Making Healthy Eating Convenient & Affordable
With the new school year soon approaching and many university students including myself, entering a new stage of their lives full of independence and new choices to make about their future, which also includes choices about their health such as what food choose to buy and eat.
In this post I wanted to focus on how young people and students in general can find more joy in eating and cooking healthier which is not only better in the long run for their health, but is also done in a way that does not hurt their wallets or time in any drastic way.
I hope that you find this article useful regardless of your age, because I think we could all appreciate if we could find more ways of eating better for ourselves while still keeping our food spendings in check.
Enjoy :)
WHAT IS HEALTHY EATING?
Include a variety of different whole foods in your diet
Avoid consuming too much salt, processed sugar, saturated fats and trans fats
Stay within your caloric need range
Drink enough water
Finding the right balance for you in terms of nutritious foods and less nutritious foods that are eaten in moderation
Trying to include a serving of oil fish into your diet each week
Eating high quality protein sources and nutritious oils and fats
Emphasis on getting enough fibre from wholegrain foods
MAKING HEALTHY EATING EASY AND AFFORDABLE
Go to farmers markets or other local food markets
Buy food in bulk
Check out the discounted section of your supermarket
Buy fruits and vegetables that have been put aside due to their due date (most are still perfectly fine)
Avoid expensive supplement stores and high priced health food shops
Focus on buying whole foods - Specialized and highly processed foods that may be labeled as “healthy” can actually end up costing a lot
Buy foods that are in season and preferably locally produced
Make a list of ingredients to buy before entering a store
Try not to go to the grocery store hungry
Plan your meals ahead of time and buy ingredients accordingly
Try preparing most of your food at home
Buying frozen fruits and vegetables
Making larger batches of certain meals so you can have left overs
Bringing your own lunch or snacks to work
I hope that you found this post interesting and in some degree also useful for incorporating more healthy habits onto your plate.
I hope to inspire people with the idea that to eat well for your body and mind does not mean having to spend excessive amounts of money on groceries or going to expensive supplement stores. Healthy eating does not have to be time consuming or restrictive. The point is to make it enjoyable for yourself by mostly including delicious foods that are good for you but also foods that bring you joy and a sense of balance with your diet. Its all about longterm consistency.
Thanks for reading.
The Green Superhero - Olive Oil
Olive oil is believed to have originated from the Mediterranean region, where olive trees were first thought to have been grown in the 8th millennium BC and the production of olive is assumed to have started sometime before 4000 BC.
Today, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Tunisia and Greece are the largest producers of olive oil in the world, where most is consumed in Greece and Italy.
Olive oil has been a part of the Mediterranean diet since the start, where this type of diet has been shown to have positive impacts on our cardiovascular system and our mental wellbeing.
I got interested in olive oil because of all the acclaimed health benefits it can bring so I wanted to look into this subject further.
Hope you find this one useful.
TYPES OF OLIVE OIL
Extra Virgin
This type of olive oil is considered to be the best and of highest quality. It is extracted through cold pressing methods meaning that no heat is used to extract the oil which could otherwise damage the nutrient composition of the oil. Because of this, extra virgin olive oil has a lower acidity content while keeping the best flavor and aroma.
Virgin
This is second best in quality and is a unrefined form of extra virgin olive oil. It is also extracted with a cold pressing method so it also has a high flavor and nutrient profile, while having a slightly milder taste. The difference is that it has slightly more acidity (between 1 - 4 percent) and is also more temperature resistant and is therefore also suitable for low heat cooking.
Refined
Refined olive oil is extracted from black and ripe olives, where it is considered a lower quality of oil that is mostly used for cooking purposes with high temperatures and not for direct medical applications. In terms of nutritional composition, it still contains the same amounts of fat and calories.
Pure
Unlike the name, “Pure” olive oil is actually a mix of extra virgin/ virgin olive oil with a refined form of olive oil. This type of production method is used when the extraction quality of the oil is not as good as planned, so in this way the quality of the oil is improved by mixing it with a better one. In this way, the nutrient profile and taste of the oil is improved.
Pomace oil
This is considered to be the lowest quality of olive oil which is extracted from the residue after the olive fruit is pressed. This oil is also mixed with virgin oil to help improve the quality, making it only suitable for high heat cooking.
COMPOSITION
Based on the website Healthline, a table spoon of extra virgin olive oil contains the following nutrient profile:
Calories: 119
Saturated Fat: 14% of total calories
Monounsaturated Fat: 73% of total calories (mostly oleic acid)
Polyunsaturated Fat : 11% of total calories
Vitamin E: 13% of the Daily Value
Vitamin K: 7% of the Daily Value
Apart from oleic acid, extra virgin olive oil is also plentiful in linoleic acid and palmitic acid all of which are fatty acids that benefit our health.
The main antioxidants and phytonutrients in extra virgin olive oil include “oleocanthal” and "oleuropein” which have been shown to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol, fight inflammation and help with chronic diseases.
THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET
Olive oil is a core component of the Mediterranean diet which is heavily based on whole grains, fish, vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, seeds and moderate consumption of meats and dairy.
Olives, wheat and grapes are the most important food crops in the Mediterranean diet, along with daily physical activity and having a good social life.
Eating a Mediterranean diet has been linked with many health benefits such as:
Reducing risk of heart disease
Reduce risk of stoke in women
Preventing cognitive decline
Weight loss
Prevents against type 2 diabetes
5 MAIN HEALTH BENEFITS OF OLIVE OIL
Protects Against Heart Disease In Many Ways
Helps to Reduce Inflammation
Chronic inflammation has been believed to be one of the main causes behind chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
Oleic acid as well as the antioxidants oleacein and oleocanthal found in olive oil have been shown through studies to effective fight inflammation.
Reduces oxidation of LDL cholesterol
Extra virgin olive may prevent the harmful oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol which is usually a crucial part for heart disease.
Improves Strength Of Our Blood Vessels
Based on the website Healthline, “olive oil may improve the function of the endothelium, which is the lining of the blood vessels” helping our blood vessels tolerate blood pressure better.
Lowers blood pressure.
People living in the Mediterranean region eating a balanced diet with olive oil and regular movement, have been linked to having lower blood pressure which over time can help with management of blood pressure.
Lowers Risk Of Developing Type II Diabetes
Eating more extra virgin olive oil has for diabetics shown positive results, where it has beneficial effects on blood sugar management and insulin sensitivity.
Studies have shown that for people who are diabetic, that consuming more olive oil has been linked with a better glycemic response which means that the polyphenols and fatty acids in olive oil can prevent dangerous spikes in our blood sugar.
Additionally, consumption of extra virgin olive oil is also beneficial for long term blood sugar regulation as well as helping over weight people with loosing weight, which again prevents the development of type 2 diabetes.
Good Source Of Vitamins
High quality olive oil contains a modest amount of fatty acids and certain vitamins like vitamin E and K.
Vitamin E is crucially important for our vision and reproductive system, while also helping with out blood, brain and outlook of skin.
Vitamin K on the other hand, is known to be essential for proper blood clotting and the building of strong bones.
Possibly Protects Against Cancer
Some studies suggest that a greater consumption of olive oil can be associated with a lower risk of developing cancers, which could be due to the anti inflammatory substances fund in olive oil.
The growth of cancer cells can be further encouraged through having high levels of oxidative stress in our bodies, but due to olive oils high anti oxidant content, it is believed that extra virgin olive could help against the development of cancers by neutralizing those free radicals that are responsible for creating oxidative stress.
Oleic acid, an antioxidant found in olive oil, has been exclusively studied and certain test tube studies showed that this acid slowed the growth and spread of cancer cells, helping with combating the cancer.
Prevents Cognitive Decline
There is evidence to suggest that a greater consumption of extra virgin olive oil, as is found around the Mediterranean region, is linked with a lower incidence of mental decline and especially the incidence of Alzheimers disease, which is the main cause of dementia.
Alzheimers disease is believed to originate from a build up of proteins known as beta- amyloid plaques, which deposit on certain neurons in our brains. Scientists and researchers suggest that there are certain substances within extra virgin olive oil that prevent the build up of these proteins, protecting us from cognitive impairment.
COOKING WITH OLIVE OIL
Olive oil predominantly contains monounsaturated fatty acids, where unsaturated fatty acids (unlike saturated fatty acids), contain many carbon - carbon double bonds in their structure which are more prone to being oxidized during cooking and heat exposure, causing the oil to become damaged.
This means that certain plant oils such as olive oil that are high in unsaturated fatty acids are used only for low heat cooking or no heat at all, but other plant oils such as canola oil or rapeseed oil are more suitable for higher temperatures.
Overall olive oil is safe to use under low to moderate temperature cooking, but is not advised for frying or high heat exposure. For best used, use extra virgin olive oil without any heat as in salad dressings and final additions to foods.
After writing this post, I now know much more about olive oil than I did before and I hope that you also learned something new from this. Of course, while olive oil is healthy for us, it is still important to keep it in moderation in our diet, as it is quite high in calories and could in the long run lead to weight gain if eaten in too large quantities.
I encourage you to invest in some high quality olive oil and use it for a variety of different dishes and other uses such as applying it on your skin or hair.
Thanks again for reading.
Your Healthy Hair Handbook
The relationship between what we eat and the health of our hair is commonly miss-understood or underestimated, yet more and more research is coming out showing that we can greatly impact the wellbeing of our hair through our own dietary choices.
Issues such as thinning hair, hair loss or brittle and fragile hair are quite common conditions yet with the proper nutrition and maintenance of our hair, it is a miracle how well we can recover damaged hair and turn it into strong healthy strands again.
I hope you enjoy this post on a slightly different topic.
STRUCTURE OF OUR HAIR
Each hair strand has a hair shaft and a hair root. The hair shaft is the visible part of the hair which grows out of our scalp. The hair root lies in the scalp and is surrounded by a hair follicle (a sheath of skin and connective tissue) which is also connected to a sebaceous gland that secrets an oily substance called sebum that keeps our hair moisturized.
The hair shaft is made of keratin - a hard strong protein based material which is formed from inside cells from the germinal layer.
WHAT DOES HEALTHY HAIR NEED?
Protein
Each strand of our hair is made up of a protein based compound called keratin. This raw material that makes up our hair is made from proteins we get from food. If our protein intake is too low, the body will make less keratin and in turn our hair will grow less fast and will be more brittle.
It is generally advised to eat 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day to meet sufficient needs. If you are more active, increase that figure to about 1.2g.
Sources: Meat, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, soy), grains, meat substitutes and nuts
B Vitamins
The fore mostly important B vitamin which helps promote hair growth is called biotin or vitamin B7. It is a nutrients which has been shown to stimulate the production of keratin by interacting with special cellular enzymes that turn amino acids into long chain proteins like keratin.
Other beneficial B vitamins include B12 and B9, where B12 is essential for the production of red blood cells and cellular DNA while B9 works closely together with B12 ensuring proper DNA production during periods of fast cell growth. Together these vitamins are able to transport oxygen around our body by it binding to iron in our red blood cells, which allows more oxygen to be delivered to our scalp and enhance hair growth and vitality.
B12 sources: Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products (Animal products only).
B9 sources: Dark green leafy vegetables (turnip greens, spinach, romaine lettuce, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, broccoli), beans, peanuts and sunflower seeds.
Biotin sources: Organ meats, egg yolks, fish, meat, seeds, nuts, sweet potatoes, bananas, broccoli and lentils.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is needed for cellar growth which includes the growth of fast growing hair tissue while also helping the skin glands make enough sebum which prevents our scalp from becoming too dry. Diets with little vitamin A could be linked with hair loss.
Sources: Spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, red peppers, mango, papaya and apricots.
Iron
Iron is needed for hemoglobin production - the red pigment in our red blood cells - which allows these cells to carry oxygen all around our body, including our hair and scalp cells which ensures proper hair growth. Each molecule of hemoglobin contains 4 iron atoms each of which is able to bind with one molecule of oxygen.
