Practising self-care can make a real difference, helping you to become more confident and resilient as well as boosting your emotional wellbeing and physical health. And it doesn’t need to be complicated as just a few simple changes to your everyday life can reap rewards.

To help you get started, we’ve compiled our guide to four of the most effective ways to look after yourself.

1. Eat well, keep hydrated 

Regular meals, healthy snacks, and plenty of fluids – ideally around two litres a day – are key to looking after yourself and keeping your mind and body healthy and happy. Ensure your diet is nutritionally balanced and contains a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, omega oils and quality, lean protein. You can also choose to give your diet extra support with a broad-spectrum multivitamin supplement to ensure you are getting the right amount of the vitamins and minerals you need.

And don’t neglect your gut – as your digestive health can also have a significant impact on your overall health and wellbeing. So, as well as eating gut friendly foods, adding turmeric, which supports healthy digestion, is another good way to take care of your health.

2. Keep active

Keeping active is another effective way to look after yourself as well as boost your mood. And it doesn’t have to be intense – an hour of moderate exercise three times a week is enough to make a difference to both your short and long-term health. And if you can make time to exercise outside, even better! Spending time outside helps you to boost your natural levels of vitamin D, which is needed to support a healthy heart and muscles as well as to strengthen your immune system (EFSA, 2010).

Whatever form of exercise you prefer, it should be sufficient to raise your heart rate and get you slightly out of breath. Couple cardio or aerobic exercise with strengthening exercises and body stretching such as yoga, and you will be getting the ideal mind-body workout to combat stress, while boosting your health, energy, and overall well being.

3. Get enough sleep

As well as eating well and keeping active, you also need to ensure your body has time to rest, regenerate and heal. And this means getting enough quality sleep to enable your body to look after itself. Between seven and eight hours of sleep per night is considered the optimum.

Creating the right bedroom environment, maintaining the room’s temperature, and aiming to go to bed as well as wake up at the same time will mean you wake refreshed and revitalised. If you do need a little additional support to help you through periods of temporary tiredness and fatigue, iron tablets can also be beneficial.

4. Make time for yourself

In our busy worlds, it is important to make some quality time for ourselves, so we can decompress, relax, and unwind. And whether it is a hot bath before bedtime, 15 minutes spent meditating before everyone else gets up in the morning, mindfully listening to music, sitting in your garden, or losing yourself in a good book, simple stress-busting activities can help keep everything in perspective.

And that, along with our other three top tips to look after yourself, is ultimately good for your physical and emotional health and wellbeing.

 

While the 2020 Olympics seemed slightly different because of the global pandemic, COVID-19, everyone witnessed the world’s class athletes and their incredible performance.

So what made these teams and people perform at such a high level?

According to experts, athletes have a routine that narrows down to psychology, nutrition, and coaching. To help you also be a successful athlete in the future, you must adopt the following routines:

Avoid Training Too Much

Taking enough is as vital as building endurance and strength. You can’t get stronger by just training hard constantly. Basically, you can build fitness by alternating your workouts with recovery. A perfect way to prevent overtraining is to pay attention to how your body feels.

If your heartbeat remains elevated even after a night’s rest or your legs feel heavy, make sure you take enough rest. For athletes training all year round, it would be wise to take some time off after two months. This will also be a perfect time to change up your normal routine.

Balance the Essential Nutrients Properly

The major energy-yielding nutrients include fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. All these nutrients are important for achieving top training performance, though in different amounts.

Depending on the sport you participate in, taking beta-alanine supplements and foodstuffs containing these three nutrients is the best way to get the energy you need.

Everyone’s body works differently, and all athletes need a different type of endurance, muscular strength, and energy. Be sure to get the fix, which works for your sport and body.

Get New Motivations

When making your athletic performance better is no longer your motivation for exercise, it is vital to look for another motivation.

