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Habits are formed when we’re young, which is why most adults who started smoking or binge drinking at a young age have a more difficult time quitting as they get older. The best way to grow a happy and healthy adult is to start with a healthy and happy teenager. However, this might not be as easy as it sounds; these days, junk food is freely available, and often cheaper than nutritious meals. New gadgets are being released yearly, which means they’re more likely to stay indoors playing with them all weekend. Not to mention the workload that keeps stacking up, and the pressure to get into good schools. It’s easy to see the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle in a teenager’s weight and on their skin. But if they cultivate good habits now, these teenagers could all grow up to be healthy adults.

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Don’t smoke, drink, or do drugs

Everything you do when you’re young can catch up to you when you’re older. Therefore, if you start smoking as a teenager, you’re more likely to have cancer, heart disease, or a stroke as an adult. Binge drinking before you reach the legal drinking age can increase your chances of getting liver disease or developing problems with alcohol. Taking any drugs will impact your health, but they will do more damage if you take them young. You might not want to have these conversations with your kids, but the best way to keep them safe is to encourage dialogue about these taboo topics. Avoiding them altogether means that your child is less likely to seek out help if they have a problem down the road. Don’t shy away from your own history, but make it clear why you don’t want your children to follow in your example. There are plenty of tips for talking to teens about these issues, but you will have to find a method that works for you. Don’t just trust their school to cover these subjects for you; they don’t know your child as well as you do, and you have a better chance of getting through to them.

Safe sex

No parent wants to think about their kids having intercourse, but the truth is that it’s going to happen eventually whether you like it or not. If you want them to avoid any unpleasant surprises like pregnancies or STDs, then you need to sit down with them and have a mature discussion. Most teenagers get confusing second-hand information from their peers or older siblings, so many of them might be grateful for their parents or other trusted adults taking the time to talk about it, even if they might be embarrassed about it at first.  However you bring up the topic of sex and relationships, listen to what your teenager has to say and use this to let the conversation develop. If they talk about STDs then you can both check out information at https://www.saferstdtesting.com/free-std-testing to learn more. If they mention condoms or birth control pills, then make sure they know why it’s important to use them, where to get them and how to use them. Having this conversation with your teenager won’t give them a green light to have sex, but it will teach them to be smart and safe when the time comes.

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Diet and exercise

Of all the habits that are toughest to form, diet and exercise are at the top of the list, and they are also the most essential. Teenagers require greater amounts of nutrition because this is when they do most of their growing. A healthy diet equals a healthy teenager. However, eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to stuff your face with spinach and lettuce every day (although leafy greens are rich in fiber, Vitamin C, and can reduce the risk of cancer). Cheese, lean meats, and even dark chocolate can all keep you healthy and energized. They’ll also be thrilled to learn that PB&J sandwiches are an acceptable study snack, because peanuts and peanut butter are a good source of vitamin E, a potent antioxidant that protects nervous membranes, and thiamin to help the brain and nervous system use glucose for energy.

Keeping fit is not just good for the body, but it can also increase the effectiveness of studying. Exercise creates many chemicals for the brain that help motivation, focus and alertness which are all key to being a good student, especially around exam time and finals. Exercise also decreases stress hormones and chemicals like cortisol that can interfere with learning and overall health. Fortunately, they don’t have to join a gym to get their regular exercise; just encourage your teenager to join a sports club at school by saying it will look good on a college application.

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Plenty of sleep

Parents may wish their children would get out of bed earlier on weekends, but the average teenager actually needs between nine and ten hours of sleep per night to function well in the mornings, particularly during school terms. You can read more about the studies done into teenagers and sleep at http://sleepcenter.ucla.edu/sleep-and-teens to get a better idea of how you can help your child get the sleep they need. There is a link between tiredness and anxiety levels, as emotional stability is improved when you are fully rested. Studies have shown a link between insomnia and depression, as the brain requires plenty of rest to be able to manage emotions correctly. Additionally, sleep is good for teenagers because when you’re dreaming, your brain puts your thoughts and experiences into the right ‘boxes’, so that they can be easily accessed. So, if they’re trying to retain information for a test, getting a good night’s sleep is the best study aid available. Sleep is as important for brain function as water and a good diet, therefore staying up all night to work on a project or finish off an essay isn’t going to do much to help your teen’s grades.  

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The joy of being a woman knows no bounds, right? The premenstrual syndrome symptoms of aching, crying uncontrollably, binge eating, and bloating make a few days of the month feel like hell on earth, but there is possible respite. While stopping your periods altogether is possible with the use of hormonal intervention, it’s easier to treat the symptoms rather than the cause. If you’re particularly familiar with the monster that is PMS, here are some great ways to get some release.

Enjoy a balanced diet

Eating well throughout the month can really help when it comes to PMS time, especially as it helps to keep blood sugar balanced, but sometimes supplementing your diet in the lead up can help too. Vitamin E supplements, a fish oil capsule, and a whole load of leafy greens are the real lifesavers, and studies have shown people who increased the presence of these nutrients in their diet saw huge improvements. It’s worth a try, anyway!

Try some gentle exercise

Don’t laugh; it really will help. While exercise might be the last thing on your mind when you’re plotting the death of everyone around you, mild exercise can truly help to relieve symptoms. A bit of a workout releases endorphins that act as pain relief, dopamine to help cheer you up, and serotonin to fight feelings of depression and anxiety. A bit of yoga or regular stretching can help to relieve tension in your lower back and abdomen which helps to fight cramps too.

