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How Losing Weight Can Be Done Easily Through Some Mental Tricks

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Guest Post By: Alex Gendron

losing weight

The goal of every weight loss program is to help you get a happier and healthier life and a peaceful and contented mind. It is not right to think that people just want to lose weight so that they can enhance and show off their beautiful body. It is more than that. It is something more than what is obvious.

People who are trying to lose weight are doing it for different reasons. Some are just not feeling comfortable about themselves. For some, they are trying to save themselves from health conditions that may arise from their unhealthy diet and lifestyle. No matter what your reason for taking the road to fitness, you will certainly agree that you want to feel contented.

Some people find it really hard to go on a healthy diet. This is really a challenge especially if you just started. But there are some ways on how you can lose weight without really making it hard on yourself. Here are some psychological tricks you can consider:

 

Be kind to yourself

Instead of acting like you are in some kind of a competition, you can make it easier for you to lose weight by being kind to yourself. Do not rush in losing weight. Avoid unhealthy practices such as allowing yourself to starve. You will still be able to make your weight loss project effective even if you do not starve. The best thing that you can do is to eat healthy food. Give up the ones that will only add to your weight but does not really give your body the nutrients it needs.

active weight loss

Ask yourself questions

There will be times when you will find yourself craving for food. The bad thing about cravings is that it is usually about the unhealthy junk food. If you ever come to the point when you want to have that sweet chocolate, you can suppress the cravings by asking questions that will let you get back to the reason why you are on diet. Is it necessary for you to eat that food? What are the nutritional contents of that certain food? Are there other foods that you can eat instead of that?

 

Look beyond the food

Most people who are into weight loss are only looking at the food as the major factor that affects their weight. This is not right because there are other reasons for your weight gain. Instead of focusing on lessening the food that you are eating, you should look at the other factors that are contributing to your weight. It is not just the food itself. It can be the schedule of your meals, your daily activities and some other habits. Do not forget to look at all the aspects.

 

Create food aversions

If you find yourself in a situation where your cravings are too strong, you can consider creating food aversions as an effective way to suppress yourself. Look for reasons why you shouldn’t eat that food. If you are craving for burgers, fries and other food from a certain fast food, you can just think of some stories about the store that will make you change your mind.

 

Don’t panic if you hit a plateau

In your weight loss journey, there will be instances when you will be hitting a plateau. This is according to LipoSci Labs. These are the times when your weight isn’t changing and your efforts do not seem to be effective. You don’t have to panic when you reach this point. It is normal for the body to stop changing for a while. Take this opportunity for you to rest because your body needs that. One of the best ways to deal with this is to change your diet. This way, your body that has already adjusted will be able to go back to the weight loss pattern.

bodybuilding weight loss

Identify your intrinsic motivation

Everybody needs a motivation. With this, you need to be sure of the goals you want to achieve. Why do you want to lose weight? Just by asking yourself this question, you will be able to get back your eagerness to continue with what you have started. Every time you feel like giving up, always think of the goal that you have set during the starting point. This will let you get back on your feet. Do not give up because you feel tired. With a concrete goal, you will be able to continue no matter how many discouragement you hear.

 

Pay attention to what you are eating

Most people do two things at the same time. This should be avoided at all cost when you are eating. Do not watch while you eat because you will lose track of the amount of food you have already consumed. When you eat, make sure that your full attention is on the food.

 

Keep feeding your resolve

The power and the will to achieve a healthy body should be stronger than the alibis. Keep on feeding your will to be healthy. You can do this by reading or watching inspirational videos of people who became successful in losing weight and achieving a healthy body. You can also look for a mentor. Go to the gym, look around you and see how all these people are trying their best and pushing to their limit just to stay fit. This simple view will give you a reason to move forward and to do things better.

 

Choose a dietary approach that works for you

There is not specific dietary approach that will work for everyone. You need to try all the approaches that you have in mind until you get the one that will work for you. As a beginner, you need to be patient with yourself. You will constantly experience the trial and error phase. Do not give up until you get the perfect blend of weight loss program that will work for your own benefit.

It may not be easy to lose weight but it will always be worth it.

Flax- The Ancient Seed for Weight Loss

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Guest Post By: Michael Morelli

flax seeds

Are you looking for a way to lose weight but you are already tired of the usual tips that are not working? There is a simple but effective way that you can consider in losing weight. With this technique, you do not have to be hard on yourself. All you need to do is to add this wonder seed to your diet and you will certainly have a control over your weight and you can also help improve the condition of your heart and your blood pressure. If you are planning to consider custom meal plan, check out this information about flaxseeds.

 

What are Flaxseeds?

Flaxseeds are also called linseeds with the scientific name Linum usitassimum. It comes in two varieties namely brown flax and golden flax. This seed has originated from the Middle East and it is known as one of the most ancient crops in the world. This seed is known to have contents that can fight against prostate cancer, skin cancer, and even colon cancer. This is one of the most important effects of the seed that most people do not know about. Aside from this, it also contains antioxidants and fiber that can also be great for your health. It is not a secret that flaxseeds are very helpful in increasing the immune system and in developing the condition of the heart because it contains Omega-3.

 

Flaxseed and weight loss – the science behind it

If you are planning to lose weight, you can add flaxseed to your food. It can be perfectly added to your drinks or your vegetable salad. It is not really a mystery that flax seeds can be a great help in losing weight. There is a scientific explanation for this. First, it has more amino acid but it has low carbohydrates. With this, you will not easily feel hungry and unhealthy cravings are lessened. This is very important for people who are really serious about losing weight. Aside from this, flax seeds can also assist you in stabilizing blood sugar.

 

Reasons why you should consume flax seed

Aside from the weight loss effect, there are also other benefits that you will get from flax seed. Here are some of the ways on how it can help you improve your health:

  • It helps in stabilizing blood sugar levels among the people who are suffering from diabetes. This is evident because of the levels of antioxidants contained in the seed. If you want to control your diabetes, you should add consume flaxseed regularly.
  • It can also be helpful in improving your skin condition and in avoiding skin diseases. With its Omega-3 content, your skin cells will surely be developed healthily. It can be the best moisturizer and hydrant for your skin.
  • Flaxseed can also help you strengthen your hair. This is possible because of the Omega-3 acid. This is recommended for people who are experiencing hair breakage.
  • It can also help in detoxifying and in fighting asthma and obesity.
  • Flax seed can also help in digestion. This will help the body in absorbing more nutrients.

 

There are other benefits that are not limited to the ones that are enumerated above.

 

How to use flaxseeds for weight loss

One of the most important things about flaxseed that you need to know is that you can add it to a variety of foods. Here is a list that you can consider:

  • Oatmeal and cereals
  • Muffins, bread, and toast
  • Salads and Sauces
  • Smithies
  • Pasta and burgers
  • Vegetables, chicken, and fish

With all these options that you can choose from, you can easily integrate flax seed to your daily diet. It can be part of your major meals or your snacks.

 

Recipe of flaxseed for weight loss

Here is a perfect recipe that you can add to your list of food that can be possibly added to flaxseed:

Banana Bread Muffins

This is a perfect recipe because you do not really have to add flour. You will need 2 ripe medium bananas, honey, rolled oats, almond meal, vanilla extract, baking soda and ground flaxseed for this. Here is a simple process on how you can make  some flaxseed stuffed muffins:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
  2. Prepare the muffin pan sprayed with cooking spray.
  3. Blend all ingredients in a blender until it becomes creamy.
  4. Pour the mixture in to muffin pan you have prepared.
  5. Bake it for 10 minutes.

You can now enjoy this healthy banana muffin. It can last for a week if you are going to store it in an air-tight container.

 

With all the information provided above, flax seed is indeed one of the wonder seeds that are available for everyone. Consider the tips about how you can integrate it into your meals and you will surely enjoy its benefits.

