Category: Health

Drinking water has become something of a national obsession as consumers experience a constant barrage of advertisements. We hear persuasive arguments to imbibe upwards of 15 cups of the clear liquid every day. And few disagree that staying hydrated is generally good advice. But the following 5 surprising benefits of drinking more water prove persuasive.

1: Drinking Water Reduces Hangover Symptoms

Beer, wine, and liquor are all diuretics that can have a net-loss effect when drinking them. Alcohol inhibits the production of the hormone “vasopressin,” which helps regulate water secretion. In other words, the alcohol in your beer, wine, or mixed drink makes you pee more frequently.

After a few drinks, the water content in the human body declines, even though you’ve been taking in liquids. Water loss, among other reasons, contributes to the nasty headache and other hangover symptoms people suffer in the morning. Instead of taking two aspirin and blending up some secret elixir, drinking water can help take the edge off your hangover.

2: Drinking More Water Can Calm You Down

The average adult male’s body is comprised of 60 percent water and women come in about 55 percent. The brain ranks as the third-highest water consumer of the body’s organs and systems at 75 percent. It’s no coincidence that even the slightest dip in this bodily fluid results in a saintly individual becoming cranky.

After strenuous activity that involves sweating, do your friends and family members a favor and drink a solid 16 ounces. And if someone in your inner circle acts a tad edgy, don’t engage. Just hand them an ice-cold bottle of water and watch their mood change.

3: Drinking More Water Facilitates Weight Loss

The metabolism functions best when all the systems are in harmony, and there’s enough water to make them run. By contrast, dehydration or even a modest water reduction causes the body to go into distress mode. Essentially, it becomes sluggish and doesn’t burn calories at an optimal rate.

On another front, drinking more water often serves as a replacement for caloric beverages. It also makes you feel full and eat less. Studies show that 44 percent of people who drank 16 ounces of water before a meal lost weight.

4: Drinking More Water Helps Ease Constipation

People sometimes attribute being constipated to lack of fiber or succumbing to the fast-food drive-thru. While those may be good reasons for feeling bloated and stopped up, dehydration could also be a factor. Just as the brain is affected by water levels, so are the other systems. Some water aficionados claim that mineral water ranks among the best options to speed a bowel movement along.

5: Drinking More Water Protects & Cleanses Your Body

Studies indicate that drinking more water provides pronounced health benefits. Water carries nutrients and oxygen to your cells. When imbibing a healthy amount of H20 each day, the digestive system functions more efficiently. Research also points to reduced constipation, organ protection, and improved electrolyte balance. Water also helps your body flush bacteria through the bladder and that cleansing benefit helps you feel good.

The modern world conspires to make us slouch. We hunch our shoulders to use our phones. We droop in chairs while we labor at desks. We sprawl on sofas to watch TV.

Poor posture leads to spinal weakness, back and neck pain and even bad digestion. It isn’t easy to correct your posture in today’s world, but here are five steps to put you on the path to better body position and better health.

1. Stand Up Straight

You’ve heard this before, and you know you should, but that doesn’t make it easy. Ideally, if you look at yourself side-view in a mirror, your ankles, knees, hips and shoulders should line up. If they don’t, try this: build your posture from your feet up, starting with the feet pointed straight, hip-width apart. Align your knees over your ankles the best you can. Continue through your hips and shoulders as you’re able.

Some people say to pull your shoulders back. Instead, tighten your abdominal muscles, pulling up through your groin, and extend your back, and your shoulders will go back naturally.

2. Practice Healthy Sitting

For desk workers, sitting is unavoidable. Sit without leaning forward or to one side. Keep your feet flat on the floor, pointed forward, hip-width apart. Every few minutes, roll your hips forward and straighten your back. Describe a nice curve in your lumbar region. If you wear glasses, they should correct so that you comfortably read with your back straight.

Stand, stretch and walk occasionally. Consider a sitting alternative such as a knee chair or a sit-to-stand desk.

3. Practice Healthy Device Usage

Our phones may be responsible for more neck and back pain that any other modern invention. Visit any sidewalk and you’ll see people bent over as if their phones are tugging on them. Instead of bending to your phone, bring your phone to you. Look down at it by moving only your eyes and not your head. Again, the right prescription is critical for glasses-wearers.

Occasionally straighten up, extend your neck and look back overhead. You can also pivot your head and lean it left and right.

4. Be Active

Just about any exercise, from walking to dancing to sports, will improve your posture. Yoga, tai chi, Pilates and different strength and stretching exercises can work wonders. If you sit most of the day, learn some exercises you can do in your desk chair.

Try to maintain a healthy weight. Extra pounds work your abdominal muscles in a stressful way.

