For a lot of people, the hype of the holidays can bring a lot of excitement, joy, and lots of nostalgia. For others, the holiday season can bring up past trauma, estranged relationships, and feelings of loneliness. Even if that isn’t the case, the holidays are like an emotional rollercoaster. You go from intense levels of holiday activities to very low energy, which can seem like peace, but the emotional result is often depression.

What Are The Post-Holiday Blues?

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the holiday blues are characterized by feelings of anxiety and stress that stem from a variety of reasons. A 2015 survey found that about 64% of people reported that they experienced the post-holiday blues. Financial stress, an inability to make it home for the holidays, and the emotional whirlwind of emotions after the holidays finish can all cause bouts of depression. Plus, seasonal depression is more common than you think, with about 14% of American adults experiencing the winter blues. 

If you are dealing with feelings of stress or depression, please understand that you are not alone. There are many ways to manage your symptoms and get the help you need. The post-holiday blues can affect people who may or may not be dealing with depression already. The following signs are common indicators of post-holiday blues:

• Activities are more difficult than normal
• Difficulty getting out of bed or struggling to make food
• Feeling more tired than usual
• Having trouble concentrating
• Losing interest in things that used to bring you joy

Don’t let the post-holiday blues control your life. Take action and manage your mental health, working through your feelings to start anew. We hope that the following tips help you beat the post-holiday blues. 

Get Out Of The House

Cut the atmosphere of being in a house that doesn’t have any holiday activities or aromas by getting out of your home. Even on a gray or snowy day, step outside to raise your energy levels. If it is really cold where you are, make sure to bundle up so as not to freeze. You can combine your outing by meeting a friend at a local coffee shop. Consider chatting with the cashier at the grocery store, the mail carrier, or even the gas station attendant. Getting out of your house is a great way to interrupt the winter blues. 

Limit Your Alcohol Intake

Drinking and the holidays seem to be quite synonymous, especially during holiday celebrations. The intake of libations tends to continue long after the celebrations come to a close, though. Because alcohol is a depressant, it can only enhance feelings of sadness, especially if you are alone. Drinking to excess can affect your mood and amplify any negative feelings, even if you push them down deep. Avoid alcohol if you can and consider doing something productive, like taking down decorations, getting rid of old clothes, or volunteer at a local shelter to help out those in need.

Talk To Someone Verbally

It’s easy to send a text, direct message, or email, but it means so much more when you communicate verbally. Think about someone that you enjoy being around or care about and call that person on the phone. Rather than complaining about your mood, ask them how they are doing. What was the best part of their holiday weekend, or where did they have the most fun? If you feel that someone may not answer their phone, you can send a text saying that you want to chat for a few minutes. 

Reread Greeting Cards

Greeting cards, or holiday cards, are not as common as they used to be, but people still send them and they can bring a smile to your face. We aren’t going to lie: some greeting cards are bland and boring. For every few bad greeting cards, you get a great one that you hopefully save. When the holidays are over, bust out the greeting cards to reread them and figure out which ones are your favorites. Don’t ruminate in your depression when you can easily brighten your spirits by reading words from a friend, family member, or loved one. 

Slide Out Of The Holidays

If you are going to sit on the couch and watch TV or do another activity, make sure that it is not holiday-related. It may not seem likely, but you can easily go down the rabbit hole of what you just lost. Take care of your mental health by taking your mind off the holidays and directing your gaze toward the new year. There are many things to do to wrap up the year! Consider getting a head start on your health goals, or start cleaning to have a neat and tidy home for New Year’s Day.

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Who is setting goals to get healthy in the upcoming year? Weight loss and eating better are two of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, most likely because people eat all sorts of sweets and treats during the holiday season. They want to hit the reset button on their health and get healthy. What does “getting healthy” actually mean, though? 

We believe that getting healthy applies to everything related to physical, mental, and emotional health. Improving your health can mean eating more balanced meals, getting therapy, establishing a better sleep schedule, etc. Having the right tools ahead of time can help better prepare you to take on the challenge when the New Year arrives. That’s where the tips in this article come in. If your resolution applies to any of the following ones, we hope the information is helpful to you. 

