8 Unexpected benefits of drinking turmeric milk

This article is written by Sparkle Purpose. Follow Sparkle Purpose on Twitter and Pinterest.

Health benefits of turmeric milk

1. Turmeric milk can help to prevent cancer

Turmeric kills cancer cells and prevents them from proliferating.

Turmeric milk works as a furious combatant against cancer. Turmeric acts as an antioxidant. It reduces the oxidative stress that helps free radicals (cell damage) flourish throughout your body. This strengthens cancer development. Studies have linked the turmeric found in the beverage to lowering your risk of various cancers.

Turmeric milk also contains the chemical curcumin, which is known to kill cancer cells and prevent the growth of blood vessels in tumors. Keep in mind that this research is compelling; but it’s also limited.

While our chances of getting cancer in life are never fully eliminated, the evidence for turmeric milk lowering the odds seems very optimistic. 

2. Turmeric milk boosts your immune system 

If you are vulnerable to the common cold, turmeric milk might be great for you. Golden milk can have great benefits if you're suffering from a cold or sickness. Curcumin (an active ingredient in turmeric) contains plenty of antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiviral properties that fight against illness.

Curcumin tackles dangerous cells and foreign agents, preventing them from infecting your body. If you’re stuck at home with an awful cough and stuffy nose, try some turmeric milk as a healthy remedy.

This may interest you: 9 foods to boost your immune system

3. Turmeric milk helps to prevent heart disease

Did you know that drinking turmeric milk every day can help to reduce your risk of heart issues?

Ingredients such as turmeric, ginger and cinnamon all have links to lowering the chances of heart disease.

In one particular study, 41 patients with type 2 diabetes were given 2 grams of ginger daily. After 12 weeks their risk factors were 23-28% lower than before. 

Keeping consistent with our curcumin theme, the chemical may improve your blood vessel lining. People undergoing heart surgery are normally given curcumin. During your hospital stay, you are 65% less likely to suffer a heart attack if you consume the chemical.

4. Turmeric may lower your blood sugar levels

Some research has shown that golden milk ingredients - particularly cinnamon and ginger - help to lower blood sugar. While more compelling evidence is necessary for a conclusion, one study states that 1-6 grams of cinnamon per day for 40 days lowered blood sugar by 24% and lowered cholesterol by 18%. 

This may interest you: 8 techniques to lower blood pressure

Turmeric may also reduce insulin resistance. Cinnamon reduces the glucose level absorbed in your gut after eating. Adding ginger to your diet helps lower your blood sugar by about 12%.

While it may have these benefits, you need to make sure that your golden milk is unsweetened. Certain brands contain honey and maple syrup. For the best chances of lowering blood sugar, stay away from those ingredients.

5. Turmeric milk detoxifies your liver  

If you suffer from an unhealthy liver, turmeric milk might be able to improve your condition. It is important for your liver to cleanse itself regularly. Drinking golden milk will cleanse the liver of toxins. It prevents toxins from damaging the liver.

Turmeric milk will also help to prevent fatty acids and other harmful chemicals from building up in your liver. This purifies your body and enables you to process food better without building up the toxins that are left behind.

6. Turmeric milk has powerful anti-inflammatory properties

Golden milk can reduce inflammation in the body. Reducing inflammation can reduce your chances of developing arthritis, pancreatitis and bowel disease. Inflammation also plays a major role in heart disease, Alzheimer's and cancer.

If you make turmeric milk a regular part of your diet, you will most likely see a reduction in overall inflammation.

Studies have shown that consuming about 500 mg of curcumin (three times daily) has the same effect as 50 mg (twice daily) of regular arthritis medication. Turmeric milk has a better effect on osteoarthritis patients than placebo medication given out by doctors. Golden milk works by blocking certain enzymes that allow inflammation to take place.

7. Turmeric milk improves your mood 

Is there anything that curcumin can’t do at this point?

Do you feel depressed? Curcumin can most likely help you with that. While the jury is still technically out, research points towards golden milk improving your overall mood. 

