Category: Health

Love yourself

Love yourself

Once again, I’m here to bring up one of the most important things in life (from my perspective of course)
Self love, that is!

Today I won’t write much, just remind you of how important self love is, and put in two small links for you.
They lead to two earlier posts I’ve made about exactly this.

Here is post one of How to love yourself  

And the second one is Love yourself!

I hope you’ll read them and try your hardest to love the most important in your world-yourself. ❤

 

I hope you all have a happy life, one day at a time 🙂

Xoxo

Luna

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Benefits of mental exercise

Benefits of mental exercise

 

So… mental exercise… who here practices that daily? Weekly?
Well I don’t, and not many people I know do… So here is 12 reasons to start doing some mental exercise:

 

  1. Improve your verbal skills
  2. Helps and challenges both your short and long time memory to boost it
  3. Makes you think more logical
  4. Improves your attention and focus
  5. Keeps your healthy by challenging it at least a couple of days a week
  6. Can boost your base level brain functions
  7. Makes it easier to problem solve
  8. Can increase your IQ- well because learning makes you smarter
  9. Makes you think faster
  10. Improves your self-esteem- we feel better about ourselves when we do something good for ourselves
  11. Lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimers
  12. Increases productivity because you now think faster and are more focused

 

So now that we know that we SHOULD exercise our brains at least a couple of days a week. But how? Well there are a lot of ways. The ones I use the most are these:

  • The app “Duolingo” to learn new languages
  • YouTube: to use learning programs or watch debates. Finding someone who do not agree with you about something makes your brain do a lot of thinking. It might be good once in a while to get your opinions challenged
  • Sudokus
  • Crosswords
  • The app “elevate”
  • The app “memorado”
  • Board games which are logic and strategy games. Like Trivial pursuit or RISK.
    I especially love playing board games with friends or family, so you get to spend quality time with your loved ones AND exercise your brain 😉
  • Youtubers like: “the infographics show”, “asapSCIENCE”, “Crash Course” or “TED-ed” are some of my favorites

 

Now go out and learn!

 

I hope you all have a happy life one day at a time 😊

Xoxo ❤

 

Luna

 

 10 tips for a better sleep

 10 tips for a better sleep

 

One of my first posts ever on this blog (from first of may 2016 :O ) was 9 tips to help you sleep better.
Today I will take that post into account and morph it into something better, that will be 10 tips for a better sleep

 

So if you ever have trouble sleeping or falling asleep- read on 🙂

 

  1. Open the window.
    5 minutes with the window open before bed makes sure your room is fresh to sleep in. (Right now it is so warm outside that is is always open)
  2. Take a warm shower before bed.
    The warm water will help your whole body relax.
  3. Do not drink caffeine at least 3 hours before going to bed.
    Caffeine is a great way to stay awake and get a boost of energy. The effect of caffeine can be in your body for many hours after you drink it, so try to drink your last cup of coffee (or whatever you drink with caffeine in) at least 3 hours before sleeping.
  4. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
    Your body will remember your sleeping routine and prepare itself for sleeping at night.
    I’m not doing this 100% but I try to go to sleep around the same time and wake up around the same time (or up to 2 hours difference of what I normally do)
    Of course staying up late or sleeping in won’t ruin all your hard work if you only do it once in a while.
  5. Turn the lights off.
    Sleeping in a dark room is a natural way to tell your body that it is time to sleep.
  6. Drink something warm.
    This will make your body relax.
    I recommend a cup of warm milk with a teaspoon honey, but a cup of cocoa or tea can be just as good (my favorite tea for sleeping is chamomile)
  7. Turn the electronics off at least an hour before bed.
    Most of us already know that the light emitting from our TV or phone was disturb our brains and make it hard to fall asleep. If you just HAVE to be on your phone at night (I often am then at least turning the light on your phone into night mode which makes the blue light turn more reddish and not so hard on your eyes and brain.
    Otherwise, reading a book, or taking a shower is a great alternative to looking at electronics at night.
  8. Do not look at the clock all the time.
    When you keep looking at the clock, you stress your body by telling it: why don’t you sleep yet?
  9. Try drinking a small glass of water before going to bed.
    This will keep your body hydrated while sleeping.
  10. Listen to calming music.
    If you listen to music it can sometimes help your body relax.

