Author: melissa

You may have noticed that the whole country is arguing about face masks. Many people are saying they don’t help the spread, they are dangerous, they infringe on their rights, and many other excuses.  Some medical doctors are irresponsibly acting against face masks and telling their patients not to wear them.

The confusion and division is dangerous, and causing cases to greatly increase. However, the scientific evidence is out, it is updated to reflect the most recent data, and the main points are outlined below.

Face masks are absolutely necessary to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus and the infection that comes with it, called COVID-19. This information is coming directly from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.

According to the CDC:

“COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), so the use of cloth face coverings is particularly important in settings where people are close to each other or where social distancing is difficult to maintain.”

Those who should not wear masks according to the CDC:

• Children younger than 2 years old
• Anyone who has trouble breathing on a regular basis
• Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the cloth face covering without assistance

These recommendations are for everyone. “Trouble breathing” outlined above is reserved for those who have a very hard time getting enough oxygen due to uncommon conditions.

It is not recommended that those who find masks annoying to claim they can’t breathe in them and refuse to wear them. Even if you feel uncomfortable or get some anxiety about the face masks, you are expected to wear them any time you are out in public. If you are unable to wear masks, consider alternatives. Get groceries delivered, have a friend or family member get your groceries and run errands for you, and don’t attend large gatherings.

The sooner you follow these guidelines, the sooner we can all have our freedom back and return to a more normal life. For further information on who should not wear a mask and other important details, visit the CDC website.

Knowing what to eat when you have diabetes can be a big challenge. If you make a mistake and eat the wrong things, it could be a dangerous thing.

The good news is that many cases of type 2 diabetes can be preventable or even reversible.

Whether you don’t have it and want to keep it away, or you do have it and want to undo the damage, this article should help you. Here are some tips for how to prevent or reverse diabetes and the right ways to eat.

Exercise and weight loss are important for a diabetic. If you can lose just 5-10 percent of your total weight, you will experience reduced blood sugars, lower cholesterol, and lower blood pressure.

Losing a bit of weight may help you continue to exercise. The less weight you have when you run, jump, climb stairs, or move will help you do it all much easier. Imagine carrying a 15-20 pound backpack during a run. Not much fun right? What if you lost 15-20 pounds of body weight? It is a similar idea. Less weight to carry makes it easier to do anything.

If you are unable to lose weight or your doctor has not told you to lose weight, disregard the previous section and keep reading. Even if you have already lost weight and want to go the next step, keep reading.

A diabetes friendly diet:

1. Vegetables and fruits cooked and prepared in a way you enjoy
2. Whole grain bread and cereals with fiber, or oatmeal
3. Healthy fats from fish, olives, nuts, and more
4. Turkey or chicken (low fat)
5. Eggs, yogurt, dairy, and beans

What to avoid when you have diabetes:

1. Deep fried foods or trans fats
2. Chips, baked goods, desserts, and sweets that are packaged and processed
3. Sugar filled cereals, white breads, rice, or refined pasta
4. Red meat or processed meat (such as lunch meat)
5. Fat free or low fat foods that replaced fats with more sugar (some yogurt)

If you are feeling deprived and absolutely can’t stop yourself from eating one of the bad foods, make sure you get some exercise to burn the sugars a bit faster and prevent a high blood sugar episode. Learn to bake and cook your own foods. Replace the bad ingredients with healthy substitutes. Instead of adding white sugar, maybe add some fresh ripe fruit to your food instead.

With these tips, you should find living with diabetes to be much more simple.

Whether you are at work trying to do your best or you are at home trying to make the most of your days, you are probably trying to be productive.

At the end of each day you probably want to be able to say you did a lot or you got a lot done.

Just worrying about being productive can really be stressful. Add in what you want to get done and it might be overwhelming. This article will help you increase how much you can get done while also reducing the stress you feel about it all.

How to manage your time and reduce stress:

1. Make lists – What is on your mind? What tasks are always running through your head? Write them all down in no specific order. Whatever you write, you can always go back and organize the list later.

2. Stop distractions – Stop reading emails, stay off of social media, and ignore your phone for a while. How much of your stress is caused by excess distractions keeping you from your important tasks? If you need phone calls to stop, turn your phone on airplane mode. Let them leave a message or a text for you to check later.

3. Clean your work area – Just looking at the mess on your desk is enough to make you run away and never come back. So, take 10 minutes to clear it off. Throw away any papers you don’t need, organize and file the papers you do need, and get random clutter where it needs to go. Now you have room and less chaos for your work.

