Improve Your Health and Wellbeing in 6 Simple Steps

When you imagine the healthiest version of yourself, you might imagine somebody with entirely
different habits, and a totally different lifestyle to you. If that’s the case, then it sounds like you need
to take a few steps to improve your health and wellbeing. You don’t need to become a ‘perfect’
version of yourself, but you should work on building small habits that can make a big difference.
Over time, you will improve your health and find that you’re a lot closer to becoming the version of
yourself that you really want to be. 

1. Assess Your Diet 

Start by assessing your diet. Could you eat more vegetables? Drink more water? Cook more whole
foods from scratch rather than eating instant meals? Cooking nice foods and eating healthily is one
of the best things you can do for yourself. Using an app to track your food intake can give you a
better idea of things like sugar, saturated fats, and whether you’re getting enough fibre. A balanced
diet is crucial to a healthy life. Remember that it’s balance, not perfection. 

2. Assess Your Activity Levels 

Now assess your activity levels. How active are you each day? If you’re not sure, you could get a
cheap activity tracker or download an app on your phone to help you track your steps. You don’t
need to do hardcore workouts every day - just try to do more steps and work your way up gradually. 

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3. Book Your Health Appointments 

If you’re running behind on your health appointments, make sure you book them now. It’s too easy
to avoid spending money on the dentist, for example, and just assuming that your teeth are fine.
However, they might not be, and you will need to spend more later on down the line to get them
back into good condition. Hearing products could also improve your life if you’ve been putting off
your hearing tests. Make sure you make a list of the appointments you are overdue and take them
seriously. 

4. Start Journaling

Grab a notebook and write things down. Write down things you are grateful for, things you have
succeeded at this week, and anything else that can help to get you into a healthy headspace. It’s
too easy to focus on the negative when you’re not actually making the effort to focus on the positive. 

5. Get Out Of Your Head

Try to get out of your head. Instead, get into the flow state and lose track of time by doing something
you love - it could be dancing, playing an instrument, or something else personal to you. When we
overthink, we can cause major stress. 

6. Restore Your Rest

Make sure you practice self care and relaxation and take time just to do nothing. You don’t need a
full itinerary all the time. If you want to improve your wellbeing, taking some time for yourself will help
you to do this. 

Which of these steps are you going to take? Leave your own health and wellbeing advice below. 

You Can Stay Healthy No Matter How Busy You Are

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When you’re living a fast-paced lifestyle, it’s difficult to put yourself first and prioritize your health. If
you’ve regularly got a lengthy to-do list and a million tasks to complete, you probably don’t get the
opportunity to practice a comprehensive self-care routine.

However, there are ways to stay healthy, no matter how busy you are. With these handy tips, you can
keep yourself in great condition and still enjoy living life in the fast lane:

Go for regular checkups

Maintaining your health means factoring regular checkups into your schedule. A routine
physical exam, hearing exam, and even a regular wellbeing check will give you peace of mind that
you aren’t experiencing any underlying health issues. While it might be tempting to postpone routine
appointments, resolving potential health problems early can minimize any treatment you need.

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Eat right

Nutrition has a major impact on your health, so eating right should always be a top priority. When
you’re constantly busy, you need to eat to fuel your body. Skipping meals or unnecessarily cutting
out food groups will simply lead to fatigue and exhaustion, as well as other potential health problems.

Exercise regularly

You might be busy all the time but how long do you spend being active? If you work a desk job,
for example, you probably spend 90% of your working life sitting down. Exercise is essential for
good physical and mental health, so make changes to your routine and increase the amount of
activity you do. Standing desks are an effective way of being more active at work and regular
workouts, long walks or dance classes will ensure you get your heart rate up.

Practice meal prepping

Meal prepping could be an important part of your quest to eat right. When you’re tired from a long
day at work, it’s tempting to grab takeout or heat up a processed ready meal. Although it’s convenient,
it won’t be filled with healthy ingredients. When you meal prep, however, you’ll always have a healthy
meal on hand.

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Limit caffeine

Busy people tend to consume a lot of caffeine as it helps to keep them alert and focused. However,
too much caffeine can be bad for you, so it’s important not to overdo it. If you feel your heart rate
increasing or you get breathless after your third coffee, it’s time to cut back and opt for something
healthier instead.

