Why Exercise Works Well For Mental Healthcare

Simply being told that you should exercise to feel better isn’t quite enough. Many people aren’t convinced by a simple statement, and must be taught the why before they understand. This article will explain how and why it is important to exercise to keep your mental health in order.

There is a reason you see a lot of people find time for exercise, and even get excited about it. The benefits far outweigh the inconvenience of finding the time and energy to exercise.

Why exercise works for your mental health:

1. Exercise is free medicine There are studies that prove exercise can treat mild and moderate cases of depression just as effectively as the medication you would take to treat it. However, there are no side effects of exercise, except you may feel soreness of your muscles. Running for just 15 minutes in a day can reduce your risk of depression by 26 percent.

2. Exercise fights depression in many ways – Working out promotes changes in your brain that include reducing inflammation, promoting neural growth, and creating new brain activity patterns which promote calmness and feelings of well being. In addition, powerful feel good chemicals called endorphins are released that will make you feel good and energized.

3. Working out is a positive distraction Keeping your routine to go exercise and take time for yourself can give you the quiet and calm time you need to break out of your negative thoughts or circumstances which can cause and feed depression. Maintaining your exercise schedule can help you avoid relapses of inactivity, anxiety, and depression. If your life is stressing you out, take a moment for yourself to work out, feel good, and take a break from home.

4. Breaking the stress cycle When you are stressed, the body responds in many unfavorable ways. You get tense, you get headaches, your gut is in knots, you may feel sick, or just overall terrible. Stress can make you sick, which then makes your mind sad that you are sick. Then, you are going to avoid working out because you feel sick. Then, more stress builds up and you are on a fast decline to the bottom. Acknowledging the cycle and breaking it is important. Everyone gets stuck in this cycle, but it is best to break free. There is a delicate balance between resting when you need to rest and breaking through feeling icky by exercising. Sometimes, too much rest while stressed can make things worse. Listen to your body.

In summary, working out is essential for a human body and mind to succeed. Humans weren’t made to sit around and watch television and eat snacks. Humans have been doing hard work, running, walking far distances, and exercising for survival for a very long time. It is natural to get that exercise as often as you can. Your body and brain will thank you.

How To Care For Your Kidneys And Urinary Health

When on the topic of body systems that we take for granted, the kidneys and urinary tract come to mind.

Many people face some kind of urinary or kidney health issues through their life. Not only do the kidneys and urinary system help us keep a healthy level of hydration in the whole body, but the kidneys also regulate minerals and filter out toxins in our blood. So, it is important to make sure these systems are well taken care of.

Dr. Jeffrey Murawsky says “The most prevalent issues tend to be infections of the urinary tract, and other common conditions that include kidney stones, incontinence and kidney disease”

Although these conditions can be easy to manage, it can cause a lot of pain, discomfort and trouble if they are left untreated for long.

How to care for your urinary tract and kidneys:

1. Practice clean, safe sex. The main reason is that unclean hands and unclean private parts can cause some nasty Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) in women. Although rare due to the longer length of the urinary tract in men, it can happen to men as well. These UTIs can turn into bladder and kidney infections. Untreated infections like this can cause severe injury or death. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can also cause problems with the urinary system. So, use protection such as condoms, and make sure both you and your partner are practicing good overall body hygiene. If you have a fever or chills, you may have a kidney infection and need to be treated.

2. Don’t hold your urine frequently. If you are in the habit of holding your urine in until later, this can be a bad idea. It is best and most healthy to relieve the bladder as often as you feel the urge to go. Your bladder and urinary tract can build up bacteria if you wait and hold it for too long. This is especially true for women. Holding your urine when you have bacteria in your urinary tract can cause life long problems and will cause chronic UTIs throughout your life. Take care of yourself now to avoid the consequences.

3. Stay well hydrated. Insufficient amounts of urine in the body can cause problems as well. Concentrated urine in the body caused by dehydration or poor choice of drinks can cause kidney stones. Drink lots and lots of water, don’t get dehydrated, and make good drink choices. Avoid sodas or sugary drinks that will use the water in your body to get rid of the excess sugars you’re drinking. Avoid caffeine, because it is a diuretic that will get rid of excess fluid in the body and bladder. If you must drink caffeine, drink lots and lots of water to replace the fluids.

