Category: Contributed

Being healthy is a challenge. It means giving up some of the things that you want today for an uncertain payoff in the future.

For instance, if you choose to eat an apple instead of a piece of cake, you have to give up the idea of eating the cake and instead believe that you will benefit from consuming the apple in years to come. It’s a tall order, and not many people want to accept it.

Making healthy decisions needs to be more comfortable. People don’t think thirty or forty years into the future – they’re most concerned with the here and now.

Here are some motivational ideas for staying healthy that you can implement today to make a difference in your life in the future but without the pointless suffering.

Have Your Cake And Eat It Too

There’s a tendency in our culture to believe that anything good for you tastes bad, and vice versa, but that’s not true. For many people, going on a health kick means drinking green smoothies and eating lots of broths and soups. But those foods are bland, boring and, in some cases, downright disgusting.

With modern recipes and cooking, however, you can have your cake and eat it too. You can literally bake a healthy cake with nothing bad in it whatsoever, and still enjoy something that tastes delicious.

All you do is get the sugar from dried fruits, the egg from flax and the fat from nuts or avocado, and then whip the whole lot together. There are dozens of recipes on the internet showing you how to do this.

By the end of the process, you end up with a cake that not only hits the spot but doesn’t hurt you either.

Forgive Yourself

People aren’t robots who do the same thing every day, no matter how they feel. Sometimes they have moments of weakness and indulge in ways that they know aren’t good for them.

The people who are most motivated to stay healthy, however, accept their quirks and know that from time to time, they will probably order a take out pizza. But instead of beating themselves up about it, they move on. Tomorrow is another day.

Celebrate Every Day

What is cancer good for? The answer is not much except for encouraging people to celebrate every day that they are alive. All of a sudden, life becomes a lot more precious, and you don’t want to waste a single day.

Don’t confuse the goal with the journey.

Your life is about more than having children, gaining a promotion, or getting enough money together to retire. There are also the daily joys that make the process worth it. Never forget that aspect of being healthy.

Make One Simple Change

Going all-in and changing your diet and lifestyle overnight is a massive challenge (not to mention a shock to your body). Many people who do it successfully, start by making one small change at a time. It could be something as basic as no longer buying potato chips from the store.

The science-backed strategy I tried last year; intermittent fasting, has served me well this festive season.  I’ve managed to keep my weight down simply by skipping a meal a day.  Yay!

This year I’d like to pay a little more attention to another strategy I learned last year, HIIT (high-intensity interval training). 

Which strategies have worked best to keep you healthy? What have you given up in order to remain healthy?  What have you added to your daily self-care routine?  Share in the comments below.

Image Credit: Pixabay – CC0 License

Our hormones are quickly blamed for any kind of mood swing or change. We blame our hormones when we’re feeling off, when we’re bloated, or when we’re not looking our best. Sometimes, it seems like we’re blaming hormones for everything without really knowing what is causing our moods.

But, in truth, we’re often right. Even relatively small changes to our hormone levels can leave us facing many different symptoms. Let’s take a more in-depth look at what our hormones are and what they do. As well as some of the things that you can do to help keep yours in check.

What Are Hormones?

In scientific terms, your hormones are signalling molecules, produced by glands that travel through your bloodstream to your organs, to regulate their behaviour.

We’ve got many different kinds of hormones, all carrying different messages to different parts of our bodies. Because there are so many different kinds, travelling everywhere in our bodies, they have tremendous power.

Your hormones regulate

• growth
• mood
• sexual function
• reproduction
• metabolism
• as well as organ function

That’s why they are so incredibly important, and their delicate balance means that it’s exceptionally easy for a small change to have a significant impact on how we look and feel.

How Do I Know If My Hormones Are Out of Balance?

Some hormone imbalances can create severe conditions with apparent symptoms.

When your thyroid gland produces too much hormone or is overactive, it is called hyperthyroidism.

