Category: Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Anything For An Easy Life

jacquelineobyikocha21 Comments

It’s a sentence most uttered by parents and carers around the world: anything for an easy life. This doesn’t mean laying down and being taken advantage of, nor does it mean taking ill-feeling and accepting bad manners. No, wanting an easy life means accepting life as it comes at you and making it work for you.

If you find yourself laid up with an injury right before you’re due to go on vacation, you don’t need to cancel your break. Instead, make life easier and look into electric scooter rentals so that you can get out and about and enjoy yourself as much as possible. If you find yourself short of cash before the end of the month, get creative with the canned goods. You never know, you may find a brand-new recipe to appreciate. You can be the ultimate perfectionist if you want to, but unless you learn how to give yourself a break and relax, you’re never going to find yourself in a position where you can relax about life.

Cake, Drizzle, Confection, Treat

Image Source

Life passes by so fast, that if you spend all your time stressing over it and worrying about how you are going to manage, then you aren’t going to live an enjoyable one. Instead of waiting around for the next thing that makes you happy, why don’t you make yourself happy right now? We’ve got some awesome tips to make life easier for yourself right now.

Breathe. Any situation can be hard if you panic, but if you force yourself to stop and take some deep, cleansing breaths, you can find yourself managing your feelings and emotions before they have a chance to overwhelm you. It’s truly amazing what deep, slow breathing can do for your body.

Slow Down. Do you find yourself taking on a lot at work or at home? It’s time to stop being a hero. Share the workload both in your personal or professional life, and let someone else take the load off of you. You want an easier life, right? You have to make it happen.

Break Away. Do you spend most of your day staring at a screen? Whether you’re on a tablet, computer or smartphone, you need a break from technology. There’s no need for you to sit back and spend your downtime on a screen if you’re working on one all day long, as well.

Be Kind. If you treat others with kindness and yet spend time hating on yourself, now is the time to stop. You need to look in the mirror and say the kind words you say to others, but this time say them to yourself. You need to hear your own words and believe in them, because you matter, too.

Date Yourself. Take yourself for a morning coffee at a café with a newspaper, your drink being made by someone else can take the pressure off you to make your own, and it also means that you get a chance to relax. There is nothing wrong with self-indulgence, so enjoy it.

Having an easy life won’t happen overnight, but it can give you a freedom you’ve never experienced.

Health · Lifestyle · Wellness

Living a Peaceful Life Is Easier Than You Think

jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

Have you ever just wanted to throw all of your worries out of the window? Perhaps you just want to settle down peacefully, free of drama and worries and live out the rest of your life in peace and harmony with your surroundings? It might seem like a lot to ask for especially if you live in a busy city environment. Just take a look at this post from Time.com and you’ll find that by just living in the city, your brain could actually change for the worse. However, it’s important to remember that you can achieve virtually anything assuming you’re willing to put the time and effort into it. First, let’s take a look what why you’d want to live a peaceful life in the first place, then we’ll dive into some deeper considerations on how you can achieve a peaceful life.

Adult woman, listening to music,

Image Credit

Why live a peaceful life?

First, let’s examine why you’d want to live a peaceful life or how it even differs to your current life. You might be perfectly content with how you live now, but here are some advantages to a peaceful life that may entice you to change how you approach the world.

