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10 Tips for the Best Post Pregnancy Workout

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10 Tips for the Best Post Pregnancy Workout

With the right post pregnancy workout, you will have more energy and move closer to regaining your figure. Check out this article for 10 helpful tips to maximize your goals.

Are you the mom of a newborn baby? Congratulations!

Pregnancy can be a wonderful, yet tiring endeavor. With a new baby in the house, you’re probably more tired than ever.

While you may want to lose your baby weight as soon as possible, starting a workout routine can be a challenge. You probably haven’t exercised in several months, and the thought of getting back into a workout routine may seem scary. But it doesn’t have to be!

You can create a great post-pregnancy workout that challenges you without overexerting you.

And you can do it right in your very own home without spending tons of money on a gym membership.

Do you want to know more? Keep reading to discover 10 tips for the best post pregnancy workout.

1. Practice Your Breathing

Are you looking for ways to start your new exercise routine right away? Well, the good news is you can start it before you even leave the hospital.

Practicing your breathing can help relax your muscles and reduce stress. If you breathe a certain way you can also start tightening your abs. All you have to do is inhale deeply from the diaphragm. Flex your abs tight while you breathe in and hold it for as long as you can. Then, relax your muscles and exhale.

Pair this breathing exercise with a commitment to cut out processed foods and sugars. This may not seem like a lot, but it’s the first step to a new workout and a healthy lifestyle.

2. Take Your Baby for a Walk

The most important thing to remember when you begin exercising is to take it slow. Your body just went through a lot.

If you’re like many pregnant women, you may have suffered from swollen ankles, back and foot pain, and fatigue during your pregnancy. This may have caused you to spend more time than normal in bed or on the couch.

That’s why one of the first steps to your routine is to get up and walking again. It helps ease you into a fitness routine, plus sunshine and seeing your baby enjoy their first outings can boost your mood.

3. Turn That Walk into a Run

Running is a great postpartum exercise to reduce tummy size. But, don’t feel like you have to start by running several miles right off the bat.

Once you’ve gotten used to walking, start mixing in some light jogging. Once you can jog for a while, start to run. Running will help you lose weight and improve your endurance which will help you with your other exercises as well.

But the best way to lose weight isn’t to run at full speed the entire time. Instead, you should mix high-intensity and moderate exercises together in one workout, such as alternating between running and jogging.

4. Try Some Kegels

You may have opted to do some Kegels during your pregnancy. They’re a great way to practice control over your bladder muscles.

For many women, the incontinence doesn’t stop once the baby is delivered. Up to 50% of women still experience some bladder control issues 5 years after giving birth. A great post-pregnancy workout is all-encompassing, including exercising those bladder muscles with Kegels.

5. Do Lunges

Once you have fully recovered from your birth and you have your doctor’s okay, you can start some more strenuous exercises.

Lunges are an amazing exercise after pregnancy to reduce stomach size. But they do so much more than that. They also strengthen your legs and back and they can improve your balance.

If you’re looking for an extra challenge, consider holding your baby at your chest while you do lunges. This will help strengthen your muscles and add a little upper body workout into the mix.

6. Dance it Out

Some women have trouble sticking to post pregnancy workout routines because they’re not fun.

But who says you can’t enjoy working out?

Dancing is a great way to get a full body workout. Zumba is an amazing option if you’re looking for a structured full-body workout. You can find lessons online or you can take a class at Kinetix Inspired Fitness (or your local gym).

7. Take Yoga Classes

While yoga may seem easy, it does offer an encompassing workout. You’ll strengthen your core muscles, improve your balance, increase your flexibility, and learn how to control your breathing.

The best part about yoga is you get these amazing benefits but still fell relaxed at the end of class. This makes it a great add-on to any exercise routine. You may end your workout with 30 minutes of yoga or begin your day with a yoga class. Again, you can find these online or at your local gym.

8. Squat with Your Baby

But the stomach isn’t the only area you’ll want to work on when you create a post-pregnancy workout. You may also want to tone your booty and legs. That’s where squats come into play.

They can help tone your butt, legs, and hip flexors.

If you want to make them more challenging, you can hold your baby against your chest. When you squat down, lower the baby until their feet touch the floor. Then, lift them up against your chest before rising again. It’ll give your legs and butt a better workout while also adding in some upper body exercises.

9. Try Crunches

Crunches are one of the most quintessential workouts when it comes to flattening your tummy.

They also tend to get a bad reputation for being boring and difficult.

Try to make it fun by adding music into the mix. You could pick your favorite song or anything upbeat to motivate you. Once you’re able to do a lot of crunches, challenge yourself to do crunches for the entirety of the song. Alternatively, you could opt to do crunches for the entirety of your child’s favorite TV show intro.

10. Try a Crunch Alternative

If you can’t face crunches just yet, you can try an alternative exercise after pregnancy to reduce stomach size: leg lifts.

There are several variations, but the best is to just lay on the floor and lift your legs as high as you can without bending the knee. You may also choose to hold your legs in the air for a few seconds to get a better ab workout.

