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Vanko Trading Inc
2777 Darlington Road
Beaver Falls, PA 15010
724-359-2289
Vanko Trading Inc
2777 Darlington Road
Beaver Falls, PA 15010
724-359-2289
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is more than just the “Winter Blues.” It is a form of seasonal or temporal depression that typically affects people during the winter months of longer nights and less sunlight. If you suffer from SAD, there are many alternative therapies that can naturally help you improve your mood and reduce depressive symptoms, even if you already use a light box for treatment.
- Improve your mood with food. Certain foods have proven relationships to brain function. Healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, amino acids, and lean protein are essential parts of a healthy diet that can also improve your mood. Snack on nuts or dark chocolate, feast on turkey or salmon with a spinach and quinoa salad, add colorful vegetables to everything, eat fruit for breakfast, and drink your milk for a happier mood in no time!
- Boost happiness with exercise. Physical activity – both cardio and weight or resistance training – helps tell your brain to produce feel-good chemicals and hormones. These chemicals help regulate mood, boost energy levels, and improve feelings of contentment. Working out on a regular basis can help give your brain a steady supply of feel-good chemicals to keep you happy all winter long.
- Try aromatherapy. Scents can have a powerful effect on brain function, promoting positive thinking or pleasant memories, easing tension and reducing anxiety or frustration, calming your mind and promoting clear thinking or restful sleep. Different scents may have different stimulating effects on your thought process, so consult a professional to get the most benefit out of your aromatherapy.
- Consult an acupuncturist. This ancient treatment has been used to heal mental and physical ailments and is rapidly gaining popularity in Western cultures. Professional acupuncture sessions can help release tension, relieve anxiety, and stimulate feelings of peace and clarity.
- Hop in the water. Hydrotherapy is an alternative or complementary treatment for depressive symptoms. Hot tubs, pools, and even jet-massage tubs can help provide stress relief and boost energy levels. So take a bath, a swim, or sign up for some professional hydrotherapy to reap the benefits of good old H2O.
- Start a journal. Writing about your feelings or experiences just a few times a week during your SAD months may help reduce depressive symptoms. Experts believe that working through your emotions and channeling your thoughts through a diary or journal can help you cope with the change in your brain’s chemical processes.
- Go outside! Light is a key factor in reducing symptoms of SAD – that is why the primary treatment for SAD involves light therapy. To boost your chances of reducing feelings of depression, up your intake of natural light by taking a walk during lunchtime or exercising outside on the weekends.
- Talk it out. To further relieve feelings of depression and sadness during the winter months, try talking about it. Most people are willing to lend support to their loved ones who are suffering, so reach out to your friends and family and let them know what you are experiencing. Sometimes just letting others know about your pain or unhappiness can help reduce the mental burden you are carrying. If you do not want to discuss your feelings with people who are close to you, consider counseling sessions or group therapy, where you will have the opportunity to share your experiences with other who know exactly how you feel.
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a challenging condition, but it does not have to ruin your entire season. By taking these steps to make positive lifestyle changes and complementing your traditional light therapy treatments, you will be giving yourself the best possible chance at beating your disorder and escaping the symptoms of SAD.
Author Bio: Katie Brind’Amour is a freelance writer who loves to share information about health and wellness. She is certified in Mental Health First Aid and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She has a masters in Biology and is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Services Management and Policy. In her spare time, she works on her personal blog and dreams of writing the perfect historical novel.
How to Set Realistic Fitness Goals
For many of us, it’s virtually impossible to keep up a regular fitness regime because of our already overloaded schedules. I know firsthand how tough this can be. When my kids are home for the holidays from their boarding school in New Hampshire, it’s easy for me to keep active, but I spend most of my time corralling them here and there.
While the kids are around, I always excited to go out and do things with them, but as soon as they leave, I settle right back into my stationary routine. I sit at my desk for long hours trying to finish my masters degree program online, rarely taking a break to eat or sleep, let alone exercise.
However, I have gradually realized that the best way to get back into shape (and remain in shape!) is to set realistic goals for myself. I am probably never going to have a supermodel’s body, but I have discovered some realistic fitness tips and strategies that make me feel and look quite a bit better.
Here are some of my top suggestions:
Be Honest
The first step I found to getting into shape was setting reasonable and honest goals for myself. I knew I likely wasn’t going to make it to the gym everyday so I set my goal at going three to four times a week.