 

I hope this will help some of you and don’t hesitate to comment if I missed something 🙂

 

I hope you all have a happy life, one day at a time! ❤

 

Xoxo

Luna

Benefits of yoga

Benefits of yoga

 

For me, yoga is a great way to stay healthy in both body and mind and therefore I aspire to do at least a little of this every day.

There is one trillion yoga poses (that is maybe a little exaggeration) and they all help with a lot of different things.

Some helps a lot with digestion, some with losing weight, others with balance and focus. There are even yoga poses to calm down and fall asleep, or to get energized and moving.
I usually do a little of each when I do yoga (I don’t always take the ones to both sleep and getting energized since that seems a little unnecessary, but tailor them more for if I actually need to calm down or if I need to get going for something I need to be pumped for)

 

Today I will tell you a little about the benefits of doing yoga, so that you hopefully will start doing a little bit of yoga occasionally too

 

  1. Increases lung capacity because you have so much focus on breathing while doing yoga
  2. Focusing on breathing in yoga also gives you more oxygen to the brain so that it will function better while improving your focus and concentration
  3. The slow breathing (I know, why so many benefits of breathing? Well because it is ESSENTIAL for living- literally) causes your body and mind to slow down and therefore balances your hormones, which makes you de-stress.
  4. Increases your arm strength- it has been shown that after 16 classes, your arm strength will have increased by 12% because so many yoga poses have you using your arms in different ways that you normally would
  5. You get a better posture by doing yoga since there is such a huge focus on how you utilize your body. This also improves your sense of balance
  6. Another study has shown, that you after 8 weeks of yoga practice increases your flexibility by 35% because your stretch and exercise your muscles so much during yoga
  7. Can help treat arthritis. Doing yoga regularly has been shown to work as pain relief for people who suffers from arthritis
  8. Makes you more flexible because you stretch both your muscles, ligaments and tendons
  9. Helps lose weight because most yoga poses stimulate the liver, activates the thyroid gland and creates the right pH- balance in the body (and just saying- some yoga poses can make you sweat. A LOT)
  10. Helps prevent lower back pain. It has been shown that if you just do two 90-minute yoga classes a week for six months, your lower back pain should be eased with 56%. This is caused because almost every yoga poses exercise your back muscles.
  11. Keeps you happy. One hour of yoga increases the levels of depression fighting chemicals in your brain by 27%
  12. Yoga works as anxiety relief. A study has shown that 12 weeks of yoga can helps reduce anxiety while increasing the gamma-aminobutyric levels in the brain (if the gamma-aminobutyric levels get low we are more prone to get depressed or anxious)
  13. Studies have shown that after three months of yoga practice migraine sufferers have fewer and less painful migraines
  14. Yoga might fight food cravings. Yoga means you have to be aware of your breathing. This has been shown to improve the awareness of the emotional sensations that are associated with consuming food and will therefore reduce eating mindlessly.
  15. Aids with digestion. Especially poses that includes twists applies a gentle pressure to the abdomen, which stimulates and stretches the muscles in your stomach and therefore align your organs to function better

 

This is a crazy amount of benefits I know, and that is exactly why I love yoga!

 

Now with all this in mind, go out, enjoy some yoga and have a ball with it!

 

I hope you all have a happy life, one day at a time! ❤

 

Xoxo

Luna

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits of avocado

Benefits of avocado

 

It is no secret that I am in love with avocado.

It’s so great and has a ton of benefits, so why not eat it some more?

 

Here are some of my favorite benefits that eating avocado has!

 

