Haley's Health Tips

Science-backed tips to working from home successfully
Combating loneliness

Remember we’re social animals.
Part of the reason we go to work is that we love being with other people.
Nobody should take the threat of loneliness lightly because it can lead to poor mental and physical health in other areas.
Petting your pets and face-timing your family are no-brainers, but don’t forget about your colleagues, too.
Using virtual spaces to meet up is really good.
But there is a temptation to use those just for work meetings.
A lot of the time we spend interacting at work is not actually about work.
That type of interaction is likely to be what we miss when we are self-isolating.
So, meeting colleagues or friends on-line for regular coffee breaks or lunch is recommended, so you don’t miss out on that type of social interaction.

Steps to laughing alone exercises
Breathing into the lungs

-Breathing into the upper lobe - the lungs have three lobes. This exercise will bring more air to the upper lobe. Place your hands between your shoulder blades with the palms facing outward. Take a deep breath, hold for three to four seconds and laugh. Repeat thrice.
-Breathing into the middle lobe - join both your palms and stretch them above your head until your arms are straight. This is called the mountain posture in yoga. Take a deep breath, hold it for three to four seconds and laugh. This will oxygenate your middle lobes. Repeat thrice.
-Breathing into the lower lobe - hold your hands out like a lion’s paws. Take a deep breath, hold it for three to four seconds and then stick your tongue out and laugh from your belly. This will help bring more air into the lower lobe. Repeat thrice.

Long-lasting frozen nutritious food:

Seafood

Seafood is generally high in protein and Vitamin D.
They are considered as low-calorie food and their nutrients vary between every crustacean.
For example, fish is also a good source of omega-three fatty acids, which is good for the brain.
Meanwhile, squid meals are a good source of zinc and selenium antioxidants.
If you are in need of a quick fix, grab a plate of rice and one canned tuna.

Signs you’re drinking too much coffee

Insomnia

Caffeine’s ability to help people stay awake is one of its most prized qualities.
On the other hand, too much caffeine can make it difficult to get enough restorative sleep.
Higher caffeine intake appears to increase the amount of time it takes to fall asleep.
It may also decrease total sleeping time, especially in the elderly.

Spices you should have in your pantry:

Ground Turmeric

Wild ginger is also known as turmeric.
It has a slightly bitter, acrid taste but only when added in abundance to the dish.
That's why it's commonly used as a natural food coloring in many dishes instead of a spice for its flavor.
You can find this as ground or fresh.
Word of caution when using the fresh kind: this stains very strongly and your hands, as well as your chopping board, will be tinged a golden hue if you do not wear gloves or otherwise protect your surfaces.
Wear gloves and immediately rinse your board after prepping this spice.

Without a sense of curiosity it is impossible to grow

To live successfully, be endlessly curious about all the possibilities your future holds. It is important to have an unquenchable thirst for your advancement and for adventure.

Curiosity inspires you to push through the unusually painful trials and errors in your life leading. This type of resiliency is an acquired self-discipline which teaches you to cast your fears aside bringing you to the fullest experience of the adventures success can bring.

Curiosity creates a longing to know more and do more. It inspires that energy which makes it possible to see all situations as opportunities for your advancement. When you approach life with a sense of adventure, there is no situation, however limiting, physically or economically, which cannot be filled to the brim with the interest and curiosity of how it will all work out.

Keto is everywhere;

it's the new buzzword, the new favorite among those looking to shed pounds, and the new hate victim of the food-pyramid-spouting-eat-your-whole grains mainstream medical industry. The keto diet, while it is not the magic cure-all for every single disease on the planet, does a pretty dang good job at being the potential causer of healing many horrible conditions. So let's cut through the science, separate fact from fiction, and look at the benefits of the keto diet.

Benefit #1: Weight Loss
Okay, so this one isn't so astounding, but it is one of the most common reasons people embark on the keto diet. So why is weight loss usually so easy on the ketogenic diet instead of other regular diets? For all of the following reasons:
• The keto diet is composed of approximately 75% fat, 20 % protein, and 5% or less carbohydrates. The high fat content and lack of sugar means diminished cravings, lack of blood sugar swings and binges, and increased satiation. Increased satiation=eating less. Many people also have food sensitivities to grains, even gluten-free ones, so eliminating them may lead to an increased ability to absorb minerals like magnesium and potassium, which in turn means your body is more nourished and you have fewer cravings



• Ketones. When your blood sugar is running low, your body turns to its glycogen stores for energy. Typically glycogen stores house about 2000 calories of "backup" energy for when you run out of glucose. Like the intelligent machine it is, your body depletes the glycogen stores and then turns to your own body fat for fuel.

IMPORTANT: The ketogenic diet is not a free-for-all eat however much cheese or super low-carb fat bomb treats you want diet. If you are eating way more calories than you need, you will not lose weight. So focus on keeping your diet around fatty cuts of grass-fed meat, butter, eggs, avocados, lots of green veggies and cruciferous, and be modest with the keto desserts, dairy, and sweets.