Increase your water intake

Health authorities routinely recommend that adults should consume around 8-10 glasses of water
a day, but most of us drink far less. If you’re feeling sluggish, tired, or have a gnawing headache,
it could be early symptoms of dehydration. Try upping your water intake and notice the impact it
has on your body.

Prioritizing Your Health

No matter how busy you are, your health should be your top priority. Overlooking potential physical
or emotional health issues means your symptoms are likely to worsen and your lifestyle could be
adversely affected. By making your health a priority, however, you can continue to enjoy living a
fast-paced lifestyle and make the most of every opportunity.

4 Ways You Can Help Your Partner Improve Their Health

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When both people in a couple are happy and healthy, the relationship prospers. Relationships fail for many reasons, but a significant aspect that goes under the radar is mental and physical health.

Without the ability to communicate effectively or concentrate for long periods, you’re going to get bored. The same applies to partners who get stuck in ruts and don’t want to attempt anything new. Part of your role as a loving girlfriend or wife is to lend a hand when they need it the most.

Guiding your man through the process is challenging since they may not be ready to accept your reasoning. Thankfully, these tips should make a breakthrough more likely.

Don’t Push

It’s cliche, but the first part of breaking any chain is to accept there is an issue in the first place. Until your partner does that, you’re only going to receive a backlash if you try and force the issue. Instead, you should bide your time and wait patiently until they are ready to tweak their life. Of course, you can make small propositions, yet don’t give up hope if they fall on deaf ears. At some point, the penny will drop and they’ll turn to you for advice.

Explain How You Feel

Women have to deal with a lot, but so do men. Toxic masculinity, or the idea that guys are less manly due to certain admissions, impacts your partner’s decision making. Therefore, you must show them that it doesn’t matter what they say or do because they’ll never be less of a man. If anything, opening up about issues such as mental health is the most masculine thing they can do as they’re smashing stereotypes, helping others, and growing as a person. Although you might think your love and support are obvious, it never hurts to point it out.

Find Loopholes

Okay, just because they’ve admitted how they feel to you doesn’t mean they’re ready to embrace their emotions with everybody else. Unfortunately, certain issues are harder to hide, such as hearing problems because the aids stand out and catch peoples’ eyes. The good news is that different styles of hearing aids are designed to be discreet and hide the fact that the wearers have problems. With a little research, you can find loopholes that make the impending change to their lifestyle less scary. Never underestimate the effect of judgment on a man’s mental health as it’s a myth that you don’t care what others think.

Do It Together

As always, it’s less demanding to reach a goal with a buddy. Doing it alone means there isn’t as much to lose by quitting. After all, they’ll only disappoint themselves, and lots of people don’t care about letting themselves down. In a team, you will not only push them on to hit their targets, but you’ll add a sense of guilt. They won’t want to impact your objectives, which means they must think twice before disappointing the love of their life.

Challenging your loved ones to be better isn’t wrong, yet it helps if you are strategically savvy.

Train Your Brain to Break Habits and Boost Productivity

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We all have habits, routines, and patterns that don’t work in our best interests: it could be smoking, over-eating, procrastinating, or snacking. On the reverse side, there might be things we’d like to get into more, like healthy eating, exercise, or being more productive, but we never seem to get around to it. 

If this sounds like you, you're not alone! According to New York Times business writer Charles Duhigg, whose book The Power Of Habit explores the science behind habit-forming - our brains are hard-wired to fall into patterns. There is the habit-loop, he says, which is a three part process. First, there is a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode. Next, there’s the routine, the unfolding of the automatic behaviour; then there’s the reward - that little hit your brain gets that reinforces the loop. 

According to neuroscience habit patterns are located in an area of the brain called the Basal Ganglia. This part of the brain is responsible for emotions, memory, and pattern recognition. Meanwhile, decisions are made in the prefrontal cortex, which effectively goes to sleep during part two of the habit-loop - following the trigger. 

This is one reason a change to our environment can help us change our habits. When we go on holiday, for instance, none of the usual triggers is there, so we find ourselves craving things less, feeling different, and making new promises to ourselves.  