Treat yourself to a massage

If there’s ever a time for a massage, it’s when your body is conspiring against you. You could go DIY and use massage oil to gently rub the top of your thighs, lower back, and abdomen. It helps to relieve cramps, gets the blood moving, and will cheer you up no end. If you feel like you need a little more TLC, book yourself in for a professional massage – you deserve it.

Get some medical help

Sometimes it’s all just a bit too much to self-medicate successfully. In these cases, a GP will discuss your options with you. One option commonly used is to help balance the body’s hormones artificially by using contraception, such as the Yasmin contraceptive pill. As PMS is caused by a conflicting inbalance in the body’s hormones in the lead up to a period, the hormonal pill can really help to put things back on the straight and narrow. Speak to your GP and see what they suggest.

Top tip: avoid caffeine

While taking mild diuretics during a period of PMS can really help lessen the bloating that tends to accompany it, it’s worth being selective about the choice of diuretic you go for. Calcium, vitamins B and C, and potassium are all great for reducing bloating. Caffeine, although a diuretic, will only contribute to feelings of anxiety, so it’s not great for helping with the other symptoms.

Premenstrual syndrome can be a really difficult time for women, but it is possible to alleviate symptoms. Just remember to go easy on yourself.

If you have been trying to get pregnant, it can feel like your life is in an endless loop of four weeks cycles. Between periods, your hope and expectation grows. You cross your fingers every time you go to the bathroom, hoping that your tampons are going to be given a nine-month leave of absence.

It’s a stressful time, with the weight of such high expectations frequently bearing down on you. Most women wait to take a pregnancy test when they have skipped a period or begin experiencing the classic symptoms, such as nausea. However, if you’re in tune with your body, there are a few early signs to look out for.

Sore Nipples or Breasts

This is a classic sign of hormonal changes, and the early stages of pregnancy are among the biggest hormonal imaginable. It can be confusing as these are also signs of an oncoming period. If you feel tenderness, ask yourself if this is normal for you. If it is, then don’t put too much into it. If, however, you don’t frequently have breast tenderness before a period, you never know.

Needing To Pee More Often

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This is just so glamorous already isn’t it? Some of these signs of pregnancy aren’t going to have you at your best. But yep, this is something to look out for. If you have to take more regular trips to the bathroom, then there might be something going on. On the downside, this is also a sign of a UTI, but that will usually be accompanied by agonizing pain. Keep an eye on it.

Nausea and Stomach Upset

As with the soreness mentioned above, changes in hormones can disturb your whole system. If you find yourself having to be persuaded to eat, or experiencing nausea, then something might be afoot. Don’t expect the usual onslaught of morning sickness; these early disturbances are much milder.

Changes In Taste

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This may be in some way linked to the cravings that many pregnant women experience. You may find that you go off foods that you usually love. Some women also describe a metallic taste in their mouth, like they have been swallowing copper coins. If you do experience this for more than a day or two, it’s definitely worth bringing it up with a doctor.

Back Pain

It’s unlikely to be so bad that you need to rest or take medication, but it might just appear in the early stages. As with morning sickness, it’s like a rehearsal of the more severe version that appears in the latter stages. If you find yourself with a little nagging pain in the small of your back, especially if you are not doing strenuous exercise, then it may be a sign.

Tiredness and Fatigue

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Your body is preparing for something huge, so it’s going to be using up a lot of energy. If you’re struggling to get going more than usual or are falling asleep during the day, then this is a key sign. Take especial note if you’re sleepy even if you’ve had a good rest.

If you notice any of the above signs – or, ideally, them in combination – then you might want to try a pregnancy test, just to be sure!

For some people, the gym is a place of fun, or motivation, or even rest and relaxation! However, for others, the gym is something very different indeed. Some people find the environment too stressful. Others don’t want to get fit and exercise in front of other people. Or maybe the membership fee just makes you weak at the knees- and not in a good way!

So, how can you get a healthy body without the gym membership? Well, running is a good start. You don’t need a treadmill to run, of course! Just run in your local area. The right pair of running shoes will protect your feet and spine when running on hard ground. If running isn’t your thing, how about cycling? You’ll need a bike, and a helmet, but that’s pretty much it.

If you feel that you don’t have time to do either of these two things, fit them into your daily routine. How about, instead of driving to work or taking the train, you cycle a few mornings a few? You might not want to run there, and be all sweaty, so how about running home? Take public transport into work in the morning, and then run home again. You will start to see a huge difference to your fitness levels. Over time, you will be able to run or cycle the distance in a faster amount of time. You’ll then be able to do longer distances. The hormones and chemicals our bodies flood with when we exercise are addictive. There is a reason why already fit people love to exercise; because it makes them feel great! You can get this feeling too, but you have to start somewhere.

So, running and cycling takes care of your cardio, but what about your muscles? You can use heavy weight even at home; you don’t need to be in the gym to use them. Start small, and don’t strain your muscles. You should feel a strain in your muscles but you shouldn’t feel pain. This means you are doing too much too soon, and could lead to injury.

Important muscles aren’t just the ones we can see! They are also the ones that we can feel, and that we use everyday (sometimes without even realizing it!) Toned legs and bulging arms might be important to some, but there are other muscles that should be important to you also. Take your pelvic floor, for example. It is these muscles that allows you to keep control of your bladder. Leakage can occur at any age, whether now or in the future, so strengthening this muscles from today will stand you in good stead. Doing five minutes of pelvic floor exercisers, three times a day, every day, should be your basic aim. Or, to take things a bit more seriously, consider investing in a pelvic floor app and exerciser. These prompt and guide you through your exercises, meaning you know exactly what to do- and if you’re doing it right!

As you can see, you can improve your body and make it healthier without a gym membership. You just need a good dose of motivation and hard work. Good luck!

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