4 Tips for a Speedy and Healthy Recovery

 

Recovering from an accident, a severe illness, or surgery requires careful effort and patience. The path to recovery is often riddled with obstacles you could only imagine. Simply sitting around and waiting to feel better may delay the recovery process and a more proactive mindset can often speed up this process. Consider these options if recovery is your main concern as it can be more quickly achieved by following these four tips.

 

Eat Healthy

A nutritious diet is essential for helping the body to heal quickly and completely. If the doctor did not recommend a specific diet, plan meals around the five basic food groups of protein, dairy, grains, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats. Aim for the age-specific calorie intake that is appropriate for someone recovering from a physical condition, and include one or two healthy snacks between meals.

 

Stay Mobile

Most doctors want their patients out of bed and fairly active during the recovery phase. Ask the doctor for specific guidelines about how much activity, and type, you should be involved in. People who are very weak may only be able to get into a Knee Walker Shop wheelchair or roller for a short time at first. Others might be able to take a few steps, increasing their walking time each day. Work with the doctor or a physical therapist associated with your condition to optimize mobility and facilitate recovery. Mobility strengthens a person’s muscles and bones while helping him or her to become steadier on their feet and reduce the risk of falling.

 

Follow the Doctor’s Orders

It is important to understand the physician’s specific orders for a successful recovery. If physical or occupational rehab is ordered, for example, the patient should follow the orders as directed, unless symptoms suggest otherwise. Taking the right medication on time is also important. Failure to follow through on the doctor’s guidelines may disrupt the healing process.

 

Enjoy Social Activities

Getting involved in social activities during recovery plays a key role in restoring the person’s health. Talking and laughing with friends and relatives or participating in activities that are suited to the recovering person’s abilities helps to make the time pass more pleasantly and promotes vital social interaction. Without connecting to others, a person who is trying to heal may feel isolated and unloved, which can actually deter recovery.

 

Getting well takes time. However, a patient who is working through recovery following a significant injury, illness, or surgery can take a proactive approach to encourage more rapid and complete healing. Taking good care of both body and mind will promote a sense of well-being that goes hand-in-hand with a speedy recovery.

 

Categories: eat healthy, healthy recovery, Injury, stay mobile

5 Remedies to Prevent Gum Disease

 

Gum disease is a bacterial infection in the tissues and bones around the teeth. Healthy gums should not bleed easily with brushing. They should appear pink and fit tightly around teeth. Gums that are swollen, tender, red, bleed easily, or are receding from teeth are likely infected with gum disease. It is a serious problem that can affect oral health, lead to tooth loss, and cause infection and ailments in other areas of the body as well if left untreated. There are some steps you can take to help prevent gum disease.

 

1. Practice Good Oral Hygiene

According to Smith Family Dental, gum disease starts in areas where bacteria is allowed to grow and thrive. The better oral hygiene you practice, the less likely you are to suffer from gum disease. You should brush your teeth twice a day and floss and use a fluoride mouth rinse at least once a day. These basic practices are extremely important.

 

2. Visit the Dentist

Your mouth produces plaque, which is a clear sticky bacteria filled substance. Brushing at home can help eliminate plaque from your mouth. Plaque turns into tartar, which is a hard substance that cannot be removed with at home brushing. Visiting a dentist every 6 months for a routine cleaning is essential to tartar removal and a key component to good oral health.

 

3. Watch what you Eat

Watching what you eat is not as simple as just avoiding sticky sugar filled candy, although this is important. It is important to make conscious and intentional decisions about what you eat and try to choose foods that actually improve oral health. Crunchy fruits and vegetables high in water content help trigger the flow of saliva, which naturally washes small food particles away from teeth. Include healthy sources of calcium such as cheese and unsweetened yogurt to encourage strong tooth development. Avoid sugary drinks and stick with water as your primary drink. Eating a diet rich in vitamins and minerals is good for your dental health, as well as your overall well-being.

 

4. Avoid Frequent Snacking

nearly as important as what you eat is when you eat. Frequent snacking bombards your teeth with sugars, which feed bacteria. Allowing time between meals and snacks gives saliva time to wash food away from teeth. Always follow a snack with a drink of water and brush teeth after snacking when possible.

 

5. Know your Risk Factors

Certain factors put you at greater risk for developing gum disease. As you age, the likelihood of gum disease developing increases. Hormonal changes in women can also increase your risk. Smoking or use of chewing tobacco both are huge contributing factors to gum disease. Know your risk factors and do what you can to minimize or eliminate them.

