General Health Articles

Recharging our Body Naturally

Energy and power drinks are a common way of boosting our energy levels after a long day at work or a grueling workout. These are quick fixes that don't provide any real solutions to long term problems. You end up relying on energy foods each time you end up feeling exhausted.

A drop in your energy levels should not be ignored. It does not only leave your body feeling weak but it can also affect your psychological well being. Fatigue increases your stress levels which affects the quality of work and relationships.

Rather than relying on over the counter energy foods and drinks, energy boosting Superfoods can be a more reliable option. What it gives you is a steady source of energy to power your body throughout the day.

Negative Effects of Fatigue

The brain sends different signals when it feels the body is experiencing fatigue. It is manifested both physically and mentally.

•  Sleepiness
• Poor concentration
• Stress
• Decreased coordination
• Irritation
• Slow reaction time
• Poor judgment

Fatigue and Poor Sleeping Habits

The incident of fatigue increases with aging. This is natural but could be minimized with the right amount of sleep and diet. Sleep allows the body to repair itself and stock itself with energy. A healthy diet provides the fuel for repairing and restoring energy levels during sleep.

Energy Boosting Superfoods

Spirulina Powder

Spirulina is power packed with nutrients. It is rich in iron, magnesium, B12 and protein. All of these are needed for giving your body a steady supply of energy daily. Having Spirulina in its powder form makes it easy for you to mix this with fruit or vegetable juice. It could also be used in shakes, salad dressing and soups.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil contains MCTs (multi-chain triglycerides), fats that are actually good for your health. These are easier to digest and could be easily converted for providing energy. Coconut oil is a flexible ingredient and can be used for baking and raw food recipes.

Cacao Powder

Cacao powder is a good substitute for those with sweet cravings. It helps satiates your cravings without the bad fats contained in common sweet delights. Cacao is rich in iron and magnesium that are essential for producing energy. It can also give that “sugar rush” to help elevate your mood. But just like its other sweet counterparts, too much cacao can be unhealthy.

Chia Seeds

Keep your energy levels charged up with Chia seeds. It helps sustain your body's batteries to give you that extra energy. Chia seeds are loaded with calcium, magnesium, iron and good fats (omega 3). Chia seeds may appear small in stature but could easily double up when ingested helping you feel fuller.

Maca

Coffee has a natural effect of stimulating the brain and revitalizing the body. But for people searching for a healthier alternative, Maca has been proven to be quite as effective in providing a natural boost. It stimulates the production of energy to replace lost reserves.

Lifestyle Changes

Aside from eating a healthier diet there are simple lifestyle changes that could reinforce the change in eating habits. Maximize your energy levels by following these lifestyle changes.

• The Numbers Game : you may not be aware that some foods actually require more energy to burn than what they give. Instead of feeling refreshed after a meal, you might actually feel tired and lethargic. Switch to unprocessed or whole foods and back this up with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and protein.
• Stick to an Eating plan : we may not have the same working schedule. Some people's working day start much, much earlier while others start in the evening. Develop an eating schedule that covers the three major meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner). These can be customized according to your workday. Try eating meals at 3-4 hours to provide enough energy and keep you focused.
• Avoid Quick Fixes : minimize your coffee, energy bars and drinks consumption and consider these as a last resort. Switch to healthier options like dried fruits, vegetable salads and nuts. These contain the same amount of energy without the added poundage.
• Hydration : liquids are lost as we try to keep our body's internal temperature cool. 2 liters of water a day is recommended. Make this healthier by adding fruit juices into the mix.
• Exercise regularly : regular physical activities keeps your mind and body prepared for any emergency. It keeps your mind and body fit and ensures that is ready for a grueling day at work.

Diet Supplement Overdose, A Case of Being Too Healthy

The lifestyle of people of the past and the present makes a big subject for comparison, and if we are to list them all, we may just be surprised of how huge are the differences. There might be no point to compare it all because the times have passed and even the lifespan of today's generation have gone shorter.