Benefit #2: Brain Function

A poorly functioning brain, as you may have already experienced, leads to lessened work productivity, which in turn means an unhappy boss, lack of job satisfaction, sugar cravings for energy, and depression. It's a horrible domino effect. The original ketogenic diet was formulated by Dr. Russell Wilder in the early 20th century to treat epilepsy. The success rate was phenomenal and it is still used today to treat epilepsy and other brain disorders. Research also indicates that ketones are more efficient brain fuel than glucose. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5102124/)

Benefit #3: Potential Cancer Benefits

One study showed implementing the ketogenic diet led to a dramatically increased survival time and slower tumor growth. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5450454/)

Conclusion

If you're reading this article now, chances are you are in some sort of pain, whether physical and/or mental (being overweight, struggling with autoimmune disorders, thyroid disease, fatigue, brain fog) and want to change. Use this information, don't just skim through it and store it in the back of your brain and say "that's nice for some people", motivate yourself to change.

-Haley

Being in the Present Moment Guide
Getting into Nature

Taking a walk in the park, in the woods, sitting by a stream, and gardening are simple ways to take a break from daily life. If you can’t manage this during the week, manage it on the weekend. Being immersed in nature allows you to break the cycle of constantly thinking and interacting and allows you to enter into the flow of the natural world.

Being in nature is a handy reminder that life is cyclic, that things are constantly in flux and ever-changing. Everything comes into being, lives a life, and dies. We need to understand that this applies to the events of our life, as well as our thoughts and feelings.

Foods that lift your mood
Bananas

Bananas may help turn a frown upside down. They’re high in vitamin B6, which helps synthesize feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. Furthermore, one large banana (136 grams) provides 16 grams of sugar and 3.5 grams of fiber.

When paired with fiber, sugar is released slowly into your bloodstream, allowing for stable blood sugar levels and better mood control. Blood sugar levels that are too low may lead to irritability and mood swings.

Finally, this ubiquitous tropical fruit, especially when still showing green on the peel, is an excellent source of prebiotics, a type of fiber that helps feed healthy bacteria in your gut. A robust gut microbiome is associated with lower rates of mood disorders.

Exercises for Women Over 40
Burpees

Burpees are one of the best full-body functional exercises you can do. It’s just lying down on the ground and getting back up again.

If you can’t jump backward into a high plank from a squat position, don’t be discouraged; just step back instead, one leg at a time. Then lie down. Then push yourself back up, step those legs back into your hands, and stand fully upright.

If you practice this consistently, you’ll be jumping up and down in no time and the rewards you’ll reap for your overall health and wellness will be incalculable.

I found this super interesting for those also doing a keto diet!

http://www.eatingwell.com/article/2055096/7-things-you-shouldnt-do-on-a-low-carb-diet-according-to-dietitians/

7 Things You Shouldn't Do on a Low-Carb Diet, According to Dietitians If you're ditching carbs, make sure you're not making these common mistakes.

http://www.eatingwell.com/article/7669096/a-registered-dietitian-answers-all-of-your-carb-questions/

A Registered Dietitian Answers All of Your Carb Questions Find out which foods contain carbs and get your low-carb diet questions answered by a nutrition expert.

Empathy

The key to social relationships is having a deep understanding of others. We must be able to put ourselves in another’s shoes, see the world from their perspective, and understand what they are likely thinking and feeling.

In short, empathy is the key to social relationships. Empathy is the capacity to understand and even feel the experience of another.

Ways to be Kinder to Yourself
Taking time to do nothing at all

Running from place to place and laboring over long to-do lists have increasingly become ways to communicate the status of ‘I’m so busy because I’m just so important’, the thinking goes. Perhaps it’s time to stop all this busyness.

Being busy, if we even are busy, is rarely the status indicator we’ve come to believe it is. Nonetheless, the impact is real, and instances of burnout, anxiety disorders and stress-related diseases are on the rise, not to mention millennial burnout.

One way out of this madness is doing nothing. Counter-intuitively, idleness can be a great productivity tool because if our energy is totally shot, our productivity is not going to be good because we’re not going to have fuel to burn with which to be productive.
Ways to be Kinder to Yourself
Accepting a Compliment, even if it’s from yourself

Pumping yourself up after a big win can feel a little awkward. You want to acknowledge good work, but you don’t want to feel arrogant. It’s that tricky balance of quietly reveling in a job well done without coming off as a jerk.

Despite that awkwardness, getting credit for your work gives your brain good feelings and helps you accomplish more. Companies use praise to try to boost productivity and even revenue, and the psychological impact of keeping a positive view of your accomplishments can decrease stress and encourage better habits.

Even if you’re bad at taking a compliment, or you’re not getting external recognition, you can still enjoy major psychological benefits from celebrating your achievements on your own.

http://www.eatingwell.com/article/290550/10-everyday-superfoods/

10 Everyday Superfoods These 10 superfoods top the list of the best healthy foods to eat every day.

https://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/exercising-while-pregnant-strong-moms-build-strong-babies

Exercising While Pregnant: Strong Moms Build Strong Babies Numerous studies do show that a healthy, fit mom produces a healthy, fit baby. Building a strong body can lead to an easier pregnancy, better recovery, and a vibrant baby.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/suboptimal-estrogen

Suboptimal Estrogen: A Woman's Gym Performance Nightmare Suboptimal estrogen levels can be a nightmare for women when it comes to performance in the gym. Learn what you can do to naturally regulate these hormones.

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