During a study on 60 participants with depression, curcumin reduced depressive symptoms with the same effects as regular antidepressants. Other research links depression with inflammation. 

The curcumin goes to work fighting free radicals, preventing inflammation and reducing oxidative stress. More research needs to be done, but if you’re experiencing mental health issues, drinking a glass of golden milk won’t hurt.

8. Turmeric milk improves your memory 

Things don’t just stop at the mood-enhancing benefits of turmeric milk. Turmeric has plenty of other healthy effects on brain function. While current research is still uncertain, there is reason to believe that the ingredients of golden milk improve your memory and state of alertness. 

Curcumin can increase your levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). 50 mg/kg increased BDNF by 78% while 100 mg/kg increase BDNF levels by 95% in this study.

This helps your brain connect and grow new brain cells. If you are suffering from low BDNF, you may be vulnerable to memory loss.

The cinnamon in turmeric milk fights against the buildup of tau protein. This protein is crucial for the development of Alzheimer's disease. Considering that an estimated 5.8 million Americans are living with this horrible condition, a drink that fights against it is exciting news.

Ginger also improves brain function and enhances memory.

You might find this interesting: Hot water helps with weight loss.

This article is written by Sparkle Purpose. Follow Sparkle Purpose on Twitter and Pinterest. Check out their article on 15 foods highly rich in calcium.

6 Foods that slow the aging process

This article is written by Sparkle Purpose. Follow Sparkle Purpose on Twitter and Pinterest.

Foods that slow down the aging process

1. Turmeric

2. Pumpkin seeds

3. Oily fish

4. Berries

5. Coffee

6. Nuts and seeds

The brain is a big deal. It controls all of your senses, cognitive responses, memory and learning. All of your organs, including the heart and lungs, depend on it. 

It's important to keep your brain healthy and functioning. Brainstorming puzzles aren’t enough to keep your brain in top shape. They do help, but your brain also needs the right nutrients.

Every meal that you eat has a significant impact on your health. Almost every food that benefits your brain will also prevent premature aging and prolong the aging process.

Here are the foods that do both.

1. Turmeric increases lifespan

Turmeric has become very popular for its numerous health benefits. This spice offers a number of benefits for the brain, lungs, liver, digestive tract, skin and more.

Turmeric contains a very important ingredient called curcumin. This is basically the active ingredient in turmeric. It's what gives it its yellow-orange color.

Curcumin is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter into your brain to feed its cells. 

Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antioxidant compound that has been linked to positive effects on the whole body.

Inflammation is thought to be a cause of all disease. Turmeric is as effective as many pain medications to reduce inflammation.

This may help to prevent, treat or slow down the progression of many diseases that can cut our lives short.

Curcumin has been a great help for people with Alzheimer’s disease. 

It may also improve their memory. It does so by clearing the amyloid plaques - which are a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. 

If you’ve been struggling with depression, drinking a turmeric latte may actually help. 

Curcumin compounds in turmeric boost serotonin and dopamine. Both of these hormones are necessary to improve your overall mood. Depression is linked to a shortage of these important neurotransmitters. 

There are cultures that strongly recommend drinking turmeric milk at night. It sounds like there’s actual benefit to this.

Your brain has a growth hormone called neurotrophic factor. It makes brain cells grow. Curcumin boosts this growth hormone and helps your brain cells to thrive. 

Drinking turmeric tea can help you to keep your belly lean. We know that body fat - especially belly fat - is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Add a pinch of turmeric the next time you make mash potatoes. Maybe even add it to your smoothie. Your body will thank you later!

2. Pumpkin seeds improve your health

Pumpkin seeds are much more than tasty snacks to munch on. They also offer amazing health benefits for your brain and your body.

Their powerful antioxidants protect both your brain and body from the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are generated through oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is the general wear and tear that our cells go through on a daily basis. It's what leads to cellular aging.

Antioxidants, like those in pumpkin seeds, help to counteract this process.

