The sun has its benefits and drawbacks.  You can probably resonate with the feelings of happiness and the elevated mood that you feel on a sunny day. You’ve probably also heard a lot about how the sun’s UV rays can damage the skin and cause skin cancer.

It’s important to still go outside in the sun to gain sunlight’s many benefits but you must also take precautionary steps to protect your skin.

When you go out into the sun, a vitamin D precursor called provitamin D3 in your skin gets converted into the active form, previtamin D3. Vitamin D has a range of important biological functions in your body.

It helps your body to produce serotonin and dopamine, and it aids bone metabolism and maintenance. It also aids the absorption of other vitamins and minerals in the body.

However, being in the sun for too long or being outside when the sun is at its peak without protection can carry a risk. When your skin is overexposed to sunlight, your DNA can get damaged, and this increases the risk of skin cancer.

The global incidence of skin cancer (melanoma) is around 2-3 million annually, therefore, sun safety must be taken seriously.

How can you protect yourself from the harmful UV rays of the sun? Here are some top tips to protect your skin when you’re heading out on a sunny day:

• Avoid going out in the sun during peak hours (usually between 11 am and 3 pm)
• Dress appropriately and cover up your head, arms, and lower legs if necessary
• Wear SPF factor 30 or above on every area of exposed skin and reapply often
• Wear sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and  radiation
• Drink lots of water, so you don’t get dehydrated and become dizzy or faint

If you recently started going to a gym, you probably have all the motivation in the world.  However, you may find after a while that your enthusiasm has begun to dwindle, and you might be wondering how to get it back.

It’s natural to lose motivation every now and then. Nobody is motivated 100% of the time. The difference between those who continue going to the gym, even when their motivation is low, and those who give up altogether is the habits these people have built.  When you build habits it becomes second nature to get your gym clothes on and head out the door.

Here are three tips for building a gym habit that sticks.

You can try working out at the same time each day.  Exercising at similar times makes it easier for you to establish a regular routine.  Do you prefer to work out in the mornings, afternoons, or evenings?  Choose one and give it a try.

Another great way to improve your workout habit is to get your activewear ready long before you head to the gym. This way, you won’t need to spend any time wondering what to wear, and you can head straight out the door to complete a great workout.

Lastly, sometimes sticking to a habit is easier if we make a commitment to someone else.  Ask a friend to meet you for a workout, or sign up for a regular exercise class.

You may have noticed that some people thrive early in the morning while other people feel their most creative and productive late at night  These are the early birds and night owls.  You may already know which category you fall into but have you ever wondered what the benefits are to each, as well as the downsides?

Although neither one is inherently better than the other, some studies have suggested that early birds may be happier and more productive.  Secondly, those who prefer to work and socialize late at night may find it harder to find work or a social environment that can accommodate them. That said, being able to work around your natural circadian rhythm is important when you want to succeed in both professional and personal settings.

What is also essential is that regardless of your early bird or night owl status. Be sure to arrange your schedule in such a way that you can still get great sleep each night. If you find that your current schedule is disrupting your natural sleeping pattern, you may need to consider rearranging your tasks to meet your body’s needs.

As an adult, you have many responsibilities to fulfill on a daily basis. You may be balancing a job, kids, extended family, and a social life.  It can be tough to find any time for yourself!

When our schedules are jam-packed, one of the first things that we often let go of is our workout routine. We stop going to the gym or doing our home workouts because we simply don’t have the time or energy to do so.

Since exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle, it is important to incorporate regular movement into your day. Physical inactivity can increase your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and muscle loss.  Exercise is also important for mental wellbeing.

The encouraging news is that you don’t need to find an hour in your hectic day to ensure optimal health.  When life gets busy, find spare moments to squeeze in a bit of exercise.  These micro workouts can add up, and help you reach the goal of 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity exercise.

Here are three ideas for how to fit in extra activity and movement into your day so that you can remain active even when you have a jam-packed schedule.

Take the Stairs Instead of the Elevator

When you’re at work or at the store, it’s tempting to take the elevator and skip the stairs. However, if you want to increase your movement throughout the day, take the stairs as much as possible.

By taking the stairs, you not only add extra steps into each day, you also help strengthen your lower body.  If time permits, do a few extra flights.

Do Push-Ups While You’re Waiting for the Kettle to Boil

If you’re somebody who enjoys a morning coffee, or an evening herbal tea, take this as an opportunity to get your upper muscles working. While you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, do some push-ups against the kitchen countertop.

Squat While You’re Brushing Your Teeth

You brush your teeth twice a day, so it’s the perfect time to squeeze in some exercise. Instead of standing still as you brush, do a few sets of bodyweight squats. This will get your lower body burning (in a good way, of course)!

