How to Be Responsible For Your Confidence

If you are someone who struggles with confidence, you are not alone. This at the very least should make you feel a little better, but it’s not enough to truly change your perspective and find that confidence you’ve always wanted. Too many people look for this confidence in other places. They expect friends and family to be the sole source of their confidence. While you can get some from those closest to you, it is your responsibility to boost your confidence, and here are three ways to do that. 

Get More Organized 

People who are constantly at sixes and sevens will never feel truly confident. They are not organized enough to feel properly prepared for anything in life, and this means they will never feel at ease with themselves. One of the key elements of confidence is to be prepared, as this allows you to finish what you started no matter how tricky it seems. 

If you struggle with organization, you need to make significant changes. Rather than wait until the last second to do something, start as early as possible, even if you only get everything ready at first. This can be going to work, carrying out presentations, or going on vacation. The more prepared and organized you are, the less stressed you will be, and this will immediately benefit your confidence. 

Know Your Faults 

We all have faults; there is no getting past that. But, the word ‘faults’ makes it sound like a bad thing. Sometimes, it can be, especially with bad habits. However, other parts of you are not ‘faults’ but are still something you want to change. 

These faults could include not being in the best shape of your life, or it could be wonky teeth. You need to find solutions to these, such as a fitness plan and invisible aligners if you want to feel more confident. It’s no good to have people tell you you’re perfect when you don’t believe them yourself, but you, and only you, can make the positive changes you crave. 

Put Yourself Out There More Often 

Whether for dating, seeing friends, or having new experiences, there are plenty of ways to put yourself out there more regularly. Doing so will prevent you from being scared to try new things, and it can introduce you to things in life you’d otherwise miss. 

But, those low on confidence will have a hard time pushing themselves to do this. As you are responsible for your confidence, though, you need to try. You can bring a friend along for moral support, but you mustn’t rely on them as a crutch for whatever you do. 

Owning This

At first, this new-found confidence will feel awkward, like you’re walking around inside someone else’s skin. However, understand that this is entirely normal, and soon enough, this strange skin will feel more familiar than your old one. With this coincidence, you’ll see how much your life changes and the different opportunities that open up for you, giving you a brand new lease on life. 

 

Moving Tips for Anyone Who’s Relocating Overseas

Moving to a new home can be a stressful process at the best of times, but if you’re relocating to a destination overseas, it can be even more challenging. Fortunately, these top moving tips will help you to streamline the process and make your international relocation easier than ever:

Research Your Destination

If you’ve handpicked your destination, there’s a good chance you’ll have already done a lot of research. However, if you’re relocating for work reasons or to be closer to family, you might not have spent a lot of time researching the actual location. If so, now is the time to do so. Pay close attention to road and transport networks, as you’ll be reliant on these when it comes to moving your belongings from one location to another. 

Plan Ahead

Moving is always easier if you give yourself lots of time to prepare, but, when you’re relocating overseas, it’s particularly important to plan ahead. After all, it can take far longer to move your belongings into your new home, so you’ll want to ensure that you won’t have to wait too long for everything to arrive. In fact, by planning ahead, you could even arrange to have your belongings shipped in advance so that they’re waiting for you upon your arrival. 

Look at Shipping Options

If you’re planning an international location, you’ll need to consider whether air or sea freight is most suited to your needs. As air freight can be so expensive, transporting your belongings via sea and road can be an efficient and cost-effective way to move them. With full truckload shipping, for example, you can get exclusive use of a shipping truck, which means you’re likely to fit all of your belongings in just one vehicle. Combining with the use of shipping containers, this can be a stress-free way to manage your overseas relocation. 

Pexels – CCO Licence

Use Robust Packing Materials

If your packing materials fail, it increases the likelihood of breakages. When you’re transporting your belongings from one country to another, it’s essential to use robust packing materials, such as moving boxes, crates, or plastic containers. These can be secured while in transit and are unlikely to succumb to damage en route. 

Consider Renting Storage

If you aren’t sure what to take with you when you move or you’re only relocating temporarily, hiring a storage unit can be a savvy way to keep hold of your possessions. Often available at a low cost, you can ensure that your belongings are kept in a secure location until you return or decide to have them shipped to your new home. 

Planning a Relocation

Although planning an overseas relocation can be tricky, there’s no doubt it’s an exciting process too. By getting specialist advice, working with experienced international freight companies, and planning ahead, you can successfully streamline the relocation process. When you aren’t worried about packing at the last minute or paying extra for shipping costs, you can focus on your new adventure and look forward to arriving at your new home. 

 

When You’re Struggling with Weight Loss

Losing weight is hard, which is why I’ve put together a few tips to help those of you who are currently struggling with the process, it’s okay to struggle, but don’t give up, you can do this!

