Have you noticed how you always feel better after certain things, such as a laugh, a hug, a game of basketball, buying a new book, or being immersed in your hobbies? When you feel disappointed or sad in life, these things can always cheer you up, and you can start working again – stress-free and happily.
It’s likely that the thing you do is your happy chemical hack. There are four chemicals in us that are responsible for our happiness – serotonin, dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin. There are ways that we can cause them to flow intentionally, and get ourselves into a positive state. They have a great impact on our wellbeing, productivity, and motivation.
Serotonin
Serotonin helps eating, digesting, and sleeping. It is considered a natural mood stabilizer and it impacts everything from your motor skills to your emotions. We feel less anxious, calmer, happier, and more focused and emotionally stable when our serotonin levels are normal. Serotonin is the reason behind our mood swings, and depending on whether we have a high or low level of it in us, we feel in a good mood or sad and depressed.
Dopamine
Dopamine is the treat we get after a job well done. This chemical motivates us to take action and gratifies us with a surge of reinforcing pleasure when we achieve our goals. Low levels of dopamine are responsible for our lack of enthusiasm, self-doubt, and procrastination. Instead of allowing your brain to celebrate only when you hit a big goal, break big goals into smaller ones to create a series of little celebrations. This will cause a frequent release of dopamine, and to ensure a consistent dopamine-experience pattern, you need to create a new goal to achieve before you hit the current one. Celebrate with a dinner at your favorite restaurant or a bottle of wine.
Oxytocin
We need oxytocin to build healthy relationships, because it creates intimacy. It is released by mothers during childbirth and breastfeeding, and during orgasm. Often referred to as the “cuddle hormoneâ€, its cultivation is essential for better social interactions and strong bonds. This is why a touch improves the immune system and reduces cardiovascular stress – it raises levels of oxytocin.
Endorphins
The body’s natural painkillers, these morphine-like chemicals trigger positive feelings and help diminish our perception of pain by acting as a sedative and analgesic. They’re released from the brain’s pituitary gland during orgasm, pain, emotional stress, and strenuous exercises, inducing feelings of euphoria or pleasure. If you’ve ever experienced a runner’s high, know that endorphins are to be held responsible for it. Even if the things we love doing are tiring, we don’t feel tired at all while doing them, but get hyped up.
Whenever you feel sad, blue, or depressed, remember that this is how you can trigger your happy chemicals:
Get out in the sun. The production of serotonin can be boosted by sunlight. Whenever you find the time, go out for a walk and soak in the sun.
Happy memories. Whenever you go through a happy memory in your head, you boost the serotonin levels in your brain. Our prefrontal cortex, which controls our emotions and self-reflections, requires serotonin in order to work right.
Get or give a hug. A long hug calms you down, making you feel fuzzy and warm, because oxytocin gets released. It calms down your fear alarm, the amygdala, reducing stress and anxiousness.
Laugh as much as you can. You can get happier by just opening your mouth and letting out a chuckle, or giggling when you think or hear something funny. It’s a healthy way to release emotions, attract people (because it’s an attractive expression), and release endorphins that make you feel less stressed.
Don’t forget to smile. Just like laughing, smiling is a simple thing to do to improve your mood. You feel happier if you smile just like you smile because you feel happier. The face both creates and displays emotions, which means that it’s an equal in the emotional process.
Have some green. Yes, you can boost your dopamine with green tea, but probably not as much as you can with a few puffs of weed. Long-term stress can reduce the production of endocannabinoids (chemicals that affect emotions), which marijuana can restore, stabilizing your mood. Many states in the US have decriminalized it’s use, such as Nevada, Colorado, Ohio, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, and more. So, you can get your favorite strain of medical marijuana in Las Vegas, and have an occasional smoke or a bit of an edible.
In the end, spending time around other people is a simple way of boosting the production of your happy chemicals. Go to a book store or sit in a coffee shop, and just share the same physical space (you don’t even have to talk to them). If there’s someone you can chill and chat with all the better and more beneficial, of course. Oxytocin is released during social interaction, supporting the serotonin system, making us feel good thanks to the benefits of both chemicals.
