nutrients Make Skin Glow

A balanced diet has a range of different nutrients, from L-lysine to cod liver oil and vitamins A to D. And, all of these elements have lots of benefits for a person’s skin. Why? It’s because they contain antioxidants which improve skin tone by reducing damage to the cells. Also, they keep skin less dry and moister, so there is less chance of an outbreak of spots. And, if that wasn’t enough, they can tackle conditions such as eczema and shingles. Studies show that butternut squash is the most powerful food to flatten bad skin.

And Thicken Hair

Don’t you get jealous when you see a woman on the street with luscious locks? Well, there is no need to anymore as the same nutrients that affect your skin work wonders on hair, too. It is mainly down to lysine as this is one of the amino acids which boost the production of keratin. Keratin, in general, is a skin protector as it limits the damage of external and internal factors, such as the cold and stress. Quite simply, it is the guardian of hair, so consuming more will increase volume. Methionine, Glycine and Proline are three other amino acids to implement into your diet for hair growth.

Weight Loss

It isn’t a secret, but it is worth remembering that a balanced diet helps to regulate body weight. Of course, losing a few pounds is always a good way to look and feel good, especially in the summer. To begin with, there is less reason to be anxious about because your body has fewer flaws. Also, there is the fact that losing weight is a health benefit. With less fat in your system, all of the bodily systems and functions are more effective. This can affect everything from skin to muscle tone and beyond.

Improves Mood

It’s easy to own the physical benefits, but the mental side of a balanced diet is very important, too. Let’s face it – everyone wants to enjoy the summer. The sun is out, so are the people, and everyone is having a good time. If you are not, it will affect your appearance. To begin with, you will seem as if you have a bee hive in your mouth, which isn’t attractive. Plus, a bad mental attitude can lead to stress.

 

And, the more you have in your system, the worse your body will look this summer.  

Ways Vanity Can Be Good For You

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Everybody’s a little bit vain. Some people are just a little more open about it than others. You can’t help but inspect yourself in the mirror each morning; appearance is something that we give great important. Of course, none of that means anything if you only strive to “look” healthy and not actually “be” healthy. The greatest way to achieve the former is to strive for the latter. You can use vanity as the motivation to start looking after your body better, but the key here is that you should be doing things which are genuinely making you healthier and not just making you “look” healthier. Here are some ways in which vanity can be a good thing for you.

Getting into shape the right way.

Getting into shape is pretty much impossible when it feels like a chore, so you need to think about a way to approach exercise and healthy eating which suits your lifestyle. You could try small tricks such as switching your large dining plates for smaller ones so as to force yourself to prioritize healthier carbohydrates and nutrients in your meals rather than overloading on unnecessary extra food. Everything should be eaten in moderation (even healthy fruits and vegetables), so smaller dining plates could help with that. Making substitutions with empty carbs for nutritional carbs is also important.

 In terms of keeping your body active, don’t force the gym or cycling if neither of those activities are exciting to you. You want a form of exercise that you can stick to because it fits nicely in your routine. Perhaps walking or jogging are relaxing to you because you can enjoy the scenery of your local park as you do so. Perhaps you’ve always been keen on martial arts or swimming; there are so many different ways to get your body moving, so just find something that suits you. Maintaining muscle strength and cardiovascular health is important for your heart and your body as well as your appearance in the mirror.

The smart route to pearly whites.

Everybody wants white teeth, but not everybody cares about whether they’re healthy or not; you may have had them whitened, but does that say anything about plaque build-up or the healthiness of your gums? You should be flossing as well as brushing your teeth; avoiding plaque and tar build-up is the smartest way to avoid gum disease and other health problems with your teeth or mouth in general. You could always consider affordable dental care if you were put off visiting your last clinic regularly because of the expense, as your health shouldn’t be something that you have to put a price on; you should always prioritize it, and that goes without saying.

Sleeping well can improve your appearance.

Those bags under your eyes and your slouching posture are both things which diminish your appearance. Both could be improved by simply sleeping well because better energy levels mean better concentration and better posture in your office chair or at home (rather than slowly sinking into your seat as you begin to doze off). Of course, sleeping well is important for your body so many different ways. It’s not just about getting enough sleep but sleeping in a bed which supports your body and its posture. You don’t want to have aches and pains throughout the day; ensure your mattress is supportive. Ideally, you should change them every seven years.

Looking after your mind.

You might be wondering how your mental state could possibly affect your physical appearance, but there’s a clear link between the body and the mind. Your stress levels, for example, can have a huge effect on your facial appearance. Blemishes such as acne definitely flare up during periods of intense stress, so it’s important to work on taking better care of your mental health. Practice meditating to focus on centering yourself, and you might notice the physical benefits.