Symptoms can include

• an enlarged gland
• an inability to handle the heat
• rapid heartbeat
• irritability
• weight loss
• and muscle tremors, among other things

On the other hand, hypothyroidism is when your thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormone. This can cause

• dry, irritated skin,
• a hoarse voice
• weight gain
• forgetfulness
• and fatigue

Less serious imbalances can cause tiredness, mood swings, irregular menstrual cycles, weight gain or loss, spots and oily skin, dry skin, and muscle fatigue. Basically, anything that isn’t quite right, but doesn’t have an obvious cause, might be the result of a hormone imbalance. Here are some of the things that you can do to keep that balance in check.

Dietary Changes

Your diet has an enormous impact on how your body works. If you want to bring balance to your hormones, look at making some healthy changes.

Try to avoid processed foods, eating fresh instead. Carbs aren’t bad, as long as you eat the right ones, sticking to complex carbs like brown rice, pasta and bread, which can aid your digestion.

You should also try to eat the right fats. Fat isn’t unhealthy, nor does it make you fat. Fat in your diet is essential to healthy bodily function.

Avoid refined sugars, but fats like those in olive oil and dairy can be good for you and your hormones. Some of the things that you need in your diet to promote good hormonal balance and where you can find them include:

– Iodine, found in fish and eggs

– Zinc, from meat, whole grains and nuts

– Vitamin E, which is in seeds, nuts and olive oil

– Vitamin B2, from eggs and rice

– Vitamin A, in eggs, citrus fruits and carrots, and oily fish

– Vitamin B3, from meat and fish

– Vitamin B6, from whole grains, chicken, vegetables and beans

– Vitamin C, from citrus fruit and green vegetables

Protein is also incredibly important for your hormonal balance.

Protein provides amino acids, which your body doesn’t produce on its own. These acids help to maintain healthy bones, muscles and skin. It’s also thought that protein controls the hormones regulating appetite. It stimulates the production of hormones that make you feel full and reduces levels of ghrelin which makes you feel hungry. This is why low-fat diets are often high in protein.

Exercise

When our bodies are working well, the insulin allows our cells to take sugar and amino acids from our bloodstream — using them to create energy and maintain muscle. Too much insulin, however, can lead to cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and other conditions.

That’s why exercise is so vital to our hormones. Physical activity reduces the levels of insulin in our bodies, as well as increasing our sensitivity to the insulin that we have got so that we don’t need as much.

Exercise can also boost levels of some of the hormones that naturally decrease as we age, helping you to look and feel younger for longer.

Contraception

Anytime you put something hormonal into your body; you alter your balance. Sometimes, this is a good thing. Some forms of contraception can help to restore balance. Others, like IUD contraception, contain little to no hormone. It’s often about finding the method that suits your body and your natural levels. Keep an eye on any side effects and monitor changes.

Accept Normal Hormonal Changes

Our hormone levels change all of the time. Women especially find that their levels vary enormously throughout the month. While exercise and diet can help you to create balance, it’s also important that you accept these changes and learn how to manage them. Perhaps by getting some extra exercise to boost your mood, or rest to reduce fatigue.

Learn How to Manage Your Stress Levels

Stress has a significant effect on our hormone balance, and on two hormones in particular. These are adrenaline and cortisol.

Cortisol is the hormone that helps you to manage stress. Once, it was released in response to an attack or the presence of predators, our bodies way to regulate the effects of fear. Today, its release is usually triggered by our busy lives or frightening situations. While predators were rare, stress is often constant, meaning our cortisol levels remain elevated. This can lead to obesity, as we consume more calories to combat the effects.

Adrenaline is also known as the “fight or flight” hormone. Your body gives you a surge of energy when it thinks you need it, to help you manage stressful situations.

Too much adrenaline can lead to high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and anxiety.

Find ways to manage your stress, to keep these hormones in check. Meditation, yoga and laughter can all help.

Which ways have you found work best to balance your hormone levels? 

Featured Image Credit:  CCO License – Pixabay

Pin Image Credit:  CCO License – Pixabay