Important Things to Remember When Heading to The Gym

Important Things to Remember When Heading to The Gym

One of your new year’s resolutions this year may be to lose weight, which means that you are likely starting the gym. If you have never been to the gym before, you may think that you just turn up in your gym clothes and get on with it. However, there are some important things that you have to remember when heading to the gym and here are just some of them.

Safe Shoes

If you plan on lifting weights when you are in the gym, then you put your feet at risk of being injured if you were to accidentally drop them. You may think that trainers are enough to cover it, but you want something with steel caps to protect your toes. It is not unheard of for weight lifters to wear work boots when they work out, as these offer the best possible protection for your feet. If you are not sure where to buy them, workbootsireland.ie offer a range of safety work boots that you will be able to wear on weight days.

Wireless Headphones

If you are going to be in the gym for a couple of hours then you are going to want to listen to music. There is nothing more annoying than using wired headphones when you are in the gym, as you do not usually have pockets. It can also be unsafe for you to use wired headphones, as they could become tangled in the machinery and cause an injury, so remember to go wireless.

Lock

It is likely that you will be changing in and out of clothes when you go to the gym and you will have a lot of possessions with you. There are lockers you can put this stuff in at the gym, but you are going to need a lock to make sure that it is all secure.

The Best Home Workout Routines Of 2021

Let’s face it , after a year of sitting inside watching Netflix and eating snacks, some of us are not in the best physical shape. Many of you may be eager to head to the gym, but right now the gyms are as busy as ever and it’s almost impossible to fit in a good gym session without having to wait around for the machines to be free.

Some of you may not have the confidence to head to the gym after being away for so long, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t exercise at all. There are plenty of workout routines that you can do at home and here are just a few of them.

Household Object Cardio

Not everyone can afford to own expensive household workout objects and if this is the case for you, then don’t worry.  You can actually use a lot of objects that are just lying around your home to work out with. An example of this is using milk jugs or water bottles as weights, as you can control the volume of liquid within them.

If you are someone that has garden space, then you can also get in plenty of cardio. If you have the time, you can set up a small course for you to complete in your garden. This will make you feel as though you have an objective and will encourage you to complete exercise more frequently.

Home Decor and Improvement

If you are someone that hates exercise that feels like a chore, then you can get in plenty of exercise without even realising that you are exercising. Home renovation takes a lot of hard work and heavy lifting, so at the end of a long day you will have burned off plenty of calories.

If you are someone that doesn’t have any home renovations that are necessarily needed, then you may be glad to know that there are lots of ways to take part in home improvement without having to do it at your own house. Everyday,  new customers needed for a home improvement company and this company allows you to take part in home improvement which gives you a good work out.

Cleaning

Another way to work out without feeling as though you are forcing yourself to exercise is by cleaning. Even if you feel as though your home is already clean, there are probably spots that you haven’t touched in quite a while.

A great way to get a full body workout is by doing something as simple as hoovering all of the floors in your home. Anything that has you off your feet and active is a great way to exercise and you are more likely to do it if it doesn’t feel like you are exercising at all.

Workout videos

If you are someone that exercises better under instruction, then you may be missing your usual gym classes. You will be glad to know that on Youtube and similar sites there are plenty of workout videos that you can follow, all of which are catered to differing ability levels and techniques.

If you are someone that has access to a gaming console such as a Switch or Play station, then you may be glad to know that there are a lot of games that you can download that will allow you to have a good workout. One of the most popular games for this is Just Dance. Just Dance has several different levels to choose from, so depending on your athletic ability you will be able to find a dance that works for you.

Stress Busting: 8 Ways to Reduce Day-To-Day Stress

As humans, it is natural for us to experience regular stress. With the current state of the world, it would be impossible to remain stress-free. With global warming, a global pandemic, and the questioning morality of those in control, it would be weird for someone to not experience stress right now. For some of us,  the stress of daily life can be disruptive to the daily schedule, so it would make sense why so many people are set on trying to reduce the stress.   

