Texas Forest Country Living

When you feel strong nothing can hold you back. From building your muscles to strengthening your mind and conditioning your body, every day you strive towards looking and feeling healthy in the truest sense.

Here are some tips that will help to improve your long-term health.

Amp Up Your Workout

Don’t let your workout routine get stale. Mix up your regularly scheduled program to work different muscles and ward off workout boredom.

Take time to regularly evaluate your fitness regimen and make sure you’re spending enough time on improving your endurance, strength and flexibility.

For instance, training for a big race? Shave a few miles from your long run and supplement it with a bike ride. And, switch up non-cardio days with a barre, yoga or Pilates class.

Also, don’t forget to carve out time to warm up with dynamic stretches before your workout and deep stretches afterward. Get out a foam roller to stretch and massage your muscles to keep them limber. Using a foam roller will help to increase the range in motion of your muscles, which can help prevent injuries during future workouts.

Smile With Strength

Oral health is an essential part of staying healthy in the long-term. Strengthening and repairing your enamel from everyday wear and tear can be part of your daily personal health routine.

Similar to how moisturizing lotions and conditioners replenish skin and hair, by brushing with toothpaste such as Colgate Enamel Health Mineral Repair Toothpaste twice daily, you can help strengthen weakened enamel by replenishing it with vital minerals. This toothpaste replenishes natural calcium and other minerals back into weakened enamel, for stronger, healthy enamel. More information about Enamel Health toothpaste can be found at colgateenamelhealth.com.

Fuel Your Body

Give your body the fuel and energy it needs to keep you strong and healthy.

Start each morning with a breakfast full of nutrients and protein to set a good tone for the rest of the day. Make your mornings easier with simple tricks like preparing overnight oats the night before so you have no excuses to skip this crucial meal.

Stick to a healthy eating plan with meal planning. Prepare as many lunches and dinners for the week as you can on Sunday, before work and family obligations get in the way.

Look to fill those meals with a balance of lean meats and proteins, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and healthy grains like brown rice and quinoa.

A healthy balanced diet will improve your energy level throughout the day and during workouts. You should also make sure that you are hydrating post-workout with water, or for an extra hydration boost, try coconut water.

When you amp up these aspects of your overall routine your body will feel the difference and you will see the difference. Follow these tips and you will feel stronger than ever.

Spanish researchers have analysed the effect of endurance running training on the stiffness index, a variable that is directly related to bone quality. The results confirm that the greater the race distance that is trained, the better; this can be used, therefore, to prevent the progressive decline in bone mineral density that occurs with age.

In healthy individuals, bone quality -chiefly determined by bone mineral density- depends on factors such as sex, age, race and diet. It can be modified, however, by making life style changes -for instance by doing regular exercise.

A new study, led by researchers from Camilo José Cela University (UCJC), determines how training to compete in endurance races (from 10 km to marathons) can modify the mechanical properties of the calcaneus, a bone in the foot that forms the heel.

The changes in the mechanical properties of the bone were measured using the stiffness or rigidity index, a variable that is directly related to the bone density of the calcaneus. The results were recently published in the ‘European Journal of Applied Physiology‘.

During the study, bone densitometries -or bone density tests- were performed on both the right and left feet of 122 marathon runners and 81 half marathon and 10km runners, and their values were compared to those of a control group of sedentary individuals of a similar age.

“The results showed that the endurance runners had a greater stiffness index than the sedentary individuals,” as explained to SINC by Beatriz Lara, the main author of the study and a member of the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at UCJC. The improved stiffness index was observed in both the male and female runners.

“It was also possible to confirm a dose-response relationship, meaning that greater amounts of training correspond to a greater improvement in the mineral density of the calcaneus,” adds Lara.

The scientists assert that training for endurance races is effective in producing physical changes in the physical properties of the calcaneus; hence, this can be used to prevent the progressive decline in bone mineral quality that occurs with age.

How to improve bones

Beneficial changes in bone mineral quality can be induced using mechanical stimuli related to the load that the bones bear. Exercise modalities that require greater muscular forces (weight-bearing exercise) or high impacts (such as jumping) are the best activities for increasing bone mineral density.

“Sports such as swimming or skating, in which body weight or impact loading are reduced, do not generate high osteogenic benefits,” emphasises Lara. “Nevertheless, the effect that endurance running training may have on our bones is not yet known -while it does not entail high impacts, it does require running long distances”.

Spring allergy season seems to get worse each year, and climate change may be the culprit, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Increasing temperatures and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere help plants grow faster — and produce more pollen. For many people, this can trigger allergy symptoms.

“Spring allergy symptoms can lead to a major disruption in quality of life,” says allergist and immunologist Dr. Neeta Ogden. “It’s important for allergy sufferers to manage these symptoms, so they can feel their best and enjoy the season.”

Dr. Ogden is providing some information and tips to help make spring more bearable for allergy sufferers.

• Seasonal Allergies Can Strike at Any Age: Some people develop seasonal allergies as adults. If you think you don’t have seasonal allergies, but find yourself sniffling and sneezing this spring, it might be time to see an allergist.

• Pets are Pollen Carriers: Pets tend to track allergens like pollen and mold into the house. If you have pets, try to wash or wipe them down when they come indoors.

• Indoor Allergies Stay in Play: Indoor allergies are still an issue in spring. For example, some people kick up dust and other allergen particles while spring cleaning. Make sure you know your allergy triggers, so you can take steps to manage them.

• Create an Everyday Spring Allergy Plan: Make tweaks to your daily routine to avoid what sparks your symptoms. For example, check the pollen forecast in the morning, change clothes when you get home, and wash your face before bed to remove lingering pollen particles from your face.

• Be Wise at Home: Take steps to avoid allergens at home. For example, keeping your windows shut from early morning to late afternoon and changing the filter in your AC unit can make a difference.

• Schedule Tee Times Strategically: Avoid being outdoors when pollen counts peak in the early morning and early evening. For example, if you enjoy outdoor activities like golf and running, try to do them later in the morning.

• Don’t Suffer on Spring Break: Many popular spring travel destinations are allergy hot spots. Don’t get caught off guard when you get off the plane. When picking a destination, check the pollen count first. And wherever you go, remember to pack a hat, sunglasses, and your allergy medication.

• Don’t Procrastinate: It’s a good idea to start taking allergy medication at the very first signs of your symptoms.

“I often recommend treatment options that are available over-the-counter at full prescription strength,” says Dr. Ogden.

For example, Nasacort Allergy 24HR is a scent- and alcohol-free nasal spray that is available over-the-counter at full prescription strength to help relieve allergy symptoms like sneezing, itchy runny nose and congestion. It blocks more of the chemical responses that can cause nasal allergy symptoms than antihistamines. More information about the science behind nasal allergies can be found at Nasacort.com.

This spring, feel your best. Take proactive steps to manage your nasal allergy symptoms so you can enjoy the season.