Every athlete is created differently, so find something beyond sports performance to ensure regular exercise throughout. New motivators will help you:

• Enjoy a higher energy level
• Maintain healthy weight
• Improve sleep pattern
• Manage stress
• Prevent chronic diseases

Establish a Recovery Plan

One thing people often see in many recreational athletes is that they only push themselves to the sport and are hesitant to have a good workout plan.

While weekend warriors play sports to be in shape, experts get in shape so as to take part in athletes and are afraid of losing progress if they choose to slow down.

Resting doesn’t necessarily mean you sit down on your couch. It only means that you allow your body to recover from the hard work and effort you have been putting in.

Work with a Weekly Schedule

Finding time to train usually narrows down to time management. Many people may carve out 45 minutes of their time and go for a focused run session.

Working with a specific weekly schedule and being disciplined to stick to it will ensure you remain on track, even when you are not in the mood. Plus, maintaining the consistency of your training throughout the weeks will be an effective way to be a successful athlete.

Closing Remarks!

Because of coronavirus, the life you used to know has totally changed. The fitness and sports world is among the many areas, which have witnessed significant interruptions and changes.

However, regardless of the global pandemic, you can still maintain and improve your athletic performance with the help of these routines.

If you suffer from tooth loss or believe your teeth are beyond repair, dental implants are a great solution to getting you back feeling healthy and confident.

So, whether you’ve been told you need an implant or you are sick of regular dentist appointments and procedures, there are plenty of benefits to dental implants that help you get back on track with enjoying life to its fullest.

Fix your smile

Our pearly whites can have a huge impact on our self-confidence. Losing a tooth can change the way we feel about ourselves significantly, but dental implants in Chester Springs, PA, can help you get back to a natural-looking smile. Implants look and feel like an ordinary tooth and are just as strong and stable – if not more so.

Save time and money

Nobody particularly likes going to the dentist. But if you find yourself struggling with long-term issues like tooth decay and loss, a dental implant can be a great way to reduce the number of trips you need to the dentist. And fewer visits means fewer bills to pay.

Dentures and bridges typically last around 5-15 years, but an implant can last decades with the occasional adjustment.

Maintain clear speech

Implant alternatives like dentures can be difficult to get used to and can even cause you to slur your words if they’re not fitted properly. People with dentures often clench their teeth while speaking to prevent them from slipping and moving around. With an implant, your teeth will feel natural and stuck in place, meaning you can get back to gossiping with friends and singing your heart out in the car.

It’s permanent

As implants are a permanent fixture, there’s less to worry about. There won’t be the same sliding, clicking, or shifting that’s found with dentures, and you don’t need to take them out at night. Teeth stay firmly and quietly in place, so you don’t have to worry about the consequences of brushing your teeth, yawning, coughing, or eating. The implant fuses with the jaw biologically, meaning there’ll be no movement as you do everyday things.

There’s no impact on other teeth

Unlike other solutions, such as a bridge, implants don’t require support from the teeth on either side. Supporting teeth can often become victim to their own weakening, which in turn could lead to problems further down the line. Implants have no impact on other teeth, meaning you can rest assured that other issues won’t appear because of it.

Get back to enjoying life

Implants look and feel just like ordinary teeth and fit seamlessly into your natural smile. As a result, you can get back to enjoying life in no time. Those with implants don’t feel the same embarrassment as those with tooth gaps or dentures and have the confidence to go out to eat, socialize with friends, and smile the whole time.

No matter what your concerns are, hopefully, this guide has helped to resolve some of your worries and show you several benefits to choosing an implant over shorter-term solutions to tooth loss.

 

When you have a family, they will be everything to you, and you will want to do anything you can to ensure that they are safe and protected. The good news is that you can do a number of things that will allow you to ensure this exact thing, and when you’re all working together to stay fit and healthy, it becomes even easier. Read on for some useful advice about what you can do to get started, but remember, there are many other options for you as well.

