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richnursegroup · 5 years

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Why we should be more active and how do we live a more active lifestyle?

Today, although we live a very busy life with work, children and other responsibilities, our lifestyle has become more sedentary compared to our ancestors. It seems like a contradiction to associate both a busy and sedentary lifestyle but unfortunately, in combination with high consumption of calorie-dense foods to fuel our busy lifestyles, it has led to serious health concerns within ourselves and more importantly our children.

What are the benefits to being more active?

According to Dr. Troiano of the NIDDK, benefits of being active include:

- Reducing risks of developing cancer and heart diseases

Regular exercise will strengthen your heart and improves your circulation which will help lower risk of heart diseases such as high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and heart attack.

- Helps maintain our blood sugar and blood pressure at healthy levels to prevent development of type 2 diabetes and blood pressure disorders

Regular Exercise can lower blood sugar levels and optimize body’s utilization of insulin which will decrease your risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

- Improvements in mental health and sleep

During exercise, your body releases endorphins that improves your mood, lower stress levels and anxiety.

- Healthy bones, muscles and joints

Regular exercise helps children build strong bones, helps aging adults slow bone density loss while they age and promotes hypertrophy of muscles.

- Live a longer, healthier life

Exercising reduces risks of all forms of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes type II, etc. So naturally, you will live a longer and healthier life.

Benefits of Exercise. (2019, September 18). Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/benefitsofexercise.html

Staying Active at Any Size. (2016, July 1). Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/staying-active-at-any-size

~M.W.

How can we incorporate small lifestyle changes to become more active?

Staying active is important in keeping our bodies healthy and strong. Living a busy life, it’s not easy for many people to stay active. Many working people or even students sit in front of their computers or books all day without getting up for a walk unless they’re getting lunch or going home. Even after getting a lunch, they would eat at their desk and not move around. This can lead to obesity or other health issues. (Medlineplus, 2019)

- After a lunch meal, it’s good to take small walks around the block or even if it’s for a couple of minutes to stretch your limbs or walk off a heavy lunch.

- Instead of fighting to fit inside an elevator, take the stairs instead to incorporate minor activity and it’s also great for the environment!

Sometimes a stressful day at work or school can be relieved by taking a walk to clear your mind.

Source: Benefits of Exercise (September 2019) https://medlineplus.gov/benefitsofexercise.html

- K.W.

Getting the right amount of sleep can have tremendous effects of your health

All of us have complained about sleep at one point in time. If only we could get another hour or two, its always the same. It can be hard to find 7 to 9 hours in a day just for sleep, which is the recommendation by the National Sleep Foundation for young adults (18-25 years old) & adults (26-64 years old). Just one night of poor sleep can affect the body’s metabolism. A peptide named ghrelin is released from the stomach which stimulates appetite, feeling hungry and overeating. Continuous poor sleeping habits have the potential of leading to obesity and diabetes (type 2).

Helpful Tips in Getting More Sleep:

It’s impossible to go from a 4-hour sleep schedule into a full 7 - 9-hour sleep schedule overnight. One useful trick is

- Take it one day at a time. Adding small amounts to your sleep schedule: additional 15 minutes one night, then another 15 minutes the next. Eventually becomes 1 whole hour added.

~C.Y.

Source: How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need

How can maintaining an active lifestyle impact us psychologically?

Maintaining an active lifestyle and making time to incorporate physical activities and exercise can be challenging. However, once people begin to prioritize it, they begin to see how positive of an impact it can have psychologically.

- One of the areas of impact is a person’s mood. Exercise is referred to by many as a mood enhancer. Although the act of initiating exercise can be difficult, most people feel a positive change in their mood after only a few minutes of exercising. According to an article published by the American Psychological Association, written by Kristen Weir, exercise and depression are directly linked. In the article, it is stated that exercise can help cope with and treat long-term depression. Weir’s article also tells us that people with depression who begin to maintain an active lifestyle usually become less depressed than those who are not active. Exercising consistently over a long period of time can in many cases effectively treat depression and is comparable to the use of antidepressants in some cases. For people who may be suffering with depression, whether it’s mild or severe, implementing a consistent routine of daily activity can make a big difference, even if it is as small as a 15 minute jog.