Sources: Shellfish, spinach, liver and other organ meats, legumes, red meats, pumpkin seeds and quinoa
Zinc
A deficiency in zinc is theorized to change the protein structure of our hair follicles which makes them weaker and more brittle. In this way, zinc is also needed for DNA and RNA production which is required for proper division of follicular hair cells allowing new healthy hair strands to be formed.
Sources: Red meat, shellfish, chickpeas, lentils, beans, hemp seeds, pine nuts, peanuts, cashews and almonds
Essential fatty acids
Essential fatty acids such as omega 3 provide essential nutrients to hair follicles, helps prevent hair loss by preventing hair follicle inflammation as well as promoting better blood circulation in the scalp that makes healthier hair.
Sources: Oily fish (Mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines), oysters, walnuts, seeds (flax, chia)
WHAT TO AVOID FOR HEALTHY HAIR?
Bleaching
Frequent heat treatments
Lots of sun exposure
Wearing tight ponytails for long periods of time
Washing hair with hot water
Shampooing too often
Low protein consumption
Eating a lot of the following foods:
Swordfish (High in mercury)
Processed sugar
Alcohol
High glycemic foods (Chips, sodas, sport drinks, fast food, doughnuts, white bread, sugary cereals, mashed potatoes)
HOW TO TAK THE BEST CARE OF YOUR HAIR
Eat a varied and balanced diet
Wash Your Hair Regularly
Use Chemical Free Shampoos
Condition often
Dry Your Hair Naturally
Oil Your Hair Properly
Use A Wide-toothed Comb
Style Your Hair Naturally
Trim Your Hair Regularly
Try hair masks once a week
Avoid excessive sun exposure
Lower shower temperature
Give yourself scalp massages for blood circulation
I learnt a lot of new information while writing on the topic of hair and I hope that you also found some interesting new information here. Thank you for reading and as always let me know what you want to hear about next and wether you would be interested in more beauty related topics.
10 Amazing Benefits Of Regular Exercise
Regular exercise can have profound impacts on our health and well being. I wanted to take a look into the topic of exercise as I have always heard that exercise is beneficial for us, but why exactly is it so important? How exactly does it impact our health?
I found out that the benefits range everywhere from from helping to protect against common chronic conditions, aiding with our sleep quality as well as our strengthening our immune system, and the benefits don't stop there.
Lets take a look at some of these powerful benefits a little further and also find out how we can actually incorporate more movement into our life as an enjoyable habit.
Hope you find this one interesting.
MAIN GUIDELINES
When starting to do exercise of any type, it is important to keep the following in mind for your own health and well being:
Minimum 30min of exercise per day: This is the generally accepted minimum that allows you to stay in shape and take care of your physical wellbeing.
Warm up before: This warms up your body, increases your range of motion as well as prevents possible injuries.
Stretch afterwards: This increases your flexibility as well as prevents excessive muscle soreness which helps with muscle growth.
Fuel your body before and after: This is fore mostly important for you to have enough energy for movement and proper execution of exercises, as well as promoting effective muscle growth and recovery after exercise.
Drink enough water: Water is needed for practically all bodily functions and biochemical reactions going on within us. Keeping properly hydrated enhances your physical performance and later recovery.
Move because it feels good: This is the most underestimated part of exercise, because movement should after-all be a celebration of our body and everything it is capable of doing for us. Don't treat exercise as a chore or something “you have to do”. Choose to do it because you are fortunate enough to be able to move and it makes you feel great. Focus on moving because it makes you feel good, not because it only yields you good looking physical results.
10 MAIN BENEFITS OF REGULAR EXERCISE
Prevents a myriad of chronic diseases
Type 2 diabetes: Exercise helps with regulating blood pressure, improving our insulin resistance as well as our glycemic control, all of which work to combat diabetes.
Heart disease. Regular exercise has been clearly shown to help protect against cardiovascular conditions, since it strengthens your heart muscle and improves your blood circulation.
Different types of cancer. Some of the cancers which can be prevented through exercise are: Breast, colorectal, gallbladder, kidney, lung, liver, ovarian and pancreatic cancers.
High cholesterol. Doing regular moderate physical activity has been show to increase HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) in our blood and lower the other bad LDL cholesterol that can otherwise block our arteries.
High blood pressure: Those who regularly move their bodies have lower blood pressures, since with exercise your heart becomes stronger meaning that is becomes easier for it to pump blood around your body and which in turn decreases the force exerted on your arteries.
Improves Mood & Mental Wellbeing
For a while now, sleep has been shown to release chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins which have been shown to improve our mood, emotional well being as well as decreasing the chance of developing a mental illness.
Regular exercise is known to decrease feelings of anxiety, depression and stress.
Better & Deeper Sleep
Moderate to vigorous exercise done during the day has been shown, according to the sleep foundation, to reduce the amount of time we need to fall asleep, improve our sleep quality and increase general feelings of relaxation. Additionally, being active means that we have elevated energy levels through the day, which means that we feel less of a craving for sugary energy drinks and caffeinated drinks which could further upset our sleeping patterns.
Read more about how to improve your sleep here
Weight Control / Weight Loss
Exercise is beneficial for helping us with our weight loss goals or just generally keeping our weight levels within our healthy range. It does this, by speeding up our metabolism, which means that we burn more calories during the day just for staying alive. Furthermore, exercise can increase our muscle mass, which furthermore means we burn more calories as we have more tissues to feed.
Increases Energy Levels
While exercising, you increase your pulse and circulation which means that more oxygen is able to enter your body. This allows the cells of your body to have access to more oxygen rich blood which enables them to make more energy, causing you to feel more energized.
Beneficial For Muscles and Bones
When you are physically active, you regularly apply pressure and tension onto your muscles and bones. With the adequate nutrition, your muscle mass starts increasing due to more muscle repair happening. Additionally, putting more pressure onto your bones, causes more cells in your bones to be synthesized which strengthens your bone tissue, helping to prevent further unwanted injuries.
Healthier Skin
Exercise increases blood flow to our cells, meaning that more oxygen and nutrients are deliver to our cells for optimal growth, as well as that any produced waste products and unwanted free radicals are removed by it. This benefits our skin, by improving its elasticity and youthful look.
Increased Cognition and Memory Retention
The direct effect of exercise improving our mood, mental state and lowering our levels of stress, has been indirectly shown to improve mental cognition, thinking abilities as well as memory retention.
The process of physical activity is associated with a greater synthesis of neurons in our brains, which allows us to think faster and have sharper memory. It has also been shown that people who are regularly active have a much lower chance of developing Alzheimers disease in their lifetime.
Here you can find out how diet can impact your brain health.
Boosts Your Immunity
Some studies have shown a link between people who are regularly active and a stronger healthier immune system. The believed reason behind this is that exercise stimulates the circulation of immune cells around our body, which helps our body detect any infections earlier on.
Furthermore, the rise in core body temperature during exercise is believed to prevent the growth from harmful bacteria that could make you feel sick. Lastly, moving our body reduces levels of inflammation and allows us to sleep better, which is again better for out immune system.
You can read more about strengthening your immune system here
Increases Flexibility
By being more active, you warm up your muscles and allow them to become stronger and be able to endure tension for longer periods of time. In this way, your muscles are able to become more flexible (stretch further), by increasing your range of motion with them and in turn being able to execute certain movements more correctly.
Click here to find out more about the benefits of frequent stretching
HOW TO MAKE EXERCISING A HABIT
Make it enjoyable:
Try some of the following ideas to make your workouts more enjoyable:
Use music
Try it with friends
Track your progress
Eat enough and balanced
Do an activity you love (This makes it sustainable in the long run)
Keep it varied (Exercise does not only mean going to gym)
Try doing it outside
Be specific:
When planning your workout, ask yourself the following questions:
When will you do it? (Set yourself a reminder)
How long will you do it for?
Where will you be doing it?
What will you do?
With who will you do it?
Keeping motivated:
In order to continue enjoying your workouts in the long run, try some of the following:
Set realistic personal goals
Start with small steps
Measure your progress over time
Prepare your clothes/ equipment in advance
Don't get discouraged about missing out sometimes
Surround yourself with positive media and people
The topic of this post wasn't particularly new or unique, however it was fundamentally important for our health. It is important for us to understand how exercise affects us, why we should bother to do it in the first place and also how to integrate it as a enjoyable activity into our life.
What ever physical activity or activities you choose to spend your time doing, I am sure your health will be thankful, both your physical and mental well being will profit.
Don't neglect these basic components of our health and also make sure to not take it to extremes (exercising too much all the time).
Enjoy your movement and celebrate your amazing body; It does so much for you already.
Listening To Your Intuition
Recently the topic of intuition grabbed my attention, as I feel it can be a very useful subject, however it is not talked about nearly enough as it should be.
Most of us are vaguely aware of our intuition and what it is, but often times we just disregard it, ignore it and say that is is better to always listen to our heads than our hearts. But is that right?
This is what we will be exploring in todays post, as well as how to become more aware of your intuition so that you can make the best use of it.
Enjoy the read <3
WHAT IS INTUITION?
Have you ever had a moment where you felt like something wasn't quite right, but you couldn't explain why or how? This is our intuition at play, a hidden force or instinct that guides us through life.
Intuition can be defined as our innate inclination for a particular behavior. It is often referred to as a “gut feeling” because often we can feel the innate sensation in our gut region.
In other words, intuition is a natural tool that allows us to know something without prior analytical reasoning. It is based on past experiences that allow us to form an conscious (although sometimes not noticed) reaction or decision, such as what we feel like having for lunch today.
There is often a battle of rational thinking and intuitive thinking, but if we can use both of them to the best of our ability, it can greatly benefit our decision making abilities and our levels of happiness in life.
WHY IS YOUR INTUITION USEFUL?
Now we understand that each of us have intuition, where some of us are better are listening to it than others, but in any case it can be a very useful tool because our intuition is unique to each of us.
Intuition is grounded in the present moment, meaning that it directs us towards what feels right to us in the current moment.
This allows us to make decisions that are likely to feel more in line with our true values and intentions. Of course when it comes to decision making, there has to be a certain level of thought or rationality put behind them, but listening to our intuition is also a must.
With better decision making, we are able to feel a greater level of happiness because we are making the right decision for us that feel right to us.
TUNING IN TO YOUR INTUITION
Listen To Yourself
Occasionally spend some time in silence to listen to yourself. Listen to both your body and mind, how do they feel? What are they trying to tell you? What do you want? What do you actually need?
These are all important questions to ask yourself. The answers are important because they are unique to you. If no answers come immediately, that is totally normal, keep pondering those questions over time and answers will emerge in some form or another.
Raise Awareness
Once you have taken some time to listen to your thoughts and emotions, become increasingly aware of them. Notice how they feel, how you fee about your own thoughts, think about why you react the way you do. Question everything you do and try to understand why.
Meditation is a great way to gradually become more aware of yourself as you are focused on yourself here and now in the present.
Additionally journaling and various visualization exercises are also useful in raising your intuition as they give you time to realize your wants and needs, who you are and identify your core values in life which lead you.
Experiment More
Next, take time during your everyday or during weekends to escape your usual routine. Try something new that you have been wanting to try for a while now. Perhaps a long lost hobby, a forgotten interest or a newly discovered passion. Notice how you feel about doing these things. Do you enjoy it? If not, why?
Take this time to also lean into any neglected interests you may have, that may not have been expressed before. This refresh might just be what you need to re-ignite your intuition.
Find something that you enjoy and something that feels right to you. Notice how you feel. What does your intuition say?
Find Inspiration
Surround yourself with inspiring media, people, works of art, music, podcasts, books and information. Learn new things and try out something that grabs your attention.
By finding something that inspires you, you not only raise your level of creativity, but it also excites you and urges you to keep experimenting, learning and following your heart with what guides your interest- Your intuition.
