Health Tip: Sweating to Detox, Relax and Repair

As you may know, sweating is a good way to burn calories and eliminate unwanted toxins. If you are injured, unable to move very well, or in recovery, it can be difficult to work up a good sweat.

In such a case, you do have options to help your body release toxins, including heavy metals, and environmental chemicals. Heated Saunas can also provide relaxation benefits, help you lose weight, provide increased circulation and purify your skin.

Sweating is a great way to naturally detox your body and eliminate toxins. While the heat is relaxing, will relieve and release tension, it can help balance your body’s level of cortisol, which is your body’s essential stress hormone.

If you suffer from muscle or joint aches and pains, a sauna can relieve the inflammation by increasing circulation and relaxing your muscles.

The heat provided by a sauna will cause your core temperature to increase, which will lead to an elevated heart rate — the same way your heart rate would rise when exercising. When the body works hard to bring your core temperature down, it will increase your heart rate, you will burn more calories, and the result will be weight loss.

As the heat from a sauna causes your core body temperature to rise, your circulation will rise along with it. Consistent infrared sauna sessions, especially in the middle-infrared level, can stimulate blood flow, improve muscle recovery, and decrease pain and inflammation after intense exercise.

This technology can purify your skin by removing toxins from your pores and increasing circulation, resulting in much better-looking skin.

source https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/health-tip-sweating-to-detox-relax-and-repair/

Top 3 Reasons to Use Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral and must be obtained through your diet.It is essential for good health and personal well being. Adequate magnesium levels are vital in all stages of life and in your every day life.

Magnesium Deficiency include tingling, numbness, cramping and small muscle twitching (experienced in the eyes). Be aware of these deficiency symptoms, and more importantly, increase your magnesium intake for your health today and for the long term.

1. Rest and Relaxation

For the best levels of rest and relaxation, sufficient levels of magnesium is required. Magnesium has a direct influence over the the nervous system, also known as our ‘rest and digest’ sub system. It is when this parasympathetic branch is most active that we are the most relaxed. If you are suffering from insomnia and other simple sleep issues, it could be due to a lack of enough magnesium in your body. Reduced or disrupted sleep can place extra pressure on the nervous system. This in turn may release the stress hormone cortisol. And this may make it even harder to get a good night’s sleep.

Evidence suggests low levels of magnesium is also associated with reduced levels of dopamine which assists relaxation, reduces anxieties and allows for what’s needed for optimal health.

2. Reducing Muscle Cramps

Whether it is growing pains, leg or menstrual cramps, Magnesium may help. Magnesium is a relaxing mineral that balances the contracting effects of calcium, which may prevent or even slow calcium’s movement through the body’s cells. Calcium has been known to activate the nerves and in turn, cause spasms. If you suffer from muscle spasms or cramping, you may want to look at reducing your calcium level and increase your magnesium increasing.

3. Endurance and Recovery

Magnesium is vital in producing Adenosine-Triphosphate (pronounced a·den·o·sine tri·phos·phate). When broken down it creates the energy used by muscles. The metabolically active tissues, like the heart, will have an increased need for magnesium as it regulates and monitors muscle contractions. If you exercise regularly you probably will benefit from using magnesium.

During exercise, your body uses the stored in higher amounts and is discharged in sweat. Increasing your magnesium levels will replenish the energy stores and aid the recovery process by repairing the muscles cells as well as relax the nervous system.

 

source https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/top-3-reasons-to-use-magnesium/

Health Tip: Lift the Brain Fog

Feeling clear, level-headed and productive is the goal. For most people, we want to be sharp and on-point for our jobs and daily living with limitless energy and joy. However, brain fog can steal our day or more with symptoms of anxiety and depression, indecisiveness, low energy, irritability, confusion, and trouble concentrating. Some of the simple ways to cover the basics and help the body ease back into balance to lift the fog include decreasing the sugar, hydrate, get enough vitamins and minerals and workout.

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Rebalance

Understandably, when you have brain fog, the thing you’re reaching for is something to make you feel better… most likely choices include sugar and caffeine. But there are aspects of that sugary treat that could make things worse.  Sure, that packaged food item may make you feel better initially but will only worsen things in the long run. Whatever is causing the brain fog is only worsened by greater inflammation and that processed food is full of things like artificial colors, flavors, and trans-fats. Help level blood sugars by including the obvious green leafy vegetables, as well as the rainbow-colored veggies, nuts, and seeds like chia, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts. Incorporate good healthy fats to sustain energy. If you need some carbs go for the sweet potatoes, yams, and good grains like quinoa that boost your serotonin levels.  Cover your bases by taking a vitamin and mineral supplement, your body may be in need of extras during this hard time.

