December 2020 - Page 3 of 3

The Benefits of Listening to Music While Working Out

The benefits of listening to music during work out are many and if you choose the right kind of music, it will certainly boost your fitness.

Most people love to pair up music while they exercise. But the surprising fact here is that there are scientific reasons why these two go well together. There are several benefits as to why you should listen to music while you exercise. But the one thing important is that music certainly makes exercise much more enjoyable. This, therefore, also motivates you to work harder.

Why Should You Listen To Music While Working Out?

To know about the benefits of listening to music during the workout, you can go through the discussion given below:

Distracts You

Some people love working out. They simply do it because they love doing it. On the other hand, if you are working out just to stay in shape and gain a bit of muscle, then the gym is not always considered to be a good place. If you turn on the music, then it will take your mind off the fact that you are in the gym. Thus, it will help you to make your workout interesting.

Motivates the Drive

For most of you, there will be a couple of songs that you love to hear when you are going for a night out. If you listen to your favorite music during a workout, you can work much harder.

Improves Your Mood

This is one of the best benefits of listening to music during work out. It has a very positive effect on the levels of happiness in our bodies. Music releases dopamine into the brain. It also releases the level of stress in the body. Dopamine is referred to as the “happiness” chemical. This is released when you are doing exercise and also at a time when you are listening to music. Thus, if you combine exercise with music, it will surely uplift your mood.

Helps in Getting into the Zone

If you are at a gym and have a lot of things in mind, focusing on the workouts can be quite tough. Music, on the other hand, helps you to block out the noises that are there around you. It also helps you to come out of your thoughts. This helps you to get into the zone and then invest in the activity that you are doing.

Helps you to Keep a Steady Pace

When you are in a gym, it will certainly be difficult to stay on time. You might be too fast or too slow on a treadmill and this might break your focus. If you listen to music, especially the bass or dance music, you will be able to keep a steady pace.

Keep Moving

Music and dance go together. You will simply have to turn on one of your favorite tracks. It will not be long before you start tapping your feet. You will thus be able to have a little wiggy and party at the same time. The get-up-and-go attitude can be transformed at the gym. This will help you to stay motivated and also engaged. This can also be counted as one of the most important benefits of listening to music during work out

Science Suggests a Better Result

Other than the benefits of music, there are also certain other scientific benefits of music. Listening to music also reduces the perception of effort. It also increases endurance by as much as 15%.

Lower that Anxiety

Many people simply avoid going to the gym because they tend to get anxious. But music is believed to have lowered the level of anxiety to a great extent. You simply need to plug in your headphones and get lost in it.

Motivates You

If you listen to music, it motivates you to a great extent. This is all the more true if you are choosing music that has motivational lyrics.

Losing Track of Time

Each of us is busy and every second counts. Running on the treadmill for an hour is certainly not a very enjoyable task. But when you are on a tread mill listening to music, that makes you feel as if time is running fast. This is all the more true if you are doing something that is not enjoyable.

Distraction-Free Training Zone

When you are exercising, turning off the world completely is certainly not a very easy task. People are chatting, machines are grinding and all other different sorts of noise are around you. For this reason, you might find it difficult to focus. At times, music is also played through the speakers in the gym. You might not like that music so much.

Therefore, it is a good idea to carry your pair of headsets. When you are working from home, then it is very much necessary to have minimal distractions. Similarly, you should also have minimal distractions when you are working out in a gym. For optimizing your workout you need to create your training bubble.

Help You to be Better

If you listen to a piece of up-tempo music proactively, it will promote the motor and the function areas of your brain. These are those areas of the brain that help in making your body move. They also help in keeping a proper rhythm. This is ideal for running.

Reducing the Heart Rate

Slow music is highly effective in reducing the heart rate. When you are planning to go to the gym and you have to go in next, you will have to relax. If you turn on something acoustic, it will certainly help you to relax your mind.

Stop Unnecessary Chatting

Some people go to the gym for chatting. The gym is indeed a great place to socialize. But the actual reason why you go to a gym is to exercise. So if you wear your headphones when you are in the gym, then you can focus on your exercise and not get distracted unnecessarily.