If Your Resolution Is To Start Moving

As busy as people are during the holidays, it’s very common to slow down during this time in regards to fitness. Since a lot of people have the resolution to start moving in the new year, they decide to let their workout regimen slide. You don’t have to be a pro athlete to benefit from exercise, though. Physical activity is beneficial for everyone, even 10 to 15 minutes of movement per day. You can start with a short walk on your lunch break, or a 20-minute yoga session when you get up in the morning. Cultivating patience and consistency will set you up for long-lasting success. 

If Your Resolution Is To Improve Mental Health

Committing to improve your mental health is a noble goal, one that can take a lot of work and determination. How you go about improving your mental health depends on your situation and if you currently deal with a mental health disorder. Mental health coaching may benefit one person, while therapy is the right path for someone else. A good therapist, however, can help you learn how to deal with stress, heal after the loss of a loved one, or manage symptoms of depression or anxiety. There are so many avenues to seek therapy, so don’t be afraid to explore them all, including the apps!

If Your Resolution Is To Prioritize Relationships

Looking to make more time for your partner in 2025? It could be as simple as talking to them more often. According to several studies, couples who spend more time talking to each other have a higher rate of relationship satisfaction. You can engage in a “listening night,” during which you each take about 10 to 15 minutes to talk while the other person listens. It can sometimes be difficult to find time to talk and listen, especially if you have kids. Sometimes, you need a little outside support in the form of a couples therapy section. There are many options, so don’t be afraid to explore what’s out there. 

If Your Resolution Is To Cook More

A lot of people cannot justify going to the grocery store, spending money on food, and then taking the time to cook. Given that there are so many meal service kits and food delivery apps, it’s common for people to order food a couple times per day. Cooking at home has been associated with better diet quality, though. The first step to cooking more is to delete your food delivery app(s). Additionally, do not accompany your desire to cook more at home with a highly restrictive diet. Your plan should be to build sustainable, long-lasting habits by emphasizing what you enjoy. Make it a point to include colorful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, legumes, and whole grains in your diet to help nourish your body. Not only does this approach foster balance, but also consistency and satisfaction.

If Your Resolution Is To Grow Fresh Food

Gardening can have powerful effects on your mental health and overall mood. It can also provide a sense of purpose and is a relaxing hobby. Research shows that growing your own food can lead to an increase of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables in your diet. The increased availability and emotional attachment to the plants, plus a sense of pride and accomplishment are just a few of the reasons for this. If the weather permits, we encourage you to garden outdoors, as being in the sun and can increase vitamin D absorption and improve overall well-being. Digging and raking can also restore dexterity and strength, while also providing aerobic benefits. Essentially, growing your own food is one of the coolest things you can do as a resolution. The success comes in the form of deliciousness!

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The holidays are filled with love, joy, merriment, family, and lots and lots of food. Too often are holiday dishes rich, heavy, and filled with unhealthy fats and excess salt. The worst part is that these unhealthy dishes are not just at the big holiday gathering. Coffee shops, work parties, gatherings with friends, and other events during this time of year feature an assortment of fattening foods. They are incredibly delicious, which is why they are so hard to resist. 

At a certain point, though, your body lets you know that it’s time to lighten the load. After all, the body can only take so much! The feelings of fullness last beyond the big meal because people continue eating leftovers for days. This is perfectly common, and most people call the remaining days of the year a wash because their fitness or health goals start on January 1st. Don’t be that person because that attitude can propel poor eating habits into the New Year. You want to get a head start on your healthy eating!

It’s perfectly acceptable to abandon ship, veer from the norm, and start making recipes that are much easier on the body after the holidays. Learn the leftover lesson from previous years and get back on the path to better health before the New Year. To help encourage detoxification, though, you need to eat the right foods. The following recipes should aid your detox efforts after some serious holiday eating. Let us know which recipe is your favorite in the comments below.