Symptoms of food sensitivities include brain fog so to start somewhere, you may want to try avoiding gluten and dairy for a few days. If anything, this will help reduce the systemic inflammation.

Flush the System

Hydration is a sneaky monster that can slowly steal your day and cause brain fog.  You may be thinking that you drink enough water but you still feel thirsty. This is caused from multiple reasons. Hydration includes eating water-rich foods like broth-based soups, veggies, fruits, and mineral-rich foods that bring in the water with the food.  

Give the body a reason

Give the body a reason to utilize the food your eating, flush the toxins out and bring in the vitamins and minerals into the metabolic pathway.  Working out gets things moving…literately!  Your detoxifying system, the lymphatic system, doesn’t have a heart to pump it like your veins. Movement and contraction of the muscles moves lymph around which clears out the metabolic by-products and brings in new, fresh nutrients to the muscles.  After the muscles are worked, they are ready to receive nutrients on a different level… they become insulin sensitive thus utilizing the food right away. This movement helps the body bring things back into balance including hormones that may be causing the brain fog.

source https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/health-tip-lift-the-brain-fog/

Top 15 Tips That Get the Knots Out: Part 2

Rolling balls, foam rollers, PVC, tennis balls, and medicine balls remain a versatile choice for warming up, rehab and injury prevention. All have been used in the name of self myofascial release. However, consider giving this a try… the muscle roller stick. You’ll never look at a foam roller the same again.

15 Best Myofascial Releasing Reasons for using a Muscle Roller Stick

Professional athlete or weekend warrior, the muscle roller stick is great after running, weightlifting, Crossfit, MMA, WOD, Powerlifting and strength training. What ever your workout, you will get soreness and knots from your training.  Managing the soreness and those knots, lumps and aches can make the difference in getting everything out of your efforts and being able to train again the next day.

Myofascial release is a technique in which varying pressure is applied to muscles to help relax and heal muscles, improve muscle mobility and increase blood flow to the area. Pressure can be applied from another person like a massage therapist; however, they’re not always available and you’ll need something to be able to do it yourself.

Self-Myofascial release means you use anything to apply pressure to work the areas of soreness. Items like foam rollers, tennis or lacrosse balls, your thumbs or anything else can assist you in working out the knots. Without assistance, those knots and injured areas will create muscle imbalances over time. The body will try to heal itself in an attempt to compensate for the micro-injuries that occur with every training.   Add our daily habits of desk sitting, driving, lifting and TV watching and imbalances are exacerbated.

(Click here for Parts 1 to 8)

9. Choose your level
They come in various lengths and pressures. Some muscle roller sticks are fully adjustable and changeable.

10. Use Daily
Keep one close by so when you feel that tightness you can easily grab it. That way your Muscle roller sticks remains a go-to item for day-to-day light massage.

11. Give your thumbs a break
Dig into tight problem spots on your legs, arms, and back without wrecking your thumbs. Roll it out with some force, so you don’t have to use as much elbow grease to knead out sore muscles.

12. Don’t forget your Back
To hit knots in your back, wedge the stick between your body and a wall or the floor.

13. On the Go
If you’re going out for a hike or bike ride, throw it in your backpack for occasional quick sessions to relieve muscle aches and improve performance.

14. Work around the Knot
Muscle Sticks allow you to target your sore spots and work around them instead of directly on them. Working only the sore spots or injuries could lead to more damage to the area.

15. Improve Muscle Movement
Breaking down both fascia and adhesion’s are the main reasons to work the muscles. Adhesions lesson the movement of the muscle over time and can limit normal range of motion.

Get messages and see a physical therapist or myofascial release specialist regularly.  In between visits don’t lose ground by not being able to do it yourself. Get the benefits by using the muscle roller stick consistently by having one of your own.

source https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/top-15-tips-that-get-the-knots-out-part-2/

Health Tip: Incline Walk To Fat Burn

So you have decided to begin a new exercise program to get back in to shape.  Losing weight and burning fat is your top priority because over the last several years you have not done too much in the way of exercise to keep off those extra pounds and belly fat.

There are several effective ways to burn fat and lose those extra pounds.  Strength training is a great way to change the overall look of your physique, and building muscle will help you burn fat.  But one of the most effective ways to burn fat is walking on an incline trainer.  You can adjust the speed and incline to provide more exertion, do more work, burn calories and melt away unwanted fat.

Walking on an incline trainer can be much easier on your body as opposed to jogging.  Jogging can be painful on the knees and hips, especially when jogging on hard surfaces, and over time can cause painful joint problems.  In fact, people who jog regularly over the course of their lives, tend to have a higher percentage of knee and hip replacements.

One of my favorite reasons I love to work out on an incline trainer is the ability to adjust speeds and inclines, and vary the workout so I can put myself through a fat burning zone workout, as well as a good cardiovascular workout too.  It is because of this variety that I make an incline trainer my number one favorite piece of cardio equipment each day.  Some days I can work on fat burning to keep that belly fat off, and other days I can change it up to work on my cardiovascular conditioning.

So if I had to advise a client who is looking to purchase a piece of cardiovascular equipment with the most versatility to accomplish several goals, I would highly recommend an incline trainer.

 

 

source https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/health-tip-incline-walk-to-fat-burn/

Health Tip: Hot and Cold Weight Loss Tips That Work

Weight loss reaches well beyond your daily diet and workouts.  In fact, other areas of daily living are just as important on the success of your weight loss journey. Listed here are some quick tips to incorporate and make your new habit.

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Go jump in a lake (or just take a cold shower)

Plenty of research suggests that taking a cold shower can affect your fat loss and even the type of fat on your body. Brown adipose tissue (or BAT) is a metabolically active fat as opposed to the white fat that we store.  It would make sense to want to have more BAT on your body than white adipose tissue for a couple different reasons… One is because it is metabolically active and the other being that its a thermoregulator. To ease into this new habit, take your normal shower first and towards the end just turn down the hot water for the last few seconds. Your body will adapt to the cold and it will become easier to jump in for your cold shot. Besides improving your immune system and warding off depression, cold showers activate your brown fat.

To get the max benefits, make this a new beloved habit. At first, it may be rough tolerating the shock of cold water, but ease into it and find a way to challenge yourself to be ok with the uncomfortable-ness of it. Try to do it for 2 weeks straight and see how you do.

Heat it up

The benefits of a sauna are numerous from weight loss to better health and nothing feels better to loosen up joints, increase blood flow and get to sweating. There are many different types of saunas from whole-room to portable, wet or far infrared. The overall healing power of saunas with infrared comes from using both heat and light to increase circulation and vasodilation of the blood vessels. This speeds nitric oxide and healing oxygen to damaged tissue while removing toxins and lactic acid. Infrared light can penetrate the skin deeper so it detoxifies environmental toxins and heavy metals from the entire body and promotes weight loss by burning 600 calories per session.

Try using a sauna either at home with a portable unit or at your gym weekly. Some report using saunas up to 3 times per week for general health benefits and weight loss.  Make sure to take a shower immediately after your sauna session. The sweat contains toxins and you want to rinse it off before they are reabsorbed into the body again.

 

Heat it up

• dinner.

source https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/health-tip-hot-and-cold-weight-loss-tips-that-work/

Health Tip: Cut the Cravings

There are reasons we crave and it’s a natural defense mechanism designed for our survival. The body is naturally trying to tell us that we’re missing something… it could be diet, stress or emotionally related. Cravings tell the brain to keep craving until we get the missing item into the body. Here are some easy tips on interpreting the cravings without derailing your daily diet.

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Craving Sweets? Try drinking water first

It’s 3 pm and you catch yourself saying, “I need something sweet!” This common craving we interpret as a need for sweets; the kind of craving that drives us right up to the donut drive-thru may not be for sweets at all. In fact, more times than not it’s thirst. We mistake the signal because the body is designed for survival. Survival means sending out a signal for high-calorie food to ensure we can exist. Unfortunately, there’s only one signal left up to us to interpret.  Try drinking filtered water and wait an hour.  Most times people report feeling refreshed and revived, and it’s better than downing a sugary coffee. Survival also means craving water, minerals, and fat.

Check your mineral intake

Unfortunately, we can’t plug into a computer and diagnose when the check engine light comes on. Cravings are like the check engine light. One common reason we don’t always think about is an imbalance or depletion of minerals.  Whether you eat a standard American diet or eat clean, mineral depletion is common. Modern harvesting has stripped the grounds of the minerals we need. Also, we need the proper gut function to assimilate the minerals and absorb them properly. Calcium, Iron, Potassium, and Magnesium are the most common and can be supplemented fairly easily. Enjoy an Epsom salt bath or supplement nightly with effervescent powders or drops to get in your essential minerals.

