Inspired Blog
Why Mental Health Should be One of Your Priorities
In today’s modern, wiser, more aware world, people understand the importance of health and indulge in multiple activities to have a fit and healthy body. From going to the gym, doing various physical activities, and eating various types of good food, people these days try their best to maintain a balanced physical health. But can having a physical routine and maintain fitness ensure good overall body health? While many people tend to think the answer to this is yes, the reality is that no, physical health alone does not determine your overall health. Mental Health has an equally important role in your overall health as does physical health. Yet, due to lack of awareness, societal pressure, and fear amongst other factors, people neglect mental health completely. People unknowingly suffer for years, hiding away things, and not opening up to anyone. As time passes, it causes much more damage to the overall health than anyone could anticipate. What exactly is mental health? Mental health refers to a combination of various psychological factors, mostly due to the ongoing things and situations in our daily lives. It includes our emotions, our feelings, our thoughts and has an impact on our actions, our moods, and our overall behavior. Multiple factors contribute to our mental health. These include: Biological Factors (Genes) General Life Situations (Traumatic Events) Family History (Carried on from ages) Life is an unstable journey where a lot of different events and situations arise. There are different phases, while some are good, some can be very traumatic. In these problematic times, our minds are filled with loads of irrational thoughts. These develop into issues that affect mental peace and eventually mental health. What are the effects of Mental Health in our Lives? Our mind has a deep impact on the quality of our lives. A sound and relaxed mind enables you to make better decisions, stay focused, concentrate better and handle every situation peacefully. While a mind under stress stops you from performing at your best, taking good and stable decisions and leading a quality life. Mental health affects both the body and the brain. As such, if your mind is unhealthy, then you will face emotional as well as physical issues. The symptoms of emotional stress will include mood changes, anxiety, taking impulsive actions, sudden anger. The symptoms of physical struggle might include sudden weight loss, fatigue, electrolyte imbalance, or even loss of libido. These effects can either be short-term or long-term. While short term mental health effects may cause a person to stay sad, feel helpless, have anger and fear, the long term effects can be much more drastic. It can lead a person into severe depression, or similar disorders. It is of extreme importance to deal with these health issues in the early stages. What are the types of Mental Health Disorders? Mental Health Disorders have been categorized into 5 major types. Let’s learn about each of these in a detailed way. Depression It is hard to define depression, but you can refer it to multiple conditions and a variety of stress emotions. These emotions include a persistent sad mood, a lack of interest in one’s life and unwillingness to do daily activities with required dedication, constantly feeling tired, fatigued and inability to make decisions. Schizophrenia This is a chronic form of mental health disorder, wherein an individual tends to have multiple personalities. People with this disorder commonly talk to themselves and hear multiple voices. They are unable to distinguish between reality and their paranoid state. Bipolar Disorder Under this, the patient goes through different phases and cycles of emotional states, which range from high emotional activities to low lethargic behavior and sadness. Anxiety This causes an individual to live with constant fear. The person tends to think negatively and fears for something worse, an impending doom to occur. This constant sense and a bad feeling affect them badly. ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In this, the individual demonstrates an inability to stay focused and concentrate on any task. This is often combined with impulsive behavior, tendency to get angry, inability to sit still doing a particular task and a continuously overthinking mind. Why is it important to prioritize Mental Health? Health is the primary most important thing for every human being. Without a healthy body, you will face regular problems and your quality of life will get depleted. We do a lot to maintain our physical health, but most of us are ignorant about our mental health. Let us imagine the situation. Think that you had a minor injury, so what will be the first thing you would do? Probably try to apply first-aid to the wound, or maybe even go to a doctor to get it looked after. But what happens when the injury is to our mind? We ignore it and leave the wound open instead of healing it. Most of us ignore the mental wounds i.e. the issues surrounding us. Even if some people acknowledge it, then they are scared to speak about it to anyone due to the fear of getting judged. However, just like you treat a physical wound, it is equally important to heal the mental wound before it does any damage. It is important to give equal importance to the well-being of your mind. How can you prioritize Mental Health? To put your mental health upfront and make it a priority, you can follow the below-mentioned steps: Awareness The first step towards prioritizing mental health is awareness. It is important to be aware of what your mind thinks, how you generally feel, and what the voice in your head tells you. Each one of us has a voice in our heads, and that is generally the best indicator of our mental health. If the voice is negative, it is a signal towards ongoing issues in the mind. By noticing what is going on in your head, detecting symptoms early, and addressing them as soon as you can, you prioritize your mental health and keep yourself healthy. Not Accepting the issues Whenever we face any issues which affect us mentally, we tend to ignore them. We never accept that we have issues, and fail to address them early. It is important to understand that it is not okay to tell yourself that you are ok. It is easy to push the negative thoughts and feelings to the back of your mind. We tend to get busy with our lives and ignore what goes on in our minds. Though some people endorse it as a cure to the problems, it will eventually add up and cause even bigger issues down the road. We should assess our minds, see what is going on, and try to accept reality instead of being ignorant about it. It is only after you accept that you can prioritize your mental health that you can work towards improving it. Speaking Up Most people fear to talk about mental health. There is a constant fear of getting judged by society, which may form prejudices against you. But getting help and sharing things with people close to you does not mean that there is something wrong with you. Rather it signifies your maturity in dealing with your problems and caring about yourself. You should rise above the societal clichés and open up about our mental health. You should talk about it just like you talk about your physical well-being. Even if you know someone else who wants to speak up, listen to them, and take a huge step in making things right. How can you improve your Mental Health? By taking a few positive steps and following a good routine, or making a to-do list for your mental well being, you can significantly improve your mental health. Some of these steps can be: Exercise Physical and Mental health go hand in hand. When you exercise, your body releases stress-relieving hormones known as endorphins. These take away the pressure from your mind and put you in a good mood. Eat Good Food Taking a good nutrient-filled diet nourishes your brain and increases the level of serotonin, a chemical compound that increases the calming influence in your mind. Foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins help in increasing serotonin and dopamine, which help you stay alert and focused. Besides, research has shown that taking nutrients such as zinc, iron and omega-3 fatty acids improves mood and stabilizes your mind, which is important for its cognitive functioning. Sleep Properly It has been found by studies that inconsistent sleep or sleep deprivation hurts your mood. We all have days when we don’t get enough sleep and start feeling grumpy and irritated. Thereby you should try and sleep for at least 8 hours and follow a pattern every day. Keep all screens away, sleep early at night and get up at similar times in the morning. Take Breaks We all get so busy and occupied with our daily schedules, we forget to relax. Both the body and the mind need breaks to avoid stress. You should take breaks after regular intervals. It is important to step away, take a walk, listen to some good music, talk to people and take deep breaths to avoid stress and anxiety and protect your mental health. Conclusion Mental Health is one of the most important yet ignored topics. But instead of avoiding it and pushing the issues back, we should prioritize it and try to deal with it. By understanding its types, its importance and the ways to deal with it, you can easily fight off the related stress and anxiety and prevent yourselves from succumbing to any disorder. Besides, by giving yourself proper sleep, eating good food, drinking more alkaline water, exercising regularly, and taking control of things, you can achieve optimal health both physically as well as mentally.
