Category: Health and Wellness

Six Reasons You Should Exercise As Part Of Your Routine

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. While we know that exercise is important, the benefits other than the physical are not talked about often. There are many. The following contributed post is entitled, Six Reasons You Should Exercise As Part Of Your Routine.

* * *

How good is an exercise to you? Are you aware of how good it is to you? Find out how exercise can improve your life, from improving your mood to enhancing your sex life. Looking for more energy, better health, and even an extra year? Exercise is all you need.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION from Pexels

It’s hard to ignore the health benefits of physical activity and regular exercise. Exercising benefits every person, no matter their age, gender, fitness level, or physical ability.

Are you still not convinced? Get healthier and happier with these six steps.

Weight Loss Is Controlled By Exercise

Exercising can prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. You burn calories when you engage in physical activity. Calories are burned at a higher intensity.

It’s great to go to the gym regularly, but don’t worry if you can’t find time to exercise every day. It’s better to do something than nothing at all. Simply avoid using the elevator and take the stairs instead – or increase your household chores to reap the benefits of exercise. It is important to maintain consistency. If you want to know which machine to use between a rower and treadmill for weight loss have a look at a guide to both workout machines.

A Healthy Lifestyle Includes Exercise

Are you worried about heart disease? Looking for a natural way to prevent hypertension? Whatever your weight, being active will boost high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol, as well as lower unhealthy triglycerides. As a result of this two-pronged approach, you will be less at risk of cardiovascular disorders.

Getting Exercise Improves Your Mood

Are you feeling down? After a stressful day, would you like to blow off some steam? Try going to the gym or taking a brisk walk. Physical activity stimulates different brain chemicals that may make you feel happier, relaxes you, and reduces your anxiety. When you exercise regularly, you may also feel better about your appearance and yourself, which can boost your self-esteem and confidence.

Exercise Boosts Energy

Shop for groceries or do household chores and find yourself overwhelmed? A regular exercise program can strengthen your muscles and increase your endurance. As a result of exercising, your tissues receive oxygen and nutrients, and your cardiovascular system becomes more efficient. Having a healthy heart and lungs means having more energy to perform daily tasks.

Exercise Improves Sleep

Having trouble sleeping? Sleeping better and deeper is facilitated by regular physical activity. Exercise at least 30 minutes before bedtime, or you might not be able to sleep well afterwards.

Exercising Can Be Fun And Social!

The benefits of exercise and physical activity are numerous. These activities allow you to unwind, enjoy the outdoors, or simply do something you enjoy. In addition to helping you stay fit, physical activity helps you to bond with family and friends. You can also join a soccer team, take a dance class, or hike on the trails. Find something you enjoy doing physically, and just do it. Are you bored? Consider trying something new or doing something with family or friends.

These are six great reasons why you should be exercising as part of your routine. Do you have any other benefits that you could share in the comments below?

7 Things You Need To Do After A Car Accident

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Health/Wellness. Car accidents impact those involved them in a myriad of ways. Two major ones are finances and personal health. It’s important to know what to do in the event that you get into one. The following contributed post is entitled, 7 Things You Need To Do After A Car Accident.

* * *

Image Credit

Although people seem to travel around less due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s still essential to be cautious on the road. It’s always prudent to prepare for any emergency that may arise during daily activities, including road accidents. Statistics reveal an 8% increase in fatal road accidents between 2019 and 2020 in the US. You need to take some essential steps when you’ve been involved in an accident, including the practical tips below.

1. Don’t drive away
No matter how minor the accident may seem, it’s best not to drive away from the scene immediately. You may not be sure how serious your injury is or the extent of damage to your car. It’s best to stay put while you call for help to ensure your safety and offer enough information when the police arrive. To stay safe while waiting, you can keep your lights on to improve visibility and make it easier for others to spot you. It’s advisable to have a safety kit in your car that includes a flashlight, so you can keep that on in case your car lights are damaged. While you wait, you can help calm yourself down by taking deep breaths to slow down any adrenaline rush you may be feeling.