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feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.
Aging isn’t optional. It happens us all. There is no stopping the march of time. However, we can ensure that we age in the healthiest way possible, and to do this, you will need to avoid the following dangers. Read on to find out more.
Not eating well
If it’s true, and we really are what we eat, we had better make sure that we are eating well. Especially as we get older, as what we consume can have a major impact on our health and wellbeing in our later years.
In fact, there are quite a few books out there on what to eat to maintain your health into your twilight years. As well as some specific advice on what to do about age-related conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, and dementia.
Some specialists encourage an organic diet as well, as this ensures that unnecessary chemicals entering the body are minimized. As this is something that can speed up DNA degeneration, responsible for disease and illness. So, it is vital to consider carefully what you are consuming to stay healthy as you age.
Not asking for help
The thing is that as we get older, we can also get a little stubborn. That means we might be less inclined to ask for help when we need it. Even if we could really benefit from some advice or support from others.
One way to get that support and look after health is to review sites like medicalert.systems for options on medical alarms. These are electronic alerts that allow you to notify someone if you are having a health difficulty, even it’s it hard for your to reach the phone. This can really help you minimize the danger of being left alone with no assistance if you do become ill. Something can have a long-term effect on your health if not treated with speed and accuracy. So if stubbornness is getting in your way, remember there is no shame in asking for the help you need.
Not moving your body
A sedentary lifestyle is bad for us and is especially so as we age. Some people refer to this as the: “Use it or lose phenomena.” Meaning if you don’t use your ability to move and exercise, it’s all too easy to get out of shape and lose them altogether. Something that is likely to have a negative effect on your health. Causing things like weight gain, muscle wastage, and even mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
So that means finding doable ways to involve movement in your everyday life. Don’t stress though, you don’t have to start running Ironmans, or spend hours on an exercise bike every day if you don’t want to. Instead look for activities like the ones at bodybuilding.com that get your blood pumping and the oxygen moving around your body, that you enjoy. This could be taking regular walks or hikes in local beauty spots, or going dancing with your friends. As all of these sorts of activities will ensure that you are moving your body and looking preserving your health in the best way possible.
 Tia, and TipsfromTia.com is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.
If you’ve ever wanted your home to pamper you a little more, you’re not alone. There are millions of people all over the world who’d like their homes to work a little harder for them. The good news is that thanks to some rather clever innovations, that world is closer than many people think. Here are some ideas for a smart, more functional home.
All-In-One Toasters
Regular toasters are very limited. They’ll do toast and the odd Poptart, but not much more. Things are very different in the commercial market, however. Companies know that restaurant owners need devices that’ll perform lots of functions, just in case their patrons get fussy. As a result, Cuisinart, the kitchen appliance manufacturer is now making a toaster that’ll do all the usual stuff, plus turn into a convection oven or steam oven all with the flick of a switch. Now you really can cook a leg of lamb in the toaster.
Dishwashers are a major source of water usage in most households. And given how precious freshwater is in some areas, many eco-conscious home owners want to reduce their water usage. Doing the dishes by hand every night to save on water might seem a bit extreme to some, which is why a company called KitchenAid has come up with a dishwasher which recycles water. Though it may sound gross, the company behind the product insists that it’s a hygienic method and that there’s nothing wrong with recycling water if possible. The rinse phase of the previous cycle is kept to wash the grime cycle of the next.
Swivel Home Cameras
Anybody with a family or property to protect needs a smart home alarm system. And with so many models on the market, consumers are spoilt for choice. One of the coolest recent developments in the home market is the introduction of swivel home security cameras which can be controlled from a smartphone app. Homeowners can get panoramic views of both the inside and outside of their homes while they’re away.