The Best Post Pregnancy Workout Tips

Getting back in shape after a pregnancy can be hard. And it can be even harder when you have a newborn baby to care for!

But there are some amazing exercises that you can do right from your very own home. The best post pregnancy workout tips include dancing it out, doing leg lifts, trying yoga, and taking your baby for a walk.

Did you find this article helpful? Check out our health blog page for more great articles like this.

8 Diet Tips for Cutting Out Processed Foods and Sugar

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8 Diet Tips for Cutting Out Processed Foods and Sugar

We can’t avoid the facts any longer, sugar is an unhealthy and even dangerous food choice. If you want to embark on a healthy eating program this summer, cutting out processed foods and sugar is the first and most important step in the right direction. Here are some tips to ease you into the process.

In a perfect world, we’d all be growing our own veggies and be on a first name basis with the guys at the farmers’ market. But life just hasn’t worked out that way for most Americans.

We live in a fast-paced world and that means we need to be able to fuel fast, too. Often times, we turn to pre-packaged foods and ready-made dinners that we can pop in the microwave.

It’s no secret that whole foods are better than processed foods. That’s old news by now. But the real struggle comes in when we try to implement what we know to be better for us into our daily, busy lives.

Cutting out processed foods isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. Read on to learn more about how to do it.

What is “Processed Food”?

Before you can start cutting out processed foods, you have to understand what it is. But processed food is anything that isn’t in its natural state. This means that even something you buy at the store with a short, clean ingredients list still counts as processed foods.

That’s where your own judgment comes into play. There are some “processed” foods that are better than others. The bread you pick up at the grocery store with a list of weird ingredients is a lot more “processed” than the bread you buy at the farmers market.

1. The First Things to Cut

Head to your pantry and look at some of the ingredients lists. If they’re incredibly long, odds are that they’re the kinds of processed foods you want to stay away from. If you don’t know what it is or if you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably not the best thing for your body.

Luckily, the most obvious things are usually off limits. Say no to microwave meals, bags of chips, candy, and soda pop.

2. Small Steps

It’s so tempting to just put the pedal to the metal when it comes to making a change like this. But with something like processed foods, it’s a good idea to take it slow and go easy on yourself.

There’s a big difference between a ready-made lasagna you microwave and a jar of tomato sauce. Technically, both of these things are processed. But when you actually go through the process of cooking, you’re getting yourself in the habit of making food on your own.

That’s the first step, it’s really that easy.

3. Choose Whole, Fresh Food

Juices and dehydrated fruit taste great because they’re chock full of sugar. But the real benefit you get from eating fruit gets lost when you eat them in these mediums.

That’s why it’s a good idea to always choose food that is whole and fresh. A good rule of thumb is that the closer your food is to when it was first picked, the better it is for you.

4. Meal Prep

One of the big struggles with eating healthy, whole foods is the time it takes to prepare them. That’s why it’s generally a great idea to get into the habit of meal prepping.

Plan your breakfasts and lunch for the week on Sunday and spend some time in the kitchen that day cooking them up. Store things in easy to grab containers and you won’t be tempted to run to the convenience store and pick up a junky snack when you’re hungry on your way home from work.

5. Drink Water

This is always the first bit of advice people give you when you are looking to eat healthier. It’s solid advice, but it’s often hard to follow.

When we drink a lot of coffee and soda, our brains become hardwired to crave these things and it can be very hard to stop drinking them.

If you’re going to drink coffee, drink it sweetened with a little honey or 100% maple syrup and don’t use artificial coffee creamer. And if you crave the fizzy sweetness of soda, try carbonated lemon water instead.

6. Nutrition Coach

If you are having a hard time finding or sticking to a diet plan that works for you, consider getting a nutrition coach. These coaches can help guide you in making these decisions, but they can also help hold you accountable. You can learn moreabout nutrition coaches here.

7. Go Easy On Yourself

It’s so easy for us to hold ourselves to too high of a standard. Often we are trying to change a lifetime’s worth of poor health habits overnight and that’s just not possible.

Your journey is going to be full of stumbles and falls and that’s okay. Try to change how you think about it.

Instead of saying that you’re “cutting out all sugar and processed foods” say that you’re cutting back. And leave a little wiggle room for yourself.

8. Make it Fun

If cutting out processed foods is starting to feel like a chore, you’re going to quit. After a while, doing the same thing over and over will get boring. So mix it up.

Try different meals, make your own versions of your favorite processed foods, and spice things up a bit. Open your foodie heart up to new cultures and the food that they eat. There are so many ways that you can cut down on processed foods and still eat the things you love.

Cutting Out Processed Foods and Sugars

Without a doubt, cutting out processed foods and sugars is a challenge. Everywhere we go, we are met with advertisements telling us to eat them. The grocery store is stocked with more processed junk than it is with actual healthy food. But with a little effort and the will to stick through it, you can make this change and lead a healthier life.

For more tips, tricks, and lifehacks, visit us today!

What’s the Best Birth Control Option For You?

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What’s the Best Birth Control Option For You?

There are a lot of options when it comes to birth control, but what’s the best birth control option for you? Take a look at each of these popular options and learn which could benefit you the most.

