For most of us, life completely changed during the COVID pandemic as we were confined to our houses. Even though the lockdowns are coming to an end and life is slowly starting to return to normal, that doesn’t mean that things are going to be exactly the same as they were before. 

During the lockdowns, many of us picked up bad habits. We have carried them with us, even as we head outside again. If you want to protect your physical and mental health during this transitional period, it’s important that you look at these behaviors and take steps to change them. These are some of the bad habits that you need to undo after the COVID lockdown. 

Excessive Drinking 

When you’re cooped up in your house for days, it’s hard not to get cabin fever. Much of the time, this led to excessive drinking for people who wanted to pass the time or calm their nerves. When you didn’t have to get up for work or go out anywhere, it was easier to convince yourself that it’s fine to drink more regularly.  Unfortunately, if you got used to drinking excessively during the lockdowns, your brain can easily rewire itself to crave alcohol. If you are seriously concerned, you should get in touch with American Addiction Centers for some advice on how to cut down again. If you don’t tackle this habit now, it will only get worse and start causing serious health problems for you. 

Unhealthy Eating  

With so many people locked up in their houses with only takeout to eat, it’s not surprising that over half of the United States population gained at least ten pounds during the COVID pandemic. Even when supermarkets started opening again, most people didn’t want to go out and start running errands all over again. A lot of people also got into the habit of comfort eating because they were anxious about the situation. So, as things get back to normal, take a look at your diet and make some positive changes. This is especially important because an improved diet can protect you from the more serious symptoms of COVID. 

Overusing Social Media  

With so many apps to allow you to talk to your friends during the COVID lockdown, it’s not surprising that so many people increased the amount of time they spent on social media. However, excessive social media use can have a huge impact on your mental health and your productivity. So, as you start heading outside and getting back to normal again, try to keep your social media use to a minimum. You can get some great apps to limit screen time if you are finding it difficult. 

Lack Of Structure and Routine 

When you are stuck at home, it can be easy to let your day-to-day routine slide. When people were out of work for months due to the pandemic, their normal routine went out of the window. But routine is important if you want to stay happy and healthy. You should pay attention to the way that you break up your days and even if it seems a bit rigid, start planning your time so you can develop a good routine. 

We’ve all picked up bad habits during the lockdown and you shouldn’t feel bad about it. However, you do need to focus on breaking those habits before they get worse. 

Your immune system truly is a complex system. It incorporates a lot of biological functions as well. Ideally, it helps to protect you against any harmful pathogens which can include viruses and bacteria. That being said, recent studies have shown that the modern diet could be harming your immune system. On top of this, it could also be doing irreversible damage. If you want to make sure that you are not harming yourself then this is the guide for you.

Sugary Foods

Just like fried or even fatty foods, refined sugar is a huge risk to your health. Sugar isn’t just found in chocolate bars and sweets. It’s also present in yogurts, fruit juices and even processed carbohydrates. Even though most guidelines say that you should consume around 30g of sugar a day, you can find half of this in a simple glass of fruit juice. Even though this intake of sugar can exaggerate skin problems, it can also upset your sleep patterns and interfere with your digestion. It can also affect your immune system by promoting inflammation or even inhibiting your immune system. If you want to change things up, then try and opt for quality dark chocolate or even homemade desserts as you know exactly what goes into it.

Salty Foods

You might not think that you add any extra salt to your diet, and this is fine, but unfortunately, the high presence of salt can really work against you either way. If you want to help yourself then you need to cut down on the amount of processed foods that you eat. You also need to make sure that you try and cook fresh food. If you can do this, then you will soon find that it is easier than ever for you to really benefit yourself.

Bad Fats

Once again, it would seem that unhelpful fats are hidden in a lot of different foods. Researchers often hypothesize that fats are heavy in Omega-6 and this can weaken your immune system. It contributes to underlying inflammation, and this is the last thing that you need. Studies have shown time and time again that if you can reduce your intake of fatty or fried foods then this can help you to restore your body’s own defense system and this can really make a huge difference to your life.

Eliminate Red Meat

Red meat is often thought of as being a great source of iron and it also contains other nutrients as well. Experts don’t often see a problem with incorporating a little bit of red meat in your diet, but you have to make sure that you do it in moderation. Red meats such as lamb and pork do contain a unique sugar which is Neu5Gc. If you eat large amounts of red meat, then your immune system could recognize this sugar as being a pathogen and it could cause a low-grade inflammatory response. If you want to combat this, eliminate, or cut down on the amount of red meat that you eat.