  • Peaceful living helps you remain calm and collected. The first major advantage is being able to remain calm and collected no matter what the situation is. By living a peaceful life, you’ll be able to find inner peace with yourself to prevent inner struggles from affecting your life. You’ll have clarity when making decisions and living your life, and you’ll no longer have to suffer from thinking about too many irrelevant things.
  • You’ll always find the silver lining no matter what happens. Misfortune happens to everyone at some point in their lives and we have to learn how to deal with it. As explained in this helpful article by PsychologyToday.com, there are ways to deal with unfortunate events and learning to live peacefully can assist this process by helping you find the silver lining during unfortunate events.
  • It helps you become more tolerant of people around you. If you’ve ever lashed out at someone because they just seem to annoy you or if you find it difficult to make new friends because you judge them too quickly, then living peacefully can help you settle that inner critic so that you’ll become more tolerant of everyone around you.
  • You can learn to seek forgiveness for your past mistakes. Maybe you’ve done something in the past that was really rude or hurtful to someone that was close to you, or perhaps you often get frustrated and argue with almost anyone. Using steps that are similar to the ones from TheHopeLine.com, it’s possible to seek forgiveness so you can atone for past mistakes. A switch to living a peaceful life will help facilitate this so you can get rid of struggles and conflicts to make way for a new beginning.
  • Being peaceful can help bring joy to your life and those around you. A peaceful life is a life of happiness. With no struggles to worry about and no negative emotions to cloud your judgement, you’ll bring happiness not only to yourself but to those around you who will be entranced by the calm and collected way that you approach life.
  • There are many others around the world that seek peace and you can be part of it. You aren’t alone on your journey to becoming a peaceful person. Online communities such as the one at Reddit.com will help you in your journey to live a simple and peaceful life that is free from conflict and struggles. They can offer advice and you can share your experiences as well.

Now that we’ve gone through the advantages of living a peaceful life and what it involves, let’s go deeper into the subject by explaining some important fundamentals that will help you live a more carefree and enjoyable lifestyle.

Me time, recreation, alone time, peaceful, stress free

Image Credit

Commitments don’t necessarily mean what’s important

First, let’s talk about what it means to commit yourself to something. Commitment means that you are dedicated to a cause or activity. For instance, you can be committed to your partner and faithful because you won’t cheat, or you could be committed to your company so that you do everything in your power to make them more successful. Commitments are, for the most part, defined by you. You are the one that chooses to marry or stick with a company and you have the power to control that decision. As explained in this post at ThoughtCatalog.com, there is such a thing as being afraid of commitment. However, it’s much better to understand why you feel afraid of committing than doing it blindly and regretting it later in the future.

However, commitments don’t always imply that something is important. Just because you feel committed to your work, it doesn’t mean that your job is the most important thing in your life. Many people work jobs that hardly pay anything, but they find meaning in the work they do and that’s what keeps them going. Others find that they feel committed to their children, but until you realise what’s important about your children, you’ll start to feel like your commitment and sacrifices are just becoming a chore. If you’re not sure what commitments you should be investing in for your kids, then take a look at this article from AhaParenting.com and you’ll come across some fantastic advice that can teach you to become a better parent.

In short, learn to distinguish between a commitment and what’s important. Until you realise why you’re committing yourself to something unconditionally, you won’t get any sense of satisfaction or fulfilment from sacrificing other things to feed your commitment. Once you can tell the difference, you’ll find that you have a lot less stress on your mind and you’ll be far more productive throughout the day.

wellness-massage-relax-relaxing

Image Credit

Take it slow and go easy on yourself

Another important thing to remember is to go easy on yourself. Sleep a little do nothing once in awhile and remember to indulge in your own hobbies. Sure, work can be difficult and time-consuming, but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to take holidays off. It’s important to give yourself plenty of time to relax, and you can achieve that by focusing on your comfort. It’s the small things that count when you want to live a peaceful life, so look at articles and resources like Mattress-Guides.net to help you pick a great mattress to sleep on at night. You’d be surprised at how much better you feel after a relaxing night of sleep. Other factors can also affect your sleep quality such as your body temperature and what you eat before you go to bed. In short, try to focus on giving yourself more relaxation time and you’ll learn to appreciate taking life a little more slowly.

Spend more time with loved ones

You should also focus on giving yourself more quality time with friends and family. By planning trips together and indulging in enjoyable days out together, you’ll improve your relationships and find new ways to connect with the people that matter in your life. If you’re finding it difficult to have a stress-free day out with your family, this article at ACookingPotAndTwistedTales.com will give you plenty of fantastic advice that will show you how to reduce the stress of planning a day out. A day out can be a slow and relaxing event that doesn’t need to be stretched out. It doesn’t need a purpose either, it could just be for the sake of meeting up with loved ones to relax together.

