The fitness world is constantly evolving, with new trends and techniques emerging every day. One such trend that has been gaining popularity in recent years is kettlebell training. This form of exercise involves using a cast-iron weight shaped like a ball with a handle attached to it. It may seem intimidating at first, but kettlebell training offers a host of benefits for both beginners and advanced fitness enthusiasts.
In this article, we will explore the benefits and beginner exercises of kettlebell training. We will discuss how it can improve your overall health, help you build strength and endurance, and even aid in weight loss. We will also provide tips on how to incorporate kettlebell training into your existing fitness routine and avoid common mistakes. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of this popular form of exercise and be ready to give it a try.
Understanding the Benefits of Kettlebell Training
Kettlebell training has been gaining popularity in recent years as an effective and efficient form of exercise. This full-body workout involves using a cast-iron weight with a handle, typically ranging from 8 to 48 kilograms, to perform a variety of movements.
It may seem intimidating at first, but the benefits of kettlebell training are numerous and can have a significant impact on your overall health and fitness. In this section, we will explore the various benefits of kettlebell training and how it can improve your physical well-being.
One of the most significant advantages of kettlebell training is its ability to increase muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance. Unlike traditional weightlifting, which often isolates specific muscle groups, kettlebell exercises engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
This results in a more efficient and functional workout, allowing you to build strength and endurance in a shorter amount of time. Studies have shown that just a few weeks of kettlebell training can lead to significant improvements in muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness (1). In addition to strength and endurance, kettlebell training also helps improve functional movement and balance.
The dynamic nature of the exercises mimics real-life movements, making them more practical and applicable to daily activities. This is particularly beneficial for older adults who may struggle with balance and coordination. Kettlebell training can also help prevent injuries by strengthening the muscles and joints, increasing stability and reducing the risk of falls (2). Another advantage of kettlebell training is its potential for weight loss and increased metabolism.
The high-intensity nature of the exercises, combined with the use of multiple muscle groups, can help burn a significant number of calories in a short amount of time. Additionally, the after-burn effect, also known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), can increase metabolism for up to 24 hours after a workout. This means that even after you’ve finished your kettlebell training session, your body continues to burn calories (3).
To further illustrate the effectiveness of kettlebell training, a study by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) found that participants burned an average of 20.2 calories per minute during a 20-minute kettlebell workout. This equates to a total of 400 calories burned in just 20 minutes (4).
These results are comparable to other high-intensity exercises such as running, cycling, and swimming. Kettlebell training is not only effective but also versatile, as it can be incorporated into various workout routines. It can be used as a standalone workout or combined with other forms of exercise, such as bodyweight exercises or traditional weightlifting, to create a well-rounded fitness routine. This makes it suitable for people of all fitness levels and can be tailored to individual goals and preferences.
In conclusion, the benefits of kettlebell training are numerous and can have a significant impact on your overall health and fitness. It is an efficient, practical, and versatile form of exercise that can improve muscle strength, endurance, functional movement, and balance. It also has the potential for weight loss and increased metabolism. In the next section, we will explore some essential beginner exercises to help you get started with kettlebell training.
- Enright, R. (2010). Kettlebell training helps improve aerobic capacity and muscle strength.
- Jay, K., Jakobsen, M. D., Sundstrup, E., Skotte, J., Jørgensen, M. B., Andersen, C. H., … Sjøgaard, G. (2013). Effects of kettlebell training on aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and anthropometric parameters in female and male soldiers. Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 39(2), 140–149.
- Greer, B. K., & Flanagan, S. D. (2008). Comparison of kettlebell swings and treadmill running at equivalent rating of perceived exertion values. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 22(4), 1093-1096.
- Porfido, T. (2010). Kettlebell vs. Treadmill: Which is Better for You?. The American Council on Exercise.
Beginner Exercises for Kettlebell Training
Kettlebell training has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its numerous health benefits and versatility. It is a form of resistance training that utilizes a cast iron weight shaped like a cannonball with a handle attached to it. This simple yet effective piece of equipment can provide a full-body workout that improves strength, cardiovascular endurance, and functional movement. In this section, we will discuss some essential beginner exercises for kettlebell training, their benefits, and how to perform them correctly.
Proper form and technique are crucial in kettlebell training to prevent injuries and maximize the benefits. It is essential to start with lighter weights and focus on mastering the correct form before progressing to heavier weights. As with any form of exercise, a proper warm-up and stretching routine are essential to prepare the body for the workout. This can include dynamic stretches such as arm circles and leg swings, as well as foam rolling to release any tight muscles.
1. Kettlebell Swing
The kettlebell swing is one of the most fundamental exercises in kettlebell training. It targets the glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and shoulders, making it a full-body movement. To perform this exercise, stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell with both hands between your legs. Hinge at the hips, keeping your back straight, and swing the kettlebell forward and up to shoulder height. As you swing the kettlebell, engage your glutes and core while keeping your arms straight. Remember to use the power from your hips, not your arms, to perform the movement. Repeat for 10-12 reps.
2. Goblet Squat
The goblet squat is another excellent exercise for beginners learning to use kettlebells. It targets the quads, glutes, and core muscles. Hold the kettlebell by the horns with your hands, keeping it close to your chest. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and lower your body into a squat, keeping your chest up and weight in your heels. Push through your heels to stand back up. Make sure to keep your knees in line with your toes and your back straight throughout the movement. Aim for 10-12 reps.
3. Turkish Get-Up
The Turkish get-up is a more advanced exercise but can be modified for beginners by using a lighter weight. It is a complex movement that targets the entire body, promoting strength, stability, and balance. Lie on your back with your right arm extended, holding the kettlebell above your shoulder. Bend your right knee, and use your left arm to prop yourself up. Lift your hips off the ground and come to a kneeling position. Stand up while keeping the kettlebell above your head, then reverse the movement back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side for 5-6 reps.
Incorporating these beginner exercises into your kettlebell training routine will help you develop proper form and technique while targeting essential muscle groups. Remember to start with lighter weights and gradually increase as you become more comfortable and confident with the movements. It is also essential to listen to your body and take rest days to avoid overtraining and injury.
In addition to these exercises, there are numerous other beginner-friendly kettlebell movements such as the kettlebell deadlift, push press, and Turkish get-up variations. As you progress and become more comfortable with kettlebell training, you can incorporate these exercises into your routine for a more challenging workout.
In conclusion, kettlebell training is an excellent addition to any fitness routine, providing numerous health benefits and versatility. With proper form and technique, beginners can safely and effectively perform these beginner exercises to improve strength, balance, and overall fitness. Remember to start slow, listen to your body, and seek guidance from a professional if needed to avoid common mistakes and maximize your results.
Incorporating Kettlebell Training into Your Fitness Routine
Kettlebell training has become increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason. This form of exercise offers a wide range of benefits and can be easily incorporated into any fitness routine. In this section, we will discuss the versatility of kettlebell training and provide tips on how to add it to your workout routine.
One of the great things about kettlebell training is its versatility. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned athlete, there is a place for kettlebell training in your fitness routine. Kettlebell exercises can be modified to fit your individual needs and goals, making it a suitable form of exercise for people of all ages and fitness levels.
If you are new to kettlebell training, it is important to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity and complexity of your workouts. This will not only help you avoid injury, but also allow your body to adapt and progress at a safe pace. A good way to start is by incorporating one or two kettlebell exercises into your existing workout routine.
For example, you can add kettlebell swings to your leg day, or perform some kettlebell goblet squats to work your core muscles. As you become more comfortable and confident with these exercises, you can start incorporating more advanced movements and increasing the weight of the kettlebell.
It is also important to note that rest and recovery are crucial in any fitness routine, and this applies to kettlebell training as well. It is recommended to have at least one day of rest between your kettlebell workouts to allow your muscles to repair and avoid overtraining. Additionally, incorporating some stretching and foam rolling into your routine can help prevent muscle soreness and improve your overall performance.
Kettlebell training can also be combined with other forms of exercise to create a well-rounded fitness routine. For example, you can incorporate kettlebell exercises into a circuit training workout or use them as a form of cardio in between sets of strength training. This will not only add variety to your routine but also keep your workouts challenging and effective.
When incorporating kettlebell training into your fitness routine, it is important to pay attention to proper form and technique. As mentioned earlier, this will help you avoid injury and maximize the benefits of each exercise. It is recommended to work with a certified trainer or attend a beginner’s class to learn the correct form and avoid common mistakes.
In conclusion, kettlebell training is a versatile and effective form of exercise that can be easily incorporated into any fitness routine. By starting slowly, listening to your body, and paying attention to proper form, you can reap the numerous health benefits that this form of exercise has to offer. So, grab a kettlebell and add some variety to your workout routine today!
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Kettlebell Training
When starting a new fitness routine, it is essential to pay attention to proper form and technique to avoid injury and maximize results. This is especially true for kettlebell training, which requires proper form to perform exercises safely and effectively. In this section, we will discuss some of the most common mistakes made by beginners in kettlebell training and provide tips on how to avoid them.