Fat Flush Detox Green Smoothie

Promote healthy digestion and detoxification after any big meal when you drink this detox green smoothie. It’ll help flush away the toxins that you accumulated during the holidays. 

Click here to make the recipe. 

Homemade Lemon Ginger Turmeric Detox Tea

Skip the apple cider vinegar fire cider and start your day with this lemon ginger turmeric detox tea to activate the detox process and kickstart your immune system.

Click here to make the recipe.

Post-Holiday Detox Green Smoothie

Did you barely survive a long weekend of holiday eating? Jumpstart your health with this post-holiday detox green smoothie.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Alkalizing Green Detox Soup

If you had a long weekend or season of heavy eating, help detox the body with this alkalizing green soup with essential nutrients.

Click here to make the recipe.

Fat Flush Soup

Need a meal to help you get rid of those excess pounds from an indulgent weekend? What a coincidence, because this recipe does exactly that!

Click here to make the recipe. 

Kale Apple Carrot Salad

A super simple kale salad that is filled with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It’s a tasty way to help your family enjoy raw veggies!

Click here to make the recipe. 

Nori Wraps With Turmeric Cashew Cream

These vegetable nori wraps with a turmeric cashew cream are irresistibly delicious and boast tons of health benefits, too.

Click here to make the recipe.

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It’s that time of year again, when the holidays are in full swing and the end of the year is approaching. Before you get ahead of yourself, don’t start stressing about the new year. Enjoy the holidays, and then you can start to plan what you’ll do when January 1st approaches. 

A lot of people want to lose weight, eat better, and exercise regularly at the beginning of the year. Weight loss and diet resolutions always top the list, but seldom do people follow through with those goals. Gyms in January look a lot different than they do in March, specifically regarding crowds. The reason that many people give up on their resolutions is because the goals are too lofty, and there is no plan in place. To make “weight loss” your resolution is a nice idea, but there is no structure. Instead, it’s better to say, “I want to lose five pounds in January,” for example. 

The new year isn’t just about exercise and dieting, though. One of the best things to incorporate into your “new year new you” plan is self-care. One could argue that the new year is the perfect time to start fresh with self-care. Self-care is not just bubble baths and time spent reading in a nook. Those things fall into the self-care category, but there is a lot more you can do for your mental health. To prepare you for a successful January, we’ve outlined a list of self-care ideas you can do before the year ends. Let us know if you engage in them before the New Year!

Enjoy Those Holiday Treats

Yes, you should have your holiday cake, and eat it too! Be mindful about the treats you eat, focusing on thoroughly enjoying the couple that you looked forward to all year. You do not have to completely lose all self-control and abandon dietary restrictions, but you should allow yourself to enjoy the holidays without guilt. There is enough guilt to be had from family!

Get Your Home In Order

Holiday clutter is a real thing, and it only builds on any preexisting mess(es) you had in your home. There is no greater feeling than entering the new year with a clean and tidy home. Although cleaning can feel like a chore, it is actually a form of self-care. Even if the actual cleaning process is not enjoyable, the feeling of a clear space helps to boost your mood. That puts you in a great mental space to start the year off right.

Create A New Year Playlist

Listening to music is beneficial on so many levels. It can lift your spirits, amp you up, bring you down, and turn you inside out. Whether you need to pump yourself up or rest and recharge, music can benefit your situation. We recommend that you create a playlist of songs that get you pumped up and motivated to tackle your New Year’s resolutions.

Gratitude For The Year

It can be beneficial to reflect on the year and write down all the things you are grateful for. There is power in gratitude! Sure, there were most likely moments of negativity, stress, or other low points, but good things and highs also happened. Focus on being grateful and flood your mind with positivity. If this ends up being a practice that you enjoy, consider practicing daily gratitude, during which you write down a couple small things you are grateful for every day. 