Quiet time, peace, wellness, meditation, relaxing

Image Credit

Be content with your lifestyle

To live a peaceful life, you need to learn to be content with everything you have. For example, if you’re able to find little joys in everything you do, then you’ll be far happier than if you were to constantly think to yourself that you’re not good enough or that your environment isn’t good enough. Find what makes you happy and try to think positively about smaller things in life.

Just being able to sit down and drink a cup of tea after a long day of work should give you joy. Similarly, being able to sit down at your computer and chat with friends that are thousands of miles away should give you a great sense of joy.

Being content is all about looking at the better side of life. Small comforts should make you happy and frustrations should be dealt with swiftly and without much trouble. It doesn’t take much to completely change your life around so that you are more content, but if you ever need help then take a look at articles such as this one from ZenHabits.net to learn more about what it means to be content with life.

Living peacefully can seem difficult or even more stressful, especially if you aren’t used to thinking positively or if you have a job that’s incredibly stressful. Hopefully, these tips will give you a great start on your new lifestyle so that you can enjoy life in a new way.

This is a collaborative post.
Family · Lifestyle

11 Great Ways to Reduce Stress on a Family Day Out

jacquelineobyikocha11 Comments

Family, Outing, Park, Day Out, Entertainment, Recreation, Lifestyle, Raising Children

Pixabay

If you’ve got kids, you probably dream of lovely days out as a family. Where everyone is having fun and laughing, learning together and enjoying their day. You see other families having these fairy tale days out where everything is wonderful, and everyone is happy and long for the day that you can do the same. Before we have kids, we imagine that this is what all of our family days out will be like. Lovely and carefree. Then, we have them and start going out together.

We quickly realize that that perfect family day out is nothing but a pipedream and suspect that those families who appear to be having the perfect day are heavily bribing their children.

Family days out are stressful. Sometimes to the point of not being worth it at all. The children whine and moan, even if it’s a destination they have chosen. The food is rubbish, the journey is long and boring, and the entertainment or attraction is never quite how it looks online. By the end of the day, everyone is upset, tired and hungry and you’ve had to deal with 8034 toddler tantrums.

But, does it have to be this way? Is bribery the only way to have a stress-free day out with your family? Surely not. Here are some great tips to reduce all of the stress so you can all enjoy your day.

Plan

Planning your day out in plenty of time gives you a chance to save lots of money, get cheaper transport tickets and prepare an itinerary to make everything as easy as possible. Write lots of lists and make sure you know exactly what you are doing and when. Brief the rest of your party too, and then repeat yourself on the morning of the event.

Don’t Plan

All that said, sometimes it’s best not to plan. When you plan a perfect day out, it often leads to chaos and an immense pressure to have a great time. It can be hard to live up to your expectations. If something comes up and you are free, or you spot something that your family will love last minute, go with it. Sometimes the spontaneous days out with absolutely no preparation and planning are the most fun and the ones that you remember in years to come. Don’t get too hung up on the planning.

Let the Kids Help

When the kids get a little older, they can resent being dragged around with their parents and younger siblings. To be fair, even 6 or 7-year-olds would often rather be at home on their tablets. So, let them help you arrange their perfect day out. Sit together and look at some great family days out online and try to find something that everyone will enjoy. Encourage them to think of not only their needs but of those of the rest of the group, especially any younger children.

Family, Outing, Park, Day Out, Entertainment, Recreation, Lifestyle, Raising Children, Aquarium

Pixabay

A visit to an aquarium such as SeaQuest can be the perfect solution. Younger children and even babies can enjoy watching the colourful fish swimming around, and older kids and adults can make the most of the interactive displays and learning opportunities. Other great options include farms, zoos and fun, family-friendly museums.

Give Older Children Responsibility

Another way to keep older children happy on a family day out is by making them feel needed and appreciated. Give them a job, such as looking after the map and checking things off your to-do list and tell them how important this is and that they are doing you a huge favor. Keep an eye on their progress and encourage and praise them throughout the day. Tell them that everyone is having a much better day because of their help.