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Why Do I Feel Heartburn? 4 Ways to Stop Acid Reflux
Now if you are here reading this, chances are you are facing some of these acid-related issues. But worry not, as we will explain to you what acid reflux is, and 4 great ways to get it under control.
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How to Keep Your Skin Beautiful Year Round
We all love to have smooth, glowing, and healthy skin. Not only does it make us look good, but also provides much-needed confidence. It also serves as a signal that your body is functioning well since if there are any issues inside your body, they get reflected first and foremost on the skin itself. Most women adopt their everyday habits to have beautiful skin. From applying creams, moisturizers, and face masks to eating healthy food that makes your skin more beautiful, we all have done this. But as the old saying goes, all good things are hard to come and easy to go! Even if you get that flawless skin that you’ve always wanted, a little carelessness like eating spicy or junk food, or even lack of sleep can ruin it easily with a small zit. Even change of weather and seasons can take its toll on the skin too. Multiple factors impact the health of your skin. It is not possible to always keep everything under your control. But if you understand skin health and the way it reacts to conditions, it becomes easier to maintain glowing skin always without requiring any sort of make-up. It is not an easy process, but completely possible. First, let’s understand which factors affect skin health. Secondly, we will dive into methods, through which, you can keep these factors under control and maintain your natural skin glow round the year regardless of the season. What are the Factors that Affect Your Skin? To remove the always looming threat of having skin problems and losing your smooth and glowing skin, it is of utmost importance to understand the factors that affect skin health. Now before we dwell on the causes of skin problems, we must clearly understand the fact that different people have different types of skin, and some have more issues than others because of their genes. However, some factors are scientifically proven to impact all humans alike. So what are the reasons behind the different types of skin problems that plague humans from time to time? Here is your answer: 1. Mental Stress Many people do not even realize it, but stress is one of the major factors that cause skin problems. When you go through prolonged periods of stress and mental pressure, your adrenal glands tend to produce more levels of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. This hormone in turn increases the activity of the sebaceous gland, and as a result, leads towards more production of oil as well as sebum. The direct result of it can be acne or increased skin sensitivity. Also, the immune system of the skin gets heavily damaged by the cortisol leading to oxidative stress that turns into wrinkles and lines on the skin. 2. Diet As you may know whatever happens in your stomach, shows up on your face. A healthy gut is a key to having a glowing skin. The health of your gut largely depends on what you choose to eat, and most of us end up making bad choices in the present, and that eventually leads towards having a lackluster skin in the future. It is important to consume a healthy and balanced diet including all nutrients and minerals for healthy skin. But most people include processed, fried, and refined food in their diets along with unhealthy fats and carbs. It ends up causing mild inflammation in the body, and further leads towards deeper problems such as acne. 3. Climate/Environment/Season The climate or the season around you is another big factor that determines your skin health. From dry skin to an itchy patch or even an uncontrollable acne spree, the weather of the place you currently live in affects the skin in ways than many realize. While colder climates with low humidity can mean having dry skin without any moisture, the summer heat brings about another set of problems such as rashes or more breakouts due to sweating. Exposure to excessive heat and sun in warmer climates can also lead to developing wrinkles and lines at a pretty early age. Besides this, environmental factors such as pollution are also a key factor that affects your skin health. Regular exposure to air pollutants can lead to premature aging of skin along with allergic inflammation and other conditions such as eczema, acne or even psoriasis. 4. Skin Products Everyone has a different skin type, and what works for one person may not work well for the other. It is important to understand your skin type and make sure to only use products that are actually beneficial to your skin, as some products can do more harm than good. and use only those products on the skin that will help it and do more good than harm. However, people tend to ignore their skin types and go by the general trends, buying the most popular products in the market without even checking their ingredients. Some of the ingredients can be potential allergens to your skin, more so if it is sensitive. This can cause serious damage and exacerbate underlying conditions. 