Improve Your Diet

It doesn’t seem fair that the foods that are worst for you, the ones that are filled with sugar, salt, and fat, are the ones that taste the best. This is why it can be hard to remove them from your diet – and that of your family – as much as possible. It’s why it’s best to replace them with much healthier foods that taste just as good. Although this might not seem like something that you can do, it is. Healthy food can taste just as good as unhealthy food if you take the time to think carefully about the menu you’re providing. Choose one day a week on which you organize the meals for the week coming up, and you should be able to find some great, healthy alternatives.

Try CBD Oil

CBD oil is a soothing supplement that many people find relaxing and calming, despite the fact that science hasn’t provided any evidence as yet. Since it can be used for the whole family, it’s a great addition to your home when you’re looking at ways to make everyone feel better when they need a little assistance. CBD oil is something that some people find can help in a number of different ways, and you can find it online at cbd-guru.co.uk. If you’re not sure what you want or need, just ask the experts, and they will be able to guide you to the right products.

Get Active as A Family

Everyone needs to be more active if they want to be healthy, and this is a habit to get into at a very young age – the sooner everyone understands why regular, daily exercise is crucial, the better.

It isn’t always easy when the computer and TV are so tempting when we work long hours, when there is homework to contend with, and so on. However, if you can all get active together, there should be no excuses; you will all be able to go for an evening walk or head to the park to run around or perhaps even enjoy a fitness class together. If you’re doing it as a group, there will be more accountability, so you should be able to keep up the momentum.

Slow Down Your Lifestyle

Everyone is in such a rush these days, which can mean that our health and wellbeing have become a much lower priority. Why not try to slow down your lifestyle with your family? Even if you can’t do it all the time because of various commitments, giving yourself two or three slower days, each week will certainly improve everyone’s mental health, which is just as important as your physical health.

When we say slow down, we mean doing things like:

• Cooking and eating as a family
• Turning off all screens and talking about your day
• Go on bike rides or walks together
• Reading together

It’s a great opportunity to teach your children some useful life skills while their minds recharge from the usual hectic lifestyle.

 

The prospect of having to undergo surgery of any kind can be intimidating and overwhelming. When it comes to oral surgery, though, you might have no real idea about what it is you can expect from the recovery process.

Questions about whether or not you will be able to eat, how long you will need to rest for, and how soon you will be able to return to your standard level of activity are all likely going to arise. Your specific recovery process is going to depend on the type of surgery you are having, so first and foremost, bear in mind that it is always best to consult with your dentist or oral surgeon about how to best prepare for your recovery. However, there are some key things to prioritize when you are looking to be as prepared as possible for your recovery from oral surgery.

1. Nutrition

Any time the body undergoes a surgical procedure, it is going to need adequate time and nutrition to heal properly. Oral surgery is no different. There will most likely be incisions involved and perhaps some more intensive injuries that you will be recovering from. This means that you will need to do what you can to fuel your body with the right balance of nutrition.

Unfortunately, when it comes to oral surgery, your ability to consume nutrient-dense foods might be inhibited. Your mouth might simply be in too much pain for you to eat properly, or you might have mobility restrictions when it comes to chewing and swallowing.

The best thing you can do is stock up on foods that are easy to consume, like smoothies and soups. Products like Simply Thick can also be helpful in finding a consistency of food that is comfortable and easy for you to eat during your recovery. With the ability to mix rapidly with a range of food, you can start drinking within seconds and keep up your energy levels by still having the right nutrients.

2. Rest

Aside from ensuring that your body gets enough nutrition for your recovery from oral surgery, you will also need to make sure that you are able to get enough rest as well. Depending on the type of surgery that you are about to undergo, you might not feel too exhausted or tired in the aftermath. Nevertheless, rest is critical to a quick recovery.

Make sure that your sleep space is clean and set up to encourage rest after your surgery. You should be comfortable and have everything that you could need right within reach. By allowing your body to rest, you can speed up your healing and get back to normal sooner.

3. Help

In the days immediately following your surgery, you will more than likely need to have some additional help on hand. This is particularly true if you will be taking some fairly intense medication for pain relief. Having a close friend or family member by your side to ensure that you are getting the rest and food that you need will go a long way to help you to recover from your surgery.