With so many gurus telling us that we should eliminate our smartphones from the bedroom, many people have returned to good old-fashioned alarm clocks to get them up in the morning. But there’s a problem: most alarm clocks have light-up displays.
Although, a company called Tivoli has come up with a smart alarm system that looks like it came right out of the 1960s. It has a dark mode which allows users to sleep without a constant glaring light in the background.
Temperature Control Sheets
Have u ever crawled under the sheets feeling warm and snug, only to find out that a few minutes later that it’s too hot and you need to stick a leg out to cool down? Annoying isn’t it?
Well, now those times might be coming to an end. A company has developed a duvet using NASA technology which adapts to your body heat. When temperatures are low, the duvet holds on to pockets of warm air, keeping you warm. When it’s too hot, it lets those warm pockets go, replacing them with cooler ones.
 Tia, and TipsfromTia.com is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.
Moving to a new neighborhood is a brilliant way for you and your family to get a new start. You can find better job opportunities and schooling, or just get a change of pace. Whatever your reasons for moving, it can be a difficult transition to make. In your old neighborhood you had all of those friends and contacts but now you have to start again from scratch. If you don’t take the opportunity to get settled when you first move in, you’ll spend the rest of your time there feeling like an outsider. These are the best ways to settle into a new neighborhood after you’ve moved.
One of the first things you need to do is make all of the necessary contacts that you might need in the area. If you’ve got any problems with the house during the first few months, you’ll need to know a good plumber, carpenter, and electrician. Make a few enquiries and check online reviews to find the best ones in the area. If you don’t do some research beforehand and you need repairs doing, you might end up rushing into a decision and getting a bad workman in to fix up your home. It’s also important to find out which is the best local doctors surgery and get yourself signed up straight away.
Introduce Yourself To The Neighbors
Getting to know your neighbors is the only way to fit in after you’ve moved. Taking some time to go and introduce yourself to the neighbors means that you’ll be a familiar face in the area. In those first few months, you’ll probably need a few favors from your neighbors and they’ll be far more likely to say yes if you’ve already met. They’re also a great source of advice. Having a housewarming party is the perfect way to meet all of your neighbors at once and get to know them a bit better.
Get Involved In The Community
Being an active part of your local community will make you feel more at home so have a look at what community events you can get involved in. Getting involved in your child’s school is a great way to do it, or you could consider volunteering for some local charities. Sports teams or clubs are another simple way to meet people with similar interests. It doesn’t really matter what you do as long as you are getting out there and meeting people in the local area.
Be A Tourist
When you’re trying to explore your new hometown, you have to think like a tourist. Do some online searches for the best attractions in the area and go to visit them. Walking is also far better than driving. When you’re driving from place to place, you won’t see much along the way. Walking instead means that you’ll really take notice of the sights and you’re far more likely to stumble across some hidden gems.
When you move into a new neighborhood, make sure that you take steps to settle in, otherwise, it’ll never feel like home.
 Tia, and TipsfromTia.com is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.
With myriads of confusing information out there regarding the use of nutrient supplements, and with a lot of different classes of multivitamins, minerals, and other uncountable types of food supplements available in food stores, it’s little wonder then that a lot of people are confused about when dietary supplement becomes necessary.
As the contemporary diet shifts more and more away from nutrient-concentrated foods such as first-class animal protein and vegetables, more and more people are suffering from nutrient deficiency.
Even when people eat more foods that are densely packed with high calories and low nutrients from quality protein and fats, they are not reliable for ensuring that the body gets all its nutrient requirements.
With an insufficient supply of nutrients in your food, you underperform, your DNA could be damaged, and you could age faster or be exposed to chronic disease conditions.
Scenarios when you need to take dietary supplements
You munch up a standard modern Diet
Nearly all contemporary dairy, grains, and legumes are not suitable for consumption. They just don’t provide the required nourishment to the body.
Most of these contemporary dairy products, together with grains and legumes, have low nutrient contents and cannot be easily digested by most individuals. Grains and legumes are made up of phytic acid and other compounds that can hinder the proper absorption of nutrients and cause damage to the intestine.