Try adding healthy fats

Cravings can be persistent and pretty soon they start making decisions for us. If you constantly have cravings, you may not be getting enough fat in your diet.  Common complaints include brain fog, wired but tired, snappy mood or anxious. Try these easy places to start adding fat.

• Add a fat to your morning coffee. For example, try replacing high-sugar creamers for coconut oil, milk or butter, ghee, MCT Oil, or make bulletproof coffee. By starting off your day with fat; you’ll boost your fat metabolism and settle the brain right away.
• Use real butter. One reason is it gets you to eat more veggies because they taste good! Also, because we need the fat to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins and minerals we get from the veggies.  Make sure you are using real, grass-fed butter only.
• Combat that afternoon crash by having a teaspoon or two of nut butter.  Hint: Peanut butter isn’t a nut butter and a lot of people may be sensitive to it without knowing it…try using cashew, almond, sunflower or pumpkin seed, or blends. The afternoon fat will help you feel satiated and help you eat less at dinner.

source https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/health-tip-cut-the-cravings/

Health Tip: Roll Out Those Sore Muscles

Self-Myofascial Release is a stretching technique that has become very popular over the last few years.  It is a simple and very effective technique to provide you with feel-good results.

Rolling out sore muscles can reduce inflammation, muscle spasm, and soreness, as well as eliminate soft tissue adhesions which can cause muscles to become less pliable and cause imbalance.

Rolling your muscles as a warm-up and a cool-down should be an integral part of your daily workout routine.  As a warm up it will prepare your muscles by making them more pliable, reduce density, and easier to stretch.  As a cool down, it will help relax your muscles to help them recover, especially if they are sore.

When rolling, you should apply long slow rolling strokes to longer muscles such as the Quadriceps, Adductors, and Calves, and shorter strokes to the Glutes, TFL, and hip complex.  You are rolling to find trigger points or sore spots.  Once you land on a sore spot, apply constant, tolerable pressure to the affected area for around 30 seconds.  I find then a slow roll over the area afterward gives it an added sense of relief as a massage would.

The pressure applied and the intensity of the roll should be determined by the athlete themselves.  It all depends on age, level of athlete, or the tolerance to the discomfort of applying pressure to a sore spot.  This is the added benefit of using body weight pressure the athlete can control to comfortably reduce soreness and treat themselves during times of muscle preparation, soreness, or post activity.

In conclusion, any trainer or coach of athletes dealing with soreness should consider their athletes be introduced to self-myofascial release to better their health and performance.

 

source https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/health-tip-roll-out-those-sore-muscles/

Health Tip: Add fat to lose fat

If you’re having a hard time losing weight, it may be time to switch things around. By now you’ve probably heard of the high-fat diet or the Ketogenic diet. You may not want to go full Keto right away; however, just by adding fat slowly into your daily diet will allow you to experiment and become fat-adapted.

Adding fat has many health benefits.

Namely better mood, skin, gut health, brain health, better cellular reception, fired up metabolism, satiety, less wrinkles and a greater libido…just to name a few.   However, adding up to 60% of your total caloric intake in fat may cause havoc on your system.

Add fat to your morning to jump start fat burning.

Many people have had good luck adding a fat to their morning coffee. For example, try adding coconut oil, milk or coco butter, ghee, MCT Oil, or use the recipe for bulletproof coffee. By starting off your day with fat; you are boosting your fat metabolism right away.  Most likely the small amount of fat you add will get your system used to digesting it, especially if you’ve been following a lower fat diet.

Don’t like veggies?  Try adding butter.

Butter is useful for two reasons. One because it gets you to eat the veggies because they taste good and two because we need the fat to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins we get from the veggies.  Make sure you are using real, grass-fed butter only.

Use nut butter as a snack.

Need something to combat that afternoon crash?  Try keeping nut butter in your desk at work and having a teaspoon or two. Hint: Peanut butter is not a nut butter…try using cashew, almond, sunflower seed, or blends. The afternoon fat will help you feel satiated and help you eat less at dinner.

source https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/health-tip-add-fat-to-lose-fat/

Ketones Quick Tip:

The body will burn either glucose or ketones as its primary source of energy. Carbs, sugars, and starches will convert to glucose. During a low carb diet, the body will then burn ketones made from stored fat as its primary source of energy.

source https://www.healthy4lifeonline.com/ketones-quick-tip/