Move For The Sake Of Movement

Exercise and self-care go hand in hand because you always tend to feel better when you move your body. You don’t have to push yourself to the point of throwing up; rather, a neighborhood walk, playing with your kids in the park, riding your bike, or jumping rope are all great forms of movement. Move your body because it deserves to move! Dance like nobody’s watching, as they say. Consider taking a new class, such as Zumba or Pilates. Find your groove and carry that motivation into the new year. 

Set Your Goals Or Make A Vision Board

This may not be useful for everyone, but it can be for those who love personal development. Spend a day mapping out your goals, hopes, and dreams before the start of the year. We do not recommend doing this once 2025 arrives. Planning out your goals can be very helpful to your future self. Additionally, nothing says self-care quite like planning out the goals you want to achieve or things to happen in the year to come.

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Dieting during the holidays…is it possible? You bet your life! People have this notion that the holiday season is reserved for overeating and drinking excessive amounts at functions, parties, and work events. Plus, letting loose is often a great way to relieve the inevitable holidays stress or pressure from family and friends. That does not mean that you have to succumb to the temptation of endless holiday treats. 

Most people hold emotional attachments to holiday-specific dishes or treats. It is very common to associate these foods with meaningful memories during the holidays. The holidays are well underway, and there is no time like the present to take action. It will be difficult, but we believe that you have the strength to conquer the holidays while adhering to your diet! The following tips may help you dodge the pressure to overindulge. 

Plan Ahead

This rule truly applies to many things in life, but preparation is essential if you want to avoid failure. If you feel that your surroundings influence you easily, make your surroundings more comfortable. In fact, studies suggest that planning ahead and creating a plan can double your chance of success. If you plan to attend a holiday party, bring a healthy appetizer or dish, in addition to a healthy dessert option. When you know you have healthy food options, you will be less likely to overindulge on unhealthy items. If you are going to travel, make sure to plan ahead by bringing healthy snacks. 

Fill Up On Vegetables

Holiday spreads tend to showcase an assortment of carbs, proteins, and high-calorie desserts. Try your best to load up your holiday plate with as many vegetables and fruits as you can. Not only are they naturally rich in various nutrients, but they are also much lower in calories than other dishes. That doesn’t always apply, especially if you eat green bean casserole and candied yams. When we say “veggies,” we mean fruit salads, leafy greens, carrot sticks, and other sautéed root vegetables. 

Prioritize Your Favorites

There are seasonal treats that everyone looks forward to during the holidays. Maybe your vice is a slice of pumpkin pie or grandma’s homemade cinnamon rolls. There is nothing wrong with a small indulgence, but the trick is choosing the things you truly want to enjoy. If you say “yes” to everything, you are not doing yourself, or your diet efforts, any favors. Use this time of year as an opportunity to prioritize what you love and be strategic about it. That is especially true if you line up at the holiday buffet!

Track Your Calories And Macros

This sounds like an unpleasant chore, but you should keep track of your food intake because treats and alcohol are aplenty this time of year. It is very easy to go overboard with food, but paying attention to how much you consume is the best way to hold yourself accountable. When you input the information into your calorie counter, the results may surprise you. Small indulgences, such as a peppermint mocha latte, can affect your weekly average. Track your daily intake and use weekly averages to help determine whether you are sticking to your diet or not. Don’t punish yourself if you go a little overboard; rather, do your best to get back on the horse and meet your daily goals starting the following day. 

Remember Your “Why”

Weight loss motivation is more powerful than you realize. Remembering why you started your diet in the first place may be all it takes to keep holiday eating in check. If you have a support system, lean on them because they may help you remember why you started your weight loss journey. Remembering your “why” doesn’t mean that you have to eat perfectly. It will, however, remind you to either exercise or balance your indulgence with some healthier options. Change is very difficult, especially in regards to eating habits, and you have to work constantly to maintain your diet. Don’t give up on yourself just because you encounter some obstacles. You are strong and can make the necessary changes to maintain your diet this holiday season.

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There is no shortage of different beverages in today’s world. From sports drinks and coffee to turmeric lattes and sugary sodas, you can drink a different beverage whenever you choose. Why didn’t we mention water right then? It may come as a surprise to you, but a lot of people dislike water. Some people even say that it tastes terrible. Well, water is life, people, and it benefits the body in so many ways, but so do various teas. 