Exercise is very good for you, but do you know how good it is? Exercise can boost your mood and it can also drastically improve your sex life too. If you want to find out how exercise could help you then this is the guide for you.

Exercise Helps you to Control your Weight

Exercise can stop you from gaining too much weight and on top of this, it can also help you to maintain weight loss too. When you engage in any form of physical activity, you will burn calories. The more intense you do the activity, the more calories you will burn. Regular trips to the gym may well be good but at the end of the day, if you can’t find a huge amount of time to exercise then you may be better off just doing what you can. Some exercise is better than none at all. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, or even walk to work. Little things like this can really help you to build consistency.

Exercise Combats Health Conditions

Are you concerned about heart disease? Maybe you are hoping to stop your blood pressure from rising too much. Either way, it doesn’t matter what your weight is right now because exercise can boost the amount of good cholesterol that is in your body and it can also decrease any unhealthy triglycerides too. This will keep your blood flowing nice and smoothly and it will also help you to decrease the chances of you developing cardiovascular disease. If you want to exercise but can’t because you have a bad back, then it may be worth chatting with a chiropractor.

Exercise can Boost your Mood

Do you need a bit of a lift? Maybe you want to blow some steam because you have had a really stressful day. Either way, a session at the gym or even a nice walk can help you out a lot here. Physical activity can help to stimulate a lot of chemicals in the brain, and it can also help you to stay happier, healthier and relaxed. When you work out, you will also find that you lose weight, and this can help you to rocket your body confidence.

Exercise and Energy

Are you winded by grocery shopping? Maybe household chores really tire you out. Either way, by doing physical activity, you can stop yourself from becoming tired so easily. Exercise is ideal if you want to build your endurance as well as your muscle strength. Exercise helps to deliver oxygen to your tissues, and it also forces your cardiovascular system to work far more efficiently. This means that over time, you will have more energy to take care of any day to day chores you may have.

Promoting Sleep

Struggling to get to sleep at night? Then you should know that exercise can help you to get to sleep faster. It can help you to deepen your sleep as well- just make sure that you don’t work out too close to bedtime because if you do, then you may be too energized to go to sleep, so keep this in mind.

The decision to buy a home is often the most significant financial transaction that an individual will ever make. So many expenses, responsibilities, and decisions come with being a homeowner. You may feel pressure from lenders, family members, or even yourself to take on these new obligations for fear of missing out on opportunities in life. But if you’re feeling too much stress about becoming a homeowner because of your current finances or personal situation, it’s important to remember there are ways around this! Here are four steps to reduce stress as you embark on your first-time home buying journey:

Find the Best Real-Estate Agent 

This is the most crucial step to reduce stress when buying a home. Find someone who will provide you with access and information about homes that fit your unique needs. Ask friends for referrals or check online reviews of agents in your area.

Get organized before meeting with them. Go in armed to ask all the questions you need answering during their initial consultation visit without feeling rushed. A good realtor should help ensure this process goes smoothly from beginning to end. And hopefully they’ll lessen some of your first-time homeowner anxiety!

Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage Loan

As a first-time homebuyer, it’s imperative to get pre-approved for mortgage financing before you start shopping. You need to know how much money you can afford to spend. Also, you’ll need to understand your credit score requirements. This will help the lender to better assess the terms of the loan. While this may seem like an extra step in the process of buying a house, it’s worth it. Prepping ahead helps reduce stress. You won’t be left wondering if you’ll be able to “qualify” for a new home or not.

Plan the Move 

Moving into a new home is exciting but an overwhelming amount of responsibility. When you’re planning your move to make sure it’s stress-free! Give yourself plenty of time to pack and label boxes before the actual moving day arrives. Do this especially if you hire movers. Doing so can be much faster than doing everything yourself. Pack the essentials to help reduce stress. Remember to pack smartly for your pet. This includes packing pet food, water, leashes or crates (if needed). Also, don’t forget their medication in case they get separated. As you settle into your new home, remember to take time for yourself as well. Adjusting takes some time and can be pretty tricky on top of all the other responsibilities of buying a home.

