The thing about exercise routines is that unless they are tough, they cannot really produce results. This holds true irrespective of whether your goal is to shed fat, gain muscle or do both simultaneously. This is precisely why we see so many people spending years in the gym, without getting the results they wanted to see from those expensive sessions.

What people do is that they get settled into a routine in which they are comfortable enough to continue for months, if not years. That is not how weight loss or muscle gain works unfortunately, as settling into an easy routine defeats the very principle on which exercise regimens are supposed to work.

If your body does not find it difficult to complete the current workout sessions, it will have no reason to grow stronger, fitter and leaner. Therefore, it is essential to keep up with a tough workout regimen, since that is the only possible way to reach your fitness goals. As to how you can maximize your time and efforts in the gym though, we have some tried and tested tips for you to go through next.

1. Spend Less Time in the Gym

Telling someone to spend less time at the gym may seem like something that goes against everything we just discussed, but that’s only because most of us do not know how it works. If your routine is both tough and progressive in design, and you are following it properly, you should not need to spend more than 45 – 75 minutes per workout. This includes rest periods between sets as well, but try to limit each break to no more than 30-60 seconds. When you concentrate entirely on intensifying your workouts and stay away from distractions until you are done, each session allows you to get more out of your time and energy.

2. Sleep Well

It does not matter what your fitness goals are, but if you are not getting at least 7 hours of rejuvenating sleep at night, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with a tough exercise routine. If you have back pain and it keeps you up at night sometimes, get a good hybrid mattress with support for the lower back. People have seen overnight changes in their sleep quality by shifting to a balanced, supportive mattress. Other than changing the mattress, you should also try a few common sleeping hacks to see if you cannot improve the quality of your sleep. Try to maintain a regular bedtime and avoid drinking coffee or taking any other form of caffeinated drink or caffeine supplements after lunch.

3. Eat Smart

Eating smart refers to following a few basic rules while creating a meal plan. These rules can be summarized as follows, but you may need the help of a professional dietician to create the necessary dietary plans. These rules include:

• Getting a decent understanding about the nutritional content of what you usually eat on a daily basis (meat, eggs, milk, bread, etc.)
• Setting daily nutrient and caloric targets which would meet the needs of the specific day’s workout plan
• Timing your carb intakes to provide maximum energy during intense workouts
• Learning to cook some basic dishes out of basic ingredients

The main idea behind it all is to ensure that your body is properly fed and ready to take on the upcoming tough workout session, while avoiding any chances of overeating at the same time.

These hacks will make each of your toughest workout sessions feel more satisfying and less tiring than before, without sacrificing on the essential physical challenge they bring. These will also help you to prevent overstressing, injuries and other setbacks, which in turn will aid in reaching personal fitness goals much faster than usual.

Running on a treadmill can be much more comfortable for some people than running outside. Not only is running on a treadmill usually softer on your joints, this lessening the pressure on your body, but you are able to keep track of how fast you are running, how long you have run for, as well as the number of calories you have burnt off. This makes it easier for those hoping to lose weight or run for a certain amount of time to achieve their goals. Plus, there’s the benefit of being able to run and exercise inside and away from any harsh weather.

However, much like any other form of exercise, you will need to train properly and regularly if you wish to optimize your running abilities and run for longer. Whether you are a seasoned treadmill runner looking to improve their form and times, or are a complete newbie to the treadmill running scene, here are some great tips to help you improve.

1. Remember to Warm up

Never forget the importance of warming up before you engage in any type of exercise. While it is tempting to jump on a treadmill and start running, you are likely to injure yourself and make your workout much more difficult. Remember that a warm up is there to help prepare your body for the pressure you are about to put on it. A good warm up will raise your heart rate and prepare your muscles by raising their temperature and sending oxygen to them.

The best treadmill warm up is to start with a fast five-minute walk, or a slow, light jog. After a few minutes have passed, you can increase the treadmill’s speed and incline, increasing the pressure on your body.

2. Invest in a Good Quality Treadmill

You will want to ensure that the treadmill you purchase can cater to your needs. There are many treadmills out there; some offer the most basic functions and then others have extras that can help keep you stay on track of your athletic prowess.