Pumpkin seeds are also rich in zinc, magnesium, iron, and copper. All of these minerals are essential for the healthy functioning of your body.

Zinc, magnesium and copper are extremely important for your health.

Zinc is particularly important for nerve signaling. Its deficiency has been found to cause a lot of diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and depression.

You'd be wrong if you thought that magnesium was less important. You need this mineral for good brain function in areas like memory and learning capacity. The deficiency of magnesium has been linked with depression, migraines, and epilepsy.

Eat more pumpkin seeds to increase your consumption of copper because it is also essential for a healthy body. Copper helps to control nerve signals and its deficiency may cause neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

One of the most important things that we all start to struggle with as we age is concentration. If you’ve been finding it difficult to concentrate or have regular brain fog, eat foods that are high in essential minerals like pumpkin seeds to prevent deficiency in these important elements.

3. Oily fish has nutrients that we need

Fatty fish or oily fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Sardines, salmon, and trout are particularly rich sources of omega-3.

About 60% of our brain is made of fat. Half of this is the omega-3 kind of fat. Omega-3 is used by the brain, heart, blood vessels and lungs to work properly.

This includes memory and learning. Omega 3 might also slow age-related mental decline besides preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

Include oily fish in your diet if you want to keep depression away. Studies have found that a lack of omega-3 may trigger symptoms of depression. 

People who ate broiled or baked fish regularly had more gray matter in their brains. Gray matter plays a crucial role in your intelligence because it contains nerve cells that control memory, decision making and emotions.

Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory and therefore helps the lungs and heart to pump blood throughout your body. It thins the blood.

The anti-inflammatory effects of omega 3 explain why it is recommended that athletes take it to prevent joint injuries.

You can also get omega-3 from soybeans, flax seeds and nuts.

4. Berries reduce cellular damage

Berries are rich in flavonoid antioxidants. They are good for every cell in your body because they help to reduce oxidative stress (which occurs naturally over time and leads to cellular damage) and inflammation (which is thought of to be the root of all disease).

Berries contain four types of antioxidants: anthocyanin, catechin, caffeic acid and quercetin.

The four types of antioxidants in berries

1. Anthocyanins

2. Catechins

3. Caffeic acid

4. Quercetin

All of these antioxidants fight off damage caused by free radicals. These compounds improve communication between brain cells and help them to form new connections by increasing plasticity (the ability to change and adapt).

Berries may help you to delay or reduce age-related neurodegenerative disease. This is done by boosting memory function.

Make sure to add blueberries the next time that you make oatmeal.

5. Coffee

Who can honestly function without a nice and warm cup of morning coffee? Drinking coffee actually has many health benefits. If you’re already a coffee lover, you’ll appreciate it more after reading this.

Coffee is good for your whole body! It contains antioxidants (the same ones that prevent cellular damage) and caffeine (which helps the body to clear damaged tissues through a process called autophagy).

Both of these things assist your cognitive and physical function.

Do you know how caffeine in coffee or tea affects your brain?

Experts say that the caffeine in coffee keeps the brain alert by blocking the hormone adenosine. Adenosine is a chemical messenger that makes us feel sleepy.

Caffeine also boosts serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for uplifting your mood. 

6. Nuts and seeds 

Nuts and seeds have the omega 3 essential fatty acids that give fish its beneficial properties. They also have the antioxidants that make berries and coffee so healthy.

Eating nuts daily leads to better cognitive functioning in your later years.

Many studies link Vitamin E to improved cognitive function and lowered risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Nuts and seeds are some of the best dietary sources of this essential vitamin.

Vitamin E is known to look for and counteract free radicals that damage cells all over the body. This is why it is often used in creams to rejuvenate the skin.

Nuts like cashews, walnuts and almonds are very beneficial.

More from Sparkle Purpose:

5 Exercises to burn belly fat

What happens when you stop exercising?

18 Natural ways to get clear and glowing skin

Health benefits of drinking raisin-soaked water

This article is written by Sparkle Purpose. Follow Sparkle Purpose on Twitter and Pinterest.

