Herbal Teas – A Gentle Way to Assist Your Health
Herbal teas are a great alternative to the usual black tea cuppa. However they are more than just a nice warm drink on a cold night. Herbal teas can have a wonderful positive effect on your immunity and help prevent illness. Herbs have been used in various ways for centuries to help people improve their health. Why not try a few on this list to see how they can help you?
Rosehip will help raise your immunity as it is full of Vitamin C.
Ginger is well known for helping nausea and to settle the stomach but it is also good for colds and flu.
Chamomile will help you sleep better as it calms your nervous system. It is also good for digestion.
Green tea has become a substitute for normal black tea with many people. Green tea will help boost your immunity as it is an anti-oxidant. If the taste is not to your liking then add a bit of lemon to give it a bit of a lift.
Fennel is a great tea to help you with controlling that sweet tooth. It tastes like liquorice so it can satisfy your cravings for sweet feeds as well as help suppress your appetite.
Lemon grass tones your skin and is also good for digestion and fever.
Peppermint is a great stomach tea for digestion and to help with bad breath, congestion and fluid buildup. Peppermint is a stimulant so is a great tea to have in the mornings instead of that cup of coffee.
Spearmint is a good stand in for peppermint if you find peppermint too strong. Or you can add spearmint in with peppermint and chamomile if you want to make a great mix.
Brahmi tea will help your memory become a lot clearer
Dandelion is for fluid buildup and puffiness as it helps cleans the liver. If you feel unsettled when you drink it though see a naturopath as your liver function may need attention.
Raspberry leaf tea is for expectant mothers suffering from morning sickness and can also make for an easier delivery when baby is due.
So as you can see there are many teas to choose from each with their individual way of assisting you to get healthy. Maybe tomorrow instead of that cup of coffee or black tea, which both contain caffeine, which can be bad for you, try a cup of herbal tea and help clean up your body at the same time.
8 Tips For Eating Healthy While Traveling
If you travel for work or pleasure, you know that healthy food can sometimes be hard to come by. Or I should at least say there are so many temptations out there that the healthy options seem few and far between. Being prepared is 75% of the battle when it comes to eating healthy while traveling. It definitely requires a little planning and a special nutritional strategy. Luckily, you can adhere to your healthy eating plan with a little extra work. These 8 tips for healthy eating while traveling provide some solid ideas to staying on track while on the go.
1. Location – When you’re choosing where to stay, it’s all about location. Let’s say you’re traveling for work and you’ll be in the same location for at least a few days. Finding a spot that’s close to healthy resources is key. Is there a grocery store nearby that you can run to for healthy snacks and/or meals? Are there healthy cafes or restaurants within walking distance that you can stop in for a bite to eat? It’s easy to make the excuse that you can’t eat healthy while on the road if there aren’t good options around you. Don’t make that your excuse. Choose as wisely as you can to set yourself up for success.
2. Accommodations With A Kitchen or Kitchenette – One of the best ways to ensure healthy eating while traveling is to have access to some type of kitchen. Extended stay hotels, vacation rentals and Air B & B are all great options if convenient to your location. If a kitchen isn’t available, having a refrigerator in your hotel room for some healthy options is a great alternative. The point being that if you have either a kitchen or a refrigerator, you have the ability stock up with good snacks and easy meals. Things like fresh fruit and vegetables, bottled water, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, nuts, natural peanut butter, rotisserie chicken and canned fish are fantastic options that are easy to store and don’t require a lot of prep work to create a quick meal or snack.
3. Ship Items Before – Another strategy would be to ship
your favorite dry goods to your location before hand. Protein powder,
beans, nuts, canned tuna, bread and quick cooking oats are all items you
could have sent prior to your arrival so that you have some healthy
options waiting for you. 5. Research Restaurants In The Area – Do
your research before you go. Even if you have access to a kitchen or a
refrigerator, you still may want or need to eat for a few meals. Find
out what restaurants are in the area and which menus offer healthy
options that interest you. You can plan any outings to one of these
restaurants and know what you’re going to eat when you walk in the door. 6.