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Drink Yourself To Good Health In 5 Ways

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We’ve all heard about the wonderful benefits of water. It’s a clear, pure drink that helps to cleanse our system and leave us feeling both hydrated and quenched. It’s one of the healthiest drinks around because it contains no calories yet has plenty of positive effects on our body. Since our bodies are roughly made up of 60% water, it’s essential that we replenish that water and flush our system of bad toxins. However, for some, they just can't tolerate the plain taste of water. GOOD NEWS- there are other drinks that we can rely on to give us good health.

 

Vegetable Juice

A lot of people knock it before they try it, but vegetable juice is a surprisingly good way to get some of your five-a-day. It all takes a little getting used to and some specialized equipment, but you’ll find that vegetable juice is flexible, versatile and very tasty. You can easily mix a medley of fruits and vegetables into a juicer to create a powerful and potent concoction that contains all the essentials nutrients and minerals you could ever want in a single day. Juicers may be fairly expensive, but they’re worth every single penny if you want to drink yourself to good health. 

** I bought my juicer from Walmart really inexpensive and I juice and freeze in bulk and it is one of the best things that I have done and I consistently see the benefits.

 

Green Tea

There are many different types of green tea, but no matter what brand you get or what style of green tea you get, they all come jam-packed with positive benefits. High-quality green tea such as Ashitaba are known for their fat-burning properties that assist weight loss, but they’re also known to stimulate brain activity and even promote long life. Green tea is simple, tastes great, and can even be flavored depending on what your preferences are. It’s best to make your own green tea, but if you’re short on time and need a quick fix then teabags can also work assuming they’re made from quality leaves.

Iced Tea

If hot tea doesn’t suit you due to the heat, then why not cold brew it or leave it to chill in the fridge before drinking it? Iced tea doesn’t lose any of the health benefits, it can help cool you down, and it tastes great with some added extras such as some slice of lemon or honey. Iced tea is best made by yourself due to the amount of sugar in bottled varieties. Try to stay away from those types and make your own instead.

 

Dilute Fruit Juice

If you’re set on drinking fruit juice, then treat it like a cordial and dilute it a little bit. This is to reduce the amount of sugar in each glass of juice you drink. Keep in mind that even freshly pressed juices have quite a lot of sugar in each serving due to the natural sugars that fruits have.

 

Milk

Most people drink this when they’re younger to get healthier bones thanks to the abundance of calcium. However, as you get older, milk continues to be important and it’s also a great source of protein and healthy fats. A single serving of milk contains the same amount of calcium as several servings of vegetables, making it a fantastic healthy drink to sip on all year round (my favorite is organic vanilla soy milk).

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The Top 10 Minerals And Vitamins We're Not Getting Enough Of

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In a world where the focus on our health has dramatically shifted towards it, it’s hard to comprehend why we’re still not getting the vitamins and minerals that our body needs. Partly, we are not to blame; a change in how we grow our food, from the vegetables to the animals, has meant that some of the essentials are lost without us totally realizing it. Our need to eat foods which have been processed and our desire not to wait for meals (hello, drive thru!) has also lead towards a deficit.

So what are we actually missing out on - and how can we go about reversing this?

Magnesium

This inorganic mineral is responsible for a lot happening within your body. It helps conduct the structure of all of your bones, as well as being required for the synthesis of DNA. It can be found in green, leafy vegetables and legumes, so if you’re adding these to your diet then you should be getting your RDA in abundance. Some cereal brands have also started adding it to their product to ensure that you’re getting a healthy dose in the morning.

 

Sulfur

Once upon a time, when organic farmers were the norm and you would rely on your pet cow for both dairy products and the manure to spread on your crops, sulfur was a regular part of our diet. Nowadays, with the introduction of fast farming and a whole load of change to where our food is coming from, we aren’t getting as much as we need. Sulfur helps with disease resistance, increasing enzyme production within your body to fight off any unwanted illnesses. You can buy sulfur crystals to help your body get back right, or start tracing your food; knowing exactly where it comes from and the process used to create it is a good first step to take.

 

Fluoride

We are actually getting more access to fluoride than ever before, with certain water companies adding it to our regular flow so we don’t even notice that we’re getting it. However, a lot of people are purposely not ingesting it as it’s not an essential nutrient. It helps to protect against things like tooth decay, which can be a real concern later on in life. You don’t need a lot of it - too much fluoride is definitely a bad thing, but allowing a little into your water and toothpaste will really help with the condition of your teeth and bones.

Vitamin K

This is the vitamin that is most well-known for the effects that it has to the clotting of your blood. Our blood needs to be able to clot once we bleed, else we just won’t stop bleeding - it’s as simple as that. It works hand in hand with Vitamin D, and if you have been tested for deficiency in either Vitamin K or D, you will be deficient in the other one too. It is a fat-absorbed vitamin, so you need to be eating a good amount of fat in your diet to feel the benefits from it. If you have eradicated fat from your diet entirely, then there is a high chance that your body is operating on a deficit. Vitamin K is important for the prevention of such diseases as cancer and Alzheimer’s, as well as osteoporosis and diabetes. It is naturally occurring within green plants, so ensuring that your plate is full of them either at lunch or dinner time is a great way to go about getting more of this vital nutrient in your system.