 

Taking good care of your mouth translates into better overall health. Early gum disease often does not cause pain, so it is important to know the indicators and work with your dentist to ensure the best oral health possible.

 

Categories: bleed easily, dental care, Disease, disease nbsp, eat healthy, frequent snacking, Gum Disease, Healthy Eating, oral health, oral hygiene, prevent gum, risk factors

How to Go Back to Your New Years Resolutions and Succeed

Is anyone still keeping up with their New Year’s resolutions? Probably not. However, as it’s now Lent and all, now is a great time to pick up your resolutions again – and actually make them stick. According to certified fitness and nutrition specialist Erika Nicole Kendall, who writes the award-winning blog A Black Girl’s Guide to Weight Loss, ‘The reality is, while most resolutions are noble and honest declarations of things we genuinely need to change in our everyday lives, they are far more complex than we originally estimated. The most popular of resolutions – quitting smoking, exercising regularly, being more responsible with money, and eating healthier – are usually massive umbrellas under which we’d find other, more complex, less cutesy-sounding things. Either way, if we want to accomplish these huge goals, we have to dig a little deeper.’ So how do you approach your wellness goals in a sensible and achievable way?

 

1. Join the Gym: Kendall notes, ‘I know you wanted to hit that gym five days a week, but the gym just ain’t for everybody. It can be out of the way, it can be boring, you could feel out of place – a major deterrent – or the gym staff aren’t very helpful or encouraging, any number of things could happen that make you feel less and less like you should be there. No worries! Instead of committing to doing this thing that you can’t stand, commit to trying a new activity every week, once a week, until you find something you love in a community that welcomes you. For some, that’s crossfit. For others, that might be Zumba. Pole fitness, Hip Hop Dance, Black Girls Run! (or Black Men Run), Yoga, Pilates, Tango, Boot Camping it, whatever. Being active is supposed to be enjoyable, and most people don’t stick to it because, quite frankly, it isn’t for them. Pleasure is the first part of commitment when it comes to healthy living, so testing out different activities until you find the best one for you has the dual benefit of being fun and helping ensure your ability to commit.’

 

2. Eat Healthier: ‘I know you said you wanted to eat healthier,’ says Kendall. ‘But, if you’re someone who lives that microwave-love-life, and have done so for a long time, then guess what? It might not go down like that. In fact, I can see three major challenges: 1) You have no idea how to cook the things you’ve bought, so they sit in your fridge until they go bad. 2) You have no idea how to store the items you’ve bought, so they go bad quickly and attract flies; and 3) You underestimated how much time and how many resources it took to learn to cook, so you wind up not being able to put the proper amount of energy into learning…thereby feeling like you’ve wasted your money. All three wind up being deterrents to your ultimate goal, and that’s eating better. How can you fix this? Instead of going cold turkey, go lukewarm turkey – commit to learning to cook one new veggie per week or, even better, commit to adding some colourful raw veggies to your dinner every night…Before you know it, you’ll not only be adding more veggies to your nutritional arsenal, but you’ll also be learning new cooking techniques, too!’

 

3. Quit Smoking: Kendall points out that quitting smoking ‘oftentimes falls in the same line as eating better – most people fail at changing their habits on both fronts because they don’t acknowledge how closely linked their habits are to their ability to manage stress. Stress eaters, smokers, and drinkers are a thing, and they have costly repercussions to not only your health, but your wallet. Learning stress coping mechanisms can not only help you identify when you’re reaching for your weapon of mass destruction, but also give you workarounds to help you make the better choice altogether. Books like The Gift of Imperfection can inadvertently help you understand what stresses you out, and the best plan of attack.’

Categories: commit, eat healthier, eat healthy, fitness goals, kendall, learning, quit smoking, quitting smoking, Resolutions, week

How to Eat healthy on a Vacation?

So it’s that time of the year where everyone gets busy with shopping and packing bags as many plan to go back to their hometown. We look forward to celebrations, family gatherings and spending quality time with closed ones, but are we planning our holidays properly? Eating nutritional food on holidays will allow you to enjoy your vacation to the fullest. Eating right food at the right time will balance your energy level and keep you active all day. Have a look at some of the tips given below that will help you eat healthy while you are on a holiday:

 

You might be planning on a small vacation somewhere close by and a road trip sounds very exciting. But have you thought of what eatables are you going to carry? On road trips, it is easy and convenient to carry your own food as eating junk food outside can take a toll on your health. Pack food like fruits, crackers, milk, juice yoghurt etc. or something light for your stomach that can be packed in a cooler. You can opt for the cooler available in the market that will keep your food fresh on the journey. You can also check for certain pack bags that will keep your food hot or cold as required. A hot soup after driving 6 hours should do wonders for you!