Get an Early Night

Family, Outing, Park, Day Out, Entertainment, Recreation, Lifestyle, Raising Children, Baby, Sleep time

Pixabay

The last thing you want on the morning of your big day out is tired and agitated kids or adults for that matter. If the children know that something fun is happening the next day they might find it hard to sleep if they are excited. So, try to keep their routine normal and put them to bed a little earlier. Then, get some rest yourself. Big family days out can be long and tiring, so make sure you are starting on top form.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Get up a little early than usual too to give yourself plenty of time to make sure you’ve got everything you need for the day. Then, leave early enough that you aren’t having to rush whether you’re driving or using public transport. Make sure you’ve got enough time for an emergency stop.

Plan Activities for the Journey

You don’t want to be stressed out before you arrive. But children can be hard to entertain on a long journey. So, plan some activities. Think of some games you can play together and take a few small books or toys. You could even let them take their tablets or other devices just for the journey if it keeps everyone happy.

Pack Snacks

Even if the journey is short, you may find you have to spend some of your days in queues or waiting for shows. Kids tend not to be very good at waiting, so healthy snacks are a must. Just make sure you also take a bag for rubbish and some baby wipes for sticky fingers.

Keep the Kids Safe

As a parent, your biggest fear on family days out is always that one of the children will get lost. Even when they start getting older, it’s something that worries us. Temporary ID tattoos with a parent’s name and contact number are a great idea to help keep them safe. You should also make sure they know your real name and that there is a landmark nearby they recognize if they need help.

Remember, it’s Their Day Out Too

It can be easy to get hung up on our children’s behavior, but on a day out it’s important to relax a little. Remember, it’s their day out too, they are excited and might be a little louder than usual. It’s ok to let things slide a little for the good of the day.

Know When to Give Up

However, sometimes, it can seem like everything is against you. The weather is awful; things are closed, the car stops working, your picnic gets ruined or worse. Things happen. Instead of trying to force everyone to have a good time sometimes it’s ok to give it up, go home and watch a DVD together. There’ll be other days.

This is a collaborative post.
Lifestyle

Live in a Cold Climate? Here’s How To Tackle Winter Like a Pro

jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

There’s a number of reasons why winter isn’t usually a person’s favorite time of year. It’s cold, it’s wet, it’s dark, the social gatherings are few and far between, and then…it’s cold some more. When the chill sets in, you have two options: let it consume you, and become a miserable wreck until spring has returned; or you can shape up, prepare yourself, and get ready to do battle with mother nature. Let’s pick the latter: here’s how it’s done.

Winter, Woman's Black Zip Up Hooded Jacket, Cold, Climate

Source: Pexels.com

Hit the Shops

You should have some winter clothing already in your wardrobe, but this year, in particular, it might be worth hitting the stores and buying some new items. Why? Because this year is “La Niña”, and that means it’s going to be even colder than usual. It’s essential that you have enough layers on to stay warm, both inside and outside the house. Also, remember that that super warm jacket you bought eight years ago might now have vulnerabilities that let in the chill.

Load up the Medicine Cabinet

There’s no getting around it: this winter, you’re going to fall ill. It happens to everyone at some point! But even when you’re not ill, you’ll still be up against all the niggling coughs and sore throats that are just an unwanted side effect of being in the cold for too long. As such, it’s important that prepare your medicine cabinet for any nasty bacteria that might come your way. Check out Med Consumers best cough drops, and you’ll be tackling those pesky coughs head on. You’ll also want to load up on warm lemon and honey drinks, which will be a lifesaver on those cold mornings when you just don’t want to face the day.

Home Comforts

Your home is always your refuge from the world, but it takes on an even greater importance during winter. As such, you should be taking steps now to turn your home into a comfortable retreat from the nastiness of the outdoors. Buy a few new blanket throws, make sure your heating is in working order, and add the candles and other comforts that’ll allow you to have many a cozy evening over the next few months.