I hope you found this article on your intuition both interesting and useful, as I am trying to deliver this information to you in the most compact yet interesting and useful way.
If you have any specific ideas for that you would want me to write about, let me know on my Instagram (thriving_taya)
Thanks again for reading :)
Berry Season - Don't Miss Out On The Best Freshness
It is summer time and it has been berry season for some time, especially for raspberries and blueberries.
Apart from their amazing taste, you may have heard that these small fruits are bursting with various amazing benefits for our health, ranging from their antioxidant levels to their beneficial effects for reducing inflammation. We are encouraged to include more of them into our diet as they help us intake more fibre while also helping others with better blood sugar regulation.
As part of the superfood series, I wanted to condense some of the information about berries, starting with why they are good for us in the first place while also giving you some more ideas for how to make the best use of fresh berries this summer.
BEST BERRIES BASED ON NUTRITION
Although all berries are very nutritious and extremely good for you, the following berries seem to rank highest in terms of nutrients they contain. All are high in fibre, rich in vitamins and are full of powerful antioxidants.
Blueberries
Raspberries
Goji berries
Strawberries
Black berries
Cranberries
BERRY BENEFITS - WHAT ARE THEY?
High in Fibre
Getting in enough fibre per day, about 30g, is associated with greater bowel health (lower risk of developing colon cancers) and of course keeping you more regular. Additionally, fibre slows down the release of sugar into your blood, which prevents unnecessary sugar spikes that disrupt your energy levels.
Loaded with Antioxidants
Our body naturally produces chemical species called “free radicals” during its many metabolic processes such as digestion for example. These free radicals are chemically unstable species which over time harm the health of your cells and cause inflammation, by robbing other healthy cells with their electrons. During this stage you body enters a state of oxidative stress.
Antioxidants on the other hand are able to lower the number of these free radicals in our body, which means that they restore the balance of free radicals and antioxidants in our body.
Improve Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin sensitivity refers how responsive your cells are to the hormone to insulin. If we reduce insulin resistance, that means our cells become more effective at up-taking available glucose in the bloodstream preventing a buildup of blood sugar, which over time lowers our chances of developing type II diabetes.
Beneficial for Cardiovascular Health
Due to the high antioxidant level of berries, these antioxidants also promote the health of our cardiovascular system alongside lowering blood pressure and levels of LDL cholesterol, which is the type of cholesterol that deposits on the inside of our arteries causing strokes.
Rich in Vitamins and Minerals
Most berries are rich in Vitamin C and K, as well as the mineral manganese, all of which contribute positively to our health.
Vitamin C is needed for the formation of collagen, absorption of iron and keeping our immune system, bones and teeth healthy.
Vitamin K is needed for making proteins needed for blood clotting and the building of strong bones.
Vitamin B9, also known as folate is needed for proper development of red blood cells which are critical for carrying oxygen around our body.
Manganese helps the body with making connective tissues, bone and blood clotting factors
Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
Cranberries especially are known to contain a specific compound which helps with treating Urinary Tract Infections (UTI), where this compound prevents the sticking of harmful bacteria on the insides of our urinary tract.
Boosts Your Immune System
Berries also have a positive impact on our immune system which is due to their high polyphenol content, which is a type of antioxidant commonly found in berries. With lower levels of oxidative stress, our body experiences less inflammation and infections, meaning that our immune response is triggered less often.
HOW TO EAT MORE BERRIES
Below you can find some ideas with how you can increase your intake of all kinds of berries, while they are currently in season:
Always have some frozen ones in stock (Cheaper + last longer)
Making your own jam at home
Add them into your smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, cereals, baked goods or on top of refreshing deserts
Try incorporating them into salads
Try snacking on berries, fresh or dried, such as dried cranberries
Make infused water with different fruits including berries and mint
Making homemade ice cream with frozen berries
I hope you enjoyed reading into some of the amazing insights berries can offer us, because I certainly had fun writing this.
Now I urge you to go out to your local store, market or even nearby forest/ garden and get some yourself, because right now they really are the best balance of flavor and cost.
Enjoy your summer :)
Sauna - Benefits Behind The Heat
Saunas have been around for a long time, in-fact the first discovered remains of saunas were found 2000 years ago, built underground and lined with rocks. Saunas are still in use today, where nowadays we have more modern technologies and structures, but the main idea of them still persists - Heat and steam.
I have become increasingly interested in what ways saunas can help with our health and wellbeing. Below you will find details on the different types of saunas you can commonly find today, their respected health benefits and also the potential risks you have to be aware about.
I hope to inspire you to try out saunas some time if you have not yet and experience the acclaimed advantages yourself.
Enjoy the heat :)
TYPES OF SAUNAS
Finish sauna (80-100 ºC)
These have originated in Finland, and are both an integral part of finish and Estonian culture. These saunas can either be warmed through burning real wood or though means of electricity.
The heat produced from burning or electricity is used to heat up special rocks inside the sauna, onto which you pour some water to create hot stream.
These saunas are very hot, but low humidity, designed for you to spend no longer than 20 minutes otherwise you could risk becoming dehydrated or dizzy.
Infrared sauna (45 - 55 ºC)
Infrared saunas work differently to finish saunas in the sense that they are warmed through infrared panels that radiate electromagnetic radiation. which in turn warm your body.
These saunas operate at a lower temperature, but it is estimated that about 80% of the emitted radiation goes directly into your body which means that you actually experience more heat and sweating at a lower temperature. This also enables you to last longer in this type of sauna and tolerate the heat more.
Turkish steam sauna (30 to 55 ºC)
A Turkish saunas also traditionally known as a hamman is a steam based sauna that has its roots in the islamic world and was actually developed from roman bath houses.
These saunas are decorated with tiles, unlike dry heat saunas that use wooden components. Turkish saunas may have added oils and smells into the air which are designed to deepen your breathing and open up your airways.
BENEFITS OF SAUNAS
Relieving Muscle and Joint Pain
When being in such a hot environment as a sauna, your heart rate rises due to blood capillaries at the surface of your skin dilating to help with controlling your core body temperature by heat loss. This increase in circulation means that your muscles are able to get a greater blood supply and the lactic acid that makes muscle sore is able to be broken down faster.
In this way, better circulation helps with smoother joint movement and may also ease arthritis while simultaneously relaxing your muscle tissue.
Relaxation and Stress Reduction
Sitting in a sauna is commonly done as a way to relax your body and mind. The way this works is that saunas decrease the levels of the hormone cortisol in our blood which is responsible for making us feel stressed and rising our heart rate. Instead saunas promote the production of serotonin, which uplifts our mood. Feel free to read more about stress management here.
On another note, by reducing stress, saunas can also potentially strengthen our immune system, as being chronically stressed weakens our immure system. You can find out more about how to take care of your immune system here.
Improvement of Cardiovascular Health
Regular and consistent use of saunas has been shown by studies to over time lower your resting heart rate which is beneficial for your heart as this way the heart muscle is not over worked.
In this way, sauna use has been shown to lower cases of fatal cardiac incidents, strokes and lowering blood pressure, which are some of the most common health problems the world is currently facing.
Promotes Good Healthy Skin
Frequent use of saunas, depending on your skin type, could help with improving the appearance and health of your skin. The heat in saunas improves blood circulation which in turn causes you to sweat which makes it easier to remove and replace the top layer of dead skin cells while simultaneously boosting collagen production in you skin which gives it a more elastic and plump feeling.
Additionally, sweating in saunas cleanses your skin by rinsing bacteria out of the epidermal (top) layer of your skin as well as your sweat ducts, which keeps your skin in good working condition.
Helps with Muscle Recovery and Soreness
Some studies have indicated a link between using saunas and preserving muscle mass and athletic performance. Regular sauna use helps with muscle relaxation and in turn helps with muscle soreness, which can be very beneficial for people who are very athletic.
Additionally the increased circulation from saunas allows for better blood circulation around your lower back area which can help alleviate lower back pain while simultaneously making your muscles less tense.
Useful Treatment for Asthma
Saunas in particular high steam Turkish saunas may be helpful for people who suffer from asthma as the heat and humidity helps open your airways and in this way improve your breathing, removal of phlegm and easing coughing.
Better and Deeper Sleep
Interestingly, saunas have also been shown to improve your sleep quality after using them, as after using a sauna our body temperature and level of endorphins falls, especially around bed time, which helps our body fall asleep.
Find out more about how to depend and improve your sleeping here.
Detoxification
Although our liver is the primary detoxification organ in our body, through extensive sweating we are able to remove small quantities of toxins in our body such as any traces of heavy metals that we come into contact in our daily environment (copper, lead, zinc, mercury and nickel).
POTENTIAL RISKS
Going into a sauna and spending too much time in there can definitely lead to some negative side effects. It is also recommended that if you are a beginner with going to saunas, start with 5 -10 minutes and gradually increase your time spent in there as you feel comfortable.
If yo spend too long in a saunas you can risk the following:
Dehydration
Dizziness
Temporarily lower fertility for men
PRECAUTIONS
There is however a couple of things to keep in mind when going into saunas:
Amount of time spent in a saunas
Drinking plenty of water before and after a sauna
No drinking alcohol before entering
It is not suitable to enter a saunas if you:
Have elevated blood pressure
Have experienced serious heart issues in the past
Are pregnant
Are ill (although saunas can help with blocked sinuses)
I hope you found this guide on saunas and their respected health benefits useful and will potentially look into trying saunas for yourself to see the acclaimed benefits.
As stated above, start with lower time spans and lower temperature saunas and over time build up your heat tolerance.
Thank you for reading, I appreciate it a lot.
Honey - Nature’s Golden Gift
I have recently developed a very strong interest in honey and its acclaimed health and beauty benefits along with its variety of uses. I wanted to do some research into honey and why it is so potent with benefits in the first place and how can we diversify its uses in our life.
I believe we can all benefit from eating some honey, which is why I wanted to include various information on honey, starting from the basics - How its made.
I hope you enjoy this article on the topic of honey, which is part of a series I am doing on superfoods where I focus on a particular food or ingredient and discuss its health implications and other benefits it offers.
Happy reading <3
HOW IS HONEY MADE?
Almost of us know, honey is produced by honey bees which travel from flower to flower collecting sweet nectar from them with their long tube shaped tongue. Afterwards the nectar is stored inside their extra stomach during when it mixes with necessary enzymes which transform the nectars composition and pH that makes it more suitable fo long term storage.
Upon returning to the bee hive, the nectar is passed from one bee to another after which the nectar is finally deposited into a honeycomb for storage.
During this stage, the nectar is still more of a liquid than normal honey is, so in order to get additional water out of the nectar, the bees fan it with the flapping of their wings which causes water to start evaporating from it.
Once most of the water has been removed, the nectar is much thicker now and the bees can finally seal the honey comb by using a substance secreted from their abdomen, which eventually hardens into what we know as beeswax.
In this way honey can be stored as a food source for bees for months and even years. Other bee product include bee pollen, bee venom and royal jelly, which are not to be confused with honey
NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
In terms of what honey is made of, it is mainly sugars (fructose and glucose) and water.
Apart form that, honey is also known to contain several different kinds of vitamins (B vitamins) and minerals (Sodium, potassium and magnesium).
Alongside that you can also find amino acids, antibiotic rich complexes, antioxidants and other micronutrients in smaller amounts.
PROPERTIES OF HONEY
Antioxidant:
This property is due to honey containing compounds called inhibins which together with glucose oxidase found in honey, give it its antioxidant effects that fight against free radicals. Int this way honey can have anti-aging effects.
Antibacterial
Raw honey is able to fight off bacteria due to the following two properties. First, honey is hydroscopic meaning that is attracts water which means that when it comes in contact with bacteria it attracts all of the water and dehydrates the bacteria. Secondly, honey is slightly acidic, making it unsuitable for some bacteria to survive.