Inflammation can be acute or chronic and is the result of the activation of inflammatory compounds, such as cytokines and the increase in blood flow around the body.

Acute inflammation is short-term and occurs when your body experiences trauma. For example, if you fall over and cut your knee, it might swell up and become painful to touch. This occurs because your body is trying to protect the area from further damage.

Chronic inflammation occurs over the course of several months or years. It usually results from health conditions, such as diabetes or autoimmune conditions, or psychological stress that cause the body to be in a constant state of physical stress.

Lowering Inflammation With Anti-Inflammatory Foods

You can help lower the levels of chronic inflammation in your body by managing your chronic health conditions and reducing your psychological stress.

Another great way to reduce inflammation in your body is to eat more anti-inflammatory foods. A lot of plant foods contain beneficial compounds that naturally tackle inflammation in the body and help reduce the risk of disease.

However, there are some animal-based foods that can also reduce the levels of inflammatory markers, like many species of fish.

Here are some amazing foods to consume in your diet to support minimizing the levels of inflammation in your body:

• Grapes
• Avocadoes
• Spinach
• Berries
• Mushrooms
• Cocoa or dark chocolate
• Sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Oily or fatty fish
• Seeds and nuts
• Olive oil

Foods to Avoid When You Want to Lower Inflammation in Your Body

There are lots of foods you should avoid when you’re concerned about the levels of inflammation in your body. Generally, high-fat, fried foods contribute to inflammation and are associated with an increased risk of several chronic health conditions.

Here are the main foods to stay away from to keep inflammation low in your body:

• Fried foods
• Processed meat
• Refined carbohydrates
• Trans fats, including shortening
• Sodas and sugary drinks

There are two forms of fiber - soluble and insoluble. They’re both vital for the body, but they play different roles. Dietary fiber is found in lots of different plant-based foods, and it passes through your digestive tract without getting fully broken down.

Soluble fiber, such as pectin, is a type of fiber that dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and includes cellulose and hemicellulose.

Benefits of Consuming Fiber

Both soluble and insoluble fiber are beneficial for the body but in different ways.

When you consume soluble fiber, it forms into a gel-like substance in your digestive tract. Soluble fiber aids digestion and slows down the release of glucose into the bloodstream after you have eaten a meal. This reduces blood glucose and insulin spikes, preventing you from getting an energy crash later in the day.

Soluble fiber is also required to keep the gut microbiome healthy. Your gut microbes break down soluble fiber through a process called fermentation to produce short-chain fatty acids. Without adequate soluble fiber, your gut microbes would not be able to thrive or support your digestive health.

Insoluble fiber draws water into your stool, causing it to become softer and making it easier to pass through your digestive tract. It also provides support for your digestive system by promoting regular bowel movements.

To gain all of the amazing benefits of fiber, you should aim to consume both soluble and insoluble fiber. To summarize some of the incredible benefits dietary fiber can help with are:

• Controlled blood glucose levels
• Regularity in bowel movements
• Lower cholesterol levels
• Improved satiety
• Healthy weight

Where Can You Find Dietary Fiber?

Soluble fiber can be found in the following foods:

• Oats
• Barley
• Rye
• Beans
• Carrots
• Peas
• Apples
• Citrus fruits, such as oranges and lemons

Insoluble fiber is abundant in:

• Whole wheat products
• Wheat bran
• Nuts
• Potatoes
• Cauliflower
• Green beans

Many of us know that we should be exercising each week, ideally for a minimum of 150 moderately intense minutes.  However, did you know that you should be strength training, too?  Strength training, sometimes referred to as resistance training, helps strengthen and tone muscles, improves energy levels and reduces the risk of injury when performing everyday tasks.  Strength training can improve your coordination, balance, and stability, too.

Resistance Training Without Weights

If you don’t want to go to the gym and lift heavy dumbbells or barbells, you can still reap the benefits of strength training. You can gain muscle and get a great workout by using general items in your household.

Some great items to use during your strength training include:

• Boxes
• Backpacks
• Books
• Water bottles

You don’t even need to use extra items in your workouts if you don’t want to. Bodyweight exercises use no weights at all, and they can be just as effective at building muscle and improving your fitness as weighted workouts.

Consider the following exercises as part of your bodyweight resistance training routine to target multiple muscle groups in your body:

• Squats
• Lunges
• Glute bridges
• Push-ups
• Mountain climbers
• Burpees
• Planks
• Triceps dips

Did you know that being happy can impact your health?

When you feel happier you are generally more motivated, which is good for every aspect of your life. When we are happy we tend to exercise more regularly, eat healthily and sleep better.  It’s easier to find the motivation to stick to our workout routine and take the time to prepare nutritious meals.