5. Lack of Sleep Getting proper sleep is very important for skin health. Many of you must have heard about the popular term “beauty sleep”. It is not just randomly said but has true meaning to it. This is because when you get a good night’s sleep, your body gets time to repair and regenerate your skin. However, not getting enough sleep reduces the crucial time that the body needs for skin repair and that in turn leads to inflammation and other problems. Not getting enough sleep on the long term can have a seriously bad impact on the overall appearance of skin. Now that we know some of the important factors that have a direct impact on our skin, we can shift back to understanding how we can overcome these elements and ensure that we have glowing skin throughout the year, come what may. So, here is how to do it. Steps to Maintain a Naturally Beautiful Skin Maintaining healthy skin and retaining its glow is not a one-step process. It requires you to spring into action almost every day. You need to be determined and careful at the same time. It is important to understand that every action has an equivalent reaction, and as such, you should be focused on taking the right actions, as we are sharing below. 1. Eat right, since you are what you eat To maintain healthy skin, start taking in a balanced diet. Include fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables in your diet as these provide you with proteins, vitamins, nutrients, and minerals. Pay extra attention to adding food that is rich in Vitamin C such as oranges, sweet potatoes, strawberries, and tomatoes in your diet, since it promotes radiant skin. Also, consider taking a low-sugar diet, as it can help in keeping the level of insulin down, which allows the skin cells to maintain a healthy balance. Besides, say no to spicy, processed, refined, fried, and fermented food. Anything that falls in this category should be avoided as much as possible to rule out any possibility of skin damage in the future. 2. Exercise regularly, keep it moving Exercise has so many amazing benefits for the body, and your skin health is included in that list. Regular exercise leads to improved circulation of the blood and brings in more oxygen into the body. This directly improves and speeds up the cleansing process of the body, taking away toxins and impurities from the skin. Even if you do not have much time due to your busy schedules, you should still take out at least 15 to 20 minutes and do a brisk walk or jogging to sweat out and aid in eliminating the toxins from the skin. Remember to not apply anything on the skin before heading out and doing your desired workout. Once you are done, try to immediately wash your face, probably even exfoliate to remove the sweat and the toxins. Later on, apply a moisturizer to keep the skin smooth. 3. Sleep Well, aim for that perfect beauty sleep You should aim to sleep for a minimum of 8 hours every day, and possibly in one go. The idea here is to provide rest to the skin, without which it might sag and look baggy and puffy, as many of you might have experienced. You should always wash your face before you sleep to remove any impurities that may have crept in during the day and apply a moisturizer thereafter. Besides, if you are not able to get proper sleep, then you should indulge in more physical activities, have a fixed schedule, limit daytime naps, and keep your phone away at night. Also, you should work towards reducing stress and keeping your mind calm. By doing meditation, spending quality time with your loved ones, watching light-hearted shows, etc, you can control your stress and improve mental health. This not only promotes better sleep but also reduces the production of the stress hormone cortisol that damages the skin. As a result of both, your skin health will be improved. 4. Drink Water, and then some more It is now very well known that a hydrated body leads towards a glowing skin. As such, you should keep yourself hydrated, always. Drink lots of water and at least 8 glasses per day. You can even try drinking alkaline water instead of regular water. Alkaline water gets absorbed faster into your cells and helps in keeping the body hydrated for a long time. Besides, it aids in detoxifying the skin and keeping your gut healthy, which eventually helps in maintaining skin health as well. You can try the DYLN Bottle that provides you alkaline water whenever and wherever you want it. Besides, you should also try to eat fruits and vegetables with high water content. Food such as watermelon, cucumber, strawberry, orange, and grapefruit helps you stay hydrated and improves your skin. 5. Adapt, and fight all the challenges Climate and the environment has a serious impact on your skin. Now we cannot control the climate, but we can take steps to reduce its effect on us. We can adapt to the conditions around us and try to fulfill the requirements of our skin to keep it protected and healthy. In a heated or warm climate, try to apply sunscreen before you go out, and wash your face regularly to remove all the sweat. While in a colder climate, make sure to moisturize your skin regularly, not allowing it to dry up. Use skincare products such as toners, face masks, etc. to clear up the effects of pollutants on the skin. However, make sure that you choose the right products for your skin, and check for ingredients that suit your skin type. Be extra careful if you have a sensitive skin type, and try to avoid direct sun and heavily polluted areas. Conclusion The skin is the largest organ of the body, with an average human having 20 square feet of skin. Skin problems can be very irritating to deal with and can affect the overall quality of life. People with skin problems tend to lose their confidence and self-esteem, and this also highlights the importance of skin health and care. Everyone loves to have that perfect glowing and healthy skin, but due to multiple factors, it is hard to achieve and even harder to maintain. However, if you understand the factors affecting your skin health, and then try to take care of your skin adhering to the points mentioned above, you can surely maintain naturally beautiful and glowing skin for longer periods.