Get some therapy

Often, eating isn’t about food at all, it’s about emotions, and if you are someone who uses food as a crutch to handle tough emotions, you are always going to struggle with your weight if you don’t acknowledge, process, and come to terms with those feelings. A good therapist can help you with that, but if you can’t afford or aren’t ready to see one, sitting down and really assessing your issues can help too.

Identify your triggers

A lot of people who overeat have a trigger that causes them to do so. For example, they may reach for a chocolate bar when they’re feeling stressed, drink a coke when they’re tired, or hit Mcdonald’s when they want to celebrate. If you can identify these triggers, whatever they may be, you can think of healthier replacement activities such as hanging out with a friend getting a manicure, or meditating, to replace the foods with, and this should help you to get back on track and start losing some serious weight.

Consider surgery

If you are currently obese, you will find it much more difficult to lose weight and keep it off than someone who only has a few pounds to lose, and actually, studies have shown that weight loss surgery, like that offered at drmjaber.com.au, is the most reliable and realistic way for you to lose weight. These days, there is no shame in getting the help you need, and if it enables you to lose weight, stay healthy and transform your life, it has to be worth considering.

Eat more protein

If you’re struggling to lose weight because you always feel hungry, one thing that can really help is reducing the carbs on your plate and replacing them with more lean protein. Protein is far more satiating than carbs and unlike carbs it won’t spike your blood sugar and make you feel ravenous again an hour after eating. So, although you don’t need to give carbs up completely, readjusting the balance of carbs/proteins on your planet could be a smart move.

Try fasting

The idea of fasting scares a lot of people, but numerous studies have shown it can be beneficial for losing weight, lowering blood pressure, and reversing symptoms of diabetes, Thee are numerous ways to do it but the most popular are 16:8 where you eat within an 8-hour window and then fast for 156 hours each day, and 5:2 where you eat normally 5 days per week, but only have around 500-650 calories on the other 2 days. Eating this way not only reduces your calorific intake but also makes it easier for your body to burn fat. After a couple of weeks, it feels completely natural and you will rarely feel hu7ngry when fasting, so there is nothing to be scared about.

Good luck with your future weight loss.

4 Reasons Recovery Is the Most Important Thing About Exercise

While we’re always told to get regular exercise, we don’t always show how much about the importance of rest and recovery. Rest is just as important as exercise. And if you are undertaking a strenuous exercise routine, it is pivotal. It allows your body to repair and recover. Because if you skip these rest days, you will soon face burnout. So let’s show you some of the benefits of taking regular rest days, and how you can do them right.

It Reduces Risk of Injury

If you drop form during an exercise, you could cause yourself a significant injury. This is especially true when it comes to running. We can get into the zone when it comes to running, but this means that we aren’t paying attention to our bodies. While any ankle and foot clinic will preach a lot about it, it’s beneficial for you to reduce the risk of injuries that can impact your life many decades from now. When it comes to running, many people find that their knees and ankles give in. This is why when you start any form of exercise that you focus on form first and foremost.

It Prevents Muscle Fatigue

Exercise will deplete the glycogen levels in your muscles. If you don’t replace these, you will get soreness and muscle fatigue. Your muscles require glycogen to function, even when you’re not exercising. And this means that you need to get adequate rest. One of the best ways to replenish your glycogen stores is to eat a good quality carbohydrate as soon as you finish working out, such as sweet potatoes.

It Improves Your Performance

You will know if you haven’t got enough rest. Because the next time you go back to the gym or start running, your performance won’t be as good as it was. And when you start to get like this, you may lose some motivation. It’s important to remember that you may push yourself, but over-training will decrease your performance over time. It decreases your endurance, makes your reaction times sluggish, but makes you less agile. By resting properly to improve your performance, you need to have an adequate amount of protein to increase your strength gains. Usually, this is approximately 1 gram of protein per 1 lb of body weight.

It Improves Your Sleep

Exercise is excellent for sleep, but if you don’t get the had a good sleep, your hormones could go out of balance. Because physical activity boosts cortisol and adrenaline, if you over-exercise, this can overproduce these hormones, which will impact your ability to get to sleep, meaning that you will feel like you are running on empty. If you are someone that struggles to get to sleep to come out especially if you are exercising a lot, this could be a sign of overtraining. But it could very well be that you are training too close to bedtime. Make sure that you exercise at least 4 hours before bedtime, but make sure that you eat at least 2 hours before you hit the hay.

Signs You’re Running On Empty

In today’s world, people seem to see business and stress as some kind of a badge of honor. But it shouldn’t be. We shouldn’t wait until we’re at the edge of physical and mental exhaustion before we take a break. 

