6 Habits To Help Relieve Stress in the New Year

The right kind of stress can be motivating in small doses but overwhelming when it gets out of control. The suggestions below are all ways you can work to relieve stress in the new year. 

Exercise

You don't have to train for a marathon in order to get benefits from exercise. An after-dinner walk, gardening or taking a class in something ranging from tai chi to swing dancing to water aerobics and more are all ways to increase the physical movement in your life. 

Sleep

Most people do not get enough sleep. If you have not been prioritizing sleep, you should start to do so. If you struggle to get enough sleep, the new year might be the time to see a physician about your sleeping habits and maybe even schedule a sleep study. 

Journal

Some studies have found that journaling can be as beneficial as talk therapy for some people. Some people like to write in the morning and discard what they've written as a way to work out stressful emotions and thoughts without having to hold onto them. 

Eat Wisely

Unfortunately, trying to eat healthily can be source of stress itself for many people. The key here is to allow yourself to be moderate and indulge from time to time. You don't have to eat perfectly based on the latest scientific information. Regularly eating a variety of foods and increasing the amount of fruit, vegetables and whole grains can all be beneficial and can help relieve stress. 

Reduce Bad Habits

As with eating better, this does not have to be all-or-nothing. If giving up smoking feels too overwhelming right now, trying cutting back. You can reduce the amount of sugar you eat without removing it from your life entirely.

Enjoy Yourself

Beware of too many "shoulds," including stress reduction itself being a thing you have to do. Whatever it is you love to do most, whether it is reading in a hot bath, meeting up with friends, playing with your pets or something else, you should build time into your life for it. 

The new year is a great time to introduce strategies for stress reduction. You can gradually add the above items to your life to relieve stress in the year ahead. 

6 Exercises to Tone Up Your Lower Body

You may walk to many places as the retirement years settle in, but that fact doesn't mean that your lower body is any stronger. In fact, you might have extra weight or a bony structure to your legs. A balanced mixture of muscles, strong bones and fat should make up your legs so that balance and longevity are possible into your mature years. Tone up with these lower body exercises that are sure to improve your health.

1. Ballet Dips

Stand with your feet slightly hip-width apart with the toes facing outward at a 45-degree angle. Make sure a chair or wall is close enough to touch with your hands for stability. Carefully squat down until you feel a comfortable strain in your thighs or quadriceps. Lift back up and rest. Repeat this exercise several times for stronger legs.

2. Fire Hydrants

Lay a mat on the floor. Get down on your hands and knees. Tone up your legs and buttocks by lifting one leg for 10 to 12 repetitions. Repeat this motion with the other leg. The lifting action resembles a dog visiting a fire hydrant, which is where the name originates from.

3. Swim Kicks

Hop in the pool, and grab a kickboard. Your legs can be the star of the show when you isolate all of the swimming action to your lower section. Try several strokes, such as freestyle and breaststroke, by only using your legs for propulsion. The resistance of the water gives you an extraordinary workout.

4. The Lunge

The lunge may not be your favorite exercise from the past, but it's highly effective. Begin with one leg out in front of you and bend at a 90-degree angle. Hold the opposite leg behind you for support. Be careful to keep your front leg's knee over the ankle at all times. Drop downward so that your weight transfers to the front leg. Lift back up and rest.

5. Stamina Squats

Holding an exercise in place is difficult, and it challenges the muscle to work harder than ever before. Perform a squat, but hold the motion at the bottom of the effort. Continue to hold this position for 10 to 20 seconds. Release it and rest. With time and practice, you should be able to hold it for longer each time.

6. Walking Uphill

If floor exercises aren't exciting you one day, take your workout to the outdoors. Look for a moderate hill to walk up for at least 10 minutes. The uphill effort creates resistance as you strengthen your legs with each walk.

Staying active in any capacity is the key to warding off extra weight and certain ailments into retirement. Tone up with a friend so that you're always encouraging each other. Buddy systems during your lower body exercises will only get you to your goal much faster than as an individual.