There are 6 million pregnancies in the United States every year. 45 percent of which are unplanned or unintended.

If you’ve never had an unintended pregnancy and you’re sexually active, you’ve probably had a scare (at the very least) or know someone who has.

And, as a sexually active person you, hopefully, know that the only way to prevent pregnancy is to abstain from vaginal intercourse entirely. But that’s not always easy to do, because everyone has needs.

If you want to enjoy sex but don’t want to get pregnant, you’ll need to use some form of birth control. There are currently a whopping 17 different birth control methods you can choose from.

While having options is awesome, it can be overwhelming too. How do you know which is the best birth control for you?

In this post, we’ll explore some of the most popular options, so you can decide which could benefit you most.

Hormonal Methods

Here are some popular hormonal methods of birth control:

The Pill

When it comes to popular birth control choices, the pill remains the most common method and is also one of the safest birth control options.

Combined pills contain estrogen and progestin, while the progestin-only pill has, you guessed it, progestin only. Both pills prevent ovulation and are taken daily.

If you’re looking to regulate your cycle and make periods more bearable, the pill may be a good option for you. The biggest con here is that you have to remember to take the pill at the same time every day for it to be effective.

The Patch

The patch contains the same hormones as combined pills, except instead of taking a pill every day, you simply put a new patch on every week three weeks each month.

The last week, you don’t wear a patch and have your period as usual.

If you don’t want to take the pill daily, the patch may be for you.

Nuvaring

Nuvaring contains the same hormones as the methods described above.

To use it, you simply insert it into the vagina and wear it for three weeks at a time. Then, in the fourth week, you have your period.

If you want periods which are lighter, shorter, and more regular, this is an option worth considering.

The Implant

The implant is a small rod prescribed by your doctor that is inserted into your arm. It contains a hormone called etonogestrel that prevents your body from ovulating.

After insertion, the implant can last up to three years. If you choose to, you can remove it at any time.

The cons of this method include irregular bleeding, headaches, and weight gain, among others.

While it is over 99 percent effective, having a Nexplanon pregnancy is still a possibility.

Barrier Methods

Here are some popular barrier methods of birth control:

Condoms

Condoms are, without a doubt, the most popular barrier method.

They’re easy to use, inexpensive, and easy to access. And, in addition to preventing unwanted pregnancies, they can also prevent the transmission of STDs.

However, they can be uncomfortable for both parties involved, so they may impact your enjoyment and thus, impact your love life.

Spermicide

Spermicide is a gel or cream featuring a chemical to kill sperm.

Before having sex, you simply place the gel or cream inside your vagina.

While spermicide is easy to use and readily available at most drugstores, it’s not the best way to prevent pregnancy, as it’s only 72 percent effective when used by itself.

Cervical Cap or Diaphragm

A cervical cap or diaphragm is a cap that covers the cervix. They are typically made from either plastic or silicone and both require a prescription from your doctor, like most birth control methods listed here.

Caps and diaphragms are reusable and have no side effects, but you need to insert them correctly before sex every time, and they’re most effective when you use them in conjunction with spermicide.

If you’re looking for an option with zero side effects, you may want to think about these.

Sterilization

If you or your partner are certain that you do not want kids at any point, sterilization is an option for either one or both of you.

Female sterilization involves surgically closing off your fallopian tubes so eggs can’t reach your uterus, and male sterilization involves surgically closing off, tying, or cutting the tubes carrying sperm so that semen doesn’t contain any sperm.

Male and female sterilization are the only forms of birth control which are permanent.

Intrauterine Devices

As you might imagine, a device is placed inside your uterus.

There are hormonal options and nonhormonal options, and each lasts for a different amount of time. Both hormonal and nonhormonal IUDs prevent sperm from fertilizing eggs, albeit in different ways.

The longest-lasting option is the copper IUD, which lasts for up to 10 years.

If you know you want a long-lasting option that is maintenance-free and can be removed at any time – an IUD may be the best way to prevent pregnancy for you.

Natural Methods

Here are some popular natural methods of birth control. These are some of the healthiest birth control methods in regards to side effects and health risks.

Withdrawal

Withdrawal, or more commonly known as the “pull out” method, is when a partner withdraws his penis before ejaculating.

While it’s one of the more cost-effective options because it’s free, it’s not always easy to do perfectly, and your partner has to remember to do it every time you have sex.

Abstinence

Abstinence is simply abstaining from vaginal intercourse.

It’s the only natural method with a no-fail rate, meaning it’s one hundred percent effective. And, you don’t have to abstain from other forms of sex, either – only vaginal intercourse.

The biggest con here is that abstaining from sex can often be difficult to do.

Finding the Best Birth Control for You

We’ve covered a lot of the best birth control options in this post.

Hopefully, reading through it will provide some clarity and will make it easier for you talk to your doctor and decide which method is the best for you.

Want to read about more great topics, like whether Vietnamese food is the healthiest in the world?

 

Check out the rest of our website for more!