Avoiding these foods is not the solution either; you could suffer from a nutrient deficiency or suffer from protracted intestinal injury, which could interfere with the proper absorption of nutrients.
Also, modern-day dairy can result in inflammation due to the presence of mycotoxins.
Running down of soil nutrient
Inappropriate and reprehensible farming practices use up essential soil nutrients. When a piece of land is cultivated over and over again, it causes the soil to lose essential vitamins, minerals, and useful microorganisms quicker than they are replenished.
This leads to the ultimate loss of soil nutrients to support the growth of plants. Fertilizers are made up of just enough nutrients to sustain the growth of plants till harvest time. They don’t contain adequate nutrients to support optimal human health.
Again, a good number of plant foods are not eaten immediately they are harvested. They lie on shelves and counters for a long time before they are purchased and consumed. This reduces their nutrient quality, and when humans feed on them, they get malnourished as well.
Research evidence published in the Journal of Nutrition and Health showed that in the UK, the levels of copper in dairy products have declined to ninety percent, fifty-five percent in meat, and seventy-six percent in vegetables. Copper is an essential nutrient that controls the body’s pathway, like energy production and enhancement of brain function.
Nutrient reduction in water
Eating seafood is a great way to get necessary nutrients into your body. Omega-3 and B vitamins are plentiful when eating marine life. However, not everyone is a fan of shellfish, or perhaps, they worry about the mercury content. As such, using a supplement like green lipped mussel extract can give you the benefits your body needs, especially for those who are looking for natural joint pain relief.
Some minerals in water are also depleted because of modern methods of water purification. The content of minerals in bottled water varies tremendously with that of tap water, with tap water commonly containing additional nutrients. A number of water filters eliminate essential minerals like magnesium.
Diet low in calorie results in low Nutrient
Starving yourself by eating a low-calorie diet implies you are eating less micronutrients overall. The human body is structured to absorb huge amounts of nutrient-dense calories to fulfill the needs of the body. Constant diary restriction easily leads to malnutrition.
Non-organic foods are made up of smaller amount of nutrients
Non-organic vegetables treated with pesticides have a reduced concentration of polyphenols than organic ones. Polyphenols help to fight against cancer. The reduction is due to the fact that the plant manufactures polyphenols to defend them against bugs and pathogens.
When they have been killed by pesticides, there would be no need for the plant to manufacture polyphenols. This results in plant food that lacks polyphenols and adversely affects the human body and the brain function when taken.
Grain-fed Meat as opposed to grass fed meat
Any meat obtained from grain-fed animals contains less antioxidants, micronutrients, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins than grass-fed meat. Feeding herbivores with grains makes them suffer from malnutrition which is transferred to humans who eat them.
Contact with Toxin
Nutrients are required by the body to fight against toxin invasion. When you have more toxins in your body, you’ll require more nutrients to fight against the toxin. Supplements support the body’s ability to detoxify.
Supplements needed to boost nutrient absorption among the elderly
Many scientific research shows that children require nutrients to boost growth, and the elderly require additional nutrients as a result of malabsorption. The elderly as well tend to take more medications which can obstruct their nutrient absorption. This implies that they require additional nutrients, which makes supplementation a great idea.
Going physical boost nutrient requirements
Athletes frequently consider their engagement in constant exercise to help them stay healthy and strong. They frequently rebuff supplements as unnecessary, but the truth is that engaging in massive exercise greatly exhausts your energy reserve. Nitric oxide supplements, for instance, help in muscle building and recovery as well as improving cardiovascular health. This is something you want to have in your reach if you’re into physical activities.
Thus, you’ll require extra nutrients to produce sufficient energy and fully recover. Being at risk of suffering from nutrient deficiency implies you need dietary supplements to stay optimally healthy.
A supplement is required to boost your longevity.
Although aging is a natural phenomenon, there are supplements that help to delay the aging process. So long as the supplement is effective without constituting any form of harm, taking it to boost longevity is a wise idea.
