In order to live a happy and healthy life, you will need to make sure that you have a strong body.  The best way to do so is to take the proper precautions in order to avoid aging at a fast rate.  Health isn’t something that should be taken for granted.  After all, you can have all the money in the world, but without your health, you have nothing.

Making the decision to live a healthier lifestyle is something that many people do when they realize that they aren’t immortal and that making changes is something that will benefit them long term.  Try to start making healthy changes today and watch the quality of your life improve.  Try following these steps in order to have the healthiest body possible.

Don’t Let Injuries Go Untreated

When you sustain an injury don’t let it go untreated by pretending that it will just heal itself.  Many times even if you think something isn’t serious enough to require seeing a specialist, the injury can flare up at a later point in your life and become something much more intense.

Often, people leave small injuries untreated and, in turn, end up with long term injuries which cause them a lot of pain and stress later.  Try to always put your injuries as a top priority and see a doctor as soon as something is causing you discomfort.  This includes dental emergencies as well.

Avoid Processed Foods

One of the worst things that you can do for your body is to eat processed foods which have very little nutritional content.  When you put junk into your body the results will be that you feel sluggish and can be more prone to obesity related diseases.

Try to eat a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables and a fair amount of protein.  When your diet is well balanced rather than extreme, your body is much better nourished and your performance is far better.

Get Exercise Regularly

By getting in exercise every day you are making sure that you keep up with the needs of your caloric burn.  Every time that you eat you are putting more calories into your system.  Therefore, if you eat more calories than you burn, you will end up gaining excess weight.

Exercising not only makes you feel more well rounded and healthy, but it makes you look great too.  Try to get in at least 30 minutes of mild to moderate exercise a day and you will find the results will be something you like very much.

Get Plenty of Sleep

Doctors recommend getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night in order to have a fully restored body.  When you don’t restore your body then you are letting your system run on empty which in turn leads to fatigue and burnout.

Oftentimes, people think about their quality of life and find that it is lacking in some significant way. In many if not most cases, one of the problems that contributes to the mediocrity of an individual’s life is poor health. Unfortunately, America is a land replete with a wide variety of values and behaviors that create a culture conducive to illness. For example, most U.S. citizens are on a diet lacking in the nutrients necessary to optimize the metabolism for weight management and/or weight loss purposes. Despite the various health challenges that can surface and become ingrained due to lifestyle, people who are ready to change can do so. Make change happen now so you can lead an incredible life by using the following strategies:

1. Acknowledge And Overcome Addictions.

In many cases, the factor precluding an individual from attaining and maintaining great health is an addiction. Luckily, acknowledging the reality of addiction and taking steps towards ending it can empower you to step into a greater dimension of physical and mental health. If you have a substance abuse issue and need to find the right drug rehab Sacramento facility, the professionals of New Start Recovery Solutions can assist you.

2. Embrace Self-Acceptance.

Oftentimes, feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem preclude an individual from getting healthy. For example, people who feel that they lack value and innate worth may not engage in self-care activities that promote health and wellness like exercise, bathing regularly, or massages. To ensure that you attain the level of self-esteem to promote the mental and physical health that result from these activities, embrace self-acceptance. Because most people at least periodically feel that they are not enough due to things like child abuse or an unhealthy relationship, it’s important to continually remind yourself that you are good enough. One great way to promote a feeling of “enoughness” is through regular meditation. There are numerous mantras that you can repeatedly recite within yourself to promote an intense, sustained feeling of self-worth. Some of them include:

• “I am enough”
• “I love myself”
• “I am loved”

Start Using These Health Strategies Today!

Two health techniques that can take your life from average to amazing include acknowledging and overcoming addiction and embracing self-acceptance. Start using these techniques now so that you can become a more lively, vibrant person!

Many people suffer from shallow breathing or general discomfort when it comes to their respiratory health.  Perhaps they are frequently sick, suffer from asthma, or are simply surrounded by conditions which are negatively impacting their lungs.

Sometimes people become so accustomed to breathing poorly that they don’t even remember what it is like to breathe clearly and deeply.  Breathing well isn’t something that you have to live without.  When it comes to improving your respiratory health and taking control of your lungs, here are some tips.

Use Essential Oils

Using oils is something that will not only smell pleasant and calm you down, but it also will clear your lungs and help you feel more cleared out when you breathe.

