Author credit Anita Fernandes

The most common New Year’s resolutions are to eat healthier, exercise more and lose weight. Sadly, over 90% of us are unable to achieve these health goals. It is important to understand the obstacles that prevent you from leading a healthy lifestyle so that you can tweak your routine accordingly. This will help you meet your health and fitness goals and improve your quality of life.

7 obstacles standing between you and a healthy lifestyle           

1. Busy schedule

Our pace of life has increased dramatically in the last couple of decades and yet we find ourselves scurrying around each day trying desperately to stay on schedule. While you cannot add more time to your days what you can do is improve your time management skills so that you can manage more in less time. For instance, you might not have the time to cook on a daily basis, instead you can meal prep over the weekends. Similarly, if you do not have the time to hit the gym each day, you can simply spend 10 minutes on an HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout at home.

Photo by Coen van den Broek on Unsplash

Author credit Helen Bradford

As people today live quite a busy and hectic life, stress is a normal occurrence. However, stress is detrimental both for our body and mind and thus, we need to learn to deal with it. Besides the fact that cycling is a great way to alleviate stress, it is also a physical activity that is quite affordable and accessible. Cycling benefits our state of mind, it relaxes us and it benefits our body too. If you’re interested to learn how riding your bike helps you beat stress, keep reading!

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Author credit Jennifer Dawson

It’s estimated that 142 million Americans went boating in recent years, equating to 36% of U.S. households. While fishing and lazing about can be an enjoyable way to spend your day, more people are starting to practice yoga aboard, enjoying the relaxation and simple exercise it offers. Doing yoga on a boat offers many additional benefits, including great mental and physical effects.

We talk a lot about the potential damage that all kinds of things have on our health and how we can avoid it. One thing that we don’t talk about enough is the effects of sleep deprivation and how it affects our physical and mental wellness and our state of mind. Here are some of the ways that sleep deprivation could be affecting you and the way you live your life.

Author credit Jennifer Dawson

Despite coffee being the most popular beverage in the world, with around two billion cups consumed per day, according to reports by the International Coffee Organisation, most yogis do not indulge. This decision is often made based on their interpretation of Yoga Sutras, specifically Saucha, one of the five niyamas that emphasizes self-purification. According to Saucha, yogis are only allowed to imbibe pure foods, and most people view caffeine in coffee as a toxicant. There is, however, no mention in Saucha that yogis should avoid coffee. There have been many debates on whether or not it is right to drink coffee while practicing yoga. Yoga is a tool for self-improvement and coffee has numerous health benefits to the body, and many people enjoy both. But can the two go together when yoga is all about relaxation and coffee is a stimulant?  

Author credit  Jennifer Dawson
Photo by Li Sun from Pexels

Obesity is an epidemic in the United States and plays a pivotal role in several chronic illnesses. More than 30% of the U.S. population is obese with an annual medical cost of $147 billion dollars.  Yoga can be an effective way to solve this social issue as it can help individuals lose weight - especially the more active forms of yoga.  Furthermore, the practice of yoga can lead to the development of mindfulness that helps individuals who want be more aware of their eating habits.

Author credit Jennifer Dawson
Photo by Form on Unsplash

Yoga is one of the oldest forms of self-improvement in recorded history, beginning in the Indus Saraswati Valley in 2700 BCE. From its origins, yoga teachings have emphasized that individuals should master their own destinies through achieving harmony between mind and body. Whenever we feel a lack of motivation, yoga can give us the boost we need to assert control over our surroundings, making it an integral component to regaining self-worth and coping with negative energy. 

Author credit Jennifer Dawson

The top official causes of death in the UK, the US and many other countries are cancer and heart disease, and one thing these diseases have in common is a far less discussed condition - inflammation, which occurs when the immune system recognises damaged cells. Inflammation is involved in so many conditions that can wrest from your quality of life, including arthritis - a condition affecting 350 million people worldwide. The good news for those who make yoga a part of their daily life, is that this practice has been found to lower inflammation, in a 2019 review published in Biological Research for Nursing. If you have already booked a yoga retreat to a beautiful part of the world, know that you are doing much more than providing yourself with a relaxing getaway. You are also battling inflammation in a powerful way.

Author credit Jennifer Dawson
Photo by Brandon Nickerson from Pexels

Over 50 million Americans experience seasonal allergies every year with a variety of symptoms ranging from itchy eyes to nasal congestion. Even though these allergies are relatively harmless, there’s something to be said for the quality of your day to day existence; discomfort is discomfort. If you’re not keen on medication, there’s another alternative for relief: yoga. You may be familiar with yoga for a variety of things, like improving digestion or increasing your sleep quality. The benefits, however, don’t stop there. The right poses and sequences have the ability to aid many other areas, including providing relief from allergies.

A tempting getaway - four days (13th - 17th April) in an idyllic setting in sunny Morroco with Sine and Aidan,
two enthusiastic and insightful Iyengar yoga teachers with many years of experience and practice.
The venue is a traditional and stylish Moroccan villa with delightful gardens and great views of the nearby Atlas mountains.
Marrakesh airport is only 45 minutes away. There will be an emphasis on the mindfulness aspects of yoga.

Please see http://www.heliotrope-yoga-holidays.com/morocco.html for more details.

Over 40 weekend, and week-long retreats every year for the past 20 years at Burren Yoga Retreat in Ireland all year round. 
www.burrenyoga.com   Exceptional quality yoga and meditation teachers in a stunning location. 
Daily guided outings and amazing vegetarian food.  Tripadvisor award of Excellence part 8 years in a row. 