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Strengthen Your Immune System With Alkalizing Food
Our immune system performs one of the most important functions for our body, which is to help it fight foreign invaders, including pathogens, parasites, viruses, bacteria, amongst others. It identifies the threats and immediately pushes an immune response from the body to resist the attacks, helping us continue to live a healthy life. Spread throughout our body, the human immune system is made up of multiple cells, tissues, proteins and organs. It is a very intelligent system, as it can differentiate foreign tissues from our own. It can also analyze the tissues that are dead and with that, clear them away from the body. For us to remain healthy for longer, our immune system needs to work to the best of its ability. We need to ensure that we keep our immune system strong so that it can protect us from all attacks. A strong immune system also retains information about the previous attacks and prepares the body for an immediate and better response in case of a similar attack in the future. There are multiple ways to ensure a strong immune system. One of the best and most common ways is through the intake of a balanced diet and healthy food. Many food items are great for the immune system and enable it to work at its peak. Alkaline food and diets also have a great influence on making our immune system strong. We will now discuss more regarding what alkaline food and diets are, study their impact on the immune system and reveal how you can promote your overall health by munching on these healthy snacks. What is an Alkaline Diet? An alkaline diet is occasionally touted as one of the best diets you can follow. People consider it as a lifestyle and a habit, which promotes healthy living. Besides being known for helping to reduce weight and preventing chronic diseases, it also helps in boosting our immune system. The basic fundamental behind an alkaline diet is consuming more food and drinks that have a pH level of more than 7. For those unaware, a pH level of less than 7 is highly acidic, while a pH level of above 7 is considered non-acidic, i.e alkaline. Water is neutral, as it has a pH of 7. Our stomach’s pH level generally ranges from 2 to 3.5. This level is highly acidic, but essential for the process of digestion. However, the general food we consume, such as meats, grains, eggs, dairy products, refined sugars, as well as processed food, cause our pH balance to go haywire, and thus result in issues such as acidity, acid refluxes, heartburn, as well as stomach, intestinal and gastric issues. On the other hand, alkaline food tends to bring a balance to our stomach. It helps in countering the acids in the stomach and it creates an alkalizing effect on the entire body. The principle behind this is that when the right level of pH is maintained, then it becomes harder for any disease to establish itself in the body. Alkaline food protects our cells, balances the levels of minerals in the body and prevents the formation of plaque in the blood vessels. It promotes cardiovascular health, aids better digestion, improves memory as well as cognition and even helps in keeping the bones and muscles healthy and strong. But one essential benefit that we are going to discuss ahead is how an alkaline diet helps in making our immune system stronger, and in consequence it increases immunity and improves our health. Let’s take an in-depth look into the entire process. Alkaline Food and Immunity Boost As the old cliché goes, our bodies are a reflection of whatever we put inside it. The food we eat has a major impact on the functioning of our body, making it essential to eat nutritious and healthy food. Consequently, our immune system derives all its energy from what we eat. If we eat natural and healthy food, then the immune system utilizes the energy from it, becomes stronger and then performs its functions to protect us. There are certain vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, as well as nutrients, which help the immune system more than others. Alkaline food comprises mostly of raw food, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and plant-based fats and proteins. These are rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals that support the immune system. That, in turn, makes the immune system stronger, boosts our immunity, and keeps us healthy as we are protected from attacks by pathogens. We have talked about the alkaline diet and alkaline food, but what exactly are these? Which types of food are part of the alkaline diet? What are some of the top alkaline foods? Let’s answer all these burning questions! Top Alkaline Food items for an Alkaline Diet Alkaline food is mostly plant-based. And it doesn't include any meat-based items. Many foods have a great alkaline presence, such as green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, sea salt, seaweed, root vegetables such as onion, ginger, and garlic, and seasonal fruits. Now, we will discuss some of the top foods that are highly alkaline and how they help in boosting our immunity: Green-Leafy Vegetables Most of the naturally green and leafy vegetables are renowned for having high alkaline properties. Vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, lettuce, kale, parsley, and mustard greens have the highest alkaline level. These vegetables are also rich in various other essential minerals and nutrients including vitamins, iron, and zinc, which have great importance for our bodies. These essential nutrients are needed by our immune system to gain strength and in consequence fight against foreign invaders. Citrus Fruits Citrus fruits are one of the best sources of alkalinity. Citrus fruits cut the stomach acid and restore the pH level of the body. A blessing for the body, citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges, lime, etc. have high quantities of Vitamin C. This vitamin not only detoxifies the body but also works well against acidity and also against heartburn. Most importantly, citrus fruits are a great source of energy for our immune system. It makes the immune system stronger and enables it to improve its memory and protect the body. Root Vegetables Root vegetables are another great source of alkalinity in food. These vegetables, which include the likes of potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, beetroots, lotus and carrots, bring a good level of pH balance. Most people tend to overcook them, which eventually makes them lose most of their great qualities. However, if cooked appropriately, they bring out multiple benefits to the body. These vegetables are a rich source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a phytochemical that converts into Vitamin A in the body. This antioxidant helps the immune system by keeping the healthy cells intact and as a result, making it easier to remove the dead cells. Seasonal Fruits Seasonal fruits are not only worth the wait for their great taste, but also for the innumerable amount of benefits that they bring for our bodies. These fruits come highly loaded with vitamins, minerals, nutrients as well as antioxidants, which assist in various functions of the body. Seasonal fruits such as kiwi, mangoes, pineapples, apricots, grapefruit, persimmon, nectarine and watermelon are some of the best sources of food with high alkalinity. The multi-vitamins and antioxidants present in these fruits are great friends of the human immune system. They help in nourishing the immune system, which in turn increases our immunity and keeps us healthy. Nuts and Seeds Often consumed as evening snacks or for munching when the hunger bouts kick in, nuts and seeds have high quantities of good fats and essential minerals, which produce an alkaline effect in our bodies and reduce problems such as heartburn and acid reflux. Although you should be careful about eating in large quantities since they are high in calories. But including nuts and seeds such as cashew, sesame seeds, almonds, chestnuts, sunflower seeds, etc. in your daily meal plan is an asset for your body. These nuts and seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, magnesium, and other similar nutrients, which help in boosting our immunity and protecting our body from pathogens. Besides, these also help in improving the memory of the immune system. It enables the immune system to retain more information about the pathogens from previous attacks and allows it to take better and quicker action in case of a similar attack in the future. Take away Following an alkaline diet is not very difficult. All you are required to do is to include more fresh vegetables and fruits in your diet while cutting back on animal products, packed products, and processed food items. By adhering to the alkaline diet, you can improve the pH balance of your body, which can go haywire if you only eat acidic food items, since our stomach in itself is highly acidic. By increasing alkaline intake, you can fight against illnesses such as heartburn, acid reflux, and gastrointestinal issues. Besides this, alkaline foods can also have a major impact on your immune system. The vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants present in alkaline foods strengthen your immune system and they enable you to stay fit and healthy for longer periods. Besides alkaline food, you should also drink alkaline water. By using the DYLN Bottle, you can create alkaline water whenever you want. Alkaline water gets absorbed into the cells easily and it nourishes and boosts the immune system. Combined with an alkaline diet, you’ll be reaping the benefits in no time!