Up the Exercise

Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean you get a pass on exercise. If anything, it’s even more important that you work out during the winter than it is in the summer! Having a thorough regime will keep you warm, healthy, and help keep that seasonal depression at bay. It won’t always seem like fun getting out of the house to exercise, but it’ll be worth it – we promise!

To the Sunshine

Remember, you always have a saving grace during the winter: flying to somewhere with warm sunshine! No matter where you live, you’ll have blazing heat just a few hours via plane away from you. Even if you only go for a few days, it’ll break up winter and make it much more manageable. Plus, you might just come back with a glowing tan, too….

Lifestyle

How To Refind Your Lost Motivaton to Make a Lifestyle Change

jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

Motivation, Inspire, Refind Your Lost Motivation, Be You, Love You, Life Tips

 image source

Are you rapidly losing interest in your healthy lifestyle changes? After the high of some initial success – perhaps you lost a few pounds or managed to take part in your first running event – it can be a common feeling to have a bit of a slump, where your motivation seems to have fizzed out. When this happens, how do you get a jump- start and refocus on your intentions to lead a healthier life? Here are some simple ways you can get back on track:

Love Yourself Now

Too often, we embark on a lifestyle change from a negative place, telling ourselves we aren’t good enough as we are. But being too negative about your current state can actually be very demoralising. Give yourself permission to love you, just the way you are now. See your journey as a positive, a change you are making as a gift to yourself- not a punishment. Reading some self-help books can guide you to a more positive place – there are lots of recommendations at https://www.selfdevelopmentsecrets.com/best-self-help-books/.

Change Your Role Model

Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself is a recipe for disaster, so make sure that whoever you are using for inspiration is not so far out of reach that you want to give up. It’s fine to aspire to be like a celebrity but understand that it’s literally their job to look good, and they have an army of professional support, from nutritionists and personal chefs to life coaches. If anything, it’s better to compare yourself to the best version of you. Keep it within reach. Select positive role models that are confident with their shape and are strong and healthy.

Identify Your Triggers

Life is fraught with danger points that challenge us and make it harder to stick to diet and fitness goals. But knowing in advance what is likely to prove difficult for you- and finding other ways to handle whatever it is- is crucial. Perhaps you use food as emotional comfort. Maybe you get lazy on busy weeknights after work and end up snacking. Understand your pressure points and know how to deal with them in advance. Stock up on healthy snacks that fill the same need but won’t compromise your hard work, and find out other ways of coping with stress and upset.

Make One Small Change

If you’re struggling to get going again, then implementing one small, easy change can five you the boost in momentum you need to get back on track. It could be cutting out sugar for a week, adding in an extra 10 minutes to the treadmill, or having a couple of extra portions of fruit and veg a day. That one simple change can be the catalyst to carry on with everything.

Lasting change takes time, so you need to have patience, forgive yourself for minor slip-ups and accept that your journey will all be worth it in the end. Getting frustrated and experiencing set backs doesn’t have to mean giving up- there will be ups and downs. If you can pick yourself up, you’ll soon find another milestone that makes you feel on top of the world again!

Lifestyle

Just A Teeny Update

jacquelineobyikocha17 Comments

It’s been slow, but it’s been steady. I have whittled my excess kilos down by 5kg – 11pounds through mindfulness.

Trying to practice what I’m preaching about health and wellness is paying off bit by bit.

Healthy living, measuring tape, weightloss

Remember that a lifestyle change need not be drastic. It can be baby steps heading in the right direction. Keep moving…

Health · Lifestyle · Wellness

Stock Your Kitchen with These Medicinal Foods

jacquelineobyikocha11 Comments

Health Food, Natures healing spices, Kitchen, Lifestyle

Image source

You’ve probably heard a few people say that food is medicine in your time, and you know what? They were absolutely right. If you want to live a long, happy and healthy life, you absolutely do need to eat the right foods in the right amounts.

Obviously, there is always going to be a place for proper medicine and the use of pharmaceuticals, and a lot of people wouldn’t be able to get by without wheelchairs, bandages, CPAP Machines and some of the other medical supplies you’ll find at http://medsupplynow.com/, but when it comes to preventing illness and helping to heal from simple ailments, food can be pretty powerful!

