Home Design For Healthy Lifestyles
The need to live a healthier lifestyle is something more and more of us are becoming aware of. We are constantly bombarded by the media with shows informing us of the dangers of being overweight, other shows telling us how lose it and more still telling us how fabulous we look and feel when we lose it. Obviously there is much more involved in being healthy than simply losing a little weight but you understand my meaning. As our homes are where we spend most of our time, they should do all they can to help us achieve our health goals.
The most obvious starting point is to install a home gym. If you have a bedroom going spare, a few mirrors and a spot of white paint and matching roller blind and a laminate floor covered with rubber matting should freshen things up in preparation for some exercise equipment. Ideally if you want to install a treadmill, a downstairs room would be better suited due to the loud vibrations caused. If this isn’t an option, try an elliptical machine or cross trainer- both run much smoother and therefore make less noise- they also have the added benefit of providing a whole body workout rather than lower body only, as is the case of the treadmill.
As for the rest of the house, wooden or tiled flooring should is preferable to carpeting as they hold less dust which can lead to mites and create breathing problems- especially in the case of asthmatics. For similar reasons, pets should be kept out of bedrooms.
Make sure your home is clutter free and has lots of obvious places to chill out and re-energize. Cover these areas in blankets, throws, bean bags and cushions- the purpose of the area should be utterly unmistakable.
Paint can now be bought with less toxins and more natural ingredients. Not only is this good for your well being it is also kinder to the environment.
Health however is not only a physical thing; you also need to look after your mental health. Using lighter shades around the house will keep your spirits lifted, and adding colour and texture in the form of soft furnishings and paintings will really increase mental stimulation.
An open plan with lots of window space will allow lots of natural light into the house which is vital for mental well being. Dress your windows with horizontal blinds which allow you to maintain an element of privacy whilst still allowing sunlight to enter. Choosing blinds over curtains also increases the “wipeability” of your home- important for keeping it dust free.
A home which provides us with a setting for socialising will do wonders for our well being. Human contact is proven to be a great mood buster so invest in a large dining room table and make lots of use of it. Also arrange your sitting room around socializing NOT THE T.V.!
Lastly, include lots of plants around the home. Plants take the CO2 we breathe out and replace it with oxygen…which is fairly important I think you’ll agree.
Terry Henman
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/home-design-for-healthy-lifestyles-706592.html
I lost 40 lbs. when I was 16; I want to lose some more.?
Hi all,
I am 19 years old and am getting flabby again. I dropped out of college and have been working from home creating web designs. While the pay is decent, I found myself staying at home in front of my computer most of the time. This sedentary lifestyle added up and I gained about 10 lbs. in a little more than half a year. I don’t indulge myself with fatty foods and snacks, but I did occasionally snack with cookies (two to four of them), or a bag of chips. I drank diet soda but have cut back on that entirely and drink mostly water and the occasional apple juice when I crave for flavor.
Anyway, I lost 40 lbs. when I was 16 over the course of… well honestly I forget how many months, but I would like to say 3 to 5 months by doing 150-200 sit-ups every night and cutting back on snacks. I also did 20 push-ups each night and various other simple exercises.
I have been trying this again for the last week but it seems I have gained weight? I have been doing 100 sit-ups and various little exercises and will raise it up to 150 sit-ups soon as 100 is getting easier.
My eating habit: I eat a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast, I eat one basic sandwich for lunch (wheat bread + two slices of turkey ham + spicy southwestern mustard), and I eat dinner which my mom makes (it could be spaghetti, or mixed vegetables with chicken, etc… mostly healthy, non-oily stuff).
Well it seemed as if I was losing weight slowly throughout the week and then BAM — this morning I weigh 166. When I first weighed myself I weighed 165, and every day after that I seemed to weight .5 lbs. less going all the way down to 162. I weigh myself the same time every morning and I don’t wear any heavy clothing while I do that. For snacking I limit myself to two little Cadbury easter chocolate eggs =), and a few healthy herb crackers each day.
Why would I gain weight all the sudden? I don’t think that’s muscle mass and it is demoralizing. I don’t expect to see immediate results but a slow and steady one. What could have made me gain weight?
Thanks!
Watching the scale is petrifying. You should have measured your waist instead. On weeks where i was up a pound or so from my previous week i found that i lost off my waist measurement. Also period makes you retain water. Anything salty or sugary makes you retain water as well. Wait till next week. you might be down 4 pounds the next weigh in, meaning 2 from this past week and 2 more for this next week. Keep it up, and never give up.
References :
Standing and walking burns twice as many calories as sitting so When you are in college you were active most of the time without even realizing it. Now you spend most of the time in front of the computer. So your calorie burning has been cut to almost half it was earlier.
I think you should do some cardio exercises in the mornings to boost your metabolism through the day. when u exercise, you start your metabolism and you burn 30% more calories in the remainder of the day than you normally would.
About gaining weight all of a sudden, Idk what it could be. The same thing happens to me too. I suddenly put on 4 – 5 lbs overnight and i am sure its not water weight.
I hope you achieve your weight loss goal.
References :
Please attempt this one
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkEAPKko19YeFe.XHZ_ye0jsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090413070231AAHmEz8