Reduces the Chances of Fatigue

Apart from meditation or yoga music, most of the other music helps you to stay awake. They also keep your mind engaged. When you are in the gym and working out for a long time, you are bound to feel tired. Therefore, you tend to get de-motivated and find it difficult to keep pushing forward. If you listen to music, it will be a great way to push through the barriers.

Summary

There is undoubtedly a large number of benefits of listening to music. These benefits can come together and provide you with the best workouts of your life. Experiment with some of the best workouts by clubbing it with yout favorite music pieces This will help you understand things that work for you and those that do not.

How to Stay Healthy and Fit as You Get Older

Staying fit and healthy as you grow old is important and therefore it is essential for you to follow certain guidelines.

We live in a performance-driven society that is constantly searching for eternal truth. So its essential to stay healthy and fit as you get older. Some people find it difficult to understand the effect that age has on the body. Your figure tends to change, more wrinkles start appearing and the color of the hair starts fading away. Apart from this, you might also notice other changes. These might include altered sleep, decreased energy, and the onset of some health problems.

You need to understand that health is an asset. It is an extremely precious gift that is taken for granted most of the time when we are young. As we age, we start realizing its value. We also realize how fragile our body is. Therefore, you should double your efforts to preserve your body. It is important to stay fit and healthy as you grow older.

Choose to Age Well

You need to understand ageing is inevitable. But you can smile through it all. If you take charge of your well being and health, you will be optimistic and confident. Certain factors are unavoidable. These include menopause and the process of ageing. But you can certainly adopt a healthy lifestyle. This will help you to live a better life. You will also perhaps live longer.

Staying Healthy and Fit as You Grow Older

In order to stay fit and healthy as you grow older, you will have to follow the steps below:

Need to Eat Whole Foods

You need to include loads of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and low-fat dairy. Make sure not to eat meat containing a higher amount of fat. Butter, sugar, salt, and packaged food should also not be included in your diet. Several studies show that the right diet can help you live longer. It protects you against heart diseases, Parkinson’s, cancer, and also Alzheimer’s.

Walking Regularly

You should aim for at least 30 minutes walk each day. If you feel that this is too difficult, then you can certainly break this up into shorter strolls. Exercising regularly, especially if you do it briskly when you feel breathless will provide you with huge health benefits. This also helps you to keep your brain cells active. This helps in delivering more oxygen and blood.

Researches show that if you do aerobic exercises then it will delay the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. This also helps in controlling the weight, boosting your mood, keeping the bones and muscles strong, and also helps you sleep better.

Adding Fiber

If you want to eat your way to better health, then you should eat foods that are rich in fibers. Replace white bread with whole grains. You can add the kidney beans to the soup. You can also add some slices of apples to your salad. Fiber keeps you filled for a longer period. It also cuts the levels of cholesterol and reduces the chances of heart diseases. This also reduces the chances of type 2 diabetes and colon cancer.

This also helps you to avoid constipation and this is more common in elder adults. After the age of 50 years, men should aim for at least 30 grams of fiber each day. Women should aim to consume at least 21 grams of fiber regularly.

Stop Smoking

Tobacco kills. This also harms every organ of the body. Chewing tobacco, cigarettes and other products containing nicotine increases your chances of heart diseases. Apart from this, it also increases the chances of cancer, gum diseases, and other health problems.

You can quit at any time. Your body will start healing within 20 minutes of the last cigarette you had. The chances of a heart attack go down immediately. The odds of heart diseases will drop by almost half. You will also live longer.

Try Tai Chi

This is a Chinese exercise that combines deep breathing with slow movements. This is similar to meditating as you move on. Tai Chi may also prevent older people from falling that might injure older people. It also helps in easing stress, improves balance, increases flexibility, strengthens the muscles, and also lessens arthritis pain.

Schedule Check-Ups and Try to Follow Them

You can schedule regular checkups with the dentist, doctor, and specialist health care experts. These will help you to identify health issues at a very early stage. You will also be able to treat them quite early, thus preventing them from bigger problems. If there is more than one chronic problem, then you will have to take multiple medicines.

