We’ve all seen the #SelfCareSunday hashtag on social media, but have you taken the time to do your own self-care Sunday? For the majority of us, it was difficult in the past to find the time to devote to taking care of our mind and body. Now that we’re spending a large portion of our days at home, why not take this time to explore different ways to indulge in a little self-care love, any day of the week!
Check out these tips and tricks to help jumpstart your self-care journey:
Dedicate A Day Just For You
Starting off by choosing a day to dedicate to your own wellness creates the foundation for a good, self-care Sunday. Oftentimes, especially now, we feel that it’s important to check in on others and to provide stability and comfort to our friends and family and, subsequently, putting ourselves on the backburner. However, it’s very important to remember to take care of your own emotional wellness—not only for yourself but also for those around you, so you can continue to fill yourself up in order to be someone others can turn to in return to get filled up.
Put Your Phone on Airplane Mode
We can start off with really good self-care intentions, when—suddenly—we’re on a social media spiral, checking our notifications and scrolling for hours. In a blink, our dedicated ‘me’ time is gone. It’s so easy to get distracted, with so many of our friends sending video chat requests and myriad notifications pinging our phones throughout the day. Do yourself a favor and set your phone to ‘airplane mode’ so that you can get the most distraction-free time out of your self-care Sunday (or whatever day you choose).
Read A Good Book
Reading an interesting book is the age-old self-care tradition that can easily fall by the wayside when life gets busy. Try keeping up with a series that you enjoy or join a virtual book club so you’ll be more likely to devote some time to reading and relaxing. You’ll be glad you spent a few hours curled up on the couch with a good book and a comfy blanket.
Declutter Your Space
Creating a clean space can automatically release endorphins, the feel good hormone, making you more at ease and happy. It might seem counterintuitive to do some work during a self-care day but your future self will thank you. Being in a cozy, organized and clean environment makes you feel more at peace and will create the perfect spot for future self-care moments.
Get to Gardening
Soaking up some much needed vitamin D in the sunshine can help to boost your mood and make you feel more energized. If you live in a smaller space without a yard, try potting some houseplants or even making a little herb garden for your balcony. Planting and taking care of something can help make you feel productive and happy while also providing the benefit of having your own fresh herbs on hand for making healthy, yummy meals.
Stretch, Exercise, Meditate
Devoting time to taking care of your body is not only good for your physical health but it’s beneficial for your mental and emotional health, as well. Take some time to meditate, work out or stretch your body during your next self-care session. Endorphins that are released during and after your workout will have you feeling happy, relaxed and ready for your next self-care activity.
Discover a Hobby
Many of us have found a new hobby (or a few!) to keep us busy during quarantine. From bread making to quilting, a lot of us have turned to learning “old world” skills as we’ve been in lockdown. Try to use one of your self-care days to devote time to learning and experimenting with that hobby. Learning something new keeps your mind sharp and allows you to understand how to overcome challenges. Picking up a new hobby can also help to alleviate stress as you immerse yourself into learning a new language or how to preserve foods.
Practice Saying “No”
It might seem strange at first, but stress can begin to seep into our lives by the simple act of over-committing ourselves. Keep telling yourself that you’re worth the self-care time and don’t allow others to take that devoted time away from you. Protect yourself and your self-care sacred space by saying, “No!”
C O N C L U S I O N
Times are stressful for everyone right now and, for many of us, our first instinct is to take care of the people we love. While that is important, commit to setting aside some time to take care of yourself today. Start off with something small like a face mask or taking a bath, if the idea of a full day of self-care is a big leap for you. Remember, you have to make sure your own cup is full before you can pour into others. Enjoy your unique self-care journey!
About the Author: Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
The universal language of music has been used in almost every culture for centuries to stir emotions, transmit stories and connect with others. While its healing powers are renown around the globe, what can music actually do for your well-being?
Here are 3 powerful health benefits of music along with a handful of fresh playlists created by our LIFEAID crew & FITAID athletes to help you vibrate higher and rule the day!
1. MUSIC ENHANCES ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
FACT: Some studies suggest that music can increase overall exercise performance by boosting physical and mental stimulation.
Here are some of our favorite athletes' playlists to help you crush your next workout.
Alex Michael Turner, bodybuilder:Jacob Heppner, 4x CrossFit Games athlete : Reneé Pickett, Strong Nation master trainer:
2. MUSIC IMPROVES COGNITIVE FUNCTION
FACT: Research has shown that listening to certain types of music — ones with repetitive elements in rhythm and melody — help warm up the brain, increase cognitive function and boost memory.
Here are a few playlists that our LIFEAID employees use to help them get in the zone while working.
Tamar, national events manager at LIFEAID: Theza, director of operations at LIFEAID:Cari, PR manager at LIFEAID:
3. MUSIC IS A MOOD BOOSTER
FACT. Studies have shown that whenever you listen to music, your brain releases dopamine, the 'feel good' hormone. Music has the power to influence a listener’s emotions and—according to some researchers—can even improve one’s overall well-being, reduce stress and anxiety, and create feelings of happiness.
Enjoy the following playlists to help curate good vibes and bring joy to your daily life.
Ashley Kidd, pro wake surfer: Greg, logistics coordinator at LIFEAID: Ana, national marketing manager at LIFEAID:
BONUS: Here are two epic DJ sets from our very own LIFEAID co-founders Orion Melehan and Aaron Hinde to help pump you up during quarantine!