Benefits of drinking raisins soaked water

1. Keeps your blood pressure in check

2. Lowers cholesterol 

3. Boosts energy 

4. Helps to detox your body

5. Helps with digestion

Don't you just love raisins? Who knew that dried grapes were such a rich source of fiber, vitamins and minerals?

If you soak raisins in water overnight and drink that leftover water, it could actually be more beneficial for your health.

1. Raisin water keeps your blood pressure in check

According to research, raisins are a rich source of potassium, antioxidants and dietary fiber.

All of these nutrients help to keep your blood pressure under control.

Potassium keeps the blood flow stable and helps the heart to pump blood. Antioxidants help the endothelium - an inner layer of the arterial blood vessel.

Raisin water contains dietary fiber. It helps with the digestion process and burns fat.

2. Raisin water lowers cholesterol 

Cholesterol is another problem that can be solved with raisin water. Potassium and dietary fibers are hard at work once again. 

As I mentioned earlier, potassium and dietary fiber plays a critical role in keeping blood circulation stable. As a result, the cholesterol levels in your blood stay contained.

All of this helps your heart to stay healthy. Thanks to stable blood circulation, the heart doesn't have to pump blood at a faster rate. This keeps most types of cardiovascular problems away.

Wow, just one glass of raisin water could do all of that!

3. Raisin water boosts energy 

When you see people waking up in the movies, they usually have a lot of energy. It's a different story in reality. Our heart lowers our blood pressure so that we can rest properly when we sleep.

Our body is still coping with that when we get up in the morning. That is why we don't feel very energetic right away.

Drinking raisin water in the morning can be very helpful and gives you an energy boost.

Raisins were found to be a good alternative to sports jelly beans in a study with 10 healthy athletes.

Raisins also contain micronutrients that help to boost metabolism and stamina.

One glass of raisin water every day may just help you to keep the doctor away.

Since we are talking about boosting energy, many people turn to energy drinks for help. Well, raisin water can be a good alternative to that too - and much healthier.

Read more - Is sugar a poison to your body?

4. Raisin water helps to detox your body

If you're someone who likes eating junk food, your kidneys and liver are hard at work to ensure your well-being.

These are your body's protectors against toxins and nasty chemicals. Unfortunately there are so many of these toxic particles that they can overwhelm our protectors sometimes. 

Our poor bodies are loaded with more toxins than what they can expel.

This is where raisin water comes to the rescue yet again.

This unlikely hero boosts the body's digestion process because of the dietary fiber in raisins.

Fiber acts as an elixir to your digestion process. Fiber binds to toxins so that they can be eliminated.

Additionally, the antioxidants which we spoke about earlier also help to boost the functions of your liver and allow it to perform at its best.

Sweating is also a great way to detox your body.

Now you have one more reason to drink raisin water every morning.

5. Raisin water helps with digestion 

The combination of potassium that helps your blood circulation, and your one true friend, fiber makes this gargantuan task of regular digestion possible.

This duo makes sure that your intestines are doing the job that they were meant to do.

Ease your digestion process with nutrients that your body wants. When you consume a lot of food that has other toxic properties, the intestines may find it difficult to process that food. This can give you some serious stomach related problems.

This is why if you drink raisin water every morning you're empowering this area of your body to function at its best.

A happy tummy leads to a happy life.

Read more from Sparkle Purpose:

6 Benefits of skipping rope for your well-being

Drink hot water for weight loss.

5 Health benefits of doing planks everyday

Tea or hot chocolate can be good for your health

Improve your health with a hot beverage.

We all have those days where we want nothing more but to cuddle up in front of a screen and binge out on one of our favorite hot drinks.

For a health enthusiast like me, that’s often translated into a little guilt the next day, along with the feeling of needing to exercise a little harder to keep myself on track.

If chosen correctly, the right hot beverages can actually be healthy. Today I want to share two of my favorites with you: tea and hot chocolate.

