How To Live A Healthy Lifestyle – Easy and Fun

How to live a healthy lifestyle is a topic we have been bombarded with over the past decade. A truly healthy lifestyle results from a balanced lifestyle. The key points of a balanced lifestyle include having adequate time for work, family and relationships, relaxation and fun. In order to maintain a healthy balance there has to be a combination of exercise; a sensible diet; reduction of caffeine and sugar; avoidance of alcohol, tobacco and drugs; stress reduction and getting enough sleep.

Physical activity and exercise is great for stress prevention and reduction. A combination of stretching, muscle toning and aerobic exercise tends to be the best. You should get 30 minutes of exercise at least three times a week. The best news is that you don’t need to do all 30 minutes at once. It has been proven that breaking it down into small 10 to 15 minute intervals is just as beneficial.

Walking is a great exercise and can easily be incorporated into your day. Try parking in the farthest space rather than closest space possible. Take a few trips around the grocery store with your cart prior to beginning your shopping. This is especially helpful during winter months in colder climates. Carrying your purchases to your car rather than pushing them out in a cart helps improve muscle tone as well as giving you an aerobic workout.

A healthy lifestyle requires a sensible diet. Eating three moderate or five small meals comprised of a balanced diet dispersed regularly throughout your day helps maintain even blood sugars and fuel for your mind and body. Caffeine and sugar should be limited, as the body treats them both as drugs. They can influence hormone and blood sugar fluctuations and lead to an increase in stress production.

Your diet should include protein, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, carbohydrates, and fats. Lean proteins (like beef, pork, chicken, fish, legumes, eggs and dairy products with reduced fats) are preferable to non-lean proteins (like fatty cuts of meats, organ meats, bacon and sausage) and processed meats (like luncheon meats). These fatter cuts should be kept at a minimum and generally limited to a few servings a week. Dairy products such as milk, cheeses and yogurt provide calcium and protein. A few servings of these should be included in your daily diet plan.

Fruits and vegetables should make up the majority of your diet. A wide range of fruits and vegetables provides variety and provides a better balance of vitamins and minerals.

Carbohydrates are important for maintaining energy and help with mental clarity. They should be kept to a few servings a day. Whole grains are more beneficial because they provide more vitamins and nutrients and are metabolized at a slower rate, reducing spikes in blood sugar.

Fats are essential to the human diet. They provide essential fatty acids and allow for better uptake of nutrients. Best choices are olive oils, canola oils, nuts and nut oils.

Exercise and diet alone are not the answer for a healthy lifestyle. Cigarette, drug and alcohol use should be avoided. However, there is evidence that alcohol used in modest amounts may be useful. These studies have concluded that a glass of red wine with dinner can be beneficial for protection of the brain, heart and lungs. It is thought to prevent prostate and breast cancers, reduce inflammation and boost longevity.

Stress tends to be different from person to person. Stressors can come from personal, family, financial, peer and professional issues, but are not limited to any specifics. The most crucial step to stress management is identification of the stressors in your life. After you have identified what has stressed you out, you can begin to work on the issues.

Maintaining a stress journal can be helpful in the identification of stressors. You should keep track of: what caused your stress, how you felt physically and emotionally, your response actions and what you did to make yourself feel better.

Once stressors are identified you should change the situation by avoidance or alteration. Then work on changing your reactions by adapting and accepting. Don’t forget to make time for relaxation and fun.

Don’t underestimate the value of sleep in a healthy lifestyle. Sleep allows your mind and body to refuel, regenerate and energize. Getting enough sleep increases your ability to think clearly, react appropriately, maintain motivation and gives you the stamina to enjoy the various aspects of your life.

While it is impossible to include all of these aspects daily, the more habitual you are to include them the better your chances of maintaining a healthy lifestyle become. Take a few minutes and reflect on what you did today. What can you do to improve? How can you live a healthy lifestyle?

Rustic Kitchen Tables As Home Furniture

Rustic kitchen tables are tables formed from various types of wood with rough and aged surfaces with simple designs. They are not highly polished, but are practical and hardwearing, and can take hard knocks without spoiling the finish, since there is no finish as such.

In bygone days when people lived in log cabins, there were no butcherblock kitchen islands, and most of the food preparation was carried out on the table. The rustic table was frequently the chopping board, preparation area and eating surface, all combined. It was not expected to be a piece of fine furniture, but a functional part of the kitchen that could be scraped and knocked during normal use.

General rustic décor is simple and straightforward with few frills, using natural materials and rough finishes. It is, however, very endearing, probably because it plays on our sentiments for the old days of pioneering and the log cabin. It is coarse, unfinished, but comfortable, and certain elements of the old country style are incorporated in some modern day kitchens. The rustic table is one of them, with old wooden Windsor spindle chairs or ladderback chairs.

Rustic tables are generally of rectangular shape, with a thick unpolished top. The chairs can be hand painted with motifs such as flowers or birds, and the rustic theme can be applied to the rest of the kitchen if desired. Stone tiled floors, lots of ceramics and baskets, and the occasional old oil lamp can set off a large rustic table very well. However, many of the newer ‘rustic’ style tables are provided with a polished top that has to be maintained.

The material of construction in the early days of the American settlers was what was growing around at the time. Hickory, maple, pine, spruce – all were used for the traditional rustic table and the same is true today. Pine, however, is the most popular choice, and also tends to be a lot less expensive than hardwood. Walnut is sometime used, and some of the grain effects obtainable from this wood are very attractive. Also very expensive!

