 Ok so maybe you’re a former athlete or prior military, or perhaps you just miss those glory days when you felt good and you felt like you looked good. Now you’re looking in the mirror and saying “how did I get here?”, “how did I let my health get to this point?” Maybe it has nothing to do with what you look like, but you found yourself huffing and puffing walking up the stair and you thought “I used to be an athlete now I’m struggling with steps, well that’s not a good sign”. If you’ve experienced any of that you’re not alone. It’s easy to lose track of your health and fitness especially after high school or college. You have careers, maybe children and any number of responsibilities that continue to take priority over proper nutrition and exercise. However, you’re now recognizing your health and wellness needs to be a priority. If you’ve made that epiphany, you just made a giant leap towards change.
There’s a difference between knowing you need to do something and accepting you need to do something. Once you’ve accepted it, setbacks won’t cause you to quit because you realize health and wellness are a journey not a destination. The next thing I recommend wrapping your head around is accepting that there will be days when you’re running late, don’t have the energy for a good workout or stressed, and it is on those days that even doing what appears to be a lame workout is actually not just a victory but is necessary. You see when you perform a lame workout it may be true that you did little to move toward your fitness goals physically. However, that workout serves as a place holder in the habit continuum. In other words you strengthened the habit and your mental/emotional state by going through with it. Even if you dramatically reduced the intensity, even if you were so late that you showed up and only walked on the treadmill for 10 minutes because that’s literally all you had time for. Why? Because when you show up for those albeit lame workouts you still went, and if you’ve ever skipped a day working out you know how much easier it is to miss the next one. Think about it. How many times have you skipped a workout and that one skipped workout turned into two, three, four or more? So getting back to your former glory starts with truly accepting that your fitness journey is life long. The second step is to accept that sometimes the workout is more about the habit than it is about fitness. Each time we choose to stick to our workout schedule the stronger mentally we get. In the beginning it is mentally painful… maybe even more than it is physically. However, over time you’ll become so mentally strong that it’ll just become something you do. You’ll reach a point where you don’t associate any pain with going. Once you’re at that point, you can then apply the same mental strength to developing proper nutrition (if you hadn’t already).
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 Children and adolescents needs vary based on maturation of the youth. It is important to note that this group is important to focus on due to the developmental stages of the human body. In training youth there is no set minimum age but as a rule of thumb it is accepted that most 7 and 8 year olds are ready for participation in some form of structured exercise or sport. Basic Exercise Guidelines:
 “Gut health” relates to the function and balance of bacteria in some parts of the gastrointestinal tract.
Optimally, organs like the esophagus, stomach, and intestines all work side by side to allow us to eat and digest food without feeling any discomfort. However, there are more than 70 million people in the U.S. struggling with digestive diseases. The food we consume is broken down in our guts, where it is turned into nutrients, ready to enter our bloodstream. Yet, this won’t be possible if we have an unhealthy digestive system. A healthy gut contains immune cells and healthy bacteria that fight infectious “pests”, such as viruses, fungi, and bacteria. Having a healthy gut is extremely important for our general health and well-being because it communicates with the brain with the help of nerves and hormones. But how do you know if you have an unhealthy gut? Signs Of An Unhealthy Gut:
Some autoimmune conditions are:
Other signs of an unhealthy gut are:
The microbiome within the gut is created from trillions of bacteria, other microbes, and fungi. It plays a major role in our general welfare because it helps controlling digestion and benefits our immune system A disproportion of healthy and unhealthy microbes within the intestines might lead to obesity, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and other disorders. We suggest eating a wide assortment of fruits and veggies to help support the growth of healthy microbes in your gut. Takeaway Message A healthy gut is important for maintaining a balance in our body and its proper functions. Immune cells and healthy bacteria have a vital role in our body because they are connected to the brain. We hope you understand how important it is to keep your microbes and healthy bacteria under control, for your overall wellbeing. In part 2 of this article series, we’ll tell you the fundamental, actionable tips to instantly implement in your daily life and make your gut happy!  A workout for the sole purpose of physical exercise can only have limited health benefits. It can help you stay fit to some level and boost your serotonin levels to some points.