Here are some of the most medicinal foods you should consider stocking your kitchen with right now:

Basil

This delicious herb, which goes great with spaghetti bolognese, is known to aid individuals suffering from the discomfort of indigestion and stomach cramps and many people believe it can help with constipation too, which I’m sure you’ll agree are all good reasons to stock it in your herb rack!

Ginger

Ginger is a popular root, which you can find in many kitchens, in either its natural or powdered form due to it’s strong, exotic taste, but did you know that it can help relieve nausea? Many pregnant women drink ginger tea or chew on crystallized ginger when they have morning sickness that isn’t serious enough to require medical attention. You can use it to relieve nausea at any time, and there is a good chance that it will work.Of course, if your nausea is persistent, you should see a doctor because ginger might not cut it if you’re experiencing something more serious.

Cayenne Pepper

Have a lot of phlegm in your throat? Finding it hard to breathe with ease, if you haven’t got the time to wait for a delivery of decongestant from https://www.healthwarehouse.com/pharmacy or you can’t get out to the store to buy something that will bring you relief, you’ll be glad to have a jar of cayenne pepper to hand. Why? Because cayenne pepper, or more accurately the capsicum it contains, will clear everything out and make you feel like a whole new person.

Capsicum, when applied in a topical treatment to aches and pains, including backache, can also have a very relieving effect on the body.

Cinnamon

Healthy foods, natures bounty, lifestyle, healing

Image source

There are lots of promising research papers that seem to suggest that cinnamon could help to lower the blood pressure and cholesterol levels in individuals who have diabetes. All you need to do is sprinkle half a teaspoon of the spice on your food daily to get this benefit. Obviously, if you have diabetes, you need to talk to your doctor before you try anything different or start meddling with your diet, and the science is, as yet, far from conclusive, but cinnamon is safe and delicious, so it couldn’t hurt to sprinkle it on your oats or bake some into your apple pie, could it?

Garlic

This pungent allium has long been known to have medicinal properties. Even registered MDs will quite often mention to their patients the benefits of taking garlic daily id they have high blood pressure, because of its ability to lower it, and most people will know that eating garlic when you have a cold can help to sort you right out, which is why it’s imminently sensible to keep a stock of garlic in your kitchen at all times.

Fennel

It has long been known that chewing on fennel seeds, which taste a little like aniseed, is a good way to get rid of trapped gas. Not only that but drinking fennel tea will aid with digestion if you have an upset stomach and some women swear by it when they’re having trouble bringing on breast milk to feed their babies. It may also help babies who have colic too!

Turmeric

Turmeric, Natures bounty, healthy foods, spices

Image source


There is lots of interesting research into this yellow curry spice which claims it can do everything from preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s to ease arthritis and even protect the body from cancer, and although a lot more research needs to be done to confirm any of these claims, the fact that scientists think there is enough in them to be worth studying makes it a food worth adding into your daily diet.

Please Remember, you should always consult your doctor before making changes to your diet, especially if you’re sick in any way, and your doctor should always be your first port of call if you’re experiencing serious symptoms or symptoms that you can’t shake. That being said, using these foods as medicine, is sure to make your life easier and your body better!

Health · Lifestyle

Health and Wellness Through Nutrition

jacquelineobyikocha37 Comments

As we get older, we often complain about our knees cracking, being stiff or just feeling rundown. Aches and pains should not be a common occurrence. These grievances are usually the result of our sedentary lifestyle that includes lack of exercise, poor eating habits and being overweight. Do remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all standard, so if the pain is not going away and you dread it is something chronic, then seek medical treatment.

Aging, Health, Exercise, Lifestyle, Wellness, Taking Care of Yourself

So, when your body speaks, listen up! Being healthy is more than simply being pain or disease-free. It is about becoming attuned to your body, changing your lifestyle in order to develop and incorporate the highest level of wellness within. So, how do you achieve this? Sometimes, knowing where to start is half the battle. Below are some tips to help you on your way to healthier you!

