Category: Body & Health

How to Maintain 20/20 Vision

One of the most common ailments that people deal with as they age is a decline in their vision. While most of us may need to graduate to using occasional readers in our middle age, there are a few things that you can do now to keep your vision strong.

Many of us take our good vision for granted. In fact, most people don’t realize their vision is starting to become strained until they begin to suffer side effects like headaches. Keeping your vision strong is part of maintaining your overall health.

When you visit your eye doctor annually, you want to be able to ace the eye chart test. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the things that you can do to keep your vision strong.

Nutrition

As we age, many parts of our bodies, including our muscles, begin to deteriorate. In your eyes, the macula is the part that controls central vision and can be affected by aging. To help avoid macular degeneration, it’s important to have a diet that is rich in minerals and antioxidants. Zinc, vitamins A, E, and C are important nutrients that can help to keep your vision strong and the anterior muscular structure of the eye in great shape. Some of the best foods for eye health include:

Broccoli
Carrots
Red bell peppers
Sweet potato
Strawberries
Citrus
Omega-3 acids found in fish

Wear Sunglasses

Sunglasses aren’t purely a fashion accessory, they serve an important physical function. Protecting your eyes from the harsh UV radiation from the sun can help to keep your eyes healthy. Squinting in bright lights can put a strain on your eyes, causing headaches and muscular degeneration. Your sunglasses should be designed to reflect 100% of the UV rays from the sun. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, it’s crucial that you protect your eyes from damage. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat can also help to shade your eyes from the sun.

Limited Screen Time

In the modern world, many of us spend a large amount of time staring at a backlit digital screen. If your work is primarily done on a computer, you could be doing damage to your eyes if you don’t limit your screen time. While you may not be able to change your career to save your vision, there are a few things that you can do to help keep your eyes healthy and still get your computer work done.

Following the 20/20/20 rule can help relieve your eyes from excessive strain from computer work. Every 20 minutes, look away from your computer screen and focus on something that is 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This will help your eyes to relax and refocus.

If you are finding that your eyes are strained from doing computer work, you can change the settings on your display. Reduce the amount of backlighting on your screen by lowering the brightness setting. You can also try wearing glasses with yellow or blue-tinted lenses that will help reduce eye strain.

Quit Smoking

We all know that smoking can cause many health issues, but many of us don’t know that it can affect our vision. If you smoke, you are at higher risk for developing cataracts and macular degeneration that can cause vision loss. If you quit smoking today, your body will instantly start to repair the damaged tissues, helping to erase some of the damage to your tissues, including your eyes.

Maintaining your vision is crucial to your quality of life. Follow these tips to help you keep your vision strong and vital.

5 Steps For A Quick Recovery After An Accident

Getting into an accident is never a treat for anyone. Apart from the pain and trauma that you’ll have to go through, you’ll also experience a drastic change in your lifestyle as you won’t be able to do your usual routine after the event. With that, it’s crucial that you complete your recovery after the accident so you can continue to live your life normally.

After having an accident, you should proceed to the hospital as quickly as possible, especially since some accidents that appeared to be minor at first can later prove to be complicated. This will help prevent further complications and put you in a better state as early as possible. Moreover, below are the steps to recover quickly after an accident:

1. Visit The Hospital As Scheduled

During your recovery period, your doctor might advise you to come back for a check-up or therapy so you can proceed to live a normal life. As soon as you get a date from your doctor, you should clear up your schedule and ensure that you attend every appointment for a speedy recovery.

A scheduled hospital visit allows your doctor to check on your progress and see if you’re making improvements. You can write them down in your planner, or you can set an alarm on your phone, so you’ll never forget them.Moreover, there might also be therapies involved that can help you bring back your capabilities and proceed with your everyday life as usual. Ensuring that you don’t miss a single appointment will help avoid delays in your recovery.

2. Maximize Rest And Hydration

For every accident you’ve fallen into, you should rest as much as possible. This will help your body recover, focus on making you feel better, and bring you back on your feet without any worries. This would be the perfect one to take a leave from work and focus on your recovery until you’re capable of working again.

During your resting period, you should hydrate your body as much as possible. A dehydrated body will only cause more complications, along with not giving it enough power to heal. To ensure that you keep yourself hydrated, you should always have water nearby.

3. Avoid Any Heavy Work

Carrying heavy objects, even for a short while, can force your body to engage, which may lead to injury. Moreover, if you have stitches, it might tear them open, causing extreme pain and possible infection.

To keep your body away from any complications, you should avoid any heavy work, no matter how quick it seems to be. Whether carrying a pitcher of water or moving the laundry basket, you should allow someone to do that for you and focus your time and energy on recovery.