 

Potassium

Potassium can be found in so many yummy foods that it’s actually harder to avoid it than it is to remind yourself to eat foods that contain it. If you have been experiencing things like dehydration, headaches and menstrual cramps that are hurting a bit more than they normally would, this can often be attributed to a lack of potassium within your diet. It is required to keep your vital organs functioning, so the more you can get, the better. It’s famously found in bananas, but the levels of potassium in this fruit compared to avocados, sweet potatoes and wild-caught salmon is considerably lower. That doesn’t mean that you should stop eating bananas, though - they’re a natural mood-booster as they help to release the dopamine hormone, giving you a buzz.

 

Sodium

More commonly known as salt, sodium is something that we need in our diet. However, too much of a good thing can turn into being bad for your body with this mineral. The more potassium that you take in, the more it will help with the breakup of sodium in your body. We do need a certain amount of salt to help our blood flow, as well as helping our nerves and muscles to work as they should. It can be easy to go overboard, as a lot of our food already contains the RDA for salt intake. If you know that you’re not getting as much as you need, the symptoms can be quite clear; you may just be having headaches, but more severe cases can see a drastic reduction in the stability of your mental health, as well as seizures.

Vitamin C

A lack of Vitamin C can cause a condition called scurvy to occur; typically associated with 18th century sailors which resulted in bleeding gums, intense bruising and blood spots appearing on the skin, it had appeared to have been completely eradicated … until cases were reported in Australia last year. Our diets are lacking in the fruits - such as oranges - which are big providers of this natural disease-fighter.  We definitely need to be trying to get it into our systems as much as we can.

 

Iron

Iron deficiency anemia is unfortunately on the rise currently due to poor diets. This means that your body isn’t producing as many blood cells as it should. The result of this is that those who are suffering from a lack of iron are more prone to become fatigued quickly, becoming pale in complexion and having an increase of headaches. The less common symptoms include a desire to eat non-food items such as paper or clay; this is due to your body reacting in a way to get you to ingest more iron from any means possible. There are certain tablets that you can take for it (especially within pregnancy, where you may be prescribed medication by your doctor), as well as drink supplements that contain a good amount to get you back to rights.

 

B Vitamins

There’s no such thing as Vitamin B - just a whole host of vitamins that fit under the umbrella! Each one plays a very important role, mainly centered around the nervous system and the functions of the skin. Folic acid counts as a B vitamin, which pregnant women are recommended to take to help with the development of their baby. These vitamins can be found in everyday foods like dairy and cereals.

 

Vitamin E

Not much is spoken about Vitamin E, but it’s still an essential for your body. You don’t need to eat it every day, as your body is clever enough to store it for the future on the days that you have ingested a lot. It can be found in foods such as seeds and nuts, so snacking on these throughout the day can really help to boost your Vit E levels. It helps to keep your eyes and skin healthy, as well as teaming up with the other vitamins to help fight against diseases - so what’s not to love?

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Slay The Beach This Spring With This Fit Guide

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Whatever size you are, whatever shape you are, you can slay the beach this Spring. However, there may be a few things you have to do before you can feel 100% confident strutting your stuff on the sand. If you want to know what to do to slay, read on…

Work On Self Esteem And Confidence

Before you even think about setting out on an extreme diet and exercise regime, make sure you work on your self esteem and confidence first. If you don’t have enough confidence or self esteem, then you’re not going to be happy whatever stage you get to. The key is to make sure you’re truly happy with yourself, whatever shape you’re in. Notice all of the amazing things about yourself. Make sure you don’t entertain negative thoughts. You’ll look incredible on the beach as long as you have confidence, whatever size and shape you are. Once you’re happy and have confidence, only then should you begin working out. This shouldn’t be a way to punish yourself. It’s a way to treat your body and give it what it needs, while having a good time.

Here are some tips to help you work on self esteem and confidence:

  • Work on your main issues. Figure out where they came from. Usually, they are ingrained in us from a young age. Discuss with yourself why these things you have always believed are not true, and how you can make them positive.

  • Repeat positive affirmations to yourself each day.

  • Try mirror work

 

Change Your Eating Habits

Your eating habits are one of the most important factors if you’re getting ready for Spring. Your eating habits are even more important than working out. You can’t out-train a bad diet. Take a long look at your eating habits and work out what you can do. Can you cut out sugary, processed foods? Maybe you eat an excess of carbs and not enough protein. Whatever it is, be honest with yourself. Allow yourself the odd treat so you don’t feel deprived, but make sure you’re not tipping the scale. You shouldn’t be starving yourself, but you should be in a deficit if you want to drop a few pounds. Even if your goal is to gain weight, you should be doing so with healthy foods. You will gain weight faster with ‘bad’ foods, but you may also develop health issues if you’re not careful!

