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3 Remedies for Arthritis and Joint Pain
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in America, affecting more than 50 million adults and 300,000 children. The term arthritis actually refers to any joint pain or joint disease, rather than referring to one specific disease. In fact, there are more than 100 different types of arthritis. The symptoms of arthritis include pain, stiffness and reduced range of motion and can be mild, moderate or severe. Inflammation is a key player behind the pain associated with arthritis and treatments generally aim to reduce inflammation and pain in order to improve quality of life. Below are three ways that may be used to alleviate joint pain due to arthritis.
Meditation to Find Your Center
In this rough and tumble world, it can be exceedingly difficult to find grounding. Most of us live in an environment of stress where it feels like we are just bouncing along and unable to get a grip. The stress whips us up and it’s hard to find grounding and perspective. The tornado of stress is the center of our attention and everything else falls to the wayside. It feels turbulent, dangerous, and unsettling. There could be a myriad of factors that play into this: your work, your partner, your boss, family life, money, and so forth. Unfortunately, the list of stressors is a lengthy one.
I find that the meditation below helps calm the world around me down and reminds me that everything I need is already inside of me. I hope you find it useful.
KISS Workout!
No, this has nothing to do with the band or the action. And no, this isn’t a risqué workout to do with your partner (but you can totally do it with your partner!). If you’re a chef or a fitness person, the phrase KISS means… keep it simple, stupid. That is exactly the point of this workout and while we are going to give you an actual workout to do, this is more about considering an extremely different approach to your training sessions, no matter what your level of fitness is.
A handful of people in the gym will go on a piece of cardio equipment for an hour, a handful of others will perform 10-15 different exercise just for their biceps, and a handful of others will try whatever circuit they read about in a health magazine. Sure, there are tons of others as well, but here’s a different way of considering a workout.
Take some of the best exercises possible for a muscle group and focus on those few movements. Perform at least 4 working sets, which involve a high level of effort… warm-up sets don’t count towards that goal of 4. Push yourself by going heavy and hitting a high(er) rep range (8-12) and give yourself ample rest in between sets. This is a hybrid-style workout in some ways.
When to Prioritize Cardio & Strength Training to Fit Your Goals
It’s hard to know when to work out or even what to workout. Our goal is for you to be hungry and fit, and whatever we can do to take out less work and thinking for you, the better! Should you focus on cardio or strength training? How often for each? We want you to be able to dive into a plan of action without having to do too much studying up on something. This is why we are happy to share an awesome infographic with our friends from Health Perch to make it simple as possible to recognize your goals and go forth and achieve them. You can click on the actual article to find more sample workout weeks. Enjoy!
“When to Prioritize Resistance and Aerobic Training to Fit Your Goals” on Health Perch
Our 3 Favorite Breathing Techniques
If you’re a regular reader, you probably know we are fans of meditation. We may not be perfect at it, but we try every day to deepen, or at least continue, our practice. It helps us find focus, grounding, and perspective. When the world threatens to put everything on your shoulders, it helps to sit down and take a breather. It puts everything in perspective and reveals that all is not lost, that there’s still hope. It gives you some space from all the stresses and anguish that may be coming down on you. It also helps you realize that this is just a current mental state and that it is and always will be fluid.
To get into a meditation practice, it’s always a good idea to start with breathing. This helps calm the mind down and pushes it to focus on one thing: your breath. Below are our three favorite breathing techniques to clear the mind:
How to Deal with Your Snoring Problem
Snoring is something that a lot of people struggle with. It’s uncomfortable for those that sleep next to us or near us and it can also disrupt our own sleep. If you are struggling with snoring yourself then you are probably looking for a way to treat your snoring problem. There are different types of snoring and there are different things that cause it in the first place. It’s pretty hard to just tell what your snoring problem originates from because of it, and more people feel frustrated because of that. But let’s take a look at some ways in which you can deal with this problem and make sleep time better not just for yourself but also for the people around you who are struggling with your problem just as much as you.
5 Healthy Snacks to Have at Home
Here at the Hungry & Fit household, we know that what you put in your pantry is what you will put in your stomach. That’s why we typically don’t stock junk in the house. However, we are HUNGRY and Fit, and let me tell you, I get hungry very often. So, instead of yelling hangrily at Hungry, we always have a healthy stock of snacks at home. We go through lots of different snacks, but here are some of our favorites:
FriYAY Workout
We made it to Friday! I know some of us don’t have typical M-F jobs, but there’s still something about Friday that gets the happy dance going. We’re scooting through work with weekend plans on our mind and rejuvenation in our hearts. Maybe we have something scheduled for tonight–a party, a barbecue, an outing of some sort. We are looking forward to getting done with the day so we can embrace the weekend! But wait! What about a workout? A workout on a Friday?! Don’t roll your eyes at me. You don’t even need to go to the gym for this one. Just set aside twenty minutes (max) and do this before you get ready for your fun weekend. Get it done–at least one round, but why not three!
4 Reasons Why Talking about Health in College is Important
Talking about health topics in college is important and can be imperative to one’s success. Many students have not learned about health topics in an in-depth manner while in college preparatory or high school. When they arrive on a college campus, chances are that they are oblivious to some wellness topics that could be of use to them. This article will help identify why it is important to talk about health in college.