4. Drink Medicines And Exercise

As soon as a healthcare provider sees your body after an accident, they’ll be giving you drugs to manage the pain and reduce any possible complications. When your doctor prescribes you medicine, you should never miss out on a single pill for a quick recovery. If a drug is time-specific, ensure that you set the alarm on your phone so you can take it on time.

After healing your body from any physical pain, you should do some quick and light exercise to help your body move and bring it back to its original shape. However, you shouldn’t try to move on your discretion as you still need clearance from your doctor if you can do some quick work-out. Ensure that your body and mind are ready, and take the routine gradually and never force it.

5. Healthy Diet

Apart from taking the right medicine, you should also consume proper foods that can provide your body with maximum nutrients as much as possible. During your recovery period, it would be the best time to switch to a healthy diet so it can help you recover and be in a better state as quickly as possible.

This can also be the perfect time to stop any specific diet, such as keto or intermittent fasting, as they could hinder your recovery. You should focus your meals on plenty of fruits and vegetables. Avoid fatty and acidic foods and replace them with proteins such as steamed chicken and fish.

Moreover, you should keep them balanced for a speedy recovery. You can ask your doctor if there are any nutrients that you should focus on so you can take more of them.

The Verdict

No matter how much you’re itching to get back to work or continue with your life after your accident, you should take the opportunity to rest and help your body recover. If you push yourself while your body isn’t ready, it’ll only cause more problems, which can delay your recovery or put your situation into a worst-case scenario.

The Importance Of A Good Gut Microbiome

Did you know that your body is home to trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi? Some are good, while others can be bad. These microorganisms are also known as the gut microbiome. For your gut to be considered healthy, there has to be a good balance between the microorganisms in your gut.

Your gut biome has a huge bearing on your overall health. In this article, you’ll discover the importance of having a good gut microbiome.

What Is The Gut Microbiome?

The microorganisms in your body are commonly known as microbes. They live in your large intestines in a section called the cecum, and collectively, they’re referred to as the gut microbiome.

Of all the microbes in your gut, bacteria are said to be the most beneficial. It’s believed that your body has about 10 trillion more bacterial cells than human cells. Some studies have suggested that there are up to a thousand different bacteria species in your body, and each species is believed to play a unique role in the body. While there are bacteria species that may be harmful to your body, most are said to be essential for your health.

In order for you to have a healthy gut biome, your body has to contain more healthy microbes than harmful ones. If the bad bacteria overwhelm the good ones, then your health could be at risk. Therefore, you have to check your gut microbiome every once in a while to keep your body in tip-top shape. For more information on how you can go about doing that, you can check out the websites of companies such as My Psomagen.

The Gut Microbiome’s Impact On The Body

Your gut microbiome is said to affect your body right from the moment you’re born and continues to do so throughout your life. It’s believed to control digestion as well as various body processes, the central nervous system, and the immune system.

It’s been suggested that without the gut biome, you wouldn’t be able to survive. Some studies have cited that babies come into contact with microbes for the first time when they pass through their mother’s birth canal during delivery. On the other hand, other studies suggest that you could’ve been exposed to some microbes while in your mother’s womb.

As babies grow older, it’s believed that their gut microbiome starts to diversify. This means it starts to contain various types of bacterial species. Some health experts have noted that the more diverse your microbiome, the better your overall health.

`How The Gut Biome Improves Health`

Your gut microbiome is believed to contribute to certain aspects of or processes in your body, including the following:

Digesting Breast Milk

The first bacteria that normally grow inside the large intestines of babies are known as bifidobacteria. These are believed to help with the breakdown and absorption of healthy sugars in breast milk. This helps with the overall growth of babies. Without bifidobacteria, it would be difficult to digest breast milk, which could possibly lead to stunted growth and development.

Digesting Fiber

There are some bacteria species in the gut that feed on fiber. They help with the digestion of that particular carbohydrate, which produces some short-chain fatty acids essential for your gut health and the prevention of conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Fiber is also believed to be essential in weight loss and reducing the risk of cancer.

Helping Control Your Nervous System

Some research has suggested that the gut microbiome could also affect your central nervous system. The gut microbiome is said to produce chemicals that may affect your brain health.

Helps With Weight Control

Some studies have suggested that an imbalance of healthy and unhealthy microbes, also called gut dysbiosis, could lead to weight gain. If you’re overweight, you could risk suffering from conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. It’s advisable to ensure a good gut microbiome, which aids in digestion and weight control.

Improves Gut Health

A healthy gut microbiome is said to help improve gut health in general by working with the intestinal cells to digest the right foods and prevent bad bacteria from thriving. If bad bacteria proliferate, they could cause diseases like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Helps Improve Your Immune System

The gut microbiome is said to have the ability to communicate with the immune cells in your body. They may also help control your body’s response to infections.