1. Using the wrong weight:
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make in kettlebell training is using a weight that is too heavy for them. This can lead to strain and injury in the muscles, joints, and ligaments. It is crucial to start with a light weight and gradually increase it as you become more comfortable and master the correct form and technique.
2. Poor posture:
Kettlebell training requires a strong and stable core, and this is only possible with proper posture. Beginners often make the mistake of hunching their shoulders or arching their back, which can lead to back pain and poor muscle engagement. It is essential to maintain a neutral spine and engage the core muscles throughout the entire workout.
3. Not using the hips:
The key to proper kettlebell training is using the hips to generate power and momentum. Beginners often make the mistake of using their arms and shoulders to lift the kettlebell, which can lead to strain and injury. It is crucial to hinge at the hips and use the glutes and legs to drive the movement.
4. Skipping the warm-up:
Many beginners make the mistake of skipping the warm-up and jumping straight into the workout. This can lead to muscle strain and injuries, especially in the shoulders and lower back. It is essential to warm up the muscles and joints before starting a kettlebell training session. A proper warm-up routine can also improve performance and prevent fatigue.
5. Not paying attention to breathing:
Proper breathing is crucial in kettlebell training, as it helps to engage the core and stabilize the body during exercises. Beginners often make the mistake of holding their breath or breathing too quickly, which can affect their form and lead to exhaustion. It is vital to focus on controlled and steady breathing throughout the entire workout.
6. Incorrect hand placement:
Another common mistake made by beginners is incorrect hand placement on the kettlebell handle. Placing the hands too close or too far apart can affect the movement and put unnecessary strain on the wrists and forearms. It is important to grip the handle with both hands, keeping them slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
7. Ignoring rest and recovery:
Rest and recovery are vital in any fitness routine, including kettlebell training. Beginners often make the mistake of overtraining and not allowing their bodies enough time to rest. This can lead to fatigue, muscle soreness, and increased risk of injury. It is crucial to listen to your body and take breaks when needed to avoid burnout and achieve optimal results.
In conclusion, kettlebell training can be a highly effective form of exercise when done correctly. As a beginner, it is essential to pay attention to proper form and technique to avoid common mistakes that can hinder progress and lead to injuries. By following these tips and continuously learning and improving, you can make the most out of your kettlebell training and reap its many benefits. Remember to start slow, focus on form and technique, and always listen to your body.
Cycling for fitness has become increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason! Not only is it a great form of exercise, but it also offers numerous physical and mental benefits. In this article, we will explore the benefits of cycling for fitness, along with some tips and advice for getting started.
It’s important to find an exercise routine that is enjoyable and sustainable, and cycling for fitness is a great option for people of all ages and fitness levels. So let’s hop on our bikes and discover the world of cycling for fitness!
Understanding the Benefits of Cycling for Fitness
Cycling for fitness has been steadily gaining popularity in recent years, with more and more people turning to this low-impact and enjoyable form of exercise. Whether you’re a seasoned cyclist or just starting out, incorporating cycling into your fitness routine can bring numerous physical and mental benefits. In this section, we will explore the benefits of cycling for fitness in detail, from its impact on your physical health to its effects on your mental well-being.
Physical Benefits:
One of the most obvious benefits of cycling for fitness is its positive impact on your overall physical health. Cycling is a great form of cardiovascular exercise that gets your heart pumping and increases your heart rate, helping to improve your cardiovascular health. Regular cycling can also lead to an increase in muscle strength, particularly in the legs, as well as improving overall muscle tone. Cycling is a low-impact exercise, which means it puts minimal stress on your joints, making it a great option for those with joint issues or injuries.
Mental Benefits:
In addition to the physical benefits, cycling for fitness also has a positive impact on mental health. Cycling is a great way to reduce stress and improve mood, as it releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones, in the brain. This can help to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, making cycling a great option for those looking to improve their mental well-being.
Accessibility:
Another great aspect of cycling for fitness is its accessibility. Unlike other forms of exercise, cycling can be enjoyed by people of all ages and fitness levels. It can be tailored to suit individual needs and abilities, making it a great choice for those looking for a low-impact workout or those recovering from injuries. Furthermore, cycling can be done outdoors or indoors, making it a convenient option for all.
Tips for Safe and Effective Cycling:
While cycling is generally a safe activity, it is important to take certain precautions to ensure a safe and effective workout. One of the most important things to consider when cycling is to make sure your bike is properly fitted to your body. This will not only improve your comfort, but also prevent any potential injuries. In addition, it is important to wear appropriate safety equipment, such as a helmet and reflective clothing, especially when cycling on roads.
Before starting your cycling workout, it is important to warm up your muscles to prevent injury. This can be done through a few minutes of gentle cycling or by performing dynamic stretches. Similarly, after your workout, it is important to cool down and stretch to prevent soreness and promote muscle recovery.
Diet and Nutrition:
While cycling for fitness has numerous physical benefits, it is important to support your body with a balanced and nutritious diet. This will not only help with your overall health, but also provide the necessary energy for your cycling workouts. Make sure to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains in your diet to fuel your body and support your fitness goals.
Overall, cycling for fitness is a great way to improve your physical and mental well-being. It is accessible, enjoyable, and has numerous benefits that can be tailored to your individual needs. Stay safe, properly equipped, and remember to support your body with a healthy diet to maximize the benefits of cycling for fitness. In the next section, we will discuss some tips for getting started with cycling and incorporating it into your daily routine.
Tips for Safe and Effective Cycling for Fitness
Proper bike fit and equipment:
One of the most important aspects of cycling for fitness is ensuring that your bike is properly fitted to your body. A bike that is not the right size or adjusted correctly can lead to discomfort, poor performance, and even injury. To ensure a proper fit, consider visiting a local bike shop where a professional can help you find the right size and make any necessary adjustments. It is also important to regularly check and maintain your bike’s equipment, such as brakes, tires, and gears, to ensure safe and efficient cycling.
Warm-up and cool-down exercises:
Like any form of exercise, it is important to warm up your body before starting a cycling session. This can help prevent injury and prepare your muscles for the workout. A good warm-up routine can include stretching, a light jog, or even a short ride at a slower pace. Similarly, cooling down after a ride is important to help your body recover and prevent muscle soreness. A cool-down routine can consist of gentle stretches and a short walk or slow ride.
Balanced diet:
Cycling for fitness can be a great way to burn calories and improve your overall health, but it is important to fuel your body properly. A balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains will provide the necessary nutrients to support your cycling workouts. It is important to also stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water before, during, and after your rides.
Ride with caution:
When cycling for fitness, it is crucial to always prioritize safety. This means following traffic laws, using hand signals to indicate turns, and staying aware of your surroundings. It is also important to wear proper safety gear, such as a helmet, reflective clothing, and lights, especially when riding at night. Additionally, be mindful of weather conditions and avoid cycling in adverse conditions that may put you at risk.
Gradually increase intensity:
As with any exercise routine, it is important to gradually increase intensity to avoid injury and burnout. This can be achieved by adding small increments of time or distance to your rides each week. Additionally, incorporating interval training, where you alternate between periods of high and low intensity, can help improve your overall fitness and performance.
Consider taking breaks:
While it can be tempting to push yourself to the limit during a cycling session, it is important to listen to your body and take breaks when needed. This can include stopping to stretch, hydrate, or simply take a breather. It is also recommended to take at least one rest day per week to allow your body to recover and prevent overuse injuries.
In conclusion, by following these tips for safe and effective cycling for fitness, you can maximize the benefits of this popular form of exercise while minimizing the risk of injury. Remember to always prioritize safety, properly maintain your bike and equipment, and listen to your body to ensure a successful and enjoyable cycling experience.
Getting Started with Cycling for Fitness
There are many different types of cycling, including road cycling, mountain biking, and indoor cycling, making it a versatile and accessible form of exercise for people of all ages and fitness levels. If you’re looking to start cycling for fitness, there are a few key steps to take to get started.
Firstly, you’ll need to have a bike. When purchasing a bike, it’s important to consider your budget, your riding goals, and your body’s unique needs. There are many different types of bikes available, from traditional road bikes to hybrids and mountain bikes. It’s important to do some research and possibly try out a few different options before committing to a specific bike. If you’re not quite ready to make a big purchase, you can also consider renting a bike to give it a try before investing in your own.
Once you have your bike, it’s important to ensure it is properly fitted to your body. An ill-fitted bike can lead to discomfort and even injury, so it’s worth taking the time to make sure everything is adjusted correctly. If you’re unsure about how to properly fit your bike, consider visiting a local bike shop or seeking out advice from experienced cyclists.
In addition to proper bike fit, it’s important to have the right equipment for safe and effective cycling. This includes a properly fitted helmet, comfortable clothing, and appropriate shoes. It’s also a good idea to have a water bottle and snacks on hand for longer rides.