These happiness-inspired positive behaviors can promote physical and emotional health.   Happiness can help reduce our stress and because it often makes it easier to embrace healthy habits, our heart and lungs will stay healthy, and our muscles and bones will stay strong.   It can play a role in healthy weight management and even possibly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Chances are you will also be interested in socializing with others.  Having a positive mindset can open up your mind to new ideas, which is key to fostering new relationships and staying optimistic.

How to Become Happier

So, if being happy can improve your overall health and well-being, how can you become happier? Here are some great things you can try to help boost feeling happier today and beyond:

• Practice gratitude everyday
• Socialize with your friends and family
• Avoid burning yourself out at work
• Keep your brain active
• Take part in social activities and hobbies
• Pay attention to what your body is telling you
• Do something kind for others every day

Are you wondering how you can help reduce our negative impact on the environment?  One way is to reduce food waste.  In some countries, food waste is as high as 30-40% of the available food supply!  Not only does food waste stress our environmental resources, but it is also hard on our wallets, too.

Reducing food waste can help minimize your carbon footprint.  You may feel like making small changes won’t make a difference to the environment; however, small steps can lead to bigger changes.

Here are some great ways to help reduce your food waste and support the environment.

Stick to Your Grocery Shopping List

When you’re walking around the grocery store, adding lots of different items into your basket is tempting when you feel hungry.  Impulse purchases are one contributor to food waste.

If you’re not mindful about what you add to your shopping basket, you could end up buying a lot more food than you need. To avoid purchasing excess food, write a shopping list before you go to the grocery store and stick to it.

Love Your Leftovers

Did you cook a little too much?  Don’t throw it out!  You now have a meal for tomorrow.  In fact, save yourself time and energy by finding recipes that you can create multiple portions of in one go.   For example, you may want to make several portions of soup, chili, or pasta in one cooking session so that you can freeze a few portions for the week ahead. This will reduce the risk of spoiling fresh food before you have time to cook it.

Smart Food Storage

Keep food fresher longer and use up what you have by being a food storage pro.  Store leftovers within two hours of cooking in clear containers so that you can easily see what you have available.  Also, remember the first in, first out rule and use up older food before reaching for newer items.  Worried that you won’t be able to use up your fresh fruit in time?  Peel it, chop it up and freeze it for a later date.

Have you ever smelled a particular scent and felt a wave of emotion? Do certain smells bring back a range of memories for you?

Scents have the unbelievable power to evoke emotions in humans. When you smell a scent for the first time in your life, the emotions that you felt at this time are stored as long-term memories alongside the scent.

Because of this, when you come across aromas you’ve smelled before, it can stimulate certain memories. The evocation of certain memories can then result in specific emotions. If the smell evokes positive memories, you’re likely to feel similar emotions when you come across a similar or identical smell in the future.

Scents may come from essential oils, perfumes, foods, and chemicals. The stronger the smell, the more likely it is to impact your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Your sense of smell is stored as memories.

Because of the significant influence of scents on your mood, they can be used to change the way you’re feeling in the moment. Using scents that provide you with positive thoughts can help improve your overall mood.

Studies have shown that the use of certain popular essential oils can calm you down and relieve anxiety. You can use most of them in an essential oil diffuser, and some are safe to rub directly onto your skin.

How Can Scents Impact Your Mood?

It’s thought that scents can influence your mood thanks to their effects on something called the limbic system.

When you inhale the scent particles the molecules hit the receptors in your nose, known as olfactory receptors. These receptors are linked to the areas of your brain that form the limbic system.

The limbic system is responsible for regulating your thoughts, emotions, long-term memory, and voluntary movements. It is particularly important for activating the fight, flight or freeze response in highly emotional or stressful situations.

If you’re new to weight lifting, you might have come across the two terms ‘compound exercises’ and ‘isolation exercises’ in your research. These terms are important to understand when you’re trying to curate an effective training program.

In this article, we’re going to focus on the former of the two terms. The term compound exercise refers to movements that work multiple muscle groups and require more than one joint.

Examples of popular compound exercises include:

• Squats (front, back, and sumo)
• Deadlifts (conventional, sumo, and Romanian)
• Lunges (front, reverse, and lateral)
• Leg press
• Bench press
• Overhead press
• Bent over rows
• Pull-ups
• Push-ups
• Dips

Compound exercises are effective for building muscle strength, increasing your heart rate and burning calories.  Aim to include two or three compound movements into your workouts to maximize your performance and progress.

You might think that squats are the only way to grow your lower body muscles, but there are many other amazing exercises that can promote muscle growth just as well as squats.