Trying to reduce your stress levels is easier said than do and some of you may not know where to even start. Don’t worry, we get it. Here are 8 ways to reduce day-to-day stress.  

Don’t overdo your workload  

One of the main reasons why stress is such a big problem these days is because we are a generation of overworked. With the increased economic stress of the world and the uncertainty associated with employment, many of us feel the need to overdo our workloads to feel as though we are contributing to society and climbing the social ladder.  Though it is commendable to want to achieve good things, it is important that you don’t take on more than you can handle. This will only lead to you burning out and could even potentially ruin the quality of what you do manage to get done. Decreasing the work you do will mean less stress and more productivity.  

 

Introduce CBD to your routine  

A new trend that you may have noticed taking off in the last few years is the use of CBD. CBD has been proven to relax the muscles in your body and also alleviate your mind of excessive stress. CBD can be introduced into your schedule in many ways, in fact, you can purchase disposable vapes that allow you to vape CBD oil. You can also buy CBD oil that can be put into your food. However you choose to take it, we recommend doing it at the end of your evening so you can wind down and enjoy a full night of sleep. As you all know, sleep is extremely important for the function of your brain, so the more sleep you get the better. 

Take time to do things you enjoy 

We can all get so overwhelmed by external issues that we forget to focus on taking the time to do what we enjoy. Enjoying at least an hour a day of wind downtime has shown to significantly reduce your overall stress levels. The body also releases oxytocin and dopamine when we are taking part in tasks that we enjoy. These chemicals create that ‘happy feeling’ that we all long for. These chemicals will overpower feelings of stress and give you some time of relief during an exceptionally stressful time.  

Spend time with the company  

Many people do not know that isolation can be a large factor behind feelings of stress. When we are alone we are often left with nothing but our thoughts, which makes many of us hyperfocus on the sheer amount of responsibility and jobs we have to carry out. When you are alone, it can be hard to distract from focusing on these thoughts. However, when we decide to spend time with the company, the brain becomes more preoccupied with interaction with other humans, which can be a much-needed break from thoughts of responsibility. Spending time with friends also increases the probability of laughing, which once again encourages the release of those happy chemicals that we all love.  

Go out for nice food 

Though this may not seem too obvious, treating yourself to some delicious food can actually be a great way to relieve any stress. Partaking in tasty food stimulates feelings of pleasure within the body and can lead to an improved mood.  It is not only the food that can help, being in an environment that you are not constantly exposed to can be very beneficial to your mood as it will give you an escape from the thoughts of your daily tasks. Not having to think about these tasks will mean that you can think about other things, such as hanging out with friends and relaxing. 

Take time to have a creative outlet  

Though you may choose to just unwind and watch Tv after a long day, it is recommended that you take the time to find a creative outlet. There is a reason that adult coloring has become so popular over the years, focusing on something relaxing can allow you to unwind without any problems.  Creating something will also give you a sense of achievement that will alleviate any feelings of pressure and stress. Doing something creative is also just very refreshing when compared to having to complete the rest of your responsibilities.  

Sleep Enough 

Arguably one of the most important yet most neglected ways of reducing stress is ensuring that you get as much sleep as you possibly can.  It is recommended that the average human should have at least eight hours of sleep a night, this will make sure that the brain is well-rested enough to be able to process the stress of completing everyday tasks. Your body also needs to recover after a long day of tasks before waking up and having to deal with more, so be sure to have an early night when you can.  

Examining Why Health Issues in Women go Misdiagnosed

Whilst this has always been an issue within the medical field, it’s only been in recent years that it has come to light just how often women are being misdiagnosed by doctors and there have been more lawsuits for lack of care than ever before. Men and women have very different bodies and therefore different needs, there has been some progress in research about women’s medical needs, for example, it has come to light that men and women need different types of steroids as they affect male and female bodies differently. However, there hasn’t been enough progress as it’s easy for men to access steroid but it’s much harder for women, most legal steroids for women are available here online, it’s almost impossible to obtain women-specific steroids over the counter. This is a small insight into how women and men get treated differently in the medical field, keep reading to further explore why women are so often misdiagnosed. 