It’s important for our mental and physical health that we look after ourselves. You might not think you’re tired because you don’t have a super stressful job, or have anything to really worry about. But the fact is, just having to be constantly switched on almost 24/7 takes its toll. It might be less easy to anticipate that being constantly stressed or your mental health is suffering, but it can still happen. 

Your skin is suffering

Skin is often a great insight into overall health.  If you’re starting to get run down, it can react by breaking out into spots, or going completely in the other direction and becoming dry and flaky. You might find you’re getting more cold sores or mouth ulcers and find yourself needing ulcer cream to treat them. Either way, it’s not ideal and can really dent your confidence. 

You’re moody

If find yourself with a shorter fuse than usual, or a bit weepy, then your tiredness is having an effect on your mood. If you feel that it is more than a simple case of burning the candle at both ends, speak to a professional that can help you. Mood swings can really cause issues with friends and loved ones if they persist. 

Your digestion is all over the place 

Tiredness and stress can cause all sorts of problems with your stomach. If you already live with IBS or a similar condition, it can exacerbate them. More often than not, it will manifest as indigestion, bloating, or issues going to the toilet. Not ideal. 

You can’t stabilize your weight

Lack of sleep and too many stress hormones can throw our metabolism out of whack. Add to that you’re probably not taking the time to eat properly, you’ll find yourself putting on a few unwanted pounds, or losing them through lack of proper nutrition. 

What can you do to slow down? 

Not everyone has the luxury of just being able to take a complete break from everything (but if you do, take it). Some time away on vacation can work wonders, but only if you completely relax.  Find ways to take any stress or responsibility out of your life. Have you volunteered for too many things? Spend far too much time doomscrolling on social media? The answer is usually different for everyone. Some overworked people choose to hire in help for things like cleaning and gardening so that their free time isn’t spent on chores. For others, hiring a childminder a few times a week can take the pressure off 24/7 childcare and allow them to concentrate on themselves or other tasks they aren’t getting done. 

Don’t feel guilty about trying to reduce your life workload. If it makes you a happier and less stressed person, that’s a good thing. 

The Green Questions You’re Too Afraid To Ask

There is green living and green life. While we tend to assume these are the same, there are some non-negligible differences. Typically, you would describe your living habits as your lifestyle. On the other hand, when it comes to long-term commitment and our interactions with all sorts of factors that can influence your choices and your path, this is what you call life. Why is it important to make the distinction? 

Most of us understand the need for an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. We appreciate that we have to make choices to put the planet first because there won’t be anything left for the future generations otherwise. Adopting a green lifestyle can be as effortless as you want it to be. Switching from a green energy supplier, for instance, doesn’t compromise your energy supply, but ensures that you can carry on using your devices without damaging the planet. Indeed, you are in full control of your lifestyle choices, so you can make the changes you want and need. But not everything in life is within our control. 

Can I make my funeral eco-friendly?

It’s an uncomfortable topic. But when you think about it, death is by far one of human’s least sustainable customs. The proof is we can still find artifacts that date back from hundreds or thousands of years ago in the ancient burial sites. Sure, we call it history. Environmentalists would argue that our relationship to death isn’t environmentally-friendly. Can you make your passing greener for the planet? It’s a topic that is worth discussing with professionals. The team at Phillip Stephens Funeral Home is experienced in answering many questions from individuals who are worried about organising their passing in the best possible manner. They understand that the grief process can stand in the way of eco-friendly choices. 

Are green weddings still enjoyable?

Your wedding day is often a dream come true. How many of us have a clear image of what they want from their big day, down to the dress and the music? There are some options to make your wedding more sustainable. However, couples can find it tricky to have a fully ethical wedding. Once you accept it, you can focus on the choices that will make a long-term difference. Easily accessible locations, for instance, can reduce travel impacts. Yet, that can be stressful for international families! You can also opt for an eco-friendly menu. However, you need to consider dietary restrictions from your guests! The bottom line: Eco-conscious weddings are growing in popularity. We can gradually expect more green services to become available. 

Can I be a green parent?

Every parent begins their journey with green intentions. But as a parent, you need to be realistic. Raising eco-friendly kids is no easy task. Parenthood can be exhausting and stressful, so you have to be kind to yourself too. Sometimes, it’s more convenient to buy a less environmentally-friendly product because, in the long term, it’ll preserve your sanity. Green parenting is not always achievable, but you can still make eco-conscious choices. 

Is green sustainable in the long term? In theory, eco-friendly strategies are good for the planet. But they may not be good for ourselves. As long as green initiatives remain time-demanding and stressful in terms of life choices, we won’t be able to turn our green living into a green life. Of course, things will get better in time and we’ll produce better solutions. But for now, you have to accept that you can be only as green as your mental health will allow. 