Conclusion

There are many different ways your gut microbiome can influence the key bodily functions and ultimately impact your overall health. You have to take care of it and ensure that it’s healthy by eating foods that promote good gut bacteria. After all, they say your food should be your medicine, and your medicine should be your food.

4 Relaxing Activities That Also Provide a Great Workout

Working out can be a great stress reliever but, sometimes, you might want to be able to do something that helps you relax while providing you with a great workout at the same time. The good news is that there are several activities you can try to not only wind down and have some fun, but also get your body moving and get some exercise in as well. If you’re looking for something that you can do to relax and work out simultaneously, here are some great ideas that you might want to consider.

Golf

Golfing can be a fun way to spend your time, spend time with friends, and get a workout in at the same time on a sunny weekend. If you’re considering starting golfing, you can find everything in one place here when getting all the kit that you’ll need to get started. All you need to do is find a suitable golf course to play at. Since it’s a game that anybody can play no matter your skill level, golfing is a fun outdoor hobby to take up that can encourage you to spend more time outdoors and meet new people at the same time. While it might not feel like a huge workout when you are golfing, you’re sure to wake up feeling it where you have used some muscles that have been out of practice for a while.

Yoga

Yoga is considered to be one of the best exercises for relaxation and calm, especially if you are worried about your cortisol levels and want a way to work out without strenuous exercise that will stress your body out. Along with helping you become physically more flexible, strong and supple, yoga can also be a great way to calm your mind and improve your mental health at the same time. And the best part is that you can do yoga almost anywhere – you don’t need any special equipment or to join a club as there are tons of tutorial videos online that you can easily follow from home.

Walking

Walking out in nature is a great way to relax and unwind if you’ve had a busy day or a busy week. Whether you’re walking your dog or just want to get out into the fresh air for a walk by yourself or with family, walking is a great gentle exercise to get a workout in while enjoying a relaxing experience at the same time. A regular gentle walk through a local park can be a great way to make sure that you’re hitting your physical activity goals while having a chance to unwind too.

Swimming

Swimming is a great form of exercise that can also help you relax. The buoyancy of the water is sure to help you feel calmer, along with the feeling of the cool water on your skin. Swimming can be as relaxing or as strenuous as you make it, and the best part about this activity is that it’s perfect for anybody who suffers with aches and pains since the water will help you move easier and relieve the stress on your body as you exercise. You can go swimming alone for a calm hour by yourself or it’s a fun activity that the whole family can get involved in.

Working out isn’t always about going for it hard in the gym and putting your body under a lot of stress. In fact, there are several ways to get your body moving in a way that will get your heart rate up and give you a good workout while helping you relax at the same time.

4 Reasons To Incorporate CBD Into Your Wellness Routine

Due to the recent pandemic, a lot of people have decided to take wellness more seriously. They’re now paying attention to their diet. Some have also begun hitting the gym. But as the saying goes, ‘Too much of anything is bad.’ So while it may have crossed your mind, overeating or overexerting yourself during exercise won’t end the way you expect it to. In the worst-case scenario, it may even result in the opposite effect. The good news is that wellness isn’t as clear-cut as it may seem.

What Defines Wellness?

Wellness is the optimal state of health that results from the active pursuit of good, healthy habits and lifestyle choices. It’s associated with intentions, choices, and actions that work toward optimal health and overall well-being. In other words, wellness isn’t necessarily restricted to diet or exercise, and you can improve it by opting for a different route.

Take, for example, sleeping. Sleeping doesn’t involve diet or exercise, but experts have proven that paying attention to your sleeping patterns is perhaps one of the most significant steps toward better wellness.

Be that as it may, it doesn’t change the fact that there’s no shortcut in pursuing wellness, and you most certainly can’t achieve better health overnight. You can, however, achieve your goal more quickly with the right strategy, like avoiding unhealthy behaviors, spending more time outdoors, and drinking more water. But one particular method that’s caught the attention of the whole world is the use of cannabidiol or CBD, a substance known for its wide-ranging health benefits.

Considering your unfamiliarity with CBD, you probably have some doubts. So it might be best to prove the point by listing a few benefits of CBD to your wellness routine.

CBD May Promote Better Sleep

Sleep helps the body to recuperate and regenerate its cells and vital organs. When you’re restless, you’ll feel more drained and stressed. Sleep deprivation causes severe symptoms such as migraines, mood swings, and lack of concentration, all of which would interfere with your daily life. Integrating CBD into your routine before going to bed could help you sleep better.

CBD promotes melatonin hormones by invigorating the pineal gland and other areas of your brain responsible for controlling sleep. As soon as melatonin production starts, it normalizes your sleeping patterns. Thus, if you want to improve the quality of your sleep, adding CBD to your wellness routine might be a good start.

