Category: Weight Loss Exercise

There are a few things that you can do to reduce stress in your life by simplifying your decisions and avoiding something called decision fatigue.

I never realized that I was doing a few of these things, but in looking at my life overall I know that a few of my habits can make a big difference in your life.

Decision fatigue is a state where we just get tired from making decisions. Actually often these decision that seem very simple are just made over and over and are actually cluttering up our mind.

There are some simple hacks that make things easier.

Building A Couple Weeks Breakfasts Once

I have written before that breakfast is incredibly important for us for energy and health but the trouble for most people is that it is really hard to go ahead and make a really great and healthy breakfast each and every day.

What I have worked out is to make sure that I have the great breakfast I need every day.

I buy a big bulk bag of oatmeal, some sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and flaked unsweetened coconut.

I make a big ziplock bag with this mix and then every weekday for a couple or weeks I know that I have a really nutritious breakfast that I will actually eat and enjoy every morning without having to think about, plan for, or schedule time to eat.

Planning All Your Snacks and Dinners

Snacking is another part of my diet that I really have to regiment. Left to my own devices I am sure it would be reduced to chocolate bars and ice cream.

I have a regular daily set of food that I bring along with me every single weekday. I have two fruits, one veggie, leftovers from last night, one granola bar, and one chocolate bar – yes chocolate has to be part of a well balanced diet

Sunburn remedies are something that we always need to look for the day after we treat our skin badly in the sun.

I just found a great list of folk remedies for when you actually do accidentally sunburn yourself. I do not know where it comes from but I thought I would pass it on with a few comments along with these sunburn treatments.

I have tested some of these sunburn remedies but not all. Also remember that if you have any kind of a skin rash or irritation many of these will help as well.

The Best Sunburn Remedies are never needed

First of all I want to mention that if we are very careful in the sun then a list of sunburn treatment is never needed (plus some info from webmd). However this does sometimes happen and for that the following list of sunburn remedies is great.

Aloe Vera sunburn remedy
This is probably the most popular of sunburn remedies. Take as many leaves as necessary from an aloe plant; refrigerate; peel off top layer of leaves; apply the side of the leaf with flesh exposed directly to the sunburn.

Aloe is very effective in relieving pain and inflammation Other remedies use aloe vera juice: for mild to medium sunburn, keep the affected area moist with aloe vera juice.

Repeat frequently. This will reduce the pain and the amount of peeling.

Combine aloe juice with the amount of vitamin E. Dab on the sunburn. Vitamin E is a good moisturizer and sunburn remedies. Aloe vera ointment works well, too, as it contains oil and will not evaporate.

For a severe sunburn, keep the area moist at all times with aloe vera juice. Since aloe vera is an astringent, you may want to use aloe vera ointment or some sort of oil, such as olive or baby.

Shower as a sunburn remedy
Take a warm shower to draw out the heat of your sunburn. The warm water will increase circulation to the area while hydrating it, thereby speeding the healing process. Be sure to moisturize afterward as the water will dry your skin.

Baking soda compress sunburn treatment
Dissolve some baking soda in water and make a compress using a clean cloth. Another remedy is to add 1/2 cup of baking soda to a tepid bath and soak. Instead of drying the affected area with a towel, let it air dry. Baking soda is cooling and will help the skin retain moisture.

Apple cider vinegar
Apply apple cider vinegar to the sunburn with a cottonball, or make a cooling compress for a large area to relieve the pain. Keep the skin moistened. This remedy will prevent blistering and peeling.

Aspirin or willow bark
Aspirin kills the pain and reduces inflammation and redness of a sunburn and is one of the best sunburn remedies. It short-circuits the whole sunburn process. It must be taken within 24 hours of getting sunburned. Aspirin is preferable to ibuprofen or acetaminophen because it is less stressful on the liver and kidneys.

Herbal Baths
Add 20 drops of each of lavender and chamomile essential oils to a tubful of cool water and soak for 10 minutes. Bergamot, Add bergamot oil to cool bathwater.

Calendula Bath
Put 20 drops of calendula tincture in four ounces of water and bathe the skin until the pain goes away. Calendula is also available in gels and salves. Calendula will help soften and heal burned skin. It is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, and can be used long after the burn to heal the skin.

Lavender Oil
I just received an email from someone that has used lavender oil topically to relieve the problems that they had with sunburn and claims that it works everytime

Cucumber rub
Rub sunburned area with fresh cucumber slices. They are very cool and will soothe the area. And they will make your skin taste good too.

Epsom salts compress sunburn remedy
Dissolve epsom salts in water and make a compress using a clean cloth.

Ice compress
Apply ice or cold water to the burned area. This will stop the burning process and cool the skin.