3 Outdoor Activity Ideas for a Fun Weekend Away from Home

Spending a fun weekend away from home can fill you with good energy. Numerous research studies have shown that people who spend time in nature and engage in outdoor activities enjoy better physical and mental health. Outdoor activities are also great opportunities to create memories with friends and family and to find joy and accomplishment in simple things.

Are you wondering how to unplug? Here are three ideas for a weekend of outdoor fun away from home.

Challenge Yourself with Kayaking or Canoeing

 Kayaking and canoeing are fun activities that your whole family can enjoy. Because they’re such popular activities, there are many clubs and rental services near large lakes and rivers that provide equipment, guidance, and even training. A quick online search is bound to reveal dozens of opportunities for kayaking and canoeing nearby.

It’s important to add that canoeing and kayaking can be extreme sports, but can also be peaceful and relaxing activities. You can paddle on a calm lake or canal, or you can have an adrenaline-filled trip down a rapid river. In any case, being near water can have a calming and energizing effect on your mind. Also, paddling is an efficient way to tone your upper body and get your dose of exercise without going to the gym.

Go Fishing

Fishing is an excellent way to unwind after a busy week, and many consider it akin to recreational therapy. When you are fishing, you’re fully immersed in nature, you breathe fresh air, and the soothing sound of water lapping against the shores helps you relieve stress. But you are also rewarded with a feeling of accomplishment when you reel in your best catch of the day.

Using your outdoor skills and having a bag of fish to take home as proof of your deftness gives you a unique feeling of empowerment. Get the best musky reel when fishing in freshwater, and you’ll fill your bag in no time. End the weekend by cooking the fish with your friends and family and enjoying a nutritious, healthy, and delicious meal together.

Plan a Cycling Tour

A cycling tour in an area with unspoiled scenery and beautiful natural landscapes can be one of the most rewarding ways to spend your weekend. Besides being a perfect work out, cycling comes with a lot of flexibility. You can cycle casually at a pace you’re comfortable with, or you can push yourself a bit and see this as a chance to test your endurance. You can stop anytime, soak in the scenery, take photos, and even have a picnic.

Just like fishing, canoeing, or kayaking, cycling is an activity that helps you refine your awareness, retrain your focus, and learn patience. You will find yourself forgetting about stress and responsibilities and rediscovering the joy of being present in the moment. Because cycling releases endorphins, you’ll feel physically empowered, mentally free, and at the same time more appreciative of natural beauty.

Don’t waste another weekend in front of the TV. Challenge your mind and your body with fun activities that can restore your energy and revive your enthusiasm for life.

Put Yourself First And Treat Yourself In 2021

If there is one thing that we have all learnt in 2020, it is the importance of self-care and looking after ourselves. Below, we will look at some of the different ways that you can do this during 2021:

Don’t let any health issues go unattended to

Whether it is pain in your back or you suspect you need BV treatment, make sure you get the problem dealt with quickly. Don’t ignore issues until the point where they become unbearable. Take action.

Treat yourself to a pamper treatment

Treat yourself to a pamper treatment now and again, whether this means getting your nails done or having a massage. Some of the different options for nail treatments include: 

  • Acrylic nails and infills – If you constantly bite your nails or just don’t seem to have any luck growing them, then acrylic nails are ideal. The beautician will add the tip right on the end of your natural nail and then cut and shape it to a length and style of your choice. The acrylic is applied on the top afterwards. These nails look stunning; natural yet glamorous. 
  • Power gel and infills – If you are someone who prefers the natural look and do not want any colour or polish, then powder gel nails are ideal. The result will be stunning, clear and shiny nails. So, how are these achieved? The beautician will simply put on the tip and afterwards the beautician will apply two coats of gel.
  • Natural nail manicure – This includes cuticle removal, nail sharpening and varnish. It is ideal for those who just want a little bit of enhancement. 
  • Spa Pedicure – This service includes having your cuticles pushed back, nails trimmed, shaped and polished, and your arms and legs massaged. 
  • Gelish – There is nothing worse than chipped nails. So why not treat yourself to a polish that will not tear, peel or chip for up to three weeks? If that wasn’t good enough, this dries instantly – meaning you don’t have to worry about any dents or smudges. 
  • French Specialist – Traditional French nails will never go out of fashion; elegant and glamorous. 
  • Callus Peel – This is a great treatment which quickly softens hard calluses. The beautician will then scrape and file them away so that your skin is left feeling soft and clean. 

