There is no place like home…..
Many of us have found ourselves spending more and more time at home over the past few months. Sure, this may largely be at the hands of the pandemic and restrictions may well be loosening now, meaning we can now spend more time out of the house doing things that we used to do. But for many of us, staying in will be a large part of our lifestyles going forwards as things are still relatively uncertain. Chances are, over the past few months, you’ve been making some changes and investments to make your home life more comfortable and enjoyable. If you’re looking for some more, here are a few suggestions that you might like to take into consideration!
TV
Nowadays, fewer and fewer of us have actual television sets in our homes. Instead, many of us are simply using our laptops instead. But when it comes down to it, if you’re going to sit back and watch a film or a series, it’s much more enjoyable on a large screen, rather than your small laptop screen. You may also want to consider what kind of services you have on your television, or, if you’re not going to invest in one, the services that you use on your laptop. You might want to take a look at this IPTV tutorial from Troypoint. You could also consider streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and more.
Cushions and Throws
Sure, we may be in the midst of summer. But during the colder evenings, or on the occasional rainy day, it really is nice to get cuddled up on the sofa. Whether that’s to watch TV, read a book, or have a chat with whoever is with you. Make sure to have plenty of cushions and throws to make yourself as cosy as possible! There are so many different options out there that there’s bound to be something that will not only provide you with comfort, but that will also perfectly fit in with your interior design too!
Lighting
You’re not going to want bright lights blaring at all times when you’re trying to relax. Why not invest in some nice lamps or lampshades that will give your room a softer and more comfortable glow instead? Lighting really can make all the difference to the atmosphere of any space. So, make sure to take your time choosing it out and to invest in it. Again, there are plenty of options out there that will complement your living space aesthetically – so it’s not simply a practical investment either!
These are just a few small changes that you could make to your living space to make it a nice area to spend time in at the moment. Hopefully, at least one can be added to your home to make everything more enjoyable for now!
Let’s be honest, nobody likes feeling old. We all grow older, and we all go through different changes as this happens. Typically, this includes a lot of physical changes like wrinkles, a more bent-over posture, sore joints, etc. But, there can also be some mental signs of aging as well – like memory loss.
Sadly, there’s no way of freezing time and stopping yourself from getting old. It’s something we all have to learn to live with, but there are ways of slowing down the obvious signs of aging. When you do this, you will look and feel a lot more youthful. In turn, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve as you get older!
So, how can you do this? In this guide, you’ll find a few tips and tricks to tackle some of the most common signs of aging. As you read through the advice, you’ll soon realize how easy it is to slow down the signs of aging and feel more youthful.
Now, wrinkles are probably the most obvious sign of aging you can think of. Most of you have clicked on this article hoping to get some anti-wrinkle advice. Well, you’re not going to be disappointed! There are loads of great treatments out there to deal with wrinkles, but some are more extreme than others. We’re going to focus on some of the less extreme things that you can do from home, rather than any cosmetic procedures.
Mainly, as the title of this heading shows, we’ll look at natural supplements. What does this include? Well, anything that’s naturally occurring and doesn’t involve loads of harsh chemicals. Essential oils fit this description perfectly! One of the key health & beauty benefits of essential oils is that they help with anti-aging. Rose otto is one of the main ones, and it’s easy to apply by mixing it with other oils and using it on your skin. The natural healing properties of essential oils go deep into your skin and encourage collagen production. In turn, this creates firmer and smoother skin, free from wrinkles.
Of course, other natural supplements exist, but few are as easy to get ahold of than essential oils. Plus, they’re safe and will only benefit your skin. By banishing wrinkles, you will visibly look and feel a lot younger. It can literally take 10 years off your age!
As you get older, your posture is one of the first things to suffer. You may have noticed a lot of your elderly relatives seem to all stoop over or have a rounded back. This can also cause them to look a lot smaller than they actually are. This happens because the discs in your spine can deteriorate with age, weakening the spine’s ability to hold an upright position. Hence, you start to round forwards and become hunched over.
Most people experience this change because they aren’t aware that it’s a thing. But, when you become more aware of maintaining good posture, then you can stop it from happening. It’s a simple case of staying upright and keeping your back as straight as possible. Try to avoid sitting down or using a computer for long periods with no breaks. This trains your brain to get used to your body being in a hunched-over posture. As a result, it almost sticks to this position even when you stand up.
