Category Archives: Going Healthy

Getting Older And Keeping Fit: What You Need To Do Differently

10/20/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

getting older, keep fit, aging, healthy, exercise, fitness — *Image by Michael de Groot from Pixabay*

There is no getting away from the fact that we are all ageing, there’s no way of reversing it, delaying it or stopping it. We get older each day, and our bodies get more tired, and everyday tasks become more of a challenge as we don’t have the same energy that we used to. We all know how important it is to exercise and this doesn’t change as you get older, in fact, it’s probably more important than ever to make sure your body performs as well as it possibly can. You might need to invest in new equipment such as compression socks from https://legioncompressionsocks.com/ or treat yourself to more massages or time in the jacuzzi afterwards and while exercising as you get older doesn’t require you to train much differently to how you would when you were younger, there are some factors to consider in order to make sure you get the most out of your training and stay injury-free as you get older.

Recovery Is Key

As we get older, our bodies don’t recover from intense exercise like they used to. Recovery time will vary for each person, but if you find you’re always feeling sore and low on energy, you may find that you need a longer recovery time between exercise sessions. You might also need to be more respectful of the recovery process, make sure you get enough sleep, you’re well-hydrated and have a nutritious diet as this will aid in the regeneration and recovery process.

Strength Training Is More Important Than Ever

As you get older, your muscle mass and bone density decline, so because of this weight training becomes vital. Increasing your muscle mass and strength will also improve your posture and balance, and will reduce the chances of getting injured. Also, having more muscle mass will mean you have a higher basal metabolic rate (BMR), so in terms of your body composition, you will experience changes with more lean tissue and lower body fat.

Longer Warm-Ups

Ageing unfortunately often means stiffer joints which means that you can’t get away with getting stuck straight into the workout ‘cold’. You’ll likely need a longer warm-up with more mobility at the start of the workout in order to ensure your body is ready to exercise and prevent injury. More stretching and mobility sessions outside of your regular exercise sessions will also be beneficial.

Look After Your Muscles

Muscle pain and spasms after a strenuous workout are no joke and therefore need to be checked out by a professional. For example, when you work out, your muscles contract and lengthen in different ways than they usually do with regular use. Because of this, they can get injured or fatigued more easily. Everybody experiences neck pain from time to time, especially if you are getting older. It’s a normal part of life that happens when you overexert yourself during a workout or sleep in an awkward position. Although neck pain can be incredibly annoying and painful, and it’s usually nothing to worry about, you should get it checked out by a neck pain doctor should you experience chronic or severe neck pain that doesn’t go away on its own. Most neck pain problems can be fixed with a quick adjustment by a professional or by stretching the muscles out yourself at home after consulting with a doctor.

Good Technique Is VitalGone are the days when you can get away with dodgy squats and questionable reps. The quality of your movement is paramount if you want to keep your body injury and pain-free. If you’re not nailing your technique without weight, then don’t put yourself in a comprising position where you can load the spine. However, if you have been lifting for years, and your body is robust, then go ahead and load the bar. If you’re unsure of your technique or something doesn’t feel right then make sure you speak to a professional and get them to check your technique.

Going Healthy, Health, Life, Parenting

Older And Bolder: Coping With Ailing Health While Still Being A Good Parent

10/11/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

health, parenting, aging, getting old, anxiety, healthy — Image – CC0 Licence

Being a dad is all about the physical, mental, and emotional. Whether it’s through the great experiences you have with your children, the challenges you suffer, as well as the good and bad times, it’s the biggest learning curve that you will ever undergo in your lives. As we get older we can find that it becomes more difficult to look after our kids, quite possibly because we are suffering ourselves. In one respect, getting older is to blame, but with getting older, comes a plethora of issues that we either anticipated, or we didn’t think would ever come. What are the best ways to be the best parent you can be, while also coping with these issues?

Fight To Keep Your Body A Temple

As angry as it can make you, if your body doesn’t do what you want it to do it can feel like fighting a losing battle, but you have to remember that there are things you can do to keep yourself in as good a condition as possible. We can spend a lot of time feeling sorry for ourselves rather than looking for a method to keep ourselves fighting fit. Granted, the internet can provide a lot of false information, especially with long-term problems like arthritis, but at the same time, are you doing enough to keep the problems at bay? If you have tried everything, you could always go to a specialist, get recommended for something like stem cell therapy or look at altering your lifestyle so so you take the edge off.

Have “The Talk”

You feel that you have to be the stronger person, especially with your children, and sometimes it can feel like the polar opposite. It could seem like your child is taking care of you which causes a lot of stress. The important thing is to talk about it. It’s one of the best ways to combat the stress, but also, your children need to know, in as honest a manner as possible, how you are feeling. Remember that as your child gets older, they will be able to understand more, but this means you’ll have to reinforce the message more than once. If your child is too young to comprehend, you don’t have to go into great detail, but explain there are things that you’re not able to do right now that other parents can. At the same time, remember that they need reassurance. They may have concerns, but also, they may just want to help. While it’s important to let them help, make sure they’re not doing too much for you because this role of a caregiver could very well place unwanted and unnecessary pressure upon them.