 

Author: Michael Morelli

Michael Morelli

7 Healthy Ways to Lose Weight Sustainably

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Guest Post

By: Luna Regina

 

Are you still asking yourself why your body has stopped burning fat and you can’t lose weight no matter how hard you try? Then I guess you might be performing your weight-loss scheme the wrong way. On the other hand, restricting yourself within rules while dieting can stress you out at certain points. I know, it’s tiresome in every way.

Well, now you can just say hello to dolce vita! By adapting these 7 tips below, your excess fat can’t keep you up at night anymore.

healthy breakfast

Make sure you have a healthy breakfast everyday

It’s understandable as to many of you, morning time is literally the time where your appetite drops to the lowest. For others, they simply have to skip breakfast to rush off to meet the morning conference. 

Some people experience morning nausea, but rest easy, you’re not alone. According to some studies, this sick feeling happens mostly because our metabolism need some time to hit the ‘start’ button every morning.

As said, breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it helps rev up your metabolism. Metabolism being slowed down will result in striking your insulin level unexpectedly with any bite you’ll have later. This is known as the culprit of binge-eating, which lets mid-day snacking and junk foods join the game.

There is no use starving yourself right at the beginning of the day. Not only breakfast provides you with enough energy for whatever activities coming up next, but also prevents you from getting more hungry throughout the day.

There’s also the possibility that you’ve lost your interest for breakfast due to being served the same dishes days after days. How about rock your taste buds with some variants?

The good news is, you don’t have to throw a feast for nutrients need. It is actually more than easy to have a well-balanced breakfast, especially for busy ones.

Including protein and fiber in your breakfast is highly recommended. Some lean suggestions can be listed: beans, nuts, Greek yogurt, tofu or salad.

healthy breakfast eggs protein

The easiest way is to start any breakfast is starting with eggs. Even a small frittata or omelette is enough. Just simply poach, fry, scramble or boil some eggs, and serve them alongside with whole-grain cereals such as barley, brown rice, buckwheat or oatmeal.

Additionally, you can also toast some slices of rye bread. Consider using healthy fats like olive oil and nuts, some avocado slices with boiled eggs and top it with honey or nut butter.

Smoothies with fruit or veggie bases are good choices too. If you’re in a rush, just grab a mix of dried fruits, honey, milk and yogurt then give them a pulse and there you go, some more flavor to wipe off a lethargic morning. Took just 10 minutes on average for preparation!

water H20

Don’t forget to drink water

Keeping the habit of drinking water frequently before, after, and during meals is always essential. It is best to consume a reasonable amount of water everyday – corresponding to your weight and height – and keep it regular throughout weeks.

Benefits of water are definitely innumerable. Drinking water will help promote proper digestion and detoxify your body big-time. It can also simulate fullness which leads to less eating.

According to scientists, you should neither leave yourself dehydrated for too long, nor push your body to devour liters of water by all cost. This will easily cause disorders for you kidney’s function and may result in toxicicity.

fruit vegetable

Always stock high-fiber veggies and fruits in your fridge

Apparently, greenery is what will come up most in people’s mind regarding the topic of dieting. This is because of the fact that fruit and veggies are popular for being remarkably low in calories and fat.

You can totally grab a variety of non-starchy veggies and your calories intake goal still hasn’t been reached yet. Vegetables are also high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These ingredients truly give big push for a successful weight loss plan as they’ll help ease your hunger.

It is advised that salad and vegetable dishes should be added prior to you meals. That way, they can fill you up fast and you’ll more likely to eat less on the entrée. Veggies also show beneficial effects in desserts too. Consuming fiber-rich fruits will make you feel full longer post-meal, and you’ll no more crave for sweets.

Veggies can also be a perfectly healthy replacement for high-calorie bags of potato chips. Just have them stocked ready in your house so that you can easily grab them every time you’re having an appetite. Sometimes, try to create some weight-loss effective juice recipes on your own too.

 

Stay away from junk foods to cut down on sugar and refined carbs

Needless to say, chocolate, pretzels, biscuits, and chips are the forefront enemies to your fitness program. Want to reduce fat drastically? Drop refined carbs from your courses immediately, and no more puff-up awaits.

Whenever your body absorbs a whopping amount of carbohydrates, insulin is released. Since insulin only burns carbs, this leads to current fat cells being stored, whilst more new fat cells are created to store everything left that hasn’t been burned besides of the carbs.

This is pretty much similar to a vicious endless cycle of carbs consuming. You’ll just keep continue to gain weight and crave for more carbs at the same time. Definitely not a cute picture!

The good news is, these fatty snacks can totally be replaced. Why potato chips when you can have avocado slices or roasted carrots instead? 

Unsalted rice cakes, oat cakes, popcorn, nuts, seeds, and fruit juice are the names worth opting for casually. Remember to only allow yourself to enjoy treats once in a while. Don’t get drowned by your sweet tooth!

nutritional facts

Read food labels to restrict your calorie intake

Setting your calorie goal is a must-do. You’ll get used to measuring the size of each course and even each bite that you take.

Additionally, not everything containing the same amount of calories will bring about the same effect. For example, how can 100 calories of cookies be compared to 100 calories of broccoli?

So here’s the deal: Your mission is to find those foods which can easily fill you up with just a small portion. That way, you can’t be loaded with calories and still be hungry anymore.

Keep your daily meals at regular times

First and foremost, having your meals scheduled at exact hours will reduce your temptation to fast food and unhealthy snacks. Once your digestive system gets used to being organized properly, you won’t feel like filling up your boredom by tossing things into your mouth anymore.

Big reminder here: Get up, grab the pans and cook your meals on your own anytime it’s possible. Trust me, that’ll be the last thing you’ll ever regret in your whole dieting itinerary.

That way, you’ll get your chance to dig it deeper to every dish’s content – how nutritious, or unhealthy, or fat, or lean they are. You’ll get full control on assessing portion size and what to have first or last.

Small tips:

  • Instead of ladling out food directly from pots or pans, try to divide your courses into containers that look larger but are actually smaller in amount. Plates, small bowls or cups will do well here.
  • Also, don’t forget to chew slower. Yeah, be calm. Whatever the reason is, never scarf down your food. It takes time for your brain to receive the ‘We’re fed full!’ message from the stomach. So basically, you’re actually full before you feel full. It’s unnecessary to push yourself to clean every plate.

 

You might have heard of an old Russian saying that states, “Eat your breakfast alone, eat your lunch with your friend, give your dinner to your enemy.” Wise words, indeed. Consuming more at breakfast and less at dinner actually aids weight loss effectively. Your body needs time to burn off the calories; that’s why you always have to finish everything a bit earlier.

 

Put yourself on a regular workout routine

Yeah yeah, this should be the one of the most underlying facts that they always hang on the wall, whenever you’re caught struggling with the hopelessness from fat and cellulite.

I get that you’re already sweating like a pig, trying to force yourself into strict dieting rules. You might find it bothersome this and that, thinking about actually having to sweat yourself daily.

But still, it’s undeniable that being active is the requisite to every fat-shredding scheme, especially if you want to keep it off for good.

It’s true that physical exercises help burn off excess calories, but they actually go beyond just that. Sweating yourself is proved to be the fastest way to boost metabolism and help switch you to the energetic mode all day long. Who doesn’t want to look cheery and gleeful anyway?

Here’s some information you may need for now: Working out is not simply doing some crunches, a dozen of squats or planks and cross finger for a toned-shape body with six packs. No way, dear friends. You have to actually get it on a regular basis to see real changes.

I believe that no one is too busy for at least a 30-minute walk per day. Don’t push yourself too hard, just give it small amounts at first. Find one single thing that you’ll be happy to do the most, and put it on that particular time of the day when you’re most likely in the accurate mood for it.

Try to maintain that exact schedule of several sessions for weeks, and the next thing you know is your health being improved distinctively. Just take your first step and strike a blow against your obesity by jogging, hiking, stretching, cycling. Anything will do.

You know what they say, sweat it like you mean it. You just have to kick it a start, anything is better than nothing.

 

Bottom line

Mindless eating or poor snacking habits are no longer an issue if you keep track carefully of what to eat and what to do everyday. Hope you’ll be encouraged to keep the healthy lifestyle off. Sweet day to you all!