1) Tea and honey is healthy

Tea is good for you. It contains antioxidants which help prevent premature ageing and it assists the body to clean out oxidants and other toxins.

Different teas have different compounds and antioxidants that are beneficial to your health. Here are some of the most popular kinds of tea that you may want to try:

Black tea

Black tea, or ‘normal tea’, is the most common form of tea, consumed by almost 80% of the human population.

Black tea does have caffeine, although less than coffee, so I would recommend only drinking it during the first half of your day. 

Black tea is very high in antioxidants. The color of the tea comes from theaflavins and thearubigins - compounds which are loaded with a host of health benefits.

Black tea is good for your heart, lowers cholesterol and stress, improves oral hygiene, improves bone integrity, improves blood circulation, lowers blood pressure and increases digestive health.

Black tea is good for you.

Green tea

Green tea is made from the same plant as black and white tea (The Camellia Sinensis, or ‘tea bush’).

Green tea is less processed. It is manufactured in a different way.

Black tea is fermented to release more flavor, while green tea is pan fired so that fermentation is prevented. This is why green tea takes longer to steep and is lighter in color.

Green tea has less caffeine than black tea and is generally regarded as the healthier option because it has not been fermented.

Green tea contains the amino acid L-theanine, which provides a calming effect on the brain while elevating mood. 

You can find the same health benefits of black tea in green tea. Green tea has a higher concentration of EGCG, a powerful antioxidant that helps the body metabolize fat.

Add green tea to your regime.

White tea

White tea gets its name because it is picked from the plant when it has not yet bloomed. At this stage, the sprouts are covered in tiny white hairs.

White tea is not fermented and uncured, making it the least processed out of the three variants.

Since it is the least processed, it has a higher antioxidant concentration compared to the other two forms of tea. White tea might lower the risk of insulin resistance and may also reduce skin ageing.

White tea has the most antioxidants.

Oolong tea

Oolong is made from the same plant as the black, green and white versions.

It is partially fermented and semi-oxidized. This gives it the taste and color similar to black and green tea combined.

It also has similar health benefits because of its anti-oxidant content, ranging from boosting metabolism and aiding weight-loss to protecting heart health and looking after skin and hair.

Oolong tea is healthy.

There are other types of tea to try

There are many other teas to experiment with that aren’t made by the same plant. Almost all natural teas are great for your health. These include ginger, chamomile, rooibos and barley tea.

Caffeine-free varieties like chamomile and rooibos are enjoyable and relaxing, making them great choices for night time without negatively affecting sleep.

I love the taste of tea. Having honey instead of sugar lets me drink it just the way I like it: Strong and sweet.

Honey is also high in sugar, but it is a lot healthier.

The benefits of honey instead of table sugar

Normal sugar is a single natural ingredient: sucrose.

Too much of any single, natural ingredient can become unhealthy.

The sugar content of honey consists of fructose, glucose, maltose and sucrose. While these are all different forms of sugar, they take a little longer to break down in the body.

This lets the sugar spike that you get from honey a little less drastic than that of normal sugar.

Honey is antiseptic, antiviral and anti-fungal. This is why it is often recommended to sooth a sore throat or a nasty cold. Honey has also been used for thousands of yours to speed up wound healing. 

Honey has small amounts of vitamins and minerals, but the antioxidants are what make honey so good for you.

Research has shown that although honey differs wildly because of the different types of flowers or bees that it comes from, they all contain super healthy ingredients like peptides, antioxidants, organic acids and enzymes.

Darker honeys seem to have higher concentrations of antioxidants.

Use honey.

2) Hot cocoa with honey is healthy

On days where I feel like hot chocolate, I make my own.

Many ready-made hot chocolate brands contain refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, flavorings and other ingredients that make it less healthy.

Cocoa powder is actually very good for you. It is good for your heart, elevates mood and also has some powerful antioxidants of its own.

Cacao is a generally more expensive than normal cocoa powder, but it is healthier because cacao is less processed than cocoa.