So far this has really worked and I have dropped a lot of weight. I have so much more energy and know that I wouldn’t have gone to the gym nearly as much if I had set myself unreasonable goals. Try and fit some form of exercise into your week that you know you will be able to both stick at and work into your schedule.
Don’t Overdo It
Of course you want to push yourself when you exercise, but don’t push yourself beyond your limits. When I first started working out I tried to do too much too soon, and ended up having to spend a lot of quality time at the chiropractor!
Start out slow and gradually incorporate more into your workouts. If you do too much at once, you are likely to burnout and quit. Work your way up to things and you will feel and look much better in the long run.
Get a Move On
I know how easy it is to sit at the computer for hours at a time, but this is terrible for our health! Not only can sitting down for prolonged periods of time lead to weight gain but it can also lead to aches and pains throughout the body.
Even if you have to sit down all day for your work or study, there are ways you can still get some exercise in. Try standing up and stretching every 30 minutes or so and always try and take the stairs rather than the elevator when you can.
Find Something You Enjoy
Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore, it can be fun! Try and find an exercise class or sport that you really enjoy and this can be a great way to keep you motivated.
I started taking a dance class a few months ago and it is so much fun it doesn’t even seem like I’m working out. Explore different options and recruit some friends to work out with you. Their company and support can be great motivators and can help make tough exercises less torturous!
Reward Yourself
When you complete an extra tough workout or reach your weight goal – reward yourself! You have put in the work and deserve a treat once in a while.
Do something that makes you happy and take the time to congratulate yourself on all of your hard work. Getting into shape doesn’t have to be a solemn ordeal and you will definitely want to celebrate your accomplishments.
As you can see, there are plenty of realistic ways you can get into shape. We all have hectic lives and schedules but these simple suggestions can help us shed the pounds and become healthier. Push yourself but don’t overdo it and try and incorporate a healthy diet to coincide with your fitness regime. Good luck!
Whether you’re a seasoned exercise veteran or have recently started a new work-out regimen, sticking to it through the holidays can be difficult if not downright impossible. The holidays are incredibly hectic making exercise and diet slip to the back of the mind. With advanced planning, you can stay on track with your fitness program; here’s how:
Workout Before You Do Anything Else!
As soon as you open your eyes in the morning, roll out of bed, throw your tennis shoes on and start your work out. If you can get your exercising done first thing, there’s less chance of skipping it later in the day. If you aren’t an early bird, make your work-out part of your lunch hour! Even walking briskly around the block or walking up and down a few flights of stairs several times can keep you on track.
Plan Your Workouts In Advance
Chances are you know your work and holiday party schedules well ahead of time. Just like you plan the rest of your life, pencil your work outs into your day book or plug them into your organizer app. If you organize your work out schedule just as you organize the rest of your life, you’re less likely to skip the gym.
Thwart Temptation!
Whether it’s at the office or at your family’s house, you’re bound to be faced with platefuls of goodies. While you don’t have to skip the cookies and cakes all together, eating only one or two is a much better idea. Keep a favorite protein bar in your bag or drink a protein shake before you leave the house. Not only are they better for you, but they’ll also give you a sense of fullness that may help you resist having just one more cookie.
Give Yourself A Day To Cheat
Studies have shown that people who allow themselves a ‘cheat day’ are more apt to stick to a diet and exercise program. Choose a day of the week or certain days during the month and allow yourself to eat how you’d like. Remember, though, that eating what you like doesn’t mean stuffing yourself to bursting! Increasing your insulin sensitivity will also benefit you on these days. 200mcg of Chromium Picolinate and 300mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid will do the trick nicely.
Work Out Extra Hard When You Do Cheat
While you are planning your workouts, plan for a tough one on your cheat days and cheat after you exercise. This will help ensure that most of the excess in nutrients goes toward recovery. In addition, you can look at your cheat meals as a reward for your extra effort!
Sticking to an exercise and diet program can be difficult, especially if you haven’t made it to the point of seeing the results of your efforts. The holidays can make it doubly as difficult. Following these tips will help ensure you don’t fall off of the wagon during the hectic season.
Get all the equipment you will need to get that workout at home over at the BHI Store
Matt Porter has been a personal trainer for over twenty years. He recommends protein powder to all his clients to gain muscle definition and strength.
