Life Blog
Cutting-edge information and tips for creating health in all areas of life – wellness, nutrition, fitness, attitude, and relationships
June 27, 2024
Is Stress Affecting Your Weight? How to Manage Your Mindset for Weight Loss
Globally, health experts agree that incidences of stress and obesity are rising. In the US, recent studies show that up to 1 in 5 adults often or always feel lonely, anxious, or depressed. Similarly, obesity is growing rampant, with two-thirds of all adults in the US qualifying as such. As it happens, the fact that these two issues are on the rise at the same time is no coincidence. Health experts have found that excess weight and heightened stress levels perpetuate a toxic cycle, where one encourages the development and progression of the other. This is concerning since the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that obesity-related complications are responsible for nearly three million deaths from around the world every year. With this in mind, it’s important to understand how stress and weight are connected and how to cultivate a positive weight-loss mindset. Where weight and stress meet Although stress is primarily mental and weight is physical, they are undeniably linked, where one’s symptoms manifest in the other. To start, when the body is stressed, it causes hormonal changes. Chief among these fluctuating hormones is cortisol, which regulates the body’s fight-or-flight mode. During this period, the metabolism naturally slows. High cortisol levels also cause slower production of the hormone leptin, which controls feelings of satiety and hunger. Without enough of this, appetites can increase and lead to weight gain. Stress can also demotivate a person from pursuing weight management methods like diet and exercise. Meanwhile, eating is a self-coping method for…
Your Brain May be Lying to You and Stealing Your Joy!
Your brain is a powerful machine that can convince you of pretty much anything, including things that aren’t true! It can take a particularly rough morning and turn it into “I have the worst luck in the world!” or a slightly strange look from a stranger becomes “he /she doesn’t like me” or a myriad…
Learn MoreHow To Order Healthy Takeout Meals
One of the biggest hurdles to eating healthier is that it often requires planning and a trip to the grocery store and meal preparation. It’s one of the reasons why 1 in 3 adults in the US eats takeout (pre-COVID-19). Most people prefer home-cooked food to restaurant food, but that’s not always an option. Sometimes,…
Learn MoreSelf-shelter Indoors Without Going Crazy During COVID-19
If you want to see what you’re made of and how much you can take, self-shelter in close quarters with friends or loved ones for a few days or a month. Oh wait, that’s what you’re doing now, so…how’s it going? Staying indoors for days on end makes you restless and irritable, especially if you’re…
Learn MoreBeing Hopeful & Heroic During COVID-19
People are afraid. How can they not be? Images of cities turned into ghost towns, fatigued hospitals, medical tents popping up across the country, and grim projections that more than 100,000 people in the United States might die from COVID-19, perhaps 200,000. People are out of work; paychecks have stopped. Businesses have shuttered; the hopes…
Learn MoreAre Naps Really Good For Your Health?
Many people around the world love a good nap. In fact, siestas are an integral part of some cultures. A quick nap boosts productivity and performance, according to some research. But, other studies (perhaps controversial) indicate a connection between napping and mortality. Napping during the day increases the risk of premature death by up to a third!…
Learn MoreHow To Protect Yourself From The Coronavirus
The World Health Organization announced on March 11, 2020, that the Corona Virus (COVID-19) is a pandemic. Although we watched COVID-19 shut down China, Italy, Germany, Spain, with more countries being added to the list daily, it’s real now because it’s on our doorstep, not thousands of miles away. So let’s talk about how you…
Learn MoreKeep Your Kids Healthy & Germ-Free at School
Schools and child care centers are teeming with germs and contagious illnesses. Common infections like the flu, colds, stomach bugs, ear infections, and pink eye spread like wildfire. Most parents wish they could do more to protect their children. Even worse, kids bring these illnesses home and infect their siblings, parents, and other family members,…
Learn MoreTired of Salads and Smoothies? Try This Instead
Healthy foods have an image problem. In most people’s minds, the word ‘healthy” is synonymous with blandness, boring! It’s no surprise that many people only eat healthy food when they’re on a diet. They eat unhealthy foods most of the time and only have a salad or chug a green smoothie every once in a…
Learn MoreSpeech and Language Problems: When Words Come Out Wrong
Speech is the main way we communicate with others. It develops naturally and requires the coordination of multiple body parts, including the brain, mouth, jaw, chest, neck, and abdomen (and you thought saying “What’s up?” was easy). Many people deal with language disorders, making it challenging to communicate with others. Sometimes, a person knows what…
Learn MoreIs It A Cold or Pneumonia?
Most of us only know about one type of pneumonia — the one that hospitalizes about 1 million people every year. However, there’s another kind called walking pneumonia, whose symptoms are very similar to the common cold or flu. About two million people in the US catch walking pneumonia every year. Most think it’s a…
Learn MoreHow to Disclose a Difficult Diagnosis to Your Loved Ones
Having a serious illness like cancer, heart disease, or ALS can be very lonely, and no one should try to bear it alone. First, it isn’t practical to hide something that serious from friends and family without them noticing that something is troubling you. Second, acting like everything is okay when it’s not, requires energy…
Learn MoreGet a Better Workout in Less Time
Some people really love working out, but most want to get their workout done as fast as possible. They’re always looking for the ultimate bang-for-your-buck workouts that get them the best results in the shortest time! Compound exercises are the easiest way to take your workout from good to great without spending more time in…
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