Take time to do nothing but relax

Another thing that you need to do to put yourself first in 2021 is to take the time to relax. Spending some time every day doing nothing apart from chilling, reading a book, or relaxing in the bath. The issue for a lot of people today is that we are always on the go. We never relax and take a moment to focus on ourselves.

We hope that this has given you some suggestions to help you look after yourself and put yourself first throughout the coming year. It certainly cannot be as bad as 2020, right?

Grooming For Men

Men are becoming more interested in perfecting their grooming regime. Below, we look at two areas of this. 

How To Remove Unwanted Body Hair 

Men’s body grooming is a huge industry. It’s not just because it’s endorsed by famous stars such as David Beckham or Daniel Craig. It’s not just that it’s advertised so well that no man can resist purchasing specialist shaving products. It’s that men have been waiting for these products for years, and now they finally have them.  

Men’s grooming has allowed men to admit that they aren’t that happy being hairy, and thanks to the plethora of products available to men both online and in the shops, they can now do something about it. Smooth skin is trendy and totally in with the fashions of today. If you have dry skin, you can find specialist cream for dry skin to help you get that smooth look and to ensure your skin is better prepped for waxing. 

Keeping a tidy moustache and beard is important when it comes to looking smart, and using a beard comb and trimmer is an ideal way to keep your facial hair from looking unkempt. It makes a big difference. Checking on your nose and ears is also an important addition to your male grooming routine. You may not realise it, but you could have tufts there that need to be removed. For hair in other places, shaving won’t cut it, so you should book into a waxing clinic – or try doing it yourself at home. Either way, once the hair has been removed it won’t grow back for a good few weeks, and you won’t have to worry about it. If you have a problem with a ‘unibrow’ then don’t be shy about investing in some tweezers and plucking and shaping until you look more like yourself again.

Using Dry Shampoo And Other Hair Products

Men’s hair products have evolved over the past few years and now there are as many styling and cleansing products for men as there are for women; and that includes dry shampoo. Dry shampoos have been around for a long time – the Romans used them (they really had very little else), and although they fell out of favour for a while, they are back on trend now. 

Using dry shampoo means you can keep your hair looking healthy and clean whilst reducing the number of times a week you wash it. That’s great news because washing your hair the traditional way with water and a liquid shampoo can strip it of its essential oils, damaging it in the long run. Dry shampoo is really handy when you’re in a situation when you want your hair to look good and clean, but there isn’t any water around – perhaps you’re camping, maybe you’ve stayed out all night and need to get straight to work, perhaps your boiler has broken and the thought of a cold shower just doesn’t appeal. It works by absorbing the oil from your scalp and hair, and although it shouldn’t take the place of regular shampoo in your male grooming routine, it works wonders as an interim measure.

Which Health Issues Can Be Treated With Acupuncture?

In the past, acupuncture was considered pseudoscience and there was a lot of doubt about its effectiveness. But in recent years, there have been a lot more studies into it and now many medical professionals agree that it can be an effective treatment for a lot of different health issues. If you haven’t considered acupuncture before, here’s how it works and some of the health problems that it can treat. 

How Does Acupuncture Work?

When you have an acupuncture treatment, small needles are inserted into the skin at certain points. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed that this addresses issues with the balance of energy in your body. Although that may not be the reason that it works, studies show that it can be very effective for treating a range of different health issues. 

A lot of people find the idea of acupuncture quite daunting because having needles inserted into the skin does sound quite scary. However, if you have it done at a professional facility, like Unwind Health and the procedure is carried out by a professional, it’s perfectly safe. The needles are incredibly thin so, the majority of the time, you will barely feel them going into the skin and you shouldn’t experience any pain during the procedure. 

What Problems Can Be Treated With Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is now used as a treatment for a range of different issues, especially localized pain in certain areas of the body. These are some of the most common problems that are treated with acupuncture. 

Back Pain 

Back pain is such a common problem, especially as you get older, and it can be very debilitating. When you are in constant pain, even the simplest everyday tasks can become incredibly difficult. If you see a doctor, they may be able to prescribe medication to help deal with the issue but acupuncture is often more effective. In fact, it is the number one reason why people seek acupuncture treatments in the first place. It is believed that acupuncture encourages the release of opioids and endorphins, which reduce feelings of pain. 

Chronic Headaches 

We all get the occasional headache but if you experience constant headaches, it’s important that you seek treatment. You should see a doctor to make sure that there are no serious underlying issues that are causing your headaches. If there are not, acupuncture may be the best treatment for you. It can relieve tension in the back and neck, which often leads to headaches, and it will help to manage the pain as well. 