Different Symptoms

There are several reasons why health issues in women often go misdiagnosed and therefore untreated, one of the main reasons is that women often experience different symptoms from men. In the past, most testing has been performed on men, even in animal trials 75% of the time the animals being tested on were male. This means that the ‘normal’ symptoms associated with various illnesses are mainly based on how a man’s body would react. One example of this is that chest pain is the most common symptom associated with a heart attack, however, often in women, there are more subtle signs like shortness of breath, fatigue, and indigestion. As the medical community is so used to chest pain being the most common symptom, rather than realizing that this could be a sign of a heart attack in women they think these symptoms are a result of other issues such as the flu, leaving women to go misdiagnosed.  

Research

As briefly mentioned, the majority of medical research has been based around males, even in animal clinical trials. The male body was seen as the standard as sexism against women was deep-rooted in society in the past when medicine was developing. Although in 1993 a law was passed by congress requiring clinical trials to focus research on women just as much as they do on men. Even though this came into law, recent studies suggest there has not been enough advancement in the effects of medicine in women, until there is more progress in this area women will continue to go misdiagnosed. 

Stereotypes

Unfortunately, there are still many stereotypes around women that lead medical professionals to dismiss what women say and not take women seriously. Many women have been told that their symptoms are all in their head, that they’re simply overreacting, or that any pain they’re feeling is simply a result of their period which is not the case. The most high-profile case of this happening is with the famous tennis player Serena Williams, she was concerned about blood clots after she had a C-Section and was suffering from shortness of breath. At first, her thoughts were dismissed and she was told by a nurse that she was just confused. However, she kept pushing and demanded a CT scan, only then did the doctor find that she was correct and she did have life-threatening blood clots. 

How should you deal with this situation as a woman?

The first and most important thing that you should do if you believe you’re being dismissed is to always trust your instincts. No one knows your body as well as you do, so listen to it, if it’s giving you warning signals then always listen to them and trust your gut. Keep pushing or change your doctor if you’re not being taken seriously. You should also keep records of any symptoms you have as this will help to get people to take you more seriously and help in getting the correct diagnosis. Another issue in women’s health is women often get told they’re too young to be suffering from certain issues, but in many cases, especially after pregnancy, people can develop illnesses and diseases much younger than the average age so never think you’re too young for an issue to affect you.  

Fad From Fiction: How to Spot Legitimate and Useful Health Advice

There are many websites and resources in the world that portray false information and health advice. This may end up causing serious harm to a person if the advice is not truthful or legitimate. It is important to look carefully for resourceful and legitimate sites that distribute the correct information. Many sites are untrustworthy and provide false and misleading information. However, there are ways to identify how some sites actually provide useful and legitimate health advice. Many sites include numbers of health professionals and addresses that you can go to in order to receive help if you need it.

 

Online Information

There is a lot of information online, there are many sites that publish false information in order to gain money. Many sites publish information for their own financial gain and to increase the popularity of their website, without actually consulting medical professionals. You can identify legitimate websites such as womenconcepts. You can identify a legitimate website by the URL; many legitimate websites end in .com, .org, .gov and .edu are the most trustworthy websites to use. Many of these sites will have quotations from doctors and other medical professionals. Before you go online to research health advice, it is best to first consult a medical professional such as your General Practitioner. False and misleading information can be extremely harmful, many of these websites have been created to look professional so that people will trust the page. There are also leaflets in the office of many medical centers and hospitals on a different range of topics, ailments, and supplies and how to obtain them. These leaflets are an even better resource than online, they are supplied by medical professionals and distributed to patients.