2. Contact the police
It’s always vital to call the police immediately an accident occurs, no matter how minor the accident or your injury may be. If you feel any pain, you should contact 911 or ask someone to help you reach an ambulance. Calling the police will help make other processes, such as claiming your insurance, easier for you. It’s essential to take in the accident scene details so you can give an accurate report when they arrive. If you’re able to, you can take pictures of the scene or damage with your phone to keep a record, but remember not to interfere if the police are investigating the scene. If for some reason, you can’t recall all the facts when the police arrive, you should be honest and let them know instead of speculating. If there’s another party involved in the accident, ensure that they make an accurate statement as well if you can.

3. Get all the necessary information
Accident issues are usually not solved within a day, and the parties involved may not always cooperate. Therefore, you must obtain the necessary information from all parties involved in the accident before you leave the scene. You can do this while waiting for the police to arrive. Information such as their names, phone numbers, and addresses is vital. It’ll also be crucial to get any witnesses’ information if you need their account in the future.

4. Inform your insurance company
It’s best to inform your insurance company as soon as possible after the accident occurs, as most insurance companies require that you immediately report when there’s such an incident. Depending on the insurance package you’ve settled for, you should be able to access the benefits such as medical care and repairs after your full cooperation and after they’ve assessed the extent of the damage. It’s prudent that you keep a detailed file of all the information and documents regarding the accident to make it easier for you to claim your insurance and provide all the necessary information. Although you may want to handle the costs on your own, it’s best to claim your insurance instead to save you time and money.

5. Consult your lawyers
It’s vital that you know your rights as an accident victim, to avoid being cheated or losing essential evidence. You need to contact your lawyers so they can advise you even before you make a statement. Your attorneys can guide you on how to get total compensation, medical care, etc. For instance, decisions such as suing for damages from a trucking accident will be easier and more informed after consulting your lawyers.

6. See a doctor
Injuries from accidents aren’t always apparent. Therefore, you need to seek medical attention as soon as possible to minimize the risk of severe or permanent damage. You can either consult your family doctor or visit the closest hospital to ensure you haven’t sustained any injuries, especially to your head, chest, or spine.

7. Tow your car if necessary
You may need to tow your car if it’s badly damaged. If the police don’t call a towing company, you should have one on hand to contact quickly. Before settling for a towing truck company, it’s best to ensure that they’re credible and can get the job done without further damage.

Having an accident is unpleasant and can lead to several issues. However, with these tips, the incident will be easier to deal with, and you’ll have a handy checklist to help you get through it.

Working From Home: How to Improve Your Wellness

Three focuses of my blog are Career Discussions, Health/Wellness and Technology. Working from home has its advantages. While it was sparse years ago, more employers will be allowing it in the coming years even after the pandemic has subsided. There are drawbacks to it though that everyone should be aware of. The following contributed post is entitled, Working From Home: How to Improve Your Wellness.

* * *

Image Source

One of the ways that COVID-19 has impacted everyone’s lives is the need for many people to work from home. Once-flourishing offices have become desolate as many workers got told to work remotely using their home Internet connections and computers.

If you’re one of those individuals, you will be undoubtedly experiencing the challenges that working from home brings, such as loss of focus or concentration due to other family members being at home too.

You will probably feel somewhat isolated from your colleagues, and due to “stay at home” orders frequently produced by the government, your social interaction with friends has also been affected.

The purpose of this article is to give you some inspirational ideas and tips on how you can improve your wellness while you’re working from home. Here’s how you can look after yourself during these trying times:

Look For Ways To Relax

It should be no surprise that some folks develop anxiety and depression due to feeling isolated from their colleagues, friends, and extended families. With that in mind, you need to look at ways to help you feel more relaxed and not feel anxious about being at home.

As you can imagine, there are several methods that help which you can pursue. For example, you could consider using hemp extracts from places like bloomfarmswellness.com to aid relaxation, or you could look at using essential oils like lavender or chamomile. Some people find the ritual of making a real cup of coffee, laying out the coffee tools, grinding the beans, etc., before drinking a cup, to be surprisingly relaxing too.