Respiratory Issues 

Respiratory issues can be very dangerous and finding the right treatments to manage them can be tough. But if you haven’t tried acupuncture yet, you may find that it gives you a lot of relief. Acupuncture helps to stimulate blood flow around the body, which boosts the immune system and also helps to open up the lungs. Although it won’t deal with the root cause of respiratory issues, it can help to relieve the symptoms. 

These are just a few of the many health problems that can be treated with acupuncture, so you should definitely consider it if you are concerned about your health. 

Take Care Of Your Mind When Under Stress

Stress can often seem like a universal constant, and that’s because our bodies are wired to produce it in difficult situations. It’s an evolutionary technique our bodies use to help us understand that there is danger out there, and that we need to focus on it. Stress can also accumulate when we have an overwhelming degree of complexity in our lives, too much for us to handle.

Taking care of our minds when under stress, then, is an essential part of living healthily and being able to cope. It takes time, energy and the willingness to conform to a few worthwhile techniques to achieve this goal, but the end result is almost always thoroughly worth it. After all, stress can lead to a range of medical issues, such as heart issues, as prolonged exposure to cortisol simply isn’t good for you.

So – how can we take care of our minds when under stress? How might we develop ourselves to overcome these issues, and more importantly, how long does it take for us to achieve this in the best possible sense? For that and more, please consider, below:

Speak To Those You Trust

It’s important to speak about your issues from time to time. Stress is a universal constant, and so you’re not going to be talking of anything guilt-inducing or profane when telling someone things are getting a little too much. In fact, most people will appreciate your candor. It shows you care about being vocal, and it shows you respect others enough to show you trust them. Most will care about what you have to say, and it can help you feel a million times better about it. Set this open and trusting relationship in the best manner.

Take A Break For Self-Reflection

Take a break for your own mind. Self-reflect if you get a chance to from time to time. This might involved taking a mental health day from work from time to time, booked as part of your holiday allowance. Spending a day getting out in nature and or reading or trying to get your balance right can be extremely helpful for your general outlook, and it can help you almost completely alleviate your stress. That’s an important thing to achieve.

Make Stress-Busting Part Of Your Schedule

Scheduling the time necessary to bust stress is also important. Perhaps every Sunday evening you can soak in a bubble bath? Preparing deserts before then with nang delivery could also be a great idea. That might give you the chance to relax, for a set amount of time each week, something you can rely on.

Stress-busting might also mean meeting with a friend each week, or watching a film together, or playing a video game online with them in these lockdown-focused times. Stress-busting means ensuring you have time for it, and that you don’t forsake it. Sustainable stress-busting is always the healthiest option for anyone going forward.

With this advice, we hope you can take care of your mind when under stress, week after week.

Leading the Most Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle You Can!

In the past, many of us were completely unaware of the ways that our actions impacted the planet. Nowadays, few of us can plead ignorance. We’re told time and time again that we need to start living more environmentally friendly lifestyles in order to minimise the damage we create. Climate change is speeding up and we’re genuinely starting to see negative consequences. So, what can you do to be a bit mindful of Earth and lead an eco-friendly lifestyle? Well, there are countless changes you can make. But those listed below provide a pretty good starting point!

Switch to a Green Energy Supplier

We’re all well aware that fossil fuels aren’t sustainable and they are contributing greatly to environmental degradation. It’s bizarre that we’re still using them widely when there are so many better and greener options out there! Plus, these options are becoming increasingly easily available. When your current energy tariff comes to an end, make sure to switch to a green energy supplier. They will be able to fuel your home with energy that is sustainable and sourced in a much more eco-friendly way. The good news is that green energy suppliers are often cheaper too! For the best deal possible, make use of a price comparison site. This will pull up the best deals and the lowest rates in your local area, helping you to choose the right green provider for your needs!

Generate Your Own Energy

Of course, generating your own energy is an option too! Solar panels tend to be the most popular method. You have them fitted to the roof of your house or another sunny area and generate your own green energy independently!

Avoid Fast Fashion

Fast fashion has acted like a plague on the environment. Put simply, it’s low cost clothing that is created for one time use, or isn’t of a standard that will last many wears. People buy it because it’s cheap. But by throwing out outfit after outfit, you’re contributing to landfill and creating more emissions through increased numbers of manufacturing processes. So, instead, opt for more sustainable clothing. Take a look at Etiko Fair Trade Sustainable Clothing as a great example. Buying from companies like this can make all the difference to the planet.

Recycle

Another step that the eco-friendly amongst us should also be taking is recycling. Now, this is simple and most areas have some sort of recycling collection, so please make the effort if these collections are available to you. Simply separate your waste into separate bins for paper, tin, plastic and general household waste that cannot be recycled. You could even use organic waste to create your own compost!

These are just a few suggestions you can try out to make your lifestyle a little more eco-friendly. There are countless more steps that you could take into consideration, but these are pretty easy to implement and can have great results!