 

Identifying legitimate Health Advice

There are many legitimate health websites that provide legitimate health advice. You may want to read up on some health advice if you are having minor issues with your health and feel that you do not need the help of a medical professional. However, it is best to always consult a doctor, as many people self-diagnose from different websites. These websites can cause fearmongering among people and lead them to believe they have an illness or ailment even though they may be perfectly healthy. Many legitimate sites have links to articles and reviews from customers or patients, which anyone on the website has access to. Additionally, many false websites include pop-up advertisements and try to get you to enter your e-mail address. They do this in order to lure you in with promises of trying a free product, however, most of the time this is a scam, and you will get bombarded with e-mails and scams from the company.

 

Medical Health Professionals

Before self-diagnosing, as many people do, you should always call on the help of a medical professional. In doing this, you will be given the best possible and most reliable advice. If you have self-diagnosed on a website and felt that you may have some symptoms, then it is best to seek medical advice. Many medical professionals advise that you do consult them before you research your symptoms online. You may frighten yourself and self-diagnose wrongly, which can cause a lot of stress. Although there are many legitimate sites, you should use the NHS website as it provides information on what to do if you feel you have symptoms of a certain illness. Most legitimate websites provide numbers to clinics, hospitals, and medical professionals who you can call if you feel you need help. This is one way to identify a reliable website with health advice.

Active Mind, Active Body: How to Maintain Your Well-Being in 2021

I think we can all agree that we are completely erasing the year 2020 from our minds and starting fresh in the year 2021. Due to the circumstances surrounding 2020, a lot of us have picked up lazy habits and brain-frying hobbies that we simply cannot bring into the new year with us. 2020 was a year dedicated to gaining weight and spending an unimaginable amount of time watching Netflix, but we must ensure 2021 is completely different. We aren’t completely sure how long the utter madness of this year will last or whether or not it will follow us into 2021, but one thing that we have to ensure for the upcoming year is that we maintain our own wellbeing. One of the main ways in which we can do that is by ensuring that we are not only keeping our bodies active but our minds too.  Here is how to maintain your wellbeing in 2021.

 

Put down the phone

Though it can be understandably tempting to spend hours on end browsing whatever is on our phone screens, in 2021 we as a society should try to cut down on this. I’m sure if you went into your settings and took a look at the hours that you have spent on your phone today, you will be more than shocked at the results.  Though phones are a great way to stay connected and enjoy all of the wonders of the internet, they can be extremely detrimental to your physical and mental health. First of all, prolonged time spent on your phone can be really damaging on your eyes and can affect how your eyes handle brightness. Secondly, spending so much time in a virtual world can be extremely damaging to your mental health and can blur the lines between reality and online.

 

Exercise your mind

Something else that you should be doing in 2021 is putting your mind to the test. For the majority of 2020 schools have been closed and most jobs have been put into furlough. This means that people haven’t really got the chance to exercise their minds and explore new information. In 2021, it is important that we all complete more tasks to make sure that our minds are active.  Read more books or if you are someone that requires more stimulation, play some games with your friends. A good one to really exercise your mind with is scrabble. It doesn’t even matter if you’re any good at scrabble, as you can always use helpful tools like scrabble go cheat while you learn the ropes.

 

Explore

One of the best ways you can really keep both your mind and your body active is by traveling and exploring new places. As sanctions begin to be lifted in the year 2021, holidays and other traveling opportunities will be much cheaper. This means that you have the perfect opportunity to really take in new locations and explore new cultures. This will be very beneficial for your mental health, as it is often vital to experience new things in order to develop further. If you are doing these due to Covid-19, you can relax your mind by training at home.

 

Eat healthier

Even if you aren’t in a position where you need to shift weight, eating healthy is really important when ensuring your wellbeing.  Eating clean foods can be vital to living a happier and healthier lifestyle as poorer junk foods will not give you all of the vital nutrients that you need and may leave you feeling tired and worn out. Eating healthier means that you will have all of the energy that you need to further improve your health.