5. Remind Yourself To Straighten Up

Most people can stand or sit straight for a few minutes, but fewer can do it indefinitely. If you’re intent on a task in your chair, it’s easy to go an hour or more with slumped posture and not even notice.

Use reminders. Put a “Sit Up!” sticky note on your monitor. Set a recurring 10-minute timer on your phone or watch to beep and remind you. Be deliberate of posture as you sit down and stand up and when you go up or down stairs. Find a “posture buddy” to keep each other accountable.

While some pests may appear cute and cuddly, many of them can be harmful to our health. As there are several critters to be worried about, a few of the biggest culprits include cockroaches, mice, and ants. Chances are, you’ve probably seen some of these pests crawling around your home. While a few of them here and there usually isn’t a problem, frequent visits from these pests can be an issue—and even life-threatening.

In this post, we’ll discuss 5 ways pests can impact your health.

Asthma

If you have asthma, you probably notice pests more than the average person. Critters like cockroaches are known to trigger asthma symptoms, which can be a serious concern. You may have an allergy flare-up and have no idea why. The best course of action is to get rid of the cockroaches immediately.

The main reason cockroaches trigger asthma symptoms is that they carry around a protein called tropomyosin. This is known as a key trigger for allergies and asthma. Additionally, it’s important to note that any part of a cockroach can contain this protein, including saliva and waste.

Mosquito Viruses

A deadly virus from a mosquito is another serious health problem to consider. If you’ve ever been camping, on a lake trip, or near a pond, then you know a thing or two about mosquitoes. While you essentially don’t feel anything when they bite, you may feel the need to itch very soon. However, while the bites can be itchy and uncomfortable, they’re far better than the alternative.

Unfortunately, mosquitoes can carry and transmit a number of diseases. This includes West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and Zika Virus. These viruses can cause various symptoms, such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, skin rashes, and aching.

Vector-Borne Diseases

Mosquitos aren’t the only ones who carry dangerous, and sometimes deadly, diseases. In fact, there are several vector-borne diseases to consider, which are diseases that are carried and spread by different vectors. Ticks, rodents, and other animals are a few examples.

If you notice any of these critters flying or crawling around your home or business, you’ll want to do your best to eliminate them. EPA-registered pesticides and repellents may help.

Anaphylactic Shock

Have you ever been stung by a bee or another insect? If so, it probably wasn’t a very fun experience. While these strings usually do no serious harm, that isn’t the case for everyone. If you’re allergic to a pest’s venom, you could go into anaphylactic shock, which poses a life-threatening situation. If you or someone you know experiences this, call 911 immediately and use an epinephrine injector if prescribed.

Microbial Diseases and Infections

Did you know microorganisms can be pests, too? That’s right! Several different microorganisms and acellular particles are considered pests, including bacteria, viruses, prions, and protozoans. Unfortunately, these can cause serious infections and diseases. Given the seriousness of these microorganisms and acellular particles, households and businesses worldwide use EPA-registered antimicrobial pesticides for controlling these pests.

Pests can be annoying, destructive, and harmful to our health. To keep these pests at bay, make sure to clean your property frequently and use eco-friendly pesticides and repellents.

People shouldn’t need encouragement to do something so enjoyable, but far too many of us simply don’t take enough time to simply relax. Well, scientific studies have shown that relaxation is critically important to human beings.

Reasonable periods of relaxation give you an energy recharge and much, much more. So don’t let them call you a loafer for taking your much-needed and well-deserved downtime. If you value health and wellness, you absolutely owe it to yourself!

With that sentiment in mind, read on for an overview of five essential benefits of regular relaxation.

1. Improved Cardiovascular Health

People who live in a constant state of stress face a higher risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular issues. A relaxed individual has a slower heart rate which results in lower high blood pressure and better blood flow – two primary factors in the fight against heart disease. Relaxation is also a key component in the prevention of cardiovascular problems such as stroke. A recent study shows that individuals with the best stress coping mechanisms were 24% less likely to have a stroke.

2. Improved Mental Health

There seems to be no end to the number of mental health issues that proper relaxation can address. It seems as though we actually store negative emotions such as anger, fear, and frustration in our tensed muscles. In addition to releasing these tensions, relaxation optimizes the levels of brain hormones such as cortisol, serotonin, and dopamine to ward off anxiety and depression. Although we associate mental concentration with hard work rather than relaxation, studies have shown that relaxation actually improves our ability to focus on specific tasks.

3. Improves Digestion

Digestive system experts have determined that relaxation techniques have helped large numbers of patients with gastrointestinal disorders by managing irritability, pain, cramping, and bloating. Relaxation also aids in basic digestive system function by increasing the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals.