CBD Oil Can Potentially Benefit Your Hair, Nails, And Skin

Stress and hormonal imbalance could cause your skin to look dull and unhealthy. According to The Other Path, CBD contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may help in easing puffiness, stiffness, soreness, and breakouts on your skin. As such, applying CBD oil directly to your skin could help minimize the itchiness and oil secretion on your face, neck, or back, especially for those people suffering from acne, pimples, and blackheads, among other issues. Similarly, you can purchase skin care products like moisturizers and face masks with CBD as one of their ingredients.

Furthermore, cannabidiol is believed to help in taming and nourishing the ends of your hair, not to mention it may stop persistent dandruff from taking place. So if you’re tired of having a bad hair day every day, try mixing a few drops of CBD oil with your shampoo and apply the mixture to your hair.

Lastly, since CBD oil contains diverse nutrients like antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and vitamins, it could restore and strengthen your brittle nails. You might just notice a significant transformation in your nails once you start incorporating CBD oil into your nail care routine.

Cannabidiol May Reduce Stress and Anxiety

One of the biggest reasons you should incorporate CBD into your wellness routine is that it plays a significant role in managing stress. It’s known to alleviate the symptoms of different chronic health conditions such as headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and even cardiac arrest. Various research findings also show that CBD may be beneficial for anxiety-induced insomnia, tension, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you want to live your life in the best and healthiest way possible, adding CBD to your daily routine would be an excellent step in reducing stress and avoiding anxiety.

CBD May Relieve Muscle Soreness

CBD might not only positively influence your pre-workout frame of mind but also help in soothing your post-workout aches and pains. Since it has anti-inflammatory properties, it may help relieve muscle soreness, allowing your body to recover from intense workouts faster with less lingering pain. This will make you want to go to the gym more—imagine not feeling severely intense post-workout pain even after a challenging session!

Wrapping Up

Leading a healthy lifestyle is an essential part of an effective wellness routine. If you’re one of those who want a better way of life through natural methods and products, you may slowly try incorporating CBD into your routine on top of doing proper exercise, eating healthy food, and getting enough hours of sleep. CBD-infused balms, oils, and even bath bombs are just some of the products you can start with on your wellness journey.

Tips to help you stay committed to an exercise routine

Exercise routines are often the basis of a new year’s resolution. However, after a certain period many people find themselves giving up and abandoning their efforts.

Do not give up. When it comes to exercise, devoting yourself to real change may be easier than you think. All you need is the mentality and a good set of principles to help you see yourself through.

How should you approach an exercise routine? What types of things should you be thinking about on your journey? Where can your sense of commitment come from? There are many questions to ask of yourself here. You will find answers to all of them and more down below to stay committed to your exercise routine!

Set minimum expectations to stay committed

If you are embarking on an exercise regime, it is best to start with an accurate understanding of what is expected of you at a minimum. You can then organize other aspects of your life around those parameters and pace your workouts accordingly.

In the throes of the pandemic, The World Health Organization published recommendations that adults get at least 2.5 hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity weekly. This minimum threshold may be much less than what you were expecting, and frankly, there are very few people who would be hard-pressed to meet that quota.

If you can push yourself further and harder, then do so. However, starting small and slow is also valid, with almost any level of physical activity being good for hearts, bodies, and minds. You can perform basic stretches at home, go for a walk to your local park, or test your limits in a gym. The important thing is to do something at least.

If necessary, lower your expectations of yourself – you do not need to become a hardened athlete to excel here.

Think on the Future

You likely had clear goals at the beginning of your exercise routine. Try to get back in touch with those objectives.

Are you getting healthier for yourself or another person? Do you want to look good or sleep better? Does exercise help you destress and maintain your mental wellbeing? Remember, there is an onslaught of reasons for how and why an exercise routine can better your life. When your motivation is low, you can lose sight of them, so reinforce them whenever your level of commitment is compromised.

Write down your reasonings, set alarms on your phone, or even confer with loved ones if you need a boost in enthusiasm. You could even put up chalkboards in your home and draw data that correlates to your progress, schedule, or targets. Visual and audible reminders of your exercise routine may give you an extra push overtly or subconsciously. Keep your sense of purpose alive however you can.

Recall history

It is easy to perceive working out as something relatively mundane or even inconsequential. However, to others, the ability to get some exercise meant a great deal.

For instance, in the late 1800s, the bicycle gave women a voice and changed American society by championing women’s suffrage. The history of women and cycling is something to marvel at, empowering them as creative problem solvers and to act in their best interests. Learning or reminding yourself of these facts can inspire and invigorate you to press on.