~L.C.

Source: The Exercise Effect (Kristen Weir, December 2011). The American Psychological Association, Volume 42, No. 11. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/12/exercise

- Being active also reduces Anxiety.

Exercising is a proven way to de-stress and reduce Anxiety. According to the National Academy of sports medicine a 10 minute walk around the block can reduce people anxiety and stress levels; adding more focus, more alert, and overall better feeling. when you get up and get active your body chemicals change. you release “Endorphins” that are chemical neurotransmitters that communicate signals from one neuron to the next. Their analgesic qualities make you feel good and relax. Another study done by the Chicago Fire dept. showed that the more you turn exercise into a habit, the less anxiety and depression was reported. their study took 20 firefighters and EMT’S and had half workout and the other half not, the half that worked out felt more prepared and less anxious while the others didn’t sleep as well and had more anxiety issues.For anyone that works a stressful job, or a busy life; 10-15 minutes a day of exercise can make you feel a lot better!!

Exercise Examples:

- 10 Minute walk around your block.

- 2x a week of HIIT training 10-20 minutes each session

- 3x a week of 30 minute weight training.

- 5x a week of moderate to low intensity cardio training ( bike, walk, treadmill, rower, ETC) lasting 20-25 minutes

The Busy Mom's Workout Tips

In this blog I decided to write from my personal experience. As a full-time employee, full time nursing student and a mother of two little munchkins, I think it is extremely important to find time to exercise, even though it’s not easy at all. I’m on my feet at work, seating down at school and running around when I’m at home, one would think that’s way enough movement already. But, only by exercising (just couple of hours per week) I can still be up and running. I have some tips to share for a busy mom:

1) No need to go to gym (saves a lot of time), you can do tons of exercises at home too;

2) No special equipment needed (mat and yourself);

3) No need to arrange time (as soon as you have a minute- exercise!);

4) You can find any fitness routine on YouTube (FREE!);

5) “Before you think about the reasons not to be active today, just do it.”

Fitting fitness into a busy schedule is hard and exercise is often the first thing to get scratched from the calendar. But, with a little forethought and planning, it’s doable. When I’m strong on the outside, I feel like Wonder Woman on the inside.

Y.V.

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midlifewithavengeance · 5 years

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What Sleep is Like at Every Age: 20s, 30s, and 40s

The blog post What Sleep is Like at Every Age: 20s, 30s, and 40s was initially published to https://midlifewithavengeance.com

From our first days as newborns all the way to our old age, sleep changes throughout our lifetimes. Sleep is a dynamic process, one that affects (and is affected by) every other aspect of our lives and our biology. Bio rhythms shift, sleep architecture changes, hormone production rises and falls, all of which deeply affect how, whenand how wellwe rest. Throughout it all, the demands of daily life affect the amount—and the quality—of our nightly sleep.

There are some challenges to sleep that are perennial: inconsistent sleep routines, overconsumption of stimulants such as caffeine, over-exposure to artificial light—especially blue light. (I just wrote about blue light blocking glasses, how important they are and how to pick the right ones for you.)

But some important aspects of sleep change as we grow older—and those changes need to be met with new and different attention to sleeping well.

Wondering what sleep looks like at your age? Read on to find out the most common sleep challenges we face throughout every stage of life, and how to navigate them.

What sleep is like in your . . . 20s

Think back to your 20s, how the decade started and how it ended. A lot of us spent our early 20s up for almost anything, no matter what the hour—in fact, the later the better. (Party starts at 10 or 11? Great!) By late 20s, things probably felt different. For many of us, by the time we got close to 30, leaving a party before midnight suddenly seemed like a pretty decent idea.