Here are some tips to develop the perfect diet plan and change your eating habits for the better:

  • Eat at regular intervals. Never let yourself get too hungry.

  • Eat until you’re satisfied but not stuffed.

  • Drink a glass of water before eating so you can tell the difference between thirst and hunger.

  • Only buy healthy foods and keep them in the house. Don’t keep treats in the house.

  • Never deprive yourself.

  • Use an online calculator to work out appropriate calories and macros.

 

Get More Active

Find ways to get more active. Maybe you could sweat it out a couple of times a week in the gym. Maybe you could download a plan or guide. The bikini body guide is very popular, but you should read some reviews first before you decide to take the plunge. You can even get more active by walking a little more. It doesn’t have to be huge changes to your daily routine. Every little change you make will help.

Having the perfect workout outfit definitely helps to motivate you to workout while looking good, like the stylish workout gear from FABletics.

 

Focus On The Areas You’d Like To Build

If you have ‘weak’ areas you feel would make your physique look more well rounded overall, work on those areas. For example, some women like to work on their glutes and shoulders in order to create a curvier, more hourglass appearance. It can take time to make significant changes though, so you really need to be in it for the long haul. Although you want to focus on your weaker areas, make sure you’re still training your entire body so you don’t create an imbalance.

 

Blast Excess Fat

Do you have excess fat you want to get rid of? Then you really need to focus on fat blasting exercises. It isn’t about calories burned and weight loss. Of course calories burned can help, and weight loss does refer to fat in some ways. But weight also refers to your bones, muscles, and other parts of your body. In order to focus on fat, you need to stop focusing on your ‘weight’ so much. You also need to stop focusing on burning calories so much. You should instead do high intensity exercise for shorter periods of time, such as HIIT and circuits. These types of exercises will help you to burn fat, even after you’ve finished working out. This is a smarter way of working out, and you’ll soon see that the excess fat you struggle with is shifting.

 

Drink Plenty of Water

Water should be your drink of choice. Rather than drinking calorific beverages, even beverages labeled ‘health’, you should be drinking water. Anything from 2-4 liters per day. You should be drinking more if you’re working out. It isn’t just about drinking when you’re thirsty! For hot drinks, go for green tea. Avoid drinks that have lots of ingredients. You should even avoid fruit juices, as they are full of sugar and will hinder your efforts.

 

Choose A Bikini That Flatters You

To really enhance everything you’ve done so far, make sure you choose a bikini that flatters you. Different styles of bikini will flatter different body shapes and types, so do your research to find the best one for you. Of course there are no rules, and you can go for any type of bikini that you really like and feel will look nice. Just bear in mind that the right bikini can knock an extra 10 pounds off you!


Are you ready to slay the beach this Spring? Remember, it’s all about confidence. Everything else after that is a huge bonus! Have fun!

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Take Better Care Of You: Health Tips For Maintaining Inner Beauty

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It’s easy to forget to take care of yourself sometimes.  With more demands on our time and attention from work, children and family, the importance of keeping healthy can take a back seat.  It’s time to make a change to your health and maintain a better, longer lasting version of yourself.

We all know the rules.  Exercise often, eat a balanced diet, stay hydrated.  But there are other important factors we are missing.  When was the last time you saw your doctor, for example? How long have you been ignoring that ache in your neck? I’ve gathered together a short guide of changes you need to make now. Small changes for a better future.  So sit back, grab a cup of green tea and read on …

I won’t kick start this with hydration but will instead highlight the importance right now and get to it later.  Drink.  Drink 2 litres a day.  Every day.  Instead we’ll start by looking at fitness.

Your heart is the only thing between you and death.  If your heart fails, well that’s essentially the end of it all.  So keeping it healthy and and strong is vital.  Experts advise we take a minimum of 25 minutes of exercise per day. This can range from gentle walking to more high impact sports such as running.  Cardio fitness is the key to a nice strong heart but there are so many exciting ways to get the heart pumping.  Here are three to get you inspired

1: The Quick Morning Cardio Burn

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Photo Credit

If you don’t have time to make it to the gym, wake up and smash a 15 minute cardio wake up call.  Simple exercises like one minute reps of jumping jacks, squat thrusts, sit ups, high chests and running up and down the stairs, repeated 5 times each (Only pick three and mix them up everyday)   Or include a short weight lifting routine as I wrote about in this blog into your quick cardio.  It will give you a super snappy cardio buzz before breakfast.  You can jump in the shower and feel the extra energy boost.  Cardio exercise increases your metabolism all day so you can feel smug that you have set the town of your day and enjoy a guilt three latte at lunch.