Protein Powder – Protein is often the hardest thing to come by. Healthy
eating on the go is made much easier if you can bring some protein
powder with you. Even it it’s a back up, you know you have a good
protein source to go to if you can’t find a viable option. Sometimes
your healthy eating strategy might require using a combination of
options. For example, finding some fruit and vegetables might be easy
but grabbing a protein source might be pretty expensive. In certain
cases, protein powder can fill in the gaps. 7. Supergreen
Supplement – It’s often times very difficult to get the correct amount
of vegetables in when traveling. This is the perfect time to incorporate
a great supplement like Amazing Grass, Green Defense or Greens +. A
supplement is just that – a way to supplement your diet. While this
shouldn’t be your mainstay to getting in vegetables, it can always be
used as a way to up your micronutrient intake and get some greens into
your diet. 8. Bring Homemade Snacks – Bring homemade
non-perishable snacks with you. Homemade granola or protein bars,
protein muffins, kale chips and homemade granola or trail mix are all
wonderful options to take with you. If you have healthy food with you,
chances are that you’ll eat that healthy food rather than seeking out
the junky stuff. If you’ll notice (or maybe you already have), the
common theme here is that you need to be prepared. If you’re committed
to a goal of weight loss, a health goal or just want to ensure you’re
eating good quality meals, you’ve got to set yourself up for success.
Healthy eating while traveling is totally doable but it does require a
bit of planning and strategy to make it work.
4 Secrets to Pick the Right Yoga Pants for Yourself
Yoga is a spiritual practice that rejuvenates your mind, body and soul. Yoga exercises, when done properly, make you feel relaxed and centered with yourself. To experience these benefits, and to achieve the best workout, it is vital to wear right yoga pants that offer free movement, allowing you to focus on your exercise, not discomfort. Here are 4 secrets that will help you pick the right yoga pants for yourself.
Be yourself
Yoga is not same as other kinds of workouts. It does not focus on the competition, opinions or beauty standards. Instead, it is a process to know oneself. You should wear what makes you feel comfortable, beautiful and gracious.
Choose yoga wear that allows easy movement
Pick yoga pants that is comfortable and offers modest coverage. Stretchable, cotton-blend pants that perfectly hug your body are the right choice. Pants with an elastic waist that conform to the shape of the body are also good to go. Capri-style yoga pants are the most popular among women.
Yoga wear comes in different fabric types, such as cotton, linen and bamboo, thus making it important to consider the quality of fabric as one of the things while choosing yoga pants. In addition, light colours and earthly tones match well with yoga’s Zen effect.
Layer yoga clothing to beat micro-climate
Practicing yoga early morning can get chilly. Likewise, some yoga classes are conducted in a gym, where air conditioning systems are installed. To beat the cold, wear yoga clothes in layers and stay warm and cozy.
Yoga pants can go from the mat to the office
There is no secret that yoga can relieve stress and benefit work life. With more businesses offering yoga classes at the workplace, employers are noticing the benefits, such as higher employee satisfaction and increased productivity.
Entrepreneurs and executives practicing yoga believe that pants are great to wear to a meeting, family outing and grocery shopping. Those made of thicker fabrics can pair well with a longer length top or a tunic and can be worn to office.
Choosing the right yoga wear begins with knowing the options available. Find out the different types of styles, sizes, patterns, colours and fabrics that your pants come in. Once you are aware of them all, consider your needs and preferences and then make the right choice.
The main objective of choosing the right yoga pants is to ensure that y
Find the Better You With the Home Suspension Trainer
Do you wish to lose your weight? Do you dream of staying fit? Are you looking for a trainer at your place? Here is the solution to all your fitness worries. You don’t have to search for a trainer at your place and you don’t need to go anywhere to stay fit. Apart from all, you don’t have to shell a lot of money to stay fit. There is a home remedy or an easy solution possible at your own space with minimal cost. The solution to all your worries is the Home Suspension Trainer.
It is a system of workout plan or it can also be called as the original workout system that leverages your body weight with gravity which would help you lose a lot of calories in just no time. However, for doing the workouts you got to use your body to the maximum extent so that the results will be much brighter compared with other types of exercises. The trainer is one of the most acceptable work out systems ever as it has already received acceptance of many athletes, players, and normal individuals.
Home Suspension Trainer is one of the easiest workouts as it just needs you and your body along with few stretchable items. It helps athletes in staying fit while it assists a non-sports person in staying healthy and fresh all the time. The body under the same becomes more flexible and develops an inherent strength and balance.
There are 100s of exercises that ranges from simpler to the hardest; making the work outs much customized and fun filled. The Home Suspension Trainer kit uses your own body and provides greater performance which is not the case with other large exercises. The Home Suspension Trainer kit consists of few ropes and webs that assist you throughout the workout.