Before hitting the road, it’s important to warm up your body with some gentle stretching and warm-up exercises. This will help prevent injury and prepare your muscles for the ride ahead. After your ride, make sure to cool down with some more stretching to help prevent muscle soreness.
In addition to physical preparation, it’s important to support your cycling fitness with a balanced diet. Cycling requires a lot of energy, so make sure to fuel your body with nutritious meals and snacks. This will not only improve your performance on the bike, but also support overall health and wellbeing.
If you’re new to cycling, it can be helpful to join a cycling group or take a class to learn proper techniques and get advice from experienced cyclists. This can also be a great way to meet like-minded individuals and make new friends. There are many resources available online to help you find cycling groups or classes in your area.
When starting any new exercise routine, it’s important to set achievable goals and track your progress. This will help you stay motivated and see how far you’ve come. Cycling can also be a great outlet for accountability, whether through group rides or using fitness tracking apps.
If you have a busy lifestyle, it can be challenging to find time for exercise. However, cycling can be a time-saving solution. Consider incorporating cycling into your daily routine, such as commuting to work or running errands on your bike. Indoor cycling is also a great option for those with limited outdoor access or busy schedules. With the help of a stationary bike, you can still reap the physical and mental benefits of cycling without having to leave your home.
In conclusion, cycling for fitness offers a range of benefits for both physical and mental health. By following these tips for getting started, you can make cycling a sustainable and enjoyable exercise routine. Remember to properly fit your bike and equipment, warm up and cool down, and support your body with a balanced diet. With the right approach and mindset, cycling can become a fulfilling and rewarding part of your life.
Setting Goals and Staying Motivated
Setting goals and staying motivated are crucial components when starting any new fitness routine, including cycling. Having a clear goal in mind can help guide your progress and keep you motivated, even when the going gets tough. In this section, we will discuss the importance of setting achievable goals, tracking progress, and staying motivated in your cycling journey.
Setting Achievable Goals
When setting goals for cycling, it’s important to be realistic and specific. This means setting achievable goals that are tailored to your current fitness level and taking into account any physical limitations. For example, if you are new to cycling, setting a goal of completing a 50-mile ride within a month may not be feasible. Instead, start with a smaller distance and gradually increase it as you build your endurance and strength. This will help prevent injuries and keep you motivated as you see yourself achieving your goals.
Tracking Progress
Tracking your progress is a great way to stay motivated and see how far you have come. There are many ways to track your cycling progress, including using a fitness tracking app, keeping a log of your rides, or even using a traditional pen and paper journal. Not only does tracking your progress help you stay on top of your goals, but it also allows you to see improvements in your speed, distance, and overall fitness.
Tip: Set regular check-ins for yourself, such as every two weeks or once a month, to assess your progress and make any necessary adjustments to your goals.
Accountability
Accountability is a powerful tool when it comes to staying motivated in your cycling journey. One way to hold yourself accountable is by participating in group rides or joining a cycling club. This not only provides a sense of community but also gives you the opportunity to learn from others and push yourself further. Additionally, using fitness tracking apps that allow you to connect with friends and share your progress can also add an extra layer of accountability.
Tips for Staying Motivated
Staying motivated can be challenging, but there are a few things you can do to help keep your enthusiasm and excitement for cycling alive.
- Vary Your Routes: Cycling the same route every day can become monotonous. Explore new routes and scenery to keep things interesting.
- Join a Cycling Event: Signing up for a cycling event, such as a charity ride or race, can give you a specific goal to work towards and keep you motivated.
- Mix it Up: Don’t limit yourself to only road cycling. Try mountain biking or indoor cycling to spice things up and challenge yourself in different ways.
- Make it a Family Activity: Cycling is a great way to spend quality time with your loved ones. Plan family rides and get everyone involved.
Incorporating Cycling into a Busy Lifestyle
We understand that finding time to exercise can be challenging, especially with a busy schedule. However, incorporating cycling into your daily routine can help save time and make it easier to stick to your fitness goals. Consider commuting to work or running errands by bike instead of driving. You can also incorporate indoor cycling on a stationary bike if you have limited outdoor access or a busy schedule. Find what works best for you and make it a part of your lifestyle. In conclusion, setting achievable goals, tracking progress, and staying motivated are essential for a successful cycling fitness journey. Remember to be patient with yourself, celebrate your achievements, and keep pushing towards your goals. With dedication and determination, you can reap the numerous physical and mental benefits of cycling. Happy riding!
Incorporating Cycling into a Busy Lifestyle
In today’s fast-paced world, finding time for exercise can be a challenge. However, cycling offers a convenient and time-saving solution for those with busy schedules. Whether you have a demanding job, a busy family life, or both, incorporating cycling into your daily routine can have numerous benefits for your physical and mental well-being.
One of the biggest time-saving benefits of cycling is using it as a mode of transportation. Instead of driving to work or running errands, consider cycling instead. This not only saves time spent in traffic but also eliminates the need for a separate workout session. Cycling to work or to run errands can also help save money on gas and reduce your carbon footprint.
For those with limited outdoor access or unpredictable schedules, indoor cycling can be a great option. With the availability of stationary bikes and online cycling classes, you can have a convenient and effective workout in the comfort of your own home. This is especially helpful during inclement weather or when traveling for work.
Not only is cycling a time-efficient exercise, but it also offers a variety of options to fit into your busy lifestyle. You can choose to go for a quick 30-minute ride after work, or make it a fun family activity on the weekends. The flexibility of cycling allows you to customize it to your schedule and needs.
To ensure that cycling becomes a sustainable part of your busy lifestyle, it’s important to plan and prioritize. Look at your weekly schedule and identify times when you can fit in a cycling session. This could be waking up earlier in the morning, taking a lunch break ride, or cycling after work. By planning ahead, you can make sure that cycling doesn’t become an added stressor in your already busy life.
Another important aspect to consider when incorporating cycling into a busy lifestyle is finding a cycling group or community. Joining a group or attending cycling classes not only provides accountability but also adds a social element to your workouts. You can connect with like-minded individuals and make new friends while staying motivated to achieve your fitness goals.
In addition to fitting cycling into your daily routine, it’s important to also prioritize rest and recovery. Incorporate rest days and make sure to get enough sleep to allow your body to recuperate. This will not only prevent burnout but also help you perform better during your rides.
In conclusion, cycling offers a time-efficient and convenient solution for incorporating exercise into a busy lifestyle. By choosing cycling as a mode of transportation, making use of indoor cycling, and prioritizing planning and recovery, you can easily include this fun and effective form of exercise into your daily routine. So, grab your bike and start pedaling your way to a healthier and more active lifestyle.
The role of our immune system is to protect us from any foreign substance that could harm the body. These foreign substances are also known as antigens. Antigens include bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi.
When those organisms are found in the body, they trigger the immune system, which, in return, try to destroy the antigen with various mechanisms. Our immune system can be divided into two categories; innate and adaptive.
We can link the health of the immune system to so many aspects of our life. The food we eat, the quality of our sleep, and the level of stress are all things that are within our control to supercharge our body.
In the following guide, we will provide you various steps that you can implement today to strengthen your immunity.
But first, let’s do a little checklist to assess your lifestyle and how well you do on the immune system.
Check all that applies to you.
- Ear infection yearly
- Use antibiotics at least once a year
- Reoccurring Skin issues like rash or inflammation
- Autoimmune disease
- Susceptible to infections
- Suffer from colds or flu every year
- Feel tired or exhausted often
- Take medications regularly
- Live a sedentary lifestyle (do not exercise regularly)
- Experience daily stress
- Lack of sleep or insomnia
- Often eat out or prepared meals from the store
- Smoke
- Eat fewer than 3 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
- Have 1–2 alcohol drinks per day
- Eat sweets every day (candy, chocolate, ice cream, etc.)
The more that applies to you, the less resilient is your immune system. Some of the things above are avoidable like food and drinks; some can’t be changed immediately like an autoimmune disease.
Let’s explore the things you should avoid in your life to boost your immune system and give yourself a better chance to fight illnesses caused by bacteria or viruses.
Sedentary Lifestyle
A sedentary lifestyle will likely increase the cholesterol in your body and blood pressure. Since the heart and the immune system work together as a strong team against disease, it is essential to keep the heart healthy. Daily exercise is very important.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a toxin that can cause a lot of inflammation in the body. To prevent that defense mechanism from being activated, you should avoid drinking alcohol. When you drink, you decrease your immune system’s ability to fight off the harmful bacteria and put yourself at more risk of getting sick.
Smoking
Smoking puts you at higher susceptibility to lung infections like pneumonia. To increase the efficiency of your immune system, you should avoid smoking at all costs.
Stress
Stress is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to getting sick.
Food to Avoid
Anything that comes in a box, in the freezer section of the store or a can, should be avoided; unless you are 100% sure that no sugar or salt is added to the food. You can change your diet to be mostly whole food.
By cutting the processed food, reduce the chances of inflammation in the body. You should also avoid sugar as much as you can, since it hurts your metabolism, and can cause chronic diseases like diabetes or heart problems.
