How to Keep Your Vitamin D Levels Up in the Winter

November 1, 2020 by Jen.Peng

By now, we are probably all aware that getting enough vitamin D is important to staying healthy. Not only does vitamin D help your body absorb calcium and keep your bones strong, it is also important to maintaining the health of your immune system, muscles and nerves. Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to certain cancers (breast, colon and prostate), heart disease and depression.

Vitamin D is often called the “sunshine vitamin,” because the easiest way to get it usually is to be out in the sun—our bodies produce vitamin D naturally when exposed to sunlight. How much sun exposure depends on the individual, but around 20 minutes of sun exposure is commonly recommended, with more time for those with darker skin.

But in the winter, getting 20 minutes of sun exposure can be difficult, particularly for those who live in more northern areas, where the sun is low in the sky during this time of year. Luckily, there are other ways to help get your recommended dosage of vitamin D during the winter.

Food

Certain foods, such as fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, herrings, mackerel, rainbow trout and swordfish, among others), mushrooms, eggs and pork are naturally rich in vitamin D. Vitamin D-enriched foods, such as milk, yogurt, orange juice and cereal, are other good options. And for those that can stand the taste, cod-liver oil is an excellent source of vitamin-D.

The recommended daily value of vitamin D from food per day is around 800 IU (20 mcg). But for those who don’t get enough sunlight, that dosage per day increases to around 1,000 IU (25 mcg).

Vitamin D Lamp

Another option for getting vitamin D, particularly for people who cannot absorb enough from their diets, is to use a vitamin D Lamp. Sun lamps, or light boxes, are used to treat seasonal affective disorder (D), and typically do not emit any UV light. UV light is required for vitamin D production. The Sperti Vitamin D Sunlamp is the currently the only FDA-certified light box that emits UV-B light. Discuss any usage with your doctor beforehand, and limit your exposure to only a few minutes at a time to avoid burning and the increased risk of cancer.

Supplements

Taking a supplement is another way to increase your vitamin D intake. Talk to your doctor and have a blood test done to see if your vitamin D levels are too low. Depending on the outcome, your doctor may prescribe vitamin D or recommend an over-the-counter supplement at a level that is appropriate for your case. Too much vitamin D can cause other health issues so be sure to discuss any intake with your doctor first.

Go Outside

When weather conditions permit in the winter, be sure to head outside. Catching some sunlight is better than getting none at all. Try parking your car a little further away and walking the rest of the way to work. Go for a brisk walk over lunchtime. Play outside with your kids after school – try building a snowman after a snowstorm. Just be sure you have some skin exposed to help your body produce vitamin D from the sunlight.

Even in the depths of winter, there are ways to make sure you get enough vitamin D to keep your body healthy.

Change your thoughts, love yourself

September 30, 2015 by Sheila Smith

Why don’t we start the morning with ‘Today is a great day and I decide to enjoy every moment!’ Why is it so hard to wake up happy and satisfied, start the day with a smile and be happy, simply because we woke up. We always postpone happiness for a better time; on the weekend, when I finish renovating my home, in the spring, after the summer, once this meeting passes, next week for sure and so indefinitely. Sounds familiar?

Everything starts from ourselves, from our thoughts and feelings. When we change the flow of thoughts, we can change everything from the relationship with ourselves, to the relationships with others, life just moves in a better direction in all aspects and it truly works. And there will always be those who will say, ‘It’s easy for you, you have this or that …’ and those who live by the principle that the grass is always greener on the other side, but if only we could separate a little time and focus on our thoughts for one hour, for one day, we will understand how they manage the entire process of life.

Imagine the mornings when you wake up grumpy, angry at yourself and the whole world, it’s raining outside, you have to go to work and you are mad because the weekend was over, and Monday is already knocking at the door … How many times have you felt that way?

Now imagine the same situation but with other thoughts, Monday, wonderful rainy day, perfect for a new challenge and you decide that today nothing can be out of line because you love yourself, you enjoy your job that brings abundance in life, you have wonderful relationships with your colleagues and meetings that await today will go perfectly with excellent results, and at the end of the day you will enjoy your free time, whether it will be a pleasant evening with family, going out with friends, going to the cinema, it’s up to you to create what makes you most happy and fulfilled.This is much better, right?

Day by day, changing the negative thoughts into positive ones, visualizing the day that is before you in the way that suits you, everything becomes different, more beautiful and more fun. And do not forget that you are the creators of your own thoughts, whether positive or negative, and they determine how your day, week, month and year will look like and ultimately your life, and we all have everything we need to be happy and live in happiness, here and now, in this moment. Make your present filled with happines.