9 Tips to Avoid Workout-Related Injuries

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9 Tips to Avoid Workout-Related Injuries

Working out and getting into shape takes dedication and drive, but when you are suffering from workout-related injuries, it can bring your fitness efforts to a screeching halt! We have 9 tips that’ll help you prevent injuries from working out and let you keep living your best life.

It’s one thing to start going to the gym if you’ve never been much of a workout person, and another to come back after an injury. Injuries change the way you do things. They can bring your routine to a complete halt and make you adjust your workouts as you get back into a workout groove, too.

Thankfully, there are ways to prevent workout-related injuries in order to keep you on track towards your fitness goals. With a little bit of focus here and some extra patience there, you can significantly lower your risk of injury in the gym.

This makes you more confident in your movements and increases your overall strength. When you’re not as worried about injuries, you’re better able to channel your efforts into things like mind to muscle connection and dynamic movements.

For more on how to prevent injury during exercise, check out the tips below.

1. Make Time to Warm-up

If you don’t pay much attention to your warm-ups right now, it’s time to start showing up at the gym a little earlier. Preventing an injury can be as simple as making time to warm-up before you get into the real part of your workout.

You can’t expect to walk into the gym, go straight to the squat rack, and start lifting your working weight. Same goes for the bench press, the free weights, anything on the cables, or even cardio equipment.

You have to work your way up from your resting heart rate into something a little stronger, something within your exercise range. This is called your working heart rate. It’s always better to ease into it than to shock your heart into such a fast-paced beat.

2. Stretch, Stretch, Stretch

Just as you have to make time to warm-up, you should focus on the cool-down portion of your workout, too. This helps your body ease back into a resting rate.

It slows down your breathing and relaxes the muscles. Stretching starts to release the tension created by heavy lifting and other challenging motions like resistance workouts or high-intensity cardio sessions. This helps the recovery process significantly while reducing the risk of a gym injury.

3. Recover Right Away

When you workout, you’re creating small tears in the muscle fibers of whichever body part you targeted that day. Recovery begins the moment your workout is over. It goes hand in hand with stretching, but there’s more to the process than a few simple, steady motions.

You have to eat a full, healthy meal as soon as possible. The more protein, the better, as this supports the recovery process conducted by satellite cells in the body. Healthy fats and good carbs also help.

Pack protein powder in your gym bag, grab a fresh smoothie on the way out of the gym or bring your meal prep container with you. Whatever you do, make sure you eat something meant to support the recovery process.

Also, remember to stay hydrated and consider investing in recovery-focused supplements. Things like glutamine and creatine can further enhance the rebuilding process your muscles undergo after a workout.

4. Fuel Your Body Properly

There’s value in recovering after a workout, and then there’s the importance of fueling your body properly before you lift a finger. You can’t have a good workout on empty stomach.

In this case, the body is running on fumes. You leave yourself more prone to an injury because it takes more effort to complete your workout.

On the other hand, it’s not the best idea to eat a huge meal the walk right into the gym, either. Your best bet to fuel up and prevent an injury without going overboard is to have a light, high-energy snack. Some options include:

  • a handful of trail mix
  • a banana with peanut butter
  • a peanut butter sandwich
  • fresh fruit

Don’t mistake pre-workout powder for an actual pre-work meal. Pre-workout powder gives you a burst of energy in concentrated form to get a better pump. But, you still need to eat something to get the best results.

5. Take a Day off

Sometimes, the best workout results – and the safest way to prevent an injury – happen by taking a day off. It’s never a good idea to train a sore muscle.

This goes for athletes, newbie gym-goers, and everyone in between. You have to let the body rest and make a full recovery. Such decisions may set your routine back a day or two, but it’s much better for this to happen than to end up taking weeks off due to an injury.

6. Watch Your Form

What’s more careless than overworking your body day in and day out? Pushing yourself too hard in each workout. If you can’t maintain integrity in your motions at a certain weight/resistance level, reduce the intensity.

Lift at a lower weight or make the resistance less intense. This may feel like a defeat, but it’s actually one of the best things you can do to protect your body.

All it takes is one bad lift to cause a really bad injury. For example, bad form on a squat can easily lead to a knee injury from working out. Similarly, you can get a shoulder injury from working out if you set your expectations too high for pulldowns or seated rows.

If you never had someone teach you good form, it’s time to get a trainer. He or she can show you what all the right gym motions look and feel like. If it’s too late and you’re already feeling a bit of pain, you need to learn more about available injury recovery options.

7. Get a Spotter

Your trainer is your go-to person for working on your form and more. They can also help you create new workouts and offer you a spot when you’re trying to lift heavier.

A spotter is someone who supports you in your motions. This is why you see people stand behind one another while doing squats or touching a person’s back as they do pulldowns. They’re there to help you bail or finish the motion when something is too heavy as well as to better activate your muscles.

Always have a spotter with you when lifting heavy. Bring a gym buddy with you or ask a stranger working out beside you if they don’t mind spotting for a second.

8. Don’t Rush Your Workout

Whether you’re working out alone or with a gym partner, you need to take your time. Rushing through the motions is another way you make yourself prone to injury.

This compromises your motions. Even if you know what good form is, going too fast will hinder how well you perform. It overworks the muscles and can lead to a pull or a tear somewhere on your body.