While a lot of beverages are enjoyable to drink, they do not all contribute to hydration. That is particularly true for caffeinated beverages, which people consume a lot of. Drinking tea, however, is another story. Certain teas can help quench your thirst, promote hydration, and provide surprising health benefits. 

Water Intake Guidelines

The body requires adequate fluid intake in order for it to function optimally. Fluids help everything from cells to organs, lubricating joints, protecting tissues, and enhancing digestive function. How do you know how much water to drink to ensure proper hydration? You have probably heard of the eight by eight rule, which means that you drink eight eight-ounce glasses of water per day. This is somewhat of an outdated recommendation, as weight, age, and activity level influence your hydration needs. 

Hydration is a factor of total fluid intake, not just water intake. You can get water, electrolytes, and other fluids from soups, water-rich fruits and vegetables, and certain beverages. Health experts note that adults should aim to consume 91-125 fluid ounces of water per day. That equates to 2.7 to 3.7 liters, or about 11 to 16 cups. As a general rule of thumb, we encourage people to drink half their body weight in ounces of water per day to ensure proper hydration. If you weigh 150 pounds and divide that by two to get 75, you should drink 75 ounces of water per day.

Tea Vs. Water For Hydration 

The body needs water to survive, but you don’t always have to drink plain water to take advantage of its benefits. In fact, the Mayo Clinic notes that about 20% of your daily fluid intake should come from food. The remaining 80% can come from water or hot and cold teas. Black and green teas, however, contain caffeine, which is considered a diuretic. According to preliminary research, there is little difference between the hydration status of drinking black tea and drinking water. Those results came from a small study from March 2011, so more research is necessary. 

Other research suggests that caffeine does not become a diuretic until you consume 500 milligrams (mg) daily. Black and green teas typically contain between 30-50 mg of caffeine per eight ounces. That means that you would have to drink a lot of green and black tea in order to harm your hydration efforts. Coffee, on the other hand, usually contains 80-100 mg of caffeine per eight ounces. That means you can reach that 500-mg mark a lot quicker, which could impact your hydration.

Tea Benefits

You can get a few extra perks from drinking tea instead of just water to meet your hydration goals. The consumption of black and green tea has been linked to better heart health, including lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Certain teas can also help improve memory, reduce inflammation, contribute to weight loss, and contribute to longevity. There are so many herbal teas, from ginger and chamomile to peppermint and hibiscus, all of which offer different health benefits. Some work to soothe an upset stomach and sore throat, while others aim to reduce nausea and enhance immune function.

Be Careful About Your Sugar Intake

Although drinking tea can help you meet your hydration goals, you have to be mindful of how you prepare tea. Drinking water by itself means that you are safe from refined sugars, fats, and calories. What you add to your tea can affect your health, your overall hydration, and the tea’s health benefits. Added sugars can contribute to heart problems, obesity, and other health issues. Try to drink your tea without sweetener for a healthy beverage option. If you want to sweeten your tea, consider using a small amount of honey instead of white sugar, or stevia or raw agave nectar.

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How often do you notice products, such as bran cereal, that have big “heart-healthy” branding on the boxes? Some of that branding may include phrases like “helps lower cholesterol,” or something along those lines. The reason for that is because these cereals contain a certain amount of fiber per serving. Since eating more fiber is one of the best, science-backed ways to reduce cholesterol and improve heart health, eating that cereal must be healthy. Well, part of that explanation is correct. 

According to health experts, less than 5% of Americans consume the recommended daily intake (RDI) of fiber. Additionally, about 86 million American adults have borderline high cholesterol levels (total cholesterol over 200 mg/hdL). Generally speaking, the average adult should consume 25 to 38 grams of fiber per day. How can meeting those daily fiber goals help lower cholesterol? Continue reading to find out. 

How Does Fiber Lower Cholesterol?