Take Medicines as Directed

This is undoubtedly a no-brainer that you should take the prescribed medicines regularly. You should also review the medications regularly. If you take a lot of drugs, there is every possibility that you might forget the drugs that you are taking. Moreover, there are also higher chances of adverse drug reactions. Just as it is necessary for you to take the prescribed drugs, it is also necessary for you to review the drugs from time to time.

Limiting the Consumption of Alcohol

The US Health Department advises that the consumption of alcohol should be minimum. You should not take more than one drink a day. Recent studies show that the mortality risks associated with drinking alcohol have increased for people having more than two drinks a day.

Smoking Lowers the Risk of Cancer

If you are currently a smoker, then you might want to quit smoking urgently. People who have quit, smoking have lower cholesterol, heart rate, and also blood pressure. It also reduces the chances of cancer, diabetes and lung damages. You will also be able to get stronger bones and muscles and a better immune system.

Make Sure That You Take Adequate Rest

The National Sleep Foundation says that adults above the age of 65 years should sleep for at least seven to eight hours a day. As you age, you will find that your sleep schedule tends to change. You feel sleepy in the evening and have a propensity to wake up early in the morning. This is not unusual. It also does not pose any problems. The only thing is that you should get the recommended hours of sleep. If you are suffering from acute insomnia, you should speak to your doctor and get a proper solution for it.

Summary

It is important to stay fit and healthy as you grow older. But as you grow older, you need to take all the more care of yourself. You should exercise regularly and also follow a healthy diet. Also do not forget to follow the prescribed medicines.

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep?

Having a good night’s sleep is important. You should ensure that you get an undisturbed sleep for at least 7 to 8 hours a day.

Getting a good night’s sleep may be more important than we think. Sleep is a basic human need. Sleep helps to reboot the system. It is a vital part of good health and well-being. Sleep deficiency can lead to a myriad of physical and mental health problems. It can lead to bad decisions, accidents, injuries, loss of productivity, etc. You might have trouble learning, focusing, and reacting.

Understand What is Sleep

A good night’s sleep allows the body to repair itself. We usually go through three stages of non-REM sleep before entering REM sleep. This cycle usually takes anywhere between 1 hour to 2 hours after falling asleep.

This sleep cycle is repeated several times each night, depending on the length of your night’s rest. We usually dream during the REM phase of our sleep. The brain partially paralyzes the body during sleep to prevent us from acting out our dreams. It is time we realize that our ability to function during our waking hours depends on the quality and quantity of rest that we have taken the previous night.

Count Your Blessings

Studies have shown that an attitude of gratefulness significantly improves the quality of sleep and the quality of life. Make a note of matters worrying you. You should also make a list of the things you are grateful for before going to sleep. The idea is to count your blessings. Everyone has worries. Focusing on the positive aspects of your life will help you to feel thankful for whatever you have. It will help you focus on the resources life has given you.

It will also help to remind you of everything you have to look forward to in life. Research has shown that this short five-minute exercise focusing on gratitude helps a person to go through a profound paradigm shift towards positive behavior. This also helps to bring about positive outcomes to every situation.

Set Your Body Clock

Do you know that your body is equipped with an internal body clock? This internal body clock usually operates on a 24-hour cycle and is known as the circadian rhythm. This affects you when you sleep when you stay awake and perform all your bodily functions. Try to create a sleep schedule. This will ensure that you are awake at the same time every day. This practice over some time will make getting a good night’s sleep a part of your routine. Limit the variance to this routine as much as possible.

Avoid Sleeping in on Weekends

Staying up late and sleeping in late on weekends can disrupt your body’s internal clock. Schedule your weekend entertainment within your regular working hours. This will help the body to have a strong sleeping pattern.

Create a Restful Environment

Creating an environment conducive to getting a good night’s rest is very important. We are programmed to respond to a given environment. Do you recall feeling down and then walking into a gym where people are working out? You may have suddenly felt energized by the environment of the gym.

Create a room that’s ideal for sleeping. Focus on creating a quiet and peaceful sleeping environment in the bedroom. Switch off all light-emitting screens before bedtime. Consider using earplugs or soft soothing music to help you fall asleep.

Take a Bath Before Bedtime

Taking a bath before bedtime helps to relax the system. This is a simple but powerful addition to promote better sleep. Taking a hot bath before bed relaxes muscles and helps in getting a good night’s rest.