In conclusion, a severe kidney infection can kill you, and many of these other issues are no fun at all. Use these tips to avoid a lot of pain and discomfort.

5 Tips For Staying Cool And Hydrated This Summer

Summer is here and we are thrilled! One of the main obstacles between you and enjoying your summer is heat and dehydration. No matter how much you love the sun and warm weather, your body may not respond well to it. This article should help with how to avoid dehydration and over heating yourself.

1. Play in the water! – Regardless of how you feel your body looks in a swim suit, you need to stay cool in the heat. It is a smart decision to get wet and cooled off on very hot days. Let your kids spray you with the hose or get into their pool with them. If you are at the beach, splash around in the water. If only to get your legs cooled off.

2. Buy a shade canopy or awning – If the price of one of these is far out of your budget, consider going to yard sales, checking a local Goodwill store, or a Salvation army store. Some of them can be purchased for a low price, depending on how much shade you need. Check your local department stores in the outdoors section. These can be a very quick way to get shade wherever you go, and they come in carrying cases for easy travel.

3. Spray bottles and misters – Before going out somewhere that is going to be hot and miserable, fill a spray bottle with a mist setting with water. Bonus points if you keep one of these filled and in the refrigerator. Do not place in the freezer, because it will take hours for that thing to thaw and be usable! Have each member of your family keep one nearby!

4. Outdoor fans – Let’s say the wind is not blowing much and you wish it would. If you can run an extension cord to your outdoor location, you can use a fan to place nearby and cool you off. Maybe bring a collapsible table with you to place it on. Bonus points if you use the fan with the spray bottle!

5. Take breaks – If you have air conditioning available in your car or nearby in your home, you should take breaks inside. If you are camping or far away from a home or vehicle, consider the previous four suggestions. This is especially good for athletes to do, because they will overheat during intense activity in the summer.

The key to a happy summer is having the correct tools and procedures on your side. Make it a habit to have what you need, and things will run more smoothly.

How To Take Care Of Your Reproductive Health

Although sexual health can be an awkward topic, the fact it can be awkward makes it more important. Not everyone talks about it, and it should be talked about. There are things that can happen to your overall health that are directly related to our sex lives.

Our reproductive system is just one more part of the body that should be cared for. It is all connected.

Both men and women can take steps to be sure their reproductive health stays where it should. This article will be especially helpful for men or women that want to have children, those who have frequent urinary (or other) infections, or those who just want to be sure their whole body is in good shape.

1. Hygiene is essential! Washing your private areas every day is part of staying healthy. Take a bath or a shower every day, if only to wash a few of the more “important” areas. The consequences to avoiding washing down there can cause infections or cause your partner to get infections. Did you know that you should always also wash your hands right before sex? Germs on your hands can cause an infection in your partner. That infection can easily spread to the kidneys and cause severe consequences.

2. Communicate with your partner! What reproductive or sexual topics are relevant to you? Ask your partner if they have anything going on that you need to know about. For example, if a woman has frequent Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s) or yeast infections, that is important for them to tell their partner.

3. Go to doctors trained for helping with reproductive health. Not only should you be going for issues you have, you should go regularly for screenings. Cervical cancer and testicular cancer are often aggressive, so it is important to look for them as often as you can. You may have some kind of condition or infection you didn’t know you had. That’s the power of preventative care. Reproductive healthcare is not an exception and should be taken seriously.

4. Stay hydrated and eat nutritious foods. Believe it or not, water intake and food choices can affect your reproductive system. Just like every other system in the body, good food and beverage choices are important to the function of this system, too.

5. Practice safe, smart and careful sex. It goes without saying that you should have protection. It can be dangerous to have sex with many partners that you do not know very well. Sexually transmitted infections can have serious consequences, even if you take antibiotics to get rid of it. Some of them have no cure. Keep this in mind.

There you have it, an awkward but incredibly helpful article on health and wellness. Advocate for the wellness of your whole body!