 

2: The Enthusiastic Run

Running isn’t for everyone but, don’t knock it until you have given it a good go.  Running with interval sprints of thirty seconds for 30 minutes is a real fat burning cardio boost which will help trim you down whilst toning your muscles.  You need to ensure you have the correct trainers and kit to protect your limbs as this is a high impact sport.  The very best thing about falling in love with running is that it is completely free and you can do it absolutely anywhere.  Put your music in your ears and pound away the miles.  Mix running up with something like swimming to keep your body moving without constant high impact on your joints.

 

3: Think Different!

Horse riding may not look like it’s burning much in the way of calories but a one hour horse ride burns the same calories as a 30 minute run.  It is also extremely good at building up your core muscles and working your inner thigh.  Giving you a cardio and toning exercise all in one.  Make sure you stay safe by wearing all the correct kit and find a local riding school that gives lessons in a school or takes you out and about on brilliant hacks.  You won’t even notice your heart is getting a workout.  You might notice it the following day in your muscles though!

 

If you can include 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise into your daily routine, you will be well on the way to improving the health of your heart.

 

Next on the list of things we usually put on the back burners are regular health checks with a doctor or our dentist.  As we grow older we need to keep an eye on things.  Prevention is most definitely better than cure, but with certain illnesses we can be blissfully unaware of any changes until it’s too late.

Our teeth suffer years of abuse without a good hygienist, so get online and use http://dentists.nhere.me to find a local dentist and go for regular check ups and cleans. This is especially important if you have children.  Kids watching their parents taking care of their teeth are twice as likely to take care of their own.  Make it fun.  Brush together and get your kids to enjoy visits to the dentist.  

Finding a good doctor is also important.  Women over 20 should be having regular smear tests and women over 35 should be having well women tests. Check your breasts often and at different points in your cycle so you get to notice any changes in the shape and feel of them.  If you notice anything out of place, make an appointment and get a second opinion.

 

Keeping a little back for yourself is one of the greatest gifts you can bestow upon your body.  Mindfulness.  Relaxation.  These two simple things are so often forgotten, but without them we can suffer unhealthy habits and even create mental health issues we could have avoided.  Meditation is particularly helpful at putting your monkey mind to task.  Our minds can create huge problems for relatively minor issues.  Learning to control that is the key to lasting inner peace.

Yoga is a fantastic release for stress and can be practiced either first thing in the morning to energize you, or with a little meditation last thing at night to prepare your body for sleep.  You don’t have to find a class to learn the basics with lots of handy tips on line like these, just find a comfortable, clutter free area and a quite 15 minutes then practice the slow, low impact movements whilst allowing your mind to run free of all the chatter.  

Inner peace is something that we need to help us solve problems and make better decisions.  Lying in bed with a million worries and anxieties will lead us to a pattern of no sleep and sluggish behavior.  Lack of sleep can have serious impact on our day to day lives.  Creating havoc with our skin and general health.  Find peace, relax and sleep!

 

Lastly, I mentioned it in the first half of this article, hydration and a healthy balanced diet.

You will not find one article in the world on health that doesn’t stress the importance of drinking pure water every day.  Amounts range, but setting yourself up for the challenge of 2 liters a day, will make remarkable changes in your life.  From your brain to your skin and your general energy levels, water will change the way you take on the world and help you form better decisions.  Cells need water to regenerate so, a little like plants, without regular water we will slowly wither away, health will deteriorate and eventually we’ll die!

 

Clean eating, removing processed and sugary foods from your diet, will give your digestive system a happy detox.  Homemade meals with fresh local ingredients or, better still, home grown ingredients will ensure heart, cell and brain health.  A balanced diet is proven to decrease your risk of many cancers and increase your life expectancy so get to it!

Take better care of yourself, look and feel more beautiful and enjoy life, longer.

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Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself: Preventing Health Problems As You Get Older

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It’s very important as you get older to make sure you have all the relevant health checks. With things like diseases becoming more and more common as you get older, you need to be sure that you are keeping on top of everything when it comes to your health. Going to the doctor is never a good thing, even if you are feeling 100% well, so why don't you try and prevent this by giving yourself a health MOT. Regardless of how old you are, we need to always be keeping an eye on our health, whether you are 19 or 90, and especially if you are in your mid-20s, it's now time to start thinking seriously about how healthy you actually are. Have you noticed your hangovers getting a bit worse these days? It is all part of getting older! But not to worry, here are some basics you need to think about.

 

Your Eyes and Ears

While we may wear glasses already, it doesn't hurt to check if your eyes are functioning properly, and it is worth having an eye test on a regular basis, preferably once a year. Going to your local eye doctors on a regular basis can make sure that you prevent certain eye ailments like glaucoma or any other inflammation. It is also worth having a hearing test, especially if you go to many gigs in the meantime! There is a lot of research into the devastating effect of earphones on hearing loss at a young age, which can bring on hearing problems like tinnitus before the age of 30. So, if you see Metallica on a regular basis, or go to many silent discos, start to shield your ears from the loud noise!