Nowadays. Almost everything from bottled water to your regular oatmeal are fortified with vitamins and minerals. They read nice in the label, a reason you are likely buying it. Covering the nutritional elements you are not getting from the food you eat usually sounds promising, and you get more of them thinking it will provide positive effects for your health.

On the other-hand have you ever thought of the consequences of getting overboard with these vitamins and minerals? Yes, if you might not aware, there is such a thing as overdose in vitamins and minerals. It is called hypervitaminosis that is synonymous to vitamin poisoning. The bad news is, can hurt you if you will not be watchful.

Balanced or Overdosed?

We are very familiar with the word balanced. There is balanced diet, because we need to have balanced nutritional intake for our body to function properly. When it comes to vitamins and minerals, more of a single vitamin and deficiency of another is never better, the same in having more than what you need for your daily requirements.

What Happens When You Get Too Much?

Listed are a few of common vitamins that people take as dietary supplement, or a product of single type of food included in daily meals.

Vitamin A. Vitamin A is good for eyesight, bone metabolism, cellular health, and immunity function. But going over? This is what happens.

• Coarse bone growths
• Hair loss
• Skin dryness and peeling
• Liver problems
• Discoloration of the skin.

Important: For Vitamin A, a healthy adult aging 19+ only need 3000 µg or 10,000 IU of daily value.

Vitamin D. The sunshine-vitamin also has adverse effect when you get too much of it. What are they?

• Vomiting
• Decreased appetite
• Irritability
• Constipation
• Stress and fatigue
• Muscle weakness

Important: For Vitamin D, 250 µg (10,000 IU) per day is recommended for safe intake levels.

Omega-3. Many people get their dose of Omega-3 for its anti-inflammatory properties. People of old age especially those who are allowed to eat only on fish can have a risk for Omega-3 overdose. What happens when Omega-3 is too much?

• Increased risk of bleeding.
• Increase in blood cholesterol.
• Blood clotting.

In case of Omega-3, people who are taking blood thinners or aspirin are warned not to take it. On the other-hand for normal consumers and those suffering from joint-related diseases, it is hard to reach the upper limit. It is difficult to over dose on Omega-3 among other supplements.

Important: For healthy intake, women need 1,100 milligrams of Omega-3 daily while men need 1,600 milligrams. For children and lactating women, the required amount also vary

Other nutrients to watch out are Calcium, Folic Acid, and Vitamin B.

.What You Need to Do to Avoid Vitamin Overdose?

1. Watch your plate. Balanced diet is all about getting what you only need, if you eat food rich in Vitamin A today, you might just need to skip taking the supplement.
2. Check your dosage. Before taking vitamins, it would be helpful if you know how much you need according to your age and health condition. Ask your doctor if you have special health cases.

Our health is all what we get and we have to protect it as we can. Remember that being sensitive to the nutritional needs of your body pays positively.

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How to Improve Sleep Quality

The average American is said to only sleep for 6.9 hours a night. And this is below the recommended length of hour that an adult should sleep. And due to this, when all shortened sleep hours accumulate, tendency is, it can have this big effect to the person both in emotional and physical aspects of his or her being.

The result of sleep deprivation due to several factors can be result to several things such can be summarized into four:

1.       Reaction time against things and happenings  is slower 2.       Blood pressure rises 3.       Bingeing, eating more than necessary happens 4.       Diabetes and obesity risk rises

Reasons for Sleep Problems/Disruptions

To be able to remedy sleep problems, it is valuable to learn of the things that may cause it. Each of us may have different reasons or factors that can cause sleeplessness or low quality sleep.

Sleep quality can be affected by lifestyle, your diet, your stressors and your sleeping environment. Trying to remedy and understand these factors may help in improving your sleep quality after.