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How to Start Being Active After a Long Break
Weeks, months or years since your last work out? Here's how to restart your exercise habit and getting back into a healthy workout routine.
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The Importance of Vitamin C & Vitamin D for Overall Health
In the last few years, there has been a lot of awareness about the importance of health. As such, many people have actively taken up to exercising and eating a healthy and balanced diet to maintain physical as well as mental wellness.The healthy and balanced diets that are the talk of the town these days, ensure that the food to be eaten has an appropriate amounts of minerals, vitamins, and nutrients. Special focus is given on the vitamins, since they are the most important in helping your body to develop and grow, while also helping in improving metabolism, immunity as well as digestion, amongst other things. But there are two vitamins, whose presence in the body is of great value. These are Vitamin C and D. They both have a role to play in multiple functions of the body and any deficiency of these can result in various kinds of disorders and diseases. So let’s take a deeper look at what functions both these vitamins have in the body, and how you can ensure to have enough in your body, to improve and then maintain your overall health. Vitamin C and its Importance for our Body Vitamin C is one of the most essential vitamins for the body, which it cannot produce by itself. It has many different roles and functions and can help to keep the body healthy. It is found in various sources of food, and can also be consumed through supplements. Let us take a look at its functions in the body, its benefits for overall health, and which food items are a great source of it. What are the various Functions of Vitamin C? Vitamin C has multiple roles and functions in the human body, some of these include: Helps in the growth of skin, repair of tissues, and development of tendons, ligaments as well as blood vessels. Reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as heart diseases, since it has antioxidants that protect the cells from free radicals. Vitamin C has an antihistamine effect, which helps in reducing the duration of the common cold in the human body. It is a friend of the human Immune System. It is one of the best sources for boosting the immune system. It helps in its growth and makes it stronger, thereby protecting the body from various outside attacks. What are the Different Benefits of Vitamin C? Vitamin C is highly beneficial for the body. Some of the benefits of Vitamin C include: Helps in Fighting High Blood Pressure Various reports have suggested that taking adequate dosage of Vitamin C regularly helps people suffering with high blood pressure. Vitamin C works by relaxing the blood vessels which carry blood from the heart. As these vessels are relaxed, the blood flow is normalized. The pressure is reduced eventually, and the person feels much healthier. People consistently having high blood pressure issues should intake adequate levels of Vitamin C daily, and never allow it to be deficient. Helps in preventing the deficiency of Iron in the Body Iron is one of the most important nutrients for the human body. It helps in carrying oxygen through the body in blood. Besides, it is also one of the main sources for the production of red blood cells. Without iron, the body will struggle to perform these critical body functions Vitamin C ensures that iron gets perfectly absorbed in the body. It has been estimated that an intake of 100 mg of Vitamin C leads to an improvement in Iron absorption by a whopping 67%. Helps in Improving Memory Poor thinking, inability to retain things and losing memory are common problems, which tend to increase with age. Over 35 million people worldwide are affected by this problem. However, studies have found that having an adequate quantity of Vitamin C in your blood goes a long way in improving your memory. Oxidative stress along with brain, spine or nerve inflammation are some of the main reasons for memory loss. However, being a rich antioxidant itself, Vitamin C reduces the inflammation and helps improve your memory. Assists in Losing Body Weight Losing weight is a difficult process. From regular exercise to taking in a limited amount of calories through a balanced diet, it can start to take a toll sometimes. However, it has been discovered in recent research that Vitamin C is inversely related to the mass of the body. As such, individuals who intake an adequate amount of Vitamin C regularly, tend to oxidize 30% more fat during exercise. Hence, they get the additional push, which assists them a lot in losing weight, and makes the process a bit easier. Promotes Mental Health Mental Health is deemed to have a much more important role than physical health. Although people ignore mental health issues, awareness regarding this is increasing every day. A sound and relaxed mind help an individual to live a quality life. It has been recently found that people who have a high amount of Vitamin C in their bodies are the least likely to go through depression and fatigue. So, it can be concluded that Vitamin C helps keep your mind healthy, and thereby promotes mental health and leads you towards living a quality life. What are Some Sources of Vitamin C? Although it is one of the most important nutrients for the body, our bodies cannot produce Vitamin C on its own. Since it is important to intake at least 90mg of Vitamin C every day for men and 75 mg for women, to ensure sufficient value, let’s take a look at some of the major sources of Vitamin C. Variety of Foods Some of the most common food items which have a rich amount of Vitamin C in them include Sweet Potatoes, Citrus Fruits such as lemon and oranges, etc., broccoli, kiwi, red and green peppers, tomato, spinach, plums, cherries, strawberries, asparagus and cabbage