LIFEAID CEO Orion Melehan on SoundCloud:
LIFEAID president Aaron Hinde on SoundCloud:
To listen to more of these kinds of playlists, please visit our FITAID and LIFEAID channels on Spotify.
Music heals. Stay well and keep dancing out there, everyone!
Sunshine has a bigger impact on health than most would think. Simply going outside and getting some sunshine can boost your mood, energy levels, and immune function. This connection between sunlight and health sheds some light our synergistic relationship with nature.
While there is concern over potential damage to the skin and the adverse effects of ultraviolet radiation, moderate sun exposure is still recommended. The benefits of moderate sun exposure go beyond the skin- they affect the entire organism.
Here are the top three reasons to go into nature and enjoy the sunshine:
1). Vitamin D
Vitamin D synthesis is perhaps the most well-known benefit of sunlight. Our skin naturally makes vitamin D in response to light stimuli and going into the daylight will promote it. It is a powerful antioxidant that boosts mood, energy levels, bone density, and immune function.
It is possible that going into the sunlight will not promote sufficient vitamin D and need to supplement. Ongoing research on this vitamin suggests that it has a unique role in preventing upper respiratory infections and certain types of cancer. Since vitamin D deficiency is common, it is recommended to supplement it if you spend most of the day indoors.
2). Circadian Regulation
The light stimulation from the sun helps regulate the circadian rhythm- a daily rhythm of hormone oscillations that follow roughly a 24-hour cycle. Melatonin is perhaps the most well-known hormone that follows this pattern. The circadian rhythm is key to getting good sleep at night and being productive during the day.
Light stimuli from the sun regulate our internal biological clock (the suprachiasmatic nucleus) which in turn influences many homeostatic functions in the body- like body temperature. Waking-up to the morning sunlight will help ensure that you are alert during the day and sleepy at night.
3). Biodiversity
Apart from sunlight, spending time outdoors is good for stimulating our immune system and gaining biodiversity in our microbial populations. The outdoors (the wind, the earth, the plants) is full of different types of antigens to which our immune system responds and adapts to. By going out and increasing our exposure, we are strengthening our immune function.
Microbial populations in our bodies become more diverse when we interact with nature. This is beneficial because a diverse microbial population in the body helps us better respond to our environment and synchronize with it. Microbes, especially those in our gut, have been found to play countless roles in our health- from digestion to even our behavior. So go out and enjoy nature!
—Content and images courtesy of Santa Cruz Core (All rights reserved)
> > > Live well.
New research uncovers fresh evidence to suggest that frequent exposure to negative emotions may have an important impact on the functioning of the immune system.
Do you often feel sad or angry? This could affect how your body reacts, researchers warn.
Many studies have shown that chronic exposure to stress, anxiety, and negative moods generally can affect physical health to a large extent.
As Medical News Today reported only last year, researchers have found that chronic stress has a negative impact on memory.
Now, a study conducted by specialists from Pennsylvania State University in State College has found that negative moods may change the way in which the immune response functions, and they are associated with an increased risk of exacerbated inflammation.
The results of the research — which was led by Jennifer Graham-Engeland, an associate professor at Pennsylvania State University — appear in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
Negative moods and inflammation
The scientists collected the data for the study via a two-tiered approach. They used questionnaires that asked participants to record their feelings over time and in the moment. These assessments took place over 2 weeks and allowed the team to map out the participants' emotional profiles.
The scientists also assessed the immune response of the volunteers by collecting blood samples from them and looking for markers of inflammation.
Inflammation occurs naturally, as part of the immune response, when the body reacts to infections or wounds. However, high levels of inflammation are associated with poor health and a range of chronic conditions, such as arthritis.
Graham-Engeland and team noticed that individuals who experienced negative moods several times per day for extended periods of time tended to have higher levels of inflammation biomarkers in their blood.
The scientists also note that if they collected blood samples from participants soon after they had experienced a negative emotion such as sadness or anger, inflammation biomarkers were all the more present in the blood.
However, experiencing positive moods — even for a short while before the collection of a blood sample — was associated with lower inflammation levels. However, this was only true for male participants in this study, the investigators specify.
'Affect is modifiable'
The scientists are confident that their study adds crucial evidence regarding the impact of negative affect on health — especially since their participants belonged to diverse ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Nevertheless, they caution that to confirm these findings, they will need to replicate them in further studies. They point out that the recent research was the first to explore the link between both momentary and long-term mood reports and measures of inflammation.
"We hope that this research will prompt investigators to include momentary measures of stress and affect in research examining inflammation, to replicate the current findings and help characterize the mechanisms underlying associations between affect and inflammation," explains Graham-Engeland.
In the future, they hope that this and similar studies may allow specialists to come up with better strategies to improve mood and thus protect aspects of physical health.
"Because affect is modifiable, we are excited about these findings and hope that they will spur additional research to understand the connection between affect and inflammation, which in turn may promote novel psychosocial interventions that promote health broadly and help break a cycle that can lead to chronic inflammation, disability, and disease."
For information about the IMMUNITYAID Support Blendwhich contains essential vitamins and clean ingredients your body's immune system needs to stay defended daily, visit our product page here.
Sunshine has a bigger impact on health than most would think. Simply going outside and getting some sunshine can boost your mood, energy levels, and immune function. This connection between sunlight and health sheds some light our synergistic relationship with nature.
The light stimulation from the sun helps regulate the circadian rhythm- a daily rhythm of hormone oscillations that follow roughly a 24-hour cycle. Melatonin is perhaps the most well-known hormone that follows this pattern. The circadian rhythm is key to getting good sleep at night and being productive during the day.