It is incredibly important to stay active as you begin to age, both for your physical and mental well-being. Once people stop working and start aging, it can be very easy to stop being active, but this could lead to health issues as well as making you feel disconnected and isolated from society (this is particularly true if you live alone). This is why it is so important to make a concerted effort to stay active as you age, and there are a number of ways that you can do this that should help to improve your health, mood and lifestyle.

Daily Walks

Even a simple daily walk to the shops can make a big difference as it will keep your body moving, allow you to enjoy the fresh air, and provide the opportunity to be social. Many people will opt to drive when they leave the house, but you should always consider walking as this is much better for you (as well as free and better for the environment). You could even look into joining a walking group as a way to make this a social activity.

Join a Gym

Exercise is incredibly important at every stage in life, including your senior years. Joining a gym is smart because there are so many different low-impact ways to exercise here, so it should not be too hard to find something that you can both do and enjoy – you could speak to a personal trainer to develop a workout for you too. Importantly, there is also a social element to the gym, and it is a good chance to engage with others and feel connected to society.

Assisted Living Communities

For those that begin to struggle and feel isolated, assisted living communities can provide a new lease of life and help you to be active, get the help and care that you need, and be part of a community. Assisted living in Bel Air MD can greatly improve your quality of life, and there are programs and activities that you can enjoy each day to stay fit, happy and active in your senior years.

Volunteer

Many seniors also find that volunteering can improve their life as they get older. Volunteering can help you to have a purpose, do some good in the world, stay active and engage with society. It is never too hard to find an organization looking for a helping hand, and if you find something that you are passionate about, it can greatly improve your life in more ways than one.

Gardening

Gardening is another activity that is worthwhile as you begin to age as it is one that allows you to be outdoors and is physically demanding, plus it can also be rewarding and fun. You do not have to leave the house for gardening, and while it is not a social activity, it is still one that can improve your life and keep your mind sharp.

It is vital that people find ways to stay active as they get older, and these are a few ideas for activities that could improve both your physical and mental well-being.

 

You probably know the symptoms of sinus congestion all too well. When your nose feels stuffy or runny, your head is aching, and you’ve got a cough or sore throat, it may be a cold, the flu, or some other type of infection that is causing your grief. If that sounds like you, then keep some tissues handy, pop a cough suppressant otc, and read on for more tips to help relieve your symptoms.

Harness the Power of Water

It’s not just staying hydrated with fluids that can help you manage your symptoms if you’re suffering from the flu. In addition to consuming plenty of water and taking Brillia Health homeopathic flu medicine, it’s a good idea to breathe in steam when you’ve got nasal congestion. Simply use a humidifier, take a warm shower, or sit with your head bowed over a bowl of hot water to inhale healing vapors.

Using a warm compress can also be an effective way to incorporate water into your healing routine. Soak a washcloth, squeeze out any extra liquid, then place the cloth over your forehead and nose to help open your nasal passages so you can breathe more comfortably.

Use Specialized Treatments

Natural remedies have existed for centuries and can also help ease your discomfort. For instance, many people have long turned to essential oils to cure or relieve symptoms. Eucalyptus oil is thought to kill the germs that contribute to sinus infections, while many find that tea tree oil can help diminish coughs and sore throats. Lemon oil may help with fever and fatigue, and frankincense is believed to be an excellent all-around curative.

Another time-tested treatment for congestion is the use of a neti pot. Developed in India at least a thousand years ago, modern versions of these easy-to-use sinus irrigators can be found in any well-stocked drugstore. When filled with distilled water and saline, these pots are used to flush and moisten the nasal passages, providing relief from stuffiness and dryness.

Practice Prevention

Sometimes the best way to deal with frequent sinus and nasal congestion is to try to prevent the problem in the first place. When it’s cold and flu season, stay ahead of potential illness by getting plenty of rest, engaging in moderate exercise, and eating healthy fruits, vegetables, and grains. Washing your hands frequently and limiting contact with folks who might be ill can keep you healthy, too.