9. Listen to Your Body

At the end of the day, preventing workout-related injuries is just like anything else in the gym: you have to listen to your own body. Everyone operates differently.

Yes, there are certain rules and best practices to help you get the most out of each workout. But ultimately, it’s up to you to put in the work. You have to know when to push yourself beyond your limits and when to back off.

How to Treat Workout-Related Injuries

The better you get at listening to your body and using the other tips on injury prevention, the less you have to worry about workout-related injuries. Sometimes, though, an injury can still happen to you.

In such cases, you have to shift your way of thinking from prevention into recovery. You really have to lay off and take it easy, not to mention be super patient as you get better.

Recovery is possible, though, and so is getting stronger than you’ve ever been before. This goes for both mind and body. For more health tips and tricks, click here.

7 Ways Businesses Can Promote Healthy Eating at Work

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You want to best for your employees, including a healthy lifestyle. Learn how you can encourage healthy eating at work and help your employees eat better.

Are you trying to figure out how to eat healthy at work?

More Americans have obesity now than at any point in our history. About 36% of adults have obesity, and about 70% of Americans are overweight.

In 2008, the medical costs for someone with obesity are $1429 more every year than for someone who is of normal weight.

Our current lifestyle doesn’t help. We spend more hours sitting and less time exercising. Your employees are more focused on fitting food into their busy schedule. That means that they’re going to go with the most convenient option, as opposed to a healthy choice.

If you want to do your part to keep your employees healthy, it starts with their diet. Read on for the top 7 ways you can get your employees to eat healthy at work.

Why Does Eating Healthy Matter?

Does nutrition really matter? Of course, it does! Some of your employees might protest because they feel that it’s their right to eat whatever they want.

Here’s the thing to remember. Getting your employees to eat healthily isn’t being part of a nanny state. It’s actually good economic sense.

Here are the real costs of poor nutrition and why you’d want your employees to eat healthily.

The bottom line is that if you want your employees to be high performers, you have to give them healthy food options.

1. Give Your Employees Space to Store Food

If you’re encouraging your employees to ring food from home to eat healthily, you’re going to have to give them a space to store their lunch and snacks. Depending on the number of employees you have, you’ll have to purchase a couple of large refrigerators.

You’ll have to have the policy to clean out the refrigerator regularly, but you’ll find that it’s worth the time and investment.

2. Teach Employees How to Plan Meals

Healthy eating at work starts at home for many of your employees.

Your employees are stretched with time and competing demands. That means there’s less time to cook at home and then they’ll go out to eat for lunch.

You can teach your employees to plan meals at home for the week, which will reduce eating out.

They can bring those meals to work, giving them healthy options at the office.

3. Start a Wellness Program

Your human resources department can begin a wellness program. These programs have been shown to increase productivity and reduce the number of sick days.

There are several components to these programs. They include workshops by doctors on disease management, coaches help with stress management, and you can have components on healthy eating and exercise.

For example, you can have a nutritionist visit your office to discuss healthy food options and what they do for your body. Food can impact your teeth, hair, and weight.

4. Make Healthy Options Convenient

Your employees are busy all day long. They’ll reach a point in the day when they’re hungry, usually between noon and 3 pm, and they’ll grab the closest thing to them.

Sometimes, they’ll have something like a protein bar with them. Otherwise, they’ll grab a candy bar out of the vending machine or they’ll run to the nearest convenience store and pick something up from there. There are great office snack delivery options to provide employees with healthy snacks.

Employees like to celebrate holidays and birthdays, too. That’s usually marked with pizza, cupcakes, or birthday cakes.

There are a couple of ways to provide healthier alternatives.

The first is the replace the pizza and cupcakes with healthier alternatives. The second is to make healthier options more convenient.

You can do that by installing a HealthyYou vending machine or create another business opportunity with a HealthyYou vending machine franchise.

Instead of offering candy and sodas to your employees in your vending machines, offer nuts and flavored waters.

If you want to know more about these vending machines, take a look at HealthyYou vending reviews.

5. Give Employees Healthy Recipes to Try at Home

When you’re teaching employees how to plan meals at home, you can take it a step further and give them recipes to try.

You can have cooking demos in your office to make it fun and engaging.

The more options you give employees to cook at home, the more likely they’ll have leftovers to take to work the next day.

That gives them a way to eat healthy while at work.

6. Have a Healthy Food Cookoff

To get employees into the idea of eating healthy at work, you’re going to have to make it fun.

One way to do that is by having a cookoff. It’s competitive, and it’s a way to create camaraderie among your staff.

Encourage your employees to try the recipes you gave them and then have a cookoff at the office. It can be around any theme, like a chili cookoff.

7. Host a Weight Loss Challenge

One way to trigger a certain behavior is to make it competitive.

You can start with a weight loss challenge to encourage healthy eating. You can combine this with other tips, like make it a part of your wellness program or make foods more convenient.

With a weight loss challenge, you should have a nutritionist or registered dietician come in and monitor employees’ food intake.

Some super competitive employees might go to extremes and cut calories so much that they are doing more harm than good.