Diet

In 2015, the World Health Organization suggested limiting sugar intake to less 10% a day and to cut to 5% for added health benefits. Cutting down on sugary foods and beverages is not the only way to go. You don’t have to drastically overhaul your diet, a modest change will go a long way toward improving your health. So start by eating more whole grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits, and fish and avoiding foods with a high glycemic index, which cause water retention, swelling of the joints, and discomfort. Cutting back on processed foods and the consumption of red meat may also reduce the risk of premature death.

Aging, Health, Exercise, Lifestyle, Wellness, Taking Care of Yourself

So, swap sugary foods and beverages with a piece of fruit and a tablespoon of peanut butter. You will satisfy your sweet tooth and fill that hunger pang at the same time. Swap out a single daily serving of red or processed meat for a serving of nuts or legumes, and you will add years to your life. Adding dietary supplements is also an easy way to add nutrients and vitamins to your body. For our recommendations, click Research Verified reviews here. Stick to small changes that you will be able to commit to for a long time.

Exercise

Start your day by stretching and exercising. You will be glad you did since by doing so, you will ease your muscle pain and stiffness. You will also be able to maintain your body mass index within normal limits and avoid becoming overweight or obese, and avoid putting stress on your back, legs, and other body parts from those extra pounds.

Getting yourself to the gym is a good way to start and a great way to form a habit. Exercise should be a part of your day, like brushing your hair. If it is routine, you will be more unlikely to skip out on it. You don’t have to be a gym rat and live there, you can do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts that are based on this “less is more” philosophy. Just remember to do at least 30 minutes of exercises, at least 5 days per week for a total of 150 minutes.

 

Aging, Health, Exercise, Lifestyle, Wellness, Taking Care of Yourself

Hydration

Staying hydrated throughout the day is crucial to staying healthy and maintaining the function of every system in your body, including your heart, brain, and muscles. A healthy person needs about 30 to 50 ounces of fluid per day, which can be derived from drinking liquids or by eating water-rich foods, like cucumbers, cauliflower, eggplant, red cabbage, peppers, and spinach.

However, drinking fluids is very important in order to eliminate toxic substances, produce digestive enzymes, maintain healthy skin, hair and organs, and to help your body absorb essential vitamins, minerals, and natural sugars.

Essential Oils

Essential Oils are not just nice for producing pleasant aromas. They are organic compounds extracted from natural plants (barks, flowers, fruit, leaves, seeds or roots) with tremendous healing properties and health benefits.

Aging, Health, Exercise, Lifestyle, Wellness, Taking Care of Yourself

Just adding some of the most common essential oils like lavender, lemon, peppermint, and tea tree oil can you fight colds and flu symptoms, improve digestion, alleviate pain, balance hormones and relax your body and soothe sore muscles, just to name a few things.

Whatever you do, you will greatly benefit and you will be closer to achieving health and wellness. Be good to yourself by taking care of your body and soul.

Health · Life · Lifestyle

Old Age? Don’t Take It Lying Down!

jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

Senior-Woman-Monochrome-Bicycle-Sitting-Aged-Bank-Relaxing

Image

Once you get past a certain age, it’s very likely that you think you’re going on the scrapheap of life. You may feel yourself waning, your energy levels dipping, and you may think that it’s time to calm down and give in. In short, don’t! Instead, why don’t you try a few simple techniques to help you address the key things that may be missing in your life, so you can enjoy it more, and quite possibly feel a bit younger?

Keep The Oil Fresh

in other words get checkups on every single faculty. Go to a doctor, go to an ophthalmologist, spend time getting those regular checkups, and make sure that you are fighting fit. Also, you need to keep yourself healthy by moving! Your body is a machine, don’t forget this. It was built to be active, so use it as best as you can. On the topic of health, your body is like a car, and you wouldn’t put the wrong fuel in your car, so why should you put the wrong fuel in your body? Start to eat well, think about getting more omega-3 in your diet, more fish, and a general smorgasbord of fruit and vegetables.