Rustic tables, therefore, are available in many types of wood, and the reason that pine is the most popular is likely due to cost and its ease of working. It is easier to form pine into the shapes require than it is to work hardwoods, and it is hard to beat a good lodge pole pine kitchen table with root ball legs and claw feet. You get them with drawers and breadboards, and they can be finished with a hardwearing varnish to prevent undue damage in use

They tend not to be used as the main chopping and food preparation surface as in bygone days, although there is still no reason why they can not be. Most people, however, use custom kitchen furniture and working areas for these tasks. In fact, just about all of them! The likely reason for that is the cost, as new ‘rustic’ tables can be expensive, particularly hardwood tables, and nobody wants to start chopping and cutting on their expensive new table. I don’t blame them! Wood is becoming an expensive material worldwide at the moment, and it can sometime be difficult for many to find a good rustic table at an affordable price.

Nevertheless, many people still prefer to have their tables made to order to their own design. Many outlets provide this service, although it can be quite expensive. In fact, you really have three options. You can have a rustic table made to your specifications, you can purchase a new table either online or from one of the many stores that retail them, or you can buy an old rustic table either from antiques shops or online. You can use online furniture stores to make your selection of genuine country style rustic tables to view when you visit the showrooms.

You will also get chairs to go with them, but there is no shortage of reasonable priced chairs that go well with wooden tables. There are plenty of spindle and ladderback chairs available both online and offline. You could also use one of the more modern styles of kitchen table chair to provide a contrast between the old and the new.

Whatever choice you decide to make, rustic kitchen tables look good in a rustic setting, but even if your kitchen is not of a rustic design they are functional, traditional and hardwearing. You will never regret your decision in purchasing what will likely become a family heirloom.

Father’s Day – Let’s Make Travel Plans

Have you heard of “Mancations” yet? It is the latest term out there when referring to vacations. They are just exactly what it says, vacations for men, and what better time than to give one on Father’s Day. With the three suggestions below you will get some really great ideas on “Mancations” which men love to take vacations around.

The really great thing about giving a travel vacation to Dad for Father’s Day is that the whole family can go along, or not. The other great thing is that it can happen anytime, not just on Father’s Day weekend, so you can give the gift on Father’s Day and then plan and build excitement until the actual vacation happens

Golfing: Of course this is at top of the list for a very good reason, it is the number one sport of men, there are more men golfers than any other single sport, I would say even surfers in the beach areas. The options for golf vacations are many, you can just have a day of golfing, several days of golfing and staying in your own accommodations and then there is a destination resort which could be a golfing resort with all the amenities all in one spot and there would be activities for the whole family as well, if they decided to go along.

Skiing: I know it is the furtherest thing from your mind right now but it isn’t to early to book your skiing vacation and what better time than for a Father’s Day present. You can get that perfect ski package you always wanted and they were all booked ahead of you, you can get that room you always wanted and never could get, see, they booked it at Father’s Day. Again your possibilities for your gift giving are endless, you can book ski lift tickets at your favorite resort; amenities that are offered at the different resorts where you are staying; or you can stay in a destination ski resort where all your amenities are in one spot.

Outdoor Adventures: All the other outdoor adventures, river rafting, scuba diving, all kinds of fishing, boating, the possibilities are endless and they are covered in this section. In this area you can also reserve your equipment you will need and/or you can purchase it, which is another gift idea for Father’s Day.

Personal travel websites are a newer concept in making your travel arrangements. All of the above gift ideas can be arranged through a personal travel website. The advantage to a personal travel website is exactly that, you have the ability to contact an individual directly to assist you if you need and/or want it.

Should Struggling Small Businesses Consider a Small Business Administration Loan?

Many small businesses that are struggling with debt wonder if they should consider a small business administration loan. For many the thought of borrowing money when they are already in so much debt just does not make sense. However, this is a very special form of loan offered to small businesses to help them survive this terrible recession we have all been suffering for other businesses, a loan may seem like the only answer to their problems, and in fact they may be making the situation worse in the long term.

Applying for a small business administration loan can be complicated and it can be difficult to understand all the legal issues and requirements associated with this type of loan. For this reason, it is always better to get some professional help and advice so you can access this loan without putting your business into further problems.

Taking out a loan to get your business out of debt can, in some cases, cause more problems and weaken the business further. It is much better, if you are struggling with debt that you speak to a professional as soon as possible. They will be able to advise you on the best course of action. For some this may be negotiating with creditors, or arranging settlements of offer in compromise, but for some a loan may be an option. If you are unsure about what you should do to get your business out of debt, you should speak to a professional adviser urgently, before the debts get further out of control.

While small business administration loans can be helpful, great care must be taken that it is really the best option, for many businesses, they could be putting their whole business at risk. This is why it is so important to get the right professional advice.

Growing debt can very quickly cripple a small business, and in stressful situations like these, it can feel that the only answer is to borrow even more money; this is not always the best solution however.

Small business administrations loans have helped many businesses get through tough times, but they must be dealt with correctly and professional advice is needed to establish whether this option really is the best way to get out of a financial mess.

Instead of worrying, or rushing into borrowing more money, help your business and help yourself by getting the professional advice and support you need, so you will be able to get a true picture of your financial situation, and see all the ways you can work to getting your business out of debt and back on track.

Then, once you have a clear picture of your finances, if a loan is the best option, an adviser will help you apply for it and help you through the entire process. For small business that are struggling and considering a small business administration loan, the first step is to know that there are answers, and help available and that they should not waste any more time, but get the help they need and deserve as quickly as possible.

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