These ropes and webs help you in working against your own body weight. The Trainer helps you in losing weight very easily with minimum risk. The major benefit is that it develops the strength of your muscles, bones and the overall body without much or no injuries which means that it makes your work out time hassle free and fun filled. There has been a lot of proven benefits upon the usage of this system.
Fitness Equipment – How Often Should You Be Changing Your Running Shoes?
When most people think of workout “gear,” it is relatively simple and straightforward. You need…
- workout clothes,
- headphones,
- a music player,
- a water bottle and
- a pair of running shoes.
Sounds simple enough right? When it comes to running shoes, though, you need to remember you need to get good quality shoes built for the type of activity you are doing. Plus you need to ensure you are changing your shoes often enough, so they are providing the cushioning and support you need.
How often should you be changing your running shoes? Let us go over a few things, so you are aware of the best time to switch to a new pair…
1. Your Running Mileage. The biggest factor determining your running shoe lifespan is how many miles you have traveled. Consider the average pair of running shoes should give you around 300 to 500 miles worth, this can give you a relatively good indication of how long you can go. If you are running an average of 20 miles a week, this should amount to around 15 to 25 week’s worth of usage.
Keeping track of your miles, both those run and walked, is important so you know when your time is up with that pair of running shoes. If you are doing most of these miles on the treadmill, your shoes may look brand new, but keep in mind the padding in them may be anything but new!
2. Your Body Weight. The next factor to think about is your body weight. Generally speaking, the heavier you are, the faster your shoes will wear out. There will be more stress coming down with each step you take, mostly wearing out the padding as you run.
If you are over 150 pounds, you might only get the 300-mile mark with your shoes, while if you are under 150 pounds, you may be closer to the 500-mile mark.
You will need to judge for yourself how your shoes are feeling as you run in them day after day. If you start noticing sore and achy joints, this is a good sign it may be time to change those shoes for a new pair.
3. Where Are You Running? Finally, think about where you are running. Are you running primarily in open areas or are you running in forests and off-road trails? If it is essentially flat ground running you are doing; you may get a little more life out of your shoes compared to if you are running on terrain not as even. The support and stabilization of your shoe will be tested more in those scenarios, thus leading to faster wear and tear.
Keep these points in mind as you go about your workout sessions. Having a good pair of running shoes is vital to your success, so it is essential you do not overlook this critical element.
Although managing Type 2 diabetes can be very challenging, it is not a condition you must just live with. Make simple changes to your daily routine – include exercise to help lower both your blood sugar levels and your weight.
Why the Right Fit of Shoe Is Important
Chances are, you know your shoe size, or hopefully you know your shoe size. The correct shoe size is key to ultimate comfort for your feet. After all, you don’t want shoes that are too small or so big that the shoes easily slip off your feet.
However, you may not be able to find the right shoe for your foot going based on size alone. If you have abnormally shaped feet or feet that aren’t typical, you will know that simple size won’t ensure a comfortable fit. For instance, your feet may be narrow and “swim” in a standard size shoe or your foot is wide and need more width than a traditional shoe.
Besides comfort, why is the right shoe size important? Here are some reasons to not try and cram your foot into a cute flat or be content with wearing loose sneakers:
Constant, unpleasant wear. Aside from being uncomfortable to wear, improperly fitting shoes can also make walking unbearable and embarrassing. Always having to stop and get your foot back into the shoes or needing to constantly stop to rest your aching, swollen feet from tight-fitting shoes, makes walking around a chore. The constant worry about your shoes falling off or causing you discomfort can be embarrassing as well as keep you from enjoying the moment.
When your feet hurt, you are less motivated to use them, which can lower your desire and ability to exercise and take care of the rest of your body.
Increased risk of foot issues. Blisters aren’t fun and depending on the size and location, they can make moving around difficult. The excessive rubbing of loose-fitting shoes and the overly-tight confines of shoes with a small fit can cause additional foot issues such as corns, bunions and ingrown toenails. The foot problems not only hurt and cause discomfort, they can also make your feet look bad, enhancing some self-consciousness for some people.
Foot issues associated with ill-fitting shoes can also lead to back, hip, knee and ankle problems which can lead to decreased mobility and quality of life.