Dress With Some Flair!

Look at the French fashion icons in their 70s, take some inspiration from these. Then dress with some style and finesse yourself, they don’t go to recapture their youth by dressing young, so take their lead and go for some style. Look at French and Italians; they seem to get better as they get older. Do some research, and get inspired!

Start To Feel Good!

No doubt you may have been doing things that please everybody in your early years because you had to get on with it. It’s now your time, so do what makes you happy. Yes, we look after others, and it’s not to say that it’s time for you to be selfish, but start to prioritize more time to get to know yourself. Enjoy that quiet time with a glass of wine, sit outside with a crossword and a coffee. It’s these little pleasures in life that you will remember more than anything. And who’s to say that you need to not go out on dates with your partner? There are so many great ways to stimulate the mind and body.

Socialize!

The main concern about the descent into old age is that you could possibly feel isolated or a bit hemmed in at home. And regardless of your age, there is always someone who is going through the same thing as you, nobody is ever alone in these things, no matter if you feel you are on your own. Start to make more time for your friends, go out for meals, and enjoy a healthy and stimulating conversation. Negativity is something that can begin to creep in, and much like a midlife crisis, we can feel that we don’t have a use anymore in life. So, start to enjoy your time, do something that makes you stimulated. Read a book, learn a language, learn an instrument. Just because you are older in years doesn’t mean that you are past your sell-by date! So enjoy yourself.

Age is viewed as a negative thing, so let’s try and reverse this trend. Age is not a negative thing; it is about experience and vitality!

Health · Lifestyle

Life After a Heart Attack- What Comes Next?

jacquelineobyikocha3 Comments

Heart problems are the biggest causes of preventable deaths in the western world, a frightening statistic. Heart attacks, heart disease and other cardiovascular issues are often a direct result of poor lifestyle choices. Eating the wrong foods, not exercising, smoking, drinking too much and taking drugs all take their toll.

Heart Monitor, Health, Wellness, Heart Attack, Aging, Disease, Hypertension, Health Management

Image sourced from here

Thanks to great medical advancements, fast transport such as air ambulance services and the fact that heart attack can quickly be recognised these days, more people are surviving them. However once you have had one you’re at risk of another unless you change your ways, so if you’re wondering what comes next after a heart attack, here are a few things to bear in mind.

Understand Your Medication

Your medications will depend on what the cause for your heart attack was. You should learn what each of these medicines does, and know exactly when you should take them and how. For example, will you need to take them with or without food, at certain times of the day or in combination with other medicines? If for example your heart attack was caused by hypertension you may need to take additional pills for your high blood pressure. You should also ensure you’re not caught short without them in an emergency, so if you’re travelling, for example, you will need to bring extra in case of delays.

Heart Monitor, Health, Wellness, Heart Attack, Aging, Disease, Hypertension, Health Management

Image sourced from here

Decide on Lifestyle Changes

Heart attacks and other cardiovascular issues are sometimes a genetic problem which is out of your control. However, if yours was due to lifestyle decisions, it’s paramount you make a change. Clean up your diet, and find out from your doctor what exercise you can do once you’re recovered. Swimming, walking and other low impact activities are usually good choices. Stop your drink, drug and smoking habits, get enough sleep and generally look after yourself. While a heart attack can be scary, but for some people, it’s what’s needed to shock them into action to make a change. Maybe you didn’t realise how bad your lifestyle was, or just thought ‘it will never happen to me’. Now that you know the consequences, you know what you need to do to live a healthier life in future.

Seek Support and Advice

Having people you can speak to about what happened, your fears and concerns are important. If you feel as though you can’t speak to loved ones, try a helpline or go on a forum for people in the same position. Those who have already had heart attacks will understand the situation you’re in and may be able to give objective advice as well as support.

Thankfully, many people go on to live a normal and healthy life after a heart attack. If you’re one of the lucky ones who survived, see it as a second chance at life. Use it as an opportunity to make a positive change. Eat better, make better decisions, spend time with loved one and don’t take life for granted.

This is a collaborative post