If you begin to feel under the weather, it’s a good idea to go on the defensive. You may improve your odds of heading off severe infections by taking supplements like Brillia Health cold prevention meds at the first sign of illness. Don’t wait until you’re feeling miserable to address your symptoms.

If you begin to feel nasal congestion, it’s a good idea to begin fighting your discomfort with one or more of these remedies. Be prepared by shopping online for over-the-counter supplements and other treatments that can help reduce or eliminate your symptoms. Then you’ll have relief on hand as soon as congestion strikes.

Abortion is always going to be a contentious subject, with those on each side of the argument for and against feeling completely sure that they are right. Of course, as with anything in this world, nothing is quite as clear cut as it might seem at first, and there are many facts about abortion that it’s useful to know before you make up your mind one way or the other, assuming that’s what you want to do. We’ve put together some useful abortion facts to give people a better idea of what it means and the truth behind the rumors. Read on to find out more.

Abortion Is More Common Than You Might Think

Although you might initially think that abortion is a rare occurrence, perhaps because you’ve never had one or you don’t know anyone who has, the truth is that around 30 percent of women in the US will have had one abortion before the age of 45. So why does everyone feel the figures are much lower?

The likelihood is that because abortion is often stigmatized, women don’t tend to talk about it. Therefore, it’s quite possible that you do know someone who has been through the procedure, and they just haven’t told you about it. Of course, a woman’s body is her own, and if she doesn’t want to talk about her abortion, then she doesn’t have to, but since having this procedure can be an emotional experience, removing the stigma and allowing women to be freer to discuss their thoughts and feelings will certainly help to improve the mental health of those who would otherwise feel they had to stay silent.

Abortion Is A Safe Procedure

If you have the idea in your head that abortion is a dangerous procedure and that many women die each year because of it, you won’t be thinking of the very safe and highly sanitary abortion clinic Sydney and others around the world. You would be thinking instead of so-called ‘backstreet abortions’ that are done illegally using improper methods and dirty equipment. Those are dangerous. However, an abortion in a safe clinic with medical professionals taking part in the procedure is very safe; the figures from the CDC show that for every 100,000 legal abortions that take place, less than one person dies because of it. To put that in perspective, almost 16 women out of every 100,000 die during childbirth.

Of course, abortion is a medical procedure, and there are always risks associated with any kind of surgery, and there are certain risk factors that can make an abortion more dangerous, such as how far the pregnancy has progressed and the health of the woman. However, in general terms, abortion is a safe procedure that is unlikely to cause death or harm anyone’s fertility.

Abortion Is Not Something Everyone Regrets

Sometimes women who have chosen to have an abortion do regret their choice. However, this is not the case for everyone, and many women are glad that they had the procedure. No matter what the reason for deciding that an abortion was the correct choice for them, the fact that there are safe, clean, professional abortion clinics that will carry out the procedure and help with any aftercare that is required is something a lot of women are grateful to have access to.

The choice to have an abortion might be difficult, and there will be many factors that need to go into the decision. However, once it is done, regret won’t come into it if it was the right decision. The woman will be healthy and happy and able to have a family when her health and her relationship are better. Yes, some women will have regrets, but the majority tend not to.

Abortions Aren’t Just for Childfree Women

When you think of a woman who wants to have an abortion, you might imagine that she is childfree, perhaps single, perhaps focused on her career, or someone who wants to travel around the world or whatever else might come to mind. What you possibly wouldn’t think of is a mother with one or more children at home. Surely if she already has one child – or more than one child – having another wouldn’t be problematic, and an abortion wouldn’t be required?

The truth is that some of the women who choose to have abortions do already have children. Or they might know they definitely want children in the future. However, sometimes circumstances at the time mean that a child right now would be a mistake, which would lead to regret. Every woman is different, and every decision is made for specific and personal reasons; there is no particular ‘type’ of woman who chooses to have an abortion, and anyone who does is certainly not automatically a ‘child hater’.