Lemon water
Mix the juice of three lemons into two cups of cold water and sponge on the sunburn. The lemon will cool the burn, act as a disinfectant, and will promote healing of the skin.

Milk compress
Make a compress of whole milk (or buttermilk) and apply to the burned area for 20 minutes; repeat every two to four hours. Wash the milk off so you won’t smell sour! A similar remedy suggests using a cup of skim milk and four cups of water, adding a few ice cubes, and applying as a compress as recommended above. The fat content of the milk is soothing for burns.

Oatmeal bath
Put some oatmeal in tepid bath water, soak for a few minutes, then air dry yourself. Oatmeal baths are actually very good for the treatment of many skin problems as well as one of the more powerful sunburn remedies.

Peppermint
Apply peppermint oil to the sunburned skin. You can also make a mild peppermint infusion and use it as a wash to cool the sunburn.

Yarrow
Native Americans used an infusion of ground yarrow as a wash.

Potato
Grate a potato and apply it to the burned area. The starch will cool and soothe the burn.

St. Johns Wort
Make an ointment or salve with the essential oil of St. Johns wort for burns that have not broken the skin. It is anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial.

Caution: St. John’s wort makes the skin more photosensitive, so stay out of the sun if you have used this remedy or if you are taking another form as an antidepressant. The caution is courtesy of a reader named Wendi.

Tea sunburn remedy
Make some tea, cool, and apply to the burn. While any tea may be beneficial, mint tea, such as peppermint or spearmint are especially good. The teas have tannins that help the healing process.

Urtica urens
Put 20 drops of urtica urens tincture in four ounces of water and bathe the skin. This remedy is good for itchy, prickly skin.

Witch hazel
Make a decoction of witch hazel and apply with a compress.

Yogurt
Apply plain yogurt with live cultures, let it stand for a few minutes, then rinse off under cool water.

What not to use as sunburn remedies

No matter what you do some people swear by putting butter on a burn but this is in fact a very bad idea as it can lead to an infection if you have any kind of a cut.

Also some people say that Preparation H is good for soothing a sunburn but one of my readers says that in fact this is very bad and can cause you skin to dry out and peel instead.

So if today you got a sunburn, or if you are looking for some sunburn remedies next weekend now you know what to try and how to get rid of that nasty sunburn. Bookmark and come back next time you have a sunburn and are looking for some help with some sunburn remedies.

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A vast majority of women who exercise regularly do not do it to enhance their flexibility, increase strength, or build muscle.

They do it to keep their body fat percentage low.

But what exactly is the best and most efficient way for women to lose weight? Is it spending as many hours as possible on the treadmill? Running for miles up a hilly terrain?

Or could it be engaging in High Intensity Interval Training during your workouts?

While these 3 methods are effective in their own ways, there’s a secret fat loss weapon that many women are yet to discover – weight training, which also increases strength.

Yes, lifting weights is the best way to go if you want to lose weight permanently and in the fastest way possible. But how does it work? Well, here’s a look at how lifting weights leads to significant loss of weight.

Strength Training Burns Calories Continuously

The secret to losing weight is burning more calories than you eat. When the body stays in a calorie-deprived state for long, it starts burning through its own tissue for fuel.

Weightlifting helps your body remain at a constant calorie-deprived state by initiating the burning of calories during and long after your workout routine.

Lifting gives you a great burn during exercise where a routine as simple and short as a circuit of eight moves can burn 160 to over 200 calories.

Additionally, studies show that a well-designed weightlifting routine can elevate your metabolism by up to 39 hours after the workout. This is because after a weightlifting routine, muscles need energy to repair their fibers, which they get by burning calories.

The heavier the weights you lift (so big muscle groups like legs), the higher and longer your metabolism rate gets elevated.

Weight Lifting Triggers More Fat Loss

Cardio activity only burns calories during workouts, which means you do not get to burn fat when not exercising. With weightlifting, however, you burn a great deal of calories during and after your workouts.

This translates to more fat burned between sets as well as during the workout itself.

Weight Training Increases Muscle

It’s no secret that weight lifting results in a direct increase in muscle mass. This is why many women steer clear from this form of training due to fear of developing a man-like muscular physique.

What most women do not know, however, is that the more muscle you have to contract, the more calories you burn.

So, if you have a large percentage of muscle mass in your body, you end up burning more calories when you engage in any form of physical activity (be it lifting dumbbells, doing squats, or even the simple act of walking) than someone with low muscle percentage.

Whether you have struggled with weight loss for a while or simply want to tone up fast, strength training can help.

Just make sure to avoid overdoing it and include a proper diet and aerobic training to the mix. This way, you’ll avoid injury and enjoy more profound results.

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