How Aloe Vera Helps In Losing Weight

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Guest Blog By: Abir Sur

aloe vera juicing weight loss

Aloe Vera is one of those all-encompassing plants that knows how to work on every part of our body and has a positive effect on it. From applying the gel to skin to consuming the juice, Aloe is a natural medicine. Be it for pain relief, for skin moisturizer, or for weight loss, it is a perfect thing to have around. So, why break the bank for expensive weight loss plans if you have a magical plant to do the job? To highlight this star plant, this article will let you know how it helps you lose your weight efficiently, among other qualities.

 

Detoxifying Agent:

Aloe is great for getting our immune system stronger and keeping it free of all the toxins. It helps to prevent the growth of oxidative radicals in our body. Thus, being a great source of powerful antioxidants and polysaccharides, the plant is a thumbs up for our body.

 

Natural Laxative:

You can also call the plant a natural laxative. Consuming the juice will help you get better digestion. When our digestion is healthy, we have proper functioning of the large intestine, a healthy stomach, and a clean colon. If you want to see the change rapidly, it is better to have the juice just before the time of working out.

 

Metabolism Enhancer :

Aloe is also known to have a great effect on our gastrointestinal system that leads to major boost of our metabolism. Here you can thank its Vitamin B content that plays a vital part in boosting metabolism, and this puts a full stop to curbing appetite and fat build-up. Besides, not only does it regulate bowel movements, but also eases out issues like ulcers and acid reflux. So, while you drink the juice regularly, the process of burning calories gets quicker and eventually helps in weight loss as well.

 

Collagen Producer:

The plant loves to fuel the collagen protein production so that you can have a taut skin. It makes your body spend a lot of energy to assimilate the protein. This energy will be the reason to help you lose weight. Additionally, the collagen also charges up the metabolism so it works on turning the food into energy for reducing weight.  

 

No More Overeating:

Aloe is efficient enough for taking down the glucose levels in blood circulation that limits the growth of fat. As the plant contains phytosterols, it works great to control your blood sugar. So, the plan helps in making the sugar absorption rate slower. Therefore, it makes you stay away from stuffing yourself as it keeps you filled for a good time. This is another way that Aloe happens to promote weight loss.  

 

Recipes for Aloe:

If you are one of those who find plain Aloe juice boring, we have some recipes that just don’t enhance flavor to the juice, but add more fun to it. So if you drink them properly every day, you can lose your weight effectively and quickly. So, start up your day and add a bit of Aloe!

With Tangy Lemon:

If you hate having a bland juice of the plant, you can mix it with lemon. The sour flavor of the lemon adds fun to the taste. The properties of lemon juice with the properties of Aloe Vera juice help you get a drink of immeasurable purifying powers that lead to weight loss. All you need is to cut the leaf of the plant to small pieces and extract the juice. Then mix it with your desired amount of lemon juice. Make sure that you have it daily and on an empty stomach if you want to see the results quickly.

With Ginger:

Ginger is another great plant for digestion, stomach settling, and weight loss – plus it also a great flavor if you blend it with the Aloe Vera plant. If you love ginger tea, then you will also love to have your tea with some added Aloe Vera juice as well. All you have to do is grate a tablespoon of ginger and take a tablespoon Aloe Vera juice, mix them in a cup of water and boil for 3-5 minutes. This will make a perfect potion to make your day brighter and lose weight quickly.

With Strawberries:

Strawberries contain high levels of fiber that play a good role in losing weight. Not only that, these fruits carry very few calories and they are diuretic. So it’s a great idea to mix those little fruits with Aloe so that they can work together to lose the weight.

Take 3 to 4 strawberries and Aloe Vera juice for a sweeter version of a weight loss drink. Juice the berries and Aloe then mix them up to prepare a delicious juice for your weight loss.

 

Lastly:

Aloe Vera is capable of putting a huge impact on losing your weight. If you add drinking Aloe to your regular routine along with exercise and overall healthy diet, you will be able to see the results in just few days. Hence, it is recommended to drink the plant every day if you are yearning for a slimmer body and better skin.

 

 

BLOGGER BIO

Name: Abir Sur

Occupation: Nutrition Blogger

Website: Juicertopicreviews.com

9 Wonderful Celery Juice Benefits For Your Body

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By: Didar

celery

Today I am going to show you seven surprising celery juice benefits for your body. Crunchy celery is surprisingly good for you when you juice it and can receive a much larger dose of its powerful nutrients. This vegetable has a fresh flavor and so many nutritional benefits that you can keep it your daily diet.

It is interesting that celery can be taken various ways. You can have it in juice, a soup, salad, creams, and more. It’s tasty and very satiating. This blog tells about why celery juice is so good for removing inflammation and disease, lowering your risk of cancer, fostering your cardiovascular system, enhancing your skin, cleaning your body, free from the exercise of stress and even helping you get to deep sleep at night.

 

THE TOP 9 REASONS TO JUICE CELERY

  • Lose Weight 

If you want to reduce weight, celery can be a part of your diet. It is one of the lowest calorie vegetables you can find. It is very high in water and minerals like sodium, magnesium, and calcium. It has plenty of vitamins, such vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, B12, and vitamin K. Also, it is full of essential fiber, oils, and antioxidants. All elements of celery make it a good heart defender, diuretic antibacterial, expectorant, and tonic.

  • Minimize Inflammation 

Inflammatory illness like osteoporosis, arthritis, gout and even asthma can respond very well to celery juice in your diet. It may be in big part owing to two individual compounds called luteolin and polyacetylenes. Both are present in plentiful amounts in celery.

Luteolin is an antioxidant flavonoid with a powerful anti-inflammatory. Scientific studies say that a strong inhibitory effect on certain enzymes which raise genes responsible for the inflammation response.

Polyacetylenes also diminish inflammation by lowering levels of inflammatory prostaglandins in your body. People with arthritis in particular, are believed to benefit from great food sources of polyacetylenes. Raw celery juice is a high source, as is carrot juice and related edible herbs like parsley, fennel, spinach, and parsnip.

  • Improve Cardiovascular Health & Lower Blood Pressure 

Some of the amusing nutrient in celery juice is known as phthalide, which relaxes smooth muscles beneath your blood vessels, thus helping to minimize high blood pressure. The phthalide helps to remove lower LDL cholesterol for better health.

Coumarins, found in high levels in freshly juiced celery, decrease the effect of stress hormones like cortisol in your body. Too much cortisol retrenches blood vessels, potentially leading to hypertension and putting the strain on your complete circulatory system. Celery also takes on a bioflavonoid named apigenin what works as an anti-inflammatory within your cardiovascular system and develops blood vessels. As a result, you control your high blood pressure.

  • Anti-carcinogen

All of us know that today, there is no medicine around that can guarantee the prevention of cancer.  But you can cut down your hazard by taking a more healthy diet. Celery has two types of flavonoids: apigenin and luteolin. The Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research has published that these two antioxidants fight against cancer cells affecting the lungs.

  • Cleansing & Detoxifying

Celery juice removes toxic substances from your body. Nutrient-rich celery juice is especially cleaning for your kidneys. Celery is often a key element in many of our detox drink recipes. Celery has diuretic properties that can assist you to get rid of your body of excess water much like cantaloupe, cucumber, and watermelon.

Celery has cleansing properties, but don’t forget to clean your celery before using it in a juice so you’re not adding any toxins! Pesticides and bacteria from handling/storage can be on your vegetables, so make sure to properly wash your celery before use. A good non-toxic way to ensure all bad bacteria etc. is removed from your veggies is to spray 3% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide, and rinse with water.

  • Skin Benefits of Celery Juice

It has many nutritional elements which are enhancing your skin. It has also high vitamins A, B, and C that is making healthy skin and vitamin K preserve skin’s constancy and elastic quality.