We have a major bio rhythm change to thank for that. The most common sleep-related change that occurs during our first full decade of adulthood is this: a shift away from a strong preference for evenings over mornings.In adolescence, changes to bio time make nearly every one of us into Wolves—up and alert at night, struggling to function in the morning. That bio time shift happens with the onset of puberty and lasts until sometime in our mid-20s. When it does, those changing bio rhythms shift many people into another bio type—one you’ll likely have for most, if not all, of the rest of your adult life. Some people become early-rising Lions. Many settle in to the middle-of-the-road Bear bio type. Some smaller number of people will shift into a short-sleeping Dolphin bio type, that’s characterized more by their insomnia-like sleep habits than a distinct preference for mornings or evenings. And some of us (including me) will stay Wolves—continuing to prefer evenings to mornings, in perhaps slightly less pronounced ways.

Don’t know your bio type yet? Take my quiz: http://www.thepowerofwhenquiz.com/

These late nights are one big reason that sleep deprivation catches young adults in their 20s unprepared. Social jet lag—the difference between the social schedule you’re pressured to keep and both the amountand timing of your body’s sleep needs—is a big issue for young adults. Feeling healthy, resilient, and full of energy, it can be tempting to think you can skimp on sleep without consequences. It’s true that a typical 20-something has a lot of sleep-related biological advantages going for them. Hormones that enable healthy sleep—including estrogen, testosterone, and human growth hormone, among others—are naturally high. While deep sleep amounts are lower than during childhood and adolescence, they’re also still running high, compared to where they’ll be in a few decades. But there really is no free ride when it comes to the impact of sleep loss. An abundant and ever-growing body of research shows how deeply the effects sleep deprivation—including on cognitive function,mood and emotional regulation, appetite, metabolismand weight gain—affect children and young adults, with consequences that can extend long into adulthood.

In their 20s and throughout their pre-menopausal lives, women regularly experience sleep problems that directly relate to their menstrual cycle. Fluctuations of the hormones estrogen and progesterone shortly before and during menstruation cause difficulty sleeping, as well as headaches, cramping, anxiety, and low mood—all symptoms that can compound sleep problems. I see patients in their 20s experience insomnia and other sleep troubles linked to menstruation. Recent research from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that about a third of pre-menopausal women sleep an average of less than 7 hours a night, and roughly 17% have routine trouble falling sleep.

What to watch for:Irregular sleep routines, and not making enough time for sleep. Most people in their 20s have the discretionary time and freedom to get the sleep they need, but their social schedules don’t allow for it.

What sleep is like in your . . . 30s to mid-40s

So many life changes take place during these years—and all of them have a major impact on sleep and sleep cycles. New and more demanding jobs, marriages, buying homes and having children. Our bodies in our 30s and early 40s remain naturally poised to sleep well—but the demands of work and family often make that difficult.

At a biological level, there are a number of important things happening during these years. By the 30s, you’ve settled in to the adult bio type that you’re likely to keep for decades—and maybe for the rest of your life. That makes this period an ideal time to identify the sleep routine and sleep amounts that meet your individual needs—and to start doing all you can to set daily routines that allow you to meet those needs.

(If you’ve taken my quiz to determine your bio type, now use my bedtime calculatorto find your ideal sleep schedule.)

Some bio types have an easier time than others in meeting sleep needs in the real world. Lions (early to rise, early to bed) and Bears (who fall right in the middle of a morning-evening preference scale) are more naturally aligned with society’s daily clock than night-wired Wolves and restless-sleeping Dolphins. Social jet lag continues to be a big issue for most sleepers—and by our 30s and early 40s, some bio types are feeling its impact more than others.

To learn about how bio type affects sleep and nearly every part of your waking life, check out my book, The Power of When.