Include Meditation Sessions

Meditation rewires the brain. We recommend a five-minute gratitude session and a five-minute meditation session before your bedtime. Depression is the world’s fastest-growing disease. Stress, anxiety, worry, etc are growing amidst the COVID pandemic.

Meditation is so simple that it is often overlooked. Include a simple 5-minute meditation session before bedtime and you will be amazed by the results. Taking simple steps to reduce your stress levels and learning how to curb the worry habit can make it easier to get a good night’s rest. We suggest that you develop a bedtime ritual to prepare your mind for sleep.

No Stimulants Before Bedtime

Make it a point to avoid stimulants like Nicotine, caffeine, etc, before bedtime. The stimulating effects of nicotine, caffeine, etc. take hours to wear off and can disrupt a good night’s rest. Research has shown that the effect of caffeine can last up to eight hours. It is not advisable to drink hard liquor before bedtime.

Although alcohol might make you feel drowsy, it also dehydrates the body and can disrupt sleep later in the night. Eat a light meal. It is advisable to not go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Try including some slow-digesting carbohydrates in your meal before bedtime.

Avoid Napping or Limit Napping

Research has shown that napping during the day provides a boost in alertness and performance. However, ensure that you limit your daytime naps to no more than 20 minutes.

Ensure To Get the Necessary Exercise

Exercise has significant mental health benefits apart from the obvious physical health benefits. Exercise releases endorphins in the body which cause mood elevation. Research has shown that people who exercise at least three times per week sleep better at night and feel less sleepy during the day. Regular exercise also negates conditions such as insomnia, sleep apnea, etc.

It also significantly increases the amount of time you spend in the stage of deep, recuperative sleep during your sleep cycle. Exercise also helps you unwind. The more stimulation your brain receives during the day, the harder it can get for you to relax and unwind.

What if You Wake Up at Night?

Focus on staying calm and not getting stressed. Do a relaxing and non-stimulating activity like deep breathing or meditation. Research has shown that if you can lie down and stay immobile for 15 minutes, you will fall asleep.

Summary

Sleep is important for your physical and mental health. In case you have problems getting a good night’s rest, do not stress over your inability to fall asleep. This stress only encourages your body to stay awake. Practice the pointers given in this article and you will find that getting a good night’s rest is as easy as an apple pie.

10 Detoxifying Foods that Help in Rejuvenating Your Body

If you really want to stay fit and healthy, make sure that you cleanse your body by consuming some of the natural detoxifying foods.

There are harmful chemicals present in food and also the environment. Therefore, it is important that the body removes all these toxins and rejuvenates itself. For this, you need to detoxify your body regularly. Detoxification is the process that helps in changing the toxins into lesser harmful substances and then expelling them from the body. The best detoxifying food will help you to clean the body.

Understanding the Process of Detoxification

If you want to detoxify, the best way to do so is through detoxification. You will first have to remove all the foods that might interfere with the process of detoxification. These foods include fructose that is also found in soda and commercial fruit juices. Even simple sugar can become a very important contributor to some of the most chronic diseases. Fructose increases problems related to oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Both of these increasing obesity. So, make sure that you include detoxifying foods in your diet.

Natural cleansing might also mean avoiding certain trans fats and damaged fats. These are included as part of the ingredients of a lot of food even though it is written on the labels that it is low in fats. Scrambled eggs are the perfect example of damaged fats which has become oxidized. You will therefore have to skip them.

Food sensitivities can also result in weight loss and increase the number of toxins in the body. This also makes your gut much more permeable and thereby allows the toxins to enter the bloodstream. The most common sensitive foods are dairy, soy, gluten,corn, etc. If you want to detoxify the body, then eliminate these foods from your diet for at least 3 to 4 weeks.

10 Detoxifying Food that Rejuvenates your Body

To know about the best detoxifying food, you can go through the discussion below:

1. Lemon

There is citric acid present in lemon and this has certain detoxifying capabilities. This is a very important detoxifying food. This helps in protecting the liver functions. According to research, if you have one lemon each day and walk daily, your blood pressure will stay regulated. Lemon also helps in proper digestion and removes the symptoms of heartburn.