  • Refresh Your Body From Tiredness

When you’re busy, stressed from work, or do exercise, your body loses a large amount of water and has lower electrolytes which keep it functioning properly. After working out if you drink celery juice, you instantly recover from dehydrating. It contains lots of natural sodium and potassium electrolytes that produce energy in your cells.

  • Celery Helps To Calm You Down

You will get magnesium from all of the important hidden minerals in celery and this will help ease your body. Magnesium helps to relax the nervous system and heal your body.

  • Improved Digestion

If you want to prevent constipation and to increase digestion power make a juice from celery and cabbage. Their minerals, along with various acids and phytonutrients, are wonderful digestive tonics that are capable of also alleviating intestinal gas.

 green juice celery cabbage juicing

HOW TO MAKE CELERY JUICE:

Look for celery for juicing with green leaves and firm stalks. Celery juice is very easy to make and not costly. You can add your own variations flavor. Many people choose to add lemon, carrot, apple, and honey, different fruits or vegetables improve the taste. If you like juicing, you can use a masticating juicer, it’s easy to clean.

 

Ingredients For Tasty Celery Juice:

  • 2 or 3 celery stalks
  • 1 apple or pear
  • 1 carrot
  • ¼ inch ginger
  • ¼ lemon
  • Teaspoon honey

Steps:

  1. Wash ingredients completely.
  2. Put the celery stalks, apple or pear, carrot, lemon, and ginger into the juicer machine.
  3. Start on juicer machine until extract the juice from ingredients.
  4. Stir in honey.
  5. Serve juice and enjoy!

 

Why Having Coffee While Dieting is Good For You

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Guest Post By Sarah Jones

coffee

People diet for many reasons. Some people diet to lose weight, build muscle, improve their overall health or because certain health conditions require them to eat or avoid very specific foods. The good news is you do not have to give up your cup of coffee each day just because you are on a diet. In fact, you can and should drink coffee due to it number of health benefits.

You can drink coffee on a diet

Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks. Most people have at least one cup of coffee a day. Its active ingredient is caffeine, but it also contains various antioxidants that have several health benefits for your body.

Coffee improves memory and cognitive function and also lowers the risk of several diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and depression. If you are on a diet, coffee can also help in a variety of ways.

First, it suppresses your appetite so you do not feel as hungry and will consume fewer calories. It can also boost your metabolism, causing you to burn more fat and help you lose weight. It can also provide you with an increase in energy, which may help some people who experience a dip in energy when they are on a strict diet.

How to prepare coffee while on a diet

Coffee is a perfect drink while you are dieting because it contains just a few calories per cup. A safe way to drink your coffee, if you can handle the taste, is too drink it black. However, it is important to remember that if you need to alter the taste, you should only add sweeteners and creams so that they are compatible with your respective diet.  

If you are on a lower calorie diet, you should refrain from adding lots of sugar, cream or syrups in your coffee. A Frappuccino can have upwards of 400 calories. These items are filled with extra calories and fats that can cause you to gain weight and may defeat the purpose of your diet.

If you are on a lower fat diet, you may want to avoid heavy creamers. You should also drink your coffee warm as warm coffee increases body temperature and your body’s metabolic rate. Coffee should be consumed between 155-175 degrees Fahrenheit.

You should make sure you let your coffee cool to a temperature you can tolerate. Just be sure to drink coffee in moderation, as consuming too much can cause you to feel jittery, stressed and can stain your teeth. Using an organic brushing rinse will help prevent stains associated with coffee.

Other lifestyle practices that can improve overall health while on a diet

If you are on a strict diet, it is important that you get enough sleep and exercise. Often times, a rigid diet will make you feel sluggish and lethargic. It may also be harder to work out. Sleep will help you exercise and feel better and give you more energy throughout the day.

In addition to the physical benefits, sleeping properly  will help you think better as it improves mental capacity. You might also want to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet as well, depending on the list you of food you are adhering to. An easy way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables to your diet is to try juicing. Juicing can re-introduce important vitamins and minerals you might be missing out on because you are on a diet.

Although you do not have to give up coffee just because you are trying to lose weight, it is important to remember to ditch the sugary additives to your coffee and make sure that you also live a healthy lifestyle by choosing a healthy diet, engaging in exercise daily, and getting a good night’s sleep every night. Incorporating these simple changes is an easy way to get healthy.

sarah

Bio: Sarah is the author of We Dream of Coffee. She mixed her passion for coffee and her love for writing in one place so that more people can learn about the benefits of her favorite drink.

The Best Juicing Recipes for Weight Loss – Tasty and Effective!

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Guest Post By: Helen Sanders, Chief Editor, HealthAmbition.com

Juicing is the fastest and tastiest way to get all those healthy vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes that our modern diets are lacking. If you are looking to lose weight then try our juicing recipes for weight loss.

They are highly nutritious, taste great and will help you shed the pounds in no time at all. In fact, many people have lost as much as 20 pounds in just two weeks of juicing!

One of the main benefits of juicing is that liquid puts very little stress on your digestive system. This means you have more energy, feel great and have a super healthy diet at the same time.

Juicing also allows you to consume much more fruit and vegetables (but be careful of putting too much fruit in your diet) than you would typically do in a regular diet. It also helps to suppress hunger pangs, which mean you can avoid succumbing to unhealthy foods that go straight to your waistline.

Can Juicing help you lose weight?

In short, yes it can! There are many well documented examples, and even documentary movies, demonstrating the power of juicing to help weight loss.

Even if you are not quite ready to go extreme and commit to a full juice fast, juicing can help you lose weight and vastly improve your diet.

Check here how to increase leptin for successful weight loss!

Here are some of the ways in which Juicing helps you lose weight:

  • Prevents hunger – Juicing gives your body all the nutrients it needs, and then some! When your body is lacking nutrients, it makes you hungry. In this way, you will eat less and have fewer junk food cravings.
  • Convenience – Modern busy lifestyles cause us to make many poor diet decisions because of the convenience of fast food. Juicing takes just a few minutes and gives you fresh, delicious, healthy juice that satisfies you. This means you eat less junk food.
  • All Natural – Since juicing uses all natural produce, you can limit your exposure to processed foods. The chemicals and additives in such foods actively contribute to weight gain. Going natural, especially if you use organic produce, can avoid exposing you to such risks. Additionally, juicing is free from all preservatives since you control exactly what goes into each drink.1
  • Flavour – Most of us could do with eating more healthy vegetables. Juicing helps us get the goodness of these in a much more flavourful way than eating raw vegetables. It can also help meet you 5-a-day requirement if you aren’t doing so already.
  • More energy – The goodness of juicing makes you feel and great and gives you more energy. You’ll be much more likely to go outside and do something active when you make juicing a part of your lifestyle.
  • Detox – Green juice full of chlorophyll is particularly detoxifying and can really help your liver and kidneys to flush out your system. Celebrities regularly go to such retreats to shed the pounds after an unhealthy spell. But you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to reap the benefits of juicing. Now, everyone can do it from the comfort of their own home.

There are two basic approaches to losing weight by juicing:

#1 Juice Fast

This is the most extreme option and does require willpower as you are changing everything your body has previously relied on to fuel it.

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It involves restricting your diet entirely to juicing.

Different juicing fasts take different approaches and you should prepare properly before embarking on these.

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#2: Casual Juicing

This approach doesn’t force you to give up on all solid foods and basically allows you to juice whenever you feel like it.

By replacing some of the foods you used to eat with juicing, you can fill your body with lots of essential nutrients. You’ll have much more energy and feel a lot less hungry throughout the day.

So long as you eat a reasonable diet at the same time, you can lose a lot of weight with this method.

juicing weight loss

Fruit vs vegetables

Generally speaking, vegetables are much better for you than fruit. Not to say that fruit is bad, but it does contain natural fructose which is a form of sugar (through a million times healthier than the high fructose corn syrup you’ll find in many soda drinks these days).

Nevertheless, fruit heavy juicing should be done in the morning or before exercise. This will help stop your body converting and storing this sugar as fat. Don’t worry if you don’t like the taste of vegetables though, it’s perfectly fine to add an apple or some lemon to into your juicer to completely hide the flavour.