Have we ever come across someone who never wants a trimmer waist? It is a very rare possibility to find anyone who doesn’t want to work on his/her waist line. No matter what the size, we all wish to work out on tightening and toning the waist. It is the make or break part of out body because weight on the waist is impossible to hide. However, most of us never find the right waistline exercises and hence, the perfect waist.
All of us have an under layer of fat on our waist zones, the one which progresses the least without the balance of a healthy diet and exercise regime. And the thumb rule remains that without losing the fat all over, the waist will never be able to look any better. So, here’s a guide on how to perfectly slim that waist:
Start wholesomely: Defying the popular belief, sit ups or leg lifts, are not the best “waistline exercises”. Weight loss can never work on particular spots, the body fat needs to come off everywhere and not just at the targeted area.
While for men, waistline fat is usually the last to go; women too have their problem zones in hips and thighs. So to start the process and reach your target spots create calorie deficit both through your diet and exercise routine. Using a flex belt or trx training can also help to burn the fat at your waist.
Select waistline exercises: Once you have started working on the body fat, select the specific exercises for your target zones. You need to include workouts that burn most calories. These may include the toughest exercises like:
- Squats — works on the lower body as well as the core, and importantly increases the metabolism, the rate at which you burn the calories and hence, the effects will stay elevated for long after the workout as well
- Pull Ups – This exercise recruits and exhaust multiple muscles. And, this forms a perfect way to work on the whole body fat.
- Bench Press – Though primarily it works on the chest, triceps and shoulders, this will also work to trim your waistline. The reasons being that bench press works on your multiple muscle groups, burning down more calories.
Don’t miss essentials: Including cardiovascular training and a well rounded nutrition plan are a must to work on any body fat. And, no amount of long hours in the gym will help if eating habits continue to stay unhealthy.
Although most of it seems complicated, having a slim waist is no magic. We all know that a toned waistline can do a world of good for the way we look and feel, but it also pulls down most risks of all kinds of diseases. And, there has never been a short cut to get rid of stubborn fat, unless we work on it inside out. Although it is called the “love” handles, no one loves to have them. And, for things we want to push away, we have to push ourselves far to do so.
Author bio- Latasri is a passionate blogger who likes to write about health and fitness. She is on the look out for fitness products like flex belts and trx training programs. She also makes available coupons and discounts for trx suspension training coupon code and the flex belt coupons on her website.
More and more of the elderly in the West are giving meditation a try. This is nothing new in the East where the oldest generation has utilized meditation for centuries. Meditation, regardless of your spirituality, yields numerous benefits for those young and old. Many older meditation participants are reaping the benefits that meditation teaches for the trials of old age. The following examples are only a few of the health gains associated with meditation.
1. Lowers blood pressure. Meditation relieves your tension that cause high blood pressure. More scientifically speaking, the process of meditation influences the production of nitric oxide, which widens your blood vessels. Some physicians are suggesting meditation along with other lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.
2. Relieves stress. Stress is a killer that can lead to a score of medical complications. As you get older the chance of stress triggering health conditions such as a heart attack or asthmatic episode is ever more likely. Daily meditation reduces your stress and teaches techniques to control stress in a tense situation.
3. Clear mindedness. One reason meditation is often associated with Eastern religion is because its clarity induced state is essential to those spiritual pursuits. Meditation allows for peacefulness and clear thought. Since the elderly are often more concerned about mortality, this allows for spiritual reflection regardless of your religious beliefs.
4. Focuses memory. Meditation can also assist with the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A study from the University of Pennsylvania suggests that daily meditation slows down the progression of Alzheimer’s. The study shows that participants who meditated just twelve minutes a day had increased blood flow in their brains. The participants also tested for improved memories.
5. Pain management. The idea is mind over matter, yet you don’t have to be a monk to manage pain. A study at the University School of Medicine indicates that pain discomfort is greatly reduced in test subject who were meditating. This sort of technique, if effective, would be invaluable to those with chronic pain.
6. Sleep. Proven to be effective with insomniacs, meditation can help with your sleep patterns. Try relaxing with mediation in the morning or afternoon but not before bed. While meditating relaxes you it can also wake you up if practiced to close to bedtime.
Meditation will take some effort and practice, yet the benefits for even the novice are great. Give meditation a try and see how it can work for you.
Matthew write health tips and helps to people to get free insurance quotes.
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