Things to Keep in Mind When Shoe Shopping
While shoe shopping may seem like a straight-forward event, it is worth being reminded that our feet do change over time. Feet specialists recommend getting your feet measured once a year. Certain life events such as having children and aging can make feet widen, lengthen or shorten. In many people, there is usually one foot that is longer than the other. When shopping for shoes, plan your trip later in the day when the swelling of your feet has gone down. It is estimated that one’s feet swells 10-15% during the course of the day, with the most swelling occurring in the middle day when you’re likely on your feet the most.
Different shoe manufacturers design and style their shoes differently. The fit of each pair of shoes can also be significantly different. It isn’t uncommon to fit one size in one brand of shoe and be a different size in another. It’s important to spend time trying on different shoes from manufacturers to get a feel for whether each pair is suitable for your feet.
Homemade Remedies for Asthma Treatment
Asthma, a very commonly seen lung disease, is characterized by the difficulty that the person feels during breathing. There are two types of asthma problem either acute or chronic. Asthma attack occurs when there is any obstruction in the passage of airflow in the lungs. An attack of asthma can be very serious for you and even prove to be fatal if the disease is chronic.
There can be many causes of asthma like allergies, environmental factors, genetics, smoke and tobacco, respiratory infections and certain medications. Symptoms of asthma may include Shortness of Breath or Losing your Breath Easily, Frequent Cough, Especially at Night, Feeling tired while doing any physical activity, wheezing and tightness in the chest.
There are many medical treatments are available for asthma. Certain medications may cause side effects. However, there are many simple homemade remedies which are very beneficial for an asthma patient. So, let us see some of the simplest and easiest home remedies that can help you in reducing asthma:
1. Ginger:
It is a well-known relaxant for asthma patients as it can reduce the inflammation in the airway. It gives you a relaxing effect, and prevent asthma attacks. Moreover, it can enhance the effects of certain asthma drugs and increase the relaxation of the muscles. Various methods to consume ginger are:
You can eat it raw by mixing it with salt.
Equal quantities of ginger juice, honey and pomegranate juice can be mixed and 1 tbsp of this mixture consumed thrice a day.
1 tsp. of ground ginger added to half cup of water can be consumed at bedtime.
2. Mustard Oil:
It is another good way of relaxing your respiratory tract. You must use mustard oil with a little amount of camphor and massage it gently on the chest and upper back to relieve the passages and restore normal breathing. It is especially beneficial during asthma attacks and can help in immediately subsiding the symptoms.
3. Coffee:
The caffeine content of the coffee acts as a dilator of the bronchial tissues and can help in clearing the air passage. Moreover, consuming hot coffee will ease the airway and help you in breathing properly. However, you should not consume more than 3 cups of strong coffee in a day as too much of caffeine intake is not good for health.
4. Garlic:
Using garlic can also help in clearing the air passage and help you breathe properly. For good results, you need to boil about 15 cloves of garlic in milk (one half cup) and then drink it once a day.
5. Honey:
The consumption of honey is considered to be one of the oldest home remedy for asthma. Even the smell of honey is known to have worked wonders for some people and it is highly recommended to try out honey if you’re having troubles with your breathing. Just mix 1 tsp of honey in a glass of water (hot) and drink it gradually. Repeat this at least three times a day for positive results.
3 Tips To Reaching Your Health and Fitness Goals With A Busy Lifestyle
Life
has this sneaky way of creeping in and throwing curve balls left and
right. Life will always happen. There will always be a busy day at work
or family problems or relationship highs and lows or sick children. Once
conflict arises, it seems like health and fitness routines go haywire.
We seek comfort food or we just don’t feel like moving. These are the
things that help us stay clear and balanced in both body and mind
though! So what do we do when conflict smacks us in the face (and it
happens to everyone so if you’re reading this – you’re not alone)?
Avoiding the conflict is not reasonable because we can’t always control
what comes at us. Figurine out how to navigate through any issues is
what needs to happen to stay on track. My philosophy is nourish, movement, mindset. If we
can work on nourishing our bodies, moving them mindfully and maintaining
a healthy attitude, we can function a little better day by day, week by
week, month by month and eventually get into the healthy habits on a
regular basis that we need to achieve total body balance. 1. Nourish.
