CBC News has been doing a lot of reporting about vaping over the past few years. Initially, that reporting reflected some of the hope that vaping might help with the smoking problem. But increasingly, it's been about alarm bells. We explore how we got to this point in our new series Vape Fail.
Since our bodies are unable to produce omega 3, it is essential for us to obtain them for our diet or supplements. Omega 3 is one of the highly essential fats required for the benefit of our body and mind. One of the most popular form of omega 3 is fish oil and is easily available in the market.
Omega 3 can be taken round the year; however, it offers special benefits in winter. It reduces inflammation in the body, which in turn reduces joint pain. It keeps the skin moist and reduces dryness.
Regular consumption of omega 3 supplement protects your eyes, reduces the risk of heart disease and keeps the liver healthy. Omega 3 is also known to reduce menstrual pain in women, improve mood and reduce anxiety. Recent studies have found its use in fighting depression.
The sun is a major source of vitamin D. The absorption of vitamin D highly depends on your skin colour. People with lighter skin colour, tend to absorb more vitamin D compared to people with darker skin and in winters, absorption of vitamin D reduces drastically, as most people spend time indoors due to the drop in temperatures.
Vitamin D boosts your immunity, is important for the maintenance of normal bone and muscle function, it helps reduce depression and improves energy.
Vitamin C is easy to obtain through diet. Citrus fruits like oranges, berries, pineapples and strawberries are a good source of vitamin C. If these fruits are not part of your diet, then you can easily get vitamin C chewable tablets available in the market.
Vitamin C keeps allergies and colds away during winter time. It is loaded with antioxidants and is a great immunity booster.
The human body is capable of producing vitamin A itself from beta-carotene. A good source of vitamin A are carrots, eggs, sweet potato, Spinach and tuna.
Vitamin A is not only good for your eyes but it also known to improve immunity, reduce the risk of infections and also is very helpful in preventing skin acne. It also supports a healthy immune system and bone health.
However, not your typical supplement, this oil provides a powerful dose of vitamin E. If you suffer from flaky, dry and itchy skin this oil can be highly beneficial in battling these conditions in winter.
You can mix it with your regular moisturizer to get soft and supple skin. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects your skin from free radical damage.
It reduces skin itching, minimises scars on your skin and also helps treat wrinkles and fine lines.
The post 5 must have supplements for winter appeared first on Health Total.
If struggling to sleep is a routine; your body’s natural repair mechanism needs attention. Like many others, if you chose to live in denial, you’re putting your health at a great risk! You might be surprised to learn that sleep is the latest factor to be associated with coronary heart disease. Sleep is essential for a healthy heart. People who don’t sleep enough are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease- regardless of their age, weight, smoking and exercise habits. Getting enough quality sleep is important if you want to lower these risks. Researchers understand that sleeping too little causes disruptions in underlying health conditions and biological processes like glucose metabolism, blood pressure, and inflammation. Sleep deprivation may lead to hypertension, increased sympathetic nervous system activity, increased heart rate, and vasoconstriction, causing cardiac overdrive. The same may be true for oversleeping.
During sleep our blood pressure tends to be lower. It is likely to rise if you are sleep deprived, putting an unhealthy pressure on the heart to work harder, often leading to heart ailments. Normal sleep ensures normal blood pressure levels. Sleep deprived individuals often display elevated levels of C-reactive proteins in the blood indicating a heightened state of inflammation in the body, which is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. They also tend to have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol which puts the body in a state of high alert and leads to weight gain and increased insulin levels, factors which stress the heart. Cortisol is also responsible for the overall puffy look we are familiar with when we haven’t slept well.
The amount of sleep necessary varies from person to person but generally, most people need 7-8 hours a day for optimum performance. Those who sleep for less than five hours per day, stand a 40% higher risk for coronary heart disease as lack of sleep narrows the coronary arteries which could precipitate a heart attack. Less sleep leads to irritability, impatience, an inability to concentrate and moodiness, which leaves us tired. Studies have found that short naps could help counter the harmful effects of sleep loss.
Tips to improve sleep: –
We are increasingly losing out on our sleep to the internet, television and other distractions of modern life. Alternative medicine has always emphasized on the importance of sleep in maintaining good health. Now we have scientific evidence that suggests how lack of sleep is connected to major illnesses.
(As published in Hindustan Times dated November 25, 2019)
ANJALI MUKERJEE, Nutritionist, Founder Director-Health Total, having health centres in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune.
