Tag Archives: wellness

The real cost of a peloton (and other good fitness and health links)

Do you wish you could do gym workouts but you don’t have access to a gym? If that’s you, IKEA is here to help, with their new pastel-colored DAJLIEN collection (shown above). Especially good for people with small spaces.

Maybe you think the secret of working out at home is to go the peloton route. In that case, you own it to yourself to read about the real cost of a peloton.

Do you want to get fit but are feeling stuck? If so, read this: Here Are 5 Ways to Jumpstart Your Life. Mental health experts suggest exercises to knock down the internal roadblocks that are causing burnout and holding you back.

If you think you are too old to get fit, then check this out: can I build enough muscle in my 60s to make it to 100 even though I’ve never weight trained? If you need a workout to get started with, try this 10 minute bodyweight workout.

If you think you have high blood pressure, see your doctor. But also read this: Why High Blood Pressure Matters to Your Health And how to get it under control. Apparently a good way to lower your blood pressure is by doing this:  wall sit isometric exercise.

People who are already pretty fit and are considering running a marathon, read this: Running a fall marathon? Here are 26.2 tips to help you finish.

Finall, this is a funny and artistic way describing how to lose weight.

Health and wellness apps can be expensive. Here’s some alternatives

I am sometimes surprised how expensive health and wellness apps can be. If you leave them running on your phone for a year, that can really add up.

And that’s too bad. People can really benefit from such apps, and being short of cash should not be a limit on getting well.

If this applies to you, then you want to check out these 7 Meditation Apps That Are Cheaper (and Better) Than Headspace and Calm .

Headspace and Calm are fine apps. But check out some alternatives.

Looking to get fit in the pandemic? Here are 37 great links to help you with that

I’ve been struggling to get back in some form of better shape during the pandemic. During that time, I have been researching diets, fitness routines, meditation routines, health links, wellness articles…you name it. Here are some of the good links I have found that are worthwhile:

  1. 7-Day Diet Meal Plan to Lose Weight: 1 500 Calories
  2. Jumping Rope is an Unbeatable Cardio Workouts if You Do It Correctly
  3. Home gyms that complement your IKEA furniture and ensure you fulfil your fitness goals: Part 3
  4. Japanese Fasting Study Reveals Complex Metabolic Changes in the Human Body
  5. More 1500 calorie meals
  6. A Full-Body Workout for Beginners That Hits All Your Major Muscles
  7. When This Mother of Two Started Running She Realized It Was the Self-Care She Never Had
  8. If You Hate Meditating Try These Alternatives
  9. When you burn fat where does it actually go?
  10. Running From the Pain
  11. New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v11 Running Shoes / $150 (nice)
  12. How Long It Takes to Start Enjoying Exercise According to Reddit
  13. Why Fasting Works
  14. The Damaging Double Standard Behind Intermittent Fasting
  15. I’m Often Wide Awake at 3 A.M. How Do I Get Back to Sleep?
  16. Do We Really Need to Take 10 000 Steps a Day for Our Health?
  17. Navigating My Son’s A.D.H.D. Made Me Realize I Had It Too
  18. A 2 000-Calorie Diet: Food Lists and Meal Plan
  19. 25 Ways to Practice Self-Care
  20. How to Build Resilience in Midlife
  21. 6 Ways to Take Care of Yourself When People Disappoint You
  22. Your 3-Day Heart-Healthy Meal Plan: 1 500 Calories
  23. How exercise helps with stress
  24. The benefits of moderate exercise
  25. Exercise snacks
  26. On the 5BX plan
  27. Good exercises to burn calories
  28. On the zen of weightlifting
  29. Jogging and the brain
  30. On marathons
  31. Running sub 3 marathons
  32. Marathon times
  33. How walking in place can help
  34. How long it takes to put on muscle
  35. A chart to help you get fit in 15 days
  36. How to start strength training
  37. On learning to like running

(Photo by Alex McCarthy on Unsplash )

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On being grateful (and a good alternative to it)


I have read in many places that it is good to be grateful. To be thankful. Here is one such article: What Does It Mean to Be Grateful? – Mindful. If that works for you, then I recommend it.

I find a simpler and just as effective approach is to acknowledge when something is good. Wake up feeling rested? Say “This is good”. Enjoy your cup of coffee or tea or even just being up? Acknowledge that “This is nice”. As you go through your day, make an effort to consciously acknowledge all the good things big and small in your life. You’ll find many. And if you can’t, that’s ok too. Work to appreciate the good things in the bad. Rainy, overcast day? Good for flowers. Monday? A new week to do something good. Etc. If you struggle to think of any, talk to a friend or some other council.

You have lots of good things in your life. As you appreciate them, you will better appreciate your life in general. And that too is good.

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How to Harness Your Anxiety


Easier said than done, I know. But worth addressing. And not impossible. Good luck! Anxiety may seem like a tiger, but it can also be a horse: you can get a grip on it, break it, and use it to your advantage even.

How to Harness Your Anxiety – The New York Times

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A gentle program to get you out of your rut in 30 days

A gentle program to get you out of your rut in 30 days can be found here: NYT Programs – 30-Day Well Challenge.

Recommended especially for people who are a) in a rut b) overwhelmed with other things to do.

A good list of light therapy lamps for S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

The bad news: for people in the northern hemisphere, the days are getting colder and darker.

The good news: if you are one of those people who suffer from S.A.D., then this is an excellent list of lights that can help you deal with it: The Best Light Therapy Lamps for Seasonal Affective Disorder | Apartment Therapy

Better still, there is a wide range of price points and some of them are relatively inexpensive.

Check out the list. If you know someone who struggles with this, then consider this an excellent gift idea.

Bonus: This post was written in 2017. Since then they have updated their list, so check it out again.

 

How to work wellness into your work day

A good thing to consider as you start your week is: does your work day contribute to staying well, or does it do the opposite? One way to know is to compare you typical workday to something like this one: How To Schedule Wellness Into Your Workday And Still Get Stuff Done.

You don’t need to do all the things in that article, but if you do none of them, consider incorporating some of them into your work day. I believe you will see your attitude towards work improve and your workday will feel better.

Work / life balance is important. But having a work routine that is balanced in itself is a better way to enjoy your work and stay healthy, especially during the winter months.