Some Tips to Sleep Soundly

1. Avoid watching TV. Television shows may cause excitement on you which may cause you to have difficulty in falling asleep later. Instead, read a book. Put away all your gadgets and no internet in bed.
2. Avoid caffeine 6 Hours Before you Sleep. Caffeine may perk you up for the day but it can also cause you to have a disrupted sleep at night. So keep it in the morning and avoid it in the afternoon.
3. Make Your Sleeping environment conducive to sleeping. When you sleep, keep your bed as comfortable as possible. Keep your pillows and sheets clean. Let your room not be too warm or too cold. Turn off the lights r simply dim it if you don't want it dark.
4. Meditate. Breathe in breath out. A couple of yoga poses will help you.
5. Shower before you sleep. Warm ones, not too hot or too cold. Keep it warm to loosen muscles and add up some light scents if you soak in a tub. Don't use over powering scents, it may cause your brains to go haywire.
6. End exercise an hour before. Ending an exercise right before you sleep might not be a good idea. After exercise, your adrenaline is still pumping making you too hyped up. S insated, do it with ample time for your body to settle, then take a warm bath and settle down to sleep.
7. Don't drink alcohol. Alcohol may be inducing a sedative effect early in the night, but once it wears off during midnight or during early in the morning, fragmented sleep can happen which may cause excessive daytime sleepiness.
8. Sleep when you're sleepy or tired. OD not put off sleep nor force yourself to sleep. Do some worthwhile yet light things if you can't sleep yet.
9. Sleep at the same hour every night. Sleeping at the same hour overnight helps your body establish a pattern. Since it has been familiar with your system, your body will just voluntarily do it after.
10. Don't nap in the afternoon. Napping in the afternoon can rob you your sleep at night. And it will be a cycle after.
11. Having some supplement that can aid in your sleep. But better choose it wisely. By supplement, I don't mean sleep inducing pills but supplements such as Vitamin D, magnesium, Vitamin B and Omega-3.
12. Avoid stressing yourself out. Constant and chronic stress may not only affect you mentally but it can disrupt your daily function, say your sleep. Instead, solve your problems for the day or if you have worries at work leave it there. Managing stress can be hard at first but managing it effectively can give you ample sleep later.

A sleep diary or journal can help you track down your sleeping pattern. It can help you jumpstart your goal of improving your sleep quality. And also, make sure you eat well, balanced food. Avoid unhealthy ones and bank on fruits and vegetables.

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

Kick that Bad Habit!

From overeating to watching too much TV, there's really only one way to break a bad habit : make a plan!

Unfortunately what may work for one person, may not work for another.  So here are some ways to break some of the most popular bad habits.  Hopefully it works for you!

Watching too much TV. : Studies show that ptoeople watch an average of 4 hours of television each day and these studies also show that excessive TV. watching can be linked to developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  Here are some ways to avoid watching too much TV: only watch when there is something specific you want to see, do chores during commercials, make a list of things you need to accomplish before sitting down to watch TV, and create a TV-watching plan and stick to it.

Drinking too much alcohol. : Tired of being hung over and sluggish? Then you should do everything you can to cut back on drinking too much alcohol.  To cut back try these tips: drink one glass of water for every alcoholic drink you have, drink only when you are having a meal, or try drinking something that looks like an alcoholic drink, like rootbeer or a drink with a slice of fruit in it.

Smoking. : While this may be one of the hardest habits to break, it's still possible as many, many people do it every year. The best plan is to talk things over with your doctor because they can offer the best cessation treatment for you.  But some other approaches that you may consider include: hypnotherapy, exercise or electronic cigarettes.

Nail biting. : Because most nail biting habits are linked to anxiety, stress, or nervousness, your plan should start with creating a relaxation plan.  Think about what makes you bite your nails before you start.  When you get the urge to bite your nails or catch yourself in the act, do something with your hands : garden, cook, play with your kids or pets, clean or do the dishes.  Do something that takes your mind off of biting your nails.