Top Ways to Make Sure You Get Enough Vitamins

Getting enough vitamins and minerals in your diet is a vital part of staying healthy. When you don’t get enough of something that your body needs, it could cause a variety of problems for your body. Many of us think of vitamins and minerals as coming from fruits, vegetables, and salad leaves, but we can get them from many food sources. Opinions differ on how many portions of fruit and veg you should have each day across the world, as well as what a portion even is. But if you think that you might not be getting enough, there are plenty of ways to make sure you get enough vitamins in your diet.

Expand Your Palate

A broad and diverse diet is the best way to make sure you’re getting lots of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. By exploring new foods and expanding your palate, you can introduce foods into your routine that will help you to be healthier. Keeping things exciting can help you to stay motivated to eat a healthy diet. Open yourself up to trying different fruits and vegetables, as well as grains and other foods with plenty of healthy nutrients. Don’t just try out these things to eat, either. Learn to prepare and cook them too.

Look for Things to Add to Your Meals

One way to get more vitamins into your food in an interesting way is to look for things that you can add to the meals and snacks that you already make. What ingredients can add flavour but also make your meal even healthier? If you use 100% pumpkin seed oil in salad dressings or add it to desserts and other food, you benefit from B vitamins, zinc, calcium, and other healthy minerals. A spoonful of Marmite or Vegemite can add umami flavour to a surprising amount of things and gives your meal extra B vitamins.

Make Your Snacks Nutrient-rich

Swapping out your snacks for healthier versions is another great option for getting more vitamins into your diet. Although it might be enjoyable to simply open a packet of something salty, there are always healthy snack options available too. An apple or banana can be filling and provides you with lots of nutrients. Vegetables can make good snacks too, and you can have them with a healthy dip or drizzle them with something rich in nutrients too. It’s a good way to sneak in some extra vitamins between meals.

Take a Multivitamin

If you want a quick way to get some of the vitamins that you need, taking a daily multivitamin can help. It’s particularly useful if you have a vitamin deficiency of any kind for some reason. For example, some people might not get a lot of vitamin D and can benefit from a supplementary boost to help them get an adequate amount. Not everyone needs to take a multivitamin, as you can get all the vitamins that you need from your diet, but some people need a helping hand.

Make sure you get enough vitamins, and you can protect your health and your immune system.

8 New Habits You Should Adopt In A COVID-19 Era

In December 2019, when the Coronavirus outbreak broke out in Wuhan, China, it was a pretty much unknown disease. Fast forward to August 2020, over 830,000 lives have perished around the world. If this figure is not scary enough for you to adopt new stringent habits, you must rethink your stance.

  1. Heightened need for cleaning and disinfection

Regular cleaning and disinfection may have been your routine safety regimen, but, the keyword here is ‘heightened.’ Most bacterial and fungal infections in the body require antibiotic treatment. However, the contagion at the centre of the pandemic is a virus called SARS-COV 2 and antibiotics do not work against them. Their inability to destroy viruses is due to the differences in cell structure between bacteria and viruses. An antibiotic would function by directing its potency against a bacteria’s growth speed.

Are you aware viruses multiply faster than bacteria? For this reason, a heightened cleaning and disinfection regime immediately eliminates the rate at which the virus would multiply.

Alcohol and bleach or chlorine-based cleaners are most effective against the Coronavirus. If you have to use it at home, you must be cautious because there is a recommended concentration. At home, you can use a concentration of one part of 5% strength household bleach to 49 volumes of water.

It would help if you also used alcohol with a 70 to 90% concentration to disinfect your surfaces at home or work. The best way is to initially clean with water and soap to remove dirt before disinfection. When cleaning, you must endeavour to begin from the least soiled to the most soiled. The reason behind this is to avoid spreading dirt to the least soiled area.

  1. Wear approved nose and face masks

The reason behind wearing face masks is to act as a protective shield for you. However, there is a science to it. The SARS-COV 2 (the virus) outside of a host is inactive but potentially infectious for a while. They possess nothing of the features a living organism should have on its own; such as mobility.

What they do is to lie in wait for someone to get in contact with them. As sneaky as the virus is, it thrives in the upper respiratory tract and begins to multiply. Your face/nose mask acts as the first line of defence against the virus. Without your nose mask, your nose and mouth are defenceless.

 One in every five people who get infected develop breathing difficulty and require medical care. Unfortunately, if you are over 60years old or have an underlying health condition (such as Asthma, diabetes or hypertension), your chances of survival could be limited.