Chronic diseases increase your risk of getting sick from a virus.
Sleep Deprivation
People who don’t get enough sleep (7 to 9 hours per night) tend to get sicker. To ensure that your immune system is functioning optimally, you need to make sure that you get adequate sleep. Since sleep is critical to our immune system.
Although daily stress, sedentary lifestyle, and lack of sleep are things that you can change, your best defense remains good hygiene.
Limit, as much as you can, your exposure to the virus or bacteria. Let’s explore what you can change today and identify the food that you can eat to help heal your body.
Food for Immunity
Food is essential to our body to work optimally. We get most of the nutrients and antioxidants we need from fruits and vegetables. That said, you need to ensure that you have a diet that includes as many fruits and vegetables to get the nutrients and antioxidants that will help strengthen your immune system.
That would mean a diet that contains vitamin E, vitamin D, and selenium. These are rarely found in processed food (unless enriched), and your body has more chances of absorbing what it needs when you eat fresh whole foods. Leafy greens, nuts, citrus fruits are all excellent choices of foods for the immune system.
Here’s a list of food that you will want to have on your weekly grocery list.
Meat and Alternatives
Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts are at the top of our list because it is one of the most reliable sources of selenium. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant and is one of the essential minerals for our health and immunity.
Just one nut can provide up to 96 micrograms (mcg), which is already above the daily recommendation. The daily intake recommendation is 55 micrograms of selenium for an adult.
Fish
Fish and, more specifically, tuna is an excellent source of selenium. One ounce of tuna can provide around 30 mcg of selenium. Other fish and seafood are usually between 12 mcg and 20 mcg of selenium per ounce. Salmon is also a good choice to help the immune system. It contains a lot of “healthy fat” (omega-3), which is known to strengthen the immune system and reduce the risks of heart disease.
Lentils
If you eat a vegan or vegetarian diet, lentils are a great substitute to fish. One cup of lentils can provide around 6 mcg of selenium. They are also a good source of immune-boosting nutrients, fiber, and protein.
Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds are very high in vitamin E. One ounce can provide 76% of your daily intake, which is 15 milligrams. Vitamin E is also a potent antioxidant like selenium, which help fight infection since it enhances the immune system.
Yogurt
Since yogurt contains live culture (or probiotics), it is a great way to help us fight bacteria by bringing good bacteria in the body and help improve digestion. Kefir is also another option that brings as many benefits to our gut.
Vegetables
Broccoli
Most cruciferous vegetables have phytonutrients that can help boost the immune system. Broccoli is rich in antioxidant vitamins, and one serving contributes to a third of the daily intake recommended for vitamin A.
Carrots
Not only does carrot contain vitamins A, B, C, and E, it also contains zinc. Zinc is known to be an essential mineral for the health of our immune system. If the body is deficient in nutrients like zinc, it weakens the immune system and makes viruses stronger.
Garlic
Another vegetable that has a similar effect on our immune system as zinc is garlic. Garlic has the ability, according to some research, to keep a cold at bay (and maybe vampires?). Some studies even demonstrate that individuals who were living with cancer were able to boost their immune system by increasing their intake of garlic.
Spinach
Spinach is a significant source of vitamin C but also contains vitamin E. It is essential to keep it raw to ensure that you get all the nutrients from it. You can add it to a salad or a sandwich.
Fruits
Citrus Fruits
Most people are aware that citrus fruits are full of vitamin C. Vitamin C is critical to the immune system. Its consummation recommendation is 75 mg to 90 mg a day. Just add sliced lemon to your water, which will provide around 50% of the daily intake. You can also eat grapefruit or orange with your breakfast. This breakfast will be the other half of your consumption for the day.
Blueberries
Berries, in general, are packed with antioxidants. Blueberries are at the top of all the fruits and vegetables for the number of antioxidants it contains. Not only does research show the power of blueberries on our immune system, but it is also linked to a lower risk of stomach fat, cholesterol, heart diseases, and cancer.
Watermelon
The watermelon is also full of immune-boosting nutrients. It’s an excellent source of potassium (which helps regulate the body functions), vitamin A and vitamin C.
Pomegranates
Since pomegranates contain a great variety of antioxidants, it is a great choice to cover many nutrients that we need. It is known to have anti-inflammatory proprieties and therefore help us with immunity.
Spices
Turmeric
Many of you have probably heard of the benefits of turmeric. Recently, turmeric has become a popular supplement, but it is even better if you can add it as an ingredient to your recipes. Turmeric can reduce inflammation and interact as a poison for cancer cells.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a type of fungus that can help stimulate the immune system. The Reishi mushroom and the Agarikon mushrooms are two mushrooms that have been studied and show an impact on our immune system.
Reishi
Studies show that the Reishi mushroom can interfere with a virus and reduce its ability to attach to our cells to multiply.
Agarikon
As for the Agarikon mushroom, it has anti-inflammatory quality and can also be an antibacterial agent.
The foods recommended above are ingredients that you can add to your meals, especially when you approach the flu season. Feel free to make a salad with spinach, add some lentils and sunflower seeds. You could also make a homemade citrus dressing for it (only add orange juice to olive oil).
A Step-By-Step Plan
Now that you know what to eat, here are four steps to strengthening your body’s ability to fight illnesses.
Step 1: Stay Hydrated.
Drinking plenty of fluids will help your body flush the toxins that could cause sickness. 75% of people a dehydrated consistently, and that’s probably one of the main reasons why most of us get sick or don’t recover fast from illnesses. Water is critical to flush any toxins from our body. If we don’t have enough water, we can’t get rid of the toxins fast enough. Toxins can be in the form of viruses or bacteria. Drinking plenty of water can fight off infection. You can start increasing your water consumption by always having a bottle with you that you can refill. It is recommended to get around 2 to 3 liters of water per day.
Step 2: Eat Whole Foods
We cannot ignore the importance of a healthy diet to strengthen our immune system. A diet that is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and selenium is most likely going to help you boost your immunity. Leafy greens, nuts, citrus fruits are all excellent choices of foods that are high in nutrients and antioxidants that are known to boost your immune system.
Step 3: Get Your Daily Intake of Nutrients
While it is great to eat as many healing foods, it is not always possible to provide all the nutrients and antioxidants that our body needs to stay healthy. That’s when supplements become a great option.
Step 4: Maintain Good Hygiene
Good hygiene means bathing regularly and washing your hands every time you cough, sneeze, after going to the bathroom, before preparing and eating food. It’s also a good practice to be aware of not touching your face when you are in a public space where you can’t wash your hand regularly. Having hand sanitizer in your purse or pocket can be very handy in those situations.
Anyone can work at building their immune system and increase their chances of staying healthy during a flu season or when confronted with bacteria.
Arthritis is a condition that can cause a plethora of symptoms, including deterioration of muscles and joints, a reduction of use in your main joints, and of course, severe pain.
Some cases of arthritis, like rheumatoid, can affect the immune system as well. There are constant and active studies on the conditions and your doctor knows the best treatment options for your specific situation.
Fortunately, on top of the modern medical treatment of arthritis, there are a few different things you can do daily to reduce and relieve the symptoms. Some studies have even shown that some of these all-natural treatments can even diminish symptoms of different types of arthritis!
In the following report, we will discuss 10 of the most widely used, all-natural forms of treatment for your arthritis symptoms. Most of the following treatments can even be done in the comfort of your own home, and can be combined with current medical treatments you may be receiving.
Hopefully, with implementation you can begin to live a healthier and more pain-free life with arthritis.
Let’s begin!
Important Note: It’s important that you seek the advice and approval from your health care provider prior to making any drastic changes to your diet, exercise, or supplement intake.
Tip #1: Regular Exercise
Exercise is vital to keeping those joints and muscles elongated, warmed up, and moving. Make sure to always discuss your weight and exercise routine with your physician before following any workout plan.
Keep in mind that exercise doesn’t have to mean 7 days at the gym pumping iron and running on treadmills. Regular movement, whether it’s walking around your home or participating in aerobic classes at your gym, does wonders for arthritic pain.
In the past, it was thought that exercise made arthritis pain worse, but this has been shown to, not only be untrue, but quite the opposite. Daily workouts help to build and maintain a strong and healthy cardiovascular and muscular system.
Beyond the strengthening and stretching you get from exercise, maintaining a healthy weight contributes in many other ways as well, such as reducing the strain on muscles and joints. If you are overweight, it is important that you set goals with your physician to reach your optimal healthy weight and that you set yourself up for long-term success, rather than short-term results.
Laura Robbins, Senior Vice President of Education and Academic Affairs at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, says that for every pound you lose, you reduce the pressure on your knees by four pounds.
In fact, Roy Altman, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of California, has seen symptoms of arthritis completely disappear from patients that have lost ten to twenty pounds of excess weight.
Along with the symptoms of arthritis, you will be improving your overall mental and physical well-being, helping to control other ailments your body may face as you age. A strong heart and a strong mind can do wonders for pain management!
