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Do you feel like you’re always on edge, stressed, or overstimulated? Finding ways to calm yourself down can be tricky. Too much of any type of stress (chronic or acute), can be very overwhelming. So, here are some tricks that you can use to take the edge off:
Close Your Eyes
Shutting your eyes gives your brain a much-needed break. Our eyes bring in sensory stimulation, so when closing them it feels as if you are pausing the world for a minute for some chill time. Don’t hesitate to take in a few deep breaths as your eyes are closed to feel a sense of yourself and to gather your thoughts.
Stretch
Stretching can relieve tension throughout your body. Take a minute to roll your shoulders, and stretch your arms and your legs. Stretching improves elasticity and mobility, which will allow for relaxed movements with less tension. Try incorporating yoga into your life to help you remain calm for the days ahead!
Shake it Off
Shaking it off will loosen your muscles and rid your mind of fear and anxiety. Shake your hands, your legs, your whole body! Therefore, by shaking it off your body will feel more relaxed and less tense. By letting go of whatever is bothering, you can get rid of negative thoughts.
Music
Listening to music will allow you to remove yourself from a stressful environment. Take a moment to put on your headphones, play your favorite playlist, and get lost in your tunes. Music expresses what cannot be said. Furthermore, the healing power of music is amazing and great for those who want to silence their minds.
Take a Walk
Exercise is a great way to relieve stress. It helps to blow off steam and releases endorphins. Taking a walk also takes you out of a stressful situation. Therefore, it is beneficial in multiple ways. Going for a walk allows you to reframe, to think, and to return with an open mind.
Take a Break
Likewise, taking a break from whatever is making you overwhelmed is beneficial. For instance, reading a book, watching your favorite show, talking to a friend, or working on your hobby can help you take your mind off of the stressors of life. As a result, taking a break with something you enjoy will give you peace of mind and will help you relax mentally and physically.
Laying down and tensing your muscles and then releasing throughout all your muscle groups will leave your body feeling relaxed afterward. This also allows you to focus inwardly on yourself instead of what is bothering you.
Find a way to calm down that works for you
Finding a way to calm down is different for everyone. We all have our own way of calming our mind, so find what works for you! If you have any tips and tricks for calming down, please share!
If you are receiving a tax refund this year, then you need a good plan for your money. Your tax refund is not ‘free’ money. It is essentially money that you should have had all along. So, here are seven tips on possible ways to spend your refund responsibly:
Paying off Debt
Reducing or eliminating credit card debt that has been hovering over your head will be a relieving feeling. Paying off or reducing student loans, credit card debt, car payments, payday loans, debt consolidation loans, or any other loan will be beneficial in the long run.
Pay it Forward
Donating to a charity or helping out a friend will make you feel good. It may not help you, but you’ll be helping others. Even putting 10% of your tax refund away and the rest towards a good deed is still a healthy way to spend your refund.
Put Some Away in Your Savings
Putting away extra money in case of an emergency or for retirement is always a good idea – no matter if the money is from your tax refund. This might help you sleep better at night knowing you bulked up your savings account. This would also leave you in a better position for the future.
Save for an Upcoming Expense
Dedicating money for those known expenses in the future will leave you feeling at ease. Not having to worry about how you’ll pay for a future car repair, project, unexpected emergencies, or any other payment in the near future will take make you feel more comfortable with your finances.
Repair Something in Your Home
When owning a home, there is always something that needs to be repaired or replaced. Your home is the most valuable asset and you want to keep it that way.
Reinvest in Your Health
Expand your collection or sign up for a class! Continue to grow your skill and knowledge on a fun hobby of yours. Using your money for a hobby will enrich your life and bring you joy! Also, signing up for a gym membership or purchasing new workout clothes is another great way to invest in your health.
Have Fun
If you are comfortable money-wise, then use your tax refund for a relaxing vacation! You don’t have to blow it all on a “mega” vacation, but taking a break from the stress of everyday life can have a positive impact on your mental health.
These seven healthy tips are just only a few of the potential ways you can spend your tax refund. Don’t carelessly spend the extra money. Instead, work toward a personal goal, fix up some things around the house, save, go on a relaxing vacation, or give back!
If you have any tips on how to spend your tax refund, comment below!
Staying active and keeping up with your grandkids is essential when you become a grandparent. Being a grandparent is an honor. It’s a fun and exciting time. But grandkids can be restless and energetic because they love to play and are always on the move. By being a grandparent, you’ll want to join in on the fun. To keep up with your grandkids here are five tips:
1. Exercise Regularly
Exercising regularly will help you move better and to improve your stamina for when the kids are visiting. Increasing your stamina will allow you to enjoy the fun with your grandkids without having to slow down. Any type of physical activity will make it easier for you to keep up with your grandkids.