Click here for a short video about our retreats

Author credit Patricia Moceo

Today, the words yoga or meditation can produce stereotypical images of Buddha, in the lotus position, striking up weird humming noises. In its origin, this is a very small part of the Eastern framework of the primary purpose of yoga/meditation. In fact, these practices serve the purpose of teaching people how to live in communion with everyone and everything around them. Meditation requires surrender and acceptance of what was, what is, and what’s to come. Yoga is a holistic exercise that focuses on connecting the mind and body together in harmony despite seemingly negative resistance.

Author credit James Adams

When you want to stay in good shape in life, then you need to eat well. However, while most of us are more than aware of the link between what we eat and how we feel, we often think of how we feel physically. Did you know, though, that your food could have a huge and positive impact on the way that you feel on a day-to-day basis?

Nothing is going to make you feel happier and healthier than simply tucking into some good old food. So what kind of foods should you be targeting if you want to help improve your mood ion a regular basis? 

What can you start eating if you want to feel a bit better?

Here are some of the best foods that you should definitely be taking into your system if you want to start feeling a bit fitter, healthier and generally happier. If you eat these foods on a regular basis, or foods containing these, you should notice a big improvement in your mood and your general day-to-day approach to life.

Aurhor credit Loida Mckinnon

Today life without the Internet is indiscernible. We have become dependent on the Internet for our daily routine, at home, or at the office or at work internet connection has become a part of our existence. With the proliferation of devices that run on the internet, to get the best router for most people is the need for faster and efficient internet connection has become a necessity than a luxury.

Wireless internet is like electricity at this point — you only notice it exists when it stops working. Then you panic. But you don’t need to! You can fix it yourself with a few, simple tips.

Sometimes you run into an issue with one particular device. It’s probably just a momentary issue. Try turning off the Wi-Fi on your device, then re-enabling it. If that doesn’t work, do the same with your router by unplugging it and then plugging it back in 30 seconds later.

When you are experiencing problems with your internet connection, check your devices or the Wi-Fi router instead of calling the service provider or the cable company. The fault may be at your end, so the easy way is to check things at your end.

Author credit Jacob S

As a discipline, yoga can often pose many challenges, even for veterans. It requires a lot of practice, patience, focus, stamina, and flexibility. For those of you who are interested in getting the most out of their yoga practice, nootropics might be a potential tool in reaching that goal.
Nootropics are a class of drugs and supplements that improve brain health and cognition, and are characterized by a lack of serious side effects. Many nootropics also provide physical benefits to the body, and are therefore popular among weightlifters and scholars alike.
As many of you are doubtlessly aware, yoga is a discipline that requires the full attention of both your mind and body. With that in mind, nootropics start to seem like a great way to help you reach new heights and gain more out of each experience.
Below you will find a list of five nootropics that have the most potential to improve your experiences with yoga.

Author credit Layla Parker

Yoga is not just a simple exercise. More than a fitness routine, this particular regimen improves the mental condition and physical wellness of a person. Yoga isn't extensive; however, the way it gives relief to the body is awe-inspiring. 
It is notable that yoga can make your mind feel calm and sedated. Therefore, it is always associated with better sleep and relaxation. Many practitioners of yoga have already reported improvements in their sleeping habit after engaging in various yoga routines.
The breathing techniques and the bizarre poses that are present in yoga can effectively relieve the stress of the mind and body. It teaches you to strike a perfect balance between your calming and energizing elements so that you can relax better.
If you want to learn more yoga tips for better sleep, then just read on.

Author credit  Matt Foster
Photo by Gary Lopater on Unsplash

While it is far from universal, many of today’s travellers are more enlightened and informed about the environmental impact of air travel. This awareness is now gaining momentum and putting pressure on airports and airlines to make environmentally friendly changes. Individual behaviour is changing too and people can choose greener alternatives within their travel plans.
Although you can’t just focus all the blame on travel, the more we do, the faster we will have a whole way of living which promotes sustainability. We can learn to make choices that will change our consumption of resources.
There are some surprisingly easy ways in which you can make changes that will reduce your environmental impact when flying.

Author credit Jessica Ann
Photo by Form on Unsplash

Lower back pain has become one of the most expensive disorders, in general. As it happens, 80% of Americans are affected by the said condition. And this is why you would always encounter a lot of people who claim to have experienced pain in their lower back.

There can be several causes to lower back pains. It could be from a serious injury or just simply from having a poor posture and position. But regardless of the cause, this condition affects the overall quality of life. It hinders a lot of people from doing their regular activities. And it even affects the day-to-day lifestyle mobility.

So, if you are having this kind of concern right now, using an inversion table might help. But, did you know that there are numerous stretches and routines that you can use to alleviate the symptoms of back pain?

If you are not aware of these stretches and moves, then this is for you. Here are some of the best stretching routines that you can do on a daily basis to relieve lower back pain:

Author credit Helen Bradford
A lot of the times, we get caught up in our day to day hectic lives, working maybe a little too hard and stressing about things that do not matter that much. Sometimes it is essential that we take a moment to make sure that our own basic needs are met. One of the most common answers someone will give you if you ask them whether they have a self-care routine is that they simply do not have time for such things. The truth is that everyone, even the busiest people out there can make time to take care of their soul and overall well being. As a matter of fact, continuously keeping up with a stressful lifestyle might have serious consequences in the long run. Thankfully, here are some important tips that will help you out.

Author credit Daniel Clark

It’s a never-ending debate if women should train like men or not. Everyone has own reasons and justifications for his or her opinions. Generally, training is done for healthy physic and, the motto is going to be the same for both men and women. However, the definition of healthy physic differs from person to person and men to women. How do you define a perfect body of women? Everyone will have a different answer to this. Some would prefer a muscular body like Jennifer Broomfield while others would like a perfectly toned body like Megan Fox.