Life is very simple. We get what we give. I believe that we are all responsible for every experience in your life, the best and the worst. Every thought creates our future. Each of us creates their experiences with their thoughts and words. Remember that it is a thought, a thought can be changed.

Turkey meatballs in Mediterranean sauce with grilled polenta

September 30, 2015 by Sheila Smith

A healthy and delicious meal in less than an hour.

Ingredients:

2 + 1 + 1 tablespoon
olive oil
250 g of ground turkey
1 small onion
2 + 3 cloves garlic
handful of fresh chives or parsley
5 large tomatoes
100g mozzarella
handful fresh basil
oregano, salt, pepper
cups instant corn grits
3 cups water

Preparation:

Start with the polenta. Cook it according to the instructions on the bag (the ratio of water and polenta is 3: 1), then pour it in an oil-coated mold and align the surface. Cool down to room temperature and place in the refrigerator for two hours.
After two hours, cut into pieces if desired, and coat each piece with a little olive oil. Bake on a hot grill pan for about 3 minutes on each side, ie. until the appearance of “grill lines”.
Wash the tomatoes and blanch for 1 minute in boiling water. Peel the rind and cut the tomatoes into small cubes.
Put the ground turkey in a bowl, mix with finely chopped onion, two cloves of finely chopped garlic, chives or parsley and season with salt and pepper. Create a walnut-sized balls and place them on a plate. Let them stand for 20 minutes.
Then fry on all sides in two tablespoons of olive oil, about 5-7 minutes. When they are fine and crispy on all sides, remove them and put them on a plate.
In a pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil and then fry the three cloves of garlic cut into slices. Be careful not to burn the garlic, add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add salt and pepper and add the oregano (dried or fresh).
Add the meat in the pan and cook all together for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes are completely soft. Finally, add the basil and mozzarella sliced . Serve the polenta and meatballs in sauce while they are still hot, with a green salad. Good apetite!

Top 5 twisting exercises for perfect abs

September 24, 2015 by Sheila Smith

Flat tight stomach is the dream of many of us, but it requires a lot of work and effort! It is necessary to regulate your diet and to exercise regularly. In today’s post we reveal TOP 5 exercises with the twisting of the body to tighten the abdominal muscles, with special emphasis on the lateral muscles.

You can do all these exercises in the comfort of your home, so there is no excuse for the lazy!

1. Russian twist with weights – Sit on the floor, bend your knees, keep your spine straight and arms bent at the elbows, take a weight or books. It is essential that you have a load. Then, while maintaining the same starting position switch hands from left to right, so that you are twisting the torso.

2. Bicycle exercise – Lie on the floor, lift the legs and upper back, arms bent at the elbows behind your head, and start alternately connecting the left elbow to the right knee and vice versa.

3. Supine spinal twist – Lie on your back, spread your arms, with your legs bend at the knees, and alternately turn on the left and right side.

4. Twisting plank – This is just the regular plank on your hands and you just twist your hips to the floor.

5. Twisting windmill – Lie on your back with your arms extended. Raise your legs until they’re perpendicular to the floor. Lower your legs to the left side of your body so you meet the floor a few inches away from your left hand, then bring them back to center. Repeat, lowering your legs to the opposite side.

Aspirin – a miracle worker for health and beauty of the face

September 24, 2015 by Sheila Smith

The problems on the facial skin (blackheads, acne and enlarged pores or blemishes) generally require great effort and perseverance in their treatment. In addition, it is necessary to adjust the treatment of not only the problem, but also the type of skin – therefore you need to cover more aspects!

The good news is that there is a tool that has solution for all of these problems and suits every skin type face! It is ASPIRIN! Depending on the type of problems and skin type you can combine it with other ingredients and get the perfect remedy! Here are a few different masks with aspirin.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are allergic to aspirin or any of the ingredients of aspirin you should not use any of these masks for the skin. Also, these masks are not recommended for pregnant women. Which problems can be treated with aspirin?

Aspirin can be used for the following skin problems:

– Blackheads, acne and pimples,
– Red spots on the face,
– Various forms of skin irritation,
– Sensitivity and skin flakes,
– Very greasy skin,
– Enlarged pores,

How often should you use aspirin for treatment?

In all the above mentioned types of skin problems, aspirin should be used once to a maximum of two times during the week.