Antiseptic and anti-inflammatory
Honey has been used to centuries to heal infected wounds and small burns on the skin, by topical (skin) application
Hydrating
This can help with moisturizing our skin, body and hair, as is often the case with beauty products that contain honey.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF HONEY
Effective treatment for colds:
Although colds itself are causes by viral infections, honey itself will not be able to cure the actual cold, however it can certainly help with treating some of the symptoms of a sore throat, coughs and any stuffiness that comes with having a cold.
The way in which honey functions in helping to soothe a sore throat is by coating our mucous membranes with a thick and sticky covering which prevents dryness.
Mixing honey with lemon juice or cinnamon, or just putting honey into your tea can also help with mitigating the negative symptoms.
Stronger immunity
Honey is known to strengthen your immune system because of its high antioxidant amount, with which it is able to reduce oxidative stress in our bodies (a condition that results when your antioxidant levels are low) by neutralizing free radicals, which are species that are unstable and accept electrons from antioxidant species to become stable again.
In this way we prevent too high levels of oxidative stress to occur which overtime damage out cells and DNA.
As a side note, the darker the color of the honey, the higher the antioxidant amount.
Apart from that, consumption of honey also stimulates the production of white blood cells (specifically T-Lymphocytes and B-Lymphocytes) that helps strength our immune response
You can read more about how to strengthen your immune system here
Faster wound healing
Raw honey is known to contain small amounts of the enzyme glucose oxidase which under the right circumstances is able to convert into hydrogen peroxide which is a disinfectant. In order for glucose oxidase to be converted into hydrogen peroxide, water and sodium need to be present, which are naturally found in our bodily fluids.
So when we apply honey onto a wound, the glucose oxidase is converted into hydrogen peroxide which disinfects the wound, as long as water and sodium are present in the surroundings
Improved digestion:
There is more a more research coming out that is showing that honey has a positive affect on our digestion and in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.
A possible explanation for this is that honey may act as a prebiotic (not probiotic), where prebiotics are plant fibres that nourish the growth of good bacteria in our gut. In this way, the more diverse our gut flora is, the better our digestion and wellbeing.
If you are interested, you can find more information about your gut health in this article
Helps with better sleep:
There is some evidence that suggests that eating a spoon of honey before bed can actually calm you down more and improve your sleep quality.
One explanation is that honey helps your body with releasing the sleep hormone melatonin. Another explanation is that our brain needs a steady supply of glycogen (made of glucose molecules) as fuel, where glycogen is produced by our liver when we have some excess glucose in our blood stream. In this way, a spoon of honey can stimulate our liver into synthesizing glycogen and making sure we sleep in one sold piece during the night.
Brain benefits
There has been some evidence suggesting that honey could act as a antidepressant while also offering anti anxiety affects.
Furthermore, some studies showed a link between honey consumption and improvement of memory disorders, especially in menopausal women.
USES OF HONEY
Here is a list of some of the diseases that honey can help with curing:
Eye diseases
Throat infections
Bronchial asthma
Tuberculosis
Dizziness
Fatigue
Hepatitis
Constipation
Eczema
Wound healing
On the other hand, honey has started to be incorporated more and more commonly into cosmetic products such as skincare and hair care products, where honey provides essential nutrients, moisture and calming properties to the skin.
Honey is also being researched fro its potential effects of slowing down aging through its high antioxidant content, which is once again interesting for cosmetics brands.
PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION OF HONEY
Don't store in the fridge
Honey does not go bad
Look for natural and “raw” honeys and stores
It is natural for honey to crystalize over time
Overall, a spoon or so of raw honey per day can be an amazing addition to your diet and for your general health. We have discussed everything from the initial stages of how honey is made and all the way to its amazing health prospering properties and the benefits it can gift us with.
I hope this inspired you to include a little bit more of this natures golden gift into your overall diet and give your life a little bit of extra sweetness.
Thanks for reading.
The Power Of Protein Powders
You may have noticed that protein powders are becoming increasingly common and popular for people to buy and drink. Protein shakes used to be much more targeted towards weight liters and generally highly active people, but now you can also see people with other lifestyles choosing to drink them. Nowadays, you can find many types with many different flavors, depending on your preferences.
I wanted to take a look at some of the science behind these protein powders and see wether they are actually beneficial for us to consume and wether there can be some drawbacks for people who drink them.
I hope you find this information useful and if you would like to suggest any other topics, please feel free to do so on my Instagram: thriving_taya
COMMON TYPES OF PROTEIN POWDERS
WHEY
Whey is known as being the liquid part of milk which is separated during cheese production - for examples when you open a yogurt container and see some liquid on the top; that is whey.
Whey makes up about 20% of milk and is high in a variety of different proteins and essential amino acids
Usually whey protein is flavored and possibly sweetened to make it appeal more to the consumer, but generally it is well tolerated by people. people with lactose intolerance need to be more careful to see if their bodies can tolerate it.
This type of protein is high in BCAA (Branched chain amino acids) which are a series of essential amino acids our body uses for muscle energy and muscle building.
Animal source of protein are also known to be able to be absorbed and used by our bodies more easily compared to plant source of protein.
Types of whey protein:
Concentrate: About 70–80% protein; contains some lactose and fat and has the best flavor.
Isolate: 90% protein, or higher; contains less lactose and fat and lacks a lot of the beneficial nutrients found in whey protein concentrate.
Hydrolysate: Also known as hydrolyzed whey, this type has been pre-digested so that it gets absorbed faster.
CASEIN
Like whey, casein also comes from milk, about 20% by composition of milk.
Casein protein is digested much more slowly by our bodies and is also a complete source of protein, meaning that it carries all of the essential amino acids.
A approximate 30g serving of casein delivers 23 grams of protein, 3 gams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fat
Types of casein:
Micellar casein: This is the most popular form and is digested slowly.
Casein Hydrolysate: This form is predigested and rapidly absorbed.
SOY
Soy protein isolate powder is made from defatted soybean flakes that have been washed in either alcohol or water to remove the sugars and fiber. They’re then dehydrated and powdered.
Soy is a good source of protein and fibre, as well as calcium, iron and magnesium.
Unlike other plant foods, soy protein is complete meaning it contains all of the essential amino acids needed for muscle growth and building, making it similar to animal sources of protein.
PEA
Pea protein powder is made by extracting protein from yellow peas and is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
It is almost a complete source of protein, where it is slighly lacking in the amino acid metionine which can be obtained from other foods like eggs, poultry, fish or beef.
A 20 gram serving of pea protein contains about 15g of protein and is quite high in iron - just make sure to include some vitamin C source with the iron to help with its absorption.
HEMP
Hemp protein is another type of protein that is derived from a plant source - grinding up hemp seeds. hemp protein also contains all of the 9 essential amino acids and apart from delivering an adequate serving of protein, it also contains fibre, health fats and minerals.
A 30g serving of hemp protein contains about 15 grams of protein and about 120 calories.
Research has also shown that our body can quite easily digested and use hemp protein, while also containing beneficial unsaturated fats.
Hemp seeds are known to contain the ideal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids (3:1), which is beneficial for our hear health as well as our mental cognition.
BENEFITS OF USING PROTEIN POWDERS
Enhanced Muscle Growth and Recovery
Protein is known to be essential for muscle growth and repair, which is why it is greatly recommended to people who do strength training and in order to repair their muscle fibres after training.
In this way, protein shakes may be a great method for muscle recovery, where it is usually recommended to consume about 1.4g of protein per kilogram of body weight.
Better Weight Management
Since protein is known to be a very satiating macronutrient, it can help us make feel fuller sooner, preventing us from eating too much.
In general, eating a diet higher in protein may promote fat loss due to firstly surpressing/ lowering your appetite, secondly boosting your metabolism which helps you burn more calories and thirdly by helping to maintain your muscle mass if trying to loose weight.
May lower blood pressure
Whey proteins may lower blood pressure in people with elevated blood pressure, which is due to bioactive peptides called lactokinins found in whey protein that help reduce blood pressure.
Blood pressure was shown to also decrease when eating dairy products, once again due to containing a biocactive peptide
*Some studies have also shown that consumption of animal based protein powders may reduce levels of cholesterol in the blood, however the data is variable and mostly inconclusive.
POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS
You can get adequate protein from food
There is a limited amount of data on long term effects of protein consumption
Can be full of (artificial) sweeteners and other additives
Excessive calories
Don't deliver a whole range of needed nutrients
Digestive issues with people with lactose intolerance
Some protein have been found to contain small traces of heavy metals (lead, arsenic and mercury) as well as pesticides and Bispehnol-A (BPA, which is used to make plastic)
CONCLUSION
I hope you found some of the information here interesting and primarily useful for your own understanding of protein powders and the type of health effects they may have on you - either positive or negative.
Of course all of the negative effects come as a result of consuming protein powders very frequently and in high amounts, so make sure to keep things in a healthy moderation, while still being able to enjoy the benefits of this method of protein supplementation.
Thanks for reading :)
Crazy About Nuts
Nuts have again and again been proven to be a great food to add into your everyday diet, due to their nutritional composition and the health benefits that they claim to provide.
Unless you are allergic to nuts, with this article I aim to shed some light onto why nuts are so good for us in the first place, how they can benefit us and also some practical information on how you can include more of them into your eating routine.
Grab a handful of your favorite nuts and I wish you happy reading ahead.
COMMON EXAMPLES OF NUTS
Here are some of the most common types of nuts that can be seen in a regular supermarket, most of which I will be mentioning later on:
Almonds
Walnuts
Pistachio
Walnuts
Pecans
Cashews
Macadamia
Brazil nuts
Hazelnuts
MOST NUTRITIOUS NUTS
Almonds
Almonds are known to be packed with heart-friendly monounsaturated fat, fibre and vitamin E, as well as having the highest calcium content of any nut. Calcium is needed for strong bones as well as the functioning of our nerves and muscles. Vitamin E helps with ensuring healthy and non dry skin.
Their high fat level is also good for managing our cholesterol levels which is beneficial for our heart.
It has also been shown that eating the fibre rich skin of almonds can support our gut health through promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in our gut, once again benefiting our health
Walnuts
Walnuts unlike other nuts that mainly contain monounsaturated fats, contain polyunsaturated fats which also include essential (have to be consumed trough food) Omega 3 fatty acids that have a profound effect on our mental cognition and functioning.
In fact walnuts are one of the most rich plant sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. You can read more about foods that benefit our brain here
Pistachios
Compared to most other nuts, pistachios interestingly have a lower fat and calorie content than other nuts but also contain the highest amount of potassium.
Pistachios are rich in phytosterols that benefit our skin and lower LDL cholesterol levels, benefiting out cardiovascular health. Uniquely pistachios are also known to contain lutein and zeaxanthin which are both antioxidants that protect and benefit our eye health.
Pistachios also host a lot of fibre making them great for our gut health.
Cashews
Cashews contain a high amount of protein and are a good source of the minerals iron, zinc, manganese and magnesium. Magnesium has been shown to help with memory loss, while the other minerals aid in immunity and bone health
Furthermore cashews are also a source of heat friendly monounsaturated fats and plant sterols that help with managing cholesterol levels
Pecans
Primarily being antioxidant rich, pecans are also known to contain plant sterols which are compounds found in plants that are effective at lowering blood cholesterol levels, which helps prevent plaque formation inside our arteries.
Other than that, pecans are also rich in the following health friendly minerals: calcium, magnesium and potassium which help lower blood pressure.
Brazil nuts
Brazil nuts are mainly known for their very impressive selenium content where even just 2 or 3 brazil nuts per day can be sufficient for your daily selenium intake. other than that, selenium acts as a protective antioxidant that supports your immunity and helps with wound healing
In general, eating brazil nuts can reduce inflammation in our body, support brain function and improve our thyroid function
NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
High in ‘good fats’ namely monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats
Low in saturated fats
Good sources of protein
Free of dietary cholesterol
High in dietary fibre
Rich in phytochemicals that act as antioxidants
Rich in vitamins and minerals such as vitamins E, B6, niacin and folate and minerals like magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, copper, selenium, phosphorus, and potassium
GENERAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF NUTS
Better weight management
Feeling fuller sooner (fat content)
Lower heart disease risk
Reduction in inflammation
Reduction in LDL (bad) cholesterol
Good for cognitive functions
Better absorption of fat soluble vitamins
Lower risk of diabetes
SERVING SIZE
One serving quals approximately 30 grams or one handful per day or a couple times per week.