The mask may feel uncomfortable initially, but you will get used to it. Moreover, you can find a variety of nose masks if you shop online. Dynamic Gift is an online store where you are bound to find comfortable, secure, unbranded, and hypoallergenic nose masks to purchase as a wholesaler or retailer.

  1. Avoid touching your face

As you read earlier, you already know the virus needs a host to survive. In the unlikely event that you touched a contaminated surface, your face should be a no-go area.

Your eyes, nose and mouth are entry points to the respiratory tract. That is the reason.

Therefore, for the avoidance of doubt altogether, avoid touching this part of your body unless you wash and sanitize your hands thoroughly.You should know that once the virus is inside your cell, it can reproduce and make 10,000 copies of itself in a few hours. Armed with this knowledge, you must adopt the conscious habit not to touch your face. 

  1. Adopt social distancing protocols

Also described as “physical distancing,” this is a safety measure by keeping a safe gap between yourself and others who may not be from your household. The WHO recommended distancing is a minimum of 6 feet, whether indoors or outdoors.

But did you know the science behind this? Respiratory droplets when you cough or sneeze can travel up to six feet! Imagine spit on a catapult. Now that sounds disgusting. You know now why you must not ignore keeping a safe distance from others.

  1. Cover your nose & mouth when you cough or sneeze at all time

The medical reason behind the need to cover your nose and mouth is to limit passing on respiratory droplets containing infectious pathogens to others. Besides, it is good etiquette to do so.The other medical reason is that viruses live through humans and animals. They survive by intertwining to cells. If you sneeze or cough without covering these facial parts, you risk infecting others. It goes the other way too.

  1. Increased intake of fruits and vegetables

Your body needs its immune system to be in tiptop shape at all times. Your soldiers require weapons to fight threatening intruders and enemies.

In the same way, vitamins derived from fruits and vegetables are the necessary nutrients required by your body’s immune system. Vitamins enhance the fighting potency of white blood cells, the disease-fighting soldiers within the body.

  1. Stick to information about the disease from credible sources only

Your ability to remain sane during the pandemic is a skill and habit required for your mental and emotional health. At this time, many fake news channels attempt to draw attention to themselves by churning out inaccurate news content. Stick to credible news sources on your television or other. The BBC, CNN, ABN, CNBC are examples of such credible news outlets.

  1. Work from home if you can

The contagion as you have already learnt spreads by close contact, and by breaking this chain, you may live. By working from home, you restrict yourself to virus-free spaces which are potentially not infected. You limit your chances of infection and enhance the safety of your family. On a brighter side, employers who formerly refused this working style consider it a necessity now.

Your new daily habits and positive changes made to your lifestyle are the new normal. Stay safe as you protect yourself and others.

Stay Healthy, Stay Happy

We all want to live the happiest life possible. When we are happy, we give our everything and get the very best out of life. There are so many things that affect our happiness levels, one of them being our health. If we are free from illness and pain, we will have a much better quality of life. While it is no guarantee, the best thing that we can do to protect our health is to live a healthy lifestyle. Here are some tips on how to do this.

Eat a healthy and balanced diet

The first step towards healthy living is by following a balanced and nutritious diet. Eliminate as much processed food and refined sugar as possible, and replace them with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. If you eat meat, swap out red meat for leaner white meal and poultry such as chicken. They are superb sources of protein and have fewer calories. If you eat a healthy and balanced diet, your body will be getting all of the minerals and vitamins that it needs to work properly. As well as that, you will feel great on the inside and look great on the outside. 

Take supplements

Sometimes, even when we follow the healthiest diet possible, we may find that our body lacks something. Find out from your general practitioner what you need and top it up with a supplement. Things like multi-vitamins, iron tablets, and energy boosters are readily available and give you the additional support that you may need.

Keep fit

While slumping in front of Netflix is tempting, it is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Put your sneakers on and head outdoors for a run or the gym for a workout. If staying at home is more your thing, find a workout video you can do in your lounge or even pop some music on and dance around your living room! Staying fit means that you won’t put on any excess weight and have more energy to chase after the kids and play a game of ball with your friends.

Get plenty of sleep

Sleep is often under-prioritized, due to us living such busy lives, but if we want to be healthy and happy, it is essential. Try to make sure that you get at least eight hours of sleep a night. Not only does it leave you feeling fresh and revitalized for the new day ahead, but it gives our body the chance to rest and recuperate, reducing our risk of catching illnesses or getting injures. Make sure that your bedroom is set up for quality sleep – a dark, quiet environment free from screens is optimum, as is a good routine. 

Reduce stress

Stress can have an affect on our physical health as well as our emotional health. If things are getting on top of you, try techniques such as mindfulness or even yoga. While they won’t magically make your worries and problems disappear, they will help you to find ways of coping with it.