4. Plan for tomorrow (or a future day) – Do you have some especially busy days coming up? Are you planning a party? Are you moving? Is it keeping you from focusing on today? Take a few moments to make some lists and organize your thoughts on the big day coming up. Prioritize the more important aspects of the upcoming days and get those thoughts on paper. That alone might help you feel better.

5. Keep a journal of time – Are you worried you are spending way too much time doing something non-productive? Make an hourly chart and fill in what you do each hour for a day or two. Find out where most of your time goes and make adjustments if you can.

6. Take a break – It may actually be more productive to take a 10 minute break every hour than try to get everything done at once without stopping. Clear your mind, stand up from your desk, stretch, and start up again in a moment.

Hopefully all these good tips will come in handy for you. Relax, do some breathing exercises, and know you are in control of your tasks. You can do this!

It may seem like a paradox when you don’t feel very good mentally and you think about doing any type of exercise. It feels like you don’t have what it takes sometimes. It is understandable that feeling upset and unstable in your mind can make exercise seem scary, hard, exhausting, or dangerous.

However, it is quite important to push through those experiences and force yourself to get some light to moderate exercise when things seem really bad. This article will explain a little bit about this.

Why you should exercise to relieve mental health issues:

1. Exercise can sometimes treat depression and anxiety – Studies show that mild and moderate depression and anxiety can be treated just as effectively with exercise as antidepressants and anxiety medications, without the side effects. A Harvard study said that a fifteen minute run every day or a one hour walk every day reduces risk of depression and anxiety by almost 30 percent. Keeping a consistent exercise schedule can prevent anxiety and depression from coming back, too. So, find something you like.

2. Fights depression and anxiety – Exercise promotes positive changes and growth in your brain, including growth of neural pathways, reducing inflammation, and creating feelings of calmness and wellness. Endorphins released during exercise will make you feel good and give you some energy.

3. Temporary distraction – You shouldn’t always run away from your problems or avoid thinking about them. However, it is super important that your brain and body gets a break from the stress. Exercise takes you out of the cycle of worry and brings you into a more enjoyable experience. Choose an exercise you find enjoyable and worthwhile. You may find something that completely changes your life and becomes your favorite thing.

4. Exercise relaxes your body and muscles – This can help with anxiety because when your body is tense, your mind may also be tense. While you are doing physical activity, your body decompresses a bit and starts to relax. It releases tension in your body and focuses on what work you are trying to do while being active. It is more helpful for your brain to focus on physical activity than worrying about your daily life problems. If only for a moment.

5. Relieves many other ailments – It can help with constipation, ADHD, PTSD, trauma, better memory, self-esteem, improve your sleeping, give you more energy, and help you with every day physical demands such as vacuuming or deep cleaning. Any of these issues can contribute to poor mental health if they aren’t taken care of. Exercise can help with them all. Try an exercise that uses most of your body, such as dancing, hula hooping, or swimming.

Of course, before trying anything, make sure it is okay with your doctor to do physical activity first. Do not stop, start, or change medications unless your doctor advises you to.

Hopefully by now you are convinced that no matter how hard it seems, if your doctor says OK, you have to start doing some physical activity.

Stress is a big cause of some major health issues, and can trigger many more.

The body doesn’t respond well to stress naturally. It is either fight or flight as a response, and it isn’t usually necessary to fight or run away.

Most of our stress comes from things we can’t fight or run away from anyway. So, how can we help our bodies respond correctly to stress?

One big help is breathing exercises. The reason they are so helpful is that proper breathing is meant to directly address the fight or flight response and bring your brain and body back to normal. The opposite of the “fight or flight” stress response is to “rest and digest”. The breathing exercises will bring your body back to a resting state.

Before you try these methods, be sure you are in a comfortable and peaceful environment. Either lay down or sit comfortably. Try to reduce any distractions around you first.

Some breathing exercises to try when you are stressed include:

1. 4-7-8 Method – Breathe in deeply for 4 full seconds as to fill your lungs with air. Then hold it in for 7 seconds. Then, breathe out for 8 seconds. Then, repeat. This is one of the most popular exercises.

2. 7-11 Method – Breathe in slowly but deeply for 7 seconds. Then, breathe out slowly for 11 seconds. Stay mindful of how much air to take in for the 7 seconds and how much air to exhale for the 11 seconds. Try to keep the breathing even without stopping or holding it in.

3. Nose Then Mouth Method – Breathe in deeply through your nose so that your lungs fill with air. Then, breathe out of your mouth with your lips puckered, as if making a W sound with your mouth. It should work so that you make a slight ‘woosh’ sound as you exhale. Relax your jaw as well. Then, begin breathing in through your nose and repeat until calm. Do not do this too quickly or too many times in a row or you may hyper-ventilate and get dizzy.