However when it comes to eating nuts, there are 2 types which you have to watch out for:
Salted or sweetened nuts - too much salt or sugar eaten will outweigh the benefits of the nuts
Nuts roasted in oils - Additional added calories that are not necessary
HOW TO INCLUDE MORE NUTS IN YOUR DIET
Have nuts as a snack
Make a batch of home roasted nuts with your own seasonings and flavors
Add a mix of nuts and seeds on tops of soups, breads, smoothies and salads
Make granola or breakfast cereals including nuts
Include nuts in baked goods or even blend them with other ingredients to make dressings and sauces
I hope that now with this information in hand you are a little more informed on why a suitable daily serving of nuts is so beneficial and healthy for all various aspects of our health. I hope I have inspired you to include more of a variety of nuts into your weekly diet and experiment with different recipes that include nuts.
Thank you for reading :)
A Guide For Eating Slower
You may have heard people say that it is recommended for us to eat slower, especially now when out world is becoming even more fast paced and on the go.
Because of this, I decided to look into what are some of the benefits of actually taking more time to eat our food and how we can practice eating more mindfully ourselves.
I hope you find this a useful guide on a rather niche topic, but one that could serve to be very important for our long term health.
Happy reading.
WHY TRY TO EAT SLOWER?
Helps with maintaining weight
By eating slower, we first get the feeling of being fuller soon, due to the hunger controlling hormones, leptin and grehlin being able to properly take their effect some time after we have started eating. The hormone leptin is known as the satiety hormone, allowing us to feel full and grehlin is responsible for making us feel hunger.
By taking more time with our food, leptin is released in an appropriate timeframe and sensed by our body, so we can stop once we are full and in this way prevent over eating or over boarding with unnecessary calories, allowing us to better manage our weight.
More chewing
Eating slower also means that we get to focus more on chewing our food enough, which actually also benefits our digestion, since it makes it easier for our body to breakdown and absorb those nutrients, preventing any excessive bloating or abdominal discomfort.
More enjoyment and taste in your food
Mindful eating from a more simplistic view is also beneficial as it allows us to enjoy our food much more and in this way also taste the flavors and textures more, giving us overall more enjoyment while eating.
Can temporarily reduce stress
Eating slower allows us to surprisingly also reduce short term stress due to being more mindful while eating which allows us to focus more on our food in the present moment and focus less on our worries about the past or future.
Once again, by being stressed less, we furthermore enjoy our food more.
Encourages us to cook more at home
If we take more time when eating our food, we have a better experience with enjoying our food and tasting its flavors. In this way, in the case that we are eating a home cooked meal, we can become more proud of what we have prepared due to its enhanced taste, which encourages us to prepare more of our meals at home with fresh ingredients, ultimately supporting us in eating more healthy.
TIPS FOR EATING SLOWER
Chewing more
Setting down your eating utensils every so often
Drinking while eating
Avoiding extreme hunger
Turning off screens during eating
Using a timer if needed
Sit down when eating, don't eat standing up
Wether you have a aim like me to start eating more slowly or wether it is something that you already practice, I hope you have learned something useful from this set of condensed advice.
The point isn't to strive after perfection, but instead to just keep being a better version of yourself. Do your best when it comes to taking time for your food, as you will do a lot of good for your own health.
Thanks for reading :)
Finding Your Ikigai
A while back, I had read the book called “ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life”, written by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia, which inspired me to write a couple of words on the topic of the so called “ikigai”, in terms of what it is and how it can help us improve and reshape our lives.
I enjoyed the book due to its simplistic style of writing and it was also a short yet impactful read so I would suggest it to plenty of other people for them to give it a go.
The main idea behind the book and the concept of ikigai is about helping you find your true purpose in life, a purpose that feels aligned with your interests and how those can help the world around you.
So if that sounds like something you would like to learn more about - which is something that I think anyone could benefit from - then you have come to the right place.
WHAT IS AN IKIGAI?
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means your ‘reason for being.’ ‘Iki’ in Japanese means ‘life,’ and ‘gai’ describes value or worth. Your ikigai is your life purpose or what truly lights you up on the inside. It’s essentially what brings you joy and inspires you to get out of bed every day.
It’s also important to highlight that the traditional Japanese philosophy focuses on finding your purpose in life while the adapted westernized version of the ikigai has made it a method of finding your dream career.
Japanese psychologist Michiko Kumano (2017) has said that ikigai is a state of wellbeing that arises from devotion to activities one enjoys, which also brings a sense of fulfillment.
The Westernized version of ikigai says that your dream career has to include the following aspects:
What you love
What you’re good at
What you can be paid for
What the world needs
A visual representation of what makes up your ikigai
WHY BOTHER DISCOVERING YOUR IKIGAI
Gives you a greater sense of what you want in life
Better decision making (More time and money saved)
Makes it easier to say no to things and to say yes to the right opportunities
Better use of your time if you roughly know what you are after
Finding the best balance between doing what you love, what is useful to the world and what you are also good at
Can make meaningful contributions to the world sooner
Can increase your expertise and understanding in a field by focusing more on it
Being able to plan ahead for potential future struggles and issues that may arise in your field
HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR IKIGAI?
STEP 1: Answer the 4 fundamental questions
What you love:
What are your interests and passions (broad and niche)?
What are your favorite past time activities/ hobbies?
What do you enjoy/ not enjoy about your work and hobbies?
Do you feel a sense of being absorbed/ flow state during your work and hobbies?
Do you feel excited about your work and hobbies?
What you’re good at:
What are your top personal strengths and skills?
Do people ever come to you for advice with what you do?
Do you ever receive compliments for your work?
Do you find that that you excel at what you do?
Are your hobbies and profession intuitive to you or does it take more time to learn?
What you can be paid for:
Are other people making a career/ getting paid for the same work and hobbies you do?
Do you currently make a good living/Will you eventually make a good living from the work you do?
Have you noticed people wanting to buy what you do or make?
Is there a healthy level of competition regarding your work and hobbies?
What the world needs
Would you say your work and hobbies are in a high demand currently? What about the future?
Picture the next year, 10 years, and 100 years — will your work still be valuable?
Are you solving either a social, economic, or environmental problem?
STEP 2: Narrow it down
Based on your answers, write down a list of career opportunities that sound exciting and interesting to you and write down how your ideal day would look like (What you would be doing)
STEP 3: Learn about it
Learn about those career paths either through reading more about that specific career, educating yourself through online platforms or by asking someone who has the job you want to do, how their day looks like and what kind of benefits and struggles they face.
STEP 4: Try it out
After learning, put your ideal career/ ideal day into practice. Try it out and see wether that is actually something that you enjoy doing? Would you do it everyday? Would it be too intense or would you get bored?
Ask yourself what did you enjoy about it? What was less enjoyable and why?
Also consider how could you tweak your ideal day/ career to make it even more enjoyable to you?
Building Confidence And Self Belief
Many of us would like to feel a bit more confident and have a healthier levels of self esteem, wether that means having a greater trust in our capabilities or simply just feeling confident and secure in our own skin.
What ever the reason, real confidence can make anyone shine from the inside out and show your real beauty and nature to the outside world.
So how exactly do we start building more confidence and why do we sometimes loose confidence in the first place.
Lest take a look at those questions.
Happy reading to you :)
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY CONFIDENCE?
Based on Psychology today, they have defined confidence as “a belief in oneself, the conviction that one has the ability to meet life's challenges and to succeed—and the willingness to act accordingly”.
Many of us would like to be more confident in our everyday lives, and find more trust in our own capabilities and knowledge about a given situation.
Being confident has many benefits to it, additionally to being seen as an attractive trait, as it allows other people to be more at ease if we are the more confident one there.
Additionally, confidence is crucial in the first impression that we form in others while dictating our ability to deal with pressure and various challenges in our life.
The point is not to be over confident in our selves, as that can leave the impression on people that we are too self centered and portray ourselves as being the perfect individual. On the contrary, we should strive to be confident and have a good level of self esteem, just enough so that we feel in control fo what we are doing and in that way make more progress in both our personal and professional lives.
WHAT CAUSES LOW LEVELS OF CONFIDENCE?
We were raised by people who were often too overly critical or reprimanding on us
Our caregivers limited our expression and exploration as a child
Feeling rejected by our peers or friends
Having difficulties transitioning into the societies constructed idea of "adulthood"
Representation of the “ideal standard” in modern media (For example, our appearance)
10 STEPS TO BUILDING CONFIDENCE
Figure out the origin: Where does your lack of confidence come from? Why is is there? When did you first start feeling unconfident?
Start with getting (small) things done: Making progress allows you to see that you are capable doing whatever you set your mind to. These tasks do not have to be large or highly demanding, start small and build your way up. You are more capable than you think.
Track your progress: This will allows you to both measure your success and also feel a greater sense of proudness for how far you have come.
Write down a list of your past achievements: This can be a fun way to look back and be proud of how much you have improved and grown as an individual.
Write down your personal strengths: Analyzing your strengths is in general a great thing to do and identify in yourself, but doing this will allows you to see all the ways in which you are unique and all of the beautiful contributions you can make to the world with your abilities.
Do what you promise yourself to do: Don't let yourself down. Consistency is key to anything, especially when it comes to building your confidence.
Surround yourself with positivity: This can come in the form of people or media, but either way it is useful to do this, as it keeps you motivated, uplifted and makes you feel good about yourself.
Don't compare yourself to others: This is something we all do at some points, but it is important to only compare ourselves to past self, as comparing ourselves to others makes no sense if each of us is unique, has had a different way of growing up and has different personalities and talents. We are all unique, so focusing on ourselves will really let that shine through.
Embrace your true self: Embrace your hobbies, interest passions and what makes you, you. Take advantage that you are unique and don't be shy to express your true self. Learn as much as you can about yourself and the world around you and use it to better the world.
Reward yourself: In order to keep the process of building confidence sustainable, make sure to reward yourself every so often with something you appreciate, as all of your efforts will surely pay off in the end.
How To: Revising For Final Exams
Exam season is right before the corner for most of us students, if we are not already fully in it, which is why for this month I wanted to focus on the topic of studying and what are the best ways of making revision material and remembering information.
This can be applicable to all of us, no matter wether we are still in school ourselves, as we learn new things all the time throughout our life, so being efficient at out learning is a skill that all of us can benefit from.
I have split this post into first listing some general advice about how to study - Methods and skills that aways stick - and then towards the end I touch upon the different types of revision methods there are and which ones are most effective in order to maximize your learning.
Wishing you happy reading ahead.
GENERAL ADVICE
1. Making a plan
Starting early: Cramming for your exams only really works for your short term memory, but learning should be something you do for your long term memory and retention.
Prioritization: Learn to prioritize which exams are coming up first (most important to revise for) and what topics would be best to revise for in that exam.
Why bother to make a plan: Planning allows you to space out your revision across several different days/weeks so that you do not feel overwhelmed and you are making sure that your brain does not forget the information by recalling it across different time periods.
Learning based on the syllabus: It is important to know what topics will be assessed on the exam and what kind of questions you can expect to find. The syllabus will help you identify these things, to make your revision most effective.
Making a revision time table: This is optional but quite a popular option, as having a timetable can keep you on track and keep you accountable, but may be hard to follow through for some.
2. Revision tips
Doing past examination papers: This is quite an obvious one, but by doing them, timing yourself and then correcting them you get a sense of what areas you still need to work on and where your strengths lie.