The good news is we don’t have to go on holiday to break the cycle of bad habits or get into productive patterns. We can train our brains to pull in the direction we want them to. 

Brain re-training 

The body learns as well as the brain. Actually, it’s an intelligent machine with signals and feedback loops communicating regularly with our brains, and therefore us.

What we put into our body has an effect on how we feel and what we crave. If we eat a lot of salty-sweet food, our bodies quickly learn that this is what to expect. It distributes the energy and nutrients it has available as best it can. In the case of ice-cream and popcorn, much of it is stored as fat. 

Since the reward centre of our brain is triggered by those foods we crave them all the more and it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. Luckily our bodies learn quickly, and if we swap ice-cream and popcorn for smoothies and healthy snacks, we will soon notice the benefits of healthy juices.

Wake-up your muscle memory

Exercise works in the same sort of way. The basal-ganglia is relatively instimulated in an environment that is routine and predictable. If we see the same things day-in, day-out, then we feel the same things too.

If there is nothing new in our environment to stimulate a new mood, feeling, or emotion, we will be destined to repeat the same old habits ad Infinitum. But we don’t need to book a flight to Tenerife to free-up an ingrained habit or routine. It’s easier than you might think.

Use your prefrontal cortex to make a decision. Decide to do something new and different, something you’ve never done before. It could be as simple as walking instead of driving, jogging instead of walking; or doing some yoga to wake up your muscle memory.

Creativity 

Do you think you aren’t a creative person because you could never draw anything decent in art class? Chances are you are creative and express it everyday in the way you communicate, in the choices you make, and in the routines you choose to follow. 

You don’t have to be a gifted artist to get the rewards of a creative life. Reading, writing, painting, photography, meditation, walking, are all creative pursuits that can help tell your basal ganglia that you're into something new. 

Journaling is an excellent habit to start. Writing just 500 words a week, that’s three pages of a small notebook, is a wonderful way to reflect on the previous few days. Any worries you have are sure to come up as you write and you will get a clearer picture of where you’re at and what you need. After you’ve written through your worries, keep on writing and enjoy the process. 

Remember the basal-ganglia is a powerful emotional centre, but it’s not your enemy. It will only respond to any stimulus that comes its way. The more joy you discover in your creative life the more your brain will enjoy it to, and start to crave it.

Common Lawnmower Issues and How to Solve Them

Summer has finally arrived, and it’s time to pull out your lawnmowers and weed trimmers to get your lawn ready. As with anything, these machines can be damaged or break and require maintenance. Follow this guide for quick tips on common issues and how to fix them.

Failure to Start

You get your lawnmower out, you are ready to go, and it won’t start. While frustrating, this is a relatively common issue that can be solved easily. Start by looking at your fuel tank, is it full? Check for any signs of damage that could be causing leaks. Then go through and check for any issues such as a dirty filter. This can prevent your engine from starting. If both these areas are fine, check the spark plugs. Look to see if they are loose or dirty, anything that would prevent the spark from reaching the engine.

Engine Issues

When you mow the lawn, if you start to notice some sputtering or smoke rising from your mower, don’t panic. Check the filter, blades and spark plugs to see if you can find any excessive dirt, damaged or loose fittings. Once done, try and start your mower again. If you are still having problems, look for small engine repair shops near you, as this could be indicative of larger problems that require a professional eye to fix. Finally, if your lawnmower is putting off smoke, look at the color. White or light smoke is a sign of bigger engine issues that need to be fixed before you continue to use your mower.

Uneven Cuts

After you have put in the time to mow your lawn, the last thing you want to see is uneven or uncut grass. The best way to prevent this is by checking the conditions of the grass before you mow; wet or long grass can affect your mower's performance. Next, walk around your lawn checking for items that may block your mower’s path or damage the blades. Additionally, check the deck height to ensure your mower can handle the length of the grass. If you are still having these problems, check the blades for any damage that you may have missed.

There is nothing nicer than relaxing on a well-mowed lawn. Take the time to make sure your mower is up for the job this summer. If you have any issues, don’t shy away from asking for help. Have a wonderful summer!

