After a tough winter, spring is finally upon us. The sun is starting to shine, there are buds on trees and temperatures are soon to rise. Our moods often rise with the temperature and the increase in sunshine, and many of us feel more alert and energetic, happier, and joyful as we move further away from those dark, grey winter days. This more positive outlook can make you feel as though you don’t need self-care. It can seem as though acts of self-love and compassion are more important in winter when sometimes we need to be kinder to ourselves simply to get through the day. But actually, self-care is always crucial to our mental health and wellbeing and feeling happier certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t treat yourself. If anything, you deserve and will enjoy it even more. Here’s a look at a few of the things you should treat yourself to this spring.   A Spa Day A spa day, for many of us, is the ultimate self-care treat. Whether you love a girly pamper day with your friends, you have knots to be pounded out of your muscles, or you just appreciate the peace and quiet and sense of luxury that a trip to the spa brings, there’s no denying that there are benefits to treating yourself to this indulgence. If for any reason a trip to the spa isn’t possible, or it’s something that you already do, but would like to be able to recreate at home, then upgrading your home relaxation time is a must. Invest in everything that you need to feel as chilled out as possible, and to delight all of your senses. This could include an indulgent bubble bath, soft towels, gentle music, and soothing face masks. To fully relax and feel luxurious in your home bathroom you might also want to invest in some Diptyque Candles to help you to set the mood and get the aroma right. Click here to have a look at some Diptyque products and other items for pampering from SSENSE. This retailer stocks a wide range of products that could help to transform a bubble bath into a spa-style treat, so be sure to take a look.   Time for Your Passions Time might not seem like a treat, but if you’ve got a busy lifestyle and are always on the go, freeing some time to enjoy doing the things that you really love is the best treat of them all. Spend time on hobbies, with friends, trying new things, eating the food that you love, and generally doing things that bring you joy. Especially when you are busy.   Time Alone Peace is different for all of us. You might find peace in the spa, or at least in a bubble bath with the door locked. You might find it on a long jog. Some people find peace as they enjoy creative hobbies or cooking alone. Whatever it is, that peaceful [...]

As we grow older and joints and muscles grow achier, mustering the motivation for a healthy lifestyle gets harder. However, when we can no longer take our good health for granted is precisely the time that healthy habits are most important. Of course, it's possible to feel better, live better, and do more as you age. However, better aging doesn't come without effort. If you want to make the most of each day and live a fuller life, you need to make wellness a priority. How? Courtesy of AlrightNow, here are seven ways you can live a healthier, richer life so you grow better with age.   Stay Physically Active A body in motion stays in motion. It's true for physics, and it's true for aging. As tempting as it may be to settle into your La-Z-Boy for a retirement of leisure, a sedentary lifestyle does the aging body no favors. Inactivity is linked to mobility loss and disability in adults aged 60 and up. Exercise that improves heart health, builds strength, and enhances balance and flexibility is important for our aging bodies. One mistake people make is focusing too much on aerobic activity like walking and jogging and not enough on strength training. However, it's building muscle that will keep your body strong and capable at every age. Consider building out a home gym in your home to ensure you have all the necessary equipment. With the right space you can have room for a cardio machine as well as a weight bench and other necessary equipment. If you opt to make this a flex-room, you could even add some value to your home. Talk about a win-win!   Maintain a Positive Attitude Positive thinking does for the mind what resistance training does for the body. Optimistic people have less stress, better coping skills, and lower rates of depression compared to glass-half-empty types. While you might think optimism and pessimism are personality traits, the way you think is primarily a matter of habit. You can train yourself to stop negative thinking in its tracks and practice gratitude and positive self-talk. If bad energy has pervaded your household, start by opening the windows, taking out the trash, and declutter for an emotional fresh start.   Watch Your Weight You don't need a supermodel-slim figure in your Golden Years. In fact, a few extra pounds may have a protective effect on the 80-plus crowd. However, it's still important to maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI) as you age. Obesity-related health conditions like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes are leading causes of death among adults in early old age. While weight loss is important if you're outside of a healthy weight range, it shouldn't be done at the sake of nutrition. Adjusting your eating habits to include more protein, fiber, and fresh produce is both more effective and safer than crash dieting.   Mind Your Diet You can't outrun a bad diet — especially [...]

