« Older Entries

The Benefits of Fitness: How Exercise Helps with Mental Health

Mental health is something that is often discussed, but not always understood. It is not a single state but rather a combination of different factors. Mental health can range from how we manage stress to the balance between our rational and irrational thinking. Not everyone has perfect mental health, but with time and effort it can be improved. The positive effects of exercise on our physical wellbeing are well-documented, so much so that many now recognize the benefits of fitness on mental health as well. Athletic activities have many positive effects on your brain and general wellbeing, which is why adding some form of exercise to your weekly routine is recommended for maintaining optimum mental health. Keeping active has been scientifically proven to improve concentration, memory, learning capacity, and problem solving skills.

See why people prefer to use this Keto Meal Plan and Diet System to increase their fitness benefits even when they don’t have time to exercise, allowing them to lose 5KGs every month. (Click https://www.digistore24.com/redir/283755/TrippinKZN/ to watch the video)

Understanding Mental Health

Mental health is a broad term that refers to our psychological wellbeing. Stress, mood, and anxiety levels, as well as our ability to handle daily stressesors, are all indicators of our mental health. A mental disorder is a condition that disrupts a person’s ability to function normally. These disorders can be mild or severe, and can affect people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups. There are many factors that can impact mental health. Genetics, environment, and life experiences can all contribute to how we view and manage stress, our emotional state, and our ability to cope with challenging situations.

How Exercise Helps Mental Health

Exercise is commonly associated with improvements to physical health, such as boosting the immune system and strengthening muscles. Exercise is also a great tool for improving mental health and cognition. When we exercise, our bodies produce substances called endorphins. These endorphins are chemicals that are responsible for feelings of euphoria and relaxation. When endorphins are released, they block pain receptors and have a calming effect. Exercise also helps us sleep better, another important factor in maintaining good mental health. It is important to remember that not all exercise is created equally. In order to reap the full benefits of exercise on your mental health, you need to be doing enough activity to get your heart rate up and truly break a sweat.

Exercise and Depression

Exercise has been proven to reduce symptoms of depression. This mental disorder is characterized by feelings of sadness, irritability, and a reduction in interest or pleasure in activities that were previously enjoyed. Some of the biological explanations for how exercise can help a depressed person include an increase in certain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, that are known to affect mood. Physical activity also helps to regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which is the connection between physical and mental stress. By doing so, exercise combats the harmful effects of cortisol, the hormone released when we are stressed. It also increases endorphin and serotonin levels. The serotonin in particular is thought to improve mood and alleviate depression and anxiety.

Exercise and Anxiety

Another mental illness that can be alleviated with consistent exercise is anxiety. What causes anxiety varies from person to person. However, there are common themes, such as a fear of the future, or a concern for the safety and wellbeing of loved ones. Exercise is an excellent way to tackle anxiety. It’s important to note that exercise cannot cure anxiety; however, it can help to reduce its symptoms. When you are experiencing the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a racing heart rate or dizziness, exercise can be an outlet to “let off steam”. It also releases endorphins which can help to calm you down. Exercise also improves the way your body functions, including your cardiovascular and endocrine systems. This allows you to better handle daily stressors, which can reduce anxiety.

Conclusion

Exercise and mental health go hand in hand. The benefits of fitness include increased feelings of self-love and self-worth, improved functionality, sleep quality, and a reduction in the symptoms of several mental illnesses. The most important thing to remember while trying to improve your mental health with exercise is that consistency is key. You won’t see results if you don’t make time for it. Keep track of your progress and make adjustments as needed to keep your routine healthy and effective. Above all, remember that you are worth the effort.

Tags:

What Are The Greatest Changes In Shopping In Your Lifetime

What are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime? So asked my 9 year old grandson.

As I thought of the question the local Green Grocer came to mind. Because that is what the greatest change in shopping in my lifetime is.

That was the first place to start with the question of what are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime.

Our local green grocer was the most important change in shopping in my lifetime. Beside him was our butcher, a hairdresser and a chemist.

Looking back, we were well catered for as we had quite a few in our suburb. And yes, the greatest changes in shopping in my lifetime were with the small family owned businesses.

Entertainment While Shopping Has Changed
Buying butter was an entertainment in itself.
My sister and I often had to go to a favourite family grocer close by. We were always polite as we asked for a pound or two of butter and other small items.

Out came a big block of wet butter wrapped in grease-proof paper. Brought from the back of the shop, placed on a huge counter top and included two grooved pates.

That was a big change in our shopping in my lifetime… you don’t come across butter bashing nowadays.

