Anxiety and Depression

For the same reasons that a massage is relaxing, it can also soothe anxiety and depression. Massage reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol, resulting in lifted spirits and lower blood pressure. It also boosts the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, which can boost mood levels. Not only does massage make you feel good on the outside, it makes you feel good on the inside as well.

Immunity

Massage can also greatly improve your immune system. People who experience high levels of stress tend to get sick more than others. Massage decreases stress while simultaneously increasing one’s disease-fighting white blood cells, your first line of defense against invading illness. Massage even seems to boost immunity in those people with severely compromised immune systems, such as those suffering from cancer. Perhaps we should switch our motto to, “A massage a day keeps the doctor away.”

Respiratory system

Massage deepens and normalizes the breathing pattern through relaxation and release of tension in the breathing structures, both the rib cage and the respiratory muscles. It can also help to relieve congestion in the lungs through percussive and compressive movements. It increases the action of the heart, stimulates blood flow to and from the lungs, helps with eliminate waste and absorb oxygen. You can breathe easy knowing massage is helping out your respiratory system.

Improved Circulation

Better blood circulation is another added bonuses of receiving massages regularly. A person with poor circulation can suffer from a variety of discomforts including cold hands and feet, fatigue and achiness created by an accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles. Massage facilitates circulation by creating pressure that moves blood through the body and allows new blood to flow in. Massage flushes lactic acid from the muscles and improves the circulation of the lymph fluid which carries waste away from muscles and internal organs. In effect, massage improves overall body function.

Massage can be rewarding in many ways. The added benefit from relaxation and pain relief alone make a visit to a masseuse worth it. When you add health benefits such as the ones listed above its hard to argue against massage. When you are feeling sore or particularly stressed a good massage becomes not just a want but a knead.

For more information on decompressing check out our blog Term Life Insurance: Meditation Benefits.

Boost Your Energy with Exercise

Exercise may seem like the last thing someone would want to do when they are feeling tired and rundown, but it helps. If you are feeling your energy slipping, go on a brisk walk. It will get your blood pumping, speed up your metabolism and release feel-good chemicals in the brain. All of which add to your alertness.

Boost Your Energy by Eating

Hunger can drain your energy like nothing else. Food is what fuels us. Without it, we don’t function properly. Eating small meals throughout the day that are high in fiber will help keep blood glucose levels up and provide healthy energy throughout the day. Fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein and whole grains make excellent energy-rich snacks.

Boost Your Energy by Drinking Water

Even slight dehydration can cause your system to feel sluggish. Make an effort to stay hydrated throughout the day by keeping a bottle with you at all times. Having water close by will increase the likelihood that you will keep yourself going by sipping it throughout the day.

Boost Your Energy by Increasing Sunlight Exposure

If you are feeling sluggish, try stepping outside for a bit. Sunlight sends chemicals to the brain that tell us to wake up. The light from the sun is naturally invigorating. If you have a window near your desk open the blinds and let in some light. Sunlight also provides those who bask in it with vitamin D, which is a known mood and energy booster. The more often you can let the sunshine in, the better you will feel.

While the tips above are helpful, the absolute best solution for boosting your energy is to get enough sleep in the first place. Sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing. Take steps to make sure you are getting a good night’s sleep each night and you could save you money on your term life insurance policy. If you feel you aren’t getting enough rest you may want to change your diet and exercise plan or seek medical advice as you might have sleep apnea or other sleep disorders.

Periodontal disease has a great deal to do with this. Periodontal disease is a chronic bacterial infection from plaque buildup that affects the gums and bone supporting the teeth. Periodontal disease and poor oral hygiene may be indicators of premature death. This is because the infection can travel from your gums to the rest of your body and cause much more significant problems.  

Heart Disease

Oral bacteria may compromise cardiovascular health in a number of ways. Oral bacteria can affect the heart by entering the blood stream, attaching to fatty plaques in the coronary arteries and contributing to clot formation. Coronary artery disease is characterized by a thickening of the walls of the coronary arteries due to the buildup of fatty proteins. Blood clots can obstruct normal blood flow, restricting the amount of nutrients and oxygen required for the heart to function properly. This may lead to heart attacks. People with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without periodontal disease.

Diabetes

Periodontal disease may make it more difficult for people who have diabetes to control their blood sugar. Severe periodontal disease can increase blood sugar, contributing to increased periods of time when the body functions with a high blood sugar. This puts diabetics at increased risk. Diabetics who have periodontal disease especially should be treated to eliminate the periodontal infection.