It might take some experimenting, but you’ll soon discover which methods produce the best results for your individual needs.

Stick to a Strick Work Schedule

When you worked at your office, you would start and your working days at specific times. The only difference between then and now is that you’re working from home; you still need to carry out the same work as before.

You need to create a strict working from home schedule and stick to it with that in mind. For instance, you should make sure you’ve had a shower, got dressed, and eaten your breakfast by a specific time so that you’re ready to begin your working day.

Another point to remember is that your time for stopping work should always be the same. Don’t get tempted to overrun and work for a few more hours “because you’re working from home.”

When you create a strict schedule, you will ensure that you have time to maintain your family time or do things around your home. If you let work take over your life at home, you’ll negatively impact your wellness, and most areas of your life will suffer as a result.

Increase Your Contact With Family and Friends

One final tip to consider is increasing the amount of time you spend in contact with your family and friends. That might not be possible to do in person due to COVID-19 restrictions, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

The obvious solution is to use technology like Zoom to have video chats with your loved ones. Check out zoom.us to find out how to use the technology and set up an account. If some people don’t have Internet access, there’s always the good old-fashioned telephone!

The Neglected Subconscious Benefits Of Movies On Young Minds

Two key focuses of my blog are General Education and Health/Wellness. While it’s not understood, movies actually benefits for the minds of young people. The following contributed post is entitled, The Neglected Subconscious Benefits Of Movies On Young Minds.

* * *

Image Credit: Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

It is no secret that people love going to the movies. Whether you are a child, teenager or adult, there is something about seeing your favorite character on the big screen that provides an unparalleled experience.

Research has shown that this can positively affect the subconscious mind in adulthood when your kids watch films with powerful characters. This article will explore some of these overlooked benefits!

Educate on Social Issues

Movies can help educate your kids on social issues. For example, when they watch movies about bullying, they can become more sensitive towards their peers and are less likely to become bullies. In addition, films with women in leadership roles can help children learn to see women as equals in society.

Understanding Other Cultures

Movies can help children understand other cultures and their customs. For example, by watching movies with people from different backgrounds, they can slowly start understanding other cultures in the process. This shift is necessary because many films today focus on Western culture, but there are websites to watch any movie. For example, if you love to watch Asian movies, you can search how to watch Japan Netflix Movie and get help to do so.

Inspiring Creativity

Movies are a place where your children can get their creative juices flowing. For example, if there is a song playing in the movie that they love or an animal on screen they want to learn more about, it gives them the incentive to do research outside of class and discover new things for themselves. As a result, movies foster their creativity in the process.

Increased Emotional Intelligence

Research has shown that watching movies as a child increases emotional intelligence. Therefore, your kids will have the ability to better understand and react to other people’s emotions without being overwhelmed or confused by them. Emotional intelligence is vital for leadership and forming connections.

Expanding the Mindset

Kids who watch movies are also able to expand their mindset. For example, suppose they see a character in the film that is different from them. In that case, they start to understand differences and similarities between themselves and others, making it easier for them to feel comfortable around people of all races, genders, and backgrounds.

Developing Empathy

Additionally, research has shown that when kids watch movies, they will develop empathy faster than those who don’t. Typically, if an actor/actress on-screen does something wrong but gets punished later for it, then kids are more likely to believe that what happened was fair. Ultimately, such scenarios teach children about morality and justice for all.

They Stimulate Interest in Science

Movies can also teach scientific discovery. For example, if a character in the film is working to find an answer and then eventually does so, this will help children learn that anything is possible with enough time or effort. Kids need to know that these types of discoveries are within their reach at a young age as well! After all, prominent scientists got inspiration from cartoons like Elon Musk to go to space.

Kids Become More Tolerant Of Diversity

Finally, movies can help kids be more open-minded. For example, if a child dislikes someone in the film, they may find themselves tolerant of the person after seeing them being hurt or mistreated by those around them.

It also helps with their understanding of people who are different from them or similar to them. So, therefore, instead of feeling alone or isolated, they will embrace whatever makes them unique, and they’ll know there’s somebody out there just like them.