With so many treadmills on the market, how can you ensure you are buying the right treadmill for you? Well, you should always check reviews first. There are many guides and resources out there that can offer unbiased and accurate reviews of treadmills so that you can make a more informed decision on which treadmill is best for you. They can also help you decide on a treadmill that is within your decided budget and explain the added features such as inline and calorie counting functions.

Many treadmills will typically have the following functions:

• Pre-set workouts/interval training
• Speed display
• A calorie burn calculator
• A heart-rate calculator
• A distance tracker

3. Don’t Neglect the Incline Option

When working out on a treadmill, many people will forget to make use of the incline function. While running on flat ground can be a great workout experience, adding an incline can make your workout much more challenging and help improve your running skills and cardio. Adding an incline can be essential for those wanting to become better runners.

4. Let Go of the Handrail

Just because a treadmill has a handrail, it does not mean you should be holding onto it or using it whenever you are running or walking. The handrail is there to keep you safe while getting on and off the treadmill, and outside of those two functions, should be ignored. Holding onto a handrail can make your posture worse when running, leading to back, shoulder and neck pain.

Learning to use your treadmill to the best of your ability and ensuring that you are making the most out of this piece of equipment can greatly improve your athletic prowess. Next time you head to the treadmill, make sure to keep these tips in mind.

Whether you are an experienced marathon runner, or perhaps it’s your first time, expect race days to be stressful. From getting up at the early hours of the morning making sure you have a large healthy breakfast, to drink enough liquids so that you remain hydrated during the marathon. It’s all these little details that must go right to help you reach your full potential. 

Luckily enough, due to advanced technology, there are plenty of gadgets and applications available to help you prepare for your marathon. You’ll still need to train just as hard, but, with the help of high-speed internet through cox internet plans, or similar, lots of these devices and software will prove to be very beneficial.  

Here is a list of devices and software that you should find useful when preparing for or running a marathon. 

Smart Scale with Athlete Mode

A smart scale is a high tech weighing scale that not only measures a person’s weight but different areas of the body. Most smart scales can measure the following:

• Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Fat Mass
• Daily Hydration
• Muscle Mass

The scales work by sending electro signals through your feet which sends its readings to your smartphone. These records will be stored on your smartphone so you can keep track of your progress. Smart scales allow multiple users to record their measurements, so it is a great device for all the family.

Some of the smart scales available have an “Athlete Mode” feature. This allows the user to monitor more specific metrics. This is a great feature for someone preparing for a marathon because once the “Athlete Mode” is enabled, the scales will understand that you are exercising frequently and it will consider this when posting your records.

Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator

This is a simple method and free method that allows you to estimate your total daily energy expenditure. It will explain to you the number of calories you need to take in to help you maintain your weight, gain weight, or to lose weight.

All you need is to put the following into this calculator to get your result. 

• Your current age
• Your Gender
• Height 
• Weight 
• How often you exercise on a weekly basis

The calculator will give you the result in a flash. If you want to lose weight for a marathon, this is a great tool to help you understand how many calories you need to eat to help you lose weight.

Calorie Counting Software

Now that you know how much food you can eat on a daily basis, you can now download a calorie counting app to help you keep track. There are plenty of calorie counting applications available for smart devices. For each meal or drink you consume you need to put the total amount of calories into the app. Your records will be saved after each entry. If you are unsure of how many calories there are in the food or drink you are consuming, a quick Google search will provide you with the details. 

Many people cannot understand why they can’t gain, maintain or put on weight. A calorie counter can really help you understand your body. 

Understand that it is not as straightforward as just eating more or less food to help you lose or gain weight. For example, if you are underweight and you need to eat 3,500 calories per day to gain 1kg per week. You can’t eat 2 meals per day that add up to 3,500 calories per day. The meals need to be spread out throughout the day rather than binge eating. The number of hours you sleep each night and how much exercise you do in a week are other factors that will affect your weight, but luckily there are applications and devices to help you with that too. 

Smartwatches

It doesn’t seem that long ago that the Casio digital watch was the coolest thing around. Well, a lot has changed since then! Smartwatches have gradually improved over the last few years. Tech giants claim that wearables are going to be just as popular, and probably replace the smartphone in the future. 