Many people immediately assume that an abortion will be carried out on a woman who finds that she is pregnant and doesn’t want to be for whatever reason. However, some abortions are performed on women who were desperate to become pregnant, were happy to find they were, and then received bad news about their child or their relationship or their own health or anything else that changes things. This is why abortion is always such a personal choice.

Abortion Doesn’t Mean You Are Irresponsible

We’ve talked about the ‘stereotypical’ woman who might want an abortion – or rather, the idea that many people have of who this is – and we’ve explained that those stereotypes are not helpful and, most importantly, not true some of the time. So, although the idea persists that anyone who needs to have an abortion must be irresponsible and reckless, ‘sleeping around’ and not using any protection, this is not how it always is. Of course, this is the case for some women who require an abortion, but this does not make them bad people, and it doesn’t mean it is fair to label all women who ask for an abortion in the same way.

For some women, women who are generally very responsible, perhaps those who are careful with birth control or who have a steady, monogamous relationship, abortion is still something they feel is necessary. Missing a pill without even realizing it, not noticing if a condom breaks, miscalculating when your fertile time is, can all lead to pregnancy, and are all mistakes that anyone can make – we’re all human, after all.

There will always be people who say that if you don’t want to get pregnant, you shouldn’t have sex, but that would be denying an integral part of human behavior, relationships, love, and so on. Taking precautions is important, just as sex is important, but nothing is one hundred percent safe, and this is why some abortions take place. It’s not recklessness, and it’s not irresponsible. Sometimes choosing to have an abortion is the responsible option, after all.

Abortion Is Not Birth Control

Some of those who are against abortion dislike it because they feel women use it as a form of birth control at the expense of the fetus. In reality, it is highly unlikely that a woman would choose to forego all the other birth control methods, including taking the contraceptive pill, having a coil inserted, or using condoms because their favored method of birth control was to book in for an abortion.

Abortions are surgical procedures, and they take some time to recover from. They are not a ‘quick and easy’ fix, as some might think. It’s far easier and less expensive to have a partner wear a condom or take a pill each day than it is to find out you’re pregnant and request an abortion. Plus, don’t forget that there are restrictions placed on abortions depending on which state (or which country) you happen to be in, meaning that they really wouldn’t be a reliable contraception method.

Abortions Aren’t Something All Pro-Choice People Would Choose

There are, as you may know, two camps when it comes to abortion. Pro-life people dislike abortion and feel that all babies should be born. Pro-choice people agree with abortion in theory and feel that it is the woman’s right to choose what she does, whether that’s to have an abortion or continue with the pregnancy.

Interestingly, although you might assume that pro-choice people would always choose to have an abortion if the need arose, this is not the case. The key word here is ‘choice’. For pro-lifers, there is no choice; the baby must be born. Pro-choice people wouldn’t necessarily ever choose an abortion for themselves, but that doesn’t mean they don’t think other women should be able to choose, even if the result is something they fundamentally disagree with. It’s an interesting dynamic, and it just does show how emotional and complex the subject of abortion can be.

Equally, pro-life people may choose to have an abortion at some point, even if they think they never would. Anything can happen in life, and you might have one particular view for years, decades even, until one thing happens that makes you reassess and rethink.

Abortion Doesn’t Cause the Fetus Pain

In the vast majority of cases, the fetus will feel absolutely no pain during the abortion. This is because the part of the brain responsible for pain receptors doesn’t develop until late on in the pregnancy, and most abortions are carried out during the first and second trimesters.

In the interests of fairness, however, around 1.4 percent of abortions are carried out after this time, during the period in which the pain receptors may have developed.

Abortion Is Legal

In the US, abortion is legal. It is this black and white, which is unusual for something that raises such high emotions in people. What might surprise you is that it was only in 1973, thanks to the decision made in Roe v. Wade, that this occurred. Legal abortion is a good thing; simply making the procedure illegal would not prevent it from happening. All that would happen is that women who wanted an abortion would go to an illegal clinic and run the risk of the procedure going wrong and causing infection, infertility, or even death. Making abortion illegal would make it dangerous but wouldn’t stop it.

