Greetings, Yahoo Life readers — my name is Kaitlin and I’m here to round up this week’s top health and wellness tips.
Autumn is in full swing. A way to get in the mood? Try to integrate fall colors into your life. Experts say shades like golden yellow, burnt orange and deep red create a warm, cozy atmosphere – perfect for cuddling up with a book and a pumpkin spice latte. Buy a scarf in your favorite fall color or, if you feel like redecorating, a blanket for your living room couch.
Even though you may be in full sweater weather mode, dermatologists say you should still wear sunscreen. Cloudy days don’t provide much protection from UV rays, and sun damage results from cumulative exposure throughout the year, not just from your summer beach outings.
And speaking of cloudy days, check the weather forecast for your area and, since you’re already looking skyward, check your horoscope too. Then dive into these wellness bites.
📆 Be a ‘weekend warrior’
Do you have trouble sneaking in some exercise time during the busy work week? Exercising just two days a week—such as Saturday and Sunday, when your schedule is likely clear—can be just as beneficial, according to research published in the journal Circulation. Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, even if concentrated on weekends, is still linked to a lower risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, so hit the gym or the walking trail when it suits your schedule best.
✋ Calm down with self-touch
Physical touch can be soothing, but you don’t need a bear hug from a loved one to reap the benefits. According to a study from the University of California, Berkeley, a 20-second session of self-touch, such as placing a hand over your heart or stroking your arms, can reduce stress and increase self-compassion. Would you like to try it yourself? Place a hand over your heart or gently wrap your arms around your body and focus on the comforting sensations you experience.
😴 Follow the 3-2-1 sleep rule
Do you struggle with sleeping? By following this simple guideline from sleep specialist and clinical psychologist Michael Breus, you can fall asleep consistently. Stop drinking alcohol three hours before going to sleep; stop eating two hours before going to sleep; and stop drinking fluids an hour before bedtime.
Doing this can ensure that you not only fall asleep, but also stay asleep comfortably. Although you may fall asleep faster after drinking alcohol, it ultimately disrupts your sleep cycle, especially in the REM phase, which helps your body recover. Eating too close to bedtime can lead to indigestion or acid reflux, and if you drink fluids right before bed, you’re much more likely to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.
While you’re at it, check the temperature in your bedroom: A cool 65 to 67 degrees is ideal for rest, according to experts.
🐕 Buying a dog for… better intestinal health?
Weird but fascinating: A study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology found that children who grew up with a dog in the house between the ages of five and fifteen had a healthier gut microbiome, meaning they had a more diverse and balanced community of good bacteria in their had intestines. digestive system, protecting them from problems caused by inflammation. Researchers also saw a reduced risk of developing Crohn’s disease, which affects about 40,000 American children. So when your kids are begging you for a furry friend… you might want to give in.
Take yourself out to dinner! Dining alone at a restaurant can help you practice mindful eating. Because you’re not distracted by conversation, you can focus on the taste and texture of your meal, which can be a calming, meditative experience. Eating alone also increases your self-confidence by making you feel more comfortable with your own company. One tip? Put down your smartphone, as it can take you out of the moment, especially if you tend to engage in destructive scrolling during your quiet time. If you need something to feel less self-conscious about your solo time, try taking a book or crossword puzzle with you.
🥬 Get more iron
Americans aren’t getting enough iron, according to a new study. Even if you don’t suffer from a condition such as anemia or chronic kidney disease, which is linked to low iron levels, you still need the right amount (about 8 mg per day for adult men and 18 mg for adult women who are menstruating). to support things like your energy levels, hormone production and oxygen transport from the lungs to the rest of your body.
The good news? Iron is readily available in food – yes, even if you’re plant-based. Lentils, spinach and tofu, as well as beef liver, sardines and oysters all contain high amounts of iron, so be sure to include some of these in your weekly diet. Looking for a sweet treat? Go for dark chocolate, which is also rich in iron.
🦷 Try this dental floss hack
Some TikTokers swear that you can repair a cavity with at-home methods. Although dentists are not happy with such attempts, they do approve of one strategy for keeping your teeth healthy: applying fluoride to dental floss, which dentist Dr. Anna Berik told Yahoo Life that it is “a great way to get fluoride between your teeth. where your toothbrush doesn’t reach and where cavities occur.”
🍳 Eat eggs
Yes, egg prices are sky high right now, but there’s a good reason to keep eating them anyway. They contain all nine essential amino acids needed to build bone and muscle, are super portable (hard-boiled eggs for a plane trip, anyone?) and are packed with minerals and vitamins you might otherwise struggle to get, like vitamin D and vitamin B12. , choline and selenium.
Want to make your expensive but nutritious eggs last longer? Try pickling them! Pickled eggs (which you can make yourself by combining hard-boiled eggs with vinegar, water, salt and herbs or spices of your choice) can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks and are delicious on salads, sandwiches or just in your mouth.
👀 Follow the 20-20-20 rule
Staring at a screen all day is bad for your eyes; it can lead to dehydration and tension over time. One way to combat this is to use the 20-20-20 rule, where you look at something six meters away for twenty seconds every twenty minutes. This reduces eye strain and can protect your vision in the long term.
Anything else that can help save your eyesight? Going outside more often and getting away from screens altogether, which has generally been linked to better vision. Make sure you wear protective sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV rays.
🌇 See yourself as a sunset
It’s not unusual to not like the way you look in photos, but a suggestion from a dermatologist can help you change your mind. In a video on Instagram, Dr. Samantha Ellis encourages followers to see themselves as a sunset they are trying to photograph. Anyone who’s ever tried to take a photo of it knows that it simply doesn’t live up to the real experience — and that includes photos of you, Ellis explained. “You are the sunset. You are beautiful. And the fact that the photo doesn’t do you justice doesn’t change that,” she said. Keep that in mind the next time you’re tempted to remove yourself from a group photo.
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