In the early days of smartwatches, it seemed more like a gimmick than a quality product. But now, with all the major technology companies all battling for a piece of the action, smartwatches are a great product. The first smartwatches needed to be charged every 24 hours which many users found frustrating, but now, there are smartwatches on the market that last for two weeks without charging. 

They are a great accessory for people training or running a marathon. Some of the features include:

• Tracks your heart rate
• Records your sleeping pattern: a good sleeping pattern is vital for anyone who is training for a marathon. You need to have a quilty night’s sleep to allow your body to recover. This will reduce the chance of sustaining an injury.
• Stopwatch
• Timer

There are smartwatches available that are designed specifically to keep track of your physical activity. One of the most well known wearable computers is called the FitBit. Smartwatches come in all different sizes and colors and prices tend to vary. Purchasing a smartwatch which is the same brand as your smartphone will have benefits.

Water Drinking Apps

It is very dangerous not drinking enough water, especially if you are training for a marathon. Most of us know the importance of consuming water, but it is very easy to forget it. 

These apps are often very advanced. Some will take records from your phone that will tell the application what the weather is like in your area, what the humidity is for that day to help the app advise you on how much water you need to drink. Some apps will work with your smartwatch so it knows what time you wake up in the morning, what time you go to bed, and what time you exercise. If you forget to consume water the app will notify you to remind you to do so. 

Although there is an old saying that we should consume approximately 8 glasses of water each day, experts don’t recommend this. You don’t want to overdo it as drinking too much water is also dangerous. If you are having issues with your water intake, speaking to a trained professional is advised before you download an app. 

Conclusion

Due to the ongoing pandemic, marathons all around the world have been cancelled to help reduce the spread of the virus. With experts advising us to stay clear of large crowds, it’s hard to see marathons going ahead in 2021. 

The good news is that it is 2021, and we have the choice of lots of technology. People are using their devices to take part in digital marathons. One of these Marathons is the Tel Aviv Marathon in Israel. Participants can download the free app which was designed to let people join the marathon without physically being in Tel Aviv. Participants can choose between a half marathon, 10KM, or 5KM. You can do the marathon in your local area or even on a treadmill. It’s not the same as the actual marathon but it is the next best thing! You can easily find these apps on Google Apps or the AppleStore. As history teaches us, pandemics don’t last forever, so why not spend your free time preparing for a marathon so you will be ready when the time comes?

Running is one of the most popular activities on the planet. There are many reasons why people love running. Not only is it great fun, but it’s also good for our health too. And that’s not all, research has shown that running can help us to feel happier, calmer and it can also make us more resistant to stress too. So, what’s not to like?

Although there are lots of positives to running there are also a couple of negatives too. One of the most common things we hear runners complaining about is the pain they feel if they’ve not stretched properly before or after a run. Stretching properly before a run can help you to have a more enjoyable running experience and it can also reduce your chances of suffering from a muscle injury.

But how do you stretch properly? Whether you started running to burn off some of the extra calories you ate over the winter months or you simply run to alleviate stress, it’s important to know how to stretch properly before and after a run. So, to help you out, we’ve created a list of some of the most common stretching mistakes runners should avoid. Keep reading below to find out more:

1. You Bounce

You may have seen videos online of people bouncing at the end of their stretching routine. However, this isn’t advisable. According to doctors and rehabilitation specialists, bouncing can cause your tendons, muscles, and ligaments to tear. Instead of doing this, you should consider gradually elongating and holding your stretches for ten to fifteen seconds before releasing them. This should be repeated several times to ensure you’ve stretched properly.

2. You’re Doing the Wrong Type of Stretching

When most of us hear the words “warm-up stretch” we picture static stretches like sit and reach stretches or toe touches. However, for runners, movement-based stretches are a better way to start your workout. In fact, research has shown that dynamic stretching enhances muscle activation. Dynamic stretches include things like leg swings, trunk rotations, lunges, and jumping rope.

Although dynamic stretching is advisable before a run, during the cool-down period after your run, you should focus on static stretching instead. This will help your muscles to relax and will help to release tension. Knowing what stretches to do, and when to do them will help you to have a more positive running experience.

3. You’re Focusing on the Wrong Muscles

When it comes to stretching our muscles before and after a run there are lots of things we need to think about. Not only should we think about the type of stretching we are doing e.g., dynamic, or static, but we also need to think about which muscles we’re stretching.