 

Your Skin

Keeping an eye on your skin as you get older is something that we tend to overlook for the most part. For example, if you have cracks at the corner of your mouth this may indicate a lack of vitamin B2, and any bruising may be a sign of a lack of Vitamin C or any other nutrients that can affect your blood’s ability to clot. It is also worth keeping an eye out for any changes in your skin tags or moles that do not disappear after a few weeks. Also, as we get older, we may find ourselves intolerant to more foods such as gluten. Have you noticed that your skin is a lot itchier than normal? This could be a sign of a gluten intolerance.

 

Your Digestion

Back onto gluten intolerance, if you find that you bloat very easily, this could be another sign. Other symptoms that could be digestive issues can be tiredness, weight loss that is unexplained or pains in your stomach. If you have any of these, it may be worth checking with a dietitian, especially if the symptoms persist.

 

While these are only a handful of issues that can occur, it is better to be aware of what they are before they become incredibly serious. Prevention is better than cure, so start to prevent them now so you can become a better you.

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Benefits of Weightlifting And Why You Should Try It

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Weight lifting might seem like a masculine sport to some, but many ladies are starting to realize the enormous benefits it can have on their lives. Yes, it’s true that weight lifting builds strength and muscle, but it won’t make you look like ‘men’ ladies, no matter what you have heard in the past! Just take a look at some of the famous Instagram models out there. They post their workouts regularly and give tips, and you can bet that they use weights in their workouts. Some even consider themselves ‘bodybuilders’, yet they have the most feminine shape! Here’s why everybody should try weightlifting:

Build Strength And Muscle

Weight lifting is going to build strength and muscle. Not only is this great for your health, you’ll also develop a more shapely body. Your body will become more efficient at burning fat and calories, even if you eat a ‘bad’ meal. The great thing about women who want to build muscle is that they don’t build it in the same way as men. Men have more testosterone than women, which is why they grow big. Women can grow ‘big’, but only with years of deliberate training and eating. In some cases, even drugs. It’s very, very difficult to get to that level for women. When women use weights, they can build muscle and look ‘toned’.

 

Create The Body You’ve Always Wanted

Weightlifting allows you to build the body you’ve always wanted. You can’t spot train fat loss, but you bet you can spot train areas on your body weight train and build. That being said, training your whole body is crucial to avoid imbalances. The amount you train each part, is your choice. Some women choose to train their gluts up to 3 times a week in order to get them looking firm and peachy. Some prefer to dedicate one day a week to a body part. This is entirely your choice, but at the beginning, you’ll want to make sure you’ve given each muscle group a chance to recover before training it again. This is why most people start with a plan that focuses on one body part per day per week, to ensure that they have fully recovered. You can then change up your plan as you like. Building your shoulders will give you a more shapely upper body, and can even make your waist look smaller, for example. Building your gluts makes your waist look smaller too. Many women focus on these proportions to create an hourglass figure!

Treat Yourself To Cute Gym Clothes

Going to the gym means you get to treat yourself to cute gym clothes. Having nice gym clothes makes you feel good about yourself. It also allows you to show off your personality in the gym. There are all kinds of weird and wonderful leggings out there, from rainbow leggings to leggings covered in unicorns. The weight lifting shoes for men and women tend to look bang on trend too.  

 

Stay Mobile Later On In Life

You shouldn’t just exercise for how you look now. You should exercise to stay mobile later on in life. Do you want to be someone who needs people to look after them and assist them, or would prefer to stay independent? Weight lifting can help you with this. Plus, you’ll look younger as you age too! Those who exercise early on always look younger later on in life. Just looking at some of the fittest celebrities out there proves this.

 

Build Self Esteem And Confidence

Lifting weights helps people to build self esteem and confidence. When you see what you are capable of, you’ll love it! You’ll feel strong. Every time you master an exercise you’ll feel accomplished. You’ll have more confidence inside and outside of the gym. You really can’t beat the feeling.

Have More Goals To Work Towards

You can develop so many goals to work towards with weight lifting. For instance, you can aim to squat a few more pounds each week. You can aim to add a rep or two onto your set each week. Setting these short term goals, alongside your long term goals, is going to help you get fit and healthy for life.

 

Be Able To Perform Better In Day To Day Life

Not only will you experience everything else listed here, you’ll even be able to perform better in day to day life. Want to carry all of your groceries from the car in one trip? No problem! Somebody needs help carrying a box? You can do it! You’ll also have far more energy than you’ve ever had before. You’ll feel happier. What could be better than that?

 

Develop A Healthy Hobby

Do you have hobbies? What about hobbies that are truly good for you? Weight lifting is a healthy hobby that you can enjoy for life. We all need hobbies and things to do outside of work and home, and this is a great one to try out.

 

Everybody should try weightlifting, even if you don’t commit to anything straight away. Just try it for a few weeks, and pay attention to how you look and feel. Chances are, you’ll notice improvements really quickly and feel great about yourself. This is why so many people find it addictive. One thing to make sure of, though, is that you give yourself enough rest.