Fiber is a complex carbohydrate that the body cannot digest. Because of that, fiber passes through the digestive tract without really being broken down. Although there are two types of fiber (soluble and insoluble), soluble fiber is the type that works to lower total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol. It does that by:

• Forming a gel-like substance in the intestinal tract that works to attract and trap cholesterol particles. That helps prevent those particles from being absorbed into the bloodstream. 
• Binding to bile acids in the intestines, which release bile acids to help digest fat. They also contain some cholesterol, so once they have completed digestive duties, the body usually reabsorbs them for later use. When fiber is present in the intestines, bile acids are excreted along with the cholesterol. At that point, the body uses less circulating cholesterol to make new bile acids, which ultimately decreases the amount of cholesterol in your blood.
• Gut bacteria feed on and ferment prebiotic soluble fibers. This fermentation process produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which decrease cholesterol synthesis in the liver, helping to lower cholesterol levels in the bloodstream.

How Much Fiber Do You Need To Eat?

As stated earlier, the general recommendation for fiber intake is 25 to 38 grams per day. Most adults hover around 16 grams per day, but focusing on fiber is not enough to reduce cholesterol. Health experts encourage increasing your intake of soluble fiber. Research indicates that regularly consuming soluble fiber can help reduce total and LDL cholesterol levels by 5-10%. Eating two to 10 grams of soluble fiber per day is what causes these significant decreases in cholesterol. Aiming for the higher end of that range will only benefit your heart health. 

Foods That Are Rich In Soluble Fiber

Most fibrous foods do not contain as much solute fiber as you think. High-fiber foods, including vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and seeds, contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. The following list breaks down the soluble fiber content of the various foods:

• Beans: One-half cup of cooked black beans, kidney beans, or lentils offers one to three grams of soluble fiber
• Oats: One cup of cooked oats contains one to two grams of soluble fiber
• Brussels sprouts: One-half cup of cooked Brussels sprouts contains two grams of soluble fiber
• Fruits: One medium orange, pear, or apple contains one to two grams of soluble fiber
• Barley: A little less than one-quarter cup of cooked barley contains two grams of soluble fiber

What About Supplements?

If you require targeted support for fiber intake, you may want to consider a fiber supplement. Guar beans, inulin, psyllium husk, and beta-glucans are all forms of soluble fiber in fiber supplements. All of these forms of fiber have proven to lower cholesterol in clinical studies. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis found that each five-gram intake of soluble fiber was able to reduce LDL cholesterol by 5.6%. 

Eating more soluble fiber is one of the best things you can do for your overall cholesterol. Try to consume 10 grams of soluble fiber every day for the best cholesterol-lowering results. Decreasing stubborn LDL cholesterol isn’t easy, but soluble fiber can help!

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It can be frustrating to arrive at the day’s end, only to feel like you did not accomplish anything. You may feel like there are not enough hours in the day or days in the week to complete all the tasks on your to-do list. Even though there is a lot to do, there are many distractions that can absorb your attention for hours. You may not even realize how quickly time passes when you engage with them! To help you regain focus and accomplish daily tasks, we put together a list of five hacks that can help you improve productivity. 

Set Your Goals

The first step is to set goals. Don’t set lofty goals, for example, to clean the entire house in two hours. Instead, set smaller, more attainable goals to tackle them more efficiently. To do that, though, you first have to think through your goals before you set them. Imagine that you want to get detailed directions to a destination. Do that for yourself, but with goals, in order to maximize your likelihood of success. Live by the SMART acronym: Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. If you follow the SMART method, you’ll be knocking down goals left and right!

Reassess Your Schedule

Does your current schedule match up with your goals? It is easy to get caught up in a certain pattern, but specific goals may require you to shake things up. Perhaps that looks like saying no, especially if you are a people pleaser. Problems tend to occur when you spend the majority of your time doing things that you didn’t originally plan on doing. That doesn’t leave time for the goals you want to achieve. Naturally, various obligations, opportunities, or exciting events pop up. Social media can make you feel like you’re missing out. If you say yes too often, you are usually missing out on the things that matter most in life: family, solo time, etc. Just remember that every yes means that you’re saying no to something else. 

