Category Archives: Health

15 Ways To Reduce Ageing

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Time will take its toll eventually but there are ways you can keep it at bay. There are simple things you can do in order to look after yourself a bit better, which aren’t costly or time consuming. You will instantly feel fresher and more confident if you follow these twenty simple tips. 

1. Keep out of the sun

Consider using a fake tan or getting a spray on instead of spending hours cooking yourself. Not only will this accelerate your skin ageing but it will also greatly increase your chances of getting skin cancer. Steer clear of sunbeds. Make sure you use plenty of sunscreen when you know you’re going to be out in the sun. It’s recommendable to apply sunscreen on your face as part of your morning routine, or if not use a good moisturizer with a high SPF.

2. Moisturize

Apply moisturizer at least twice a day. After your morning shower and at night before bed. You’ll notice an immediate reduction in dryness. Moisturizer makes your skin more supple and protects it against many things you face during the day, such as pollution and smog. You will find that there are different types for each skin type, normal, oil, dry or combination. Combination skin is an unfortunate combination of both dry and greasy, which often makes it very sensitive, so choose a moisturizer specially designed for sensitive skin. 

3. Rest

Get your beauty sleep, literally. Sleep at least eight hours a night and make sure you find ways to combat stress. Maintaining a healthy routine, balancing work, leisure, exercise and rest is the most important thing you can do for your health in general. 

4. Things to avoid

Reduce your intake of caffeine and alcohol. Try to spread your alcohol consumption over a few days in the week and have the rest of the days off. Try to drink a maximum of four cups of coffee per day. If you smoke, consider giving up. It has a proven effect on ageing and other health risks. If you need help to finally quit click here

Be aware of how much sugar you consume. This won’t help you to look younger or stay in good shape. Stick to food without artificial sweeteners, look for natural ingredients. 

5. Take care of your teeth 

Brush your teeth twice a day and use a whitening toothpaste. Go to the dentist once per year and keep on top of it. It might seem like an unnecessary expense but it’ll save your money in the long run, a healthy smile can take years off you and really brighten up your face. 

6. Watch your weight

Maintaining a healthy routine will help to reduce ageing in different ways. Ensure that you get enough exercise. The unhealthier you are, the more you will increase the effect of ageing. If you can maintain your weight to a healthy BMI you will appear younger and more energetic.

7. Combat hair loss

This is a genetic occurrence but there are some natural ways you can delay the process. There are many natural products you can use in order to improve the situation. CBD helps with hair loss, for example, and it has many other health benefits, such as helping you to relax and pain relief. 

8. Omega 3

Remember to include plenty of omega 3 in your diet. Foods which are high in omega 3 include salmon and oily fish, nuts and seeds, plant oils such as flaxseed oil, soybean oil and canola oil, but also fortified foods such as some brands of yogurt, eggs, juices, milks and soy beverages. 

9. Stay hydrated

Drink at least 4 pints of water per day. Top up your moisturizer, including body lotion. Keep a reusable bottle of water with you at all times to remind you. There are many environmentally friendly options available to buy online

10. Improve your mood

This doesn’t seem like it would work but always believe in mind over matter. The better you feel the more radiant you will look. Try different ways to improve your mental well-being. Spend more time with your friends and family, take up a new hobby, or go for a walk or even take a trip alone. It can be healthy to make some time for yourself occasionally, even go out to the movies alone, or to dinner. 

11. Facial regime

This doesn’t need to be a trip to the spa. Simply have a routine in which you wash your every morning and evening. Thoroughly wash your face, you can purchase a cleansing solution, or simply use a gentle soap and warm water. After washing your face be sure to apply your trusty moisturizer. For the evening consider investing in night cream, as this does all the work for you while you sleep.  

12. Antioxidants

There are many ways you can include antioxidants in your diet. These can include more dark chocolate, red wine, tea, and certain vegetables and berries. These help your body protect itself from many diseases by eliminating chemicals called “free radicals” which are harmful to your cells. 

13. Eye creams

As well as moisturizing, try using an eye cream before bed as well. Your eyes can be a tell-tale sign of your age, mainly because they show your emotions and energy levels immediately. Try to keep your eyes refreshed with a number of suggestions here

14. Exfoliate

This should also be part of your skin care regime. It helps to remove dead skin cells and any blackheads. It will give you an instant face lift. You can buy an exfoliator for next to nothing at your local supermarket. 