Tip #2: Hot & Cold Treatments
One of the main natural treatments for arthritis include hot and cold treatments. There are several different types of arthritis so make sure to ask your doctor which will be better for your specific symptoms.
Cold Therapy helps to reduce joint swelling and inflammation. This type of treatment is most often recommended to rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, but can help others as well.
You can alternate hot and cold treatments as needed but always monitor how your skin reacts and adjust or discontinue as needed.
Cold treatments should be limited to 20-minute sessions. Here are several cold treatments used:
– Use a cloth covered bag of ice applied to the painful area.
– Submerge the joint in an ice bath.
NOTE: Check with a physician before submerging, especially if it is a large area of the body.
– Simple cold packs kept in fridge or freezer, applied when needed.
Heat therapy is often good for all other types of arthritis, as well as, in conjunction with cold treatments. The heat relaxes your muscles and helps blood flow to the affected area.
Heat treatments should be monitored and adjusted depending upon your body’s reaction.
Here are several heat treatments widely used by arthritis sufferers:
– Start your day with a hot bath or shower to get your blood flowing and joints relaxed.
– A warm paraffin wax to affected joints. (This can often be done by a professional to monitor wax temperature.)
– Apply a heating pad, heat pack, or other warm heat source to the affected joints.
Always make sure, when using heat therapy, to maintain a comfortable level of heat.
Hot tubs are also excellent ways to cover larger areas of the body, but always check with your physician first as they can be dangerous for those with certain health conditions.
Tip #3: Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been around for centuries and is an ancient Chinese Medicine. This process involves a medical professional trained in the art, inserting thin needles into specific pressure points on your body.
The focus of acupuncture is to reroute the energy stored behind your pain, and balance it throughout the body. It may sound gimmicky, but acupuncture is actually one of the most researched alternative therapies in the world, and is even recommended by the World Health Organization for a multitude of ailments.
Acupuncture is also one of the oldest pain remedies in history, and is completely natural. These tiny needles are stimulating the energy laid out in pathways across your body, called meridians. Studies have shown that acupuncture lowers the levels of inflammation inducing chemicals in the body.
Keep in mind that acupuncture cannot be safely administered by anyone except for a trained and certified acupuncturist.
The needles not only need to be placed in very specific spots connected to your specific ailments, but there is a rigorous hygienic process as well. Make sure to speak to your doctor, and get a referral if necessary, to find the right practitioner for you.
And don’t worry, it may sound painful, but the needles are barely inserted into the skin, keeping the process relaxing and rejuvenating.
Tip #4: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 Fatty Acids have made the headlines in natural health for some time now, and for good reason. They are essential to a healthy and strong body. Omega-3 are good fats, ones you find mostly in plants and marine life. There are two main types of Omega-3’s that are most commonly found in oily fish.
EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)- EPA is the most well-known of the Omega-3’s. It is a name arthritis sufferers want to remember. EPA not only helps to breakdown and synthesize those chemicals responsible for blood-clotting but it also helps dramatically with inflammation.
But where does EPA come from?
The simple answer to this is fish. Fish oil contains an abundance of EPA. The fish get this important Omega-3 from the algae that they eat. EPA fish oil is available in a variety of ways, but is easiest consumed through capsules sold at your local grocer or health food store.
DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid)- DHA is another important Omega-3. DHA is a natural fatty acid abundant in the human body. It makes up the key parts of the retina in the eye, and part of the brain, the cerebral cortex.
The Cerebral Cortex, or grey matter, is responsible for intelligence, personality, motor function, organization, touch, sensory information processing, and language. These things are vital to your everyday existence and can play a huge part in pain management.
You can find Omega-3’s in a variety of food, not just fish oil. These foods include nuts, cold-water fish like salmon and tuna, seeds, and other supplements.
In a 2015 study on the role of Omega-3’s on inflammatory diseases, it is found that they can reduce symptoms of Rheumatoid and other arthritis symptoms.
Regardless of their pain management abilities, Omega-3 fatty acids should be a regular addition to your healthy and active lifestyle. Check with your physician to see which form of Omega-3’s best fit your lifestyle.
Tip #5: Turmeric
Turmeric is nicknamed the Golden Spice and not just for its rich golden color. Turmeric studies are ongoing, but its health benefits seem to be growing by the day. This spice is found in many different curries and is harvested in India and Indonesia.
It’s nothing new. Turmeric has been part of traditional medicine for centuries!
At the base of the healing properties of turmeric, it has been found to block the protein that causes inflammation. Because of these blocking abilities, turmeric has been found to ease the pain of inflammation just as well as some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NASAIDs.
And it’s all natural, which makes it even better.
The chemical in turmeric that does all the heavy lifting is called curcumin, and is the secret to its anti-inflammatory abilities.
While inflammation does play an important role in our bodies, blocking pathogens that could easily kill us, long term chronic inflammation like that observed in arthritis sufferers can be debilitating.
Inflammation is a complex process, but the curcumin in turmeric is an inflammation fighting bioactive substance that attacks the chronic inflammation on a molecular level.
On top of helping with your arthritic pain, curcumin has been shown to fight inflammation that also plays a major role in heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and many other conditions.
Turmeric can be taken in many ways from pills to the actual root. Why not add it to your favorite dish? On its own, turmeric has a very mild taste and can compliment almost any meal.
Tip #6: Massage Therapy
Massage therapy has long-term, lasting effects on pain management. The Arthritis Foundation has indicated that a regular massage to the muscles and joints helps to soothe the pain from arthritis.
If you’ve ever gotten a massage, you know that it can greatly increase your mood. This effect is because massages boost the levels of serotonin in your body, a chemical that contributes to happiness and well-being.
What you might not know is that massage therapy can also lower the body’s production of cortisol, a stress inducing hormone that also helps the production of a neurotransmitter, Substance P. Substance P has a strong link to pain.
Several studies have been performed, most notably in 2013 by researchers at the Touch Research Institute, and 2015 by the University of Miami School of Medicine. Both studies show that moderate touch massage therapy not only can reduce pain, but improve on grip, range of motion, and pressure.
Massages should be done by a licensed professional and is best performed by those with arthritis specialties. You can always let your therapist know of any sore areas to be avoided, and work with them to find the best pressure for your body.
Stiff muscles and joints are often exacerbated by stress and tension which we struggle to avoid when in pain so regular massages will help alleviate these issues.
So, lay back and relax, and let a professional massage therapist massage those aching joints and muscles! And don’t be afraid to ask your specialist for at home massage techniques you can do yourself between sessions.
Tip #7: Aquatic Therapy
For years, it’s been said that aquatic activity is one of the healthiest forms of exercise that a person can participate in. It is beneficial for all types of people, but especially those with arthritis.
What makes aquatic activity so useful when managing pain associated with arthritis?
Water provides natural resistance, which in turn intensifies the exercises you are performing.
At the same time, water has something that regular exercise does not, buoyancy. That tendency for your bodies to float in water helps to support your body weight, thus reducing the pressure on your joints. Less pressure means less inflammation, and less inflammation leads to less pain.
Pain isn’t the only thing that aquatic therapy helps though. The natural intensity of your movements helps to reduce body fat, improves your coordination, your range of motion, and has a positive effect on serotonin levels in the brain. Again, a less stressed body leads to less stress on joints and bones.
A 2015 study by the University of Utah showed that aquatic exercise for pain management in adults, especially those over 65, can vastly improve mobility and pain. While the pain reduction was short term, aquatic therapy shows to be an excellent alternative to pain medication for quick relief.
You can find on-going relief with aquatic therapy by performing up to an hour of aquatic exercise three times a week. So, not only will you reduce or maintain your weight, but you will find a mood stimulating and pain reducing activity to help with your symptoms of arthritis.
Tip #8: Tai Chi
Tai Chi can be incorporated into your daily exercise routine. The perfect type of exercise for people with arthritis is that in which improves muscular strength, improves fitness, and builds on flexibility. Tai Chi does all these things through a low impact exercise routine.
Tai Chi is a slow moving, low-impact, easy form of martial arts. It’s appropriate for anyone that can move freely. The art is composed of a series of slow and gentle movements, all easily modified for those with sore and stiff joints.
Tai Chi has also been shown to help with muscle strength, flexibility, and balance.
In 2013, researchers China reviewed 7 different studies on Tai Chi in reference to arthritis.
They performed a meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of Tai Chi exercise for pain, stiffness, and physical function. In conclusion, they stated that a 12-week course can be beneficial to arthritis sufferers when it comes to reducing pain, reducing stiffness of joints and muscles, and increasing their physical functionality.
When muscles are strong, they help to protect the joints, reducing pain. Flexibility keeps those joints loose and reduces stiffness. And an increase in balance can help to reduce the number of falls arthritis sufferers face. All of these things are results of a regular Tai Chi workout.
Tai Chi classes can be found both privately through martial arts institutions and through public programs.