amongst others. Other Sources Besides food, the only other way to get enough Vitamin C for your body is through supplements. Although your food items have enough quantity of Vitamin C and should be the preferred options. But in a rare case, you get deficient in Vitamin C levels, then you can intake supplementary vitamin pills to get back to normal levels. Vitamin D and its Importance for the Human Body Vitamin D is another essential nutrient for the human body, it plays a crucial role in various bodily functions. It helps and assists the body in multiple ways. We will now take a closer look and find out the functions it performs and the role it plays, its importance for our health and how we can ensure sufficient levels of Vitamin D are maintained in our bodies. What are the Different Functions of Vitamin D? Some of the critical functions performed by Vitamin D in our bodies include: It is one of the most vital vitamins for bones. It helps in absorbing calcium, which in turn helps in forming stronger bones, and reduces the risk of fractures. Plays a crucial role in strengthening muscles. Its byproduct (OH2)D enters the muscles and targets its nucleus. As such, muscle contraction and relaxation are eased, and with that it gains strength. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Due to this characteristic, it helps in regulating the function of the kidneys and can go a long way in helping to treat chronic kidney diseases. Vitamin D is important for keeping the lungs healthy and ensuring their proper functioning. Its anti-inflammatory properties assist the lungs. What are the Benefits of Vitamin D? Vitamin D is essential to the body because of the various benefits it provides to us. Some of these benefits include: Fights Diabetes Vitamin D, as per various observational studies, helps in increasing the sensitivity of insulin. Besides this, it also boosts the beta-cell function and reduces the inflammation. These all combine in keeping diabetes, especially Type-2 in check. Taking in an adequate amount of Vitamin D thus ensures easy insulin management for diabetes patients. Enhances Mood and benefits for the Nervous System Observations have shown that Vitamin D has a substantial effect on both the brain as well as the nervous system. Not only does it enhance mood, but it can also increase as well as improve the quality of sleep of an individual. Manages Blood Pressure Research conducted recently has yielded results that individuals suffering from high blood pressure issues observed significant improvement when Vitamin D levels were increased in their bodies. This was breakthrough research, as it confirms how Vitamin D helps in reducing renin concentration. Renin is an enzyme that is produced as a byproduct of kidney functions. It has a direct effect on blood vessels. When its concentration gets reduced by Vitamin D, the blood vessels relax, bringing the blood pressure down. Regulates Calcium and Phosphate Levels in the Body Besides helping in the absorption of calcium, Vitamin D also keeps a check and regulates the quantity of both calcium as well as phosphate. This allows your bones, teeth, and even muscles to stay strong and healthy, improving your overall health. If Vitamin D is deficient in the body, then it can lead to deformities of the bone, which is known as rickets in children. In adults, it can cause serious bone and teeth pain. The bone pain is termed as osteomalacia, which can be very hurtful. May Help in Treating Cancer It has been determined in various studies and researches that individuals who have high levels of Vitamin D in their bodies have less chance of developing cancerous tumors. Concrete proofs have been found in reducing the risk of bladder cancer and colorectal cancer by maintaining an adequate quantity of Vitamin D in the body. Though more research is needed on this topic, and multiple types of cancers. But the early signs are good and underline the importance of Vitamin D. What are Some Sources of Vitamin D? Vitamin D is referred to as Sunlight Vitamin. The human body needs a minimum of 600 IU of Vitamin D per day. The body itself cannot produce Vitamin D, and it is available in only a limited source of food. Let us discuss these sources, and find out how you can maintain adequate levels of vitamin D in your body. Direct Sunlight Sunlight has an adequate amount of Vitamin D for us. By getting under the sun, especially in the early morning, you can derive a good quantity of Vitamin D. The March to September sunlight is ideal, but this source becomes less ideal as sunlight reduces from October to February. Variety of Foods Vitamin D is found only in a handful of foods. These include oily fish such as sardines, herring, salmon or mackerel, red meat, egg yolks, and some dietary supplements such as fortified milk. Supplements Due to the less amount of sources for getting adequate quantities of Vitamin D, it is recommended that supplements are taken to avoid being deficient. Women and children might require supplements more. During autumn and winter, it becomes even more necessary to take Vitamin D supplements due to the lack of sunlight. Conclusion As we have seen above, both Vitamin C and Vitamin D have great importance in the human body. Not only do they protect us from various kinds of diseases and disorders but it also plays a crucial role in the core functioning of various organs and body parts.Taking these vitamins in an adequate quantity ensures overall good health, both physical as well as mental. You should take the necessary amounts of these vitamins through the sources discussed, and thereby keep yourself healthy. Besides this, you should also drink plenty of water if you want to maintain your health. You can try alkaline water since it gets absorbed easily. The best way to keep water alkalized for easier absorption is by storing it in a DYLN Water Bottle.
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Where to Start With Intermittent Fasting?