2. Know When to Stop
When playing active games with your grandkids, it can be hard to keep up because our bodies change as we age. Kids have so much energy that can last all day. If you cannot keep up with a game all afternoon, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play that game ever again. It just means you should know when to take a break before injuring yourself or pushing yourself too far. Listen to your body so you know your limits.
3. Keep Your Balance
When picking up a child, bend at your knees and not your hips. Hold the child close to your body to the center of gravity and keep your shoulders back. Avoid slouching at all costs. Keeping your balance will prevent injury! Remaining balanced physically is just as important as a healthy balanced lifestyle. Make sure you have a balanced diet as well as a balanced exercise routine!
4. Encourage Your Grandkids
Encouraging your grandkids to be independent will take some stress away from your body. Lifting them in the car, stroller, booster seat, or pushing them on a swing can lead to you hurting yourself if you are not careful. This encouragement can also lead to your grandkids feeling a sense of accomplishment! Additionally, you’ll feel a sense of fulfillment watching them learn and grow!
5. Drink Water
Staying hydrated is always important, especially when you’re remaining active. Drinking plenty of fluids will leave your body feeling refreshed and energized. It is important to know that drinking caffeine to increase your energy can do more harm than good. Caffeine can leave you dehydrated and water plays an important part in maintaining your heart, muscles, and brain health.
Remaining fit and active benefits all of us. Keeping up with your grandkids can be a lot of work, but grandkids keep you young and young at heart! If you have any advice on how to keep up with your grandkids, please comment below!
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A healthy fitness lifestyle is about how we live, not how we look! A functional fitness lifestyle will equip you to strengthen your body for everyday activities. Consequently, bad posture, aging, desk jobs, or lifting heavy objects will result in our bodies not functioning the way they should. No matter how fit or strong we become, our bodies will still have the potential for problems. Therefore, take charge of your own well-being through functional fitness. Functional fitness focuses on multi-joint movements that improve the way you perform daily activities.
Why functional fitness for daily activities?
Functional fitness training focuses mainly on strengthing your core and creating a stable foundation. Movements involve multiple planes rather than focusing on one motion and isolating the joints. Functional fitness exercises are for everyone. That being said, here are three reasons why functional fitness should be a part of your daily routine:
1. Balance and stability
In life, there are many things that can throw off stability, such as walking on ice or going up the stairs. Functional fitness can enhance balance and stability with certain exercises. Boosting your balance and stability will improve posture, coordination, and functional strength. Balance and stability will help prevent falls or help you recover better if you do fall.
2. Reduce the risk of injury
Practicing functional fitness will greatly decrease the risk of injury while performing daily activities. Picking up a potted plant, a brick, a heavy box, or furniture and throwing out your back is not something we hope for. Functional fitness training can reduce that risk by strengthening the muscles you use daily.
3. Increased strength
Functional fitness increases your strength. It can increase your core strength by creating a more stable foundation. For example, shoveling dirt or snow requires strength from more than just one muscle group. That being said, utilizing free weights in the gym allows you to have free motion. So, when building strength through functional fitness, it is best to have a full range of motion to apply multi-joint movements.
In short, to improve your everyday life, functional fitness will allow you to move better and feel better. If you are a beginner, start simple. Use your own body weight, and then slowly move up to heavier weights. Exercise classes can also count as functional fitness training! Yoga and Tai-Chi classes are great examples of classes that have multi-joint movement exercises. No matter what you try, functional fitness will be beneficial to your lifestyle.
We are creatures of habit and whether if it’s for vacation or business, at some point we leave the comfort of our personal daily routine. This could be a quick trip up north or on the other side of the country. No matter what kind of trip it is, our normal routine gets thrown out of whack. It is time to get a plan that you can take with on your next trip!
You can still maintain a fitness routine
Fitting exercise in your schedule while traveling is always a good idea to maintain your fitness routine. Before vacation, you should plan out time to work out and to keep fitness a priority. See if your hotel has its own fitness center. Or perhaps you prefer a cardio swim in the pool. Another idea is to find a hiking trail, which would be a great opportunity for sight-seeing and a work out. It largely depends where you’re going and what’s available to you. For more tips on how to find workouts outside of the gym, check out “Think Spring with Outdoor Fitness Routines”!
Being on vacation does not restrict what you can do
If you are with family or friends, let them know that you plan on working out while on vacation. Ask if they would like to join you! Having a friend to work out with is a great way to stay motivated. Even waking up an extra 20 minutes before everyone else to do a few squats or wall sits is another option. A light 30-minute jog around the block or on the beach can combine the enjoyment of being at another location with some cardio exercise. You are never restricted when it comes to fitness!