They come from the same bean, but cocoa powder is processed at a much higher temperature than cacao. The heat diminishes some of the antioxidant content.

If you can only afford cocoa, you are still getting a lot of health benefits from it.

Instead of buying a hot chocolate mix from the store, simply buy cacao (or cocoa if you’re on a budget) instead.

You can make your own delicious hot chocolate by adding cocoa and honey to hot or cold water or milk. You can choose how chocolaty or sweet you want it to taste by adding more or less honey and cacao.

This tastes really good!

Both of these hot beverages will taste great while helping you to stay healthy. Stay Strong!

Healthy food and exercise tips for great health

Honey is good for you.

This article is written by Nikola, a freelancer and 3D modeler. Follow him on Twitter.

Welcome to my daily healthy activities

Hello. My name is Nikola.

I am going to share some healthy lifestyle routines which helped me to stay in shape, be healthy and look younger.

It works for my mental and physical health since I started with it 4 years ago. Before that I was in a very bad health situation for about a year.

I got good health advice from many people. They include my brother and polite ladies at the health foods grocery store. I've also picked up a few tips from my own observations, experiences and experiments.

Healthy morning routine

Hydrate yourself

The first thing that I do when I wake up is drink a glass of water. I drink warm water because I have a sensitive throat. Water is good because it cleans your body and gets rid of toxins.

Some people add a few drops of lemon juice to their water. It helps them to lose weight. I don't add lemon juice to my water personally because I don't need to lose weight at all.

You need water.

Have some honey

Once I've had a glass of water, I put 10-15 drops of bee glue in a small amount of water (one finger of water) and drink it. Bee glue is great for immunity. Bee products like honey are very good for your health.

Use cold water to wake up

I then splash my face with mildly cold water - depending on the season. I splash my eyes, face and forehead and make sure to get some water behind the ears as well. I pat dry with a towel afterwards.

This will help you to wake up instantly and helps to refresh you. You will notice that your energy levels rise quicker when you do this in the morning. Cold exposure is good for your health.

Stretch in the morning

After that, I do my morning stretching exercises. Stretching activities like yoga is good for you.

I spin both hands while standing upright backwards and forwards. When you spin it forwards, it's like swimming in butterfly style.

I then spin my right hand 10 times and then the left hand 10 times. Still in a standing position, I bend down with my body and touch my toes with my fingers twice. I straighten upright and bend slightly backwards twice. I do this for 20 reps.

This stretching routine works miracles for my metabolism, immune system and digestive system.

At the beginning you could do 10 reps for every exercise.

Practice breathing through your nose

Good breathing during exercise is essential. I learned to breathe in with my nose and to breathe out with my nose as well. Nose breathing keeps you calm and helps you to sleep better at night.

Yoga helped my recovery

I started my recovery 4 years ago by practicing Yoga every morning. My brother told my about The 5 Tibetan Rites. 

At first, I followed everything perfectly. Then I took parts which worked for me and left the other parts. I don't do the parts that have you lying down on the floor for 10 minutes.

There is nothing wrong with taking a good exercise program that you like and making it your own by adding or subtracting exercises. Rather do a routine that you like than avoid an exercise routine that you don't like.

Do health your way.

Do some cardio

These days I run in place for 30-50 seconds. It helps to speed up my heart rate and gets the blood flowing. I also do jumping jacks - about 20 reps.

After that I go to the bathroom which is good to empty my stomach before breakfast.

Exercise helps you to go to the bathroom.

Eat a healthy breakfast

It is important to eat healthy food to get the right nutrients in your body.

Before I had my own healthy diet, my doctor prescribed soy bean products to help with my digestion. I did some research online and found that it produces estrogen hormones.

This is not good for us - especially men in particular. I can feel the negative hormonal effects of eating too much soy in my own experience.

After this saga, I had to find foods which helped with my testosterone levels. The new foods needed to support my gut health as well. I had acid reflux issues in top of everything, so it was not an easy task.