Our old friendly Mr. Mahon with the moustache, would cut a square of butter. Lift it to another piece of greaseproof paper with his pates. On it went to the weighing scales, a bit sliced off or added here and there.

Our old grocer would then bash it with gusto, turning it over and over. Upside down and sideways it went, so that it had grooves from the pates, splashes going everywhere, including our faces.

My sister and I thought this was great fun and it always cracked us up. We loved it, as we loved Mahon’s, on the corner, our very favourite grocery shop.

Grocery Shopping
Further afield, we often had to go to another of my mother’s favourite, not so local, green grocer’s. Mr. McKessie, ( spelt phonetically) would take our list, gather the groceries and put them all in a big cardboard box.

And because we were good customers he always delivered them to our house free of charge. But he wasn’t nearly as much fun as old Mr. Mahon. Even so, he was a nice man.

All Things Fresh
So there were very many common services such as home deliveries like:

• Farm eggs

• Fresh vegetables

• Cow’s milk

• Freshly baked bread

• Coal for our open fires

Delivery Services
A man used to come to our house a couple of times a week with farm fresh eggs.

Another used to come every day with fresh vegetables, although my father loved growing his own.

Our milk, topped with beautiful cream, was delivered to our doorstep every single morning.

Unbelievably, come think of it now, our bread came to us in a huge van driven by our “bread-man” named Jerry who became a family friend.

My parents always invited Jerry and his wife to their parties, and there were many during the summer months. Kids and adults all thoroughly enjoyed these times. Alcohol was never included, my parents were teetotallers. Lemonade was a treat, with home made sandwiches and cakes.

The coal-man was another who delivered bags of coal for our open fires. I can still see his sooty face under his tweed cap but I can’t remember his name. We knew them all by name but most of them escape me now.

Mr. Higgins, a service man from the Hoover Company always came to our house to replace our old vacuum cleaner with an updated model.

Our insurance company even sent a man to collect the weekly premium.

People then only paid for their shopping with cash. This in itself has been a huge change in shopping in my lifetime.

In some department stores there was a system whereby the money from the cash registers was transported in a small cylinder on a moving wire track to the central office.

Some Of The Bigger Changes
Some of the bigger changes in shopping were the opening of supermarkets.

• Supermarkets replaced many individual smaller grocery shops. Cash and bank cheques have given way to credit and key cards.

• Internet shopping… the latest trend, but in many minds, doing more harm, to book shops.

• Not many written shopping lists, because mobile phones have taken over.

On a more optimistic note, I hear that book shops are popular again after a decline.

Personal Service Has Most Definitely Changed
So, no one really has to leave home, to purchase almost anything, technology makes it so easy to do online.
And we have a much bigger range of products now, to choose from, and credit cards have given us the greatest ease of payment.

We have longer shopping hours, and weekend shopping. But we have lost the personal service that we oldies had taken for granted and also appreciated.

Because of their frenetic lifestyles, I have heard people say they find shopping very stressful, that is grocery shopping. I’m sure it is when you have to dash home and cook dinner after a days work. I often think there has to be a better, less stressful way.

My mother had the best of both worlds, in the services she had at her disposal. With a full time job looking after 9 people, 7 children plus her and my dad, she was very lucky. Lucky too that she did not have 2 jobs.

Tags:

Clothing Designs For Women in Wheelchairs

Women who are restricted to wheelchairs often find that their condition can limit the choices of clothing which they can buy. Generally all clothing are made for able bodied people and does not cater for women who use wheelchairs. Clothing that is designed is normally of one size and loose fitting as in one size fits all and style is never looked at. But now slowly designers are looking into this form of clothing and more up to date stylish clothing is emerging with the theme ” women in wheelchairs.”Clothing that designed for people who use wheelchairs is typically designed to accommodate all disabilities, This can be very important for people who suffer lack of motor ability in their hands. Therefore manufactures include velcro seams and buttons therefore making it possible to dress themselves. If you are able to use buttons, however, you may prefer a button-down shirt, but still want it to be designed to look good while you’re in a sitting position and not when your standing as with normal clothing.Clothing designed for women in wheelchairs has dissolved slowly compared to wheelchair designs. WE can buy wheelchairs for any disability, but most wheelchair appropriate clothing designed to accessible to anyone.Now designers are finally catching up with wheelchair fashion and particularly women in wheelchairs. There still are not many sources of fashion clothing for women in wheelchairs but the market is expanding. These designers tend to focus on simply making clothing which looks good and is comfortable while sitting down, which may make them a tempting option for people who work in an office as well.With new wheelchair fashion designers, women in wheelchairs no longer have to feel that they can’t use up-to-date, fashionable clothing which looks and feels good.

Tags: