Health Tips

Stress Relief Tip #2: Cut down on competitive stress.

Today, we compete for everything: the space around us, to be first to own a new product, to get our kids signed up for programs, to get our viewpoints across, to be faster, smarter, richer, sexier. Our days are filled with stressful competitions. And most are absolutely unnecessary. Because they're driven by insecurity, fear of being left behind, an ingrained need to always have more or better than the next guy. Try to get above all that. If you want to compete, vie to be the one who stays calm and in control, who isn't easily sucked in by material things, who avoids being caught up in the daily grab-bag that robs people of health and peace of mind. Compete for that and see how pointless all those other competitions become. And how misguided those who partake in them begin to appear.

Stress Relief Tip #3: Throw something out every day.

You've got too much stuff in your house. Office. Garage. Attic. Useless clutter that's weighing you down, getting in the way, obscuring the things you really need. Be realistic. If you're not going to use it, lose it. And you don't have to make a humongous project out of it. Every day, find one thing you don't need and toss it. Or give it away. Over time, the clutter will begin to vanish and space and order will magically appear in your home...and your life.

Cook Smart: Do You Involuntarily Add Flavours To Your Food?

If your cooked food has a strange taste, then you may need to take a look at your cookware. The material of your cooking utensils can change the flavour of the food.

How? Heat and air produces rusting in some material. The acidity in foods such as lemon and vinegar will react with some material. After a while you probably end up eating rust with your food. It's worth your while to invest in good pots, pans and other cooking utensils. Materials such as clay and good quality stainless steel are good to cook with.

The appropriate application of heat or cold therapy could make a healing difference.

Apply cold therapy for sprains, strains, or bruises. It may be used for the relief of toothache, minor burns, nosebleeds and insect bites and stings.

Apply heat to reduce pain, joint stiffness, muscle spasm, and relax muscles. Heat therapy can be used before exercise to help warm muscle, or after exercise to help alleviate muscle soreness, as long as there's no internal or external (bruising) bleeding.

Recover efficiently to get more out of your workout.

There are 4 parts to recovery after an exercise workout:

1.	Restore electrolytes lost by staying hydrated. Choose a sports drink containing the main ingredients of water + glucose + salt (potassium, sodium, magnesium).
2.	Replenish glycogen which is stored in muscles to be used as fuel in your training. It takes 24-48 hours to completely replace. If you are training on low glycogen stores, you will have difficulty with a high intensity workout and will end up burning muscle (protein) as fuel.
3.	Reduce oxidative stress on the body. In the hours following a workout, the release of oxidants and cortisol "eats" muscle and weakens the immune system. These can be counteracted with antioxidants (vitamins C & E).
4.	Rebuild muscle fibre that has been damaged during the workout by giving the body quality protein made up of amino acids.