The best types of vegetable to use are cruciferous vegetables. These include arugula, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage and kale. Make sure to drink more vegetable juices later in the day. Of course, you are free to add them to any juice. In fact, that is strongly encouraged.

The people who lose the most weight from juicing tend to have about 70-80% of their juicing ingredient be vegetables. These days, with modern juicers, that is easily achievable as some creative fruity ingredients can mask the taste of any vegetable.

How to juice?

There are two types of juicers. The first are centrifugal juices that have an upright design and juice by shredding fruit and veggies into a pulp while they spin rapidly to extract the resulting liquid. These are the most common and good ones like this are relatively inexpensive for all the health benefits they provide.

The second are masticating juicers which usually have a horizontal design that crushes and squeezes the juice out of vegetables and fruit. This produces both a higher quality and quantity of juice than most centrifugal juicers. The design is also much more effective when juicing highly nutritious greens like spinach, kale and wheatgrass.

If you take your juicing seriously it’s really worth investing in a powerful masticating juicer. In the long run you’ll get much more out of it and they are also much easier to clean.

Once you’ve got a juicer you’re happy with, check out the top recipes below from our “Juicing recipes for weight loss” book to help you make some fantastically healthy juices to help burn those pounds away.

The Toxin Killer

When to drink: any time in the day

Best situations: As a daily juice

Tastes: Good (apple is dominant)​

 

The Toxin Killer is a juice bursting with antioxidants to combat free radicals and cleanse your system of toxins.

It’s a bit of an unusual green but it still tastes really nice nonetheless and it’s excellent for your body!

This is such a healthy juice that you can drink it daily. If you’ve been having too many late nights or just got back from vacation, make the Toxin Killer part of your daily routine and you’ll be feeling great in no time.

It’s packed full of healthy greens that give your body a nice dose of essential nutrients.

Ingredients

  • 3 apples
  • 1 stick of celery
  • Half a cucumber
  • Spinach (1 handful)
  • Ice (1 cup)
  • Lettuce (1 handful)

Preparation

  • Peel the apples and the cucumber
  • Drop them into the juicer with the lettuce and spinach
  • Add ice and blend it for a minute or so.
  • Drink nice and cold.

​(serves 2)

Healthy fact: Did you know that the quercetin in apples has been linked in studies at Cornell University to helping protect your vital brain cells from free radical damage that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

The Power Up Punch

When to drink: Mornings

Best situations: Before you exercise or are active

Tastes: Strong and sweet​

This drink is filled with vitamins and minerals and has a delicious tang to it from the lime and pineapple.

It’s a powerful drink that will give you plenty of energy and nourishment for your morning or afternoon. The strong taste also helps waking up. perfect if you’re trying to stop drinking coffee

This is a great juice for drinking before you exercise as the apple, pineapple and lime really give you energy. The spinach and cucumber are very nutritious and make this a very well balanced juice.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 of pinapple
  • Half a cucumber
  • Spinach (1 handful)
  • 2 apples
  • Juice of 2 fresh limes
  • Ice (1 cup)

Preparation

  • Juice the lime separately in a citrus juicer and pour it into your collection jar with the ice. This helps prevent oxidization of the juice.
  • Cut up the pinapple and apples so they are small enough to fit through your juicer’s feeder.
  • Cut up the pinapple and apples so they are small enough to fit through your juicer’s feeder.

​(serves 2)

Healthy fact: Did you know that vitamin C rich pineapples can help fight off the viruses that cause coughs and common colds. The bromelain in pineapples can suppress coughs and loosen mucus in your body when you do get sick.

The Veggie Delight

When to drink: Evening

Best situations: To unwind after a long, hard day.

Tastes: Delicious, but not too sweet.

 

This drink has lots of healthy vegetables, but the sweetness of the orange and carrots means you’ll barely taste them. Excellent for those who are not big veggie fans out there.

Many people prefer to avoid juicing too much fruit in the evenings as it can disturb their sleep or even work, cause them to gain weigh as the body converts the sugar in fruit into fat.

If you have kids that don’t like vegetables, this is a sure fire way to give them the nutrients they need.

Ingredients

  • 2 Oranges
  • 2 Carrots
  • 1/4 head of lettuce
  • 1 celery stick
  • 1/4 head of cabbage
  • 2 large branches of broccoli

Preparation

  • Use a citrus juicer for the oranges and add it to the collection jar with the ice.
  • Run the carrots, celery, cabbage and lettuce through the juicer.
  • Stir to blend well and enjoy.

​(serves 2)

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Healthy fact: Carrots are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals. These can help regulate blood sugar and give improved immune function benefit. Amazingly, they can actually delay the effects of aging.

The Fruity Blast

When to drink: Afternoon

Best situations: When you need a pick-me-up.

Tastes: Strong and sweet.

 

This is a sweet but very nutritious drink to enjoy and is a great pick me up when you’re low on energy. Sometimes when you’re feeling down the first instinct is to eat comfort food.

After having one of these, your definition of comfort food will forever be changed.

Some people have compared the energy boost of this juice to that of an energy drink, except without the inevitable crash. Plus you get a lot of wholesome natural goodness in a deliciously fruity juice.

Ingredients

  • 2 Apples
  • 1/3 of a pineapple
  • 2 Kiwi fruits
  • 2 Nectarines

Preparation

  • Remove the stones from the nectarine and the skin from the pineapple.
  • Chop up the pineapple and apples until they easily fit through your juicer.
  • Add ice, mix well and drink straight away.

​(serves 2)

Healthy fact: Kiwi fruit has an amazingly low glycemic index, compare to other fruit. Combined with its high fiber content, this means it won’t create a strong insulin rush like other fruit can. Consequently, your body responds by not storing fat.

The Green Machine

When to drink: All Day

Best situations: When you’re enjoying some “me” time

Tastes: Very green with a hint of zest

This drink is full of green power from chlorophyll, rich in antioxidants and quite low in calories. It’s much better when made in a masticating juicer like this that can really squeeze the juice out of those greens.

If juices were graded, this one would get an A+ for being one of the healthiest drinks out there. You can’t go wrong with plenty of cruciferous vegetables. The lime juice nicely tops off the flavor to give it a zesty appeal.

Ingredients

  • 2 Carrots
  • 1 Cucumber
  • Parsley (1 small bunch)
  • Chard (1/2 bunch)
  • Spinach (1/2 bunch)
  • Kale (1 bunch)
  • Celery
  • the juice of a lime

Preparation

  • Squeeze the lime first and pour the juice into the collection jar with a few ice cubes.
  • Juice the greens in tightly packed balls in between the harder carrots, cucumber and celery.
  • Mix it up and slowly sip while the ice melts.

​(serves 2)

Healthy fact: Did you know that per calore, Kale has more calcium than milk. This helps in strengthening bones, contributes towards a health metabolism and helps prevent against osteoporosis. The vitamin C also helps maintain joint flexibility.

The Juicing Lifestyle

The benefits of juicing for weight loss are clear. You’ll feel less hungry, more energized, more alert and better than ever before. Plus, you’ll quickly begin to shed those pounds. What could be better than losing weight while drinking delicious fresh juice.

If you have tried fad diets that didn’t work, then juicing could be for you. Remember though, you are much more likely to succeed in losing weight if you have a proper juicing plan. This means having enough recipes for the week ahead.

This will also allow you to build a big shopping list so you never have the excuse of being out of a certain fruit or vegetable.

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Helen Sanders is chief editor at HealthAmbition.com. Established in 2012, Health Ambition has grown rapidly in recent years. Our goal is to provide easy-to-understand health and nutrition advice that makes a real impact. We pride ourselves on making sure our actionable advice can be followed by regular people with busy lives.

8 Reasons Why Traveling Is Good for Your Health

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Source: https://www.positivehealthwellness.com/fitness/8-reasons-traveling-good-health/

By: Karen Reed

Traveling is one of the best things that you can do for your health. It helps your physical and mental health, with many travelers saying that it’s also excellent for the soul.

Sure, there are some stressful and worrying moments. But overall, when you get out on the road and visit new countries you gain in far more ways. This isn’t about just international travel, either. Traveling your own country and being a tourist in your own town can be so beneficially at the same time.

There are no limits when it comes to traveling, except for what you can afford. You can sight-see around some of your most dreamed about countries or choose exotic adventures. Go by rails, car, or even by boat. There are just so many options, and they will all help you in ways that you have never imagined.

It’s time to save up and plan your next vacation. Get out the itinerary and start enjoying your life in ways so many travelers do. Here are eight reasons traveling is so good for the health, both mentally and physically.

You’re Able to Get Moving

The biggest benefit of traveling is the amount of movement that you will do. You will constantly be on the go, even if you are taking a trip on a cruise. There are sights to see and things to do!

You know just how important constant movement is, right? You know that this is the best way to improve your health. Not only will you help yourself lose weight, but you’re creating a healthier heart and healthier lungs. Your whole cardiovascular system will thank you, along with your blood pressure.

The more activity you do, the more you get your heart pumping. Remember that the heart is a muscle, and it needs to be worked at constantly to grow faster. Making it work harder temporarily will build the muscle and keep it working for longer. You’ll also support your arteries, which means you lower the risk of high cholesterol problems and high blood pressure.

Walking around will help you reduce your stress levels, too. You get the release of the happy hormones, which will mean the worries and difficulties of life will go away. You’ll find other ways to deal with the stress, so it doesn’t cause as many health complications in the future. You’re at a lower risk of having a heart attack or a stroke because of your way of life.

Did you know that studies support the idea of traveling regularly? If you think that your once-a-year holiday is perfect for you, think again. Those who take more holidays in the space of a year have a healthier life. They’re less likely to suffer many of the health complications in the future because they are far more active.

It really doesn’t matter where you go for this benefit. You could spend your whole time in one country. What you really want to focus on is getting the steps in each day. If you are going to take a cruise, you’ll get the activity in when you dock and go sightseeing. Of course, you can also add in more exercise by walking around the ship’s deck and other places. Don’t use your vacation as an excuse to sit around and do nothing the whole time!

If you do take medication, you may find that you need less of it on a daily basis. The activity that you get will help you to improve your whole body’s health, as your heart grows stronger. Your normal high blood pressure reduces to the point where you no longer need to take the medication to keep it down. Your doctor will be more than happy to take off a regular prescription from your list for this reason!

There are going to be times that you need to push your activity levels. While you will have days where you tour a city on a cruise, there are other days where you will be stuck on the ship. Most of these cruises will have somewhere to go where you can exercise. There may be swimming pools up on the deck or a fitness suite with state of the art equipment. Make an effort to use them while you’re stuck on the ship for a few days. After all, you’re paying for the luxuries of the fitness equipment, so you may as well get your full money’s worth!

Challenge Your Brain to Improve Its Health

The brain is another muscle that needs strengthening and challenging. While it doesn’t necessarily work in the same way as other muscles in the body, it can be developed and improved over time. Unfortunately, it can also deteriorate quickly. It is one of those parts of the body that researchers don’t quite fully understand. Just look at The Big Bang Theory at how difficult it can be to understand everything about it.

The great news is that travel has been shown to help improve the brain health. There’s the ability to challenge yourself daily, making you think of alternate options and learn new things. You constantly expand your horizons, meaning that your brain is constantly on the go. This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, training your brain regularly helps to improve its longevity.

Doctors regularly recommend that people do puzzles daily. They encourage Sudoku and crosswords regularly to make sure your brain constantly has to work. By doing this regularly, you help to support the mental health and reduce the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s in later life.

While traveling isn’t quite the same as crosswords, it does offer many of the same benefits. This is especially the case if you go to new places and visit new places. You take in new cultures and learn all about history and plans for the future. There’s something new to remember, meaning that your brain is getting some sort of workout, even if it’s not exactly what the doctor ordered.

On top of all this, scientists have found that walking or hiking is excellent for physically growing the brain. As we get older, our hippocampus gets smaller. We have two hippocampi on either side of our brain, which are responsible for the retention of information. The smaller they get, the less information they are able to take in. They control the short and long term memory, so you want to keep them as big as possible.

When we get more activity, our hippocampi both grow instead of shrink. It will be much easier to take in all the information that we’re learning throughout our travels. Studies have actually shown that those who walk regularly grow their hippocampi by two percent every single year. Just imagine what it will be like over time!

Wouldn’t you love to prevent memory and cognitive issues in your later years? Your family certainly would!

There is another major benefit of traveling to the brain. Not only do you improve memory and cognitive abilities, but you also boost a number of positive thoughts you will get. Your whole mental health is support through getting out and seeing the sights.

One of the biggest ways you benefit is through the fresh air. You spend more time outside, getting different scents and just benefitting from the extra oxygen in your body. Of course, there’s also the walking that will help you gain some other oxygenated benefits. Your heart pumps more oxygen around the body, especially into the brain.

When you spend all your time at home or at work, you will find the stress hormones release. With the fresh air, your happy hormones are boosted. They keep the stress hormones to a minimum. You feel less tired, and you can find the positives in your life so much easier.

You also get to do something fun. You remove the problems from home, so you can actually do something that you want. By doing something fun, you’re increasing a number of happy hormones that are released into your body further.

More happy hormones mean that you will feel less pain and starve off depression. If you do suffer from depression, you may find that you limit the relapses that you have. There is something new and exciting. The exercise becomes addictive, and you want to see more and do more. You don’t give the negative thoughts a chance to cloud your judgment.

At the same time, your body is able to fight off chronic pain issues. You find it easier every day to walk around and do more. Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons for people to not move around, but this can make it all worse!

Get Away from the Everyday Stresses in Life

The more you get away, the more you move away from the everyday stresses of life. You get to take your mind and body out of work, family life, and other problems.

Of course, this works better if you’re not putting yourself into financial trouble by traveling. If you’re on the road and constantly worrying about money, then you will find it harder. This is one of the reasons some people will work while on the road. They choose to spend some of their time writing about their traveling adventures or cover topics for a blog or make money through internet marketing. They then get to gain the benefits of traveling without having to worry about their finances too much.

Getting away from the stresses of everyday life is important to protect your overall health. Stress is a silent killer. It raises your blood pressure, and your whole mental health will be affected. The stress hormones cloud the judgment and affect the release of happy hormones.

When you travel, you are boosting the release of happy hormones to take over the stress hormones. You take yourself out of the situations that are harder for you to struggle. You also find enjoyment in life that you haven’t had before.

You’re also finding ways to unwind. It’s no secret that we all need a work life balance. We need time away from work to be able to spend time with our family. Travelling offers this chance. This is one of the reasons why scientists have found that those who travel regularly improve their overall health. They’re able to get that work-life balance and ease the everyday stresses.

It’s easier to get out of the drudge of regular routines. You’re not constantly looking at the clock to work out how much time you have until you have to get the kids from school. There’s no need to worry about what you will make for dinner or question if you have all the ingredients in the house. The mad morning rush to get everyone ready for school and work is eliminated.

Travelling allows you to take things at your own pace. Sure, you may be stuck to an itinerary if you book some type of group travel, but you will find that it is still lighter than the routine you have at home. It’s also something different and new and exciting to deal with while you’re away.

When you do return to your everyday life, the stress of your everyday life doesn’t seem as bad. You return to an old routine that is different from the last week or month (depending on how long you’ve been away). You’ll find that the everyday routine is something that you don’t mind as much anymore. That is until you get fed up of it again and are ready to travel again!

You’ll Find It Much Easier to Cope with Stress

Whether you are worried about someone’s health or just have a high-stress job, trying to deal with everything going on in your life isn’t going your health any good. Getting worked up about everything is causing your heart and other organs to fail. You won’t be happy, and you’ll feel exhausted every single day.