Save Enough Cash Beforehand 

Lastly, remember that buying a home is not cheap! You’ll need to pay for closing costs on top of the down payment and monthly mortgage payments. It’s perfectly acceptable to talk with your lender about how you can finance these expenses if possible. In fact, they may be able to offer some financing options. Many recommend saving up an emergency fund before making this huge financial decision. This will help reduce the stress of unexpected expenses when moving into your new home.

With the way of the world today, it is super important to focus on your health. This can mean different things for different people. Health is a broad, umbrella term – but we all know that it is vital to our wellbeing. Here are some fast and fun tips to help you perfect your health regime. 

Figure Out Your Goals 

When dealing with your health, what are you aiming for? Do you want to feel better, look amazing, or have more energy? Ideally, all of these would be great! Focusing on why you are starting your health journey in the first place is pivotal though, because it will give you a foundation to fall back on whenever you have a bad day. Write down why you are deciding to try and improve your lifestyle. This can only further motivate you! Set up goals to accomplish for when you incorporate your new healthy habits. These could be something like feeling more comfortable in your own skin, getting outside more often, or even a goal weight. These can be as specific or broad as you would like. 

Setting Up Routines

The routine of healthy change can be the most challenging aspect to conquer. Picture the healthy you and how proud they are. Depending on what you are incorporating in your life, plan out where you want it to fit. Will you exercise in the mornings before work, or in the evenings to blow off steam? Do you want to focus on healthy meals for weekdays and allow yourself to splurge on the weekends? When should you take your supplements and vitamins? Starting this journey can feel overwhelming, that’s why it helps to plan it out. 

Finding Your Passion

Searching for your passion involving health is a beautiful journey. It could be anything from self-love to wanting to know the truth about the food industry. Whatever you discover you are passionate about – follow it. Stay up to date on virtual clinical trials, plan extravagant hikes, or create your own healthy menu. It could take some time to figure out your true health passion. Be patient with yourself and really try to dive into what motivates you to improve your health. 

Get Professional Help

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we need a bit of expert guidance to take our health regime to the next level. Whether you’re dealing with a specific condition or just looking for ways to optimize your wellness plan, professional help can be invaluable. It’s perfectly okay to seek advice from those who have spent years studying and understanding the nuances of health and wellness. For instance, if you’re experiencing back issues or concerns like scoliosis, consulting with professionals like those at Atlanta Scoliosis Center can provide tailored advice and treatment options. Remember, asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness but rather a step towards a stronger, healthier you. Embrace the journey and let the experts guide you through areas where you feel stuck or uncertain.

Adjust When Needed 

Life is complicated and no one is perfect. Also, we all have different, fantastic bodies that need different things. So, if anything is not working out do not be afraid to change it. If you do not feel good after eating broccoli, cut it out. If you are exhausted later in the day, allow yourself to sleep more and have a later start in the morning. Sleep is very important when it comes to your health. Just remember – patience is key. Welcome failure and approach each day with a fresh start. Your health journey is just that, a journey. No memorable journey was effortless and easy. Also, be proud of your mindset and will for improving your health. Even the mindset you hold will greatly help you achieve your health goals!

There’s an important balance point that many of us miss in our lives, causing us to live in a state of constant struggle. We want to live with purpose but often get stuck in that place in between fear and freedom. Understanding how to tap into our personal power is the key to experiencing life in a balanced state. In this episode of Curves Welcome, special guest, award-winning, critically acclaimed author, Christian de la Huerta, shares his insights on this life-changing approach to living a purposeful, well-balanced life. 

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About Christian de la Huerta

With 30 years of experience, Christian de la Huerta is a sought-after spiritual teacher, personal transformation coach and leading voice in the breathwork community. He has traveled the world offering inspiring and transformational retreats combining psychological and spiritual teachings with lasting and life-changing effects. An award-winning, critically acclaimed author, he has spoken at numerous universities and conferences and on the TEDx stage. His new book, Awakening the Soul of Power, was described by multiple Grammy Award–winner Gloria Estefan as “a balm for the soul of anyone searching for truth and answers to life’s difficult questions” and has received a Nautilus Book Award and a Nonfiction Book Award. To find out more about his work and receive a free guided meditation, power practices and a chapter from the book, visit: https://soulfulpower.com/.