Identify specific areas of weakness: This should be done for each subject and preferably also for each chapter/ topic, so that we can really pin point what we need to work on .
Practice with specific topic questions: Challenge yourself with the topics that you struggle with. Try to identify what is challenging about it for you and how you can explain something in a more simple way.
Attend review sessions: This a great opportunity to ask some final questions or resolve some confusions before the exams, as well as get in additional practice in.
Staying focused: Everyone has a way by which they stay focused best. If you need help identifying some other methods of how to stay focused, I have written a previous post on the topic here.
3. Staying motivated
Identify things you are looking forward to: This is something that I personally do all the time, as it makes me have something to be excited about in the near future that keeps me pushing and most importantly keeps me motivated. I suggest making a list of those things and then keeping them in a visible place like on a sticky note on your computer, desk or wall or even having a digital note on your desktop.
Revision accountability partner: You might want to do this with another friend or classmate revising for their exams, as this way you both remind and keep each other motivated to stay on track with your revision.
Surround yourself with positivity: Positivity can come in the form of viewing positive media like inspiring posts, videos or even keeping up to date with people who inspire you. This again can help you get through dark times of stress, by allowing some positive light into your life.
Shifting your perspective about learning: Whenever you are learning something new or revision something you have already seen, I want you to shift your attention from memorizing information to actually understandingit. Understanding information means you can retain in for the long term and actually make use of that information, which makes studying that much more worth it.
Making studying as fun as possible for yourself: Some people would disagree about putting the words “studying” and “fun” in the same sentence, but as studying will likely require a large chunk of your time and energy, why not try to make the best of it and try to make it fun for yourself? When you are faced with something you do not like to revise for, ask yourself why is that and how can you change your approach to make it more fun. This small shift in perspective can be a compete game changer to your studies and life long learning.
Examples of how you can make it more fun: Using more diagrams or colors in your notes, alternating between handwritten and typed notes, using a presentation format that involved teaching, listening to appropriate music, studying in a different location or with a group of friends.
4. Taking care of yourself
Good sleep: Good sleep should in my opinion be first priority as sleep is greatly associated with having good energy levels during the day as well as increasing our memory retention of whatever we were learning. You can read more about the benefits of sleep here, as well as how to have better sleep yourself.
Taking breaks: Often underestimated, but just like everyone else, your body too needs breaks and rest from working, so if you feel yourself loosing concentration or becoming tired, take a break for some time. Get in some movement or perhaps even take a nap if you feel like you need some additional rest.
Go for some fresh air: Take some time, preferably every day to go outside a little bit and wake up your body with some fresh air as this will reenergize you and give some time for your brain to unplug itself temporarily.
Eating well: Do not underestimate the importance of eating well for your revision, which first means eating enough for your needs and secondly eating right (try avoiding too many junk foods and highly sugary foods). Try incorporating foods that will give you more long lasting energy such as whole-grains and fruit that contain more fibre and other essential nutrients.
When do you revise best?: Another underestimated aspect is finding out what time of the day you actually find you have the best focus and when is studying most effective for you? Is it in the morning, midday, some time in the afternoon or late into the evenings. Design your studying around these prime times, just make sure to get enough sleep :)
5. Other advice
Revising with other people: This may or may not work for you, but sometimes revising with other people around can make studying more fun and effective for you, as you can ask each other questions or collaborate on design some study resources.
Identifying a specific study spot: This spot can be at home, in school or even elsewhere, just the point is that you want your brain to start associating at specific spot with work and revising, so that it becomes easier for you to get into the zone of being focused.
Consider listening to music/ other sounds: Some people prefer to work in complete silence others may prefer all different type of music and some may like to listen to some nature based sounds. Find what works for you, and see if if listening to music gives you an extra boost with studying.
Staying organized: I believe that it is very useful to stay organized with various things such as files, handouts, and past papers, as staying organized with your things means that it becomes much more easier for you to access and find any things you may need, later on.
EFFECTIVE REVISION METHODS
You might have heard people say that Active recall is the most effective way to revise, so what is it actually all about?
What is it: Active recall is a method of recalling information in which you actively use your memory to remember a piece of information.
By recalling a piece of information, you strengthen that neural link in your brain that connects and stores the information, which makes it easier to remember and later access that information again.
While active recall may take more effort than just rereading your notes for example, it is most effective for your long term memory.
Examples of active recall for exam revision:
Doing past papers without having the mark scheme near
Testing your knowledge with flashcards
Explaining/ teaching a topic to someone else
Writing the topic down based on your memory (Can be on paper, a whiteboard or even electronic)
Summarizing a topic on a page or two from memory
INEFFECTIVE REVISION METHODS
I also wanted to include some revision methods that while being commonly used, are actually not that effective in consolidating knowledge based on memory studies. These types of methods usually only work for our short term memory, which makes them popular cramming methods.
But like I mentioned earlier, if we switch our perspective on learning from memorizing to understanding, we get to keep that knowledge forever, which means that it makes more sense for us to use active recall so that we can continue renewing that knowledge.
Examples of ineffective study methods:
Rereading notes
Highlighting too much
Cramming too much information at once (being overwhelmed)
FINAL WORDS
With this condensed guide I wanted to offer you the best advice and most effective methods when it comes to revising and learning information, so that you don't waste your time doing things that at the end of the day, don't really make anything worthwhile stick.
I hope that some of the things I have mentioned and talked about can help ease your feeling for any upcoming exams or challenges and that they fore mostly make you feel well prepared and confident, and help to incorporate the habit of learning as a life long activity.
How To Bring More Calm Into Your Life
With our everyday lives becoming more and more busy and full of demands and obligations, it is likely that we are experiencing more distress and generally less calm in our own lives.
I am sure that all of us would appreciate a bit more peace so that we can approach each of our daily activities with a calm and collected mind but with the distractions that we face everyday, that is getting to be more of a challenging task.
This is why I thought it would be useful to write a little piece on how we can introduce more calm into our lives, which will improve everything from our stress levels to our sleeping quality.
Hope you enjoy, and wishing you a great day.
❗️ What causes distress?
All of us experience feelings of distress sometimes, where a little bit of stress to our body is actually not bad, but even beneficial. The problem comes when that feeling of stress becomes chronic and constantly present in the background.
Bellow are some of the common causes of why we feel tense and stressed, some of which you may identify with yourself:
Feeling overwhelmed/ a lack of control
Feeling inadequately prepared for something
Holding past grudges and negative beliefs
Interpersonal relationship issues
Moving somewhere new
Academic/ work struggles
😰 Dangers of being chronically over stressed
Mental health problems: Depression, anxiety, and personality disorders
Cardiovascular disease: Heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and strokes
Sleeping issues: Insomnia and disrupted sleep
Diet related disorders: Obesity and other eating disorders
Sexual problems: Impotence in men, loss of sexual desire in both men and women. Menstrual problems in women.
Skin and hair issues: Acne, psoriasis, and eczema, and permanent hair loss
Gastrointestinal problems: Such as GERD and gastritis
Burn out: Feeling chronically tired, loss of motivation and feeling like a failure (Sense of defeat)
Loss of immunity: Falling ill more often, poorer wound healing
💙 Benefits of being a more calm individual
Better sleep
More creativity
Higher energy levels
Reduction in medical heart conditions
Slowing down aging
Better focus in the moment
Making more rational decisions
🧘🏼♀️ Practical methods of calming down
Breathing practices
Meditation: Meditation can be a useful way of calming down as it encourages us to slow down, focus on our breath and in that way turn our attention to the present moment.
Breath work: There are plenty of different methods of breath work, all of which work on the basis of breathing in different styles and pattens in order to calm our mind. A popular breath work technique is called the box technique, where for 4 seconds each you: Inhale, hold your breath in, exhale and hold your breath again, after which you repeat.
Diet and nutrition:
Avoid large amounts of processed sugar: While foods containing lots of processed sugar may taste good, in the long run they are not beneficial to us, as too much sugar intake can make us go through sugar highs and crashes along with unstable energy levels, that will disrupt our daily patterns of calm.
Regulating your caffeine intake: Caffeine is a powerful stimulant, which if taken in the wrong times of quantities, can negatively affect our brain and nervous system.
Relaxing teas: These come in many different flavors, but experiment with what you like and what makes you feel good. Often herbal teas such as chamomile or fennel are quite nice to calm you down, especially before sleep.
Movement and slowing down:
Physical activity and movement: We often find that after having done some movement, we feel a great sense fo achievement and calm as movement encourages our mind to focus either on our movement or the surroundings around us - all of which make us more peaceful.
Slow stretching: Just like exercise, doing some slow stretched can have the same effect as our movements are slow and precise.
Spending time in nature: Time spent in nature is healing and good for connecting us back to reality while temporarily disconnecting us out of the daly worries and stressors
Personal approaches:
Writing down whats on your mind: This can either be by using a notebook or a online note taking platform, where we can write down all of the worries and tasks which ware running across our mind and in that way try to rationalize wether it is worth being stressed about all of those things
Using routines: Routines can be calming as they allow our body to temporarily go into autopilot mode and not have to think through everything we do, because we are already used to the pattern.
Light reading: Reading before bed or during the day can be a great way of slowing down and temporarily getting lost in a good narrative.
Relaxing sounds: Listening to calming ambient music, or simply some nature sounds can be a simple method of relaxing in order to calm your mind and thoughts
Unplugging and reconnecting
Be aware of your device/ media usage: By using softwares that track how much time you spend on your devices and on which sites/ apps a lot of time is spent, you can get a rough idea of how you use your electronics and wether that time usage is doing you more harm than good.
Take time to disconnect: On the same note, take the necessary time to spend some time without your devices and avoid being constantly online.
Talk to someone about your distress: Lastly take time to talk through any issues that may be causing you stress either to a close friend or trusted family member, to which you can open up and alleviate some of your internal pressures.
Green Tea: The Antioxidant Powerhouse
Green tea has been a popular drink for a long time now, originally coming from in China and now being available worldwide as a popular drink. Nowadays you can get many different flavorings and types of of green tea, ranging from matcha and sencha, to genmaicha and gyokuro.
You don't have to be an expert in knowing the different tea varieties to enjoy green tea, but even if green tea isn't your favorite cup of tea to enjoy, I thought it might be interesting to research about the myriad of compounds that are found inside of green tea and what made them make green tea such a popular tea in the first place.
Grab a cup of your favorite tea and I wish you happy reading.
BEST WAY TO PREPARE GREEN TEA
Preparation temperatures of green tea can vary quite a bit, although for most green teas, temperatures from 61 °C to 87 °C are best.
Green teas, especially higher quality ones turn out best at lower temperatures of water as otherwise they can become bitter and some of their beneficial compounds can be degraded from the heat.
It is recommended to steep your tea anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on the depth of flavor you prefer.
Also, if using loose leaf green tea, about 1 teaspoon of tea per 150 ml of water should be sufficient.
WHAT IS INSIDE OF GREEN TEA
Green tea, especially higher quality green teas are known to be antioxidant powerhouses, meaning that the leaves of the tea are full of phytochemicals (plant chemicals), such as flavanols, epicatechins, epicatechin gallate and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), all of which are recognized as beneficial antioxidants for our body.
Antioxidants are beneficial for us, as in our body, a process of oxidation constantly occurs, where molecules called free radials (molecules which lack electrons) are generated and want to gain electrons fro other nearby electron rich molecules.
This loss of electrons is known as oxidation and in large quantities, it is harmful to out body, as it can damage our cells. Antioxidants luckily have the special role of being able to neutralize this process of oxidative stress by donating electrons to those free radicals, so that our cells are not damaged by them anymore.
Green tea is mainly compromised on micronutrients such as various chemicals and antioxidants and therefore provides little caloric value, as it is a drink prepared with water, but nevertheless it is full of flavor.
This type fo tea is also known to contain caffeine which stimulates our body to wake up, which is why many people choose to drink green tea in the morning instead of coffee, as green tea is not known to bring about any jitteriness or such a high caffeine kick as coffee, making it a more safer choice for some.