Surrogacy is becoming increasingly common in the United States. Through surrogacy, parents who are unable to have a baby of their own are able to start families. While surrogacy is a promising method of assisted reproduction, many people aren’t exactly sure what is involved or how to get started. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering becoming an egg donor, surrogate, or parent.   What Does Surrogacy Cost? The cost of surrogacy depends on many factors. Most intended parents choose to pursue surrogacy through the help of an agency. A surrogacy agency provides all of the necessary services you’ll need, from finding donors and surrogates to coordinating medical procedures and covering your legal bases. Although you can save money with a private surrogacy, many parents find that the process is too complicated to tackle on their own. It’s recommended that parents only pursue private surrogacies if they’ve already found a friend or family member to carry their baby. Hiring a surrogate through an agency can cost anywhere between $75,000 to over $100,000. This includes medical procedures, legal fees, compensation for the surrogate mother, and insurance coverage. If you’ve already found a surrogate, you can save money by finding an egg donor only. According to Circle Surrogacy, using an egg donor costs about $26,000. This expense covers egg donor screenings, compensation for the donor, insurance, and coordination of the entire process.   Choosing a Type of Surrogacy There are two main types of surrogacy: gestational and traditional. In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate mother is inseminated with sperm from a donor or from the intended father. As a result, the surrogate is the child’s biological mother. A gestational surrogacy, on the other hand, involves a surrogate who is completely unrelated to the baby. Often, the sperm and egg are taken from the intended parents and used to create an embryo that is transferred to the surrogate. Gestational surrogacies can also take place using donor eggs and donor sperm. Because legal issues can arise when the surrogate mother has a biological connection to the child, most parents prefer a gestational surrogacy.   Surrogacy Laws Surrogacy laws are complicated in the United States. Since there are no federal surrogacy laws, individual states have set their own regulations. Some states are very open towards surrogacy while others place restrictions on the process and will not recognize surrogacy contracts. Some states have outlawed traditional surrogacy or banned surrogates from receiving compensation for their services. Whether you’re becoming a surrogate or a parent, make sure you take some time to learn about the surrogacy laws in your region.   How to Become a Surrogate Mother Most surrogate mothers sign up with an agency. This is the easiest way to find intended parents and ensure the entire process is handled properly. In order to be accepted by an agency, surrogate mothers must meet certain qualifications defined by the organization. Mothers also have to undergo psychological and medical testing. If you [...]

Blankets provide comfort and warmth when we need it, but did you know that specific kinds of blankets can provide more direct relief? Weighted blankets, which can weigh as much as 30 pounds, can be therapeutic in many ways, leading to relief from anxiety, autism, or insomnia. Children with ASD, attention disorders, autism, depression, and sleep problems can particularly benefit from the therapies mentioned below. These conditions affect sleep so profoundly that some in the medical community advocate considering mental conditions like attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder, and others as sleep disorders. Weighted blankets can offer several profound therapies for these conditions, as well as for those suffering from more generalized anxiety and insomnia. Read on to learn how weighted blankets can help, as well as how to choose one.   Benefits of Weighted Blankets Elevated mood, high blood pressure, brain fog, fatigue, and even a high heart rate can all be present in adults and children with anxiety disorders. The purpose of a weighted blanket is to force the body into a more relaxed state, which in turn allows their bodies to achieve a deeper sleep. You might be thinking: why would a 30-pound blanket pushing us down into the bed create a calming effect? The answer is a well-known yoga technique called “grounding.” Grounding means that you become aware of where you are in space and the weight of yourself on the floor. In other words, grounding means connecting with the earth through your body. It’s an essential calming practice and one that holds relevance for weighted blankets. Weighted blankets that successfully ground you in your bed can reduce your cortisol levels (the “stress hormone”) and convince your body that you are safe and secure. High stress levels instigate higher blood sugar and bad digestion. Grounded sleep can promote the opposite. As a result, due to grounding as well as deep pressure touch, a therapy that puts weight on relaxing pressure points, weighted blankets can help with anxiety, stress, depression, weight gain, insomnia, and even chronic pain. Grounding your body can help you sync your stress levels with your natural body rhythms, regulating hormones (especially for women) and improving sleep.   A Note of Caution Before discussing what kind of weighted blanket you need, please read this note of caution. Weighted blankets might be great for anxiety, but they aren’t good for everyone. They can be too heavy, especially for children, and they can also get very hot. People with certain conditions should not add heat and weight to themselves while they sleep. These could include: Menopause Circulatory conditions Respiration conditions Temperature regulation conditions In addition, a weighted blanket should not be too heavy. A good rule of thumb is to take 10 percent of your weight and add 2 pounds to find out how heavy your blanket should be.   Best Weighted Blankets Here’s a short list of some of the best weighted blankets available right now. Most can be customized for [...]