Preparing for Your First Indoor Rock Climbing Adventure

The earth is full of stunning landscapes, so why not view them from new heights? Rock climbing is a popular and exhilarating activity in the Colorado area and in all mountainous regions of the world, and you can learn how to safely and effectively climb in an indoor gym before approaching rocky terrain. Prepare for your first “climb on” with these tips:

Learn the Be-Lay of the Land

OK, the “land” here refers to exploring indoor rock climbing Denver from the comfort of the gym. Before you start climbing, you will learn how to safely belay a climbing partner, and your partner will learn to secure you on the rope as you ascend.

A climbing facility is surrounded by various walls and routes for climbers to tackle; these typically include high walls for top rope (the typical “climb up and reach the top” activity) and lead climbing (more advanced, clipping in your own rope as you climb), and walls for bouldering, which may not require a harness or safety rope. Bouldering incorporates a certain route outlined to challenge the technique of the climber, scaling shorter formations up to 6 meters high, with safety mats below to cushion any falls.

Grip Some Gear

A climbing gym typically has rentable equipment available for your use. Indoor shoes should feel snug on your feet with no socks on, so you may have to ask for a lower size than your normal shoe. The tight fit with no extra room at the tip of your toes can help you grip the footholds with all sides of your feet, or “edging.” Adjust your safety harness (or ask for help from an employee) so it fits your waist, hips, and legs properly. You can also ask for a chalk bag, which can connect to your harness, so you can apply the dust to your palms to reduce the chance of a sweaty slip of your grip!

Elevate Your Fitness

Great climbers must possess strength, endurance, and flexibility to be able to effectively scale steep, challenging mountains and walls. You can prepare for a successful first wall-scaling experience by trying exercises recommended for rock climbing. Mental clarity is also vital, as you need to think through difficult holds and bouldering sequences and concentrate on engaging the right muscle groups. Successful indoor rock climbing is a perfect mixture of technique and athletic ability.
Now that you have taken steps to prepare for your climbing experience, you can visit your local facility to practice, practice, practice! Soon enough, you will be ready to ascend the great rock formations around Denver and beyond. Whether indoors or out in the nature, get ready for an adventure that truly rocks!

Focusing On Your Health to Have a Happier Life

We can sometimes look to external things for our happiness, such as material goods, travel adventures, and even other people. But these should be considered extras that put the cherry on top of our happiness; they’re not the primary source. Happiness can only come from within. While it’ll consist of various aspects, perhaps the most pressing will be your health. If this is in tip-top condition, then you’ll find it much easier to be at your brilliant best. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the key matters to focus on that’ll have the biggest impact on your life.

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How to Relax

We’re a pretty stressed society. And is it any surprise? We’re all working more than ever before, there are global concerns, and sometimes even our version of fun can cause us to feel more stressed, such as in the case of smartphone use. One of the best ways to improve your health and be happy is to learn how to relax. This might seem difficult to do when you’re feeling overwhelmed, but there are some tried and tested ways to make it much easier. For example, you can try meditation, listening to music, and just sitting still and watching the trees sway in the wind. Even ten minutes of these activities can help. 

Eating Well

The stomach is the gateway to happiness, and to a healthy body. It really is worthwhile figuring out your relationship with food. Are you, for example, eating as well as you could do? Are you giving your body all that it needs? There’s a big difference between eating well and eating junk food. You’ll find it hard to maintain your body weight, for starters, but the bigger issue is that unhealthy eating can cause so many other problems further on down the line, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Handling Problems

While there are some health issues that we can all keep at bay through eating well, exercising, and so on, there are some others that are more specific to us, and which may require medical intervention. If you’ve got a problem that’s disrupting your enjoyment of life, then it’s recommended that you take steps to correct the issue. There’s nearly always a solution. If you’re experiencing heavy bleeding during your period, for example, then myolysis could be the right treatment solution. It’s not always convenient, having to treat professional help for medical issues, but it is worth it in the long run because of the positive impact it’ll have on your lifestyle. 

Spending Time Outdoors

Finally, it’s recommended that you build in some good habits into your lifestyle, ones that can significantly boost your health and happiness. One of the more underrated -- yet effective -- things to do is to spend time in the outdoors. The natural world can bring a whole host of benefits to your life, including giving your mood a boost and helping you to get fitter. Indeed, just two hours in nature each week can significantly decrease anxiety and boost happiness.