Promotes Diversity and Acceptance

Movies can also promote diversity and acceptance. For instance, children who don’t travel can understand that different races, religions, and cultures make up humanity. Ultimately, such understanding eliminates unfounded prejudice and hatred.

Moreover, if a child sees someone in the film with a disability or losses they may have undergone, it will help them understand that their situation is not permanent. Since they might not have known others go through similar struggles as their own, but now, through television, they will embrace the endless opportunities despite the obstacles.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, movies can be a fantastic way for children to learn more about the world around them and interact with it. They provide many easy enough benefits for kids of any age level to take in, so make sure your little ones have plenty of access to these types of films. Moreover, through film, children understand complex concepts that you might have had a hard time explaining.

Beat Boredom With These Tech-Savvy Suggestions

Two focuses of my blog are Health/Wellness and Technology. Boredom is something we all must deal with and manage. It could turn into something bad, but boredom can also be managed in a positive way. The following contributed post is entitled, Beat Boredom With These Tech-Savvy Suggestions.

* * *

Over the last year or so, many of us have experienced staying at home because of COVID, and the boredom associated with it. However, the good news is that in many cases, tech can help us beat boredom. Read on to find out more.

Learn a language

One of the best ways to beat boredom is to improve yourself, and learning a new language fits well into this. The good news is that some great techy items and services can make learning a language not only easier but even fun.

In particular, look out for apps that offer an interactive approach to language learning. Ones that combine listening, speaking, reading, and games. Indeed, these are likely to be the most enjoyable, so you will go back time and time again, and will see much better progress too.

Watch a movie

It’s a simple option, but watching a good movie can banish boredom very effectively. There are plenty of streaming options to choose from as well including Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu, and the good news is they can be accessed from a range of devices.

Of course, streaming movies in this way may not be an option if you don’t have such services or access to the internet is the place where you find yourself suffering from boredom. Luckily, you can use apps like the Vidmate – HD video downloader to make sure you can access them offline. Something that can be very useful if you know ahead of time that this could be the case.

Take a class

If learning a language isn’t your thing, then what about discovering many of the other skills that are available in class format online? You can pretty much learn anything you like from how to make delicate watercolor pictures, to how to sew your own clothes and curtains.

Many online classes are accessible via apps which means you can use your phone or tablet as well as your computer, making them a very convenient option.

Video chat with friends

There is no better way to spend your free time than to use it to catch up with loved ones and friends. Of course, using tech to access video chat enhances this experience and makes it even easier to do.

Image sourced at Pixabay – License CC0

There are a range of options you can use for video chat as well, including facetime, zoom, skype, and Google Hangouts. Just be sure to research which one will suit you best!

Listen to a podcast

Finally, if you are finding yourself bored, or if you have something tedious to do, why not make it a little easier on yourself and listen to a podcast while you do it? The thing about podcasts is that the really good ones are a great mix of entertainment and education. They come in many varieties too, which means if you love finding out about the wild west, cold cases, or the latest reality TV show there will be something for you.

Of course, many podcasts like Ologies also have a thriving community online, which means once you are done listening you can connect and communicate with other like-minded individuals too. Now, if that doesn’t squash your boredom, nothing will!

Play video games

Alternatively, you might want to try video games as a way to beat your boredom. Video games are a great way to keep yourself entertained and your mind active. There are lots of different genres to choose from too. For instance, you might want to explore different shooting games. Or, you could think about diving into an RPG game. If you want to expand your online social circle, then an MMPG might be your best option. Don’t forget, virtually every major piece of tech lets you play video games these days including the TV.

Supply And Demand To Boredom

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. A major aspect of all our lives is managing boredom and the need to fill time. Fill free time when desired is a in important consideration for everyone. The following contributed post is entitled, Supply And Demand To Boredom.