To minimize cost and ensure better health
Occasionally, supplements cost less than real food. It is better to take high-quality salmon oil than to purchase salmon fish. The fish oil is higher in omega-3s than farmed salmon. Farmed salmon also contain high toxins.
When the body is suffering from nutrient deficiency, it cripples a lot of body functions. This condition puts the body in a susceptible situation where the immune system no longer functions optimally. This will predispose you to suffering from incapacitating or never-ending illnesses.
When your body is in this state, it is highly essential you supplement with nutritional supplements to ensure that your body gets all the nutrients it requires. Remember to speak with your doctor for advice on the best possible supplement that is suitable for your present state of health.
There are a lot of different types of dietary supplements you may need to consider for your health. These include the following:
Multivitamin supplements
The majority of multivitamin supplements are made up of all or roughly thirteen vitamins and fourteen minerals. Some of them are also made up of herbs, fruit, and vegetable extracts and are normally available in the form of capsules, pills, grounded forms, or in liquid forms. Potassium is an essential mineral that most people don’t get enough of, resulting in muscle cramps; this is a typical example of a mineral that should be supplemented as much as possible.
Check to ensure that the multivitamin supplement you’re buying is made up of antioxidants that protect your body from being damaged by free radicals.
It must also contain B vitamins that’ll boost the metabolic processes, boost the function of the immune and nervous systems, assist in cell division, boost growth, ensure maintenance of healthy hair and nails, and boost energy levels.
The multivitamin must also be composed of a suitable proportion of vitamin D and calcium that’ll improve your bone health.
Dietary supplement that contains Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s)
Essential fatty acids are types of fats that the body requires for optimal function. It is referred to as good fat and cannot be manufactured by the body cells. The body, thus, needs to take a sufficient amount of them as food to function well. Essential fats are classified into two main forms, the Omega-three and Omega-six fatty acids.
Omega-nine is as well useful to the body but is usually manufactured by the body. Hence, there is no need for supplementation.
Essential fatty acids are necessary to improve the cardiovascular and reproductive health. They also boost the immune and nervous function.
Protein dietary supplement
Protein dietary supplement is needed by the body for building and repairing tissues. It also helps in the formation of enzymes, hormones and a lot of other chemicals needed by the body. Protein is also the base for the formation of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, hair, nails, and blood. Just like carbohydrates, protein is a macronutrient and is required by the body in large amounts for optimal functioning.
Regulation and safety of diet supplement
However, you must be cautious of where you buy your supplement. Ensure you use a reputable and trustworthy vendor, and don’t forget to read users’ reviews before you buy. Dietary supplements are regulated by the FDA not as drugs but under a different form of food product.
Thus, the FDA treats dietary supplements as special foods and does not reviewdietary supplements to ensure they are safe and effective before they are sold. However, theFDA takes action against producers and marketers if the supplements they market are contaminated or contain falsified information after they have been sent to the market.
Also, the manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements don’t need to get FDA approval before they start to sell them.
However, it is the responsibility of producers and distributors of dietary supplements to ensure that their products are safe and that their labeling depicts the true content of their product to avoid litigations after they have launched their products.
Conclusion
It is a great idea to obtain all your nutrients from natural food products. But this is practically impossible as a result of these factors we have enumerated above. These factors are also complicated with our rapidly growing stress-laden lifestyles that make it difficult to get all the vitamins and minerals required for optimal functioning of the body.
Therefore, you need food supplements to ensure you get all the required food nutrients. In fact, supplementing with high-quality vitamins, minerals, and herbs is the wisest step you can take to stay healthy.
​Tia and TipsfromTia.com are trying to keep you looking good and feeling good from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip, email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram.
Author:
Augustus is the Chief-Editor at SupplementsBit. Studying biomedical science has been an eye-opener into the mechanism of how the body works; I am keenly interested in exploring supplements and their effect on human health.