Try applying essential oils to your chest rubbing in circular motions.  You can do this before or during a steamy bath.  If you are feeling particularly congested you can get a steamer created for essential oils which will release a gentle steam into the room and help the air get to a pleasant state.

Get Your Heartrate Up

Your lungs are the happiest when they are being used. When you are getting an aerobic workout in, your lungs are reaching their full potential and being filled with lots of healthy air.  Try getting in at least 30 minutes of exercise daily during which you feel shortness of breath and this will significantly improve your respiratory health.

Don’t Smoke

Studies show that smoking is one of the worst things that you can do for your respiratory health.  Smoking not only destroys your lungs but there are many other health risks associated with this addiction.

If you are a smoker and would like to quit but aren’t sure how to do it, consider asking your doctor about the various options there are out there.  Some people are able to quit cold turkey, while others try more creative approaches like hypnosis.  Find a solution that works for you and give it a try.

Practice Deep Breathing Exercises

When you practice yoga or other deep breathing activities which fully inflate and deflate the lungs, you are giving your lungs a full workout.  If you do this every day in the morning you will find that your lungs function with much more capacity.

Not only will you find that you breathe better, but activities like yoga will make you feel stronger and much more relaxed afterward.

Sit up Straight

If you are constantly slouching then your lungs are not in a position to get in a satisfactory amount of air.  Try sitting up straight while sitting down and breathing from your stomach.  You’ll find that this small change in posture makes a huge difference in the way that you breathe.

It is estimated that 620,000 Americans used heroin in a single year (according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2010). But what is the drug? What does it do and how does it affect those who use it?

Here are our top 5 facts on heroin addiction.

Heroin is an opiate drug.

An opiate drug comes from the seed pod of the poppy plant which contains morphine. Unlike some drugs, heroin can be in many forms; a white powder, a brown powder or a black substance known as black-tar heroin due to its resemblance but Heroin indeed is an opiate.

Heroin users describe feelings of euphoria when taking the drug but what are the other, darker effects?

Strong feelings of happiness are often reported to be combined with a dry mouth, their hands and feet feeling heavy, difficulty moving and a difficulty thinking straight and making decisions.

These reactions are caused by the morphine in the heroin entering the brain quickly. It grabs onto the opioid receptors in the brain, many of which are linked to feeling pain, experiencing pleasure or controlling processes like breathing, arousal and blood pressure.

Heroin users are at a very high risk of life threatening illness and infection.

Over time heroin can cause many long-term health issues. These include collapsed veins, abscesses, stomach cramping and infection in the lining and valves of the heart. Blood vessels leading to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain can also become clogged. Heroin use also comes with other issues. Sharing injection needles can increase the risk or diseases like HIV and hepatitis. Users are also at risk of physical injury from impaired judgement.
23% of people who try heroin will become addicted (according the National Institute on Drug Abuse).

Heroin is a very addictive drug. Regular users of heroin often develop a tolerance. To experience the desired effect, these users take higher or more frequent doses. A substance use disorder (SUD) develops when continued drug use causes issues in the user’s life, such as health problems or failure to meet responsibilities. A heroin addict who stops using heroin may develop withdrawal symptoms such as muscle pain, cold flushes, sleep problems and cravings for more of the drug, read this heroin withdrawal timeline here.
Heroin users are at risk of overdosing; taking too much or having a toxic reaction which results in severe health issues or death. Breathing slows, decreasing the amount of oxygen reaching the brain which can cause brain damage or breakdown of the nervous system.

There are 2 widely used and effective treatments for heroin addiction; medication or behavioural therapies.

The medical treatment of heroin abuse uses buprenorphine and methadone. Both of these work by grabbing onto the same opioid receptors in the brain as the heroin but with less force. This reduces the cravings and withdrawal symptoms in the patient. A different form of medical treatment is naltrexone. This simply blocks opioid receptors and completely prevents opioid drugs from influencing the patient.
There are typically two types of behavioural therapies for heroin addiction; contingency management and cognitive-behavioural therapy.
Contingency management is a way of rewarding a user with vouchers or small cash rewards for positive steps, for example staying drug-free for a week or a month.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy helps modify the expectations of the patient’s drug-use. It works to manage triggers and stress related to taking heroin or the drug in question. This form of therapy is typically very effective and can be used alongside medicines.