Having an expert in nutrition supervise the challenge will keep your employees safe, and they’re well prepared to set themselves up for success.

Healthy Eating at Work

As a business owner, you need your employees to be at the top of their game. At the core of that is a healthy diet.

There are plenty of ways that you can encourage healthy eating at work. The keys to having successful healthy eating programs are to make it fun, and convenient.

 

Want more tips to stay healthy? Read our blog today.

Help! What are the Signs of Opiate Addiction?

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Help! What are the Signs of Opiate Addiction?

The opium epidemic seems to reach every corner of the country and it’s a problem for many families. If you suspect a loved one has a heroin addiction, be sure to watch out for these signs of opiate addiction so you can get them help, fast.

Opiate addictions are becoming an epidemic in the United States. In the last five years alone, the amount of people addicted to them has climbed by almost 500%.

Moreover, this addiction isn’t just something young people are suffering from. Studies show that opioid addiction affects people across age demographics.

But how can you tell if someone you know or love is addicted to oxycodone, hydrocodone, or other illicit opiates?

Pay attention and look for the following signs of opiate addiction.

Signs of Opiate Addiction 101: Look for the Side Effects

While looking for side effects first may seem counterintuitive, it can be a tell-tale sign if someone you love has been abusing prescription or illegal drugs. Because the drug itself often causes people to be in a comatose state, you may not see them as often when they are high.

Signs of opiate addiction can be subtle, so it is important that you keep an eye out for the side effects that they may cause.

Side effects may include:

  • Drowsiness
  • Nausea
  • Constipation
  • Insomnia
  • Restlessness
  • Bone pain
  • Dry mouth
  • Depressed respiration
  • Abdominal cramping
  • Depression

While these can be the side effects of many things, it is important to pay attention to the frequency in which they are happening. Yes, sometimes people are tired and nauseous, but if it is constant and they do want help with it, there may be something else eschew.

Look at Their Overall Appearance

While many people are good at keeping their addictions secret for a long time, the body’s appearance cannot tell a lie.

If someone you know is looking paler, constantly sick, tired, and look as though they have given up on their appearance (unkempt), these may all be signs that point to a person is becoming addicted or already being addicted to opiates.

A person’s weight is also often a give away to their drug use. If someone you know used to be a healthy weight or a heavier weight, and then began to lose weight or gain weight very quickly, it could be due to drug use.

Many people begin to look like themselves again after detoxing, but in the meantime, will have an appearance that may make their drug addiction obvious.

Their Personalities Have Changed

People with opioid dependency often only care about one relationship: the one that they have with their drugs.

At first, things can be subtle. For instance, your romantic partner is not as interested in you as they used to be. But it may come up in other ways as well.

They may become more cranky overall, have a shorter temper, and major mood swings when they are not high or on the medication.

They may also be more likely to be more forgetful, and struggle in things that used to come easy to them, like school or work.

Get Your Loved Ones Help

While many people with drug addiction are often in denial or keep this part of their life secret, it is important that we pay attention and look for signs of opiate addiction.

It’s a frightening fact, but seven people every hour die in the U.S. because of their opiate addictions.

Do not let your loved ones and friends become part of that statistic.

Want to know more health and overall lifestyle tips? Please feel free to contact us.

5 Foods You Should Be Eating to Strengthen Teeth

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Everything you eat and drink affects the health of your teeth and gums. We’ll show you some foods that strengthen teeth you should add to your diet right now.

Has mom ever tricked you into going to the dentist? She would say you’re going to the store for a new toy when suddenly, she makes that sharp left turn to the dentist.

Hey, mom cares about your teeth just as much as we do.

Over time, people seem to stop visiting the dentist because they either just don’t want to, or they don’t have insurance to help cover the costs. Only 64 percent of adults aged 18-64 visited the dentist in the past year.

Besides brushing and flossing after every meal, it’s important to eat foods that strengthen teeth. That way, you won’t have to worry about expensive dental bills later on.

We’ve got the top 5 foods that strengthen teeth so get a grocery list ready!

1) Berries

Blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, and strawberries are all around good for your body. For oral health, berries are high in antioxidants, which strengthen the cells in your body.

Berries help protect you against gum disease and tooth decay. People need to take gum disease seriously. That’s why it’s important to learn more about it so that it never happens to you.

When eating berries, brush afterward because the juices can leave stains on your teeth. Plus, you don’t want to have seeds stuck in your teeth while talking with someone because that’s downright embarrassing!

2) Leafy Greens

Eating that salad for lunch was a great idea after all. Kale, spinach, collard greens and other yummy greens are high in antioxidants.

But, they do contain two key nutrients that are at’s vital for your teeth: calcium and Vitamin K2.

3) Yogurt

Just like cheese, yogurt is high in calcium and protein, which makes it a healthy food for teeth. The probiotics in yogurt also help your gums!

However, if you decide to eat more yogurt, stay away from the ones with added sugar. Opt for a plain yogurt and add some berries!

4) Celery

Ok, no one wants to sit there and chomp on a bland piece of celery. Add some cream cheese on top of it and you’ve got a bunch of added nutrients!