Set yourself up for fitness success
Always pack like a fitness pro. This will encourage you to work out and serve as a reminder to keep you active! Here is a list of packable items to have a successful workout while on vacation:
Tennis shoes
Water bottle
Work out shirts/tanks
Headphones
Small free weights
Resistance band
Workout pants
Workout socks for each workout outfit
Headbands and hair-ties for those with long hair
Athletic swimwear
There is no “one size fits all” packing list, but the items listed should at least give you an idea of what to pack. It is always important to have the right tools with you. Before packing, you should research what the weather will be and what fun activities you could do that can still count as exercise. Pack accordingly, but most importantly schedule out days and times when you can fit in a workout.
Did you know?
As a part of the IHRSA network, Elite Sports Clubs’ members can download the TrainAway app and get special discounts on gym day passes while you travel! See member services for an invitation code to get started. Learn more about the IHRSA Passport program.
If you have any advice on how to stay active while on vacation please comment below. We would love to hear about how you planned a fitness vacation!
When we go on vacation, sometimes we lose track of our goals. Some indulging is good for the soul, but when it becomes too much we have a problem. Vacation is about relaxing and part of self-care. Not tracking what we consume while on vacation is typical because ‘we are on vacation!’. We then get disappointed when we get home because we realize all the hard work we did before vacation went down the drain. Here are five great tips to help you avoid the disappointment when returning home from vacation. (more…)
Our lives are busy, which makes it easy for us to overlook the need for growth. When we are comfortable with our lives we tend to take the easy route instead of challenging ourselves to gain more knowledge or a new skill and forget to challenge ourselves. We do not grow when things are easy. When you challenge yourself, you will transform.
How we handle stress, understand others, and make choices is determined by our mental health. Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act. A positive healthy mind will allow you to realize your full potential, to be productive, to make meaningful contributions, and to cope with the stress of life.
At one point in our lives we have either binged on food, television, spending money, drinking, etc. Sometimes we don’t even mean to lose control. When we lose control, that is when we question our behavior, which doesn’t always help us correct the behavior. Bingeing becomes a problem when it is done in secrecy or shame. No matter what category you have binged on in the past, they all have similar causes. These causes are psychological, chemical, and sociocultural.
Habits involve different lifestyle choices. Examples of lifestyle choices could be alcohol consumption, technology use, diet, exercise and smoking. Moderation is important for any healthy lifestyle. Too much of anything can be a bad thing, which is why moderation is key. It is possible to break a bad habit and create a good habit with moderation.
For many of us it is hard to get to the gym because it takes up a time slot, which means we need to plan that into our day. Whereas cutting out junk food, alcohol or smoking does not. It seems easier to break a habit that does not take up a time slot versus creating a good habit that does.
Worrying about the ‘time slot’ should not prevent someone from creating a good habit.
We are much more capable than we think we are. Exercising for 30 minutes a day does not take up as much time as you may think. As individuals, we are always on the go. When we think about fitting in anything else into our day it seems overwhelming. Getting through that first obstacle of doubt when creating a good habit can be tough to get through, but it is all about creating that habit. Once that habit is created it will become second nature. It is hard to break a bad habit when that habit becomes an addiction.
Is it best to quit your bad habits all at once?
Quitting bad habits all at once can lead to failure. Instead of quitting all at once it is best to go slow and make small changes. Here are possible reasons for why going slow and making small changes is best:
Creating new habits takes time
Patience is key
Allows you to remain focused
Lets you work through fundamental struggles
Allows your mind and body to adapt for long-term success
When creating a habit, it is all about how you make it a habit.
Generating obstacles that will nudge you in the right direction towards a different behavior creates a good habit. An example of this could be using a timer-control when watching television to prevent you from binge watching. If cutting out junk food is a habit you want to break, then simply keeping junk food out of your household will solve the problem.
Finding that motivation to break a bad habit can seem difficult. Having willpower, remaining focused and being patient will help keep that motivation for change. It is also important to note that moderation does not mean becoming fixated on one part of life.
It is okay to watch a few episodes of your favorite television show. Watching five hours of your favorite television show is where there is a problem. Getting rid of the binge watching habit and instead watching television in moderation will generate good habits.
Understanding your bad habits and knowing what your good habits should be is a great start. Once you understand what needs to be modified in your life, then you can create that first step to change. Moderation and mindfulness helps us find balance. Being aware of what needs to change and how to change it will allow you to create and keep healthy habits.
Need help finding your way to moderation? We can help!