Many senior facilities also offer Tai Chi several times a week. Even those bound to wheelchairs can find benefits from modified movements.
Tip #9: Yoga
Yoga is a 5,000-year-old practice, originated in ancient India, and spread through the world. There are many different forms of yoga that include poses, breathing techniques, and meditation.
It has the ability to boost both mental and physical health of its practitioners.
Yoga is a very gentle exercise, a way to reduce the tension in joints and muscles, build muscle tone, and increase flexibility.
That muscle strength can also help to improve balance, especially important to those with arthritis. Yoga is low-impact and enjoyable in nature, making it easy to practice on a regular basis.
Some of Yoga’s many benefits include:
– Adds variety to your exercise routine.
– Strengthening to improve physical functionality.
– Improvement in flexibility which reduces inflammation and stiffness.
– Weight loss can be a benefit of Yoga done correctly and in conjunction with a healthy diet.
– Strengthening of the mind-body connection which allows for better balance and understanding of the pains and stiffness you feel on a regular basis.
As with all exercise routines, make sure to check with your physician before starting any regiment. If you are new to Yoga, it is best to seek instruction.
Yoga facilities have grown widely across the world, and you can do both private and group classes.
Tip #10: Meditation
Meditation is a practice you can do anytime, anywhere. One of the biggest parts of meditation is practicing mindfulness.
When you practice mindfulness meditation, you are focusing all of your attention on the feelings and sensations that your body is experiencing in that present moment.
There is a program available to you that focuses solely on this form of meditation. It is called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, or MBSR.
MBSR is used to help you manage both pain and stress. These two negative attributes of arthritis are not only hard to deal with, but also contribute to a diminished immune system.
A healthy immune system is vital to fighting off disease as well as keeping your body as pain-free and relaxed as possible.
In 2014, researchers performed a study on the effectiveness of MBSR with people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. It was found that those that completed the eight week sessions reported a reduction in pain, stiffness, and tender and swollen joints.
It is amazing what the mind can do, and this type of program can be easily incorporated into your daily routine without putting aside a ton of extra time or effort.
Sleep is a vital element for both physical and mental well-being. Without enough sleep, you can’t function effectively daily.
Not only does a lack of sleep impact negatively on your productivity at work and home, but it can even cause you some serious medical issues. Poor quality sleep can lead to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, not to mention physical issues such as hypertension and heart disease which can have severe and lasting repercussions.
However, while we know that we should all be getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night, it can be difficult to achieve that goal. Whether you work shifts, have family responsibilities or are struggling to get all your school or college work done, fitting in enough rest can be a serious challenge. So, how can you resolve that problem? The answer could lie in tracking your sleep patterns.
How and Why Can You Track Your Sleep?
Thanks to the latest technology, you can have access to sleep tracking functionality at home. You can now buy wearable sleep trackers that will keep track of your sleep patterns so that you can become more aware of the length of time you sleep, the stages of sleep that you reach and the quality of sleep that you’ve enjoyed.
These days, we can customize more things in our life than ever before. We can personalize our clothes, phones and homes, so it makes sense to be able to personalize your sleep patterns too. Not all of us need the same amount of sleep every night, but if you track your patterns you can come to a better understanding of how many hours is right for you.
If you’re having sleep problems, a wearable sleep tracker will help you to pinpoint the cause of your sleep issues. At one time, the only option was to go to a sleep lab to get a professional assessment.
Now, you can have similar functionality in your comfortable bed. With the accuracy and accessibility of modern sleep trackers, you can spot problematic patterns and change your habits for the better.
If you track your sleep patterns, you will also begin to wake at the optimal time. Many of the best sleep trackers have a smart alarm to wake you when you’re during the lightest sleep stage. This stops you from waking groggy and irritable. Instead, you’ll feel ready and rested from the get-go for a more productive day.
The Benefits of Sleep Tracking
If you invest in a sleep tracker, you can improve your sleep quality and, in turn, the quality of life you can enjoy. More of us a stressed and anxious than ever before, so getting enough quality sleep is imperative.
If you are sleep deprived over extended periods, you are vulnerable to medical problems, both physical and mental. Heart disease, respiratory disease and type II diabetes have all been linked with insomnia.
While we’re very aware of what we’re doing during the day, during the night, our routines often get lost. We’re used to monitoring behavior patterns during the day, from what we eat to how much exercise we get, so we should start to do the same during the nocturnal hours.
If you track your sleep, the greatest benefit is that you’ll start to spot links between your sleep patterns and overall wellness. For example, you’ll discover whether drinking coffee or consuming caffeine impacts negatively on your sleep or whether the alcohol that you drink affects the quality of your rest.
You’ll also find out whether the time at which you exercise affects your sleep patterns, whether exercising in the evening or morning is most beneficial for you, as well as whether spending time outdoors improves or worsens your rest.
You’ll be able to see if there is a link between your use of devices and computers and the quality of your sleep, and how much your sleep, or lack of it, correlates with the stress and anxiety levels you experience.
You’ll even be able to determine whether eating late in the evening or whether certain foods affect your sleep, and for women, whether their menstrual cycle causes their sleep quality to fluctuate.
By pinpointing these patterns, you can then easily choose to adopt changes in your lifestyle that will not only help you to sleep more effectively but will also help you to be more productive, more fit and healthy and more positive in all areas of your life.
More and more of us are now becoming more aware of how blue light can affect our bodies, yet with increased device usage, we’re exposed to more of it than ever before. To enjoy the maximum well-being, we need to start to find ways to reduce the amount of blue light we allow ourselves to be exposed to.
Why is this the case you may ask? Read on and learn more.
How Does Blue Light Affect Your Body?
Understanding how light interacts with our eyes is the key to knowing why blue light is so bad for our well-being. Light is made up of different colored waves, which all have their different energies. Red light is at the beginning of the visible light spectrum.
This has low energy waves and is easier on the eyes, particularly during the night. Blue light, however, has the highest energy waves and this makes it more difficult for the eyes to process effectively.
While high energy light waves are vital for our daily lives, it can prove to be harmful if we are exposed to them at the wrong times. High energy light is received from the sun to regulate sleep patterns effectively. In the day, the light enters our eyes to release enzymes, bring our levels of melatonin down and help us to wake up.
Melatonin regulates our sleep cycles via circadian rhythms. However, this cycle is all too easy to disrupt. Excessive exposure to blue light can disrupt your circadian rhythm cycle severely. This is because it reduces the melatonin levels released by your body. If your body doesn’t have enough melatonin at bedtime, you can’t sleep properly and become exhausted.
Blue light is emitted by screens from laptops, smartphones and tablets and eventually this can cause eye strain, near-sightedness and dry, itching eyes. If you think that is bad, blue light also affects the cellular anchors and the retina and can cause Advanced Macular Degeneration at a younger age.
Some experts have even linked obesity to melatonin disruption as well as the development of some forms of cancer. So by finding ways to avoid excessive blue light exposure is therefore essential.
How Can the Blue Light Exposure Problem Be Resolved?
Some manufacturers of devices are now recognizing the harm that blue light can cause us and are starting to develop new technological solutions to resolve the problem.
Blue-filter covers are available for purchase for VR goggles, mobile phones and laptops and some devices have now integrated “evening modes” into their design which filters out the blue light when you use your device in the evening hours to limit your exposure.
Of course, the obvious solution to the blue light exposure problem is simply to avoid using any device during the evening or night. Smartphones and tablets should be kept out of the bedroom, and for several hours before bed, we should steer clear of any device usage. Unfortunately, this isn’t always practical or even desirable. So, how can we avoid the issue?
The answer could be to invest in a pair of blue-light protective glasses. These are designed with an HEV (high energy visible light) filter built in. These allow you to use your devices whenever you like without any worries about exposure to blue light impacting on your sleep patterns.
Blue light blocker glasses look the same as a standard pair of glasses, but they have special filters that prevent high energy visible light from reaching the back of the eye. They can either be purchased as a standalone pair of glasses or as a special pair of night-time glasses which can be worn over a regular pair of spectacles.
If you put these on around an hour before you go to bed, they will block all the blue light emitted from your devices and LED lights helping you to get better sleep every night.
Forget smart drugs, the single best way to enhance your cognitive powers and become more focussed is to get more sleep.
And forget supplements, the single best way to accelerate your muscle gains and improve your strength is to get more sleep.
There are countless articles out there that detail ‘life hacks’ and other strategies you can use to sleep better. These range between lying on spikey mats (which is nonsense), to taking ZMA (which doesn’t do much), to eating honey before bed (which might just be helpful but is negligible).
More efficient then is to look at some small, simple changes you can make to your routine that will have a major impact on the quality and quantity of your sleep. There’s that ‘kaizen’ again!
Number one:
Take a hot shower or bath before bed. This helps to encourage the production of growth hormone and melatonin and it also helps to relax the muscles – far more effectively than taking valerian root. As your body cools down, you’ll sink into a much deeper and more restorative sleep and you’ll also save yourself time in the morning.