There’s no point in spending all your time focusing on stretching your upper body muscles when it’s your lower body muscles such as your quadriceps that will be doing most of the work. Although it’s important to make sure your upper body is stretched before a run, it’s a good idea to spend most of your time focusing on the muscles in the lower half of your body.  If you want to know how to stretch your quadriceps before and after a run, then check out MoveWell.

4. You Forget to Warm Up First

This is one of the most common stretching mistakes that runners make. Most people are under the impression that stretching is a warmup. However, this isn’t the case. In fact, runners need to warm up before they start stretching their muscles. This is because stretching cold muscles can cause them to tear.

For most people, a short ten-minute warm-up is enough to protect their muscles from damage. However, if you’re short on time, then a heating pad or a hot shower can be used as a substitute. While these options may not work as well as a real-life warm up, they can help to prevent muscle damage from occurring.

5. You’re Stretching Injured Muscles

Under no circumstances should you stretch injured muscles. Most muscle strains occur when muscles are stretched beyond their limits. Stretching these muscles even more will only further aggravate the injury. Instead, use the POLICE principle (protect, optimal loading, ice, compression, and elevation) if you want the muscle to heal more quickly.

No matter whether you’ve only just started your running journey or you’re a seasoned runner, we all get things wrong, and often repeat the same mistakes time and time again. However, we can learn from the mistakes we make. If you want to have an enjoyable running experience and you don’t want to end up in pain after every run, then make sure you avoid the stretching mistakes listed above.

Plantar fasciitis (jogger’s heel) involves growth disorder of the supportive connective tissue at the arch of your foot. Currently, it’s one of the most common heel pain reasons. In 2019, Drexel University College of Medicine researchers figured out that 1 in 10 people has experienced this disorder at least once in their lifetime. Such a spread of the issue gave birth to multiple misconceptions. Let’s resolve them all with willpowerpeak.com experts.

1. There’s No Place for Sports

In most cases, this statement is true. You shouldn’t do running, jumping, or any other high-impact exercises. On the other hand, low-impact exercise, such as walking and cycling in special sports shoes for plantar fasciitis, will help you deal with the issue much easier. Soft movement for a limited amount of time will only help your feet relax and prevent the development of the disorder.

2.   This Is a Hereditary Issue

You probably know that there are quite a lot of health conditions that can be passed from an individual to later generations with genes. For example, such foot conditions as bunion formation can have a genetic predisposition. Plantar fasciitis, on the contrary, doesn’t have any scientifically approved predispositions. It means that you don’t have to worry about the disorder if your mom or dad have it.

3.   It Occurs Only to 60+ Year-Olds

The truth is that people in their 50s and 60s are more exposed to plantar fasciitis due to the overall higher propensity to chronic health conditions. However, plantar fasciitis can occur in any other age group as well.

4.   It’s Caused by a Torn ‘Foot Muscle’

Human feen have many muscles responsible for balance, support, and movement, but plantar fascia is not one of the muscles. It’s a strong fibrous band that is located at the arch of the foot to support it. The thick broad band connects the heel bone (calcaneus) with the toe and plays an important role in bearing the body weight and helping you move without problems.

In fact, the band runs over the sole muscles of the foot. Stretching and tearing the plantar fascia may lead to irritation or inflammation under your heel, which can be a cause of distinctive pain. If you ignore the discomfort for too long, the irritation will become a chronic issue that will require a more complex treatment course or surgery.

5.   Heel Spurs Cause the Condition

This is one of the most common misconceptions about plantar fasciitis, and we understand the logic behind it. The fact is that a substantial number of patients also suffer from the so-called heel spur. Around 10% of the average Americans are exposed to this medical condition. The ‘spur’ is a bony ‘spike’ that starts growing from under the heel bone surface. It’s usually much easier to find as a simple x-ray of your feet shows the outgrowth if it’s really there.

Despite the fact that plantar fasciitis and the heel spur go ‘hand-in-hand’ so often, there’s no direct connection between these conditions. It’s also quite normal for people with heel spurs not to feel any pain at all. In case you have a plantar fasciitis diagnosis and a heel spur at the same time, your doctor may decide that there’s no need to remove the spur if it doesn’t cause extra discomfort. In such a case, you will have a small operation instead of a large open-type surgery.