When you add mindfulness into your workout however, it becomes the secret ingredient to overall well-being, including physical and mental health. Before we move on to the positive effect of mindfulness on your workout, let's explain what a mindful workout is. What is a Mindful Workout? Mindfulness is part of a holistic approach to wellness and fitness. It helps you understand better what is happening in your body and enabling you to learn and improve your physical and mental wellness. A mindful workout is made complete by incorporating all you have gathered from your senses. By leaving your headphones at home you can become aware of every breath and every sensation in your body. Mindfulness during a workout means being present in the moment and aware of your thoughts, potential discomfort, and the sensations in your feet while they touch the ground. It helps you truly experience every second of your workout and get the most out of it. Let's take mindful running, for example, to describe the benefits of a mindful workout. By being concentrated on your mind and body, mindfulness reduces external distractions. Therefore, you are more relaxed, without thinking about your speed, distance, personal records, etc. By maintaining internal focus, you are ready to overcome your limitations. But, because you are focused on the sensations in your body, the injuries are less likely to happen. You'll notice the signs of discomfort and expand your limitations. How to Do Mindfulness Running? The first thing to remember when practicing mindful workouts is to breathe through your nose. Mouth breathing is part of the stress-induced changes in your breathing, so nose breathing helps you relax and get into the right mood. Mindfulness is all about the mind-body connection, so try to keep the inner conversation with your body. Let go of the social expectations and social distractions, timings, tracking devices, points, or anything similar, which can shift your focus from internal feelings to external activities and objects. Don't measure time and think about the technique. Before you start your workout, prepare for the mindful experience. Do a quick meditation to get out of the state of stress and prepare for the next activity. Five or ten minutes of deep breathing and mindfulness exercises will be enough to get you in the right state of mind for your workout. Once you've done the prep work, it is time to engage your focus on your sensations and mind. Start slowly and listen to your body to adjust your pace. Check for the physical sensations as you speed up or slow down. If your heart and breath rate speed up, feel the warming up in your body, the heart beating in your chest, experience every sensation in your muscle. Maintain that state of mind and internal focus, but try not to think about the sensations, just feel them. What about Your Thoughts? Once you maintain the awareness of bodily sensations, focus on your mind. Stop replaying situations and scenarios in your head, and use running (or any other workout) as a time to express gratitude for your physical health. If you feel like your thoughts are getting out of control, focus on breathing. It will help you calm dow and gain control over your minfulness. Don't think about the end line, feel every step and movement. Slowly, you'll increase your abilities and enjoy your workouts more!  Honey is an organic, natural sweetener that serves a great purpose as a sugar alternative.
It is widely used in almost every cuisine around the world. This is perhaps because it has many great qualities such as its indefinite shelf life, its ease on the stomach, and the reason that it adapts to all cooking processes. According to an article by Date Carson, honey dates back to 2 100 B.C. It is believed that the natural sweetener was found in Asia or Africa. On top of that out of 12,000 different bees, there are only a few varieties that store honey. An average bee’s life span is from 4 to 6 weeks and the required amount of bees to produce 450g (1 pound) of honey is around 160,000. That means, in order to get a single jar of honey, there are an innumerable number of generations of bees involved. Honey is also used in Medicine… According to a 2012 review, regardless of whether it will be consumed directly, mixed with other remedies, or applied directly to the skin honey helps for treating the following illnesses or injuries:
Now, let’s look at what are the pros of eating honey. Benefits Of Eating Honey
We bet that the good old honey came in handy at least once in your lifetime. It is believed that honey is an effective measurement against a cough in children and adults. One or two spoons before bed can provide for a calmer night.
According to a study from 2017, honey contains prebiotic properties. As we know, prebiotics help ferment beneficial bacterias in the gut. Furthermore, this was related to a stronger immune system and general welfare.
Honey is not only rich in antioxidants, it is also very rich in nutrients. It is found that there are 31 minerals found in honey, such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium.
Some types of honey help protect your body from cell damage. It is believed that there are almost the same amount of antioxidants in honey as in fruits and veggies. Having antioxidants in our diet is healthy because they may prevent the development of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.
As we know honey is far better than glucose from sugar, used to boost endurance. Consuming a spoon of honey before or even during your training is believed to enhance your athletic performance. Pro Tip: Add a spoon of honey to your bottle of water and consume it during your session. But with so many benefits, is there something that could go wrong? Cons Of Eating Honey
If your goal is to decrease body fat percentage, then consuming a lot of honey might not be a good idea. Because of its liquid form in most cases, eating too much honey can easily make you exceed your daily caloric intake. Always strive NOT to exceed the recommended amount of honey per day, which is around 1-2 small spoons for a healthy person without any weight problems.
For this reason, always use honey in moderation.
Babies don’t have the required digestive system to consume honey, and there is a risk of botulism. Takeaways Honey is one of the oldest foods in the world and it is used in almost every cuisine around the globe, as well as in medicine. It has many benefits but should be taken in moderation because it can be very calorie-dense. |