This shows the impact our thoughts can have on ourselves and others. Goals to live by:
- Think Positive
- Be Positive
- Do Positive
This shows the impact our thoughts can have on ourselves and others. Goals to live by:
Photo by Filip Bunkens
With it being so cold out there, it is important to not stay out for longer than you safely should to prevent hypothermia and/or frostbite.
You should be looking at the temperature as well as the wind chill factor before leaving for outdoor activities. If the temperature is 26°F and wind chill is 15°F, that means exposed skin will freeze as if it is 15°F outside.
Of note: infants, toddlers, and the elderly are more susceptible to the cold so need to be more careful. When going out in the cold, make sure to dress in layers and don’t forget socks, gloves, hats, and scarves along with your winter coat!
Photo by Aaron Burden
It is common for people to feel down or a little depressed in the winter. For many, it is dark in the morning when heading to work, and by the time they head home again, it is dark again. With this, it feels like the whole day just slipped away. The winter blues or seasonal affective disorder actually affects many people in late fall and early winter. The rational behind this is that there are shorter, darker days in the winter with less daylight so there is higher production of melatonin which can cause lethargy and symptoms of feeling down. It is also felt that a drop in a brain neurotransmitter, serotonin, that affects mood may also contribute to triggering low mood.
Photo by Gregory Pappas
With those of us that are wearing smart watches and tracking our sleep at night, it can get confusing with the sleep scores and breakdown provided. What we do know is that sleep is vital. Sleep is one of the most essential things to function and it is important to understand what sleep does for the body. After all, we do spend about a third of our lives sleeping. Sleep allows our bodies and minds to recharge to get us prepared for the new day and all that gets thrown at us in everyday life.
It is recommended that adults get about 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. During this period, we go through different stages of sleep consisting of a sleep cycle. Each sleep cycle lasts 90 to 110 minutes long, giving us about 4 to 5 sleep cycles a night.
Sleep is divided into non-rapid eye movement(NREM) sleep ranging from stages 1 to 3 which accounts for 75% of total sleep and rapid eye movement(REM) sleep which is stage 4 of sleep and accounts for 25% of total sleep. Furthermore, stages 1 and 2 consist of light sleep and stages 3 and 4 of deep sleep.
Here is the breakdown:
Sometimes, you may feel like you’re starting to fall asleep and then experience a sudden muscle jerk or contraction. This is called hypnic jerk or hypnagoic jerk or “sleep start”. This occurs in stage 1 or 2 of sleep. Hypnic jerks are a type of sleep myoclonus, are common and random.
Photo by Luke Michael
It’s the season of viruses…we have a “tripledemic” going on with influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and COVID-19 surging throughout the country. Hospitals are getting overwhelmed while staffing shortage continues and cold medications are becoming harder to find on shelves. We all have to do our parts to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.
Of course, drinking plenty of water and getting those antioxidants in you is important. Here are some examples of foods you should be eating to up your natural immunity.
Photo by Brooke Lark
Cells produce free radicals during normal metabolic processes that are necessary for the body to function and also produce antioxidants to neutralize these free radicals.
Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between free radicals and the ability of the body to clear them(the antioxidant defense of the body) leading to cell and tissue breakdown which may cause DNA damage.
Ongoing oxidative stress can lead to chronic inflammation along with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, hypertension, atherosclerosis, stroke, etc.
Some of the risk factors for oxidative stress are obesity, smoking, alcohol use, intake of processed foods, diets high in fats and sugar, exposure to pollution, and UV radiation exposure.
Prevention is key and includes eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables(that will provide antioxidants to the body), limiting processed foods, avoiding foods high in sugar and fats, regularly exercising, and maintaining normal body weight.
Although our cells naturally produce antioxidants, diet is also an important source. Eating foods with vitamins and minerals which also serve as antioxidants is important. Here are some examples of foods to eat more of whenever you get the chance:
In general, the best antioxidant benefits are when foods are eaten raw or lightly steamed. Don’t overcook them! Next time you go grocery shopping, make sure you pick out as many antioxidant containing foods as possible. You will feel good about it and will be doing your body a huge favor.
Per Annalisa Merilli published October 22, 2022 in Quartz:
“For over two years now, the US government has purchased all of the covid vaccines administered in the country, in what has become the largest public vaccination campaign in American history. Those purchases have included more than 500 million doses from Pfizer. The first 100 million cost around $20 a dose, thanks to an earlier agreement in which the US government invested $1.95 billion in vaccine production. The remaining doses were bought for around $30 each. But once the US government supplies run out (likely in the first quarter of 2023) and covid vaccines and therapeutics are moved onto commercial health platforms, Pfizer is able to hike up the price of its shots. The company announced on Oct. 20 that it intends to sell the covid vaccine, marketed under the brand name Comirnaty, for $110 to $130 per dose. This is about four times the current selling price—and 100 times the estimated cost of manufacturing the vaccine. According to The People’s Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of over 100 organizations working to end vaccine inequity, Pfizer spends less than $1.20 to produce each dose of vaccine”
A 10,000% price hike of the COVID vaccine which has the power to save lives is hard to digest. Pfizer can talk about packaging and distributing costs but really cannot justify a mark up like this. The flu shot costs about $18 to $28, and the COVID vaccine cost will be about $110 to $130. It just goes to show, nothing changes, not even after a pandemic, the number one priority of pharmaceutical companies will be to make money and pad their bonuses.
Photo by Jordan
It’s almost impossible to get away from the screen these days! We have work, computers, video games, social media, televisions, and let’s not forget our smart phones! Screen time is the amount of time spent using a device with a screen. Over the years, that time has increased dramatically, especially since the pandemic.
Photo by Karsten Winegeart
We have all had those really great work-outs where we feel amazing afterwards…until the next day…then those muscle aches and soreness sets in.
This is called delayed onset muscle soreness(DOMS) and is normal after a new exercise or taking a familiar exercise up a notch. DOMS occurs about 12-24 hours following a work-out due to small microtears of the muscles. The muscle fibers due build back following these tears and recover and become stronger.
With time(few days to about a week), the muscle pain and soreness will go away. In the meantime, there are some things you can do:
It is sometimes hard to prevent DOMS from occurring but some things that may help or reduce the risk:
Remember, the most important thing is you keep working on physical fitness and make it a part of your lifestyle.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya
Water is by far the best drink for our bodies. But what about those times when you are are working out vigorously in the gym, playing a basketball game, or going for a long hike? At those times, it may be a good idea to think about the elctrolytes you may need to replenish. When we perspire, we lose electrolytes with that salty sweat. The main electrolytes lost are sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Later on, symptoms such as feeling thirsty, muscle cramps, salt craving, and sometimes muscle twitching can occur.
The big question to drink electrolyte drinks or not should depend on your work-out, how intense your session is, and how much you sweat. On an average, if you have an hour long high intensity work out, you need to have water with a snack(that will replenish electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium) or an elctrolyte/sports drink.