You need to step away and start traveling. Getting away from the everyday stresses isn’t just a way to unwind. You’ll find that traveling helps you cope and deal with stress so much better. In fact, you can find that situations that were once a nightmare are those that you breeze through when you return.

Travelling does bring its own stress. You have to make sure you stick to a travel agent itinerary or get through airport chaos. You may have to deal with delays and flight changes. Then there are the stresses of other travelers around you and fitting into a new culture as a tourist. There’s the uncertainty of what you will do the next day or what will happen in your life.

Initially, this can sound like it will make your life worse, but really it will boost your health. You start to realize that there are new ways to deal with a situation. You find that stress is arbitrary and your tolerance for certain situations will grow. The situations that you face on your travels may be worse than those that you face in your everyday life, so you start to deal with those situations in a better way.

You develop new coping strategies when on the road. You want to be able to enjoy your trip and not look back at how much of a nightmare it was. There’s also the adrenaline rush that you gain from getting through the situations. This is especially the case if you tackle an adventure holiday. There’s an adrenaline rush when you push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Coping with stress is essential. You will find that your overall health benefits because you don’t get the regular release of stress hormones. You’re not always looking out for the downsides in life and will find it easier to find enjoyment in everything that you do.

Research backs this up. When you start to accept deviations and problems, you start to deal with them much better. The deviations you accept can be completely different in everyday life, but your new mental attitude will benefit work, family life, and more.

Boost Your Creativeness to Boost Your Health

Did you know that more creative people are healthier? Okay, so this isn’t in every single case, but you will help to improve your life and health by focusing on a more creative approach. The great news is that traveling will help to improve just how creative you are in life.

Let’s look at authors and painters. Before they start on a new project, they will usually travel. This could be to the area that they want to write about or just to an area that somehow links to their ideas. Sometimes they’ll just go somewhere because they want to experience a new culture. They build ideas from the area that they are.

This is especially the case for writers. When they get out of their own location, they witness far more and build ideas from their experiences. They see how people interact, learn new things, and see new sights. They can create a full story idea within a day because of the new sights, sounds, and experiences they gain.

When you travel, you can take advantage of this in life. While traveling, you pull yourself out of your comfort zone. You force yourself into situations that you wouldn’t usually experience; situations that you don’t necessarily have control over.

Remember the deviations and stressful situations that we’ve already mentioned? Well, there are times that you will have to think ahead. You need to focus on how you can get out of the situation that you’re in and that leads to some creative thinking. This type of thinking is then remembered for your everyday in your life, linking into building tolerance over and finding new ways to handle stressful situations.

There’s then the experience of the new cultures. You see how other people handle life and stress. You see what they do to get through their day—and even the types of situations they will find themselves in. There’s the appreciation of a new culture, which gives you a new method of handling your own problems.

It’s not just the traveling aspect that will help to boost creativity. The planning stages can help. While planning, you look for new places that you want to go and things that you want to see. You look at the adventures that you want to take part in and the things on your bucket list that you want to do. This is a chance to dream, and you get to think about what you’d do when you’re in a new country.

There’s the chance to develop a dream board and create stories about what you would do while somewhere. When you’re there, you can follow your dreams, or you can find something else that you want to do. You open yourself up to far more situations that will fuel future desires and dreams.

How does all this help your health? You constantly push your mental state and yourself out of your comfort zone. You create new situations and build new connections, improving your mental health incredibly. You’re at a much lower risk of developing depression, and you can control your anxiety issues immediately.

The new creativeness will also boost your confidence. You know that you can deal with anything that life throws at you, so are willing to take on more risks. This can also help your overall life, rather than just your health.

Boost Mood and Thoughts Through Social Connections

Isolation is one of the worst things in life. While you think that you may like the quiet, it can be draining on you emotionally. Humans aren’t isolated creatures. We crave the social interaction of others. Maybe not every day, but we do benefit from some social interaction regularly—and definitely not just with kids!

When we don’t get that social interaction, we tend to feel alone in the world. We can have friends everywhere, but they’re no good if they don’t talk to us. Isolation can lead to depression and dark thoughts. We’re more likely to have suicidal thoughts. Those who do already have problems with depression and suicidal thoughts are more likely to give into them. After all, who will really miss you?

Traveling helps to cure this problem. You are forced into situations where you need to talk to others. This is something that happens even if you decide to travel alone and backpack around a country or a continent. You spend time in youth hostels and on cruises, where some of the only entertainment is with the strangers that you meet.

Sure, there is a danger in some of this, so it is important to have your wits about you. Therefore,traveling with someone else is often a better idea.

When you do travel with someone else, you both find yourself having nothing to do but talk to each other. The connection that you have will be deeper, as you find out more about each other and build on the experiences together. You find joint ways to deal with the deviation from various plans and delays that you may have in traveling.

You start to pick each other up when you’re down. You’ll notice the early signs that there is a problem, meaning that you can nip it in the bud quickly.

Connecting to strangers is much easier as you look for guidance in a new area. You want to know the best places to go and need help with various situations. There’s the ability to see how different cultures celebrate holidays and handle various stressful events that occur.

Some of these connections that you build will be connections for life. You may find that the people come back into your life in the future, allowing you the chance to build the connections deeper.

There is also the ability to push your beliefs and understandings. What you once thought was dark and twisted may become a new normal. What you once accepted by the people around you are now a view or belief that is frowned upon, and you can see both sides to an argument.

The more connections you make, the more confidence you gain. You start to push yourself more and force yourself to make more connections. When you return home, you are more likely to rebuild connections with people you’ve lost. As you find what you need to improve your mental health, you make sure you get it daily.

You never know what those social connections could lead to. Plenty of people has fallen in love while traveling, which has helped support their love for traveling since they meet like-minded people.

Find It Easier to Boost Weight Loss Efforts

If you’ve ever wanted to lose weight, you want to look at traveling more. Sure, you must eat out more, and you don’t always get to control a number of calories you eat, but you will find it much easier to create a calorie deficit.

Let’s focus on the activity element that was our first main benefit of traveling. When you do more activity, you instantly burn more calories. You make it easier to get rid of the excess calories that you eat on a daily basis. This doesn’t matter if you take a cruise holiday or you backpack around the Amazon! You can take one of the calmest of vacations, and you will still find it easier to lose weight.

There’s no need to do anything majorly special either when it comes to activity. You’ll find that you want to make the most of your time in a new country or around a new culture so you will push yourself more to getting around all the sights. You spend all your day out of the house and get home realizing that you’ve walked 15,000 to 20,000 steps—at least!

This can depend on where you go and what you do. If you’re on a cruise ship, there may be days where you don’t get to dry land. However, these types of ships tend to have swimming pools and fitness suites. Make sure you use them to help boost your weight loss efforts—what else are you going to do?

But yes there is the issue of food. All that walking won’t necessarily work off a number of calories you consume, right? Well, this depends on the type of food that you choose to have. Enjoying that one authentic Belgian waffle or trying out the deep-fried delicacies of The South aren’t going to make you pile on the pounds suddenly. It’s about all the food you eat while away and not just one particular meal.

In fact, trying out the local foods is something that you want to do. This is the way to experience the new cultures and immerse yourself in your travels.

The trick is to follow a healthy and balanced diet still. While you can’t completely control everything you eat, you still have some control. You can choose the better restaurants to get all your food groups and even go out and buy fresh fruit and veggies from local market stalls to make sure you get your five a day. You’ll soon find that you have far more control than you thought you did.

This can also depend on where you go. If you travel around Asia, you’ll find that sticking to a calorie deficit diet is much easier than before. This is especially the case of Japan and parts of China, where there is a major focus on a healthier and more fulfilling diet.

You’ll also find that the more activity you do, the less you want or crave the junk. You can try out local delicacies now and then but will find it easier to opt for the healthier choices on the menus.

And then there’s also the water. This is something you need to work on actively.

We tend to drink less, especially when traveling. We find it harder to stop for a drink and don’t always buy the right options. After all, there are so many new cocktails that you want to try!