However, that doesn’t mean that abortion is legal in quite the same way across all US states. Many states have banned abortion after 20 weeks, for example, and there are plenty of other restrictions too. Some politicians in Oklahoma want to make it law that all doctors who perform abortions are criminalized for it (so far, this has not had any success). This is because abortion is such a contentious issue. Although all states allow abortion in some form, it’s best to check where you are and what the rules are if you feel you need one, to make sure you are fully in line with the law.

Abortion Is Not A Money-Making Industry

When abortions were illegal, before 1973, doctors would be paid a lot of money to perform them. It was a risk for the woman, of course, but if the doctor was found out, they would lose their medical license and could spend time in prison. So, they charged a lot for the procedure to be done. This might be where the idea that doctors who perform abortions and abortion clinics, in general, are money-making, and that this is why so many abortions are performed. In other words, it’s good for the doctors to carry them out.

This is not the truth of it. Although you will have to pay for an abortion, any doctor will know that it is only a fraction of the cost that you will pay if you have the baby. Birth costs many tens of thousands of dollars and abortions are nowhere near that. If money were the force behind this industry, doctors would encourage women not to have abortions rather than give them a choice by furnishing them with all the facts.

 

Since your body is around 70% water, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that you need to drink water to be in your best health. Water is essential for many different roles in your body including your blood pressure, joint health, cell health, body temperature regulation, electrolyte balance and more. While most of us know just how important it is to stay hydrated, it’s not always as easy as that. Here are some simple things to try if you want to drink more water throughout the day.

How Much Water Do You Need?

Before taking steps to drink more water, it’s important to understand your body’s fluid needs. Around two liters or eight cups per day of water is the general recommendation; however, everybody is different, so it’s worth working out your personal daily water intake using a calculator that takes various individual factors about your lifestyle into account to determine how much water you need for best health.

Set a Daily Water Goal

Having a goal that you work to reach throughout the day is a simple yet effective way to encourage yourself to drink more water. Having a goal to work towards can be motivating in itself and the sense of achievement that you will experience once you hit your daily goal can help to keep you going and make a lasting, positive change. Make sure that your goal is easy for you to achieve; for example, you might decide to refill and drink all the water from your water bottle four or five times throughout the day. You can also find water tracking apps that you can use to record how much you drink.

Invest in a Reusable Water Bottle

By now, most of us are trying to cut down on single-use plastic, so it’s a good idea to keep a reusable water bottle with you throughout the day. Investing in a water bottle that will keep your water cool all day long will encourage you to drink more and make it easy for you to sip water in any setting. Having your water bottle with you will also serve as a visual reminder to drink more water and refill it wherever you can.

Switch Other Drinks for Water

Replacing other drinks that you might normally have in a typical day with water is a good way to ensure that you are fully hydrated. For example, if you drink a lot of juice, diet soda, or tea and coffee, having water instead of these drinks for at least a couple of cups per day will help you increase your water intake and reduce sugar intake from sodas and juices.

Get a Water Filter

Most areas have tap water that is safe to drink, but if you don’t like the taste or have some concerns about the quality of your tap water, it’s a wise idea to invest in a water filter. In-line water filters can be installed to ensure that you have access to clean and fresh-tasting water at all times without the need to go out and purchase spring water, which makes it a more eco-friendly option too.

Infuse Your Water

If you are getting bored with the taste of plain water, or tend to drink more when your drinks have a bit of flavor, there are some options to consider that might encourage you to hydrate more. You can get fruit infuser water bottles that have a compartment in the middle of the bottle where you can place your favorite fruits before leaving it in the fridge overnight to infuse. Or, you can purchase products designed to enhance the flavor of your water. Sugar-free squash is another option you might want to consider if you really don’t like water but want to increase your fluid intake.

