Simple Way to Care Your Body

When we’re stressed, we take time out to breathe and think happy thoughts but what do we do for our bodies? Maybe we sometimes forget about that part–I know I do. So what can we do for our bodies alone when things are getting tough?

1. Take time for exercise.

I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of this one because physical activity actually compounds the problems I experience with my body. But occasionally, when my joints aren’t screaming, I make sure that I keep my limbs limber by going for a gentle walk.

I’m slowly working my way towards practicing some basic yoga, too, but I’m having to take my time with that ambition.

This is the point of exercising your body–only do what your body can manage if you’re struggling as there’s no point in making things harder. Even a little activity can have a huge impact.

2. Make sleep a priority.

If you’re tired, even if you feel that you need to get more done, give yourself permission to sleep. I ignored this simple notion for nearly a year when I first started feeling unwell. Now that I embrace it, my body thanks me for it. (You can read 9 tips to get better sleep here).

Admittedly my condition keeps rest and sleep from being as refreshing as they might be for other people, but it still makes a difference. It stops me from doing further damage.

3. Eat well and savor it.

We’re encouraged to be increasingly mindful of what we eat nowadays and for good reason considering the state of the food we consume. I’d like to encourage you however, to turn your attention inwards for a moment and think about eating as more than a bland necessity or ethical conundrum. Food is fuel, and we need it to function optimally

Eating well means feeding your body what it needs in the most natural way you can manage and afford. Changing how you eat doesn’t need to be an all-or-nothing thing. Maybe you could add just an extra bit of fruit a day or swap a cup of coffee for a glass of water instead.

Relish the food you eat too, and take your time. Paying attention to flavors, textures, and smells, even the mechanical act of eating, can soothe our bodies and reawaken us to the sensations of being alive. How long has it been since you’ve recognized your body like this?

4. Listen to pain.

When something hurts, something somewhere has gone wrong, and your body is trying to tell you that. We often pay no attention to pain unless it becomes unbearable: that tooth ache isn’t so bad, it can wait for a while; the sharp tugging in my shoulder is a result of repetitive strain but it usually goes by the time I’m home, so no need to worry.

These things, no matter how small, shouldn’t be brushed aside because they represent damage to our bodies. Ignore them and they could come back to haunt you later.

5. Slow down.

Because I’m still clinging on to the self that existed before I was feeling so rubbish, I tend to think I’m untouchable. I end up taking on way too much and then running around like a maniac. I can probably manage about two days of this sort of activity before I collapse and end up in bed.

If you’re likely to do the same as me then I won’t be surprised if you scoff at the suggestion that you slow down. We all have so much to do and so little time to do it in and you want me to slow down? Who has time for that?

Rephrase the question: who doesn’t have time for that? The answer: our bodies.

If we squeeze every second out of our day at record speed, our flesh, bones, muscles, organs–the whole lot–will eventually suffer.

Since accepting my physical condition, I’ve become a slow life advocate. I have to live slowly for the sake of my body and you know what? I quite like it!

I like that I only ever sit and write for two, maybe three hours tops, for a day. I like that I take whole days off to give my body time to recover.

Our bodies are precious, so why do we neglect them on such basic levels so often? A serene mind really is nothing without a healthy body to carry it. So take an hour–yes an hour!–out of your day a few times a week to care for it. Sleep, eat, rest, get a massage. Wind things down. Pay attention.

Show your body the same compassion that you endeavor to show everyone. It needs it just as much.

How to Have the Best Body and Looks

Do you want to have a great body? Do you want to have looks that will make you totally popular? Then you have come to the right place. Read all of these tips, and you will look the best in no time! Have fun reading, and enjoy your new body and looks!

Exercise daily. When you are young, just work on your core, and legs. If you are in middle school or in older grades, then you can work on your arms too. This is a workout that is great for everybody of each age. If you are in grade school or younger, then just don't do the arm workouts! When you start out, do 50 crunches, and go pretty high. Then put your legs to the side, and do 25 side crunches on each side. Then, do 50 bicycle crunches. After doing that, do a set of 30 pushups, 20, and then 10 pushups. Then stretch out, and do that one more time. To work your legs, if you have an exercise ball, use that to work your legs. Otherwise, just jump up and down as high as possible. Do at least 100 of those. Next, for arms, do weights and on each arm, do 50 ups and downs.