Examples: Work
on portion control (without regard to food quality), add one colorful
food in at each meal, take 15 minutes to meal prep tomorrow’s healthy
food or omit your sugary after dinner snack (swap it out with a healthy
alternative). You could eat slowly and chew your food completely or
focus on balancing your meals so that you have protein, carbohydrate and
fat at each meal. Omitting processed foods at one to two meals per day
is also another great option. These are just some examples but it’s up
to you to figure out which little step you can take to improve your
nutrition. 2. Movement.
Get
unconventional. Maybe you don’t have time to get in a “workout”. Do what
you can with what you’ve got. Maybe you take the stairs that day
instead of the elevator. Park in the parking space furthest away from
the building (gasp!) to get some extra steps in. Stand up from your desk
and walk around for a minute every 15 or 20 minutes. Run around at the
playground with your kids. Movement doesn’t always have to be in the
form of a straight up 30 minute HIIT workout. It can be moving and
active – outside or inside. What are the ways that you could get in some
more movement? Move mindfully. Pay close attention to your body
and what it’s trying to tell you. Your body and energy levels will
fluctuate day by day so take advantage of more vigorous workouts when
you can and also add in active recovery, lighter workouts or even yoga
or stretching when necessary. 3. Mindset.
The most
important thing is to honor where you’re at. Only you know what you’re
capable of at this point in your life. Make sure the small steps you
take are 100% doable for you and your lifestyle. Small steps over time
can add up to big change.
Focus on one small thing at a time. Start simple and work from
there. Don’t expect to change your eating habits overnight. Small
changes executed day after day, week after week and so on can lead to
really big change. So pick one small nutrition action and practice it
for one to two weeks before adding in a new change.
Take advantage of the time that you DO have. Carve out space in the
small pockets of your time. We get fixated on time so often that we
don’t realize that a little is always better than nothing. For example,
it’s so easy to think that you have to do a workout for 30 minutes to 1
hour. Wouldn’t 15 minutes of that workout be better than nothing though?
The answer is yes! So squeeze in what you can, when you can.
Don’t give up. Don’t throw in the towel on eating right and moving
your body. It’s seems easy to take the “all or nothing” approach but
that’s not necessary. Something is always better than nothing.Don’t beat
yourself up! Life ebbs and flows for everyone. Take a look at where
you’re at right now and what you can make work right now.
12 Local Foods That Amazingly Boost Metabolism
January 8, 2019
health
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Metabolism is the chemical processes in the body that involves the break down of food substances into useful nutrients for the build up and repair of body cells and organs and their proper functioning. Apart from water which is known universally to be one of the essential components for excellent body functions, there are other foods good for boosting your metabolism.
1. Legumes
Legumes such as beans, peas and lentils contain proteins which takes longer to digest hence increasing the rate of metabolism. They are rich in fiber too, which helps in efficient digestion and absorption of nutrients into the body.
2. Nuts
Nuts are suitable antioxidants and thus help in bringing down sugar and fat levels in the body. They are rich in energy which keeps the body fueled up without eating much, and this leads to weight loss.
3. Berries
These are good in bringing down the much-loathed belly fat by burning huge calories and at the same time maintaining high energy levels. Berries are also known to be useful in fighting diabetes.
4. Citrus
Anybody can attest to the fact that fruits and especially citrus ones are fantastic for losing excessive weight. They are useful in digestion too and boosts the body metabolism to great lengths.
5. Seafood
Fish is very rich in omega-3 which is essential in the body for increasing metabolism and burning calories which is a suitable weight management mechanism.
6. Spinach
Spinach is one green vegetable known for its richness in iron which in turn boosts the amount of oxygen intake to body tissues through the blood.
7. Avocado
Avocado is rich in omega-3 and contains essential fats that increase the rate of metabolism in the body and keeping the body weight in check by lowering excessive sugars.
8. Spices
Although spices are not everyone’s darling, there are very good for burning calories and also aids in digestion thus boosting metabolism.
9. Chocolate
Chocolate is good in adding up energy levels and lowering the intake of unnecessary fats and sugars. It helps to reduce the body weight and increase metabolism.
10. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil unbelievably helps to lower unnecessary fats because it contains fatty acids which limit the accumulation of lipids and boosting the rate of metabolism in the body.
11. Vegetable Soup
Among the numerous benefits of veggie soup is the ability to aid the body in digestion and uptake of nutrients and boosting metabolism.
12. Green Tea
Green tea is useful in breaking down the excess glucose stored up in the body. It lowers calories and boosts metabolism too.