Taking Control Of Your Health And How You Can Do It

Life can get too hectic at times. We can all be riding the wave where we have things to do, work, life, and often we can end up burning the candles at both ends, which can then lead to health concerns and not feeling our best. But what can we do to change this? Sometimes we need to take back the control and when it comes to our health, there really is no time like the present. With that in mind, here are some of the things you can think about doing. 

Image source - Pixabay - CC0 License

Spot the warning signs 

When it comes to your health it is important to be vigilant and to keep an eye on what you would say is normal for your body and what is out of the ordinary. There are many ways you can spot something might not be right and there could be an underlying issue. It might be that you have a lump appear somewhere strange. Maybe you have started to experience hearing loss due to the workplace environment. It could be a change with headaches, how you eat, trying to start a family and finding nothing is happening. These could all be things that your body is trying to say something isn't quite right. Listen to it. 

Change your diet

If you are not feeling as healthy as you would like to look at the things you are putting in your body each day and learn to nourish it with the good stuff instead of the bad. The thing is, give your body a load of junk, sugary treats and rubbish, and ultimately you will get out what you put in. Give your body the fuel it needs to function properly and you will start to feel better in yourself. Food and drinking plenty of water are key ways to keep you feeling at your healthiest. 

Consider being more active

Along with the food you eat another thing to be conscious of is how much you exercise. It may sound like basic advice, but being more active can really help you to feel more healthy. It doesn’t mean you need to be in the gym everyday, sometimes that just isn't for everyone. But it can mean just choosing to be active each day. By walking somewhere, doing an at home workout, or practicing yoga in your living room, you can be more active if you put your mind to it. 

Keep track of those regular check ups

Finally, we all can lose track of those health appointments that we need to keep up with regularly, so you may want to try and keep track of them a little better. From eye and hearing tests to gynecology appointments we would rather avoid, they can go a long way to be part of preventing any health issues to form, before any symptoms manifest themselves. 

Let’s hope that this has made you more aware of some of the ways you can take control of your health. 

Your Child's First Car and What You Need to Know (and What if They Wreck it?)

Please check out the update, originally from October 17, 2017, at the bottom of this post! This is a sponsored post.

My 16-year-old son Joel will be hunting for his first car soon! This is him driving us all from Kansas City to Nashville

Cars offer the freedom and mobility to go where you want. This independence is crucial when you live in an area that doesn’t have an extensive public transport system. While getting your teen a car will let them test their limits and makes them more responsible, nothing will beat the life lessons they will learn, but you may have to help them buy their first car. To help your teen buy their first car, follow this quick guide and check out CarCareNinja for more information about reliable cars:

Encourage Your Teen to Get a Job

Before a car can ever come into the equation, your teen first needs a job. A job is a rite of passage for many teens, as it will help teach them about real-world responsibilities. The job will help them expand their social abilities and it will also provide them with an income that they can do whatever they want with. After all, they will need to be able to pay for the car’s fuel!

Have a Budget

There are many ways a teen can finance their car. They can either have enough savings to buy a used one outright, they can finance it by themselves, or you can help them. A great way to help them buy a car is to pay for the deposit as a gift to them, and to then let them finance the rest. Regardless of how you and your teen plan to pay for the car, work out a reasonable budget beforehand. Remember, the longer the lease, the more you pay over the original ticket price.

Insurance

Insurance is a must, and a premium insurance can help protect your teen better than the basic level one they can probably afford. It’s usually cheaper to add your teen to your own insurance, and can give them more room to make their car payments. It’s important to note, however, that not all accidents mean that your insurance will be affected. If either you or your teen was in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, it’s important to contact a Stuart car accident law firm to get you the compensation you deserve.

Do Your Research

When your teen wants a car, you need to make sure that they choose one that has high safety ratings to today’s standards. There are a lot of old cars that, technically, have high safety ratings, but only in the context of the year they were produced. Steer your child away from flashy cars and instead towards safe, reliable cars that will keep them safe for years and years to come.

Once you’ve chosen a good car within your budget look up what its manufacturer price is and negotiate the car down to a much better price than what the ticket says.

It can be scary to see your child drive off without you in the car, but it’s an important life skill that gives everyone the freedom and mobility necessary to be an independent adult. Help your teen buy their own car, and they’ll be accountable for it, ensuring they are more careful, and safer. 

UPDATE:
Last night after work, my now-18-year-old son Joel was heading to the gym. He was driving straight and another man turned in front of him and they collided. Both of them now have a messed-up front right end of their vehicle. Both of them got towed. Now what? My son was towed to a collision center at the expense of our insurance company because we recently got emergency roadside assistance. But what now? If they can't fix it and we can't get a fair price from the insurance company, I'm thinking we should give something like this a shot where they buy cars that have been in an accident for cash.

Promoting Great Dental Health for Your Family

https://unsplash.com/photos/Of7fPGRSz_4

Your teeth are one of the essential parts of your body. While you don’t need pristine, pearly whites like those you see in Hollywood movies, it’s still important to ensure that you and your family maintain excellent dental hygiene habits. Neglecting this can lead to rotting teeth, gum disease, and bad breath, which is not at all what you want. Here are some tips to help you promote great dental health for your family. 

Cut Down On Sugar

One of the leading causes of tooth decay is having too much sugar in your diet, and if your family struggles with a lot of dental health issues, this could be the main reason. 