6.   It Occurs Only if You Have ‘Flat Feet’

Common medical statistics say that from 10% to 20% of the world’s population have pes planus (flat feet). If you remember the statistics given above, you can easily assume that there’s a 50% probability that every patient with plantar fasciitis also has fallen arches. ‘Flat feet’ is caused by the arch collapse and makes the entire sole of your feet to touch the ground when you stand.

This common condition is also a cause of higher tension on the plantar fascia band. While this is absolutely true, individuals who don’t have flat feet, have equal chances to suffer from jogger’s heel. As you see, there’s no need to go into these numbers. Just go to the doctor as soon as possible if you notice repetitive heel pain.

7.   There’s No Cure

The treatment to jogger’s heel has been already developed as it’s the most common heel pain reason. However, you cannot heal without proper screening at a hospital. This is an obligatory requirement as the chances to confuse heel pain for one reason with another are quite high.

Medics understands that every patient may have unique symptoms, reasons, and the complexity of the problem. That’s why it’s so important to exclude other common heel pain reasons. They include nerve irritation, arthritis, stress fracture of the heel bone, and Achilles tendonitis. Only by having an objective anamnesis, your doctor can develop an effective approach to healing the condition. Answering the question ‘is there a cure?’, yes, there are ways to treat the condition, but they may be different, depending on the severity of your case.

8.   Plantar Fasciitis Surgery Is Complex

Many people worry that plantar fasciitis treatment is possible only through a complex ‘open’ operation. Actually, this operation used to require surgeons to release the plantar fascia and remove bone spurs if they were detected. Fortunately, the procedure has progressed a lot since then, and there’s no need to do such a difficult operation in all cases.

Based on the understanding that heel spurs don’t cause this issue, surgeons have found a way to conduct the entire operation via two small incisions in the sole. As a result, you will recover much faster, and the scars will hardly be noticeable. Moreover, you can bear weights almost immediately after the operation, so don’t worry about falling out of your daily routines.

Myths Busted!

Now you know all the truth about plantar fasciitis. There’s no need to panic if you notice the symptoms and, of course, no place for self-treatment. See your therapist, and you will receive the right amount of treatment with minimal pain. And don’t forget to take a walk every day to exercise your feet without abusing them.

Runners fear injury just like any other athletes, but the impact of just one single injury on confidence and resilience can be hugely impactful. A May 2020 study published by Plos One concluded that good mental resilience is a factor in good post-injury recovery and return to previous personal standards, but that the opposite led to a reduction in overall life-long performance post-injury. It follows that having a positive approach to running following injury recovery (or time out for any other reason) is crucial to hitting new heights. This process starts with getting your body back into one that’s fit for the road.

Getting in good shape

Enthusiasts of any one sport or athletic pursuit will often exclusively seek to enjoy that sport. For runners, this is highly detrimental and can lead to slower recovery associated with lower overall rates of fitness. According to the National Library of Medicine, runners who did not replace running with some other form of physical activity – whether that be gentle work like walking or swimming or callisthenics – were more likely to become reinjured.

Look to maintain and extend your physical fitness through injury, and then get back into fitness once you’re recovered. Choose a diet and exercise plan, stick to it, and make sure you’re measuring your progress. A tough part of this is retaining motivation, and that’s fine. Finding out what your why will help you in establishing how to get back into shape and is a crucial part of the recovery process and reclaiming your enthusiasm.

Finding your motivator

Many people who experience injury find themselves in a rut. The lack of fitness severely impacts your ability to run for as long as you did previously, your pain tolerance will be lower, and you generally feel out of sorts. It’s helpful to do an exercise in finding what motivated you to run in the first place.

Was it getting fit? Did you lose weight through running? Perhaps it was good for your mental health, or you experience the runners high and enjoyed that experience. Sit down and have a really good think about why running works for you and makes you ‘tick’ – this is a necessary step in finding top performance again.

Putting it into action

Once you’ve regained fitness and found what motivates you, it’s time to build a growth and positive mindset. It’s important to have a really good grounding in your mental health, as, believe it or not, there are issues that can impact your wellbeing once back out and running. A study conducted by the University of South Australia found this, noting that runners were exhibiting symptoms close to addiction with regards to the runners high – and that this was impacting injury recovery. Simply put, the chasing of that enjoyable rush was causing overexertion for many runners. Take it slow, take it easy, and one run at a time.