It’s important to make sure you carry a bottle of water around with you at all times. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, have that bottle of water. And then keep topping it up! If you are in an area where the tap water isn’t great, make sure you set a budget that allows you to buy bottles of water regularly to keep your water intake up.

When you lose more weight, you instantly boost your health. Your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to do everyday things. Your blood pressure and cholesterol levels will drop. You’ll find that it’s easier to breathe and your chronic pain starts to disappear. Doing more is something that you love the idea of, and you’ll want to get out and travel more.

Of course, weight loss also leads to more confidence. You know that you can do more and you aren’t ashamed of or afraid of what people would think of your weight. This instantly helps to boost your mental health, as you’re less likely to allow the depression or anxiety to seep through.

Try Out Alternative Lifestyles and Health Remedies

When you visit new cultures, you get to experience how other people live. This isn’t just about developing new social thoughts or beliefs, but also about witnessing health remedies and different types of lifestyles.

Traveling will let you try out the alternative lives safely and without too much commitment. It’s possible to get away from the touristy areas and focus on how the real people live. This is a chance to experience what it would be like to live there.  This is definitely something to do before you take the permanent step of moving somewhere.

One of the benefits of traveling is the freedom. You don’t have to stay where your friends once did. There’s no need to go to the tourist hot-spots that the travel guides say. You can look at doing a month or two in an area where you teach and actually live, especially in Asian communities.

It’s possible to shed the familiarity of people like you and focus on building the right type of social connections. This is the chance to immerse yourself in a new culture.

There’s certainly the benefit of the alternate health remedies. This is the chance to see how herbal remedies really help to cure ailments and soothe problems. You get to try the remedies from the original place they were created, by practitioners who know what they’re doing. You’re not worried about health shops at home adding other chemicals to them or selling them at overrated prices.

If you decide that they do work, you can take some back with you. You also get to find out about the real ingredients so you can make them at home.

This could be your ability to step away from the pharmaceutical medications. There are so many that certain help ailments but can cause other health problems. Just look at the list of side effects that are common in some of the everyday medications. Some of the medications can also affect the balance of your hormones, which is a problem that you will avoid completely when you opt for natural remedies. These remedies have worked for others for centuries, so why not for you right now?

You also help to support your mental health. You know that you have a natural and healthy way to support your body. You feel more in control, especially financially when the pharmaceutical remedies can be so expensive.

Where Will You Travel First?

Traveling really is one of the best things that you can do for your health. This is something that supports both your physical and mental health. You will get to support your emotional health and life a better and more natural life, even when you’re not traveling.

The eight reasons to travel more above are a snapshot of the way you will benefit. There are just so many more reasons to travel to help protect your health. They all link some way into the reasons above but deepen your benefits considerably.

Just think about the social connections you can make and the way that you will feel. You get to escape the isolation, especially if you currently don’t work or your job involves a work from home element. This is your chance to step out of the rat race and take on cultures that you’ve only ever heard of.

There are some steps that you’ll need to take to look after your health. One thing that you don’t want to do is give up your current medications for the herbal remedies. You need to make sure they work and improve your health for the better. It’s also important to watch out for bacteria in the water or any problems with cooking certain types of foods to keep your overall health safe.

When you do decide to travel, make sure you’re getting plenty of activity. While cruises give you the chance to sit back and relax, you want to take advantage of the swimming pools and fitness suites onboard. There are going to be days where you don’t see dry land, but you still want to walk around and do some sort of exercise.

But then the relaxation is also important. You want to unwind from the everyday stresses of your life. You need to spend time seeing how others deal with stress and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Build a tolerance and find a new way of handling stress every day.

Traveling really is one of the best things that you can do. All you need to decide now is where you will go first.

8 Tips + Tricks To Drink More Water

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By: Emmi Buck

essential Oxygen tips and tricks drink more water hydration agua

Other than “I should exercise more” the most common thing I hear people saying about their health is “I need to drink more water”. I myself am guilty of sometimes not drinking enough H2O, so I researched and tried some good ways to hydrate! Ideally you should drink half a gallon of water, or eight 8-ounce glasses per day. Another way to calculate how much you should be drinking is half your weight in ounces (i.e. a 200 lb. person should drink 100 ounces).

 

Proper hydration is a key component in overall health and wellness, just as much as diet and exercise. It can also help you achieve:

  • Weight loss (your body retains water weight if you aren’t drinking the right daily amount, and when you are drinking the right amount – you have less food cravings and feel more full. It also boosts metabolism!)
  • Healthier skin (less acne and/or dryness, smoother, less dull)
  • Saving money! (water is usually free! Even if you choose bottled/filtered water, it’s STILL cheaper than that high sugar and fat-filled mocha or smoothie)

 

Here are 8 tips and tricks to get more agua goodness in your life:

 

1. Flavored Ice or Water – If drinking plain water bores you, add some additions to make it not-so-plain! Either freeze into flavored ice cubes, or add right into your water: berries, mini lemon wedges, fresh mint or basil, lime, cucumber slices, orange slices, or a cinnamon stick.

flavored water essential oxygen

2. Cool and Clean Water Bottles – Having a snazzy looking bottle (I like S’well, Bobble, MiiR, and Lifefactory) will make it harder to forget it since it looks so great, and more likely to be used. Also, bottles that are really effective at keeping water cold or hot and are sturdy/useful (like Hydro Flask, Klean Kanteen, CamelBak for your backpack, or Nalgene) are more likely to inspire you to drink water. Most importantly – keep your water bottles clean! Swish 1 oz. of 3% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide around the bottle and it’s drinking rim / lid then rinse with water to ensure no yucky stuff gets on your bottle and to keep it smelling and tasting great!

hydro flask

Hydro Flask water bottles keeps cold water cold and hot water hot for over 12 hours and are the most durable in our experience.

 

Life-Factory-beverage-bottles

Lifefactory water bottles are glass with a protective silicone sleeve. BPA-free, easy to clean, and cute design are why these water bottles make our list.

 

swell

S’well water bottles are so cool/pretty looking you could consider them an accessory addition!

 

3. Eat Your H20 – There are some foods that have a very high percentage of water in them like cucumber, which has almost 97% water content. They can help you stay hydrated, but don’t count them in your daily intake – just consider them a boost! Some extra watery foods include: cantaloupe, eggplant, watermelon, bell pepper, cucumber, pear, carrot, apple, strawberry, raw broccoli, iceberg lettuce (+ most other types of lettuce too), celery, and radishes (an amazing 95.3% water).

4. Be Careful with Substitutes – Just as I mentioned above with eating food high in water content, don’t count those are part of your daily minimum ounces – just like you shouldn’t count coffee, juice, smoothies, etc. Just because there is water in coffee doesn’t mean you should count it in your daily intake. When tracking your daily water consumption, just count the glasses of water!

5. Buddy System – Talk to a friend, family member, or coworker (or all of them for best results) and start a buddy system to remind each other to drink more water. Whether you and a colleague silently “cheers” your water bottles every hour in the office for a sip, or you have a group text with your cousins about how many ounces you drink daily – try to find a community of support to keep you accountable for good hydration. I actually have a buddy system with my dog! I keep his water bowl by my desk and when he drinks water (which is frequently) it reminds me to have a gulp too!

essential oxygen dog drinking water

6. Pee Clear Rule – Pardon the potty talk, but this is important! I learned this one 6 years ago at Burning Man and have attempted to apply it to my daily life. If you aren’t peeing clear (your urine should not be dark), drink more water!

7. Treat Yo’ Self – It may seem very kindergarten, but find some method of tracking hydration goals and rewarding yourself if you reach them. Whether it’s gold star stickers on your daily planner that add up to a shopping spree, or some kind of goal tracking app that gives you digital points of badges – find something to motivate you to drink agua!

8. Car / Public Transportation Water – If you spend any amount of time in a car (or bus or BART, etc.), always bring your water! When unexpected (or expected) traffic occurs, you should never be left thirsty because car time is a great time to hydrate.

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