 

In case you are taking a flight, a small meal like a chicken or a vegetable sandwich will do the needful. You don’t want to stuff yourself at a pizza corner and board a 4 hour flight. Rather it is advisable that you request a small healthy meal for yourself.

 

So you are staying at a friend or a family members house; you can always offer to get some food on board. Certainly they will be happy to have you at their home and would serve the best of food to you but how healthy is that? You can definitely bring in healthy food as it’s a gesture of sharing and caring. If they ask you in advance about different delicacies you like, ask for healthy food with higher nutritional value.

 

If you are planning to stay at a hotel, it would be better to check the hotels food menu in advance. Lot of hotels offer continental breakfast that enables you to choose cereals, juices, proteins, fruits, toast or eggs. Do check if the hotel has a refrigerator. If so, you can carry your homemade healthy food and can preserve for longer periods in the fridge. Another benefit of carrying healthy food on a holiday is that you will be saving some good money.

 

Another important thing you should consider while you are out is that eat only when you feel hungry. Don’t over stuff yourself. This will make you lethargic and you won’t be able to enjoy properly. Pick healthy food from the menu such as lean meat, fruits and salads. Don’t eat a large meal at a time, instead have small meals. You can have three square meals in a day or if you think that will be difficult, opt for six small meals.

 

When eating on a vacation, you can eat appetizers so that you will have some room for your next meal, maybe 2 hours later. Your body requires energy in every few hours, so don’t skip a meal.

 

While enjoying your vacation, don’t eat a heavy meal at night. With some will power and determination, you can certainly enjoy healthy food on a trip. A small slice of cheese pizza or a scoop of your favourite ice cream can be consumed once but don’t go overboard. Give the right amount of nutrients to your body and stay healthy while you are on a holiday.

Categories: eat healthy, Food, Healthy, Healthy Food, meal, nbsp, small, small meals, vacation

How to Get Great Skin: 4 Simple Rules

Everyone wants to have gorgeous skin, no matter what your age. Who doesn’t want to look like the stars we see every day in magazines and on television? We all want to leave a good impression and complexion is one of the first things we notice when we meet someone new. Luckily there are a bunch of tips you can follow to improve your skin to boost your confidence and look amazing.

 

Drink Water and Eat Healthy

 

We’ve all heard the expression: ‘you are what you eat’, and it actually is very true. If you eat a lot of fatty and greasy food, you’ll end up looking fat and greasy by effect. In contrast, if you eat lots of fresh and healthy foods you’ll look fresh and healthy. There is a direct correlation between what you put in your body and how you look on the outside. When you make an effort to eat healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans, you will notice a positive change in your complexion. These foods are full of antioxidants and nutrients which will cause your skin to look amazing. Not only should you watch what you eat, but you should also be cautious of what you drink. Don’t go for fizzy drinks but instead drink plenty of water. If you drink a lot of water your skin will be better hydrated and you’ll have a nice, fresh complexion.

 

Exercise and Reduce Stress

 

When you exercise you’re getting your blood flowing, which nourishes skin cells and keeps up their vitality. It’s great for your skin when your blood gets flowing, as it carries nutrients and oxygen to working cells like your skin cells. Exercise also helps your body cleanse itself of free radicals, toxins, and other waste products. By exercising you basically cleanse your skin from the inside out. Not only is exercise good for your skin, but it also improves your mental state and rids your body of stress. Stress influences the sebaceous glands, which produce oil in the skin. Stress increases the production of these glands and therefore the amount of oil your skin produces, which causes acne and greasy-looking skin. When you exercise you release this stress, which helps your skin and glands function properly. Exercise really can help you improve your skin from the inside out, so get moving!

 

To sum things up: stay hydrated, eat healthily, exercise and try not to stress. If you follow these rules you’ll be on your way to an amazing complexion.

 

This is a guest post from Chemist Direct. We provide weight loss products amongst others.

Categories: anti-ageing, eat healthy, exercise, reduce stress, skin care, Water