It might be that women’s cycling history could reframe your approach to using your bicycle as well. Perhaps you could ride in their honor or use their plights to afford you some perspective. If they can ride bikes for such dire purposes, why can’t you ride yours for ten-minute exercises? Recognize your equipment as instruments of inspiration and liberation that you are fortunate enough to use. After that, you may imbue your routine with more poignant energy.

Involve others to your exercise routine

While historical events can empower you, you can also find inspiration from the people before you also. If you exercise with others, you may be able to view your fitness goals in a brand-new light.

For instance, perhaps your fitness routine can double as quality time with your loved ones? After all, kids have desperately needed more exercise in recent times, so involving any children of your own could be prudent. You should seize any opportunity to spend more time with your family, especially if you have a hectic schedule already, so why not involve them to some degree? Check also our other blog about fun couple workouts.

You can look beyond your family also. It might be that some of your friends would be willing to join you in your efforts. Make it clear that others can exercise alongside you, and you can monitor each other’s progress, encourage one another, or kill time together and bond. You may be inclined to up your game slightly if it comes to leaving a good impression on those around you, too. Exercising together can benefit your relationships with other people post-exercise also. After all, you are finding common ground and creating conversational topics to address in future. Social stimulation can be a good motivator for almost anything, so tap into that wherever possible when it comes to your exercise.

5 Tips for Improving Your Posture

Almost all of us have been told to “stand up straight” or “stop slouching” by our parents in the past. Well, this advice is worth listening to. Posture is essentially the position we keep our bodies in while sitting, standing, or even lying down. Good posture ensures that the muscle tension in our body is correct and our whole body is symmetrically aligned. Even more importantly, it keeps the body parts in their rightful position without too much stress. A rightful posture:

Allows muscles to coordinate in a more-efficient manner – this helps to eliminate muscle fatigue
Holds spinal joints in place – this helps to reduce the chances of injury, as there’s less stress on the ligaments
Helps prevent back or muscle pain – back or muscle pain can be a sign of a poorly relaxed body
Prevents the wearing of the joints – by making sure our muscles are properly aligned and that no wear and tear of joints takes place, chronic risks like arthritis are eliminated.

Even if you’re not an athlete, it still pays to have good balance and posture. Just walking down the stairs or across the floor requires good posture. The good news is that although many people believe that it’s difficult to maintain good posture, it doesn’t have to be. If you want to improve your posture, then here are some of our top tips to help you:

1. Stretch Your Muscles

Poor posture can lead to spinal complications such as loss of bone strength or permanent hunchbacks. However, there are lots of ways you can improve your posture. Research has shown that one of the best ways to improve your posture is to stretch your muscles.

Although most people don’t think stretching their chest (pectoral) muscle is important, if this muscle isn’t stretched it can soon overpower the back muscles, which are responsible for pulling the back in place. This can cause a hunching posture.

However, these aren’t the only muscles you should be stretching. If you want to prevent poor posture, it’s also important to stretch other muscles too e.g., your quadriceps. As most of us spend a lot of our time sitting e.g., at a desk or watching tv, our quadriceps spend a lot of their time in a contracted position. Over time these muscles can shorten. When this happens, the quads start pulling on other joints. This can cause pain. In order to avoid this and prevent bad posture from occurring, it is important to regularly stretch your muscles. Here are some good stretches you can do to loosen your quads and improve your posture.

2. Improve Your Sleeping Position

If you want to maintain a good posture, then you need to be mindful of your sleeping position. Research has shown that people who sleep on their back at night are much more likely to have a better posture than those who sleep on their side or front. However, it is possible to maintain a good posture while sleeping on your side. You simply need to use pillows for proper supports. Doctors believe that sleeping on your front is bad for your posture, so try and avoid this if you can.

3. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Being overweight or obese can add extra pressure to your back and shoulders. This can cause you to slouch. If you want to improve your posture but you’re overweight, then you should consider losing a few pounds. It’s important to make sure you lose weight in a healthy and safe way.

4. Regular Exercise

As we mentioned above, being overweight can have a negative impact on your posture. One way you can lose excess weight is to exercise. The benefits of regular exercise cannot be overstated. Lots of studies have suggested that people who work out daily are more likely to stay healthy, live longer, and lead a happy life. They are also more likely to have a better posture than those that don’t.

5. Stop Slouching

Although most people think that their slouching habit is irreversible, it’s not. If you want to stop slouching, then you’ll need to practice walking with your back and shoulders straight. If you notice yourself slouching, then stop what you’re doing and correct your posture. Your hard work will reap rewards. If you keep trying, in time you’ll be able to correct your posture.

Maintaining good posture is crucial to your overall health. Although you may not realize it, good posture is as important as sleeping comfortably, a healthy diet, and exercise. It ensures that your body is ready to undertake daily tasks with energy and vigor, all while keeping away tiredness. Good posture plays an important part in your overall physical health. If you want to improve your posture, then follow some of our top tips above.

tips posture

4x what does caffeine do to your body

‘But first, coffee.’ ‘Don’t talk to me before my morning coffee.’ ‘Coffee: the most important meal of the day.’ You probably know them, all those spells about coffee. For many of us, this kind of morning is well integrated into the daily rhythm. But do you know what the caffeine from your hot drink does to you? (Except waking up). All the facts in a row.

First an update where the substance caffeine can be found. The best known is, of course, just coffee, but did you know that tea is also known as theine? In addition, caffeine is also in cola, iced tea, energy drinks and even in chocolate. The amount of the substance in each product varies considerably, but the biggest sources of caffeine are espresso and energy shots.

YOU BECOME ALERT

As soon as caffeine is absorbed into your blood, it enters your brain. There it blocks certain receptors, so you will get an increased state of alertness. The release of adrenaline is also stimulated, which only reinforces that. Result: you can handle the world, but it could also be that you feel a bit hunted.

YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE RISES

Because of the adrenaline and cortisol released after drinking a cup of coffee, your blood vessels narrows. This causes your blood pressure to rise, which in turn causes your heart rate to drop. With a large intake, this can even lead to arrhythmias, but no worries, you really have to drink a lot of coffee.

YOU HAVE TO PEE MORE

Caffeine stimulates your kidneys, so you have to urinate more. You probably recognize this: right after your cup of coffee or tea you immediately feel the pressure on your bladder. This is not because, contrary to what people often say, caffeine dehydrates, so you have to pee more. It is still the same amount, you just have to go to the bathroom faster. If you sit there for a number two it is not so strange, because coffee also stimulates the stomach and intestines. But whether that is because of the caffeine, or whether another substance is responsible for this, is not (yet) known.

YOU HAVE MORE ENERGY

In addition to all the effects, you also get more energy from coffee and it takes away your tiredness. This can be great during exercise, because this way you can keep your spicy workout up! Exactly the reason why caffeine is often added to pre workouts shakes. However, it can also be a disadvantage that caffeine makes you so alert, energetic and motivated. For example, if you suddenly become completely hypedbent after a cup of coffee after dinner, while you actually wanted to go to bed early. You lie there and stare at the ceiling. A good tip to get to sleep better is also to avoid these drinks!

In short: that daily cup of coffee does quite a lot with your body. And to be honest, at Fitgirlcode HW we can no longer do without. Also so fond of this hot drink? Will you let us know in the comments what your favorite coffee is?

4x The best things to do for your body

Brr… It’s pretty cold in the morning this time of year! Your body is getting ready for the summer and the sun. It has a lot to endure. Your skin needs some extra hydration, because the weather is varied. Give your skin (and yourself) a boost with these tips!

HOT SHOWER

Ofcourse, a hot shower is very nice, especially if you are numb by the cold. But do not put the shower too hot, because that’s definitely not good for your skin! Put the shower on lukewarm, so that it’s nice and not bad for your skin!

SCRUB

Even in Winter it’s important to continue to scrub. Use once a week a mild scrub to remove dead skin cells and you get a soft skin! Just by the smell you get a good and warm feeling!

LOTION

Apply a cream after showering on your skin and use a hydrating day cream for your face. That way you will keep your skin soft and you are ready to defy the cold. Your lips can also receive a bit more care. Lubricate a greasy lip balm to prevent dryness.

COLD HEAD

Never go outside with wet hair during the cold days. Your head will get really cold en it’s no good for your hair! When your head get’s cold your whole body will! Dry your hair with a blow-dryer or let it just dry by itself.

I believe i’m ready! Do you have any tips, share them in the comments!

skin cold face lotion hydrating skin boost winter cold tips lifestyle winter body beauty

What happens to your body when you don’t get enough sleep

We all know that a good night’s sleep is important. If you got too little sleep, you feel futile and weak the next day. But there are many more consequences of a short night’s sleep. And some of them are pretty terrifying! Hopefully, this article is a true eye-opener for you because this is what happens to your body when you don’t get enough sleep:

You’re more likely to cause an accident

If you’ve slept badly, you concentration tends to be lower than usual. Also, your reflexes are worse and you process information at a slower rate. So, a major setback on your driving skills. Not only in the car, you can also be a hazard on the road when you’re on a bike or even walking. (For example, last week I almost walked under a car after a short night’s sleep.) According to the Foundation for Scientific Research on Traffic Accidents, fatigue and tiredness play a role in 10 to 15% of road accidents. That’s quite a lot!