Number two:
Open the window a-jar. We sleep much better when our environment is slightly cool. Let some cool air into your room but make sure you can keep warm with your duvet.
Number three:
Go for a run or walk in the morning that day. Getting more exercise helps you sleep more, as does getting fresh air and vitamin D. You can also supplement with vitamin D in the morning – if you live in the UK like me then there’s a good chance you’re deficient.
Number four:
Take half an hour or even just 15 minutes before bed to wind down and do some reading. Avoid looking at mobile screens or computers if possible, as the light from these increases cortisol production. I experimented with wearing blue-blocking shades before bed for a while but truth be told, you look like a nob and it’s pretty impractical – especially if you’re in a relationship. Taking a little while out to ‘unwind’ will help you forget the stresses of the day while getting your body into a good ‘sleep mode’.
Number five:
Most important of all is simply to prioritize your sleep and to give it the attention it deserves. Stop watching YouTube videos until 2am in the morning and start getting into a routine.
Number six:
Of course you also need to look after the environment you’re sleeping in. Comfortable pyjamas and duvet covers, along with curtains that actually block out the light and an absence of blinking LEDs will make a huge difference. Waking Up Full of Beans Meanwhile, I highly recommend investing in some kind of ‘daylight alarm’ (such as those made by Lumie). These are designed to emit a light that is more similar to sunlight in terms of the wavelength and will come on gradually as it approaches the time you set the alarm. This then gradually rouses you out of sleep and if all goes well, you’ll wake naturally before the alarm goes off. As a result, you’ll feel significantly more awake and well rested. Even if it takes the alarm to wake you though, you’ll be waking up in a light environment from a much lighter state of sleep. You feel far less ‘sleep inertia’ and you’ll really notice the difference when you’re forced to wake up without it. This is especially effective for those who struggle with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
Trust me, this is one change that will really make a highly noticeable difference.
Just think about the difference you’re now making: previously, you were sleeping deeply at which point a loud alarm would suddenly startle you awake. This would jolt you out of sleep with a start and you’d wake up into a pitch black room and have to drag yourself out of bed.
Instead, you’re now coming around gently, waking up gradually and naturally as the room gets lighter and then being nudged over the edge by the actual alarm. And when you open your eyes, the room is already light and you’re already ready to go! Get Up on Time Every Time For those who struggle to get out of bed without hitting the ‘snooze’ button, a daylight alarm can help. If you need a little extra help, then try waking up in ‘stages’.
Instead of forcing yourself to leap out of bed, agree that you’ll just prop yourself up into a more upright position and turn on the light when the alarm sounds. If you must hit snooze then that’s fine once, but the second time it goes off you’re then going to grab a book, your phone or something else that will prevent you from dozing off.
Absent mindedly look through this. Then, you should find you’re awake enough to get up. Getting up slowly is not only healthier, it’s much easier to do when you’re feeling low on will-power. Why You Feel Ill in the Morning If you find you still can’t wake up effectively in the morning, then it may be that you’re struggling with a number of potential issues.
If you have a scratchy throat or you feel ill, then below you’ll find some possible causes and solutions:
• Allergy – You can develop hay fever at any age and symptoms that are unnoticeable during the day can be much worse during the night when you’ve been breathing in dander or pollen all night. Unfortunately, most antihistamines will leave you feeling groggy too, so you’ll need to find another way to clean your environment.
• Mold – Mold poisoning can lead to a number of unpleasant short term and long term effects. If you have mycotoxin-producing black mold it can even give you asthma or eczema. Even just breathing in mold spores from less harmful types can leave you with a scratchy throat and a poor night’s sleep. If you notice the air smelling damp, then consider calling in a mold remediation company – it could be behind the walls or under the floorboards.
• Dehydration – It’s common to get dehydrated during the night. Make sure you drink enough before you fall asleep and have some water to hand. If you struggle with this one, you may want to consider trying chia seeds which absorb several times their mass’ worth of water.
• Low blood sugar – Breakfast is so named because you are ‘breaking your fast’. As you can imagine, going 10 hours without eating can leave you a little groggy so it’s possible you’re struggling with low blood sugar. Something that is thought to help this is a spoon of honey, which contains both slow release and fast release sugar, providing you with a steady supply of energy through the night.
This might seem like a bit of a random tangent but it really isn’t – many of us wake up in the morning feeling sub-par but aren’t quite sure why. Often it comes down to factors in the environment or in your overall health like these and as we’ve seen, it should be relatively easy to solve them in many cases! CBT for Getting to Sleep Finally, if you struggle getting to sleep because you can’t stop your mind racing, then address the way you are thinking about sleep. There’s a lot more to learn about CBT and it really is a fantastic tool but for now all you need to know is that it involves changing the way you think about a problem. In this case, you’re going to stop putting pressure on yourself to sleep – if you feel stressed that you’re not asleep yet then you’ll work yourself up and be far less likely to be able to drift off!
Instead of getting frustrated then, focus on using the opportunity to just relax and enjoy lying down to have a think/feel free from the pressures of the day. Even if you’re just relaxing, this will still offer you some recuperative benefit. What you’ll find though, is that the moment you manage to enjoy ‘just relaxing’, you’ll fall asleep. Don’t force yourself to drift off, that’s an oxymoron; just get comfortable, enjoy the moment and let your body take care of the rest when you really need to drift off.
Considered one of the essential fatty acids, Omega 3s are essential to human health.
The problem is our bodies are unable to make them on their own!
So that leaves the food we eat as our main source of Omega 3.
Of course, we can, and most of us should, also take an Omega 3 supplement to ensure that our body has all of the important fattyacids that it needs to build muscles and maintain proper cell growth.
Omega 3s are considered a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) that is crucial to maintain proper brain function, growth and development.
An important anti-inflammatory, one of Omega 3’s jobs is to help prevent such degenerative diseases as arthritis, cancer, heart disease, and even memory loss.
Of course, Omega 3s also aid in keeping skin taut and smooth, thus playing an important role in keeping us looking younger longer. From warding off wrinkles, to helping to keep coronary arteries clear, Omega 3 fatty acids have been linked to all sorts of health benefits, which we will discuss in detail in the upcoming pages.
First, let’s look at the three main types of Omega 3 fatty acids: EPA, DHA and ALA.
Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) is a very important Omega 3 fatty acid.
New research indicates that EPA can actually prevent a heart attack or stroke. One study even reported that people with low levels of EPA in their body are as much as 47% more likely to suffer a cardiac episode than those with sufficient levels of EPA in their system.
To keep a sufficient amount of EPA in your system, you would need to eat between 400 and 500 grams of cold water fish such as sardines, mackerel, or salmon 2-3 times per week. Few people, unfortunately, can stomach that much deep-sea fish. Even if you could, most experts warn against it since so many of the world’s fish are now contaminated with mercury and other toxins.
So what’s the alternative? Taking 1,000 mg of EPA rich fish oil on a daily basis is considered by most experts to work well at keeping EPA blood levels just as high as eating large amounts of deep sea fish. Keep in mind though, that EPA also needs DHA in order to work properly, so be sure any supplement you buy contains both.
What Is DHA?
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) is another very important Omega 3 fatty acid needed by the body to achieve optimal health. It is one of the longest chains of PUFA’s found in Omega 3s. It is also essential to good brain function. Nearly one fourth of the brain is made up of DHA and without this important fat, you can suffer from several mental disorders, depression, or even Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)!
In fact, scientific research has demonstrated a correlation between increased DHA levels and decreased incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease. Worse yet, without the right amount of DHA, your brain is unable to tell all of your organs what to do. Your heart can’t beat and your lungs can’t breathe without an order from your brain.
Even if a low DHA level doesn’t cause your body to go into catastrophic breakdown, it can leave you susceptible to a myriad of diseases or illness.
Now that you know how important getting the right amount of DHA is to overall health and wellbeing, you may be wondering what your best source of it is… fish oil.
You can get DHA laden fish oil in one of two ways:
By eating more fatty fish or by taking a DHA supplement. Either way, the important thing to remember is that both EPA and DHA are crucial Omega 3 fatty acids that you must get regularly in order to ward off disease.
Why is ALA Fatty Acids So Important?
Found mainly in dark green, leafy vegetables, flax seed, and walnuts, Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) can do something other Omega 3 fatty acids can’t: if your body needs them, it can convert ALA into both DHA and EPA. This is a unique and wonderful ability, since our bodies needs these important Omega 3 fatty acids to stay healthy.
Omega 3 fatty acids are the good fats in our healthy diets. They are the fats our body needs to properly function.
They help keep our heart functioning at a healthy rate. Keeps our brains functioning as we age and help infants gain information. Omega acids also help keep our joints functioning.
While our diet recommends we limit our oil and fat consumption, we do need them. Fat and oil help keep our bodies at our peak
performance. Fat is what keeps our bodies on the move, this is why it is best to get the healthier versions. The healthy oils provided by fatty acids help keep the fats consumed from turning into heart clogging cholesterol. This is also avoided when you limit your fat intake in your diet.