To begin with, you should have at least 2 days rest a week. When you’re more experienced, 1 day of rest can be OK. Your body needs rest to improve too. Overworking it will only cause problems in the long run. Also, bear in mind that as changes are made outside of the gym, you also need to make sure you’re eating to support your goals. This means making smart choices, and getting plenty of protein to help your body recover. A good mix of healthy protein, carbs, and fats is crucial. A small treat or two a week shouldn’t hurt too much either. Your routine should all be about balance and moderation.

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The Essential Expose On Exercise - Here's What You'll Really Get Out Of It

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Most of us have pretty busy lives, and most of us wish we could fit more into those hours we’re awake. We’ve got careers, families, hobbies, interests, and households to take care of. Usually, something has to give. We prioritize, and that can often mean that the things that benefit us the most get pushed to the back of the line. When it’s that exercise class or that half hour in the gym that gets given away, it can turn into a lot of guilt and disappointment.

Exercise has quite a big impact on our emotions. Many of us think turning to exercise will improve our emotional health. Being slim may help you feel more body confident, but it is never a guarantee of happiness or self-fulfillment. Exercise alone may not be the best approach if you want to lose weight either. When you rely on exercise to achieve something like this, and it doesn’t work, it can lead to further unhappiness and disappointment.

If you’re keen to appear more toned, there are other approaches. There are non-surgical procedures like CoolSculpting. Diets and detoxes may also help achieve a few changes in your physique. It’s important to remember that we are all born with a particular body shape. Pregnancy may change this somewhat, but our physical bone structure can’t be altered. Shifting fat stores and toning muscles is something that requires time and more than just exercise to achieve.

Of course, exercising does release all those happy hormones. You may even feel quite elated while you’re working out, and yes, that can become addictive, leading you to over-exercise. Exercising to excess can lead to injury. This can be painful and debilitating, and you won’t be able to continue exercising while the body heals. Was it all worth it in the first place?

There are many reasons to exercise that go beyond the hormone release and slimming benefits. You might use it as a social activity. Joining a class can help you meet new people and make friends. Some people combine their exercise with their commute. Cycling or jogging to work can be far more pleasurable than being stuck in traffic. It might be considerably quicker too when you factor in parking.

Exercise is essential to good health. The kind of exercise you do is up to you. An active lifestyle may be all the exercise you need to stay in good health. It helps boost your immune system, increase your stamina, and builds your physical strength. Do you need an exercise class or gym membership? No. You can be healthy and active in life. Adding a few exercises to target strength, balance and stamina may be beneficial, though. There are plenty of home workouts you can try. If you don’t enjoy one, try another, and if you don’t have time, pick one that doesn’t take as long.

The term exercise can be very off-putting, and for some, exercising itself isn’t always enjoyable. It’s important to find a balance in life that offers what you need. Does exercise benefit you the way you expected it to?

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Amazing Trades To Make For A Healthier Lifestyle

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A lot of people struggle with the concept of moving towards a healthy lifestyle. In many of these cases, it’s easy to see why. The end goal seems impossible, and there are far too many things you need to change before getting anywhere near it. However, this is the wrong way to view your journey to a healthier lifestyle.

You need to do things step by step, slowly, over time. Start to make changes to your current lifestyle and swap unhealthy activities with healthier options. It’s these little swaps and trades that will put you on the right path - and all of a sudden, achieving your goals will not seem hard at all.

In today’s guide, I wanted to talk about some of those little changes you can make. Giving things up can be tough - but swapping them for healthier alternatives can help. Read on to find out more - and feel free to leave some of your suggestions in the comments!

 

Trade ready meals for home cooking

One of the best things you can do for your health is to start cooking meals yourself. Ready meals that you buy from stores are always full of salt, sugars preservatives and are unhealthy as a result. Cooking food yourself means you know exactly how much sugar and salt you are using - or butter and fat, for that matter. It will give you a far greater insight into what you are eating, which is critical to leading a healthier lifestyle.

 

Switch your large dining plates to smaller ones

If you want to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories - it’s as simple as that. Portion size is often to blame, and even an enormous plate of healthy food can lead to weight increases. So, lose the big dinner plates. Buy smaller ones instead, and only plate enough food to keep your hunger at bay. A standard portion size of pasta, for example, should be about the size of your clenched fist.

 

Swap forks for chopsticks

When you are hungry, do you find yourself eating quickly? If so, try slowing things down a little. Chewing food for longer tricks your body into thinking it isn’t hungry anymore. And, swapping your knife and fork for a set of chopsticks is a great way to slow things down even more. The slower you eat, the more chance you will feel full by the time you finish your meal. And that means you won’t feel like having a second helping or could try and skip your pudding.