Overeating. : No matter how hard you try to cut calories, it still seems like sometimes the cravings are still there.  Experts say that sometimes it is best to give into those cravings.  When people do give into their cravings every once in awhile they have a better chance of losing weight and keeping it off, than those who ignore their cravings and avoid certain foods.  Experts also advise that if you can avoid nighttime eating that you will be well on your way to prevent overeating as well.

Not flossing. : Not flossing your teeth increases your risk of gum disease, as well as contributing to heart disease, still only half of Americans floss their teeth every day.  To make sure that you are flossing every day try these tips: keep your floss in your shower so that you are already in “cleaning” mode when you see it, keep your floss on your nightstand to remind yourself to floss before you go to bed, or keep your floss in clear view of some place where you will see it each and every day.

Treating Sunburns Gently and Naturally

It's that time of the year again when the days are longer and the sun seems to shine a little bit brighter. But along with these hot and sunny days comes a common problem, sunburn. We always say that too much of a good thing is bad and when it comes to sun exposure, exposing ourselves for long periods under the sun could certainly do more harm than good.

We often make the mistake of only wearing sunscreen during our forays to the beach or strolls in the park. But the truth is that even when we are driving or just walking a few blocks to the office also leaves us susceptible to sunburns. It all starts with a noticeable darkening of the skin and before you know it skin areas have reddened or painful to the slightest of touches.

Sunburns are the result of overexposure to the sun's radiation or UV rays. But this does not only cause sunburns, it can also cause skin cancer. UV rays do not only damage the skin but could also damage our DNA.  The result is the production of abnormal skin cells that can lead to skin cancer.

Simple ways of treating sunburns includes applying anything wet or cool to soothe the skin. Cells might have lost their fluid content leaving them dry and damaged. Taking in anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen is also recommended.

Foods rich with anti-oxidants helps fight free radicals and prevent skin cancer. Soaking towels with water is an easy way of treating sunburns. It immediately relieves pain by soothing and cooling damaged skin areas. Drinking water also helps restore lost fluids and skin moisture.

Aloe vera has long been used as a treatment for sunburn. This could be used in the form of creams and gels or by using the plant's extract directly.  Aloe vera is not only an excellent first aid treatment it also helps in the healing process. It promotes natural healing and speeds up healing time. This has been proved by medical studies and is highly recommended by medical professionals.

Sun block is not only perfect for preventing sunburns. It could also be used as treatment. Sun blocks contain moisturizers that could help cool and restore lost fluid in the skin. Just be sure to use sun blocks that are fragrance- free or do not contain chemicals. The skin's naturally protection has been compromised leaving it sensitive to chemicals.

Another natural way of treating sunburns is by applying oatmeal to the skin. Oatmeal has long been used as a natural treatment for many skin diseases including chicken pox. It soothes the skin, reduces pain and itchiness. Oatmeal is also a great antioxidant, natural anti-inflammatory agent and is safe to use during bathing.

One interesting way of naturally treating sun burns is by using black tea. Yes, you could simply reach out for your tea bag to instantly heal your burned skin and reduce redness. To make this more effective, chill the bag before using it on your skin. The anti-oxidants are also great for helping restore your skin's health.

Many of the natural skin beauty treatments could also be used for sun burns. Because these are natural, they don't contain any chemicals that could harm your skin. Cucumbers for example are not only great for treating tired eyes but could also be used as a first aid treatment for sun burns. It is even more effective if chilled. Slices could be applied directly over the skin to immediately soothe and reduce pain.

Potatoes could be also be used for sun burns. Cold potatoes can reduce skin heat and its covering is said to prevent infection.

If you don't have any of these readily available, you just might have a carton of milk stored conveniently in your ref. You could use this in lieu of water for your cold compress. It's a natural way of relieving pain and itchiness. Simply soak cloth in a bowl of milk with ice cubes. You could also use yogurt as a substitute for milk.

Why go the trouble of treating sun burns when the best treatment is prevention. But just in case you find yourself with a nasty sun burn, these natural treatments could go a long way in alleviating the pain and itchiness without further damaging your skin.

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