* * *

You are a creative being. You invent, innovate, build and teach. But why the ingrained urge to do so? One thing you can’t stand is to be bored. So if there is some free time in your day, you are already thinking about filling that gap. Even if it’s something you classify as “doing nothing” like binge-watching on Netflix. Realizing this need to fill free time, entrepreneurs and big corporate organizations invent and innovate ways to fill it. Therefore creating the supply and demand to boredom.

Invent

There were great successes in the area of inventing ways to satisfy the demand for boredom. Netflix, whose revenue just for 2020 alone was over $25 billion, is a simple yet brilliant concept. They saw the need to satisfy boredom from consumers who flick through TV channels, not finding something to watch, turn the TV off, sigh, and say, “I am bored.” Now they supply those same consumers with hundreds of options of TV shows, movies, documentaries, etc. Social Media satisfies not only the need to connect but also the need not to be bored. The average person spends just over 2 hours a day on social media sites. With over 103 social media platforms available, the choices are endless. Not only can you connect with others (Facebook), but you can share (Instagram) and be entertained (TikTok). The entertainment and writing industry flourished under the demand to create new content, movies, and novels to satisfy your need to fill your bored time. There were 792 movies released in 2019 and over 2.2 million books published per year.

Image by Marisa Sias from Pixabay

Innovate

You have a few hours of “free” time and want to make the most of it. And this means not being stuck in traffic or showing up early, and wasting time by being idle. This escalated the innovation of extracurricular activities, tutoring, and even gym classes by offering them online. They are now easily accessible, flexible, and convenient (because you can do them anywhere in the world). A wide variety of options is still available to you. If you have your favorite coach, just view the Coach Calendar, and select the time and date, which will fill your “free” time gap. Your boredom is now satisfied. If you feel like mixing this up, you can still join face-to-face classes.

Hobbies

Boredom not only plays on your psyche but on your emotions too. You do not want to feel unhappy because you don’t have anything interesting to do or, worse, nothing. On the contrary, you want to think that you accomplished something with your time. Hobbies are another way to fill your bored time—anything from fishing, hiking, cycling, to even writing. The bulk of the economy is made up of stores whose merchandise caters specifically to your chosen hobby.

Image by Fabricio Macedo FGMsp from Pixabay

The demand to fill your boredom will never be quenched. Your taste will change, ditching the hobby you were so enthusiastic about and looking for the next trendy thing. You can only read the same book or watch that movie so many times before you can narrate it back word for word. Thus the supply will always be the most lucrative business venture any entrepreneur can be in.

Turning Your Likes Into Hobbies And Beyond

Two focuses of my blog are General Education and Health/Wellness. Our hobbies add value to our lives. In many instances they can be turned into different things beyond what we initially intended them for. The following contributed post is entitled, Turning Your Likes Into Hobbies And Beyond.

* * *

Picture Source – CC0 Licence

If you have been looking for a new hobby, or even a new career, the place to start looking is at the things you already like. In some cases, you have not pursued one of these far enough to call it a hobby, but it is something that you would like to do more often. If you think it might even be something that you could see yourself doing as a career in the future, then it’s worth pursuing just in case. In this article, we’re going to be looking at some of the likes that you can turn into hobbies and beyond, so keep reading if you would like to find out more.

Music

The first thing that you can think about is music. If you have a love of music, then you should maybe think about taking this a little further. To take it up as a hobby, you could learn to play an instrument, or you could think about learning to compose. There are many different ways to make music into a hobby, and it’s certainly a common hobby to have. If your love of music goes beyond this though and you think you would like to take it further, have a think about what it is going to take to break into the music industry. You’re going to need to be dedicated to making it work, that’s for sure, especially seeing as it is such a tough place to break into.

Reading

Another thing that you can think about is reading. If you like to read every now and then and you wish you had more time for it, make more time. If you are an early emergent reader, read more and turn it into a hobby. Love the books you read, get lost in the new worlds, go on magical adventures, get your heart broken and see the world in many different ways. This will be something fantastic to do in your spare time, and if you want to take this further and make reading into a career, you can.

You can think about becoming a book editor, reading books and making them smoother to read for the general audience. This is a fantastic idea for people who could happily read all day, every day and never get bored, and are also interested in a wide range of genres.