If you have never tried breathing exercises, you may be surprised to find that they do work. As long as you do it properly and mindfully, you should find some relaxation in these techniques.

When it comes to your heath, you have probably heard or read hundreds of suggestions.

What you may not have considered is just how important it is to keep your digestive system healthy.

When you really think about it, most of the important nutrients and energy your body takes in will go through your gut. If your gut isn’t healthy, those nutrients aren’t going to go where they need to. There is quite a bit to learn about digestive health, so let’s just discuss the basics.

Stomach or intestinal disturbances or discomfort is not a good sign. If you experience nausea, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, bloating, gas, or pain in your stomach, upper gut, or lower gut, you may have an issue. Talk with your doctor about what you are experiencing and how often.

Some other symptoms of an unhealthy digestive system include:

1. Excess sugar intake – If you are craving sugar often, this could indicate an issue with the levels of yeast in your digestive system. Yeast lives on sugar, and may trick your body into making you eat more so it can continue to thrive. Although normal levels of yeast are expected, sometimes it can overgrow. Ask your doctor if you feel sugar controls your diet.

2. Changes in weight – Another symptom of a bad gut is an unexpected change in your weight. Especially if you are eating enough and can’t gain weight, or if you lose weight suddenly. Keep track of your body size and weigh yourself to see if something unusual is happening.

3. Frequent exhaustion or sleep problems – If you are constantly tired, you may be missing out on some important nutrients that your body isn’t processing correctly due to a sick digestive tract. Some examples include B12, Iron, Magnesium or Potassium. Your body needs a certain level of these to feel good. Low levels of some of these can cause restless legs and disturb your sleeping. Ask your doctor if you need to test your body’s general levels of vitamins and minerals.

4. Skin issues – Is your skin breaking out in ways it never did before? Are you getting rashes, bumps, cysts, pimples, or other problems? These can all be symptoms of a bad digestive system. Talk with your doctor to find the cause of these.

5. Sensitivity to some or most foods – Do you have a pattern of getting sick after you eat certain things? Or are you feeling sick most of the time regardless of what you eat? Either way, that could mean a problem. You could have an allergy or intolerance to gluten. You may be lactose intolerant. After all, some people develop Celiac Disease or lactose intolerance during their life and may be surprised when they start arising.

There are a few other signs of bad gut health, One of which includes mental health disturbances such as anxiety, depression, or mood swings. Do your research and ask your doctor to find out more about gut health.

This article is not intended to alarm you. However, if something in this article sounds like an issue you are having, call your doctor right away. They may be able to find the issue and get you back to a normal, healthy gut!

Have you noticed anyone using hula hoops for their choice of hobby and exercise? You may not have thought much about it, and we’re here to tell you why it is worth considering.

The number of people using hula hoops continues to grow every day.

Whether they’re using them for simple hula hooping on their torso, or using them for extravagant dance performances, it’s a healthy thing to do. We have included just some of the reasons why below.

1. Rewarding – If you have the right guidance and have the right hoop, hula hooping can be extremely rewarding. It can be physically, mentally, and emotionally beneficial to you. A large percentage of hula hoopers do it for the natural highs they get. The term for this phenomenon is the “flow state”. Hoops are known for helping people reach it.

2. Interesting and Versatile – Anyone who tries this activity can do something different with it. The choices range from simple on-body hula hooping to doing hand stands while the hula hoop spins on their foot. A very popular form is to use the hoops to dance, as a tool of self-expression. As an extra benefit, no dancing is required to do this, either. It all depends on the user.

3. Suited For Everyone – As long as each person gets a hoop that is recommended for them and they are given some basic instructions, hoops can be for anyone. As a basic tip, adults should try using a thicker, heavier hoop. They are approximately 38-42 inches in diameter and are sometimes called a “beginner hoop”. If adults attempt to hula hoop using a kids hoop they got at Walmart, they are most likely going to fail.

4. Low Impact – This benefit is in comparison to common exercises such as walking, hiking, running, or jump-rope. Hula hooping requires little to no jumping, squatting, or running (unless you wish to). Most basic hooping just requires you to stand in one general area. This will reduce the impact on your knees, hips and bones. Some things can be done from a seated position and in a relaxing manner.

Where To Begin:

Try a few different Google searches to see what resources are available to you. Begin with terms such as “Where to buy  a beginner hula hoop”. Search YouTube for “How to hula hoop”.

After that, you should be well on your way to learning all you need to know. Good luck on your new hobby!

If you have never tried joining a group exercise class, you may be missing out.

