health

Selflessness is definitely a valuable trait to possess, but the whole “too much of a good thing” concept applies here. To be the best person that you can possibly be, you absolutely must remember to take the time to take care of yourself, too. Focusing on yourself is not selfish; it’s beneficial to your health. Take it from me, a dedicated people-pleaser who is slowly, but surely, learning to balance helping others and myself. This year, don’t forget to make yourself a priority, in your own life, by trying out these five simple self-care suggestions.

Shrimp shell broth is the new bone broth. Take your shrimp shells — something you would have thrown out anyway — and turn them into liquid gold.

We’ve all heard about air pollution and how it’s bad for the environment, but what about noise pollution? Even though you can’t see it, it exists, especially in urban settings. Learn how noise pollution can affect us and 4 ways to help limit it.

Contrary to what most of mainstream media portrays, flexibility is not just for young gymnasts, athletes, and people who practice yoga. It is for everyone who wants and chooses to be healthy. When we are flexible, it allows our bodies to move with more ease and without overstressing muscles.

If you only know sugar for its sweet reputation, you’re in for a rude awakening. For anyone who abstains from consuming animals and their byproducts, or may be easily grossed out, finding out that the tantalizing sweet stuff may not be suitable for strict vegans could come as quite a shock. Personally, accidentally discovering this tidbit of information about five years ago was definitely a doozy.

As a society, we are constantly bombarded by conflicting information as to what is “good for us” to eat—and what is not.

For example, a pervasive myth exists that “salt is bad.” While an excess of salt in the diet can be harmful, and in some cases a person may need to monitor salt intake based on certain health conditions—it is important that we don’t throw out salt altogether. Salt is actually an incredibly important element of our diet that we require to function, feel good and thrive on a daily basis.

The key here, of course, is moderation.

As children, we were all guilty of slipping the family dog(s) some table scraps when nobody was looking. It’s harmless, right? Wrong. I know they’re your best friends, but you cannot let those big ol’ puppy eyes get to you. Many common foods that may be somewhat healthy for us can actually send your pets to the vet (or worse, unfortunately). You may be tempted to share the wealth of food with your furriest family members, but it’s in the best interests of all parties involved to just toss them their favorite dog treats.

In 2011, I moved from the lush greenery of Olympia, an hour south of Seattle, to Philadelphia, one of the densest cities in America. Never in my life had I seen so much brick, so much pavement, and so little green space. I loved the city—I moved there to pursue opportunities that weren’t available in a smaller town. But I missed the green. And something about that made me suddenly interested in healthy eating. If I couldn’t have much green foliage around me, at least I could have some on my plate.

Everywhere you look, people are tapping away on their smart phones. It might seem harmless, but your smart phone addiction is ruining your mental, physical and even emotional health.

When we desire to make new changes in our life, our body is usually the first to be examined. During this process, we can be harsh, judgmental, and critical to our own life-shells. Our thoughts are powerful, and our bodies listen and react to these thoughts. Rather than hating on our bodies, we should be trying to show them love through taking the necessary steps needed to make and keep them healthy. We can start making these positive, healthy changes by honoring our bodies, and focusing on what our bodies do right, rather than what’s wrong with them.