Respiratory Disease

Oral infections are associated with increased risk of respiratory infections. Respiratory bacteria can travel from the oral cavity into the lungs. This can cause infections of the lung or worsen existing lung conditions. People with respiratory diseases typically suffer from reduced protective systems, making it difficult to eliminate bacteria from the lungs.

Below are some tips for maintaining oral, and therefore overall, health:

• Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.  

• Change your toothbrush every three or four months.

• Floss your teeth on a daily basis.

• Eat a balanced diet.

• Avoid tobacco products.

• Use antimicrobial mouth rinses and toothpastes as they stop bacterial activity.

• Use fluoride mouth rinse and fluoride toothpaste to protect against tooth decay and gingivitis.

•  Visit your dentist on a regular basis for cleaning and check-ups.

Having a beautiful smile can mean enjoying a longer lifespan. Keeping a clean mouth helps you to avoid periodontal disease and the dangerous side effects that come along with it. The long-term health benefits of oral hygiene may also help you outlive your term life insurance policy!

But believe it or not, it is possible to eat well, even on a day like Super Bowl Sunday. Hosting the party? Add healthy snacks to your menu instead of just the usual high fat suspects. Follow the tips below to lighten up your Super Bowl smorgasbord:

• Pass on the store bought snacks and takeout food packed with sodium and fat.

• Include fresh fruits and vegetables, such as apple halves or carrot sticks.

• Condiments can contain far more calories than you think. Watch creamy dips and cheese. Limit portions or serve low-fat options.

• Offer foods and beverages low in fat, calories, sugars, salt and sodium.

• Serve foods and beverages that can be consumed by people with diabetes or on special diets.

• Water is always a great alternative to sugary and caffeinated drinks.

• Replace meats with veggies whenever possible to bring down the calorie count

• Limit your alcohol intake. Alcoholic beverages are high in calories and encourage you to eat more.

• Try keeping food in the kitchen and out of the living room. Doing so forces you and your guests to get up and make a plate when hungry and limits mindless eating.

The Super Bowl comes but once a year and some of us may choose to indulge. Should you go this route there are ways to enjoy your football food without going overboard. Try the following:

• Choose to indulge on your favorite food rather than eating some of everything.

• Drink plenty of water to flush out excess sodium and avoid bloating

• Eat better the next day. Vegetables and lean proteins should make up for the processed fatty foods you had the day before.

If you are planning to enjoy the game away from home check out our blog: Eating Healthy in Restaurants for more tips for eating better on game day.

What is your favorite health-friendly Super Bowl recipe?

Tobacco

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that tobacco causes cancer. Tobacco use is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States. Because tobacco use is an acquired behavior and something people actively choose to do, smoking is considered the most preventable cause of death in our society.

Diet

One-third of all cancer deaths in the United States each year are linked to diet and physical activity. Carrying excess body fat increases the risk of seven cancers. Vegetables and fruits are low in calories, which help us get to and stay a healthy weight. Whole grains and beans are rich in fiber and moderate in calories, which also help in weight management efforts.  Conversely, processed and fried foods eaten in excess are known to cause cancer.

Alcohol

Alcohol raises the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, breast, and the colon and rectum. People who drink alcohol should limit their intake to no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits. The combination of alcohol and tobacco increases the risk of some cancers far more than the effect of either drinking or smoking alone.

Obesity

According to an American Cancer Society study, as many as 90,000 cancer deaths each year could be prevented if Americans had better maintained a normal, healthy body weight. Obesity causes the body to produce more of the hormones estrogen and insulin which, under the right circumstances, are critical for our health. But when someone is obese and these hormones are too high, they actually stimulate the growth of cancer cells.

What’s the moral of the story?  More than 33 percent of cancers could be prevented if we all quit smoking, ate a healthier diet, limited alcohol consumption and maintained a healthy weight. If any of the above cancer causers apply to you, please do everything in your power to lower your risk. If you have, or have had cancer, this doesn’t mean life insurance is out of reach. Talk to your insurance broker about which term life insurance company is best for you.

Do You Have Term Life Insurance?

In a perfect world, every single person would have term life insurance. An alarming percentage of Americans today are uninsured, as high as 30-40% of adults have no life insurance at all. At the very bare minimum, everyone should have enough term life insurance to cover final expenses.

Imagine what a struggle your loved ones would go through if you were to pass away. In addition to grieving (which could take months or more off of a work schedule), bills such as the mortgage payment and living expenses would quickly overwhelm a person or family who has just lost a significant portion of their income. Don’t let your loved ones suffer any more than they need to if you were to pass away ... get some term life insurance!

You Could Always Use A Little More!

Most Americans are also under-insured to boot! The low end recommendation is to cover 10 years of your lost income in term life insurance. So if you make $50,000 per year, this would result in a $500,000 policy. If you stop to think about it though, your loved ones likely would need more than 10 years of your lost income, as the mortgage will likely not be paid off by then, the kids still need to get through college, and then there is retirement income to think about!

There are caps at how much term life insurance you can purchase based on your age and income. Therefore, we suggest you discuss this topic with a licensed life insurance agent or financial planner to be sure you do not purchase an inadequate term life insurance policy.

Right, Right, Right!

There are a million excuses out there not to get term life insurance and be financially responsible. However, that is just what they are, EXCUSES! Deep down, the financial guru in you knows that having sufficient term life insurance to protect your loved ones is essential. This is one thing that Ned is definitely right about! Bing!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Wedding Insurance

After shelling out thousands of dollars for a wedding, it would be kind of a bummer to have to cancel or postpone the ceremony. One million and one things can go wrong at a wedding (have you seen the Runaway Bride?). And that's exactly why some insurance companies offer wedding insurance. Not only can couples purchase insurance to cover the wedding itself, but often these policies also cover damage to the bride's gown, stolen or broken wedding gifts and wedding photos.

Kidnapping Insurance

If you’ve learned anything from MasterCard commercials it’s that, while most things cost money, family is priceless. Or is it? Kidnappers and extortionists have shown us otherwise. Many insurance companies are now offering Kidnap and Ransom insurance. If you have a K&R policy, the insurance company will reimburse your family or corporation for the kidnappers’ ransom fee. So much for the old phrase ‘money can’t buy you love.’

Body Insurance

Some folks are even purchasing insurance policies for certain body parts. For instance, Tom Jones insured his chest hair, J Lo insured her backside and Heidi Klum insured her long legs.  Merv Hughes, bowler for Australia’s national cricket team, was so proud of his trademark mustache that he purchased a very expensive policy to cover the facial hair, but interestingly enough left his cricket arm uninsured. It’s too bad Achilles never spoke to his broker about investing in a policy for his infamous heel.

Paternity Insurance

You can get an insurance policy for just about anything these days, including fatherhood. David Lee Roth, lead singer for Van Halen, did exactly that while he was on tour in the 1980s. Roth purchased a policy which stated that if he were ever the victim of a paternity suit, the company would cover the expenses. How’s that for a Father’s Day gift?

Fantasy Football Insurance

You can now insure your Fantasy Football league should you choose. For those who don’t know, Fantasy Football is a game where participants draft real NFL players onto theoretical teams. If your star player is injured, you can recoup your losses by buying an insurance policy. If your star player sits out a certain number of games, Fantasy Football Insurance will refund your entire entry fee. Just goes to show, you can insure anything, both real and imaginary.

Alien Abduction Insurance

Do you worry about if something else is out there?  Do science fiction novels hit a little too close to home? Do extraterrestrials haunt your thoughts and dreams? Well worry no more! Alien abduction insurance policies are available for just this reason. This insurance policy can be redeemed if the insured person is abducted by extraterrestrials. So long as you can prove that you were kidnapped by something out of this world, you are covered.  Alien abduction insurance: don’t beam up without it.

While these insurance policies may seem unnecessary and even extreme, not all policies are quite so superfluous. Term life insurance is a practical way to protect your family after you are gone. Talk to an insurance broker to find out what insurance company is best for you.

Cravings are your body’s way of telling you something is out of balance. They are a signal to the brain about what our body is lacking. Your craving is a sign that your body wants nutrients and not necessarily a specific food. Below are some common cravings and what your body actually wants when it is telling you to eat them.

Sugar Cravings

A sugar craving is simply the body asking for energy. For as long as humans been around, we have been programmed to desire sweet-tasting foods. Long before candy bars people had to eat plants to get sweet taste they so desired. It is no coincidence these sweet foods are also great sources of nutrients, energy and fiber. When you desire sweets it means your body is missing out on carbon, phosphorus and sulfur. Fresh fruit will give you your carbon fix while simultaneously giving your taste buds what they want. Phosphorus can be found in eggs, dairy, nuts and legumes and sulfur can be found in cranberries, horseradish and cruciferous vegetables. Try adding these foods to your diet and watch your ice cream craving melt away.

Salt Cravings

A salt craving usually means you are not getting enough minerals. One of the key minerals you are missing out on is chloride. Table salt has been refined and stripped of many of its minerals. Processed foods are lacking in this department as well. It’s no wonder a giant bowl of over-salted popcorn is sounding mighty fine right about now. Try switching your usual salt shaker out for sea salt and adding chloride rich fish and raw goat milk to the menu.