  1. It contains huge amounts of nutrients.
    One serving of avocado (100g) contains Vitamin C, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Potassium and Folate in large amounts.
    It also contains Magnesium, Copper, Phosphorous, Zinc, Vitamin A, Manganese Iron, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2 and Vitamin B3.
  2. Avocado contains a huge amount of healthy fat.
    An avocado has a huge amount of fat -called Oleic acid- and it is especially healthy for the heart. This type of fat has also been linked to the beneficial on genes that are linked to cancer and has been shown to reduce inflammation too.
  3. They are high in antioxidants.
    Especially Lutein and Zeaxanthin are two very important antioxidants in avocados that have proven to be good for the long-term eye health.
    These nutrients are linked to a reduced risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.
    Beside this, xanthophyll which is also an antioxidant in avocado may decrease the signs of the aging process on some parts of your body- meaning: avocado is anti-aging.
  4. Might help make healthy babies.
    Because there is a lot of folate in avocado, consuming these might help to keep your baby healthy. If you have an adequate intake of folate, you might reduce the risk of miscarriage and neural tube defects.
    A research from McGill University found that there would be a 30 percent higher risk for birth defects if any of the partners involved had a folate deficiency compared with if they didn’t. This research was made on mice of course.
  5. Avocado can improve digestion.
    Avocado is actually high in natural fiber, which can help maintain a healthy digestion, lower the risk of colon cancer and help prevent constipation.
  6. You absorb other nutrients better.
    Since avocado prepares your digestive tract to function at its best, it also makes the body more open to absorb other incoming nutrients.
  7. Helps losing weight.
    Since there is a lot of fiber in avocado, you might experience that it is easier to control the amount you eat, and therefore your weight.
    Fiber keeps you full for longer, and therefore helps you restrict your calorie intake. Fiber can also help avoid sugar spikes and keep your energy levels stable.
    And lastly it has been shown that a lot of people who eat avocado also eat healthier and work out better.

As with everything else, remember not to eat too much of it (like 10 avocados every day for four years or something)
Even too much of a good thing, can end up being a bad thing.

 

I hope you all have a happy life, one day at a time!

 

Xoxo

Benefits of moving daily

Benefits of moving daily

 

No matter where you are or who you are, there is no excuses for not moving at all.

It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise just do something, and all of this will happen:

 

  • Boosts mood by releasing endorphins
  • Helps control weight
  • Gives energy
  • Helps improve sleep
  • Helps with improving memory
  • You burn calories (and on longer terms fat)
  • Helps you socialize since there is a chance of meeting people if you exercise outside or in a gym
  • Helps strengthen and keep muscles strong

 

Still got an excuse and don’t really want to do this because it is “too much work”? well… this kind of moving also counts:

 

  • Walking your dog
  • Biking to work-or to the store
  • Taking the stairs whenever possible
  • Getting the mail in the mailbox
  • Walk around the house while talking on the phone
  • Park farther away from work to get a daily walk
  • Dance to your favorite song

 

So get up and go!

 

I hope you all have a happy life one day at a time

 

Xoxo

Luna

Benefits of running

Benefits of running

 

Another “benefit post” you might say?

Well why not, since there are so many benefits to everything.

Today we will look at running since it is easy and fast (well compared to some other sports) and because I run a couple of days a week  I know a little about it 😉
Running

  • Boosts happiness because exercise releases a lot of endorphins
  • Strengthens immune system so you won’t get sick that easily
  • Helps weightless since running burns a lot of calories (around 400/hour if you run slooooow)
  • Physical strength because your muscles get used
  • Prevents high blood pressure since running helps the arteries get fit
  • Lessen the effects of asthma- helps strengthen lungs and bronchi
  • Helps maintain a healthy blood sugar level
  • Increase bone density. Running sends essential minerals to your bones
  • Boosts confidence since its easy to set goals and reach them
  • Better sleep since the body has and easier time to slow down afterwards
  • Increases brain power and mental functions
  • Gives you clearer skin since running stimulates blood circulations

 

This is some of the reasons I enjoy running (or at least enjoy when it is done).
For me I enjoy my runs more if I put on some good music and just give in to it.
Because I am a creative soul, I often fantasize meanwhile I listen to the music and run. It makes it more of a “daydream” and fun session while making running not only an exercise but also a creative process.
In your head, anything can happen, so why not let your thoughts loose while running (Remember to be aware of the traffic though 😉 )

 

A tip for you, that I also use, is to just get out there!
It doesn’t matter if I just run 2 km (2km is for me not much, since I KNOW that I can run 5 if I really want to. You just run what for you feel is a small trip, it could be like 500 meters or maybe 1km) the most important thing is to just go on that run.
The hardest part is always to get going, so telling yourself that it is “just” a small trip makes it easier to go on a run.
When you are used to running 2-3 times a week, it seems easier to run just a little longer, and at some point “just a little longer” ends up being far more than you thought you could! 😊

Safe runs everyone ❤

 

I hope you all have a happy life, one day at a time

 

Xoxo

Luna