Celery itself is a good source of vitamins A and C, two antioxidants that help your gums as well.

Another bland green is a cucumber. Packed with vitamin C as well, consider combining the celery and cucumber into a delicious salad. Not only are you taking care of your teeth and gums, but also your body!

It’s a win-win.

5) Almonds & Walnuts

Walnuts are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Almonds, on the other hand, are a good source of calcium and protein. The best thing to do is enjoy a quarter cup of almonds as a snack at work. You can also add some to your salad or stir-fry dinner.

There Are Plenty of Foods That Strengthen Teeth

The list goes on and on… Mushrooms, apples, carrots, etc. Between brushing and flushing, and now eating these foods that strengthen teeth, you will have a million dollar smile!

If you need more quick health tips, we’ve got a ton of them on our blog, so visit it today!

7 Foods to Add to Your Diet for Healthy Hair

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7 Foods for Healthy Hair

Having long, luxurious hair is something everyone wants and, with a few adjustments to your diet, is something you can easily have. These are the foods for healthy hair you should be eating.

Do you ever find yourself wondering how you can provide more health benefits to your hair?

As men and women grow older, hair thinning and hair loss is a common reality. In fact, 50% of women experience noticeable hair loss and 40% of men experience noticeable hair loss before the age of 35.

While hair loss is a normal part of aging, having healthy and luxurious hair is generally something we all strive for. The good news is that with a few adjustments to your diet, anyone can achieve a more healthy and vibrant head of hair.

If you’re ready to make changes to your hair, you’re going to want to read this. We’ve compiled a list of 7 scientifically proven foods for healthy hair.

1. Eggs

Not only do eggs help prevent hair loss, they also encourage hair growth.

Eggs are packed with vitamins, proteins, and minerals that are all significant hair nutrients. These vitamins help strengthen the roots of the hair and motivate new hair growth.

Similar to shampoo and conditioner, the protein present in the egg will strengthen hair and the oils will condition it.

Not exactly an egg fan? Opt for raw-egg hair masks that combine egg yolk with olive oil. Add this mixture to damp hair and leave on for 20 minutes. To finish, shampoo and condition your hair as usual.

2. Leafy Greens

Iron is one of the most critical minerals that hair cells crave.

If you’re suffering from hair loss, you may want to reconsider the number of leafy greens that are currently present in your diet. Research indicates that a lack of iron may lead to excess hair loss.

When the body is not receiving enough iron, the proper oxygen and nutrients are not being transported to the hair roots. These nutrients will also strengthen hair and help combat brittleness.

Combat this process by incorporating more leafy greens into your diet, such as kale and spinach.

3. Citrus Fruits

Did you know that your body requires Vitamin C in order to absorb iron? Without this proper absorption, your body will fail to reap the many benefits of iron.

This is where citrus fruits come into play and it couldn’t be more simple. In fact, even one lime per day is enough to achieve your daily Vitamin C dosage.

Here are some of the best Vitamin C heavy fruits:

  • Guava
  • Oranges
  • Kiwi
  • Strawberries
  • Papaya

Try them!

4. Nuts and Seeds

In regards to nuts and seeds, we are touching on the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids.

If you’re wondering how to consume more Omega-3 fatty acids while avoiding fish, nuts and seeds might be the answer you’ve been waiting for. These benefits include nourishing the hair and supporting the thickening of the hair.

Almonds, walnuts, and flaxseeds are exceptionally high in Omega-3. These are perfect for a mid-day snack or even to add to salads or smoothies.

This is the perfect source of Omega-3 for vegetarians!

5. Carrots

We’re used to hearing the benefits of carrots in relation to the eyes. But, what exactly do carrots have to do with our hair?

Carrots are significantly rich in Vitamin A. As per our hair, Vitamin A is required for the growth of each and every cell. It also encourages the scalp to produce natural oils that keep the roots well maintained and aids in hair growth.

If you have difficulty incorporating carrots into your nutrition plan, opt for a daily dosage of carrot juice! This works well in fruit smoothies and is the perfect ingredient for your juicer!

6. Avocado

Aside from it’s newly found stardom, avocado is also a fabulous source of Vitamin E.

For our hair, this means avocado helps to encourage blood circulation. With proper circulation, the hair follicles work more efficiently and therefore encourage hair growth.

You can even create avocado-based hair masks. These masks contain whipped avocado, honey, and olive oil and act as a conditioning agent for hair. For those that are even more pro-avocado, this is a widely beneficial ingredient to add to daily meal plans.

Incorporate avocado seamlessly into your diet by blending it with your smoothie or adding to salads.

7. Salmon

Fish such as salmon are packed with omega-3 fatty acids.

Because the body does not naturally produce these acids, it’s essential to introduce them from an outside source. These acids encourage hair growth and add shine and volume. Not to mention, salmon is one of the best sources of protein for healthy dinners.

While these nutritional changes are proven to result in more healthy hair, it’s not a guaranteed solution. If you find yourself wondering what else you can do, you may want to consider a hair transplant.

A FUT transplant is a method of obtaining follicular units for hair transplantation. This method is highly praised and is proven to be extremely effective.