Eat healthy. For breakfast, have an example of toast, with little butter or peanut butter, and to drink have a glass of water, or milk. Also, consider a fruit smoothie, but only have about one small glass of it. Next, for lunch, have some water, a sandwich with meat, or a salad, with carrots and little dressing. If you want something else, get a bag of almonds, or nuts. If you want dessert, then get a very small amount of something like cookies. For a small snack after school, have a lot of water, and a special K bar. They have few calories, and are delicious. For dinner have some meat, veggies, and fruit. Have milk, and water too!! When you go to bed, do not eat much, have a glass of warm milk, and maybe a handful of nuts. Try to avoid having a big snack before bed.

Practice good health hygiene. Try to wash your body everyday, and to get everywhere. Also, get your hair washed very well, and use a conditioner and shampoo.

Wear comfortable clothing.

Make yourself beautiful from inside. Be happy, content, positive and friendly. Your inner beauty will make your outer self glow!

Keep Healty with Low Colestrol

In this age where fast food houses are just around the corner, trying to stick to a nutritious diet is becoming more and more of a challenge. A hectic schedule is the usual excuse for not being able to prepare a homemade meal. This is also why people usually rely on store-bought calorie-laden food. What’s ironic is that is takes just as little effort to produce a healthy snack than it does to buy junk food, maybe even less.
People who are concerned about longevity health tend to pay more attention to the food that they eat. And they’ve found out that it really pays to cut down on their cholesterol intake.

 They’ve lost weight, they feel lighter on their feet, and the usual complaints like heartburn, backaches and joint pains are a thing of the past. What’s more, eating a healthy diet clears up their complexion, making them appear more youthful.

Eating healthy food is sometimes just a matter of buying the right kind of food. Instead of stocking up on chips and dips, why not buy a basket of fresh fruit? You can just get an apple from your ref and have an instant snack. Grapes and strawberries are equally delicious, yet they require no preparation time. And they’re cholesterol-free to boot.

If you bought whole wheat bread, tuna and lettuce, you can have a healthy sandwich for your lunch at the office instead of having to order a greasy burger and some even greasier fries. Of course, you’ll have to spend a few extra minutes to maintain a healthy diet. But should you begrudge those measly few minutes in your daily lives if your longevity health is at stake?

If your concern is that you might get tired of eating the same thing over and over, then rest assured that there is a wide variety of healthy food to choose from. Let us talk about low-cholesterol snacks, for example. Aside from the number of fruits that you can have for your snacks, you can also cut up some vegetables like carrots or cucumber to have some crunchy vegetable sticks. You may eat them plain or with some non-fat dips. Cereals are very filling but are cholesterol free.

Popcorns are also low in cholesterol so long as you don’t smother it in butter. Nuts, like walnuts, cashew and almond, have the added benefit of lowering high cholesterol levels in our body. Consumption should be limited though, since nuts have high calorie content. You might also want to try yoghurts or low-fat crackers or some toasts.

With the variety of low cholesterol snacks that you can choose from, you can cater to your longevity health without feeling deprived.

Photo credit: optimallifefitness.com
article: looplane

Healthy Breakfasts for You

The importance of breakfast on your day

Eat daily. The importance of breakfast was highlighted in a recent survey of 2,959 members of the National Weight Control Registry (a group of more than 5,000 people who have lost a minimum of 30 pounds and kept them off for at least a year), 78 percent reported eating breakfast every day, and nearly 90 percent eat breakfast at least 4 days a week.

Eat early. On weekdays, especially if you work out in the morning, try to eat as soon as possible after getting up; a healthy breakfast will fuel your A.M. activity and prevent you from getting so hungry you pig out at lunch. On weekends, don't delay breakfast more than 2 hours. "The sooner you start your metabolism by eating, the sooner it can start burning calories," says Elisabetta Politi, R.D., nutrition manager of the Duke Diet & Fitness Center at Duke University Medical Center.

Eat enough. Don't worry about blowing your diet by eating a big meal so early in the day. Politi says that a more substantial breakfast may actually help reduce cravings and overeating at night. You should aim to get 20 to 25 percent of your day's calories from breakfast, which means about 350 if you're on a 1,500-a-day diet.

Eat smart. Healthy grab-and-go choices like high-fiber, low-sugar breakfast bars are fine, Politi says. But whenever possible, choose unprocessed, homemade healthy breakfasts that are sure to have less bloat-causing sodium and no chemical additives.