Piece it all together, and you’ll soon be feeling your mojo coming back to you. Running is a wonderful type of athletic activity to pick up, but it has its perils. Always approach injury and recovery with a steady hand and you’ll do right by yourself.

Whether you’re going through a rough patch or you just needed a boost to start your day, it all relies on your mental health. Mental health includes a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. In shorter terms, it may influence how people feel, think, and behave. 

As people know, there are many mental disorders that some people go through, and it could be very inconvenient to have, especially when you have no control over how you think and feel. Different mental illness includes: 

• Mood disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Personality disorders
• Psychotic disorders
• Eating disorder
• Trauma-related disorder
• Substance abuse disorder

Since people could experience many different mental disorders, they should all be taken with importance as they’re as vital as your physical health. Just because the illness is not physically seen through a person’s body and is just going through their head, it doesn’t mean that it’s not real. When it comes to mental health, nothing is too much. 

The most common mental disorder that people have is an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a normal human emotion that occurs when a person is under intense stress. However, it no longer becomes normal when you experience it even when there are no stressors around.

Anxiety disorder is being in the state of having frequent and intense episodes of anxiety, even when you’re not experiencing any stress. As elaborated at https://apibhs.com/anxiety-treatment, having an anxiety disorder can significantly affect your personal life, which is why you should immediately seek help. 

How You May Improve Your Mental Health

Getting the necessary help at the first sign of mental illness may help prevent it from becoming worse. That’s why prevention is still better than cure when it comes to mental health.

That being said, listed below are the tips on how you can improve your mental health day by day, with or without mental illness:

1.     Try To Be Positive

One of the most effective ways on how you can improve your mental health is to try to be more positive. It’s always a great idea if you change your perspective into a brighter light rather than focusing on the dark. Hence, if you’re in a grave situation, try to see it from a different angle.

For example, you have a task that you have no idea how to do. Instead of focusing on the negative thoughts, turn them into something positive, like how this task can help you improve your knowledge and make you a better employee. 

Along with this, you should always try to surround yourself with positive thoughts, and that could mean physically. In your home, you could spread out positive quotes that could help lift your mood. Place them in areas where your eye catches the most to help you remember that every day can be a good day as long as you allow it to be.  When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself that today will be a wonderful day. Doing so will give you that much-needed positivity you’ll need for the day.

2.     Take A Break

When you’re in a moment or scenario that you feel is too much for you to handle, you can always take a break to allow yourself to absorb everything that’s happening. You don’t have to face every event all at once and immediately. You can always pause, do something that makes you happy, and then continue to face it after you’ve calm down. 

3.     Talk To Someone

It’s always ideal that you don’t bottle up your emotions to yourself and talk to someone to vent out your worries. You can always speak to a family member, trusted friend, or your partner to let them know how you’re feeling and how you’re coping up.

You’d be surprised how relieving it is once you’re able to release your emotional baggage when you share it with someone genuinely interested in knowing your thoughts.

4.     Accept Who You Are  

Everyone is different, and that’s what makes us unique. We have our strengths and weaknesses that can be the opposite of other people, but that doesn’t mean you’re not like everyone else. You need to get out of the norm that when most people are like that, it means that they’re normal and you’re not. It’s okay to be different. 

The first thing that you should do is to accept who you are. It’ll help you feel better about yourself and take your weaknesses and quirks. Every single detail about you is what makes you, you.

It can be hard to accept who you are, mostly when you badly wanted to be someone else. But when you learn to accept and love yourself, it’ll further help improve your mental health. 

5.     Write

Writing has helped people release their thoughts about their life. It could be in a journal or just on a sticky paper. 

It’ll be beneficial if you learn to list down the things that you’re grateful for. It could be your family, group of friends, pets, financial capacity, career, environment, or anything that you’re thankful for having. Writing the things you’re grateful for will help set your vision straight, allowing you to focus on the positive things and become appreciative of what you have. 

6.     Care For Others

When you prioritize other people’s needs rather than yourself, it’ll help you feel better, most especially if they’ll be happy with the deed you’ve done. 

