Category Archives: Lifestyle

4 Means In Which You May Be Harming Yourself

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It’s important to know just how and why we may be harming ourselves, because then we can put in practical solutions to prevent those habits from occurring again. All of us have our blind spots, and it can be somewhat frustrating to realize that we are our own worst enemy from time to time. Most people are not interested in actively harming themselves of course, but it could be that through misdirection, being misguided or simply not taking the right approach that we fail to consider how we are harming ourselves.

After all, life can be complex, and convenience, as well as practicality, are two measures by which we make many of our daily decisions. That being said, it’s not uncommon to fail to examine our lives, which may result in a few interesting insights coming to mind should we choose to apply them. In this post, we hope to explore the four means regarding how you may be harming yourself, to help you move forward and apply yourself to the best solution. 

Here’s what that may look like:

A Lack Of Sleep

A lack of sleep can harm you in many ways. It can raise your stress levels, how irritable you are, how unable you are to focus on things, how difficult it is for your body to repair its vital processes, and it can open you up to illness. In fact, high levels of drowsiness or sleep impairment can affect your brain much in the same way as mild intoxication. If you need to drive, or operate machinery, or do anything that requires careful thought, planning or physical action – you are going to perform much less adequately than you could have. This is why it’s essential to ensure you have a healthy sleep schedule, and not only that, but you continue to try and improve it. Do not allow yourself to go without sleep, or to have a bad sleeping pattern, or to tolerate an uncomfortable or poorly ventilated bed and bedroom. After all, we spend almost a third of our lives asleep, and so it’s essential to ensure this is well considered.

Stress & Fear

Stress, perhaps due to a lack of rest, hard circumstances or demanding work and family obligations can be truly hard on your body. It not only makes you age more quickly, but can leave you feeling worn out, more impulsive, and high levels of cortisol can actually lead you to panic attacks and other fundamental issues that we all need to consider. 

Additionally, stress can lead to fear, and that’s never a promising emotion to feel while you’re trying to live a careful and deliberate life. This is why it’s important to ensure that you are meditating, that you are eating well, that you are dealing with your stress through expression, therapy, lessening your load, sharing that load, meditation, and good sleep. Additionally, we would recommend seeing your Doctor if the stress becomes too much to bear. Additionally, if you have certain anxieties about seeing healthcare professionals, it’s important to find someone who can cater to this. The best dentists, for example, know how to help your peace of mind while getting dental work.

Lack Of Socializing

Human beings need to be social in order to flourish and thrive, the same manner in which a plant needs sunlight to bloom. It’s important to connect with your family, your friends, and those close to you. Try to withdraw from harmful social scenes, or to only steward relationships with those you respect.

Do not be afraid of visiting someone just because, or to schedule a break with your husband or wife when you can, or to try and befriend someone new in your office. We know that making friends is important as a child, but we can often feel that acting as a lone wolf in adulthood is good enough. It’s not. Sometimes, going out of your social comfort zone and reaching out to someone can be as healthy an act as going to the gym. Try it, and see for yourself.

Failing To Enjoy Nature

It’s the right of every person to enjoy nature, but failing to ever surround yourself with it can be a problem. Nature can give us a means to relax, to lower our stress levels, to lower our heart rates and blood pressure, and can be the perfect conduit to socialize or get exercise. As far as that is concerned, this is worth taking care of.

With this advice, you are sure to avoid the four means in which you may harm yourself.

Getting Older And Keeping Fit: What You Need To Do Differently

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Image by Michael de Groot from Pixabay

There is no getting away from the fact that we are all ageing, there’s no way of reversing it, delaying it or stopping it. We get older each day, and our bodies get more tired, and everyday tasks become more of a challenge as we don’t have the same energy that we used to. We all know how important it is to exercise and this doesn’t change as you get older, in fact, it’s probably more important than ever to make sure your body performs as well as it possibly can. You might need to invest in new equipment such as compression socks from https://legioncompressionsocks.com/ or treat yourself to more massages or time in the jacuzzi afterwards and while exercising as you get older doesn’t require you to train much differently to how you would when you were younger, there are some factors to consider in order to make sure you get the most out of your training and stay injury-free as you get older.

Recovery Is Key

As we get older, our bodies don’t recover from intense exercise like they used to. Recovery time will vary for each person, but if you find you’re always feeling sore and low on energy, you may find that you need a longer recovery time between exercise sessions. You might also need to be more respectful of the recovery process, make sure you get enough sleep, you’re well-hydrated and have a nutritious diet as this will aid in the regeneration and recovery process.

