101 Ways to Feel Better Today – Page 3

April 14, 2020April 14, 2020

#81 Take a Cold Shower

Even the thought of having a cold shower can make a person shiver. After crawling out of a warm bed, the last thing you might want to do is spray yourself with water that is going to instantly wake you up and make you start breathing rapidly. It’s a mental challenge that can be difficult to overcome and will take some willpower to do. It’s also something worth trying, because it can make you feel better instantly.

Cryotherapy is a well-researched and highly effective therapy used for everything from athletic rehabilitation to boosting the immune system. From ice baths to ice packs to full-body chambers, there are multiple ways to use cold to treat a variety of conditions. Taking cold showers is the easiest and quickest way to experience some of the benefits for yourself.

April 13, 2020April 12, 2020

#80 Feed Your Brain

Wear a helmet when climbing trees – unless you are a tree kangaroo of course

The brain is such a complex part of us that it seems almost mystical. We think, and we think a lot. Where are those thoughts? How do we remember as much as we do? Sitting at the top of our heads and protected by eight bones – one frontal, two parietal, two temporal, one occipital, one sphenoid and one ethmoid bone – the brain is shielded by armour designed to protect what is essentially the most important part of us.

How we live and what we do affects the health of the brain in multiple ways. In this study, researchers found that mental well-being, exercise, cognitively stimulating activities, sleep, nutrition, and social connectedness all affect brain health. There is also evidence that lifestyle factors and diseases that influence the health of blood vessels, such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes, also affect the health of the brain.

April 12, 2020April 11, 2020

#79 Variety and Routines

Take a look at your routines from a new vantage point

As we get older, we tend to have developed routines that guide us through most days. We may eat the same things, exercise the same way, and think the same thoughts we thought the day before. Routines are useful because they allow us to perform many functions without needing to think or make decisions about each one. However, they can also negatively affect our health and the ability to function optimally.

There is an endless number of choices in the world and it is impossible in one lifetime to sample everything. When it comes to food and exercise, it isn’t always practical to change what you do every day. It is important though to experiment and try new things for both physical and mental health.

April 11, 2020April 10, 2020

#78 Take Care of Your Eyes

Eyes are beautiful in every living being

Sometimes we take things for granted until they are gone. If you were blessed with good eyesight when you were young, it may be disconcerting as you grow older to realize that reading or working on the computer has become more challenging. While it is true that age causes changes to our eyes that are out of our control, there are steps you can take to delay or minimize the consequences.

Eye health isn’t discussed often, and we are more likely to see a dentist on a regular basis than an optometrist. It is important to get checked by an expert periodically to ensure that your eyes are working well and that there are no underlying problems that could become serious.

April 10, 2020April 9, 2020

#77 Reduce Refined Sugar

It’s a vegan cupcake, but it’s still full of sugar

You hear it all the time. The experts tell us to stop eating so much sugar, to even eliminate it as much as possible. But is this even realistic? It can be, but it isn’t easy. Sugar is added to so many foods that if you aren’t reading labels, you likely are consuming much more than you think.

Sugar is added to pasta sauce, salad dressings, ketchup, peanut butter, baked beans, barbecue sauce, bread, and crackers, to name a few. Anything that is touted as being low in fat is often high in sugar, as manufacturers try to make their products more palatable. An average can of soda contains about 11 teaspoons of sugar.

April 9, 2020April 8, 2020

#76 Buy a Plant

Even one plant in a corner can brighten a room

Plants bring indoor spaces alive and are low-maintenance ways to surround yourself with beauty and tranquility. Not only are they aesthetically appealing, they have very real health benefits. There are many different varieties that are wonderful in the home and you can find ones that best suit your situation with a little research.

Even if you travel a lot, there are ways to keep your plants thriving while you are gone. Choose low-maintenance varieties if you want the benefits of plants without having to spend a lot of time looking after them.

April 8, 2020April 8, 2020

#75 Spice It Up

Ginger and turmeric are two spices that can be used in whole or dried form

Not only are spices affordable, accessible and easy to store, they also have health benefits in addition to enhancing the taste of whatever you are making. Spices have been cherished for thousands of years and have even been used as a form of currency.

Cassia, similar to cinnamon, was mentioned in a Chinese herb manual purported to have been written in 2700 BC. In 1555 BC, Papyri from Ancient Egypt classified coriander, fennel, juniper, cumin, garlic and thyme as health-promoting spices. Pepper was so valuable that peppercorns were used to pay rent throughout Europe in the Middle Ages.

Needless to say, the history of spices runs deep and their health benefits have been recognized for thousands of years. There is now ample evidence that spices and herbs have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumorigenic, anticarcinogenic, and glucose and cholesterol-lowering activities in addition to properties that affect cognition and mood.

April 7, 2020April 7, 2020

#74 Turn Your Eating Upside-Down

A lean physique can come from paying attention not only to what you eat, but when

We all know that what we eat matters to our health, but have you ever thought about when you eat? Does eating breakfast really matter, or should you eat the most at supper? How many hours of the day should you be eating? There is research to show that when you eat can influence your ability to lose pounds and maintain a healthy weight.

For many years we have been told that a calorie is a calorie. Eat too many and your body stores them as fat. Eat fewer than what you need to fuel your daily needs and the weight will fall off as fat is burned for fuel. But newer research suggests that the same number of calories eaten early in the day as opposed to later are burned differently, and won’t cause the same amount of weight gain.

April 6, 2020April 5, 2020

#73 Fibre

If you eat a standard American diet full of meat and animal products and processed foods, chances are you aren’t getting enough fibre. Meat has zero fibre and consuming it regularly can keep you from reaching the minimum 25-30g daily that is recommended. It is estimated that only 5% of people consume enough fibre, and on average eat only as much as 15g.

Fibre is only found in plant foods, and it is the part of the plant that you can’t digest. It is essential to get enough because it is vital for good health. Fibre assists with moving food through the body and it also affects the health of the millions of microbiota that live in the gut that help sustain the health of the gut mucosa, which in turn helps to keep pathogens at bay.

April 5, 2020April 5, 2020

#72 Have a Nap

When you need a nap, find a way to take one

Our lives are designed not for the optimal functioning of our bodies, but for the fast-paced lifestyles we have created. We have only so many hours in the day and we try to cram as much as possible into those hours. If imbalances are created, this can lead to illness, disease, and early mortality.

The body is an afterthought in the modern world, almost an accessory instead of the vehicle that carries us and allows us to experience all that life offers. We think of it from a standpoint of vanity, trying to make it look a certain way. Or we disregard it completely and indulge ourselves to the point of obesity and discomfort. We often don’t acknowledge what our bodies need until something goes wrong.