To name a few, you can help them out finish their task or assignment, give them food when they can’t afford to purchase one, help them lift heavy objects, open the door for the elderly. Just make sure that people wouldn’t abuse your good deed. 

7.     Do Something You’re Good At

To help you boost your self-confidence, you could do something that you’re good at. It’ll make you feel better about yourself and you’ll start to believe that you can do anything you focus your mind on doing. 

Not only will this help you boost your self-confidence, but it’ll also make you happier and lift your mood. This is because doing something that you’re good at is something that you enjoy doing. 

You could draw, cook, knit, swim, run, or play to make you feel happy about your skills, resulting in a more positive mood. 

8.     Relax Once A Week

With the heavy work week you had, you must pamper and relax at least once a week to help you get back on track. You don’t have to take expensive spa trips every week (unless you can afford to), but you can do relaxing activities at home. 

One of the most relaxing things you could do is by having a warm and comfortable bath at home. You could add some essential oils of your choice to allow the aroma to float in the bathroom while playing relaxing songs. Close your eyes as this will help enable the experience to instill within you. For the complete experience, you could also add Epsom bath salts to help release muscle pains. 

9.     Smile

The moment that you wake up, always starts with a smile. Studies have shown that smiling, even without any reason, helps lift someone’s mood, turning it into a little lively energy ball.

Smiling isn’t only beneficial for you, but it could be helpful for other people, too, including strangers.

When you’re at a restaurant, and the waiter takes your order, you should end the conversation with a thank you and a smile, and they’ll surely smile back, which helps boost up their mood, too. It’s a heartwarming experience when you make someone happy just because of a simple smile. 

10.  Learn To Appreciate

In line with being positive and smiling, you should also learn how to appreciate all of the big and small things and verbalize them. 

Saying ‘thank you’ is free, and you shouldn’t limit yourself from saying those kind words as that person needs it the most and you don’t know it. For instance, you could say ‘thank you’ to the guard who opened the door for you, the barista that served your coffee, a salesperson that has assisted you with your purchase.

When you say thank you for their good deeds, don’t just blurt it out but look at them in the eye and say thank you with a smile and be genuine as much as possible. It’ll help them boost up their mood and be happy for the day.

Conclusion

Your mental health is as important as your physical health, and you shouldn’t take it for granted. There are many ways to improve your mental health, allowing you to be happy day by day. In line with this, you shouldn’t only focus on yours, but try to give importance to others as well. Everyone needs to have healthy mental health, and it can be easier if everyone is genuinely friendly to each other. 

You should practice surrounding yourself with positive thoughts and free yourself from the dark ones. A smile goes a long way, and you shouldn’t limit yourself from doing so. It’ll instantly help boost your mood, improving your mental health day by day.

One of the best ways to start the new year and improve your self-confidence is by getting into shape after indulging during the holidays. Although it can be intimidating to know where to start, there are several ways to begin to see results and feel comfortable in your skin again.

Setting a Diet

Creating a diet is necessary to ensure you have guidelines to follow and know which foods to avoid. There are many different types of diets you can choose from, making it necessary to do some research when creating your goals. Some of the most common diets that have proven to be effective include paleo, keto, blood type, Atkins, and Weight Watchers. You can also work with a dietician or personal trainer to ensure you’re obtaining adequate nutrition throughout the day.

Working Out/Exercising

Workout and exercising three to five times each week is also necessary to burn calories and shed excess weight. You can get in shape by increasing your activity levels, whether you prefer to jog or go on a bike ride. Consider trying different forms of exercise to keep it interesting and avoid losing interest after a few months.

Joining an exercise class can also allow you to have the support you need to stay focused and work towards your goals. With the help of an instructor and other participants, it’ll be easier to remain accountable to other people as you stay committed to practising an active lifestyle.

Eating Healthy

One of the main reasons most people get out of shape is due to their diet. Stick to cleaner and whole foods to consume fewer calories and improve your digestion. Consider stocking up your kitchen with new foods and tossing out anything that is high in sugar or carbs. Stick to fruits, vegetables, and lean meats to boost your health and obtain more nutrients to increase your energy levels. With more energy, it’ll be easier to increase your activity levels and burn more calories throughout the day.