It lowers down the cholesterol levels in the body. Lemon also reduces the level of sugar and controls appetite. It also helps in cleansing the liver and the entire body. It is rich in Vitamin C and this helps in strengthening the immune system. This also helps the body to regenerate fast and further helps to rejuvenate and repair the skin.

2. Apples

Most people eat apples regularly but some of them are not aware of the detoxifying effect of apples. Apple contains a large amount of soluble fibre that is known as pectin. This helps in removing toxins like mercury and lead from the body. When you eat apples that are rich in pectin, it removes the harmful toxins from the bloodstream. Pectin also helps in reducing cholesterol.

3. Bananas

Bananas are very good for combating gas and water retention in the body. This is also one of the best detoxifying foods. If you feel uncomfortable and feel bloated, you can simply eat a banana. If you have a belly bloat issue, it will get reduced by 50% if you eat bananas twice daily as a pre-meal snack.

When you eat a banana, it increases bacterium. This helps in fighting against bloating. It will also provide the appropriate dose of potassium to your body. Potassium helps in reducing water retention.

4. Ginger

For centuries ginger has been used as an antioxidant and also as an inflammatory agent. You cannot omit ginger from the list of detoxifying foods. This is because it is one of the few rhizomes that top the detoxification list. Most of the detox cleansers and teas have ginger as the most important ingredient. When you consume ginger, it stimulates sweating, digestion, and circulation. There are three major detoxification avenues.

Ginger contains gingerol and shoga in very high amounts. This has an anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory effect on the gastrointestinal system. All these together help you to get rid of any toxins that are there in the body.

5. Leafy Green Vegetables

The leafy green vegetables including alfalfa leaf, parsley, spinach, kale, etc. also have detoxifying capabilities. These contain various materials like potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, and also vitamins B, C, E, and K. All of these are instrumental in facilitating the detoxification process. It is therefore considered to be one of the best detoxifying foods.

These leafy green vegetables also have anti-inflammatory properties. Apart from this, they also have anti-cancer and antiviral properties that help in boosting liver health. The important fact is that they contain lots of fiber. Therefore the body can digest them quite easily. This is also very good for the stomach. This contains a high amount of fiber in it that helps in regulating bowel movement. Thus, the toxins are expelled out of the body through stool or bile.

6. Turmeric

Turmeric has curcumin in it and this has anti-inflammatory effects on the liver. It also reduces bole blockage. This can also be used for medicinal purposes. This has nephroprotective, cardio-protective, and radio-protective properties. This is also considered to be an antioxidant and has digestive properties. If you eat turmeric alone, it might not benefit you to a great extent, because the body is not able to absorb it. But if you mix it with any other food, then the body will be able to absorb it.

7. Almonds

Almonds help in cleaning the fatty deposits in the liver. You can consider this as a detoxifying food. These are mostly caused by overeating, drinking, etc. that could result in liver cancer. Almonds are rich in vitamins and reduce the bad cholesterol in the body. Oats are rich in fiber content that helps in the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut.

Oats also have avenanthramide that has an anti-inflammatory compound that helps in preventing diabetes, obesity-related issues, and heart diseases.

8. Blackberries

Blackberries are rich in antioxidants and fiber. When you eat blackberries, butyrate is produced and this is a fatty acid that can reduce the fat that causes inflammation in the body. Blackberries also control hunger and help you to shed some extra kilos.

9. Kiwi

This is quite good for people who suffer from chronic constipation. This has a good amount of fiber content in it. It reduces the occurrences of irritable bowel syndrome. You can eat two kiwi fruits each day and continue this for a month. Constipation or IBS will reduce surely.

10. Garlic

Despite the strong odor, this is great for detoxification. This has antibacterial, antiviral, and antibiotic properties. This also contains allicin that helps in the production of white blood cells. It protects the body against all kinds of infections. To get the best results, you need to consume it raw. Adding crushed garlic to the dressing as a salad will certainly be a good idea.

Summary

If you want to stay fit and healthy, detoxification is important. So make sure that you have at least 2 to 3 of the aforementioned food. This will help you to detoxify your body regularly.