Gaming

Finally, if gaming is your thing and you want to make it into something more than a hobby, platforms like Twitch are going to be able to help. You can stream the games that you are playing so people can watch you beat bosses or whatever it is that you need to do in any given game. A lot of people enjoy watching things like this, and it is a popular option. Or, you could look into becoming a videogame tester.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you can do in order to turn your likes into hobbies and sometimes even beyond. You just need to be willing to put in a little extra effort in order for things to work out, and if you can do this, then everything is going to be great. We wish you the very best of luck.

Health Checks You Can Do Without A Doctor

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. While medical professionals have to most accurate and diagnostic tools for assessment our health, there are things that we can identify on our own. The following contributed post is entitled, Health Checks You Can Do Without A Doctor.

* * *

Being in control of your own health is smart, especially as you age. You should always seek medical care from a doctor when you need it, but there are some health checks that you can do yourself at home. Keep track of your health and make informed choices about your own care.

Image – free for commercial use

Take your temperature

Your temperature can tell you if have a fever. A normal temperature for adults should be about 37℃, but this can vary depending on your age, the time of day, and which part of the body you take the temperature from. Check your temperature when you know you’re healthy, so you know what it should be. You can compare against this number if you think you have a fever.

Blood pressure

Having high blood pressure increases your risk of strokes, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney disease. There can be no warning signs of these happening to you, so taking your blood pressure is important. Blood pressure monitors are very easy to use yourself at home. Make sure you’re calm when you check so you get an accurate result. If your blood pressure is high, you can lower it again by cutting back on salt and alcohol, eating more healthily, getting regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Testicular checks

All men ought to check their testicles on a regular basis to check for lumps or swellings that could be a sign of cancer. You should do this often, so you can easily recognize a change. The best time to check is after a warm bath or shower. If you feel anything unusual, see your doctor. Your sexual health is as important as your other health, so take it seriously, whether it’s checks like this or adding a supplement like black snake pills for erectile dysfunction.

Check your breasts

Similar to testicle checks for men, all women should know their breasts look and feel at different points in their menstrual cycle. Breasts can change a lot throughout your cycle, and usually for totally harmless reasons. Watch for unusual changes in the outline or shape of the breast, lumps, thickening or bumps, and changes to the nipple or skin, as these could be a sign of breast cancer. See a doctor as soon as you can if you notice any of these.

Check your heart rate

Checking your heart rate first thing in the morning can help you keep track of your overall health. The normal range will depend on your health and fitness. Check every morning for a week to find what your normal pulse rate is. A heart rate monitor, fitness tracker, or smartphone app is the easiest way to do this. A change of 10 beats per minute can mean you are getting ill. Anything over 100 beats per minute can suggest stress, dehydration, or illness.

Waist fat measurement

A healthy weight is important, but it’s also important that you don’t have too much fat around your waist. Higher waist measurements increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. Measure your waist at the level of your belly button. If your waist measures more than 94cm for men and 80cm for women, you should try to lose some weight.

How To Make Fitness A Bigger Part Of Your Life

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. There are several levels to our personal health. A major component is physical fitness. A hard part of many of though is making it a regular part of our lives. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Make Fitness A Bigger Part Of Your Life.

* * *

The reasons for having a good fitness regime are clear and obvious to most of us. For one thing, you will be healthier, and you’ll live longer, which is obviously a really important thing to have for yourself. Being fit also means that you can feel healthy in yourself, feel strong, and so on, which can lead to increased confidence, among other things. If you are keen to make fitness a bigger part of your life, there are a few key ways in which you can hope to do this, which we will take a look at right now.

Image – CCO Licence
Train For A Competition

One way to make sure that you commit to a fitness regime is to train for a specific event. If that event is competitive, then you are even more likely to go for it with all your might – especially if you happen to be a fairly competitive type of person. Training for a competition is one of those things that can really help you to get fit fast, so you should take a look in your local area to see whether there might be a competition that you would like to get involved in. Win or lose, it will have made you fit at least.