How to use aspirin to treat skin problems?
Aspirin is used exclusively in the form of face masks. The way you prepare depends on the type of skin problems you want to solve.

1. Mask for healthy skin

If you want to nurture your skin and maintain healthy skin and thereby prevent any problems this is a mask for you!

Dissolve three effervescent aspirin tablets in a bowl of warm water. Apply the resultant mixture gently on the face and leave on for 10 minutes. After that, rinse the skin with lukewarm water and leave to dry naturally without the use of towels.

2. Mask for dry, irritated, scaly and sensitive skin

If you have dry, irritated and sensitive skin, which is further scaling this is the perfect solution for you!

Mix three tablets effervescent aspirin with a teaspoon of honey and a spoon of olive oil. Stir the ingredients until you get a compact mixture, and gently massage into the face. Leave for 10 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water and dry naturally without the use of towels.

3. Mask for oily skin / skin with stains / skin with enlarged pores

You recognize some of these symptoms on your skin? This is a mask for you!

Mix three effervescent aspirin with spoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and stir. The resulting mask apply to the face and leave on for 5-7 minutes. In 1l of warm water dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda and water, rinse the face. Let the skin dry naturally without the use of towels.

Ginger Carrot Soup Recipe

September 24, 2015 by Amy Brown

Perfect soup, or cream of carrots& ginger. Of course with one condition, that you love carrots and that you love ginger. This recipe is great for fall, because it boost our immune system, for the incoming weather.

What is needed:

1 tablespoon of olive oil, or 1 tablespoon of butter,
5-6 large carrots,
1 -2 young onions (or one onion)
1 piece fresh ginger (the size of the thumb on the hand)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar,
1 bunch parsley leaf,
salt, pepper and a little cayenne pepper (to taste).

Wash the carrot and the ginger , clean them up and slice them and then grind in a blender or grate it. It is essential that ginger slices are small, so we avoid strings in the soup.

The pan with oil or butter, briefly fry a chopped onion and add the carrots. Sprinkle some salt and pepper, pour the vinegar or lemon juice and pour water. You do not have to pour a lot of water, you need just enough just water to cover the vegetables. Cook over low heat, covered, until the carrots are just cooked. Depending on how old is the carrot (and how much is chopped), it may take 15 to 45 minutes. Of course the older carrots cooking takes longer, that’s why this soup is most beautiful in the spring period, when we have a young carrots. But anyway, the taste, more or less is the same.

Chop up the cooked carrot in a blender, mixer or machine for mashed potatoes. Put the blended carrot back into the water in which you used to cook him, if desired, add more spices, chopped parsley and if necessary add a little water to thicken the way you want it, let it boil and serve it immediately.

As a great addition to this soup of carrots I recommend a little diced toasted bread with cheese.

10 simple tips to stay young

September 23, 2015 by Amy Brown

1. Discard all irrelevant numbers, including age, weight and height. Happiness comes from within, the numbers are only in your head.

2. Retain all happy and positive friends. Grumpy ones just pull you down (keep this in mind if you’re one of the grumpy).

3. Continue to learn about anything that interests you. Never let your brain be idle.

4. Enjoy the present moment in the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you run out of breath. And if you have friends that make you laugh, spend a lot of, a lot of time with him / her.

6. The tears happen: endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with you entire life is yourself. So, you live up to your life.

7. Surround yourself with what you love: a beloved person, pets, spirituality, music, gardening, books, nature, hobby, anything. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: if it is good save it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help and stay positive.

9. Do not go to the “journey” of guilt and regret. Go to the park, in another city or in another country, but forget about the unhealthy feelings of guilt, regret and self-pity.

10. Tell the people you love that you love – whenever you can.

3 simple exercises for firmer arms and flat belly

September 23, 2015 by Amy Brown

If you have a lot of things to do and do not have much time for recreation, then these exercises are ideal for you. You can do them daily at home and you will only need a 5 minutes.

Strength your arm muscles, legs and tight your belly. You will need about 30 to 60 seconds for each exercise.

Exercise 1

Lie on the floor, let your legs be flat with your body and put your palms under the shoulders. Lift your body up, but to stay flat. Rely on forearms and toes, and stay in that position for about half a minute.

Exercise 2

Breathe, relax your body and simultaneously lift up your arms and legs, relying only on the abdomen. This is an ideal exercise to strengthen the back muscles and stretch the spine.

Exercise 3

Repeat elbows moves from the first exercise, only this time lift the left hand (or right side) and rely on your right hand. After 30 seconds return to the starting position and do it on the other side.