A good way to know that you have postural problems is to try and maintain good posture. Sit or stand with your shoulders rolled back and down, your chest out, and your lower back in neutral (this means not overly arched and not completely flat). If this is a challenge, then you know your body isn’t used to this position! So, try and maintain it for as long as possible throughout the day. You should also do some exercises to strengthen the main postural muscles in your back, as well as stretches for some overly tight muscles. This helps to bring your spine back into natural alignment, releasing a lot of pressure on your discs and keeping them healthier for longer. As a consequence, you can delay or avoid the hunchback posture as you get older!
You’ve seen what happens to your spine as you get older, and similar problems exist in the joints throughout your body. A joint is basically any point where two bones meet one another. We have loads of these in our bodies, and some are more problematic than others. Without getting too technical, the biggest issues lie in our synovial joints – which are basically joints with a lot of movement in them. Common examples include the hip joint, shoulders, ankles, knees, and wrists.
When you get older, the muscles around these joints can weaken, and you can also lose a lot of the synovial fluid that helps them move freely. As a consequence, this leads to bones rubbing against one another, which causes inflammation. From here, you’re close to lots of problems – mainly arthritis. Your life is plagued by pain, and you find it hard to do a lot of normal activities. While arthritis and joint pain are commonly associated with the elderly, you can suffer from both at a fairly young age. It all comes down to how well you look after your joints. A regular visit to one of your local Orthopedic Specialists when you experience joint pains can help to get you on the right track to looking after your joints.
Speaking of exercise, you really need to do it as regularly as possible. This is a wonderful way to decrease so many different signs of aging. As already mentioned, it can help keep your joints healthy. But, staying active could also improve your posture, so that’s two things ticked off already.
Furthermore, exercising is amazing for your heart and lungs. It encourages your heart to work harder and become more efficient at pumping blood around your body. It also improves your capacity to breathe, leading to fewer heart or lung problems. This is a surefire way to avoid any health conditions related to aging – like heart disease. Exercise also deals with another sign of aging; weight gain. Most people gain weight as they get older because they become more inactive. Exercising prevents this from becoming an issue!
Lastly, it helps with the mental side of aging as well. The older you get, the more prone you are to memory loss and other mental health conditions. So, you must find ways to stimulate your brain and keep it healthy. Exercising requires lots of coordination and forces you to think quickly. There’s also an element of memory training in there as well – you have to remember how to do certain things while you exercise. All of this means that physical exercise can also be a great mental exercise and will keep your brain healthier for longer.
Yes, changing your eating habits can help you delay the signs of aging. Funnily enough, this is actually one of the few things that can also extend our life expectancy. A good diet – combined with regular exercise – will help you live longer.
From an anti-aging standpoint, how does your diet impact things? Well, it comes down to the different foods you eat. If you eat a lot of fatty foods that are high in sugar, you’ll gain weight, put more stress on your joints, and make your skin look worse. If your diet is balanced and packed full of the right nutrients, you’ll have clearer skin, more energy, and an all-round healthier body.
Two specific things to add to your diet are omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C. Omega-3 is great at improving your brain health, which can be essential when fighting against things like memory loss as you get older. Vitamin C has so many health benefits, but it also assists with preventing gray hair. Again, this is a common sign of aging that most people experience and would like to delay for as long as possible.
Try any of all of these things, and you will see dramatic improvements in the telltale signs of aging. Your skin will be clearer, your body will feel healthier, and your mind will be more astute. The biggest mistake anyone can make is to not think about aging until you’re old! Take steps to look and feel more youthful when you’re still quite young. This will help you have a more youthful future even when you’re old!
Workouts to Get the Hang of at Home
For the fitness and/or athletics enthusiast, having to stay at home for months on end, avoiding the gym and your favorite sports and athletic activities, is like torture. Exercise and physical fitness is such an important part of life and for many, a daily routine. Without it, you can fall into the serious blues, to say nothing of the physical downsides to not training for a while.
Not to worry, though: the good news is that you can train and do a number of beneficial, hard core exercises that will keep you in peak shape right from home! Everything from a great cardio-rich aerobics routine to the perfect front delt workout, there are so many great workouts to choose from and develop for your own daily at-home workout routine.