You’re more hungry

You burn a lot of calories in your sleep. But, more happens with your metabolism at night than you may think. If you don’t sleep enough, the hormone ghlerine is created. This is a substance that generates appetite. If you slept too little, you’ll be less full during the day. (And then snacks tend to become very dangerous…)

Your skin becomes older

Look, your skin won’t look 10 years older overnight. But, if you get too little sleep for longer periods of time, the aging process of your skin speeds up. However, there are also some short-term effects on your skin. Lack of sleep can make your skin dry (because your skin gets hydrated at night) and acne can occur. They don’t call it a beauty sleep for nothing…

Your immune system becomes affected

During your sleep, important proteins are created. These are used for a lot of things, for example, the construction of antibodies. An insufficient night’s sleep causes less of these proteins to be produced, which means that you are more susceptible to diseases. Did you know that you are three times more likely of getting a cold when you sleep less than seven hours a night? Another reason to go to bed on time…

In the long run you are at risk of severe illnesses

Do you lack sleep way too often? Then you seriously have to take care of yourself. Sleep shortage can have serious consequences. It makes you less sensitive to insulin, which could cause diabetes. You can also get increased blood pressure and you have a greater chance of having a heart attack. This doesn’t sound all too good…

Wow, these are all quite serious consequences if you don’t sleep enough. I also read that if you need to catch up on sleep, it’s better that you go to bed earlier than sleeping in in the morning. Are you doing everything you can to get enough sleep?

Source (header): Weheartit

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People and attitudes towards the body across countries

A healthy lifestyle means something different to each person and can be linked to many influences in our lives. Habits like what time you eat your dinner at, are often linked to your cultural environment and impacted by the place that you live in. A new study reveals health ideals and how we view our bodies can be categorized in three different ways, varying around the world.

The online survey created by Havas Worlwide, explored the attitudes of people aged 18+ in 28 different countries towards body image and health. Whether you believe nature or nurture to be more influential on our behaviours and how we view ourselves, there are similarities seen in these attitudes across different countries. People reported the role of their body in their happiness which could be a source of ‘pleasure’ or ‘pride and power’. One part of this study, revealed people view their bodies as serving different purposes and categorized their attitudes as pleasure seekers, holistic enthusiasts and functionalists.

Pleasure seekers

Present in Brazil, Spain and France, this attitude places value on the body as the way to experience enjoyment. Such countries are known for their sensuality and self celebration where a passion for dancing or finer cuisine is typical. The research suggests people with the ‘pleasure seeker’ attitude also highly value physical attractiveness. Which may not be so surprising as the Brazilian cosmetic industry is known around the world for enhancing one asset in particular, in order to look good in a bikini. The results of this survey also found “40 percent of Brazilians said cosmetic surgery is a “smart choice” for people who want to be more attractive”.

Holistic enthusiasts

This attitude encourages nurturing all aspects of the body and its natural rhythms as they are interconnected. You are more likely to find people with this attitude in China, India or Germany, where most people reported they believe in ageing naturally rather than having cosmetic surgery. The holistic attitude goes hand in hand with the practices and mindsets of a lifestyle which includes yoga and meditation. Sleep, a balanced diet and experiencing the outdoors are important priorities in the efforts to achieve optimum health.

Functionalists

Exactly what it sounds like, the body is viewed as something which must be functional, like a machine. People from the USA, UK and Australia where people value working hard in order to reach their full potential.The functionalist attitude towards health is supported by this value as people want the maximum results from their efforts and work out in order to reach their peak fitness.

Ideal and attitude doesn’t mean reality.

You might not want to be too quick to jump to describe yourself has having one attitude over another because the study highlights that the ‘attitudes’ towards body image and health might not actually translate into real life as much as people want it to. You might believe that being healthy means being at your peak, but that doesn’t mean you instinctively live your lifestyle in line with the ideal. If that was the case, anyone who falls into functionalist category would perform like an olympic athlete. However, functionalists are more likely to be found in three countries which have some of the world’s highest obesity rates. This suggests that what the healthy ideal is and how to achieve it might be linked to the country that you live in, it doesn’t mean that people live according to that lifestyle.

Body image satisfaction.

The great news? Overall, the study found that people generally have a positive relationship with their body across the 28 countries. People reported that dissatisfaction with body image was an impact from the beauty ideals that are presented through the media highlights something called ‘beauty fatigue’. The presence of women other than super tiny bikini models in advertising may be over praised, but recognition that people are tired of seeing overly airbrushed, photoshopped and therefore edited representations of women in adverts, could hopefully encourage more brands to change their campaigns!

A current trend in fashion and media is the need to make a song and dance about featuring ‘plus size’ models, such as the Sports Illustrated cover and advert. Check out our take on the campaign and the excess noise that went with it here.

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How to dance your way to a healthy body!