Staying fit and healthy is a top priority for the people of the modern world. The awareness about maintaining a healthy body has increased in the recent past. As such people tend to work out, eat right, and maintain the right body mass index. But the process is not as easy as it sounds. It is a daunting task and needs consistent and conscious efforts. Eating good food and maintaining a good diet is as important as working out in a gym or doing physical activities. Some people even revert to fasting to control their dietary intake and thereby stay fit and lose weight. One such type of fasting which is gaining popularity these days is intermittent fasting. It has become a health trend and many people are following it. It's considered a quick and effective way to lose body fat and improve metabolic health. Some people even claim that following this diet extends lifespan as well, though the certainty of this claim is yet to be scientifically established. But intermittent fasting is a complex process, and it is necessary to have complete knowledge about it before you decide to follow it. People generally have half knowledge and they tend to follow the trends blindly. We will discuss in detail the process of intermittent fasting, if it is right for you, how it works, and how you can follow it. Let’s read along and determine how to implement this in the best way possible. What is Intermittent Fasting? Intermittent Fasting refers to a general yet popular fasting process which includes alternating in a cyclical way between eating and then fasting. There are no stringent guidelines on what to eat, or what to avoid. It just includes patterns to follow in a day or a week and splitting eating times as per that. Some of the most common intermittent fasting methods include having 16-hour fasts every day, having 24-hour fasts for a couple of days, or even having fasts with restricted diets. Fasting has been done by humans for ages, and multiple studies have found it to be effectively good for the body if done in the right way. Intermittent fasting promotes the right kind of fasting, and that is why it is becoming a trend over the world. One thing to notice here is that although you cannot eat any food during the fasting period, it is completely alright to drink water, tea, or even coffee. You can even take supplements if they are calorie-free, as the main purpose during the fasting period is to avoid calorie intake of any kind. What are the types of Intermittent Fasting? There are several different types and methods which people generally follow for intermittent fasting. There are so many variations, and people invent their ideas regularly. But some of the most common, popular and followed iterations of intermittent fasting are: The 5:2 Diet Method This method segments the days of the week into 5 and 2. 5 days are non-fasting, wherein you can eat as you wish, while 2 days are for controlled fasting. In these 2 days, you can only consume a maximum of 500 to 600 calories. You have to keep a strict check on your diet and look out for calories in everything you consume. This is generally followed by office-goers who get weekdays off and hence can better manage their diets. The Eat-Stop-Eat Method This method promotes strict fasting for a period of 24 hours on any 1 to 2 days a week. As per this method, you can eat your meal in a day, but then start fasting from dinner onwards till the dinner time of the next day, so that the 24 hours gets covered. This is again a good method for those who cannot follow a fasting schedule or pattern every day. The 16:8 Method This is surely the most popular method since it is quite easy to follow. In this method, there are no rigid or strict patterns. As per this, you are required to maintain a fasting period of 16 hours, and then eat at regular intervals in the remaining 8 hours of the day. The most common way to follow this is to have your last meal of the day a bit early in the evening. After that you can sleep, and when you wake up, within a few hours your fasting period of 16 hours will be complete. Thereafter you can easily manage your day as eating will be allowed. What does Intermittent Fasting do to you? One pertinent question that comes to everyone’s mind when they undergo intermittent fasting is what exactly happens in your body when you start fasting. What are the changes that take place and if there is anything which can probably harm you as well? Many people generally follow Intermittent Fasting to lose weight. Although it does help in that aspect, it is not just restricted to that. Rather, it has a deep impact on your metabolism which further yields various changes and results in your body. Multiple things take place when you fast, which would otherwise not take place if you feed yourself consistently. The biggest change which happens is in the functioning of your cells, genes, and hormones. As soon as your body assesses low food levels, it initiates changes in cells and hormones to access the stored body fat. Due to this phenomenon, multiple other processes are initiated in the body. The insulin in your blood levels drops, which results in the burning of fat. The growth hormone increases by up to even 5 times, which again results in burning fat. Besides, the body starts cellular repairing processes to remove wastage while our genes go through changes to facilitate disease prevention. Fasting, especially for small durations also affects your metabolism rate. It has been found that short-term fasting can lead to an increase in the metabolism rate from 3.6% to a staggering 14%. This results in your body being able to burn more calories, eventually leading to weight loss. A study conducted in 2014 has even revealed that intermittent fasting can help you lose anywhere between 3-8% of your body weight in 3-24 weeks, if consistently followed. Will Intermittent Fasting work for you? Intermittent Fasting is a good way to reduce calorie intake and stimulate cellular, genetic as well as hormonal changes in your body. These changes are related to an increase in insulin levels and thereby faster burning of calories and thus weight loss. With all the scientific studies and data backing the claims about the benefits of intermittent fasting, there is no reason to believe that it will not work for you. It should work, even though it might take time. But with that being said, it is important to note that you have to strictly follow the fasting as well as avoid compensating by overeating during the non-fasting hours. One important factor to consider here is that Intermittent fasting is not for everyone. Vulnerable people such as children, diabetic people, and pregnant women should avoid this, as it will end up doing more harm than good. Also, people who have a consistent history of having eating disorders, or those who are anorexic and underweight should not try it and stay clear from any type of fasting. But for everyone else, this can prove to be a good way to lose some calories and maintain shape. If you are still unsure about it, you can first talk to a nutritionist or even try to see the impact on your body. Once you are completely sure about it, then you can consistently do it. Final Words For everyone interested in staying fit and healthy, maintaining perfect body shape, or reducing excess body fat, hopping on to Intermittent Fasting or commonly known as IF, might be a good idea. By following strict patterns and schedules of eating and fasting in such a way that it does not impact your daily work life, one can make significant progress in achieving their health goals. With grit, determination, and patience, you can surely adhere to the fasting plans and achieve desired results. Besides this, you can also drink alkaline water, which can be very useful during the fasting period. This type of water absorbs more quickly into the cells as they undergo changes during fasting, and helps in improving circulation as well as strengthening the immune system. You can keep the DYLN Bottle handy near you during fasting periods to get alkaline water whenever you want. Also, since the body goes through a lot of stress due to fasting, it is important to get enough sleep to stay fit and healthy. So, you should religiously adhere to the guidelines of Intermittent Fasting besides following conventional methods such as drinking water in abundance and taking proper rest and sleep. These healthy ways will help you stay fit, maintain your shape and avoid gaining body fat.