Six Tips For Healthier Hair

Improving your personal appearance can be quite good for your self-esteem, your professional prospects and your personal life. Healthy hair is one of the most important qualities that contributes to pleasing personal aesthetics. Your hair is one of the things that really defines you as a person. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to keep the appearance of your hair within acceptable parameters. If you think that all you have to do to have healthy hair is to wash your hair every day, you've got a lot to learn about this subject. Here are four ways you can keep your hair healthy and lustrous:

1. Trim your hair often to get rid of split ends. Generally speaking, split ends make your hair look sloppier and more unkempt. To keep split ends in check, trim your hair at least a quarter of an inch every six or eight weeks. 

2. Despite what you may think, you shouldn't wash your hair every day. Just because you're showering, that doesn't mean you have to wash your hair as well. If you wash your hair thoroughly every other day, you'll maintain a perfectly clean head of hair. Too much washing strips the natural, healthy oils that keep your hair looking great.

3. These days, people are more conscious than ever about shampoo ingredients. Of the ingredients commonly found in shampoos, sulfates are uniquely controversial. Though sulfates produce a pleasing lather and do clean your hair, sulfates aren't necessary for a great shampoo. Sulfates are the cause of the stinging sensation that occurs when shampoo gets in your eye. More worryingly, sulfates can cause itchy scalp and overly dry hair in sensitive individuals. If you experience any of these issues, simply use sulfate-free shampoo. 

4. Deep condition your hair periodically for an unforgettably lustrous shine. After washing, squeeze all of the water out of your hair and dry your locks with a bath towel. Next, apply a good deal of your favorite conditioner into your roots. With a broad-toothed comb, spread the conditioner through the length of your hair. After pulling up your hair and clipping it, allow the conditioner to soak in for anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. Now you're ready to rinse the conditioner out of your hair. Afterwards, you'll be amazed at the incredibly silky and lustrous texture of your hair. 

5. Heat is never good for your hair. If you routinely curl, dry or straighten your hair, you will experience hair damage. Fortunately, there are several ways to change the look of your hair that don't involve applying heat in any way. If you must use a curler, use coconut oil, almond oil and conditioner to treat your hair afterwards. 

6. If you want great hair, be sure to eat a hair-healthy diet. Your hair loves foods with complete proteins and plenty of amino acids. Foods and beverages that fit the bill include whole milk, greek or regular yogurt, soy, peas and all types of cheeses. It's a good idea to consume at least 12 mg of iron each day. Studies have shown that it is far better to get your iron from food instead of supplements. Because of how your digestive system works, a lot of the vitamins and minerals in supplement pills are wasted. Foods with lots of iron include leafy green vegetables, pumpkin seed, beans, chickpeas and cereal. Besides providing iron, fish can improve your health in a number of ways.

Six Things You Didn't Know About Caffeine

Many of us get a daily dose of caffeine by drinking a cup or two of coffee throughout the day. We all recognize that caffeine can give you a little buzz and make you feel almost instantly more alert after drinking it. You have also probably heard that, just like with most foods and nutrients, too much caffeine can actually have a damaging effect on your system. Given that some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others, here are some things that you might need to know about caffeine before you reach for that third cup of coffee. 

1. Caffeine can help you boost your memory. Researchers from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that daily intake of coffee improved the executive brain function of the elderly participants in their study. It was also associated with a lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease as you age. 

2. Caffeine can lower your risk of recurrence of colon cancer. The Journal of Clinical Oncology published a study in 2015 that found people with stage three colon cancer who drank at least four cups of coffee a day had a lower risk of dying from colon cancer or having it recur. 

3. Caffeine can assist with managing your pain. Caffeine is a major ingredient in many over-the-counter pain relievers that you can find at your local pharmacy. If you consume about 200 mg of ibuprofen and a regular cup of coffee, you may be able to alleviate your pain from a headache or menstrual cramps much faster. 

4. Caffeine improves the quality of your workout. The next time you head to the gym, you may want to grab a cup of coffee. You will be able to perform the movements with more intensity than if you had just consumed water. 

5. Caffeine reduces your risk of developing skin cancer. A study was published in Cancer Research in 2012 that shows people that consume more coffee have a lower risk of developing the most lethal form of cancer, melanoma. 

6. Be careful of consuming caffeine from energy drinks. Many popular energy drinks contain up to 500 mg of caffeine, which is the equivalent of about five regular cups of coffee. They are also very high in sugar.