 

Swap white bread for rye bread

White bread has a few nutrients, but it is also full of sugar and calories, So much so, in fact, that you are better off not eating it at all. However, if you are a bread lover, replacing your standard white loaf with rye bread is a much better option. There is a lot more fiber in rye bread, meaning you will feel full after eating less. There are fewer calories in rye, too, meaning you could lose a little weight just by making this simple trade.

 

Trade sodas for juices

Be honest - how many cans of soda are you drinking every day? You shouldn’t need me to tell you that colas, lemonades and soft drinks are packed full of sugar and empty calories. Find yourself a good juicer to start making your own drinks. Which is best? There are plenty of options out there, so take a look around and see what you can find. healthybutsmart.com recently published a review of the Breville 800JEXL, for example. There are hundreds of other options out there, too. One thing to bear in mind with juicing is that you should always include veggies, rather than just using fruits. There is a lot of sugar in fruit juice, so balancing it out with healthier vegetables is going to help you get healthier.

 

Stop throwing out juice pulp and use it in cooking instead

One more point about juicing: when you juice you remove all the fiber in the pulp. This is an imperative part of your nutrition, and drinking juices alone might not be as healthy as you think. To balance things out, start using the pulp that remains after juicing in your cooking. This way, you will get the full health benefit of all the fruit and vegetables you are using.

 

Lattes for black coffee

Who loves picking up a latte on your way to work each morning? If that sounds familiar, making a little change is going to help you consume fewer calories. Lattes are packed full of milk, which, as everyone knows, is full to the brim with fat. Even skinny lattes are calorie-rich, so don’t think you can swap your regular latte with one of these. There can be up to 300 calories in a latte. If you are drinking 2-3 a day, you can see how easy it can be to shift some weight by eliminating them from your diet. However, making the switch to a simple Americano or black coffee each day will reduce your calorie intake by a considerable amount.

Swap cereal for eggs

Do you enjoy chowing down on cereal in the morning? Most people do, as it fills them up. However, swapping your cereal for eggs is a lot more beneficial. First of all, it gives you a massive protein boost, which will help you burn off fat during the day. It also fills you up for longer than any carbohydrate will. Other trade-in ideas include cooked ham, smoked salmon or Greek yogurt. Speaking of which…

 

Go Greek

A lot of people out there eat low-fat yogurt because they feel they will lose weight. However, what low-fat yogurts lack in fat, they make up for in sugar. You are far better off eating Greek yogurt instead. It is full of protein, and mixed with fresh fruit in the morning makes a delicious start to the day. You can use Greek yogurt as a replacement for many other things, too. For example, the sour cream you use in your burritos is packed with fat, so going Greek will save you a lot of calories.

 

Popcorn for chips

Chips are full of grease and are incredibly unhealthy. And, let’s not beat around the bush - they can be expensive, too. Swap your chips for popcorn, however, and it’s a different story. Pop your own corn and you can stuff your face with three huge bags at the cost of only 100 calories. As long as you avoid the sugar or salted popcorn, it is a much healthier snack than a bag of potato chips.

 

Trade store bought salad dressings for DIY alternatives

We’ve all been through the process of creating a beautiful, healthy salad, only to wreck the health benefits in a single second. How? Just by slavering salad dressing all over it. Store bought dressings are packed full of sugar. The creamy dressings like ranch or Caesar are also full of fat - 250 calories in each portion. But it is so easy to create your own alternatives. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a hint of mustard - it’s all you need to make a tasty - and healthy - salad dressing.

Stuffed crust to thin crust

We all love a treat every now and again, and, once in a while, there is no harm in calling up your local pizza delivery company and placing an order. But, the next time you call, think about going for a thin crust pizza instead. The more bread in your pizza, the more calories there are, and if you enjoy a stuffed crust, it can get even worse. A stuffed crust pizza can contain as much as 3,000 calories - way more than the average daily calorie limit.

 

Trade cookies for dark chocolate

Cookies and chocolate bars are full of sugar and fat. Everyone knows it, yet we all love them and eat them whenever we get the opportunity! However, swapping them for a couple of squares of high-quality dark chocolate can save you a whole bunch of calories. Look for a brand made from a minimum of 70% cocoa to enjoy the full benefits. It’s a much healthier alternative to cookies or chocolate bars, and it will give you a little perk up in the late afternoons.

 

Trade your energy drink for a power nap

Are you a fan of energy drinks? While they can give you an enormous boost from the caffeine and sugar, they aren’t healthy at all. So, the next time you are going through your mid-afternoon dip, don’t go to the vending machine. Instead, find a quiet place and take a 10-minute power nap. You will wake up refreshed and full of energy, and will have no calorie penalty to pay at all!

 

Trade grocery shopping before meals for grocery shopping after meals

Finally, you should never go shopping on an empty stomach. Statistics suggest that you will come home with a more unhealthy - and expensive - shopping bag. So, eat a meal before you go shopping at your local grocery store. Not only will you save on calories, but you will also be better off regarding money.

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