4. Better Immune Response

By reducing inflammation in all areas of your body, adequate relaxation can give your body’s immune system a vital boost. Excessive stress can lead to an unhealthy build-up of inflammation builder, which leaves you susceptible to colds, flues, and a broad range of infectious illnesses. When your immune response fails to keep pace with this build-up, you are bound to get sick.

5. Better Rest

You may think that taking more time to relax during the day would make it more difficult to get to sleep at night. This might seem logical, but the truth is very much the opposite. When you relax your body and mind, you can rid yourself of the nagging and distracting thoughts that might otherwise keep you awake when you’re ready to sleep. Furthermore, relaxation increases the production of the hormone melatonin, which helps you fall asleep quickly, sleep more soundly, and stay asleep longer.

Across the world, the average life expectancy is around 71 years for men and over 75 years for women. Because of these numbers, a lot of people expect that they’ll get to that age naturally without having to do anything extra. However, the people that live to that age and beyond almost all follow basic rules of longevity. There are a few key fundamentals that you must stick to if you want to live a long and healthy life, and here are the five most important ones. 

5. Hydration

Your body is made of water more than anything else, but yet, nearly half of Americans don’t get the daily recommended amount of water. You should make it a priority to get two to four liters of water per day, as the short and long term health benefits are never ending. Good hydration reduces your chances of certain types of cancers by up to 50 percent while also boosting your energy through the day, just to name a couple of the benefits. 

4. Mental Health

Mental health has thankfully moved to the forefront of the public eye and people are becoming more aware of their own mental health and those around them. It’s estimated that now 1 out of every 4 Americans have at least one mental disorder, and that’s just those that are diagnosed. If you feel like you may have a mental illness, it’s important to get help as soon as possible. This is because studies have shown that those with mental illness tend to live 10 to 20 years less than those that don’t.

3. Exercise

Many of us are tied to our desks for at least eight hours per day and then don’t have the mental or physical energy to fit in any exercise. Exercise should be placed into your everyday schedule, though. That’s because studies have shown those that get at least 7,000 steps in per day are likely to live much longer lives. Getting an hour in of brisk walking at the very least will manage your weight and help alleviate a multitude of health problems. 

2. Sleep

Due to the hustle and bustle of today’s world, a lot of people are sacrificing time in which they’d normally sleep to fit in other things. If you want to live a long and healthy life, though, it’s important to get the recommended amount of sleep. This is about 7 hours or more per night, which seems like a lot, but you shouldn’t scoff at that number. Those that get enough sleep greatly reduce their risk of heart disease, obesity, stroke and much, much more.

1. Nutrition

More and more, people are straying away from healthy and nutritional meals and opting for whatever is the fastest and cheapest. This has caused adverse health problems around the world, with the obesity rates in the United States alone climbing to around 42 percent in recent years. Because of this, life expectancy on average has essentially come to a standstill. Those that follow good nutritional habits, though, are seeing themselves live longer and longer. A good balance of vitamins, protein and good fats go a long way in your health.

Undoubtedly, yoga is one of the most popular forms of exercise in the world. Did you know that it is one of the oldest forms of exercise worldwide? It’s been around for thousands of years and is still incredibly popular today.

But you may not know that yoga is more than just a form of exercise, and it’s a lifestyle, a way of living that can profoundly impact your life.

Here are five unbelievable facts about yoga that you may not know:

Yoga can help improve your mental health

If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or stress, yoga can be an extremely effective way to help improve your mental health. Yoga helps to calm the mind and the nervous system, and it is incredibly effective in treating conditions like anxiety and depression.

Yoga can also help improve your mood and increase your energy and vitality levels. For example, If you’re struggling with insomnia or have difficulty sleeping, yoga can be an effective way to help you get the rest you need.

Yoga can help improve your physical health

Yoga can also have a positive impact on your physical health. Yoga can help to improve your flexibility, strength, and coordination, and it can also help to reduce pain levels and increase your range of motion.

Yoga is also a great way to improve cardiovascular health and can even help lower blood pressure. Yoga can be an effective exercise to help you burn calories and tone your body if you’re looking to lose weight.

Yoga can help you live a more meaningful and fulfilling life

If you feel like you’re not living a fulfilling or meaningful life, yoga can help. Yoga helps you to connect with yourself on a deeper level and can be a powerful tool for self-discovery. It will also help you to find inner peace and contentment.

Yoga can also help you to develop a more positive outlook on life and to cultivate gratitude.

Yoga can help you to let go of negative emotions

If you’re struggling with negative emotions like anger, resentment, or jealousy, yoga can help you to let go of these feelings and move on. Yoga helps release pent-up emotions and can be therapeutic for anyone dealing with emotional trauma.

By practicing yoga, you’ll learn how to better deal with difficult emotions and let go of negativity.