If you want to target multiple muscles and joints at the same time (like you do in squats), it’s a good idea to go for compound exercises. One of the best compound alternatives to squats is deadlifts. This movement targets the whole lower body as well as parts of your upper body.

The main muscle groups that are targeted with deadlifts are the quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back, upper back, and biceps. You can perform them in a conventional style to target the quads, take a wider sumo stance to hit the glutes or do Romanian deadlifts to also target the hamstrings effectively.

Great sleep can improve your physical and mental health and is associated with a decreased risk of disease.  One way to help set yourself up for a good night’s rest is by practicing sleep hygiene.

As complicated as it might sound, sleep hygiene is a relatively easy concept. It involves creating positive habits that help you to get high-quality sleep every night, ideally 7-9 hour, and going to bed and waking up at consistent times. For good sleep hygiene you follow a nightly routine to make your bedroom environment free of disruptions and optimal for sleep.

Practicing a good sleep hygiene routine doesn’t just involve bedtime.  The things that you do throughout the daytime can impact your sleep at night.

Creating a Great Sleep Hygiene Routine

Consider the behaviors that you have throughout the day and evening that can impact your sleep negatively. You can then work to change them into positive behaviors.

Optimizing your sleep hygiene requires you to create a bedtime environment that suits your body’s needs. Consider the temperature of your bedroom, the lighting, and the noise.

Think about what you do in the day that could be negatively affecting your sleep hygiene.  Do you exercise late at night?  How much do you nap during the day?  Do you drink coffee in the evenings? Are you still working when you get into bed?  Are you on your phone right up until you turn out the lights? All of these things can result in poor sleep.

Try incorporating some relaxing activities into your routine before bedtime, for example,  you may want to try some light stretching, yoga, reading, journaling, meditation or breathing exercises before bed to help prepare your mind and body for a good night’s sleep.

Recently, there has been an increase in the popularity of resistance training or weight lifting. This is great news because resistance training is one of the best forms of exercise you can do. Strength training enhances muscle growth and minimizes muscle loss. It can also promote better balance, stability, coordination, and core strength.

But the question on many people’s minds is, how often should I train? With the constant bombardment of fitness-related content on social media, it’s easy to start comparing yourself to those that you see online. When you see people posting their workouts, you may start to wonder if you should emulate their intense exercise routine by strength training every day and pushing yourself to the max.

How Often Should You Strength Train?

A lot of people assume that they need to hammer their bodies in the gym when they first start working out. They exercise intensely every day and eventually start to feel burnt out and put themselves at risk for injury.

You’ll be glad to know that you don’t actually need to work out all day, every day, to get the results you’re after. Studies show that training each muscle group 1 - 3 times a week is effective at producing hypertrophic outcomes. In other words, doing 1 to 3 full-body routines each week can stimulate muscle growth!

Of course, if you want to work out more than this, you can do so – you’re not limited to just a few days if you really enjoy exercising, as long as you still provide your body with an adequate number of rest days. Failing to rest sufficiently will decrease your progress and increase your risk of injury.

There is a misconception that eating healthily is always expensive. While some healthy foods can cost a lot of money, there are also affordable options for any budget.

If you’re trying to eat a more nutritious diet, but you’re also shopping on a budget, there are plenty of steps that you can take to minimize your expenses. It’s all about making the best decisions when you head to the grocery store, together with some meal planning.

Below, we’ve listed five top tips for buying healthy foods when you’re shopping and eating on a budget.

Create a Shopping List and Stick to it

One of the main reasons why eating healthily can seem expensive is because it’s easy to buy lots of different ingredients to make a single healthy dish. You can cut your expenses by planning your meals for the week ahead to cook meals that use similar ingredients.

Once you’ve decided which meals you’re going to cook, you can create a shopping list that has everything you need to eat healthily. When you arrive at the grocery store, try to stick to the list and avoid making impulse purchases that will increase your shopping bill.

Shop in the Sales

Often, if a certain food has a short due date, grocery stores will reduce the prices of these foods to encourage people to buy them so they don’t need to throw the foods away.   Some grocers also have reduced price sections in the store.

Shop for Seasonal Produce

Although many of us are accustomed to produce options being available year-round, buying out of season can cost more.  Not only will you save money, but in-season produce can be fresher and tastier, too.

Buy Your Food in Bulk

Buying in bulk tends to be less expensive than buying things individually.  There are a few times, however, when this isn’t a cost-savings strategy.   Avoid doing this for fresh ingredients as they tend to have a much shorter date.  Remember to find the balance between cost savings and only buying what you will actually use.

Go for Plant-Based Protein

Often, plant-based protein is less expensive than meat-based protein. Some of the best plant-based sources of protein include tofu, tempeh, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Go for these protein sources instead of chicken, beef, fish, and other meats when you want to save money.