I now have boiled bacon and a boiled egg for breakfast. I actually have this for dinner as well. I add a red bell pepper or a tomato. Home grown is the healthiest form of tomato or bell peppers if you are able to do that.

Eggs have almost all of the vitamins that you need except for Vitamin C.

The boiled bacon proteins are easy for my gut to digest.

So my daily breakfast usually looks like this:

1. Boiled bacon
2. Tomato or red bell pepper
3. Sour cream
4. Bread with bran
5. Himalayan salt
6. Vitamin C

The only supplement that I take with my breakfast is 500 mg of Vitamin C.

I used to have my Vitamin C supplement before breakfast, but I found that it didn't work so well before a meal. It causes acid in the gut when there isn't any food. Now I have it after a large breakfast.

Do good things.

Avoid physically intensive activity after a large breakfast

If you can, try not to do anything too physically demanding after a large breakfast. Give your body time to digest its food. It is good to wait at least half an hour, or even 1 hour, depending on how large your meal was.

Healthy afternoon routine

Exercise

At noon I do push-ups. At first I did only 10 push-ups. Now I do about 17. Do each push up slowly. Get yourself all the way to the ground. Do as many as what feel comfortable to you. You don't need to push yourself too far.

Focus on breathing during exercise

Breathing is very important - especially during exercise. 

When I finish with my push-ups, I stand up and breathe in deeply. I raise both my hands above my head to exhale forcefully out of my mouth. I swing my hands around to bring blood to the muscles that I've just worked.

Focus on posture

Since I've had a problem with acid reflux, I've looked to as many ways as possible improve it. Healthy foods helped a lot, but bad posture has a lot to do about it as well.

When I was in bad health condition I noticed how the older, sicker and weaker people sat and had their shoulders slouched forward. I noticed that most people in the doctor's waiting room sat with this kind of posture.

When I went for a walk, on the other hand, I noticed how teenagers held themselves more upright. The healthier or stronger the person, the better their posture seemed to be.

I wondered if our posture has a direct correlation with things like acid reflux and our immune system. A bent spine puts pressure on the gut and other internal organs.

This is one of the major reasons why I started doing push-ups. They are great for your posture if you do them right. Pull ups are just as important for your posture.

Good posture and healthy food reduced my acid reflux substantially

Fortunately for me, my observations were right. I don't have acid reflux nearly as often as I used to.

This is thanks to the food that I eat, the exercises that I do and my focus on posture. Along with a younger appearance and better health, I must say that my confidence has improved tremendously as well.

Posture affects your health.

Pull ups aren't easy in the beginning

As good as pull ups are for you, I must say that pull ups were much harder to do in the beginning.

At the start of it all, I could do only 2 pull ups. Now I can do 8-9 pull ups - but I do them slowly according to how much my body can handle.

Results of doing pull ups daily

With time my shoulders became wider and I got a lot more strength in many of my muscles - especially my biceps.

Focus on dental hygiene

Another thing that you need to pay attention to is your dental hygiene. Dental hygiene determines your overall health. Teeth are not just good for your confidence or your smile. They can also cause many illnesses if they become unhealthy.

You can't chew good food without good teeth. Your mouth is essential to digest food properly.

Use weights to increase vein visibility

Another health problem that I had was very small veins that were hard to see on the surface of my skin. When I struggled with my health, this was difficult because nurses had a hard time finding a vein to draw blood.

I thought that weight training could make my veins more visible. I hoped that it would make the veins thicker and easier to find. I got a 5 kg weight which I built myself at home. I did 10-20 reps regularly with each hand.

Thankfully, my guess was right! Drawing blood is now less painful for me (less pricking around to find) and much easier for the nurses (they can find a good vein immediately).

Look for solutions.

Walk when you can instead of driving or taking the bus

I decided to take a quick walk from my house to downtown and back instead of using other forms of transport. The round trip is about 7 km. I do this at least once a week.

When I reach downtown, I visit a grocery store and buy a banana as a reward. It tastes nice and gives my body a little nutritional reward for the effort. Choose organic if you can.