Taking Casein Protein Powder

Consider adding protein powder to your diet to build more muscle and develop a leaner figure. According to Legion Athletics, “Casein protein powder is rich and tasty, making it easy to get more protein in your diet.” It’s also 100% natural and doesn’t contain any food dyes or fillers.

Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is the key to curb your hunger and consume fewer calories throughout the day when you’re more prone to snacking. It’s important to drink at least two liters of water each day. Many times, it can be easy to confuse dehydration for hunger and eat more when what we really need is water. Consider using a large reusable water with measurements on it to track your intake and meet your goals each day.

Conclusion

Knowing the best ways to take control over your health can allow you to get in shape and meet your goals in the new year. You can burn excess fat, increase your energy levels, and develop more muscle with the right changes made.

Being a great runner isn’t an easy work to do. Some people may make it look easy but running requires excellent determination, heavy training, and strength. If you’re going to run a marathon, you must be well-prepared so that you could take the long-distance running without a fuss.

There are many ways to prepare for the marathon to allow you to have a healthy routine that’ll make you stronger. One of the first things you have to do is find the right training plan that’ll work best for you. Not everyone was made to be the same, and one training plan doesn’t work best for everyone. You could experiment with which training plan you assure would work best for you and work your way with that. Along with this, you could also try training with a water jogging belt as it’s a great innovation on how you can improve your stamina for endurance running.

In line with this, swimming regularly has been linked to being a wonderful way of preparing for endurance running, and listed below are how they can help: 

1. Helps to Strengthen Your Legs

Going for a run requires muscle strength, most especially on your legs, as this is the part of your external body that moves to keep you forward. With that, it’s only wise that you strengthen your leg muscles so that you could run for miles and finish strong.

When you go for a swim, one of the most used parts of your body would be your arms and legs to keep you moving forward. By moving your arms and legs repeatedly in a similar motion, you improve the strength of your muscles.

The stronger your muscles get when you swim, the stronger your legs would be at different sports, especially running. Depending on the kick-off swim that you use, other parts of your leg muscle will develop.

2. Improves Your Cardiovascular Strengths

With swimming regularly, you’ll be able to practice your breathing and force your body to work with the amount of oxygen that it gets. Similar with running, you’re most likely to be out of breath when you swim. This helps you train your body to adjust to its environment, and in turn strengthen your endurance. When you’ve thoroughly trained your body to work with a limited amount of oxygen but still be able to push its limits through swimming, you can move distances by running.

3. Helps to Prevent Injury  

When you go for a run unprepared, there’ll be a high tendency that you’ll be encounter injuries since your body hasn’t developed well for its run.

When you swim regularly, you’ll be able to improve your cardio strength, which is what running is all about. Swimming causes the least biomechanical stress among most low-impact training exercises such as cycling, elliptical, and rowing, making it the popular choice for runners who wish to improve their endurance strength without having to run as a training method.

4. Uses A Lot of Repetition

One way to stabilize your body that you’re going into a ton of repetition is through swimming. Running involves the sole use of your two legs racing with each other to move you forward and win the race. However, it can be a tiring act, most especially when those are the only two parts of your body that you have to put force on to be at your best.

With swimming, you’ll be able to condition your body into doing something repetitive and be able to push its limits, limiting the time that your body gets tired from repetitive actions.

5. Builds Stronger Muscles

Not only that you’ll be able to improve your leg muscle, but you’ll be able to improve your overall muscle strength with swimming. Swimming is a whole-body exercise that helps to strengthen your whole body without you noticing it.

With proper swimming, you’ll maintain your posture and stabilize your hips, which are highly essential when you’re going for a run. Swimming will help keep your body in the right manner, prevent any injuries, and run faster due to proper body balance.

Conclusion

Preparing for an endurance run isn’t limited to running as your training method. You can always add additional training exercises that could help you become a better runner. One of the most popular choices for improving yourself as a runner is through practice. It genuinely enhances your muscle strength, especially with your legs, and regulates your breathing, which is incredibly important when you’re running for distances.

Going for a run requires you to learn proper breathing so that you could have a continuous healthy run and be able to run for much longer without passing out due to low oxygen levels.

It’s essential that you take proper training and not rely on core swimming as your training method for endurance running. You should focus on increasing your stamina and endurance so that you’ll be able to run distances and finish strong as these are the most important things that you need when you go for a run.