Heyyyy girls, Nikki Pebbles here! I am SO excited to show you this awesome new dance I choreographed JUST FOR #FITGIRLCODE. This dance has a great combination of squats, jumps, and cardio. Even if you have never danced before, this routine is easy enough that anyone can do it!

Since summer is on its way, I wanted to talk about the top 3 ways on how to dance your way to a healthy body!!

Try and find a dance fitness class at your local gym: You can burn up to 700 calories in ONE DANCE CLASS…. that should give enough motivation to dance!! You can find the schedules of your local gym either online or call them!
Check out different youtube channels: There was so many different dance methods and you can find all of them on Youtube. Some people teach Zumba, Kerboomka, tone and dance and more! Try each one and have fun doing it at the same time!
Dance in your room: It may seem silly but you know it do it! Turn on your favorite song and have a jam session. I even have a separate playlist for those times where I don’t have time to go to the gym. Its all my favorite songs and I always end up with a great sweat!

Check out the video below and channel your inner Beyoncé ! Have fun burning calories and come back next month for a new routine!! Visit www.NikkiPebbles.com for more dance videos and recipes! Make sure to follow me on instagram @NikkiPebbles!! GO GIRL!

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How to dance like nobody is watching

Did you hear about the #dancingman? For those missed out of this social media viral, let me give you a short recap. A bully at a concert saw a plus sized guy dancing. He thought it would be fun to make pictures of him and posting them on Twitter with a nasty caption. Fortunately, it completely backfired on the bully. A storm of protest rained down on him and even led to a fundraising action raising a amount money for charity as well as to the organization for a dance party where Pharell will perform as well.

I’m telling you because I want to make something perfectly clear: enjoying dance requires no skill at all. Dance is about expressing yourself through motion. About having fun and about feeling free. And that my dearest Fit Girls, makes dancing one of the best ways to introduce yourself to working out. Dancing is a super cardio work out. You can easily burn 600 calories an hour. And another advantage is you can get pretty and dress up for this work out too!

But if you’ve seen the pictures of #dancingman, you have seen the shame on his face when he was caught dancing on picture. And I know a lot of people who think they cannot dance and won’t do so, unless they’ve taken a couple of tequila shots (or any of you favorite alcoholic drink). So how do you do it? How do you let go of your apprehensions and give in to the cardio work out, dramatic expression and freedom that is dance?

Let me confess something to you: I really wanted to be a ballerina. I dreamt of being in the corps de ballet of the Lion King and I wanted to audition for ‘So You Think You Can Dance’. I let all of that go for motherhood. Nowadays, I am a Sh’bam instructor. Sh’bam is the entry-level dance work out by Les Mills, the fitness imperium from New Zealand. At first, I thought the class was too easy. But then I discovered how grateful it is to introduce non-natural-born dancers to joy of dance. So I wanted to share my experiences with you, workout-loving but dancing-shy Fit Girls, how you can dance like nobody is watching.

Close your eyes

Do you feel awkward looking at yourself in the mirror when your dancing? Ignore those critical eyes, including you own and close your eyes. Not being able to see what your doing, helps you focus on how it feels your doing. Does it feel good? Does it feel fun? Do you feel happy? Now you’re on track!

Over exaggerate

You could also take your awkwardness and run with it. I love some stupid dancing at the beginning of the evening. How would you do it so it look super stupid? With this you’re tricking the critics in your head saying “You look stupid. You can’t dance”. Your answer to with stupid dancing is “Of course, dummy, it is supposed to look stupid! This is stupid dancing! Duh.’ At the same time your body is moving, finding comfort in the movements taking your awkward rational self to that spot where dance actually feels good.

Envision your comfort zone

Who would you be when you would feel comfortable and have a dance? Take a role model in mind and think how she or he would move. Where would you be? How would you feel? I really like Taylor Swift’s song ‘Shake it off’ both by lyrics and the video. It is a perfect example how to deal with those critical surroundings and creating a comfort zone.

Have fun with friends

I had the most fun when I went out clubbing with my friends and did all kinds of stupid things on the dance floor. That included pretending to dance like a Bavarian maid or a hippy with really long arm pit hair (Yes, I know…. I am crazy. It wasn’t even for the Cosmopolitans I drank). I guess it looked ridiculous but we couldn’t care less. It actually created a crowd around us wondering how we could act so freely. The magic happened because my friends and I forgot where we were and that we people were watching us.

Follow a Sh’bam class

Still having a hard time getting over you dancing insecurities and awkwardness? Find a gym that offers Sh’bam class and enroll yourself. Your instructor will guide and help you feel comfortable with the steps and focuses on creating that happy vibe in which you can have fun and dance freely. And yes. That is a sales pitch for the most easy and fun dance work out ever.

So without further ado, Embrace your inner #dancingman and dance!

xoxo – Irene.

Fun dance dancing