Yoga can help you connect with your spiritual side

If you’re seeking a deeper connection with yourself or looking for a way to connect with a higher power, yoga can help. Yoga is a spiritual practice that can help you to connect with your true self and develop a strong sense of inner peace.

Wrapping Up

These are just five of the many unbelievable facts about yoga. Yoga is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a way to improve your physical, mental, and emotional health. Give it a try today! You might be surprised at how much it can benefit you.

Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of three, allowing your belly to fill up with air. Now, exhale through your mouth, drawing your breath out for another three seconds.

You’ve just taken a deep breath. Not a big deal, right? What you might not realize, though, is that deep breathing and other types of breathing exercises can be extremely beneficial to your overall health and wellness. In fact, there are a few surprising benefits of breathing exercises that might make you want to work deep breathing into your daily routine.

Lower Blood Pressure

If you experience high blood pressure, deep breathing exercises may be able to help. This is especially true if your elevated blood pressure seems to stem from anxiety. In a 2019 study in Complimentary Therapy Medicine, researchers discovered that participants who participated in breathing exercises were able to slightly reduce their blood pressure. While you should always consult with your doctor to figure out the best treatment for your high blood pressure, engaging in daily deep breathing exercises may be able to help.

Relief From Headaches

If you suffer from chronic headaches or migraines, you should certainly consult with your physician. However, if your headaches/migraines are being caused by tension, there is a chance that deep breathing exercises could help. Specifically, breathing exercises encourage the body to relax, which causes a reduction in the muscle tension that can cause headaches in the first place.

Improved Digestion

Having digestive issues, such as ongoing constipation or diarrhea? Believe it or not, deep breathing exercises may be able to relieve some of your symptoms. That’s because when you engage in deep breathing, you are actually exercising the diaphragm. When done regularly, this can help to relieve tension within the digestive tract itself. In some cases, this can help relieve symptoms of GERD, IBS, and similar digestive conditions.

Better Sleep

Trouble sleeping? You’re not alone. In fact, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association, 70% of adults in the United States report that they struggle to sleep at least once per month. By engaging in deep breathing exercises before bed, you can create a signal for your body and mind to calm down and relax. This can make it possible to fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep more soundly. You may not notice instant results, but if you keep up with deep breathing before bed, you will likely find success before long.

Get Started With Breathing Exercises Today

These are just a handful of some of the lesser known benefits of deep breathing and breathing exercises. The key is to find a breathing exercise that works best for your needs and to incorporate it consistently into your schedule. From there, you’ll be able to maximize the benefits. And remember, it only takes a couple minutes of your time to engage in most breathing exercises—so this is something you can do to improve your health and wellness even if you don’t have a lot of time to spare.

Whether you’re a health and fitness guru or you simply feel better when you eat a high-protein diet, it can be tough to get the protein you need to support a healthy lifestyle and metabolism. Here, we’ll check out some ways that you can sneak protein into your diet–without constantly loading up on tuna and chicken.

1. Load up on ricotta.

This creamy staple of Italian cuisine packs a surprisingly high protein punch. A half cup of part-skim ricotta (the perfect amount to enjoy in lasagna, on top of toast, or on another kind of protein with a sprinkle of fresh basil) adds 14 grams of protein to your diet. If you’re looking to add a touch of decadence to pasta sauce or soup, stir in a healthy amount of ricotta instead of heavy cream–you’ll love the way the extra protein makes you feel, and your family will be none the wiser that you gave them a healthier option.

2. Add yogurt to your morning.

It can be easier to add items to your diet instead of taking them away when you’re working to load up on the protein. There’s no need to change your current breakfast–enjoy what you already enjoy, plus a side of Greek yogurt. A single serving can add 18 grams of protein to your morning, helping you stay satiated through lunch. If you already enjoy fruit as a part of your breakfast, try dipping it into your Greek yogurt for a delicious way to get the protein you need. Prefer to drink your breakfast? Add a scoop of Greek yogurt to your morning smoothie for protein on the go.

3. Choose quinoa for your evening grain.

It’s comforting to have a warm bowl of rice or pasta in the evening, but tagging quinoa into your dinner game can help you get the protein you want, without sacrificing comfort or flavor. A bowl of quinoa has about eight grams of protein per cup. If your dinner includes meat or another protein (like beans), using quinoa as a base can help you get the high-protein dinner you need to support a good night’s rest.

4. Don’t forget about shakes.

We know–protein shakes don’t have the best reputation for being tasty, but it’s easy to sneak a scoop into your morning smoothie or bowl of oatmeal. If you’ve tried protein shakes before and haven’t been a fan, trying a different type of protein (like whey, soy, or pea) may provide you with the consistency that you prefer and a taste that you’ll love. If you find that protein powder bothers your stomach, start with half a scoop added to your breakfast and work your way up to a full scoop.