7 easy ways to keep your joints fit and healthy.

I am always seeking out ways to help with my stiff joints, being a suffer of Rheumatoid Arthritis, it is recommended that I do simple and none strenuous daily exercise.

It is a known fact that the older we get the stiffer our joints become. it is surprising that only a handful of the population embark on exercise designed to keep their joints fit and healthy.

the joints are crucial to our mobility. Think of it as an industrial machine. In order for the machine to work at optimum capacity, it requires lubricating. The wheels, nuts and bolts all require constant care and service. Without which they become old, stiff and useless.

Our joints work exactly in the same way, left without any maintenance, it wears out.
Reasons for wear and tear of the Joint Cartilage:

·         Age,

·         Excessive weight

·         Injuries and Illness like autoimmune disease  

7 Simple Ways to take care of your joints;

1.       Move More: We have become a people of convenience. For most of us, our jobs involve siting at the desk all day. Moving helps the fluid in our bodies to lubricate our joints. It is recommended to take a 10 minutes break every hour and to also incorporate 5-10 minutes of joints exercise every morning to get your body moving.

2.       Develop Healthy Eating Habits: The national Health Service recommends that our daily diet should include, healthy fats, protein and carbohydrate. Introduce foods such as nuts, fish, pulses, certain green vegetables such as broccoli spinach, kala into your daily diet.

3.       Supplement It: Supplements containing Omega 3 acids have been found to improve joint as well as help with inflammation. I have noticed a great improvement in my condition since introducing food rich in omega 3 into my diet. According to Arthritis Research UK, Foods such as salmon, mackerel and seeds such as flax seeds, chia seeds, are all good sources of Omega 3 fats. If you are unsure which supplement to get, try one of the Forever Active HA and the Forever Artic Sea, with 60 days money back guarantee: see link to online store: online store

4.       Include supplements with Glucosamine: Glucosamine is one of the building blocks of cartilage. It is an amino sugar which is produced by the body. Joint cartilage normally contains glucosamine and chondroitin compounds.  It is thought that taking supplements of these natural ingredients may help improve the health of damaged cartilage.  According to Arthritis Research UK, 1,500mg daily dose of glucosamine sulphate can be taken, if you notice any improvement in joint pains after 3 months, you may wish to continue. You can also get one of these which is the one I use daily.

5.     Muscle strengthening Exercise: These may include light weights to help protect and improve the functioning of the muscles. As we age our knee joints become more prone to wear and tear, cycling 2-3 times weekly can help improve joint performance and protect them from early damage.

6.     Massage: Massage helps to relieve tension and pressures around certain areas of the body, like the foot, shoulders and back. Massage Therapist are trained to target soft tissues in the body. I found reflexology helps greatly with my foot which in turn relieves me of stress. Try the heat lotion for everyday message. Heat lotion

7.       Eliminate Stress: Day to day life can be stressful it is therefore important to find ways to reduce our stress levels. Book a spa break or a relaxing day out with friends, this will free your mind up from worrying thoughts which can lead to stress. One of the ways stress manifest is in stiff joints.

We cannot predict the length of time we will be live, regardless of how long we may live, let’s make sure we spend our years in good health, by moving and developing healthy eating habits, as well as incorporating exercise into our daily lives. These simple activities, will ensure that our joints are in perfect working condition.

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Please Note:

If you’re in pain or are finds that your joints are becoming increasingly stiff seek advice from a qualified health professional.

How I Lost 5kg in 9 days

As the popular saying goes, if you want to have what you’ve never got, you have to do what you never done. Simply put, challenge yourself, and you will be surprise at what you can achieve.

In 2011 we welcomed our first child and in 2012 14 months our first daughter was born, we welcome our second. Pre children days, I was a size 10, but ended up as a size 14 after two back to back CS session. I love my kids to bits but after our second turned 2, I decided to go back to my pre- pregnancy weight.

I live a healthy and active life style and continued doing so after kids, and I managed to drop to size 12, purely from eating healthy and working but, but I couldn’t get rid of my tommy fat.

Decision:
I decided to do something about it, so in June 2015, I decided to go on a diet. This decision was relatively easy to make however I didn’t know which diet program to embark on.
I wanted something short, that I will not result in some drastic measures, something which was sustainable. I researched several options, but nothing appealed to me.