Plan Ahead

The best way to set time aside for your most important tasks is to establish time blocks. Plan your day simply and effectively by saying that you will complete certain tasks in a specific window. That way, you can be more purposeful with the time you spend on these actions. Additionally, keep in mind that planning affords you the opportunity to set your priorities with intention. That can help you be more purposeful with your time and the goals you want to accomplish. Planning can also help you avoid distraction, especially when you begin with intent. 

Focus On Priorities

Distractions are commonplace nowadays. If you work on a computer, you can easily visit infinite websites that distract you from the task at hand. You can also get caught up in social media scrolling or games on your phone. These devices just suck you in and you lose track of time instantaneously. Remember the time blocks we mentioned in the previous paragraph? Well, having a specific amount of time to tackle a task can show you how easy it is to get distracted and how hard it is to stay focused. Don’t allow distractions to control your time. You have to fight distractions in order to do that, and that can be very difficult at first. You have the power to come up with ways to get around distractions and do the things you have to do in your time block. 

Stack Habits

Working towards your goals is easier when you have a schedule and when you work on your habits. Change your habits by way of stacking them, which is a simple productivity hack. Habit stacking, essentially, is taking a habit that you have and stacking a new habit you want with it. Starting a new habit is a little easier when you pair it alongside an existing one. If you want to drink more water, for example, drink a glass of water to your pre-existing habit of eating. Do you eat breakfast at 730 a.m. every morning? Add a glass of water to that meal and it will feel like killing two birds with one stone. Attaching a new habit to an existing one is much easier than beginning a new one by itself. In fact, it can be more distracting to set aside time for a brand new habit!

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Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury or illness. If something doesn’t belong in the body, such as toxins or germs, inflammation is the body’s way of healing. A fever, for example, is how you know that the inflammatory system is working correctly if you feel sick. That said, inflammation can harm you if it occurs in healthy tissues and sticks around for too long. 

What’s The Difference Between Acute And Chronic Inflammation?

There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is sudden and short-term, whereas chronic inflammation can go on for months, or even years. 

• Acute inflammation: The immune system’s response to injury or illness usually only lasts a few hours to a few days. Inflammatory cells travel to the site of injury (a cut on your leg) or infection to begin the healing process. A bacterial infection like strep throat will cause throat inflammation. Other bacterial or viral infections can cause inflammation in the small intestine. 
• Chronic inflammation: This happens when the body continues to send inflammatory cells when there is no danger. Rheumatoid arthritis, for example, occurs when inflammatory cells attack joint tissues. That leads to inflammation that comes and goes, damaging your joints over the years. 

Sometimes, you can exercise and eat the right foods, only to not feel 100%. Perhaps you feel bloated after a well-balanced meal or you cannot reach your exercise goals. Sometimes, chronic inflammation may result from emotional or mental factors. Anxiety, shame, stress, and trauma, can cause as much inflammation as ultra-processed foods! Continue reading to learn about causes of inflammation that people don’t talk about enough. 

Chronic Stress

If the body is in a constant state of fight-or-flight, it is impossible to relax, let alone reach your health goals. Think of the body like a cellular library, with your thoughts, words, or experiences filling up those cells. When you suffer emotionally, the body feels the full effects. For some reason, a lot of people feel shame about chronic stress. Maybe they cannot be fully present when needed because they snap quickly or become irritable too easily. That shame can affect your ability to stay healthy. Managing stress is not just a one-and-done thing; rather, you have to constantly work to keep stress levels in check. 

Your Social Networks

Social media is highly engaging and can trap you for hours. Unfortunately, all of these accounts are not necessarily great for your mental health. What you expose yourself to can impact the nervous system and inflammatory levels, which impact the endocrine and hormonal systems. One study monitored participants who used social media excessively. The results indicated higher levels of C-reactive protein, which indicates chronic inflammation. You can scroll, but consider vetting the people or things you follow. Try to edit accounts and keep the ones that make you feel great about yourself!

Anxiety About Your Health

One of the great things about living in this day and age is that you have a wealth of resources available to you. You can research and learn about almost anything with a few simple searches. That’s also a great way to become overwhelmed and anxious about your health. This happens all the time, so much so that people stress themselves out about conditions they may not even have! Research has a name for this: the “nocebo effect,” which is when you ruminate about a negative outcome that can actually lead to a negative outcome. It’s almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy! You basically worry yourself sick, even when there is nothing seriously wrong with you. Try not to fixate too much on numbers and health scores. 

Unresolved Trauma

It is very difficult to move forward with your health if you have unresolved trauma that you store in the body. Some estimates suggest that nearly 70% of adults in the United States have experienced trauma in one form or another at least once in their lifetime. You may downplay your trauma, not realizing what it does to the cells in your body. Negating the trauma you went through can affect your nervous system and inflammatory levels. Not all trauma comes from catastrophic events. Some trauma is very subtle, but allowing those emotions to accumulate in the body can impact your physical health over time.

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There are so many ways to obtain information about fitness these days. From fitness Instagram accounts to in-depth YouTube videos, there is no shortage of fitness-related content. You can read entire books about how to exercise to achieve your ideal body. The problem is that not every popular training style may bring you closer to your goals. 

Various exercise physiologists concur that certain exercises do not yield desired outcomes for certain clients. That is especially true if people do not do the exercises with the proper form. Although certain exercises may work multiple muscle groups, doing them improperly can increase the risk of injury, or work the wrong muscles groups. To learn about exercises that get in the way of your fitness goals, continue reading.

Bench Dips

If you cannot do full dips, you may consider bench dips as the stepping stone. In theory bench dips tone your triceps, but there is a drawback to this exercise. Many people who do them allow their shoulders to round forward during the exercise. Not only does that increase the risk of shoulder injury, but it also diminishes the effectiveness of the exercise. Get more bang for your buck by mastering push-ups first. Push-ups target your triceps and engage other upper-body muscles. 

Lunges With Bicep Curls

What this exercise entails is stepping into a lunge, doing a bicep curl, and then returning back to a standing position. This is a compound move that would be more effective if you simply separated the exercises. Adding bicep curls to your lunges can get your upper body involved, but they can limit your gains. Biceps are smaller muscles, so you can only curl a light weight while lunging. A better approach is to separate the exercises, performing lunges with heavier dumbbells and then curling with a heavier barbell or dumbbells.

Burpees

This is the exercise that everyone loves to hate. Burpees engage multiple muscle groups, but people do not usually execute them properly. Very few people actually do burpees with proper form, and doing them incorrectly can lead to injuries or general muscle pain. If you want to boost your cardiovascular and strength training, consider doing sets of well-executed squats and push-ups with no breaks in between. Or, you can engage in fully separate cardio sessions on days when you don’t weight train.

Weighted Side Bends

Trying to sculpt those obliques? Your obliques are primarily used to either aid or resist rotation. That makes the lateral movement of side bends less effective for strengthening them. If you want a more effective core workout that targets your oblique, consider a Pallof press, which can promote a stronger core. You can also engage in hip dips, side planks, Russian twists, and bicycles. 

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

How did HIIT make this list? This type of training is popular because it saves you time, effectively elevates your heart rate, and combines cardiovascular and strength training. If you cram everything into a single, short workout, though, you may limit the benefits of building total muscular strength. HIIT is not always suitable for beginners because it can lead to overuse injuries, or even cellular damage. 

When you combine strength and cardio exercises into one workout, there is a trade-off between the two. Cardio moves have different energy requirements that strength training moves. Strength training is anaerobic and demands short bursts of high-intensity effort, while cardio is aerobic and requires sustained, lower-intensity effort. Combining these two types of exercises can compromise their quality and effectiveness. That’s why it is better to focus solely on strength in a single session if you want to improve muscle growth.

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