Changes to sleep architecture also continue, and it’s during these years people may begin to notice. As we age, our sleep cycles contain less deep, slow-wave sleep. We spend more time in the lighter stages of non-REM sleep. This is a gradual shift—research indicates that we lose deep sleep at a rate of about 2% a decade, up to age 60. In our 30s and early 40s, people often begin to experience restlessness in their sleep, find themselves waking more easily and often at night, and feel less refreshed in the morning. It’s a good time to take a look at the natural supplements that promote sound sleep—many of which also help reduce stress and sharpen cognitive performance during the day. Here are 10 of the most effective natural sleep aids.

In addition to the ongoing sleep challenges that come with menstruation, women who go through pregnancy are likely face sleep problems that include significant sleeplessness—even if they’ve been sound sleepers in their pre-pregnant lives. Nearly 4 in 5 pregnant women report experiencing new problems with sleep. Changes to the body and intensely shifting hormone levels lead to many pregnant women feeling sleepy during the day, and restless and uncomfortably awake throughout the night. Pregnant women are at significantly higher risk for developing sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome.

Men who might think they can skate through these years on too little sleep without consequences: think again. Men’s risks for sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, are higher than women’s risks at this age. And shortchanging sleep can directly hurt male fertility. There’s a growing body of research showing that poor sleep reduces sperm healthand makes it harder to conceive. For example, this 2017 study found that both too little sleep and too much sleep—as well as late bedtimes—were linked to reduced sperm counts and diminished sperm motility, as well as an increase of production of an antibody that targets and destroys healthy sperm.

What to watch for:De-prioritizing your sleep. Suddenly, demands from your time are coming from everywhere—kids, spouses, work, community. It’s common for both men and women to flag their own sleep needs as low importance. Think of your sleep for what it is: an investment in the health, success, and happiness of all you’re working to build.

Next week, I’ll talk about the changes that happen for sleep as we head into middle age and beyond.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD, DABSM

The Sleep Doctor

www.thesleepdoctor.com

The post What Sleep is Like at Every Age: 20s, 30s, and 40s appeared first on Your Guide to Better Sleep.

from Blog | Your Guide to Better Sleep http://thesleepdoctor.com/2019/07/30/what-sleep-is-like-at-every-age-20s-30s-and-40s/

from https://midlifewithavengeance.com/what-sleep-is-like-at-every-age-20s-30s-and-40s/

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anhvanthehighartist · 6 years

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Why Mothers Fail Themselves

Maintaining physical fitness health and wellness, means there has to be a balance in our lives. And for some people, particularly young mothers, finding that balance can be a challenge. Moms today are charged with many responsibilities that consume their time, caring for children and households. Add on top, running a business or heading to a job every day and finding that balance becomes even more difficult. When the clock runs out on the day, it is often the woman who has sacrificed time for herself.

Every health and wellness strategy starts with a balanced diet and ways to get a daily dose of exercise that doesn’t cost enormous amounts of time. We’ll leave nutrition for another column. As for making time for effective exercise, here are some bits of wisdom acquired over 24 years in the health and fitness industry.

An effective fitness program will be effective if it is planned, specific, and fresh. At Ufiit, that’s our specialty.Individual planning allows you to get the most out of your precious exercise time — well-deserved time spent on you. On average, my Ufiit clients spend between 30 minutes to an hour exercising. The Ufiit method is specific and unique to the needs of each individual and their body type.

All of your exercises are customized, sequenced and defined in video routines for you. If it is not easy, quick and convenient to exercise, a fitness program will fail. And at Ufiit, we park guilt at the door and provide a positive and supportive environment. When a client reaches out for help, we go all in to ensure their fitness journey is a success. Just about every woman I know is a master at time management and organizational skills. They can make planning meals, getting kids to school, keeping things running smoothly at work and home look easy. I know it’s not, but ensuring there is “me-time” in that schedule can go miles on the road to better physical fitness and mental health. Physical activity can make you feel mentally alert and full of energy.