While it may not be for everyone, it is still wise to consider giving it a good try. Even if you are introverted and pretty shy, you may form a close bond with a few of your class mates.

There are quite a few reasons why exercising with other people can be beneficial and exciting. We have listed them below.

1. Making Friends – As mentioned in the introduction, you may actually become close friends with the people you meet at your exercise class. Not only are they there for similar reasons as you, but they are likely to have the same interests as you. After all, you did choose the same class, right?

2. Everyone Is Accountable – If you continue going to a group class with your friends, each of you can hold the other accountable for attending. Your friends can motivate you or convince you to go on days you just want to be lazy. You could all celebrate when you have attended a certain number of classes in a row.

3. Extra Help – Your new exercise friends can help you catch up if you joined the class a bit late. They can show you what you’ve missed and get you in the groove of the class. Whether it be a spin class or dance class, they will support you.

4. In This Together – When the class gets hard and you struggle to get through, your friends are there with you. Sometimes that’s all you need to know to help you achieve your goals. You can make silly faces at each other to get through, or take a break together so don’t feel alone when you can’t continue.

Even if you don’t make deep relationships with the people in your class, they can still help and inspire you. Maybe get some ideas by watching those in the class that do really well. Life is a learning experience, and it is wise to gain as much knowledge as you can from everyone you meet.

You may have already heard that swimming is a very good choice for exercise. As it turns out, that is a true statement.

Before we explain the benefits of swimming, we’ll explain where you can begin searching for pools or swim areas to use.

You can start by finding out if your local YMCA, high schools, or colleges have open swim time in their pools. If they don’t, find out if other nearby cities may have some. You could find another place within 20 minutes of home if you’re lucky.

If it is summertime, search and ask around about public pools. If you are lucky, you will have a friend or family member with a swimming pool. If none of these will work for you, try to find a clean water lake or pond to swim in.

1. Makes Your Heart Stronger – Your heart will benefit from swimming because it is an aerobic exercise. It also helps reduce inflammation. This will help it pump better.

2. Makes Your Heart Work Better – Swimming actually makes your heart stretch out a bit and get slightly larger. This helps more blood flow through your heart, giving your body better blood supply.

3. Low Impact – If you are submerged in water past your shoulders, the water holds 90 percent of your body weight. This reduces almost all of the pressure on your joints and bones. This activity is good for anyone with arthritis or painful, stiff joints.

4. Makes Your Lungs Stronger – Swimming increases the size of your lungs and makes them stronger. The more air you can get into your lungs, the more oxygen gets through your body. That helps you keep your energy levels up so you can keep exercising.

Swimming is lots of fun and very healthy. Everyone should know how to swim in case of emergency. If you choose to swim outdoors, try adding a hike to your plans. If you hike to your swimming spot, you’ll be more than ready to dive into the water to cool down.

We hope these tips help you in your health and wellness journey.

Have you heard of the term ‘intermittent fasting’?

It basically means that you eat food and then go a certain number of hours before you eat again.

The time spent not eating is the fasting period.

The usual number of hours to fast is around 16, but many people will fast for 24 hours, up to two days per week. Some people will fast by consuming only a limited number of calories two days per week, and then eat normally for the other 5 days of the week. The basic premise is to give your body a break from digesting food and unleash some great benefits to your health.

Fasting is a very natural process. Back in early history, it was normal for people to go long periods of time without eating while they found, hunted, gathered, and prepared food in the wild. Fasting has been recognized for its benefits for a long time, and has helped some people with weight loss or other health concerns. It helps by changing how your hormone levels behave, which then increases your metabolism. Not only are you eating fewer calories, but you can help your body process the calories you eat when you are done fasting.

How the body responds to fasting:

1. HGH – The Human Growth Hormone will increase as much as 5x the normal level, to help you gain muscle and lose fat
2. Insulin – Your body’s sensitivity to insulin will improve, and insulin levels will drop. Lower levels of insulin will help your body digest and get rid of stored body fat.
3. Cell Repairs – Your body’s cells actually repair the most while you fast. Your cells will digest and get rid of old or unnecessary proteins inside of them.
4. Genes – In relation to protection against diseases, fasting can help you express genes that will help you fight off unwanted health issues.

Due to the processes listed above, you might experience multiple benefits. These include reduced inflammation, lower blood sugar, weight loss, a healthier heart, an increased lifespan, a boost in your brain health, and prevention of cancer.

Although this article makes it sound pretty good, you should always consult your doctor before attempting any changes to your health, diet, or lifestyle. You might end up causing more problems than you intend to fix. Do your research, get as much information as you can, and make sure that this type of healthcare is right for you!