Inspiration Is Never Hard to Find

There’s no doubt about it, 2020 has been a tough year for everyone. And when you find that the year that has been may have sapped you of your inspiration, take comfort in the fact that inspiration is never hard to find, and here are a few ways you can inspire yourself.

Mindfulness meditation. It may sound like a hokey, new age thing, but it works. Mindfulness meditation is the practice of bringing your attention to the present moment. It may take some getting used to, and a whole lot of practice, but even short meditation sessions can leave you with a clearer mind, one that’s more capable of focusing on the tasks at hand, and one that is more open to inspiration.

Go for a walk. Connecting with nature is not just a good way to inspire yourself, it’s good for your health! Going for a walk outside is a great way to clear your head, leaving your mind open to new ideas and inspiration. If at all possible taking to nature for that walk would be ideal, but if you can’t make it out of the city, just the fact that you’re outdoors will be of immense benefit. As if that weren’t enough, getting your body moving will help get blood flowing to the brain as well.

Find someone to talk to. We may have to be physically distanced, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk to each other. Finding someone to talk to, be it to brainstorm and bounce ideas or just to catch up, is a practice that can leave us feeling refreshed and motivated.

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The Effects of Sugar on Weight

Flip through the pages of any given food or fitness magazine and you’ll likely come across a number of different diets. Some say carbs are the enemy, others say fats, but when it comes down to what we should be avoiding, few could argue that the real culprit is added sugar.

It’s worth noting that many foods naturally contain sugars. Fruits, for example, contain natural sugar in addition to their fibre, water, and nutrients. Our bodies need sugar as well; we use sugar as a fuel source, but generally speaking we get enough sugar from the natural foods we eat. It’s when sugar is added to foods that the true troubles begin.

Added sugars do little more than provide calories with no other nutrients. These empty calories increase blood sugar, which triggers an insulin release. High levels of insulin in the body, which would occur from regular intake of sugary foods, help lead to weight gain. Not only that, but sugary foods trigger our appetites, only causing us to eat more. Unfortunately, food manufacturers are well aware of this phenomenon, and routinely add sugar to their recipes in order to stimulate our appetites, leading to our increased consumption of their products.

Say what you will about complex carbohydrates or fats, calorie restrictions or intermittent fasting, but one thing is certain: We should all be consuming less added sugars.

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The Mental Side of Staying Fit

There is much talk these days of diet plans and exercise routines, new year’s resolutions and lifestyle changes that will have you physically fit and looking your best. But for all the talk of physical fitness, it may be easy to forget that there’s a mental aspect to fitness as well, and it’s every bit as important. Here are three tips to help stay mentally fit, and to generally feel better.

Make time for friends and family. We’re all busy people in a hectic world, our jobs are demanding and at the end of a long day it may be tempting to just curl up on the couch for some binge watching. That said, social contact is an important part of staying mentally fit, and it’s how many of us recharge our batteries. Making time for friends and family helps improve mood and increase energy levels.

Find your personal rituals. It’s the smallest things that can make the biggest differences. Personal rituals, anything from an evening walk to an afternoon cup of tea, can help us feel grounded and provide structure to an otherwise hectic and overwhelming day, which goes a long way towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Keep exercising. Yes, exercising is every bit as important to mental health as it is to physical health, and it’s a big part of the overall fitness picture. The benefits of exercise spread far beyond physical fitness, and exercise goes a long way in improving sleep, improving mood, and increasing overall energy levels.

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How Much Vitamin C is Too Much?

It’s nearly impossible to walk through a pharmacy these days without passing through an entire aisle of vitamins and supplements, and front and center among those many pills and capsules is usually vitamin C. Touted as everything from the miracle cure for colds to the fountain of youth, vitamin C may not be a miracle drug but it is certainly important to good health. But just how much vitamin C is too much vitamin C? Let’s look at the facts.

How much vitamin C do we really need? Consult any physician or the average health guide, and the results will usually be the same. Healthy adults are recommended a daily dose of 60mg to 100mg of vitamin C daily.

How much vitamin C comes in a supplement? Many vitamin C supplements sold at pharmacies or health food stores come in 500mg doses, with some as high as 1000mg doses.

What does the body do with excess vitamin C? Vitamin C is water soluble, and is not stored in the body, so most vitamin C that the body doesn’t use gets broken up and secreted via urine. In fact, vitamin C is occasionally jokingly referred to as vitamin pee.

Can too much vitamin C be harmful? Although generally speaking an excess of vitamin C is not harmful to the body, in some extreme cases it can lead to diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, abdominal cramps, headache, or insomnia.

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