Enter the Clean 9
I decided to go on the Clean 9 cleansing program, which is part of the Forever Living weight management program. What I liked about it, is the fact that it gave a step by step guide on how to go about it. (you can get yours here) Clean 9

I had read quite some good reviews about it, however, the main attraction for me was that it was only 9 days. I jumped on board immediately and thought to myself, I can do this, it is only 9 days of my life, I can do it. I didn't know what to expect but got on it just to shift the extra flesh around my waist line, which has refused to shift after the CS.
I found it easy to follow as it was very structured, with eating plans, suggested food options and encouraging tips.

Results:
Before I started my weight was 66kg, after the program, I was a healthy 61kg. losing a whopping 5kg in 9 days. To say I was thrilled was an understatement. I feel and look better, my flabby tommy has gone.

Going on the clean 9 reinforced my healthy eating habits and I have remained on this path, which meant I dropped a further 3kg. I am now a healthy 58kg. Although designed as to cleanse, sticking to the program will result a weight loss.

Sustainability:
The problem with dieting is that we soon go back to our old habits and pile back the weight. I wanted something I can sustain, something which did not involve staving.
The reason I have kept the weight off is due to the fact that I have maintained healthy eating habits combined with an active lifestyle, as well as eating everything in moderation.
This is not to impress anyone but to impress upon you that whatever you want is possible, with a little determination and staying power you can do anything.

Although this is a cleanse, you eat on the program, which is why it is sustainable, results will vary from one person to the other.
You can find out more by clicking the sport and weight management link above

You can also order your clean 9 pack here  clean 9 pack

Please like and share with your friends. If you know of anyone who will benefit from this program, drop me an email.

Are You Brain Fit?

We are busy humans, always on the move, conquering and taking charge of our destiny. With that comes stress, fatigue and worry. Our biggest problem is not bodily tiredness but mental fatigue, you know you have things you want to accomplish but can't do them due to brain fatigue. It's a case of the spirit is willing but the mind is weak. 

Like our bodies out brain can become unwell, this post will help you identify simple steps to take to boost your brain power.

Tiredness can lead to lots of other lack of focus as a result of absence of mind. Constantly forgetting where you kept things. 

Research has shown that there are ways we can get out brain to be at peak function. 

Here are 8 ways to become brain fit:

1.     Surfing the internet: Research shows that surfing the internet’s helps to stimulate the brain. While surfing, we have to make multiple decisions, which in turn engages the circuits in the brain associated with attention, memory and reasoning. You can play chess or other board gains online.

2.     Become Sociable : While there may be some benefits from surfing the internet, spending time with real people also helps the brain to be more efficient and helps build what is known in the medical field as cognitive reserve (spare capacity).  The stronger the reserve the more likely you are to stave off conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Become sociable again, reconnect with old network, and build new relationships. Take up a new activity like enrolling in a course where you can meet new people, however, do not forget to be in regular contact with friends and family. Have an excuse to call mum every day.

3.     Meditation: Meditation increases the thickness of the cerebral cortex and encourages more connections between brain cells, together, these boost mental sharpness.  Spend a few minutes daily meditating to improve focus, concentration and creativity. Brain images of regular mediators show more activity in the left prefrontal cortex. An area of the brain associated with feelings of Joy.

4.     Eat Your Veg: Several studies have shown that a Mediterranean diet which includes lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, oily fish nuts, seeds and olive oil, a little wine, can help to protect against brain diseases. In 2010, in a review carried out by researchers in the university of Florence, they found that eating the Mediterranean way was linked with a 13 percent lower risk of brain diseases.

5.     Simplify your Life: Life does not have to be complicated, introduce simplicity to everyday life by identifying what’s most important and eliminating everything else.

6.     Mental exercise: Become an avid puzzle solver, mental exercises like puzzles, memorizing names, shopping list, phone numbers, names, mental maths, dates etc, can help to protect against dementia and Alzheimer’s.

7.    Regular exercise: it's shocking the number of people who do no form of regular exercise. And I don't mean going to the gym. Aim to do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at least 3 times per week. Anything that raises your heart beat will do, like walking, running, jogging, swimming and cycling. Study shows that regular heart racing exercise is vital for overall good health and especially for brain functioning, this is due to the increase in blood circulation and the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain

8.    Reduce your stress levels: it is easy to say, but how? Become good at planning, the reason we are often stress is we lack a system of handling day to day, weekly, monthly and yearly activities. Reduce stress by planning ahead, write things down. This will ensure you do things when you plan to do them there by bringing structure into your day