Sometimes You Have To Prioritize Yourself

As we need to set an example for our children, it can feel like we need to push ourselves into overdrive. This means pushing through the pain, but sometimes we have to take a step back and look at it in the grand scheme of things. In one respect, letting your children see you push through the pain is a good behavioral trait, but if this is been going on for a long time, you’ve got to know when to put the foot on the brake. Finding the right balance is crucial, but so is realizing when you just have to prioritize yourself. You may need a bit of rest, or you just want some time away, but t’s important to communicate to your children that they aren’t the root cause of this. It is so easy for our children to feel like they are to blame, but as long as you reinforce the truth, and tell them that you need a rest, or give them other things to do, this can help lighten the load.

Get Help, Even Though You Are Too Proud

If we are suffering in one way or another, getting help is an obvious solution on the surface, but we can feel so proud to do this; help is something we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for. You might even be eligible for assistance depending on your condition. And we can all feel a bit proud to even say the words “I need help,” but if we’ve been in pain for a long time, there comes a point when our skills can start to suffer. We have to remember that we’re not just doing it for ourselves, but our children. And with any condition, whether it’s a chronic illness or a mental health problem, it is all about making sure that everybody benefits from you being around.

Going Healthy, Health, Life

How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep

08/07/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

There are plenty of things that can influence our day, things that make it enjoyable or a day that you wish would be over as soon as possible. While some of the things that influence the day can be beyond our control, some are very much influenced by us. Take, for example, our sleep, which is something that has a huge impact on how we feel the following day. If we’re well-rested, then we feel good; if we had a rough night, then we’re more irritable. If you often struggle to hit the land of Nod, then take our tips below, which will make it easier to have a restful evening.

sleep, health, bed, bedtime, night — Source: Pexels.com

Improve the Bedroom

You can’t just slump yourself down into a bed, and hope to fall asleep. There’s a big difference between a high-quality and low-quality mattress and duvet, and only one of them is going to give you the comfort you need to drift off. So first, take a look at your bedding, and see if there’s a way to improve it — everyone has their own preference when it comes to their bedding; you’ll know what’s right for you. Elsewhere, you can look at making the room overall more conducive to relaxation. For example, you can adopt a minimalist approach: it’s much easier to sink into that relaxed state of mind if you’re not surrounded by clutter.

Limiting Sound and Noise

Even if your room is comfortable, you’ll find it difficult to hit the hay if there’s too much light and noise in your bedroom. To take care of these issues, you can do things such as soundproof your room and get blackout curtains. If the issue is only minor, then an eye mask and earplugs will probably be enough. If your neighbors are the ones keeping you up, then talk to them — most people are more than happy to quieten down once they understand that they’re negatively affecting other people.

No More Kicks and Rolling Over

It could be the case that you have no problem whatsoever falling and staying asleep, but there’s another issue: your partner keeps kicking you or rolling you over. If you snore, then this will be a regular occurrence. And you can’t blame them — no-one wants to listen to that sound all night! You can look at putting the problem behind you by working with an ENT doctor. They’ll be able to provide the help that can reduce the issue. If you’re one of those people who struggle to sleep with other people, then look at finding a new bed arrangement that works for you. Or you can sleep in separate beds (it’s not traditional, but studies have shown that couples who do stay together for longer).

Relaxing Evenings
One of the mistakes that people make is that they expect just to fall asleep the second they get into bed. But if your mind isn’t ready for sleep, then you’ll just be lying there, and then you’ll get annoyed that you can’t fall asleep, and everything will be even more difficult. As such, one recommended method is to spend the two hours before you want to go to sleep relaxing your mind. You’ll be more likely to sleep if you’ve been reading, you’ve taken a bath, you’ve taken your cbn for sleep gummies, you’re all-around in a restful state of mind. Also, do your best to limit the screen time in the run-up to bedtime. Those flashing lights and beeping noises and finger activity keep your mind alert when you’re trying to calm it down.

Lifestyle Choices

You’ll also want to see if you’re doing anything that’ll keep you in a state of alertness before you fall asleep. For example, if you’re drinking coffee after 5pm or having a sugary drink in the evening, then you can’t be too surprised if you’re not falling asleep as quickly as you’d like. Also, a word on alcohol — while it might seem like it helps you to hit the hay, it affects the quality of your sleep, so you might wake up tired (even if you think you’ve been asleep for hours, you haven’t been in “deep sleep” mode — and that’s what counts).

Use Up Your Energy
Finally, take a look at what you’re doing during the day. If you haven’t used up your energy, then you’ll have no need to be asleep! So if this is a consistent issue, look at filling your day with more activities, such as running, or working on creative projects. You’ll soon be ready to crawl into bed.