BENEFITS OF DRINKING GREEN TEA
Reduce rates of cardiovascular disease
A meta analysis of several observational studies showed that drinking an additional cup of green tea per day, was correlated with a slight lower risk of dying from cardiovascular causes.
It was also shown that regular green tea consumption for 3-6 months consistently, may reduce the risk of stroke, while also reducing blood pressure.
Blood sugar regulation
Some studies have indicated that drinking green tea may help with regulating blood sugar levels, especially during periods of fasting, although not all studies were equally conclusive about these results.
Reduces LDL cholesterol in the blood
Drinking green tea decreases the blood concentration of total cholesterol (about 3–7 mg/dL of blood), LDL/ bad cholesterol (about 2 mg/dL), and does not affect the concentration of HDL cholesterol (known as the good cholesterol) or triglycerides.
A 2013 meta-analysis of longer-term randomized controlled trials (longer than 3 months in duration) concluded that green tea consumption lowers total and LDL cholesterol concentrations in the blood.
May improve brain function
The key active ingredient in green tea is caffeine, which is a known stimulant. It doesn’t contain as much as coffee, but enough to produce a response without causing the jittery effects associated with taking in too much caffeine as in that found in coffee.
Caffeine affects the brain by blocking an neurotransmitter called adenosine which makes us more tired. By caffeine blocking it, it makes us more alert and increases the firing of neurons and the concentration of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine in our body, which increases our focus and concentration at a task.
May reduce breast cancer rates
A comprehensive review of observational studies found that women who drank the most green tea had an approximately 20–30% lower risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, which is one of the most common cancers that women can develop
Why Stretching Is More Important Than You Think
You have probably heard before that stretching is beneficial for you and that it is important for keeping flexible, but many of us still underestimate the importance of stretching and all its benefits.
Nowadays where we spend more and more of our days in a sitting down position, it is more important than ever to include movement and stretching in our daily lives, to keep ourselves healthy and mobile.
Stretching is a great way to add in a little burst of movement into your life, which can be down anywhere and does not take a lot of time at all.
Either before/ after exercise or just simply doing stretching because it feels good, stretching can pretty much be recommended to everyone and can bring almost immediate benefits to all who do it.
So how exactly is the best way to stretch, what kind of stretching is there and what are its proclaimed benefits? Read on to find out.
Wishing you happy stretching :)
Types of stretches
Active
A type of stretching where you hold a certain pose while exclusively utilizing the muscles within the muscle group that you re targeting
Example: Pointing and flexing your ankle, which stretches the calf muscles (One muscle is being contracted, while the other lengthened)
Passive
Passive stretching involves holding a stretching pose in a way that you are letting your hand or gravity perform the stretch. This type of stretching is excellent for enhancing balance.
Example: Performing hamstring stretches by trying to touch your toes by bending over ins a standing up position.
Dynamic
In dynamic stretching you are required to do repeated movements and produce momentum, with which you slowly stretch the muscles.
Example: Doing a hamstring stretch where you are swinging up your legs (extended), while standing up
BASICS OF STRETCHING
When to stretch?
Before and after exercise
Between long periods of sitting down/ inactivity
How long should stretching last?
Do the stretches slow and careful to not over stretch a muscle, especially after exercise
Hold each stretching position for about 20-30 seconds
Make sure to breathe deeply while doing the stretches
Stretching can last as long as you want it, but I would advise 5-10 minutes each before exercise and after
Optional equipment
Foam rollers
Blocks
Resistance bands/ elastics
Exercise mat
10 BENEFITS OF REGULAR STRETCHING
Greatly increases your flexibility
Increases your range of motion and mobility
Improves your performance in physical activities
Reduces chances of injuring yourself during exercise
Increases blood flow to your muscles
Improves your posture
Helps to heal and prevent back pain
Great for stress relief
Calms your mind (Especially slower stretching)
Helps decrease tension and headaches
Coffee: The Good Or The Bad Guy?
You have probably drank or tasted coffee at some point in your life, and it is to no surprise, that coffee is the most widely consumed beverage in the world.
During the years 2020-2021, 166.63 million (60kg) bags of coffee were consumed around the world, which is a huge amount.
On average, more than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world everyday.
While coffee has for a long time been the pick me up beverage of choice for many people, research in the past decade has found that drinking coffee may also deliver some health benefits to those who drink it, but if drank excessively, it also can bring some unwanted side effects
So if you are interested in learning about how coffee affects you and your wellbeing, grab a cup of coffee and I am wishing you happy reading.
NUTRIENTS FOUND IN COFFEE BEANS
Caffeine (Average cup is somewhere around 90–100 mg)
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B5 (Panthotheinic acid)
Manganese
Potassium
Magnesium
Phytochemcials: Chlorogenic acid (An antioxidant)
HEALTH BENEFITS OF COFFEE
Boost energy levels, alertness and focus
During the day, the concentration of a chemical called adenosine increases, which makes us more tired towards the end of the day, in order to eventually initiate sleep. Coffee however, is known for blocking the effects of this adenosine chemical, since it blocks the receptors for it in our body, which means that we do not feel the usual effect of tiredness. As a result, when drinking coffee, we feel energized, less tired as well as more alert.
Additionally, coffee has been shown to trigger the release of adrenaline, which additionally makes us feel alert and raises our pulse to quicken our actions
May lower risk of type 2 diabetes
I 2014, there was a study done on 48,000 people, where by increasing their daily coffee consumption by at least one cup, for 4 years, they had a 11% lower risk of developing type II diabetes, than those who did not drink the additional cup.
In 2017, it was found that “people who drank four to six cups of either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee each day appeared to have a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, including type 2 diabetes”. This shows that coffee really does have some positive attributes for helping with type II diabetes.
A review of 18 studies that contained 457,922 people, showed that each daily cup of coffee consumed, reduced the risk of type II diabetes by 7%.
Lowers risk of depression
In a study done by Harvard in 2011, they found that people who drank the most coffee has a 20% lower risk of developing depression.
Furthermore, a review of three studies, concluded that “people who drank four or more cups of coffee per day were 53% less likely to commit suicide”
Although these studies sound convincing for treating depression, it is still unclear wether coffee could also worsen some of the effects of depression for some people, by increasing jitteriness.
Lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases
Several studies have shown that coffee drinkers may have up to 65% lower risk of developing Alzheimers disease.
Furthermore, another research team concluded that for men who drank over four cups of coffee per day, may have a 5x lower risk of Parkinson's disease than those who do not drink as much.
Reduction of heart disease
A study from 2018 showed that for some people drinking 3-5 cups of coffee per day may reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by 15%, which is a considerable amount coming just form coffee.
Increased athletic performance
Caffeine found inside coffee has been shown to have a positively stimulating effect on the central nervous system, which during exercise, helps to reduce feelings of fatigue, lowers perceived exertion during exercise and lowers our levels of perceived pain. All of this can contribute to us pushing ourselves harder during a specific exercise.
Further caffeine also improves mental sharpness and focus, which improves our technical skills before and after a strenuous activity
Lastly, caffeine has also incredible been shown to change the way that our body uses its own fat as fuel, which increases the time it takes us to become tired during long endurance events.
Lower risk of liver cancer
In 2015, a study across multiethnic populations was done in the US, where they concluded that drinking 2-3 cups fo coffee daily reduced the participants risk of developing liver cancer and chronic liver disease (CDL) by 38% and 46% respectively.
Furthermore, long term coffee drinkers have a 84% lower risk of developing cirrhosis (damage of liver tissue) during their lifetime, especially for those who drank at least 4 cups of coffee a day.
Overall longer longevity
All of these reasons mentioned above, put coffee on the list of being able to increase out longevity and possibly our life span, due to its diverse mostly positive effects on the body.
DRAWBACKS TO BE WARE OF
Insomnia: Due to the stimulating and waking effects that coffee has, if consumed to late into the day, can cause us to have poor sleep and insomnia.
Higher pulse: For some people with heart conditions and high blood pressure, coffee may have negative effects for them, since it increases our heart rate, which also causes us to experience unwanted feelings of jitteriness if too much is consumed.
Higher risk of bone fractures: Some studies have proposed a link between high coffee consumption and having a greater risk of experiencing a bone fracture.
Could worsen anxiety: For people who suffer from panic or social anxiety disorders, coffee may make these conditions worse, due to the feelings of jitteriness and an elevated pulse
Negative interference with medications: Coffee may also not work well with certain types of medications such as psychiatric drugs, thyroid medications, heartburn drugs, and antibiotics.
Addictive: For regular drinkers, coffee could become an addictive substance, which is okay as long as the person feels well, but is also not preferred since when the person does not get the chance to drink coffee, they may start experiencing mild withdrawal symptoms of needing coffee.
BOTTOM LINE ADVICE
As we have seen, drinking coffee can be both advantages to our heath while overdoing it, also brings some down sides with it. If you enjoy coffee and are a coffee drinker, up to 400mg of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most adults, which is roughly the amount fo caffeine that we find in 4 cups of brewed coffee.
For those who do drink coffee, I would just advise against using too much sugar, creamers and other additives inside of your coffee, as over time may reduce the potential health benefits that coffee could bring you.
Otherwise enjoy that cup of coffee if it makes you feel good :)
Getting Back On Track
Sometime it happens that we fall behind on things and we get off track with habits, rituals or other things that we previously did consistently.
It is normal to occasionally break this pattern of consistency, and to be honest, the idea of keeping a perfect balance at all times, is flaunted at best, because there will always be unplanned things that come for us and change our environment. Wether that be a increasing workload, feeling unwell for a period of time, not adapting well to the changes the pandemic brought about or not getting the result you were hoping for, we can not account for everything.
All of these occurrences are unpredictable and often also out of our control, which as a result can result in us falling out of our previous practices due to getting discouraged or loosing motivation to try again.
Because this is such a common topic where all of us experience set back and failures at some point, I wanted to write this post in the hopes of reframing the idea of having a perfect balance of everything and give you some practical advice on how you can get back on track with what truly matters to you.
Happy reading <3
THINGS TO NOTE
Everyone experiences set backs, failures and makes mistakes at some point. It is normal.
Be kind to yourself after you experience a set back, accept it and don't be angry or harsh on yourself. instead look at it critically and see why it happened the way it did and wether you could do something to prevent it happening in the future.
It is more important how you get back up after a set back and how quickly, instead of wether you always win at everything at first go. Learning to get back up after you get broken down shows you are able to learn from your mistakes better and that you are more persistent as a person.
Turn to gratitude: Look at your failure from a positive perspective, in terms of everything you have learnt from this experience and how it has shaped you into the person you currently are
Focus on things that are within your control, instead of feeling down about things that were out of your control in the first place. Put things into the correct perspective and only then, you can judge them.
10 WAYS OF GETTING BACK ON TRACK
Determine what you are currently falling back on
This may be certain habits or routines you were previously consistent with but not currently.
The reason why it is important to first start with asking what is that we are then able to see wether the things we have been trying to keep consistent with are actually worth it and are the things we actually care about keeping consistent.
Ask yourself what is preventing you from doing those things?
There may be many reasons here, likely some of these reasons will be from your environment (out of your control), while some reasons for hindering your progress may actually be your own cause (in your control)
Here are some examples which you may recognize:
External: Lack of time, lack of a accountability partner, too large of a work load from your school/ work place, tight deadlines
Internal: Lack of interest, poor scheduling, poor time management, lack of focus
What things do you actually want to get back on track with?
In the first part we discussed about writing down the things you are current falling behind on, while here it is time to figure out wether all of those things were beneficial for you to upkeep in the first place or wether you even cared about those habits. There is no point in doing something just because someone tells you to do it without having any internal and intrinsic reason for wanting to do it.
Do things for yourself with your own purpose and intention. If something is no longer relevant or benefiting you, change it up or replace it with something more useful.