Eat Water-Rich Foods

Another simple way to get more water throughout the day is to eat foods that have a high water content. Many fruits and vegetables are made up of a huge amount of water, so you don’t need to drink all of the water that you get in a typical day. Lettuce, for example, has 96% water so a salad for lunch could be a good way to get hydrated, while honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelons all have at least 90% water if you are looking for a healthy, sweet and hydrating treat. Fruits and vegetables that have a high water content are also packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that will boost your health, so it’s a win-win.

If you want to drink more water but are struggling to increase your fluid intake, try these tricks to stay hydrated.

 

It’s been hard to miss the recent boom in people using e-cigarettes, a practice also known as vaping. Euromonitor’s market research group has projected that the number of adults who vape will reach nearly 55 million by 2021. Not only that, but the global market for e-cigarettes is now estimated to be worth a staggering $19.3 billion. The industry hasn’t been without its controversies, but vaping is now widely accepted as a healthier alternative to cigarettes and a great way to kick the tobacco habit.

So if you’re thinking about getting started with vaping as a way to help you quit smoking, here’s the lowdown on what you need to know.

What is vaping?

Let’s start at the very beginning. There is a whole lot of vaping terminology out there that can make the topic seem impenetrable to newbies, but the basics are actually pretty simple. Vaping is the use of an electronic device, or e-cigarette, to inhale vapor. These devices can be either rechargeable or disposable and work by heating an ‘e-liquid’ solution, which then produces the vapor.

This e-liquid generally contains a mixture of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), flavoring, and nicotine. It comes in an unbelievable variety of flavors – for example strawberry cheesecake, cola, mint, coffee, lemon, and even vanilla ice cream – to enable people to tailor their vaping experience to their own tastes and preferences.

How do I use an e-cigarette?

There are several different types of e-cigarette available, and the one that is right for you will depend on your personal needs and preferences:

• Cigalike – these are similar in appearance to a regular cigarette, have a small battery, and are either disposable or rechargeable.
• Vape pen – shaped like a pen or small tube, these have a tank for e-liquid plus replaceable coils and rechargeable batteries.
• Pod system – these compact, rechargeable devices are shaped a bit like a pebble or USB stick and are used with pre-filled or refillable e-liquid pods.
• Mod – these are the largest e-cigarette devices, with a refillable tank and long-lasting rechargeable batteries.

It’s best to speak to a vape shop about which device is best for you, as well as what strength of e-liquid to use with it. As a rough guide, however, cigalikes and vape pens are best for light smokers, and vape pens, pod systems, and mods are better for heavier smokers. It has been suggested that rechargeable models deliver nicotine more quickly and effectively than disposable ones and so are more likely to be able to help you quit smoking.

Whichever you choose, you’ll be pleased to know that using them is simple. Just charge it up, fill or attach the e-liquid capsule, and inhale (there may also be a button to press). When you run out of e-liquid, top up the tank, or replace the pod.

Can vaping help me quit smoking?

There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that e-cigarettes can be helpful when you’re trying to stop smoking. As the devices do not burn tobacco, they don’t produce the same harmful substances as real cigarettes, for example, tar and carbon monoxide. Yet by closely replicating the feel of smoking as well as providing nicotine, they can help to reduce your cigarette cravings.

To get the most benefit from vaping, it’s advisable to stop smoking actual cigarettes completely. Other tactics that can be used alongside e-cigarettes to help you quit include getting support from other people, distracting yourself when you feel the desire to smoke a cigarette, and regularly reminding yourself of your reasons for quitting.

Another benefit of using e-cigarettes is that there is no evidence that it causes harm to the people around you. This is in stark contrast to the second-hand smoke from cigarettes, which has been shown to cause a wide range of health problems in non-smokers, including lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

Are there any negative side effects of vaping?

Over the last couple of years, there have been some concerns raised about the safety of vaping, particularly for young people. However, it is undeniable that they are far less damaging than regular cigarettes. Therefore whilst it’s not advisable to pick up a vaping habit if you are a non-smoker, for people who are trying to quit smoking, they are a far preferable and safer option. The best advice is to always buy your e-liquids from reputable companies to ensure you’re not inadvertently exposed to harmful chemicals.