While adding Omega 3 fatty acids to your diet does have health benefits always discuss with your doctor. They will be able to provide resources for what source works best for your diet.
We have all heard the speech given that we need a healthy diet. Over the decades this became an issue with the invention of snack foods. It became easier to just grab the unhealthy snack foods instead of finding healthier alternatives. This is why the average diet is full of unhealthy fat, salt, and sugar.
Over the decades, we have seen the health problems involved with this diet. Including diabetes, heart attacks, cholesterol issues, hypertension of the heart, obesity. When you are used to an unhealthy diet it gets harder to reverse it properly. This process is much less complicated if you start with small changes and keep them so they become habits. This process can take up to a month of doing the new changes for it to become a habit.
Where Do They Come From?
While the Omega 3 and 6 acids are essential to our bodies, we do not produce them on our own. We can only get these acids by food or supplement sources. Our bodies absorb the natural sources much easier.
This is why doctors recommend eating the fish and nuts for those deficient in fatty acids. You want your diet to be varied in the sources in which you get these acids. This helps to prevent you becoming bored with the foods you are eating. You can do this by eating a large variety of the fish available as well as the nuts, seeds, and plants.
DHA and EPA are found in fish such as halibut, salmon, anchovies, blue fish, mackerel, trout, bass, sardines and tuna. Keep in mind wild salmon fish has more omega 3 acids than the farmed variety. It is the same with the trout, the lake trout have more acids than the farmed trout. You can get fish from your local butcher, fish monger, or grocery stores.
While it is more expensive in some areas the health benefits outweigh the costs. If possible find sales, or even go fishing this will reduce costs. Fish can be frozen for later consumption just make sure to check for pin bones to reduce the risk of choking. It is also recommended that pregnant women not eat farmed fish or blue tuna. They both have a higher risk of contaminants such as mercury, lead, and pesticides.
ALA Is found in walnuts, flax seeds and oil canola oil, soybeans and soybean oils. Smaller amounts of the acids are found in dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach and some varieties of lettuce. It is also found in sunflower seeds and oil, cashews, pumpkin seeds and peanuts. This is why doctors recommend things like mixed nuts to help obtain this fatty acid. Dark leafy greens are also a source of iron essential for hemoglobin production in the blood.
Note: It is recommended that young children do not eat nuts until they are four years old at the minimum
Well that’s a basic introduction into what Omega 3 is and why it is so healthy. Over the next few chapters we will take a more in depth look at the history of Omega 3, how it can aid the whole family and how to choose the right form of Omega 3.
Are you starting to think the TLC diet is for you? Well if so then take a look at the major benefits if you decide to follow this way of eating …
1. Easy to Follow
The diet is simple and easy to follow There are no special kinds of foods that you need to cook. There is no need to learn a new recipe. You don’t need to buy special and expensive ingredients. The diet is simple, straightforward and inexpensive. The meals are easy to prepare. Since you don’t need to strictly follow a specific meal plan, you have the freedom to modify the recipes per what is available for you.
Since this diet will allow you to modify your meals, it is also possible to adjust it if you are vegetarian or if you want it to be gluten-free. The important thing is to learn how to eat generally within the guidelines of the diet. Once you know and understand the basic principles which make the diet so effective, it will undoubtedly be much easier for you to modify the diet in accordance with your individual needs.
2. It is Proven Effective
The diet is healthy and proven effective The effects of the TLC diet are long-term. This is because rather than providing a quickfix solution to the problem, the TLC diet encourages positive changes in a person’s lifestyle. The true secret of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is knowing how to keep eating healthy and how to continue exercising for a long time. Rather than a race, think of health as a marathon. It cannot be rushed and it must be taken slowly but surely.
3. Educates People
The TLC diet actually educates people. With the TLC diet, a person is made aware of what he or she should eat and drink. A person learns how to choose what is healthy. This means knowing how to shop for healthy items, how to read labels and how to prepare meals in a healthy way. A person will also know how to compute how much saturated fat he or she is recommended to consume. Unlike some other diets, you will not be told what you should eat in every single meal. Therefore, it is up to a person to choose his or her meals according to what he or she learns.
Well those are just a few of the main benefits gained by following the principles of the TLC Diet.
We will look more specifically at what to eat and how to get your proper nutrients in.
TLC Nutrition Overview – Getting Your Nutrients & What To Eat
To lower your cholesterol levels, there’s no getting around the fact that you must do something about the food you eat.
The TLC program’s major focus is to create a nutritious way of eating that will provide the correct nutrients and will reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat.
These Saturated fats are the fats that elevate your cholesterol levels. First you want to reduce the foods high in saturated fats, like fatty cuts of meat and whole milk products you eat.
You will also have to replace some of the animal fats and choose some healthy, monounsaturated oils – olive oil, for example.
Another good option is choosing a fatty acid supplement like Omega-3. These fats will keep the good cholesterol up and lower the bad one.
The types of food you eat can be as important as their calorie content. What is good for one person may not be the same for the other. It is thus important to understand your metabolic system and nutritional needs.
What are calories? There is so much hype surrounding calories these days. All of us know that in order to lose weight, we must burn calories. But what exactly are calories? In simple words, calories are units of energy in food or drinks required by the body to perform its functions. The amount of calories needed by your body depends on the amount of energy required by your body to keep warm.
This is exactly what your body needs, irrespective of your activities. Typically, the larger an individual, the greater their caloric need is or their basal metabolic rate – which is the amount
of energy expended by a body at rest. The basal metabolic rate remains the same daily.
If your body needs, in example, 2,000 calories today, it will require the same amount tomorrow and the next day and so on. Basal metabolic rate varies from person to person, depending on the body size and amount of work you do.
What Can You Eat?
The TLC program is based on consuming a wide array of different foods but in doing so, getting a proper ratio of nutrients to fuel your body effectively. Food choices are not restricted per se, but must be consumed in a limited amount. These amounts are sometimes a percentage of your total calorie intake for each day.
Saturated fat Less than 7 % of total calories
Polyunsaturated fat Up to 10 % of total calories
Monounsaturated fat Up to 20 % of total calories
Carbohydrate 50 % to 60 % of total calories
Soluble fiber At least 5 to 10 grams a day
Protein Approximately 15 % of total calories
Fat
The biggest part of TLC diet program is about fats and is where we are going to focus our attention on in this beginners guide. If you get the correct amount of good fats in your diet most things will fall into place (Carbs, Protein & Fiber).
These fats can help you fight those cholesterol levels, or help you feed them. You have to learn what fat actually is in order to defeat it – get to know your enemy before fighting it!
Fat seems to be a dreaded word for most of us. But have you ever wondered why there is so much hue and cry about fat? First, I need you to understand this.
Dietary fat is different than your body fat.
It appears that the lack of knowledge of nutrition scares most to think dietary fat is bad. It can be considered word and image association where you hear the word “fat” and automatically associate it with the fat on your belly. Automatically you think, “Uh oh, I don’t want any more fat on my stomach, I don’t want that food if it has fat.” So, is a low-fat diet a solution for all ills?
Well, before answering this question, it is important to find whether you are eating healthy fats or not. Healthy fats include seeds, nuts, and unrefined oils and naturally occurring fats in vegetables and meats. The key lies in maintaining moderation and optimizing nutritional benefits. Experts recommend that fats and oil should suffice for at least 10–40 percent of your regular energy needs.
Though fats have earned a poor reputation for their effect on heart health and obesity, some fat is ESSENTIAL for health and wellbeing.
Fats help in the absorption of carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins – A, D, E, K Supply essential fatty acids needed by the body, which it cannot make on its own, such as omega-3 – which is an unsaturated fat that we must consume from our diets mainly found in fish. Fats have the potential to harm as well as help our health; depending on their fatty acid composition, their nutritional value, and their condition.
When used in a natural, unadulterated state, fat offers optimal nutritional benefits. On the other hand, a very-low- fat diet can compromise our health and ability to lose weight.
Fatty Acids
When you eat food, the fat comprised in the food is known as fatty acids. Typically considered “good fats,” fatty acids are known as the building blocks of many cellular structures and hormonal patterns in the human body.
Healthy Nuts, Seeds, Fats And Oils.
Healthy Nuts & Seeds To Consume: Almonds, Pistachios, Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Sesame Seeds Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Sunflower Seeds, Macadamia Nuts, Cashews, Peanuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Chia Seeds.
Fats and oils to use: Almond Oil, Red Palm Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Grape seed oil, Sesame Oil, Flax Seed Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil Hemp, Coconut Oil, Safflower Oil.
These fatty acids help in the transfer of oxygen to different parts of the body through the bloodstream. These fats help keep skin healthy, thus preventing signs of early aging. These promote cell membrane development and are essential for strong organs and tissue.
They help the body process cholesterol and rid the arteries of plaque or cholesterol build-up. Fatty acids boost the functioning of adrenal and thyroid glands, thus helping regulate weight.
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