Determine how much time you want to spend on those things
This will depend on your own enjoyment of the activity and also how much time you have available in your week or month, so schedule this accordingly.
Perhaps if it has been a while since you did the activity and a longer amount fo time has passed in between, start with baby steps and do the activity for a shorter amount of time in the beginning and then gradually increase that time spent when you build up more a consistent routine.
Determine how often you want to do those things
This can be as little as once a month or as frequent as every day, but this is absolutely necessary to establish before starting since this is the whole concept of routine; to do things regularly and consistently.
Don't force yourself to do too much than you think you can manage right now, but once again build up your frequency with smaller increments to make it a more sustainable process for yourself.
Input your activity into a calendar schedule
You could do this on paper, by printing out or drawing a monthly/ weekly calendar view, or you can use a digital alternative, which to me is more convenient and saves more time in the long run.
By which ever way you choose to do it, this will not only enable you to have a much better grasp of how much time you actually have available but it also simultaneously makes it easier for you to keep consistent at whatever you are doing, since by seeing it visually placed in your calendar it makes it more likely for you to stick to it and not forget about it.
Set up your environment accordingly
Your environment is what you surround yourself, what you see and what kind of energy a place carries, wether that be chaotic, disorganized and without intention, to being a clear and distraction free environment where you can focus when you need to.
I am not telling you to completely clear up your desk or have a complete room makeover if you work well in a more clutter filled environment, I just want to emphasize that it has to be an environment where you can actually work and be motivated to work without getting distracted every five minutes.
Design your environment, your room, your desk or the room where you plan on doing this habit or routine, in a way where you can really use that space for what it is meant to be used for. This can help you to start associating a certain space with a certain type of energy or activity, helping you get into the right head space much faster.
Have accountability:
Set a reminder on your device or have a accountability partner who can either remind you of doing that task at a certain time and sustaining your motivation for doing it, in times where you need a push to keep going.
For example if you want to get back into the habit of exercising, perhaps starting out with a friend or partner who already regularly exercises is a good alternative, as they will likely keep you accountable and also motivated to keep going, and the best part is that you can do the activity together, so its more fun and makes it much more likely for you to stick to the activity in the end.
Stick to your schedule for a month and see what happens
Now that you are at the stage where you figured out what habits and routines you want to reestablish, when you want to do them and figured out how you will keep yourself consistent, its time to put the activity to the test.
This means that you can try the activity (routine, habit etc.) for a week or even better, a couple of weeks, for you to see any faults in your plan or find ways in which to improve it so that it will work even better for you.
Perhaps you were too ambitious with how often you want it to do it per week or maybe you underestimated how much you actually enjoy the activity so you want to increase your time spent on it. All of this is fine and is very useful information to yourself. Use this information and integrate it into your plan so that you adapt your plan to your needs and preferences because after all, you are doing this for yourself, so if it doesn't work for you then whats the point?
Reflect on your progress and adjust
After trial and error and readjusting your plan structure, take some time at the end of this period to sit down and think about your little experiment and reflect on it by answering some of the following questions:
What did I learn about myself in this time?
What could I do differently next time?
Was my initial approach correct? If not, in what ways could I change it?
In what ways did I overestimate/ underestimate my own current capabilities and time constraints?
What was something I enjoyed in my experiment and what was something I didn't find so enjoyable?
With this information I want to conclude this mini guide on how to get out of a rut and start rebuilding your routines and establishing constant habits once again, to get yourself back onto the right track.
I hope that you found some of this information useful and I had a fun time writing and putting down my thoughts on this topic
Feeling Tired? Here's How To Naturally Boost your Energy Levels
Perhaps if you are reading this you may find yourself wanting to have more energy during the day, or more specifically, to have more stable energy levels throughout the day.
It is normal to have dips and rises in our energy during a course of a day, however, there are many things that are within our control and are actually taking away more energy from us, than what is normal.
I discuss these energy-draining factors below and also offer a simplified and practical view on how to boost your energy through natural and accessible methods - Because I think that everyone can benefit from having more disposable energy during the day.
Happy reading.
FACTORS AFFECTING OUR ENERGY LEVELS
There are a couple of main factors for which we can be sure that they affect our energy levels. These factors are written below and are further expanded on in the next section.
If we can begin to control these factors, we are much more likely to end up with stable and consistent energy throughout the day.
Sleep: Both length and quality
Diet: What you eat, how much of something you eat, and when you eat
Stress management
Physical activity and movement
Illness or feeling unwell
Drinking enough water
Consumption of caffeine
Smoking and alcohol
Our posture
Depth and rate of our breathing
LACK OF ENERGY: CAUSES & REMEDIES
1. SLEEP
Sleep is something that we often underestimate the importance of, but after a night of just a couple of hours of sleep with an early wake up the next morning, we feel groggy and underslept, and only then do we wish we went to bed earlier and spent more time sleeping.
The amount of sleep that you need will mainly vary based on your age, your health status, and your physical activity levels.
On average, here is the amount of time you should spend sleeping per night:
6-13 years olds: 9-11 hours
14-17 years olds: 8-10 hours
18-25 years olds: 7-9 hours
26-64 years olds: 7-9 hours
With sleep both the quality and quantity of our sleep matters as the quantity ensures that we go through all the stages of sleep in a given night and the quality is responsible for sleeping deeply enough.
But as it turns out the wide majority of the global population is underslept and frequently experiences poor sleep. For example, across the world, about 37% of adults ages 20-39 report short sleep duration, and roughly 35% of adults in the US, say that they sleep for less than 7 hours per night. Furthermore, another pressing issue is insomnia, where now across the world, between 10 and 30% of adults frequently struggle with chronic insomnia.
Overall, sleep affects many more things than just our energy levels where it is also heavily linked with negative changes in our emotions, mood, cardiovascular health, memory, and our immune system.
If you are interested to find out more about sleep and how to sleep better, check out this post here
IMPLEMENTATION STRATGEIS:
Before going to bed, try having a set nighttime routine to cue your brain into going to sleep
Relax and calm yourself before sleep
Optimize your bedroom environment: Dim and warm the lights, cool the room temperature, and limit loud sound
Have a consistent sleep and wake up schedule
Include physical activity during your day
Limit caffeine consumption in the afternoon
Reduce exposure to blue light in the evening and increase exposure to natural light during the day
2. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Even just from an evolutionary point of view, humans are not designed to sit for several hours in one sitting, we are made to move. It is crucially important to fit in movement during our day every day, as sitting down for extended periods of time without standing up in between, has been correlated with poorer cardiovascular health, back pain, type 2 diabetes, and potentially also various forms of cancer.
The point here is that you do not need to do extended periods of vigorous exercise to feel any of the benefits, as even just a 30-minute walk can completely change around your mood and energy levels. It is even better if each day you manage to go out to get some fresh air and expose your skin to some sunshine for a bit.
In terms of why exercise can improve our energy levels, it is that doing more physical activity has been shown to increase the number of mitochondria in certain cells, which means that we are able to have a greater respiration rate and thus produce more energy. Additionally, during exercise, our body naturally releases hormones of happiness, also known as endorphins, which work to raise our mood and in turn also our energy throughout the day.
Perhaps a less commonly mentioned aspect, but people who do regular exercise, have also been shown to have better posture, which can otherwise lead to issues such as back or neck pain, as well as disrupted digestion.
IMPLEMENTTION STRATGIES:
Aim to do at least 30 minutes a day of some form of physical activity per day
Once you have been sitting down for long periods of time, aim to stand up or readjust your posture. Perhaps if you have the time and space, try doing some stretches or going for a short walk, which should help with adjusting your posture
Try different forms of movement and stick to what you like: Walking, cycling, running, dancing, yoga, weight training, hiking, swimming, tennis, basketball, etc.
When working sitting down, try and stand up every 20minutes or so and get some movement
Set daily movement goals (Eg: The number of steps or distance you want to walk)
3. FOOD AND DRINKS
I’m pretty sure that most of us by now know just how important food is and how it can drastically impact just about every aspect of our health and wellbeing - Including our energy levels.
You can imagine food as a simple fuel source for your body, whereby if you fuel your body with the food it’s designed to eat, your body will reward you with better and more stable energy levels. Eat real food, limit processed “food” and keep things in moderation, and very likely your energy will show an increase.
While this idea of healthy eating may sound simple in theory, when it comes to real-life it can often be more complex, because nowadays there is more processed food available than ever before, making junk “food” more convenient, affordable, and accessible wherever we go. Because of this, it is that much more important we take care of what we eat and be mindful of what we are fueling our bodies with.
Excessive consumption of highly processed food such as regularly consuming fast food, sugary sodas, and desserts, and snacks with lots of added sugar has been increasingly linked with poorer cardiovascular health, which puts you more in danger later on of developing type II diabetes and obesity. Furthermore, these medical conditions can lead to other unwanted health issues such as poorer oral health, more inflammation in your body, and a greater risk for the development of various types of cancers.
As a general recommendation, limit your intake of highly processed food that is full of chemicals and artificial additives that in the long term, don’t bring many benefits to your body at all - apart from your taste buds. Try incorporating more foods in their whole food form, and try making more meals at home by yourself, since that way you not only save yourself money from takeouts but also learn to budget your groceries better and have more control in terms of what you put in your food.
IMPLEMENTAITON STRATEGIES
Focus on eating natural and whole grains and limit processed food
Avoid excessive added sugar consumption
Eating enough calories for your needs
Drink more water during the day, especially if you are more physically active
Aim to eat at regular intervals
Aim to space out your meals into smaller portions throughout the day
Eating larger meals can often lead to feeling heavy after eating
Try to not eat too late at night as that can interfere with your sleep
Incorporate more fruits and vegetable into your diet with a higher water content
Limit alcohol consumption
Alcohol is a sedative, which slows down and relaxes our body, by slowing down our brain functioning
4. STRESS MANAGEMENT
You might not be aware of this, but stress and anxiety are very energy-intensive states for our body to maintain, due to having a more rapid heartbeat as a result of the hormone cortisol. From an evolutionary point of view, stress was useful and told our body to respond quickly in times of danger so that we were able to survive.
However modern-day causes of stress are much different than what they used to be because we no longer have to run away from lions and worry about making it through the night. Nowadays, stress arises not from physiological factors, but from psychological factors that are a result of our environment - which is becoming ever more busy and demanding to upkeep.
Stress in the right amounts is actually believe it or not, beneficial to us, however, it is crucial that we maintain stress at healthy levels as otherwise many other aspects of our health can suffer as a result. I have talked more about the dangers of chronic stress in this article here
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
Try different things to calm yourself down: Meditation, exercise, journaling, reading, taking a bath, seeing or talking to a friend (Doing something you love)
Try breathing techniques
Become better at managing your time
Become better at prioritizing your work
Self-reflect: Why am I stressed? Is this in my control? Is this an appropriate reaction?
5. LIFESTYLE CHOICES
In terms of lifestyle choices, I am referring to smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, both of which strongly influence our energy levels throughout the day.
Smoking has been around for a long time and even though we are now more aware of the danger of smoking than ever before, people still persist to smoke nonetheless.
Several clinical studies have shown that smoking several cigarettes per day has been associated with the development of various types of cancers, heart disease, a greater risk for stroke, a weaker immune system, type II diabetes, and serious respiratory conditions such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
There are now plenty of available methods such as various cigarette replacements, with which you can try and reduce your smoking.
In terms of alcohol, moderate consumption shows less serious health effects, however excessive drinking of highly alcoholic beverages has been associated with increased levels of inflammation, a rise in blood sugar, and causing a slower response rate.
Alcohol is classed as a sedative drug, which works by slowing down the electrical impulses carried by never cells across our nervous system, which results in a slower reaction time and responsivity.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES:
AIm to reduce your smoking, or even better if you quit completely
Drink alcohol in moderation. If drinking is not your thing, simply don’t feel pressured to do it