Photo Credit: Victor Freitas
It might not be the same as the gym, but if you use a little creativity and motivation, you might find that these at-home workouts are every bit as beneficial and rewarding. You can create your best body and enjoy peak fitness, right from your own home.
Let’s explore a few at home workouts.
Aerobics, Yoga, and More
Yoga, Aerobics, Pilates, some Martial Arts and even dance workouts are all really high-intensity, cardio workouts that can be done solo or at home, which is something their enthusiasts have been doing for years, long before social distancing was a necessity. These at-home workouts are perfect for the person who doesn’t have a ton of time to flit back and forth to the gym, who doesn’t want to pay for costly gym memberships or classes, or who just enjoys working out at home, in comfort and privacy.
You, too, can jump on the bandwagon and do some great workouts at home. Whether you’re into something more low impact and relaxing like yoga, prefer something high-intensity and fun like dancing, or want to do something more strict like Martial Arts – these can all be easily done via online classes, videos and books, and require minimal equipment or athletic gear. They’re every bit as easy as they are affordable. Because you’re at home already, it’s easy to implement these workouts into a morning or evening routine, or just fit one in whenever you’ve got a spare moment.
If you’re craving social interaction, many yoga and dance studios, etc, are offering online classes via Zoom and other platforms! Check and see what your local classes have on offer.
Weight Lifting and More
If you’re an avid weight lifter, you likely already have a setup at home, even if it’s just a basic one. Nothing beats working out at the gym, but you can piece together a pretty good home workout with just a few basic essentials and a weight bench.
You can find all sorts of online tutorials for exercises that target specific areas such as the delts, quads and other muscle groups that you can do with just a few different weights. If you have a set of dumbbells and/or barbells you can do a whole host of arm exercises fairly easily.
If you’re able to safely work out with someone, it’s a good idea because working with weights without a spotter is extremely dangerous. Weight lifting alone is not advisable. You can get creative with different, safer ways to use your weights – such as going for a walk/jog with weights attached, using household items as weights, and so on.
Old Fashioned Exercises
The old tried and true are often the best workouts. Push ups, leg lifts, crunches, and so on. People may scoff, thinking those old exercises they learned back during gym at school can’t possibly help you get the real results you want, much less have you looking ripped.
But those folks would be wrong. The truth is, if you have the patience to do a lot of reps and stick with it every single day, those “boring” old exercises like push ups and planks can have you looking and feeling incredibly fit. They work core muscles, arms and strengthen your endurance, and they’re easy to do at home with no equipment whatsoever.
Outdoor Exercise
A quick walk, hike, jog or run around your neighborhood can’t be beat. Take the dog for a long stroll or download an app like Couch to 5K or other training apps to help build your endurance over a period of time. Even if you’ve never been into running, if you pace yourself (pun intended) and take the time to develop your insurance, these workouts are incredibly rewarding.
Cycling is another outdoor activity that’s hugely beneficial. It’s heavy on cardio, but low impact on joints and knees. Whether you’re into road cycling or mountain biking, going out for a stroll on the bike is a great way to work entire muscle groups in the body, strengthen your endurance and get your heart pumping. Plus, it’s incredibly good for your mental health, which is important during a time that everyone is stuck at home, feeling lonely and bored.
Other outdoor exercises that are fun and comprise a great workout include jumping on a trampoline, swimming, chin ups (installing a chin up bar outside is super easy), boxing (with an outdoor punching bag), games such as touch football, baseball, volleyball and tennis, and yes, even gardening/yard work can really work up a sweat and burn tons of calories. Get creative with it!
These are just a few of the many, many ways you can get the most out of a workout and maintain peak physical fitness, even while stuck at home. Exercise and movement are super important, not only for physical health and fitness, but to help promote relaxation, alleviate anxiety and stress, and keep us all at optimum mental health while we’re going through trying times. It’s also a good idea to follow basic health guidelines like eating healthy when you can, getting enough sleep, and drinking lots of water.
We all miss the gym, but with an innovative and motivated attitude, you can create an entire exercise routine right at home that will be every bit as intense and beneficial as anything you could do at a fitness center. Try it and see for yourself.
Treat Yourself Well 2020 Edition
2020 has been a really rough year for everybody thanks to the coronavirus, leaving most of us being a bit scared and worried. Even with all that there is going on in the world right now, we need to take some time to treat ourselves to things we really want. After all, it is important for us to realize we matter too. If you are a fashion lover or just want a new piece to give you a confidence boost this summer, you can do so by adding a few pieces to your wardrobe.