Craving for Spicy Foods

A craving for spicy food can be out of control. Those who can’t get enough spice often consider food merely as a vessel for hot sauce. This could mean that your body is not able to regulate its temperature and needs a little spicing up to do so. This food craving for spicy food could also mean that your body needs some zinc. Red meats, seafood, leafy vegetables and root vegetables should help cool down these cravings.

Craving Alcohol

Sometimes nothing sounds better than a nice glass of wine. This could be from a long hard day or it could be from a lack of protein, calcium, glutamine or potassium. To give your body what it really needs, try eating foods high in calcium such as turnip greens, broccoli and cheese as well as high in potassium like bananas, seaweed and black olives. You can get your glutamine fix by taking supplements or eating raw cabbage and spinach. Add these foods to your diet to avoid hitting the bottle.

The key is to trust your crazy cravings. Whenever your body is craving something, pause for a moment and ask yourself what your body is looking for and why. This should help you make better eating choices. A healthy diet could help reduce your premiums. Let your term life insurance broker know if you are dieting and they will assist you in choosing the best life insurance company for you.

Water

When you wake up from a liquor laden evening you often wake up with an unquenchable thirst. Obey this thirst. A night like the one you had is bound to cause dehydration. Drinking plenty of water will relieve a great deal of the hangover symptoms. Rehydrating your body is the key to recovering from a hangover. Drink as much water as possible for the best effect.

Electrolytes

 Electrolytes will calm that pounding headache.  They will help all the water you’ve been drinking to hydrate you faster. Your hung-over body is also lacking Vitamin B and potassium. Bananas, fruit juices, sports drinks and coconut water are excellent sources of both vitamins and electrolytes. Learn to love them.

Exercise

This suggestion might be better in theory than in practice but working out might help cure your hangover. The body gets rid of toxins by breathing, via the liver or kidney, and from sweating. Exercise speeds breathing, increases sweat, and moves your blood to the liver and kidneys more quickly. This will take a whole lot of motivation as you are probably having a hard time just getting out of bed. But your're willing to try anything at this point, right?

Food

This might be difficult to swallow but the greasy diner food you are craving right now isn’t the best idea. Grease slows the absorption of alcohol but not after the fact. If you were going to eat a big unhealthy meal, last night would have been the time to do it. If you’ve missed your opportunity, don’t fret. Below are some foods that are known to help with hangover issues.

• Ginger is an excellent digestive aid. This powerful antioxidant can work wonders reducing nausea, balancing your gastric fluids and calming your system. You can eat it with sushi, drink some ginger tea or mix ginger juice with water.

• Honey is another great antioxidant that’s loaded with fructose and glucose. Take a couple spoonfuls and coat your stomach with its soothing powers.

• Eggs are a great source of cysteine, an amino acid that breaks down byproducts of alcohol. You know you were craving eggs anyway so head over to a local breakfast hotspot and indulge.

• Pho is a great hangover food. The rice noodles with broth will hydrate you, give you much needed nutrients and provide you with toxin-fighting spices. For your stomach's sake, don't go too crazy with the sriracha.

Sleep

If you wake up feeling terrible, one of the best things you can do for your body is to shut those eyes and go right back to bed. Your body is working extra hard to fix the damage you did last night. Rest will be your best ally on the road to recovery. Sleep this hangover off.

The above advice is meant to be a temporary solution for a temporary condition. If alcohol consumption is not an occasional occurrence you may want to seek medical help. If you suffer from, or have ever suffered from, alcohol addiction let your insurance broker know and they will help choose the best insurance company for you.

•     Keeps bones and joints in alignment

•     Decreases wearing of joint surfaces that could result in arthritis

•     Decreases the stress on the ligaments

•     Prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions

•     Prevents fatigue as muscles are being used more efficiently

•     Prevents strain or overuse problems

•     Prevents backache and muscular pain

•     Contributes to good appearance

 
Identifying Good Posture

Having correct posture means keeping each part of the body lined up, balanced and supported. You should be able to draw a straight line from the earlobe, through the shoulder, hip, knee and into the middle of the ankle. Here are some tips to train your body to sit and stand in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles:

•     Sit up with your back straight and your shoulders back

•     All three normal back curves should be present while sitting

•     Distribute your body weight evenly on both hips

•     Bend knees at a right angle with knees even with or slightly higher than hips

•     Keep feet flat on the floor

•     Adjust chair height and work station so you can sit close to your work

•     Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk and relax shoulders

The above advice should add to your overall health. The better your health is, the better your term life insurance premium will be. Now that’s something to stand tall about.