Health Total treats obesity & other health related disorders.
Contact numbers: 1800 266 0607 / 022-672 66888
For further information, visit www.health-total.com
The post Can lack of sleep lead to heart disease appeared first on Health Total.
Need a Running Calendar to stay on track and incorporate strength training into your workout plan? Print out this FREE pdf Workout Calendar for Runners – December 2019. Use this Running Workout Calendar with your current training plan to run stronger this month! This calendar is for runners who are currently running 4 days a […]
The post Workout Calendar for Runners with Exercises and Tips – December 2019 appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.
Hi friends! So nice to see ya over the weekend. 
I hope you’re having a wonderful time with family and relaxing.
We’re officially into December and the craziest time of the year, so I figured that it would be a perfect opportunity to focus on mindfulness. I’m going to focus on being more present and centered this holiday season, and I’d love it if you’d join me! So welcome to the first December Mindfulness Challenge.
I didn’t want this challenge to feel like something overwhelming or something that you have to have to dread each day. In the end, I determined that three daily steps could make a huge difference and they’d be easy to check off within 20 minutes.. with multiple rewards for our sanity.
Meditation. There are numerous benefits of a daily meditation practice. It can make your brain YOUNGER, can improve sleep, focus, memory, boost fitness performance, and I find that I just feel like a happier human when it’s in my life. My tips for starting a meditation practice are here. If you’re a beginner, I highly recommend using the app Calm or Headspace. Calm is my personal favorite (<— not affiliated with the brand in any way) and I use it during the day and looooove the sleep stories or sleep meditations before bed. (You can have Matthew McConaughey read you a bedtime story. You’re welcome.)
Reading or writing. Here’s a succinct list of the benefits that writing can give you. I find that it’s a great stress reduction tool because it gives you the opportunity to dump all of the thoughts from your brain onto paper. For me, once these to-do list items and worries are written down, they don’t stress me out as much. I find that it’s helpful to set a timer and just write whatever comes to your mind. No one is going to read it and it can be total nonsense. But, it feels GREAT. If writing isn’t your thing, take this time to read something that you enjoy each day. It can be heavy nonfiction or pure romance fluff; just choose something that you genuinely want to read.
Ditching the phone dependence, especially in the morning and before bed. This is going to be the most difficult one for me, especially since I’m guilty of checking my phone as soon as I peel my eyes open in the morning. I squint at the bright screen with one eye closed, and immediately feel cortisol and adrenaline surge through my body as I check email, social, and affiliate dashboards. The worst part about this habit is that I can’t take any action until I drop the girls off at school and come back home, an hour and a half or two hours later. The only thing this achieves is stress. So for December, I’m not checking my phone until I’m back from drop-off and can actually respond to emails, put out fires, and be productive. As far as before bed goes, the blue light from our screens can inhibit melatonin production, which makes us sleep more soundly. This is why you might feel more wired at night after watching movies or being on your phone or laptop before bed. I’m going to ditch my phone at least an hour before bedtime, and if I watch TV, I’ll wear my blue light blocking glasses. I usually head up to bed 30 minutes before I actually want to crash out so I have time to read each night for a little while.
– 10 minutes of meditation, solo or through an app, like Calm or Headspace
– 10 minutes of reading or writing every day
– No phone until after awake for 1 hour, and no phone 1 hour before bed
Week 1: Yoga or meditation class
Week 2: One outdoor activity solo or with a friend. I feel like being outside in nature is so peaceful and healing, and also delivers a boost of Vitamin D, which can get depleted in the winter months. Plan some time to be outside this week!
Week 3: One night in for self care. This can be a Zeel massage at home, a face mask and a bubble bath, an early bedtime, a girly movie you’d otherwise never watch (YAY Netflix Christmas movies) or anything else you’d find restorative and enjoyable.
Week 4: One hour of planned “free time” – to read, walk, drink tea, stare at a wall in silence, get a massage; time that isn’t filled with work or chores. As a mom or someone with a busy schedule, I know this can be incredibly hard to find a spare hour. Dedicate time to make it happen for yourself!
Are you joining in the challenge? What’s something in your routine that you always look forward to? What’s something you think you can do to make this month less stressful?
Please tag me in your weekly pics and updates this month! @fitnessista #decembermindfulness
xo
Gina
The post December Mindfulness Challenge appeared first on The Fitnessista.
Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week takes place Dec. 1-6. Doris Peltier hopes the week will help erase stigma about Indigenous women living with HIV.