15. Take a trip

Getting away from it all is the best way you can fully rejuvenate yourself over the weekend. Even consider taking yourself on a minibreak. Go and investigate one of the local hiking or cycling trails, try to get in touch with nature. Your coworkers will notice the difference when you get back on Monday.

Finding An Alternative To Fad Diets

We’re used to living our lives at a million miles per hour, and we expect results quickly. This applies to everything from finding a product online and ordering a coffee to go to losing weight. The trouble with rapid weight loss is that it’s often unsustainable. While fad diets may seem like the solution if you’ve over-indulged over the festive season, there are alternatives that are much more likely to help you achieve your long-term goals. 

Fad diets have become incredibly popular, and this is largely due to the fact that they promise swift results. Fad diets usually contribute to rapid weight loss, and this often involves restricting calorie intake, cutting out food groups and dropping pounds without having to exercise. On the surface, fad diets like the Keto and Paleo diets may seem like a great idea, but it’s wise to proceed with caution. Eliminating food groups can contribute to nutrient deficiencies and make you crave foods you enjoy, and drastically reducing calorie intake can leave you hungry and increase the risk of sudden weight gain once you come off the plan. Ninety-five percent of people who lose weight on fad diets regain those pounds within 5 years.

Rather than resorting to fed diets, which can impact your mood, your health and your bank balance, it’s a good idea to take the advice shared in this infographic on board. Aim for a nutritious, balanced diet, which champions fresh produce, whole grains and vitamin-laden fruit and vegetables. Plans like the Mediterranean diet are proven to help weight loss and improve health at the same time and they produce sustainable results. People who live in Mediterranean countries are less likely to develop life-threatening diseases. 

Before you reach for a diet book or think about giving up all your favorite foods for good, why not take a closer look at the infographic below?


Infographic Created By University of Southern California

The Smart Box: Introducing Healthy TV Watching Habits To Our Kids

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Picture – CC0 Licence

When we consider the ways of keeping our kids healthy, it’s not just about the obvious things like eating right and exercising but it’s about encouraging healthy habits in life. We can look back and realize that we made certain mistakes or instilled unhealthy habits because we do them ourselves. A very good example is television. The latest Infinity Dish statistics show how television plays a role in almost everyone’s life. Perhaps there were a few times when you needed a break so you put your children in front of the television but this has now spiraled out of control and now you’ve got couch potatoes for kids! But when we look at the idea of watching television there are ways for us to encourage some healthy habits. 

Being Aware Of Questionable YouTube Content

It’s something that we think is pretty harmless, especially for toddlers. When we put on a kids YouTube channel that plays nursery rhymes we may not realize that there is a lot of unhealthy and questionable content out there that individuals are trying to sneak into the videos. We should monitor our children’s living habits but we should also think about the streaming services we use. If you have a Firestick it’s so easy to install apps that have various questionable shows and cedars. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is something that might help and if you’re wondering why would you use a VPN for Firestick it is a good way to keep yourself anonymous so you’re not easily targeted with specific content. Using a VPN can also be useful when travelling abroad, as some of your child’s favourite shows may be blocked by the local internet. For this reason, if you’re traveling to a foreign country like China, make sure to have a reliable service like ExpressVPN China at hand to ensure a fast and secure connection without encountering any common restrictions. Whether you are at home or abroad, once we get into certain viewing habits the algorithm kicks in and so we are suggested more and more questionable content, so having a degree of privacy can be important.

Turn The Television Off

It sounds obvious, but the television becomes a background to our lives. Turning the television off when visitors come by, eating meals, or doing other tasks means that you don’t rely on the television to become a babysitter of sorts. Our children can easily become distracted by what is on television and when our children are young, this is the perfect opportunity to make sure they don’t rely on this for the rest of their lives. This can mean a lot of harsh lessons for ourselves when we are used to watching television. But when you live by the rules yourself it’s far easier to enforce them. It’s a good idea to impose certain time limits. For example, if your children have started school, two hours should be the maximum. And when you start to schedule their day after school it gives you an opportunity to incorporate other important skills. 

Choosing Educational Content

This is such a difficult topic to get our heads around. It’s easier when your children are preschoolers because there’s a lot of shows out there about counting and giving your children certain nuggets of knowledge. But as your children get older it can be harder to monitor this. Not allowing your children to plan their own weekly viewing schedule can seem a little bit on the harsh side but when you allow a certain time limit consider incorporating things that you think are educational into their TV watching time.

Television can be a good thing, just as long as we approach it with the right balance.