Turn It Into A Career

Another great method for making your fitness central to your life is to turn it into a career in one way or another. There is no doubt that this will increase and improve your fitness to no end, and it’s something that you should think about, especially if you are also keen to change jobs at the moment. You might choose to become an athlete of some kind, if that seems like a real possibility. Alternatively, you might want to seek out personal training certifications and become a personal trainer. In that way, you can help others while also helping yourself to become fitter.

Once you have gained your personal training qualification, you can start to look into the strategies to turn your hobby into a real business. You may want to consider an app for personal training to help you gather data, organize your schedule and manage your current clients. There are so many different online resources that can help you to boost your business from the ground up. Remain patient during the process of building your fitness career, and stay true to the types of training programs you want to use. Running a personal training business from a place of authenticity is truly the best way to thrive.

Image – CCO Licence

Buy A Gym Membership

Anyone who has ever had a gym membership will know that it is not in itself enough to get you to work out. You still need other kinds of motivation too – but as long as you have those, being a member of a gym is definitely going to help you out there too. If you don’t already have one, take a look at your local gym and see what they might have on offer. You should find that it helps you to get going and exercising more often, even if only temporarily.

Find A Workout Buddy

There is plenty of evidence that suggests that working out with a buddy makes you more likely to stick to your fitness regime. It is one of the best things you can do for yourself, and the other person is going to get the same benefits as well. It needs to be the right person, however: a close enough friend so as to enjoy it, but perhaps someone you might want to compete with a little as well, to help spur you on.

Some Reasons To Stay Interested In Learning Throughout Your Life

Two focuses of my blog are General Education and Health/Wellness. Education is not just something to get a degree or a diploma. The benefits to continuing to learn are multi-fold. The following contributed post is entitled, Some Reasons To Stay Interested In Learning Throughout Your Life.

* * *

Pixabay CC0 License

For many people, the idea of “education” is tightly interwoven with the school system, and often comes attached to negative memories and associations as a result.

Unfortunately, this can contribute to a belief that is not necessary – or important – to actively pursue learning throughout life, and many of us end up so caught up in the highs, lows and concerns of everyday life, that trying to specifically educate ourselves about different topics, in-depth, can seem outright impractical.

Here are just a few reasons to stay interested in learning throughout your life, and to keep looking for ways to expand your horizons and deepen your level of insight into different subjects.

Because the world is rich and deep, and learning more about it can expand your sense of wonder

First things first: there’s a big, fascinating, and rich world out there, that’s full of history and stories that it will often be impossible to imagine given a cursory glance.

Learning more about different topics, even about things like the history of capes, can really help to deepen your sense of wonder and appreciation for the dynamic and intricate nature of the world, and of life more generally.

If you only encounter the world at large in a passing manner, and see it on a surface level, there’s a lot of great and fascinating stuff that you are missing out on.

In some sense, maintaining an active sense of interest and wonder is the opposite of being jaded or disillusioned.

Because constantly learning helps to keep you sharp as you age

In the fascinating book “The Brain That Changes Itself,” the psychologist Norman Doidge shares many remarkable examples of people rebuilding their lives after brain injuries, by engaging in activities that help to promote neuronal growth and healing that was previously thought impossible.

One of the things that he investigates is the way in which maintaining active hobbies, and regularly exploring and becoming invested in new topics as we age, appears to help to protect the brain and keep us sharp.

Maintaining a lifelong interest in learning not only makes life more interesting, but can also make you more mentally agile, effective, healthy, and adept as time goes on.

Because often, knowledge is power

We all know the old saying that “knowledge is power,” and the fact of the matter is that there is a lot of truth to that statement.

The more broadly we educate ourselves, and the greater number of different subjects we actively engage with, the more effective we are likely to be across a range of different dimensions.

In his book “Range,” the writer David Epstein makes a compelling case that success in life is more often associated with having a breadth of experience and insight, than it is with being hyper-specialised in one particular domain.

Maintaining an interest in learning can help to promote insight, and can make you more effective in various professional and personal contexts, while also helping you to be and remain well-rounded in general.