Exercise 4

Turn aside, rely on the forearm and lift the body. Stay like that for about 30 seconds, put the other hand hon the hip , then repeat it on the other side.

Nature as an ally for treating greasy hair

September 22, 2015 by Sheila Smith

One of the most common problems with your hair is greasy scalp. Surely you’re familiar with this problem – You washed your hair, but after one day it is ready for a new wash. It’s crazy, right? Here are the possible causes for greasy hair and natural remedies which you can try.

The causes of greasy hair

Everybody know this, but it is certainly a fact – the more you wash your hair the more oily it gets. Frequent washing rinses the natural layer of fat on the scalp. The scalp sees this as an alarm, and produces more fat to compensate for what is washed. In addition, buying shampoos, even those designed for oily hair, are full of chemicals and harmful ingredients which aggressively act on the scalp, dry the skin and encouraged production of more fat.

Natural remedies for oily hair

Baking powder

One of the great ingredients for oily hair is baking powder. Yes, you read it right! In addition to solving the problem of excess fat, baking powder eliminates dandruff and other impurities. So, make a shampoo made from baking powder and try to use it to solve your problem.

Ingredients: teaspoon baking powder and a cup of water.

Preparation: Mix the ingredients until you get a smooth mixture, and massage it into the scalp. Then just rinse with a mixture of 1 tablespoon apple cider and one cup of water.

Note: There may be a reaction on the scalp at the beginning, but it’s just a natural reaction of your scalp which has so far been “tortured” with industrial shampoo.

Egg whites – In addition to using baking powder for the care of greasy scalp you can use scrambled egg whites. Whisk as many egg whites as you need to cover the scalp, rub and let sit for 20 minutes. Then wash your hair with a natural shampoo.

Black tea – You can treat greasy scalp with diluted black tea, by massaging it into the skin and then rinse.

Lemon – Lemon juice is another natural remedy for oily hair. However, if you do not want to lighten your hair, do not use it, because with a long-term use of lemon juice the hair becomes brighter.

Nettle – certainly the most beneficial plant when it comes to hair care is the nettle. In addition to reducing the production of oil, nettle is excellent as an ingredient in the fight against hair loss, and dandruff.

Tips:

No matter how hard or uncomfortable is seems, do not wash your hair every day, whether with natural, industrial or medical shampoo. This will allow the scalp to recover and eventually your hair will become less and less oily.

If you have oily hair, never apply conditioner and mask on the entire hair, apply a small amount, but only on the ends.

Forgive yourself and others

September 22, 2015 by Sheila Smith

How many times have you uttered the sentence, ” I will never forgive you for this” or “How can I forgive this?” Are you willing to forgive? Yourself? Life? People you meet on your path?

Sometimes it’s really hard to forgive when we are hurt and when our heart is broken, when we were humiliated and disgraced by people whom we gave everything, from situations in life when we were not ready to accept them and deal with them.

Indeed, the most difficult thing to do is to forgive yourself primarily, and then to all those who have hurt us in any way. Often not forgiving pushes us towards the bottom, and we ask ourselves again what we do in life that we can not go on. Not forgiving leaves us no room to move forward. Resentment goes hand in hand with not forgiving, so these two dark companions push us farther away from success and happiness, and thus of the love of self and others. The accumulation of impossibility of forgiveness, resentment and anger is opening the way for diseases.

The most important thing is forgiving ourselves. Talk with yourself, be kind to yourself and your feelings and do not blame yourself for errors and situations. We are all doing the best we can in given situations and if we knew differently then, believe me, we would have done things differently. And so you should not bite and blame yourself, release the past and the events that sadden you, just forgive yourself. And remember that there are no mistakes, only experiences and lessons that teach us to become stronger and better people.

Only when we forgive ourselves, we can forgive others because others are a reflection of ourselves, and they did the best they knew. We’re not all the same and do not perceive the problems and events in the same way, so we don’t act the same in similar situations.

If you can not forgive others by talking directly with them, imagine the person standing in front of you, or look in the mirror and imagine that the person in the mirror, and then tell them what’s on your mind and heart, and let go of all the anger, sadness, bitterness and all that you have with that person. After that you will feel ready to step forward.

Forgiveness sets us free, releasing the past, clears the soul and makes space for the new. For new developments, new situations, new people. Forgiveness makes us better people, we become more honest with ourselves and with others. Forgive everyone, because don’t forget that you are, sometimes, those which someone else needs to forgive.