Here are a few ideas of what you can treat yourself with for summer 2020:
A special watch
A special watch adds an elegant touch to any look and it is an investment piece that will last you years to come. You can look at luxury watches online from popular sites like Pisa Orologeria, where you’ll see quality and style, with over 40 of the world’s best-known brands of luxury watches. This is an item that you will get a lot of wear out of. Plus if and when the time comes for you to part with your beloved watch, it is a special gift to pass on.
A massive sunhat
For example, the Jacquemus sunhat is a popular option for summer. It’s a floppy oversized straw hat that will add drama to your beach and summer look in general.
Every girl needs a dramatic sunhat for both fashion purposes and for practical sun protection purposes for summer! It’s not your typical hat, and it’s a way you can treat yourself and your wardrobe with a touch of high fashion.
If you’re thinking about heading off on a beach holiday, you should go for a health and dental checkup first. This ensures that you’re healthy and can enjoy your holiday to the fullest extent. If you require dental care, you can rid of tooth decay or get dental implants in Chatham.
A beautiful swimsuit
A beautiful swimsuit in your favorite cut and color that helps you feel confident and comfortable is a summer essential. Treat yourself to a gorgeous swimsuit from a brand such as Monday Swimwear, Oséree, or Leslie Amon for a modern take on classic swimsuits.
Gorgeous sundress
A gorgeous sundress is the ultimate summer piece, creating a stylish and beautiful look with just one piece. Opt for a linen or cotton dress for breathability, and go for a neutral or classic color to ensure it will be in style for years to come. If you have enough neutrals, choose one a gorgeous dress in your favorite color to wear!
Designer sandals
A pair of designer sandals can elevate your simple summer looks and add a touch of luxury. Strappy, barely-there sandals are popular this year, and if you opt for a simple pair they will withstand the ‘trend’ and fit into the classic style.
All of these items are things you will have for years to come and will be fashion staples. The more classic you go with your selection, the longer they will last!
Wider Real Estate: Building Your Perfect Community
Many people have strong visions of their perfect home. You will know what features you want, the way your home should look, and how each piece of the puzzle will fit together on the inside. While you may have a good idea of what you want from the house itself, though, many people ignore the community around their home when they’re thinking about this. Building your local community to make it better can be an excellent way to improve your home. This article will be exploring some of the work that can go into this.
Renewable Energy
More and more people are developing an interest in renewable energy as time goes on. As this sort of option gets cheaper, the idea of having solar panels on your home is becoming increasingly tempting. Of course, though, not everyone can afford something like this, and you may simply be unwilling to make such a big investment. Community solar schemes offer an alternative to having panels added to your own home, instead giving you and the other members of your local community the chance to pool together for a more cost-effective option. This will give you the benefits of green energy, while also helping you and your neighbors to get to know one another.
Youth Enrichment
Pretty crime is very common in places that leave little for their young people to occupy their time with. Graffiti, public drinking, and general community disruption are common when the youth can’t anything to do, but punishing them for this rarely makes a positive difference. Taking the time to provide them with activities that can enrich their lives can be a good way to limit the impact the young people have on your local area. Youth centers, sports teams, and other places for teenagers to hang out will all be good for this, offering an alternative to hanging around on the streets.
Politics
This final area will take a lot more work than others. Getting involved with politics can provide you with an excellent chance to have an impact on your local community, with even the lowest-level politicians having power if they’re willing to fight for their cause. This could help you to solve problems in your community, or you could focus your time on making improvements to things that are already good. Of course, as a big part of this, it will make sense to put some time into learning about local politics. This will be very different from fundraising or working with your neighbors, and you will need to make sure that you have the skills to handle it.
Improving your local community can be a challenging process. Many people find themselves unsure about what the should be doing to make sure that they’re doing their part, especially in a world where neighbors are rarely friends. Of course, though, someone has to make the first move when it comes to action like this, and you will probably be surprised to see how many people will come forward to help you out.
One of my favorite home decor and tabletop sites is having a two-day flash sale with 20% off sitewide. Fete Home has been one of my favs, for a while now. All of their pieces are so well curated by the founders..if you missed my post on them re-read it HERE. In the meanwhile here is a sampling of some of their chic wears….Check out their entire assortment at www.fetehome.com.