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How Whole Grains Benefit Gut Health
In this day and age, people are much more aware and inclined towards living a healthy life.The shift of focus towards fitness, health, and a good diet in the past decade has been immense. People all around are keen to have a healthy lifestyle, and as such indulge in a lot of physical activities and dietary habits to stay healthy. A healthy and fit body allows you to be more productive and improve the quality of your life. However, your overall health depends on many other factors as well. One such important factor which determines your overall health is your digestive health. It is considered that the gut is the best reflection of your body’s health. This is because the gut forms a communication channel with the brain, and forms the first line of defense in the body’s fight against any disease. So the better your gut performs, the healthier your body will feel. There are multiple things that you can try to improve your sensitive gut. Changing diet, adding prebiotics and probiotics, eating less junk and other similar things can help. But there’s one other easier and effective way that you should consider, which is Grains! What are Grains? The seeds of cereals are known as grains. These are usually dry, small, hard, and easily edible. They are the staple food in most countries and are considered to be one of the major sources of energy coming from food. Rice, corn, and wheat are some of the widely used staple grains. Grains are renowned to provide a lot of health benefits. They help in reducing cholesterol, reducing the risk of diabetes, and reducing high blood pressure. However, one of the major impacts they have on the human body is on digestive health. Let’s investigate further into the different types of grains. Types of Grain The cereal crop consists of multiple parts and layers. How these get processed determines the type of grain that you will get. Based on this, the grains are largely divided into: Whole Grains – These are the least processed grains. They consist of mainly 3 parts which are the bran (outer layer), the germ (the embryo of the plant containing the majority of nutrients, and the endosperm (the biggest part of the grain made of carbs and protein). Some examples are brown rice, oatmeal, whole-wheat flour, corn, etc. Refined Grains – These are highly processed, in which the bran and the germ are removed to improve texture and shelf life, and only the endosperm remains. These are termed to be very unhealthy since they are mostly made of carbs and have barely any nutrients. Some examples include white flour, white bread, and white rice. The refined grains taste much better but are harmful to the gut. The whole grain, on the other hand, is a boon for the gut and helps it in multiple ways. Let’s find out some more on how whole grains help the gut out. Grains and the Gut Various studies across the globe have established that eating whole grains has a good impact on your entire digestive system. But what do the grains do when inside our digestive system to make it much more healthy? Increases Microbiome The human body is made up of just 90% cells, and the rest are microbiomes, mostly bacteria. Before you freak out, you should know that not all bacterias are bad. Most of our gut is filled with good bacteria, which help in breaking down the food and ease the digestion process. These friendly bacteria even fight against the enemies, more known as the bad bacteria. So the more good bacteria you have, the better your digestive system works. Studies have given concrete results regarding eating whole grains that increase the amount and variety of good bacteria in your gut. Maintaining a diet consisting of barley, brown rice, buckwheat, and similar whole grain will thus improve your digestive health. Controls Weight As per a recently conducted research, it has been found that the whole grains lead towards a decrease in retention of calories by the body. Also, it increases the metabolic rate, which results in calorie loss. Losing more calories than you gain results in losing body fat and weight. Better metabolism keeps your digestive tract healthy and ensures a happy gut. In short, by changing to a diet with high whole-grain content, you promote a healthy lifestyle for yourself. Keeps Gut Lining Healthy The microbial lining produced by eating whole-grain diets further produces short-chain fatty acids. These short-chain fatty acids are renowned for being anti-inflammatory. These fight any inflammation that may form on the lining of the gut, thereby keeping it healthy. The immune system of the body also attains more strength and thereby you can have a fit and healthy digestive system, which will further keep your entire body fit and healthy. Recommended Diet We all eat a lot of grains in our daily diets. Rice, wheat, and corn are some of the most widely used grains across the globe. But most of us end up eating refined grains rather than whole-grains. This damages the gut further. Refined grains are full of carbs. The excess of carbs increases the calories and overall body weight. Also, it can lead to inflammation of the gut lining and difficulty in excreting the waste out. You should cut out on consuming refined grains, which include white bread, white flour, and white rice. Instead, you should try and include whole grains in your diet. Starting with the staple food, you can try brown bread, brown rice, and whole-wheat flour instead of the refined grains. These are unprocessed, and as such have an abundance of nutrients which can be a boon for your stomach. Besides these, you can also try some other whole grains. These include: Corn, which can be included with sweet corn salad. Popcorn, to be consumed as a daily snack. Oats, which can be consumed with milk, especially for breakfast. Quinoa, the South-American superfood which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and protein and can serve as a blessing for the gut. You can also try out some other whole-grains and try including them in your diet, such as Couscous, buckwheat, barley, flax seeds, freekeh, rye (whole), and farro. These can be combined with various food items as a snack or as breakfast. Consuming these is a guarantee to a healthy stomach and thus a healthy life. Conclusion The digestive system is the backbone of your body’s health. A stronger and well-working gut signifies a healthy and fit body. While a gut with issues, inflammations, and improper digestion is a sign of an unhealthy body with much deeper issues lingering around. Apart from this, remember to intake a good quantity of water every day to promote gut health. A hydrated gut breaks food faster and also aids in the elimination process. Besides, you can try drinking alkaline water which provides the best hydration. Try the DYLN Bottle to get alkaline antioxidant water anytime you want. Increasing the intake of whole grains and cutting down refined grains such as white bread, white rice, and white flour can be a boon to promote digestive health. The right amount of whole wheat along with regular exercise and physical activity can ensure healthy digestion and a disease-free and highly immune body.
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Home Workout Essentials
It is almost ironic that people drive through traffic to reach their gyms only to ride stationary bicycles. With that being said, you need to make sure that you have the necessary tools and equipment that will make your home work out a complete success.
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