Cutting out sugar can be hard, as the rush from it is addictive, especially for kids. But if you want to maintain fantastic oral health, cutting down or eliminating sugar altogether will bring an array of benefits. There will be less discoloration of the teeth, and you’ll have better breath. Plus, not only will it improve your dental health but also overall health, too. 

Take Time and Don’t Rush 

When brushing your teeth, people think it’s more effective to go hard and fast, however, while a little pressure is good, applying too much can scrape the protective enamel from your teeth, making them more susceptible to decay. 

Instead, it’s recommended to brush gently for between two to three minutes. You can time this by finding a toothbrush with a timer or listening to a song. It’s also important to target all of your teeth, not just those at the front as often, there is food trapped in the molars at the back of the mouth, so getting rid of any leftover food will do wonders for your dental health. 

Soft Bristles

For kids, soft bristles are ideal for making them enjoy brushing their teeth and not dreading it. The package will tell you whether the bristles are soft or not, and these are more gentle on sensitive gums and prevent bleeding. 

You should change the toothbrush every three months, although it might be sooner depending on how hard your family brushes. You can find brushes with bristles that change color when the time comes to replace them.  

Get Advice When You Need It

Regardless of how well you and your family look after their teeth, there’s still the chance for issues to arise, such as severe toothache or infection, perhaps from a growing-out wisdom tooth. When this happens, it’s crucial to seek advice instead of waiting and hoping for the pain to go away. 

For more serious issues, finding a good dentist is crucial to maintaining excellent dental health. They can provide the correct treatment and explain what should and shouldn’t be done to prevent a repeat of these issues in the future. This advice can be invaluable for you, your partner, and your kids, so take it on board. 

Happy Smiles

While there may be some resistance from your family, it’s not too difficult to maintain excellent dental health to ensure everyone grows up with beautiful, shining smiles that become the centerpiece of every photograph from now on. 

How To Become A Master Of The Side Hustle

If you want to make more money on top of your regular 9-5, you might decide to start a side hustle. If you’re going to start a successful side hustle, then this guide will help you. Who knows? Eventually, you may be able to continue with your side hustle as your main job! 

1. Have A Schedule You Will Stick To

Start by coming up with a schedule that you know you’ll be able to stick to. You can’t just sporadically work on your side hustle - it could easily lose momentum this way, and you won’t likely be paying it enough attention for it to thrive. If you really want it to work, then you need to make sure you dedicate time each day. Will this be an hour before work and an hour after work, plus time on the weekends? This is for you to decide! 

2. Work On Yourself At Every Opportunity 

Make sure you continue working on yourself at every opportunity. Go to workshops and classes, read books, listen to podcasts, and do whatever you can to grow as a business owner. You never know what you might learn!

3. Know How To Market And Grow Your Side Hustle 

Make sure you know how to market and grow your side hustle. This might mean writing blogs, creating video content, using social media, and even hiring a marketing company to help you. PPC can help you to get results straight away - check out the infographic below. 

check out this Learning Management Systems PPC Guide Infographic

Protecting Yourself Now For A Brighter Future: The Things To Think About

Many of us will head out to work each day to earn our income, and while that’s what we feel we are supposed to be doing, where do you draw the line? You see it is all well and good working hard and investing money into things like property or future retirement plans, but are they really protected should things crumble around you? This is why it’s vital to ensure that not only do you make those sensible investments for your future, that you also take the time to protect them. So here are a few solid ways you can do that. 

Image source - Pixabay - CC0 License 

Write a will

Working hard to buy a house, invest for the future and your retirement isn’t something that you just happen to acquire. At some point, you will have sacrificed, maybe worked extra hours or done jobs you didn't enjoy. But, what we can all agree on is that we have no idea what the future holds, and at some point in our lives, we will no longer be here. When that happens, no one really knows. This is why having a will in place to protect your assets and finances is so important. It ensures that your entire estate, what you have worked so hard for, stays with the people you care and love the most. 

Make sure you have all relevant insurances

Some of the investments we make, be that property or savings for the future, have quite a high cost or value. So it’s vital that we make sure we protect ourselves in other ways. This is where insurance policies for the property you own, contents you have in it, and even policies on other assets like cars and your life are essential. Should anything go wrong your insurance policy covers you. 

Amicably discuss what will happen if a marriage breaks down

I’m sure anyone of us who enters into a marriage intends for it to stand the test of time, but as divorce rates are rising, it is becoming a sad fact that more relationships seem to break down. It is never a pleasant conversation to have, but it could be a good move to discuss your financial position and assets should the worst happen. 

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Some of us may have been privy to some of the financial crises that have happened over the years. Which is why it could be a good move to ensure that you spread your savings in different establishments. Some people were unfortunate to lose a huge chunk of their savings when the last financial crash hit. Protect yourself as best you can. A great idea maybe to discuss your financial savings and investments with a wealth management company. Ones that can help you to make the right choices and to ensure you feel happy about the prosperity of your financial future. 

Put small amounts away for a rainy day

Finally, it’s always advisable to save to protect yourself. So it could be a great idea to save small amounts each week or month for a rainy day. This can build up over time, and could really help you out should disaster strike. 

Let’s hope these ideas help you protect your finances and assets for the future.