The busy workweek often leaves little time for rest, but letting anxiety build up can allow it to dominate your life! Even the way we breathe can help ease some of that burden. In return, you’ll find that you sleep better, feel better, and have more time for the things you love. Whether your week is swamped with errands, parent events at school, a busy job, or a tumultuous love-life, you may be letting your anxiety get out of control. The result? High blood pressure, low attention span, increased fatigue, weight gain, and the list goes on and on. Therefore, these breathing exercises to ease anxiety can help you confront your busy week confidently, calm your nerves before important meetings or presentations, control your body and mind, and be more yourself with the people you love.   What is Deep Breathing? First, I need to clarify what it means to breathe “deep” and “shallow.” The difference contains all the secrets to breathing for necessity versus breathing for comfort. When you breathe normally, many of us breathe into our chests – these are called shallow breaths. This kind of breathing increases your heart rate and muscle tension, signaling your body to begin the physical process of stress response. It’s no accident that when we’re scared or in danger, we breathe in quick, shallow breaths like this. Oppositely, abdominal or deep breathing opens and expands our diaphragm and belly. These breaths even out our stress response, reduce anxiety, and increase our oxygen intake. When all of us were infants in our cribs, we breathed this way naturally! It’s how we achieved that relaxing, full-body sleep that only babies can. But we forgot how. Now that you know the difference between shallow and deep breaths, use these simple exercises to try and reclaim the relaxation you forgot.   Exercise #1: Sitting Breath When you’re sitting at home or work, become aware of your breathing in an attempt to change it from shallow to deep. Inhale through your nose deliberately and deeply. You should feel your belly expand more than your chest. Exhale out of your mouth slowly, opening your mouth only slightly. Do this every day, not only when you feel stressed but regularly, even once an hour. Set an alarm to remind yourself!   Exercise #2: The Book Technique Some of you may not know exactly what the difference between shallow and deep breathing is. That’s not surprising, since most of us have been doing it wrong for decades! The book technique is a simple way to help train yourself to feel the difference. It also forces you to set aside time specifically for breathing and relaxing. It’s simple – lay on your back with a book of any size on your belly. Place your hand on your chest. Breathe in and focus on moving the book up and down with your breath and not moving your hand at all. Eventually, you’ll be able to breathe this [...]

Ladies…listen up. You may feel shy about the topic, but self-pleasure is perfectly normal…and healthy. While an active sex life with a partner may be all you need to fulfill your desires, some alone time is also important.   Titillating Toys With a vibrator, you can let loose, explore, and experiment. Of course, you can use your gadget with a partner too, but try one out solo to see what it can do. There are so many to choose from, so search online or go to a specialty shop to find out what you fancy. Tracy’s Dog makes a bunch of vibrators, and this one’s even waterproof for some fun in the tub! Hey, you never know when the mood will strike.   Pleasure, Please Of course, the main benefit of using a vibrator is the sexual satisfaction. The direct stimulation is erotic and exciting, and you can maneuver the device just so in order to achieve its maximum potential. Achieving orgasm is always nice, but the path to getting there is just as enjoyable.   More Than The “Big O” There is more to using a vibrator than the thrill of climax alone. Overall, you can improve your health, particularly your mental health, thanks to its stress-relieving properties, a hike in those “feel good” hormones, and so forth. Speaking of stress, a round with your vibrator is a tension releaser and all-over cure for the chaos that’s taking away your sense of calm. You can focus on feeling good, allowing your mind to rid itself of anxiety and aggravation while you enjoy the intimate massage you so desperately crave. Allow yourself to take it slow, and when your session is complete, you’ll feel less worry and more “Wow!”   Spice Up Your Sex Life When you’re in touch with yourself (both physically and emotionally), it can be a boost to your confidence. This can lead to a better sense of self, improved relationships, and will get you in sync with your partner, or a future mate, both in and outside the bedroom. Speaking of inside the bedroom, once you’ve mastered your vibrator, you’ll learn what turns you on and gets you off. Share this intimate information with your partner so you can have a mind-blowing experience between the sheets. Your openness will make your sex life so much better.   Feeling (Not So) Frisky? If you’re in a sexual dry spell, using a vibrator can recharge your libido. Perhaps it’s the pandemic that has been causing this phase, but you deserve to feel good. Let your vibrator remind you of what you have been missing, and you’ll be sure to put pleasure back on your to-do list.   Your Monthly “Friend” It has been said that orgasm can ease menstrual cramps, thanks to the release of endorphins.  Rather than grabbing pain pills or a heating pad to help, perhaps a few minutes with your vibrator will do the trick. If it works for you, [...]

