All posts by R.C. Liley

I'm an ex-mutual fund accountant who left the cubicle world to be a stay-at-home dad to my beautiful little girl, Avery, who entered our life on 11/15/13 and handsome little boy, Wes, who joined our family on 11/19/17. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, as of 8/17/07. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the utmost importance in our family and we strive to reflect this in our daily life. I always prepare our meals at home and only go out if it's a special occasion, and even then I tend to not get much. Food should be fun and a joy to eat, not something quickly consumed from a fast food chain or scarf down before the next meeting. I have come from strictly logging high miles to train for the next marathon to keeping exercise varied and focusing more on strength. I still enjoy going for a run when I can, but nothing crazy, and I prefer hill sprints while pushing my daughter, Avery in the stroller. She loves it and I get a great workout! I want to show the world how to appreciate their body and feed it real, wholesome food while moving more throughout the day. In doing so, everyone would be healthier, happier, and we'd all live in a better place as a result. I blog mainly about my life as a stay-at-home dad and frequently include reviews, participate in campaigns, and share my thoughts on fitness and nutrition. If you ever have any questions or thoughts to share, please reach out as I'm always open to listening or helping others however possible. That is, when I have free time since Avery is and my wife are the number one priorities!
Going Healthy, Health, Life

The Tips To Look After Mental Health for Better Memory

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Memory is crucial for us. It could record the journey of our life, bring back the beautiful time that we share with the others, and help us learn new things. Could we imagine what life would be like if we could not remember things? There are plenty of factors that affect how well our memory works, especially mental health. For example, individuals who suffer from depression and anxiety will usually also endure poor memory. It is why people will sign themselves into places like the Honey Lake Clinic and similar facilities to get help on this, or other matters. This article discusses the tip to look after mental health for better memory.

Exercise Regularly

Physical activity could increase the blood circulation in our bodies as well as our brains. Thus, it could help our mental health and our memory stay sharp. Also, the studies showed that exercise could release chemicals in our brain that make us feel good. Besides, exercise regularly could boost our self-esteem and help us concentrate, sleep and feel better.

According to the Department of Health & Human Services, we should have aerobic activities, like taking a walk, 30 minutes a day, and five days a week. Also, there is a tool on the Department of Agriculture’s website, called SuperTracker, which provides a free physical activity tracker. We could take advantage of it to help us monitor our exercise.

Eat Healthily

A healthy diet is good for our mental health as it is good for our physical health. Our brain needs a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and functioning, as the other organs in our bodies. We should eat vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish, skinless poultry, eggs, nuts, and olive oil. Also, we should avoid packaged and processed foods. More importantly, we should limit the intake of red meat, sugar, and alcohol.

Sleep Well

People tend to overlook the importance of sleep. When we are sleeping, our brain gets cleansed and refreshed. Sleep plays a large role in helping us keep our mental health and consolidate the memories so that we could recall things down the road. Studies have shown that we should sleep 7-9 hours a day, and it is not considered a luxury but is essential for having a healthy life. Make sleep 7-9 hours a day as our priority of life.

Talk and Stay Connected With People

Some research shows that even 10 minutes of socializing a day could help our mental health as well as maintain our cognitive functions. We should talk to people and share our feelings with others. We could get involved in clubs, organizations, or religious communities. As a whole, positive social interaction could stimulate our brain, help our mental health and keep our memory to stay sharp. The studies showed that talking and connecting with people could protect us from depression, anxiety, and distress, which could have negative impacts on our cognitive functions.

Drink Wisely

We tend to drink alcohol when we are in a bad mood, trying to change for a better mood. Some of us even drink alcohol to deal with our loneliness or fear. Keep it in mind that the effect from alcohol is just short and temporary. When the alcohol wears off our bodies, the bad feeling gets worse due to the way that the alcohol has affected our brains and bodies to cause more negative feelings. Drinking alcohol is surely not a positive way to deal with our difficult feelings, and it is harmful to our mental health and cognitive functions.

Do Something We Are Good at

It makes sense that when we are doing an activity that we are good at and enjoy, it could make us feel like we are achieving something and boost our self-esteem. It stands to reason that enjoying ourselves helps beat stress and depression, and it keeps mental health for better memory. Think of what we love doing and what activity we can lose ourselves in. Concentrating on a hobby, such as gardening or music instrument, can help us forget our worries or loneliness for a little while and change our mood.

Parenting

Showing Your Support For A Loved One Who Is Trying To Be Healthier

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Whether it’s your partner, friends, or family, you want them to live strong and healthy lives. So, when someone that you care for tells you that they are ready to make positive health changes, you may find it hard not to bombard them with advice, however, telling them what they should eat, drink, and do make not be the best way for them to navigate their changes.

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Your support in helping them achieve their goals shouldn’t be underestimated, but it is definitely more than just advice and to do’s. Whether it is choosing to attend one of the American Addiction Centers or make changes with the amount of exercise they do, it is shown that people stick to healthier changes when they have a good support group.

How Can You Help? 

A great way to help, over recommending food they should eat, is to prepare some ready-made meals for them to try. You will find that they react more positively to something like this over being told what to eat, it offers them a chance to try something new. 

You could also ask them why they are making the changes, and what they want to achieve, this way you know what to expect and won’t get carried away or put them off when they are just starting their journey.

Rather than saying what they should and shouldn’t do, try showing them how to set and track goals that can achieve, and don’t make them all about a number on the scale. Although it can be hard to break the habit, health isn’t all about the number on the scale. Maybe ‘I want to be able to run 5k by the summer’ is a better goal than ‘I want to lose 10lbs’. 

Ask Them What Support They Need 

You may think that your friend wants to hear all the advice you have to offer, or every new recipe thrown their way, however, in reality, they just want someone to go on a cycle with or a walk around the block at lunch. 

Rather than jump to the conclusion that they need all your hints and tips, ask them what they need to help them get to where they need to be. And then listen to it. 

Offer To Help With Cooking Or Meal-Planning

It is far easier to make good, healthy choices when you can open your fridge and it is full of nutritious choices. However, planning your meals for a week requires some time and effort. One of the easiest ways to make sure you are ready for a healthier lifestyle is to meal prep so you can grab and go if you need to. It helps to prevent you from grabbing the wrong foods. Offering to help with the food planning, going shopping with them, or preparing some meals could be just what they need to get started and in the swing of things. 

These are just three of the ways you can offer your support to a loved one who is making healthier choices and changes. Do you have any other ways you can show your support? Please share them in the comments below.

Going Healthy, Lifestyle

5 Causes Of Bad Breath

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Got bad breath? There are lots of things that can cause our breath to stink. Here are five of the most common causes.

Lack or oral hygiene

Want to avoid bad breath? Don’t neglect your oral health. If you’re not brushing your teeth thoroughly, you can expect bacteria to build up in your mouth. This bacteria will cause your breath to smell. Eventually, poor dental hygiene could lead to tooth decay, which could result in even worse breath. This could lead to a whole host of other problems too.

A good dental health routine will keep your mouth clean. This involves brushing twice per day at morning and at night for two minutes at a time. Brush each tooth individually using small circular motions (or use an electric toothbrush). Flossing can also help to remove plaque between teeth.  

Smoking

Smoke regularly and your breath will stink of tobacco. You could also increase the risk of developing gum disease by smoking, which in turn can further contribute to bad breath.

Some people combat smoker’s breath by chewing gum or eating mints. However, this still won’t stop a smoking habit from damaging your gums and mouth. The best solution is to give up smoking. A replacement habit such as vaping could be a good start. 

Alcohol

A night after drinking, your breath could end up smelling of booze. Alcohol however can cause bad breath in other ways too – it reduces the production of saliva, causing the mouth to become dry. A lack of saliva can cause bacteria to build up, which in turn can lead to bad breath.

If you regularly drink heavily, you’re more likely to have bad breath. Drinking a lot of water is one way to combat the dehydrating properties of alcohol, possibly helping you to produce more saliva and preventing your breath from smelling. However, the most effective solution is cut down on your drinking.

Coffee

Drink a lot of coffee and you could experience ‘coffee breath’. The effect on our breath isn’t just a result of coffee’s strong smell – drinking a lot of coffee reduces saliva production. Like alcohol, this causes bacteria to breed in the mouth, leading to stinky breath.

If you’re a coffeeholic, consider cutting down your cups of coffee per day. Drinking more water throughout the day could also help to boost saliva production and combat coffee breath. 

A medical condition? 

Bad breath can sometimes be the result of a medical condition. Tooth decay and oral diseases are some of the biggest culprits, however other conditions affecting other parts of the body can also have a knock-on effect on our breath odor. Digestive issues, kidney issues, tonsillitis and diabetes can all result in unusual smelling breath. 

Most medical conditions will have other symptoms beyond bad breath – you may experience abdominal pain, fatigue or a sore throat. If this is the case, you should definitely see a doctor. A professional diagnosis will allow you to look into treatment options, which could help to rid you of your bad breath.