Time To Incorporate Foods for Healthy Hair in Your Diet

Are you ready to incorporate these foods for healthy hair into your diet?

Creating a daily food routine that integrates these food items is sure to benefit your hair in a number of ways. From strengthening the roots to encouraging hair growth, these simple foods have proven themselves to be extremely effective.

If you feel that changing your diet is not giving you the results you are striving toward, you may want to consider more drastic measures. FUT transplants are a safe and effective means of significantly combatting hair loss.

So, what are you waiting for?

Let’s start incorporating these changes into our daily life and await healthy hair.

For more articles on lifestyle, be sure to visit our website.

How to Choose the Right Detox Program

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Choosing the right detox program can really help start you off on the right foot in your road to recovery. But, you need to do your research first before choosing. Read on to learn how to choose the right detox program.

As 24 million Americans deal with addiction issues at some point in their life, it’s important that everyone gets the help they need.

The right detox program can mean life or death. It’s important to know what to look for when you’re looking at possible programs for yourself or a loved one.

Here are 4 of the most important things to look for.

1. Decide on Inpatient or Outpatient

One of the most important decisions you need to make about detoxing is how much you can really handle right now. Choosing to detox through an outpatient program allows you to go to work or maintain some aspects of your everyday life. Inpatient programs allow you to let go of all the pressures of everyday life and focus on dealing with your addiction.

Inpatient programs usually cost a little more as they’ll be providing meals and housing for the length of your stay. Outpatient programs are less expensive because you’ll just be visiting them for services directly related to detoxing.

Outpatient recovery is possible but detoxing usually requires a more intensive program.

2. They Need To Listen

You need to be sure that the staff at the detox program really listens to you. When you have a pain or a concern, they should be sympathetic while remaining honest.

They need to listen to your needs and they also need to know that they’re talking to someone struggling with addiction

It’s a delicate balance to be a counselor or a staff member at a detox center. Some people will be going through legitimate pain while others will be speaking on behalf of their addiction. Good staff will be able to talk to either concern with clarity and concern.

3. They Should Specialize in Your Addiction

While most detox programs are one-size-fits-all, it’s important to work with staff who knows about your specific type of addiction. They should be able to talk you through your addiction issues and know exactly what you’re going through.

Talking to counselors, in general, is important and helpful but talking to someone who knows about your particular addiction is key. They’ll know what the most common withdrawal symptoms and coping tactics are to help you out.

This detox program has specialists available for just about any type of detox.

4. They Should Have Multiple Ways To Contact

When you’re in an outpatient program or following your initial treatment, you’ll need someone to talk to. The program you sign up for should be able to link you up with a phone number or a way to speak to people when you need to be talked out of using. They should have staff ready outside of normal business hours that can help you when you need it.

Technology is the future of healthcare in every respect. A great detox program will know this and provide lots of ways to stay in touch.

Finding A Detox Program Takes Time

While you might be in a rush to find help quickly, it’s important to find a program that fits. If you’re interested in finding the program that suits your needs, make sure to be completely honest about what you’re looking for. This will ensure that staff can assess whether or not they’re the place for you or your loved one.

Your health and wellness can affect everything from your job to your love life, so make sure to check out our guide to learn how to be your best self.

Your Essential Guide To Establishing A Business Based On Coconut Oil Products

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If you are thinking of starting your own food business or already have a business in the food sector which you want to revamp or introduce a new product to, products which make use of coconut oil may be a good choice. Coconut oil can be used in the restaurant sector for frying foods, and it can also be used for the creation of desserts and drinks. There are, in fact, a number of food products which you can create using coconut oil as one of the main ingredients. But creating and establishing a business based on coconut oil products takes some careful thought, planning, and strategising. Here’s your essential guide to establishing a business based on coconut oil products.

What is your plan and goal?

The first step is to create your plans and goals. Remember that coconut oil is a versatile product and it has a high degree of attraction to certain markets such as the health food market and the supplemental food market. It can also be marketed as an ethnic product, which has a degree of attraction to certain consumers as well. You should decide on the kind of coconut oil products you would like to produce.

Do research

Once you have established what products you would like to create, and you have also identified your niche and market, do some research. Get to know your potential customers and get to know your competition. This will essentially help you decide if your prospective business endeavour is worth going into.

The product lines

Your product line will be the actual line of products which you want to produce using coconut oil. Will it be food or drinks? Extra virgin coconut oil is particularly popular with younger individuals and can be marketed to this audience. Coconut oil can be used for snack food and energy bars, as well as desserts. Once you have established your product line, speak with a good wholesale coconut oil supplier which can give you not only a good price but also products of the highest quality.

The plan for marketing

A marketing plan is vital for any business endeavour, and you should think about how you will market your products, so they stand out from the competition. Other considerations would be the kinds of products you want to sell, how much you will sell the products for, and where the products will be sold. A solid marketing plan should also include your budgeting strategy. The packaging of your products can make a difference too, so make sure the custom packaging is attractive and functional.

All of these can contribute to a successful product, and once you have done all that needs to be done, you can sit back and reap the rewards.