Iron is a building block for our body’s health, which is why we’ve named it one of the “essential” minerals. It helps your body make hemoglobin, which is the protein in your blood that expedites oxygen transportation between all the parts of your body. Iron supports your muscles and organs in this way and is an even more essential vitamin for pregnant women. Despite these facts, our diets often don’t contain enough iron. Iron deficiency has a two-pronged cause – not enough iron in our food and not enough ability to absorb the iron we do eat so that our bodies can use it. We need both to have adequate iron levels, so I’m going to address both in the information below. Keep reading to learn 6 great ways to increase your iron levels.   1.   Eat Meat             Meat is the most known source of dietary iron and for good reason. Not only is most meat –beef, chicken, pork, shellfish, and even regular fish like haddock and tuna – packed with natural iron, but it’s also easy to absorb. The iron found in meat is called heme iron and is the healthiest our bodies can consume because our digestive systems recognize it and disperse it easily. Unfortunately, in a cruel twist of fate, pregnant women often have trouble digesting red meat and shellfish, even though they need 2-4 times more iron than the average person. That’s one of the reasons I’ve listed many non-meat alternatives below.   2.   Leafy Vegetables             Vegetables that are dark green and leafy contain a ton of iron. Spinach and kale are the superstars when it comes to getting non-heme iron as part of your dietary routine. Kale makes a great salad but also goes well as a thickener in a fruit smoothie. Start your morning routine right with a balanced smoothie that includes protein, fruit, and kale. This is especially great for pregnant women, who may be cutting back on morning caffeine to keep their baby healthy. A good smoothie can be a great replacement for your caffeine fix.   3.   Quinoa             Quinoa may already be a part of your healthy diet owing to its advantages to people who have a gluten intolerance. Quinoa contains proteins, folates, magnesium, antioxidants, and a ton of iron. This nutty grain blends great into soups, pilafs, and salads, letting you get your daily iron in style. For pregnant women with diet-restricting nausea, its nutty, unassuming taste should be easy to keep down.   4.   Pumpkin Seeds             I’m always looking for easy snacks to take with me on the go to work or on my errands. Pumpkin seeds represent the best portable snack for people looking to increase their iron intake, but they contain a cocktail of other minerals as well. They’re packed with magnesium, which is a big plus for [...]

When you eat food, your body produces a hormone called insulin. Insulin helps your body turn food into energy by controlling the amount of glucose in your bloodstream and regulating your body's metabolism.  In cases of type 2, your blood sugar level is higher than usual. However, your body has stopped producing the adequate levels of insulin, or none at all. Type 2 is a progressive condition. The best case scenario is to recognize symptoms of high blood sugar.  This detection and treatment can slow or eliminate serious future complications from diabetes. Many people don’t realize they have high blood sugar until they already have type 2 diabetes. Many onset symptoms of type 2 diabetes are mild and go unnoticed. So, what symptoms should you be keeping a close lookout for? If you notice symptoms such as these, you should speak with your doctor.   Frequent urination - Your kidneys try to filter out excess sugar from your blood. This causes one of the biggest signs your blood sugar is not at the correct levels. Increased thirst or hunger - With the biggest symptom being abnormally frequent urination, you may become dehydrated. It is recommended you drink at least 8 cups of water a day! If you have increased thirst you might want to drink more water - which won’t solve the problem of frequent urination. Additionally, not enough glucose is being absorbed in your cells. Your muscles, liver, and fat cells cannot remove the glucose from your blood and use it properly. Unintended weight loss - “In people with diabetes, insufficient insulin prevents the body from getting glucose from the blood into the body’s cells to use as energy. When this occurs, the body starts burning fat and muscle for energy, causing a reduction in overall body weight”, says Diabetes UK. In this case, eating more would not satiate your hunger or keep your weight stable - your body would still not absorb the glucose from the additional food. Fatigue - Dehydration and your body's inability to absorb glucose can cause excessive tiredness. Fatigue and weakness might result when the cells do not get enough glucose. Also, if you are experiencing excessive urination - this could keep you up at night or disturb your sleep. Read more about type 2 and fatigue in our blog. Blurred vision - High blood sugar levels can cause fluid to seep into your lens, distorting your vision. The fluid can affect the blood vessels in one or both eyes. Slower healing - you may notice slow-healing sores, as wounds heal slower and progress faster. Less oxygen will be able to reach your narrowed blood vessels if your blood sugar is high. High blood sugar causes circulation and inflammation issues. Therefore, you might notice numbness or pain in your hands or feet caused by poor circulation (eventually can cause nerve damage). Dark skin patches - One physically noticeable symptom of high blood sugar is Acanthosis Nigricans. In this case, [...]