Strength Training Is More Important Than Ever

As you get older, your muscle mass and bone density decline, so because of this weight training becomes vital. Increasing your muscle mass and strength will also improve your posture and balance, and will reduce the chances of getting injured. Also, having more muscle mass will mean you have a higher basal metabolic rate (BMR), so in terms of your body composition, you will experience changes with more lean tissue and lower body fat.

Longer Warm-Ups

Ageing unfortunately often means stiffer joints which means that you can’t get away with getting stuck straight into the workout ‘cold’. You’ll likely need a longer warm-up with more mobility at the start of the workout in order to ensure your body is ready to exercise and prevent injury. More stretching and mobility sessions outside of your regular exercise sessions will also be beneficial.

Look After Your Muscles

Muscle pain and spasms after a strenuous workout are no joke and therefore need to be checked out by a professional. For example, when you work out, your muscles contract and lengthen in different ways than they usually do with regular use. Because of this, they can get injured or fatigued more easily. Everybody experiences neck pain from time to time, especially if you are getting older. It’s a normal part of life that happens when you overexert yourself during a workout or sleep in an awkward position. Although neck pain can be incredibly annoying and painful, and it’s usually nothing to worry about, you should get it checked out by a neck pain doctor should you experience chronic or severe neck pain that doesn’t go away on its own. Most neck pain problems can be fixed with a quick adjustment by a professional or by stretching the muscles out yourself at home after consulting with a doctor.

Good Technique Is VitalGone are the days when you can get away with dodgy squats and questionable reps. The quality of your movement is paramount if you want to keep your body injury and pain-free. If you’re not nailing your technique without weight, then don’t put yourself in a comprising position where you can load the spine. However, if you have been lifting for years, and your body is robust, then go ahead and load the bar. If you’re unsure of your technique or something doesn’t feel right then make sure you speak to a professional and get them to check your technique.

Preparing Your Kids For Moving Home

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Moving home is a time of both excitement and stress. When you’ve got kids, it’s vital to prepare them properly for such a big change. While some children will handle a move well, not all children are the same, so it’s best to tread carefully. If you’re soon to be moving home with your kids, let’s consider how you can best prepare them. 

Explain carefully

You will need to explain the move as carefully as you can to your kids. The way that you go about your explanation will largely depend on how old your children are. With toddlers and younger kids, the move will be harder to understand. The best thing that you can do is to use your kids soft-toys, doll’s house or trucks to act the process out. When you start packing your kids toys away, they may be anxious. Try to make it clear that the toys will be waiting for them at the new home. If your kids are older, you’ll want to explain in more detail, including the reasons for the move and ask them if they have any questions. Understand that your children may experience sadness or anger at this time. Plan lots of fun activities for your kids to distract them if they feel upset. 

Use stories 

Often, children’s storybooks are an excellent way to explain changes and processes. The characters in stories can help your children to feel that they are not alone in this experience. There are plenty of books out there which deal with the subject of moving home. If your kids like ‘Winnie The Pooh’ why not try the book ‘Tigger’s Moving Day.’ You could also try ‘My Very Exciting Sorta Scary Big Move.’ The book is written by Lori Attanasio Woodring and features a range of moving themed activities. You can find these books on Amazon along with plenty of other moving themed books for kids. 

Keep what you can

If you want to prepare your kids for moving home, it’s a good idea to keep as much of their bedroom furniture and belongings as possible. When you get to your new place, your kids are likely to feel more at ease if they have the same furniture, bed sheets and colour schemes. Being in an unfamiliar place can be a little scary for children. Keeping their old belongings can help them to feel a sense of security. If your children are younger, it’s best to pack up the house yourself without their involvement. 

 With older children, you may want to get them to help with the packing. Involving them in this way can allow your kids to get excited about a new adventure. You’ll want a great removal company with many years of experience. This way, the process will run smoothly and create no added stress for your kids. It’s worth looking at this website here for a highly professional and experienced moving company. 

Spend time in the new area 
It’s a great idea to let your kids spend some time in the new area so that the moving process feels a little less strange. Take them to the local parks, allow them to visit their new school (if appropriate). If your new neighbors have children, it can be a great idea to arrange a play-date to help your kids to make friends.