Exercise is viewed as a natural antidepressant because it releases mood-enhancing endorphins and stimulates the production of serotonin. This neurotransmitter relieves pain and regulates appetite, sleep, sexual desire, digestion, anxiety and stress. An exercise program can be as simple as two 15-minute sessions a day. It should include activities that you can perform as part of your daily routine and it needs to be quick and easy to see real success. For example, you could walk for 15 minutes after lunch. Tаkе уоur kіds tо thе раrk or walk the dog.Іf уоu аrе аn еаrlу rіsеr, уоu соuld tаkе еаrlу morning runs or get your workout in as soon as you get out of bed. Just as there are many benefits to making exercise a regular part of your routine, there are consequences to ignoring exercise.

Exercise fights stress. Stress builds when you don’t exercise, as cortisol levels in the body increase. This increase in cortisol exposes the body to a number of health complications that affect blood pressure, blood sugar, anxiety, depression and fat accumulation. Sleep, or lack of it, can have a significant effect on your health, too. Sleep is vital to allowing your body to recover and rejuvenate from your busy day. Ideally you are getting 8-9 hours a night, but if that’s not the case, think whether there are opportunities to turn off screen time, take naps, or adjust your nutrition to aid sleep. Lack of sleep plays a huge role in reducing insulin sensitivity and levels of the hormone leptin.

These two actions severely affect the body’s metabolism and increase the tendency towards unnecessary fat storage. This can lead to obesity and other complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Here are some Ufiit strategies for health and fitness success:

(1) Create a personal health, fitness and wellness mantra with five or more words. For example, I want to be more flexible, mobile, balanced, toned, strong and I want great posture. Make your mantra about more than a weight-loss goal or a cosmetic fix. Make your fitness mantra a vision for your mental and physical wellness.

(2) Learn and understand your body type: Knowing this is like having a road map or GPS to guide your fitness journey. When you know your body type, you understand your body’s needs and how to achieve your goals. Knowing your body type will help us create custom exercise routines that are transformational. At Ufiit, we believe body type identification has been a big reason why we get awesome results. Once we help a client understand their body type, we create the unique and specific exercises for that person’s body. There is no one-size-fits all approach at Ufiit.

(3) Make time for you because it that is the only way you can better take care of others. I always talk about the aeroplane analogy. When we are about to take off on a flight the flight crew always tell us during their safety demonstration to put on our own oxygen mask on first before trying to help anyone else. ts a great principle to live by and it is not selfish but selfless.

(4) Be proactively positive: I ask clients to consider the positive parts that make their lives awesome. My clients know the value of positivity and focusing on that a lot more than worrying all the time about what they wished could be better. At Ufiit, we ask clients to make a daily list of 10 things they love about their lives.

(5) Don’t compare yourself to others: This is one of the most unfortunate and challenging things I encounter among clients, especially those with children. I have had people bring pictures of celebrities they would like certain parts of their body to look like. “Can you make my butt look like this?” I would say, “Probably not, but together, we can change your body to be its best.” We cannot be or look exactly like someone else. And why would you want to be a fake version of someone when you can be a unique version of you? You are already great and being the best versions of you is just the icing on the cake.

(6) Be supportive: People who spend time taking care of themselves build capacity to give more to others. Fit, active parents have more energy to go out to play with their children instead of sharing screen time on a couch. Exercise doesn’t cost family time, it creates it.

Most women especially those that are mothers are givers and nuturers who often forget that they are also individuals who also have needs, goals and dreams. Alot of you often ignore, subdue, sacrifice and forgo your own selves for your children, partners, families and friends. Thank you for doing this because Its a great thing that you do. Although it can be thankless sometimes remember that you are the glue that holds most things together.and there is alot of gratitude and goodwill that comes with it even when its not that obvious to you..

But I ask you to consider these suggestions everyday:

(A) Am I putting on my mask first today? Remember put on your mask first before trying to help someone else.

(B) Am I paying too much attention or giving too much importance to the noise and negativity?. Turn off the trolls and critics and resist the urge to criticize others.

See you on the Ufiit health and fitness train and thank you for being awesome.

source https://ufiit.com/why-mothers-fail-themselves/

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