Roasted pumpkin soup

September 21, 2015 by Sheila Smith

Sprinkled with sesame or pumpkin seeds, with cream or pumpkin seed oil, roasted or cooked vegetables – it is always good, and can serve as a meal if you add a little rice or millet. Kids love it, and the main advantage is that it is extremely healthy and nutritious.

Ingredients (2 servings):

half hokaido or butternut pumpkin (about 700 -800 g uncleaned)
1 large potato
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
500 ml of water
salt
half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
tablespoon of fresh or dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
pumpkin seeds for serving (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200 ° C, and line a large baking pan with baking paper. Clean the pumpkin from seeds, peel and cut into cubes. Do the same with the potatoes and onions. Clean the garlic. Put all ingredients in a bowl, add the oil, thyme, salt and pepper and mix all ingredients. Put them in the baking pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the squash and potatoes are tender.
When the vegetables are done, put them in a blender or bowl, add water and mash them (you can use a hand blender). Boil for 5 minutes and add seasoning if necessary. Serve with pumpkin seeds and, if desired, with a little sour cream. Bon appetit!

9 ways to eliminate stubborn belly fat

September 21, 2015 by Sheila Smith

The fat on the stomach may be the most hated feature of our body. Apart from the fact that it spoils our figure, these fatty deposits are accumulating around vital internal organs and can cause serious health problems.

The fat in this region is called visceral fat and it directly impacts the secretion of cortisol – a stress hormone – and inflammatory substances called cytokines that affect the increased secretion of insulin in the body. If you notice fat on this critical region, then you need to pay special attention to its regulation – not only because of good looks, but also because of your health. Fat deposits on the stomach increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Check out these 9 ways to eliminate stubborn belly fat.

1. Drink apple cider every day – Studies have shown that obese people who consumed 2 tablespoons apple cider daily for 8 weeks significantly lose fat, especially in the abdomen. The reason for this are the acids in the cider that burn fat.

2. Increase the intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids – This is a quite simple thing – saturated fatty acids have greater influence on the increase in visceral fat than polyunsaturated fatty acids. A simple study showed – when people eat 750 calories more, if they contain saturated fatty acids the deposits on the stomach increase, and if they contain polyunsaturated fatty acids they increase their muscle mass. Nuts, seeds and fish are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids.

3. Get enough sleep – five hours of sleep or less will certainly impact the increase of fat on the abdomen. Why? The body needs rest in order to recharge the batteries for the next day. When you don’t get enough sleep, the body turns on the alarm and it sends a signal in our brain that we need more energy. Then, the body converts all of the nutrients into energy reserves. Energy reserves = Fat!

4. Excessive sleep on weekends – We know that you can’t wait for the weekend to begin to get some sleep until noon. However, be aware that this can be disastrous for your line! Women who have a routine at bedtime and getting up in the morning have a stable metabolism and less fat on the abdomen. Chaotic changes in sleep habits negatively affect the body, because it disrupts the biological clock and the body begins to secrete more stress hormones – cortisol – that gives rise to excess weight. So, try to get up on weekends around the same time as on weekdays. Our body system works best when it’s all very well programmed.

5. Eat more protein – With age the body starts to produce more insulin, because the muscles and cells become less responsive to it. Insulin influences the greater storage of fat especially in the belly. A diet that includes a high percentage of protein can block the excess secretion of insulin and stop the deposition of fat. Make your diet contain 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 30% healthy fats and soon you will start to notice the results.

6. Practice yoga – A study from 2012 showed that postmenopausal women who practice yoga for 16 weeks significantly lose their fatty deposits on the stomach. If you are not a fan of yoga and exercise, even the extremely simple exercises such as breathing exercises will help you. The point is to reduce the level of stress hormones – cortisol – which is responsible for the deposition of fat in the abdomen.

7. Drink more green tea – Green tea contains antioxidant catechin, which acts as a fat-burning bomb in the stomach. It is best when it’s combined with physical activity that activates this antioxidant.

8. Eat more foods rich in fiber – study from 2011 showed that subjects who ate 10g of fiber a day more than usual – the equivalent of two small apples, one cup of peas and half a cup of beans – have reduced fat percentage by 3.7% after 5 years.

9. And the most logical way – Be active – One thing is good about visceral fat – it is quite easily removable with aerobic exercise. Jogging, cycling, swimming – essentially everything that quickens the pulse is great for belly fat elimination. Studies have shown that running 19 km per week is enough to eliminate excess weight in the abdomen.