Bananas are really good for you

Small choices like a banana as a reward will have a great impact on your health. Bananas have many health benefits.

Bananas for energy

I have noticed that bananas are amazing fruit when it comes to energy. They help me with a quick energy supply after playing sports.

Bananas are great after playing sports like basketball and swimming

I eat bananas after playing an extensive basketball game with teenagers (keep in mind that I am 44 years old).

I also bring 2 bananas and water whenever I go swimming. I am amazed at how well bananas replenish my energy levels.

If I play 2-4 games of basketball in a row, I bring 3 bananas instead of 2.

If I ever do very physically intensive work that causes me to sweat a lot, I eat 4 bananas and salty food. It is important to replace the salt that you lose through sweat.

Bananas can make you sleepy

When I don't do anything physically intensive after eating a banana, I feel sleepy. It's a good kind of sleepy, if that makes sense. I feel happy, unlike other foods that make you feel sleepy and drained at the same time.

Bananas are good for your skin

Bananas are great for your skin. 

During the summer months I occasionally smudge a banana over my face to cool down quickly. I have noticed that my skin looks really good afterwards.

Indulge in goodness.

Avoid unhealthy habits

I don't drink coffee (although it seems that coffee can be healthy) or alcohol. I avoid eating cakes and sweets - especially during the holidays.

I am thankful for the fact that I have never smoked cigarettes. It is also good to avoid soda drinks and artificial sweeteners.

I used to drink an energy drink, which isn't good for your gut. It is particularly unhealthy to have energy drinks at night - even more so if you live a sedentary lifestyle.

You don't need energy drinks to have energy at social gatherings

When I was younger, I liked going to dance parties. I thought that I had the energy to jump and dance all night because of the energy drink. I was wrong.

I have lots of energy at night. There are some people who have higher energy levels at night naturally.

Two years ago I was at some open party and I simply drank lemon juice to stay hydrated. It worked.

By the end of the night, I lost more than 600 calories. The total calories lost for the entire day was over 900 calories.

I'm not trying to lose weight. I actually need to make sure that I don't lose too much weight. Trust me; when you lose that many calories in such a short period of time, you have to eat every 2 hours to regain that lost energy.

If you want to lose weight, on the other hand, just go to dance parties and drink a low calorie and non-alcoholic drink like lemon juice to stay hydrated. Just dance and move according to your body's abilities. Be moderate - like with everything in life. A balance is always the best.

Use every opportunity.

Healthy lunch tips

• Don't be scared of a big lunch
• Include a vegetable salad with every lunch
• Eat more soups
• Add carrots
• Use turmeric for spice and flavor
• Pepper is a healthy flavor enhancer as well
• Add broccoli often
• Lemon juice will help with digestion

Use exercise to increase your energy levels immediately

Whenever I feel like I have brain fog or feel like my metabolism is slowing down, I go for a walk outside in the fresh air. This perks me up quickly.

Walking is good if food is making you feel sluggish. The fresh air and sunlight will help you to increase your metabolism - and therefore your energy levels.

Take a walk before dinner

I take a walk around the block before dinner. It helps me to clear my mind. The walking also makes you sleep better at night. We need fresh, circulated air regularly.

Grab some nuts before dinner time

After I come back from my short night walk, I eat healthy snacks before dinner in moderate amounts. It helps to give your body some important nut nutrients and stops you from over eating at dinner. Eating too much food at dinner time can negatively affect your sleep.

A have apricot seeds, cashews and almonds. Nuts are super foods.

Conclusion

I hope that these tips will help you to improve your health in one way or another. There are a lot of different tips here. Try one or two at a time until you find what works best for you.

About Nikola

My name is Nikola. I'm a 44 year old man. I am 185 cm tall and 78 kg of weight. I work from home, doing freelancing work. This is sometimes very stressful, with less fresh air (like with most office or computer based job where we are in a sedentary position). I do exercises and play sports activities like basketball, swimming and running. This gives me a perfect healthy balance for my mental and physical health. Check me out on Twitter.