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We feel it. When our circulatory system is up to par and running the way it should, we look and feel energized, strong, and mentally sharp. Once our blood circulation hits a snag, that’s when we begin to feel that all isn’t right anymore.
Good blood circulation ensures that all our organs are being served oxygen and the nutrients we ingest and need. Poor circulation on the other hand means that blood flow is slowed down or blocked because one or more obstructions in the blood vessels restricts the amount and rate of blood flow to the various areas of the body. As the circulatory system is the primary means of nutrient and oxygen conveyance to the cells, a functional deterioration disables the body’s healthy or optimal operation.

When Blood Circulation is Poor

One major cause of poor circulation is plaque build-up in the arterial and capillary walls. As more fat or plaque forms, the less room blood has to flow at a certain healthy rate. In the early stages, one will be able to feel some discomfort such as tingling, numbness, stinging pain, or throbbing sensations in the arms or legs. As the build-up progresses and blood flow restriction increases, the discomfort can develop into full blown diseases, some of which can turn life-threatening if the circulation problem is not mitigated.
Poor blood circulation can either be the cause or the effect these health problems:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Varicose veins
• Leg ulcers
• Blood clots
• Haemorrhoids
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Organ and tissue damage

Diabetes can cause poor blood circulation as well. A diabetic patient may feel cramping in the legs as well as pain in the calves, thighs, and buttocks. Those with advanced diabetes however may not significantly feel the symptoms of poor circulation because diabetic neuropathy can reduce symptomatic feelings in the limbs.
Obesity also poses the problem of poor circulation. Excessive weight puts stress on the body and compromises your blood vessels.
Chronic prolonged sitting can develop poor circulation. Sitting for over three hours at a time involves very little muscle movement. Inactivity slows down blood movement. The persistent occurrence of sluggish blood movement allows fatty acids to accumulate in the blood vessels which eventually lead to elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure. This is why sedentary people are usually at high risk of developing a number of cardiovascular related illnesses.
People who live in cold climates are likely to experience poor circulation as well with Reynaud’s disease. Reynaud’s causes fingers and toes to feel numb, painful, or spiked with pins and needles. In cold weather, the blood vessels temporarily narrow and restrict the flow of blood. The phenomenon can make fingers and toes turn to white, then, blue, and then back to pinkish as the blood flows again. It can also occur on nipples, lips, nose, and ears. Reynaud’s is not so much a debilitating illness but it can affect one’s quality of life.
Pregnancy may also cause poor blood circulation. A developing baby demands a lot of nutrition which can take a toll on the mother’s circulation. A pregnant woman may need to move more in order to keep the rate of blood movement up and adequate to serve both mother and foetus’ needs.

How to Improve Blood Circulation

It is important to treat a problematic blood circulatory system at its early stage in order to significantly decrease the risk of serious health complications. When caught early, poor blood circulation is still treatable. Left on its own though, it festers to allow blood clot formation and the development of other threats to the cardiovascular system.

Get Moving

Since we want the blood to circulate at a faster and stronger rate, a good portion of treating poor blood circulation goes to Exercise; yes, with a capital E. And there’s no two ways about this. Aerobic exercise is particularly important to upkeep cardiovascular and metabolic health. Physical activity keeps the heart muscles strong enough to maintain the circulatory system at optimum performance. This is why exercise must be incorporated in one’s lifestyle just as eating and resting are.

Eating Right

Aside from exercise, taking care of one’s diet is of paramount importance for maintaining good circulation. You may know the usual admonition to increase fruit and vegetable servings, curb sodium and sugar intake, can the transfats and processed foods, and drink to hydrate well. In addition to these, it would be best to incorporate certain foods into your diet are particularly good for blood circulation. These are:

Beets

Beets and beet juice have inorganic nitrates that turn into nitric oxide when consumed. Nitric oxide widens the blood vessels which allow blood to flow more freely thereby improving its oxygen and nutrient delivery and regulation of blood pressure.

Grapeseed

Grapeseed or seeds of grapes are rich in antioxidants. Grapeseed extract has been known to strengthen the blood vessel network, mainly the arteries, capillaries, and veins. Because of this, grapeseed may help prevent the onset of hypertension, a condition of chronic high blood pressure.
Foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids
Wild Alaskan salmon, chia seeds, and soybeans are some of the top foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 helps increase good HDL cholesterol in the blood which assists in picking up triglycerides and other bad cholesterol for processing and excretion by the liver. More HDL cholesterol presence in the blood means less opportunity for the formation of bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. HDL also cleans up pre-existing bad cholesterol deposits along the blood vessels.
Say Sayonara to Cigarette and Alcohol Habits
Smoking damages blood vessel lining and restricts the transport of oxygen to cells. Long term heavy drinking can weaken the heart and therefore drastically reduce the rate at which blood and the nutrients it carries can reach cellular tissue. Both vices may ensure that some areas of the body may not get enough blood. This can lead to organ and tissue damage or degeneration.
Good blood circulation is one of the keys to health and longevity. Take care of yourself today so you may reap the benefits of living a life of good quality tomorrow.

Keeping Safe from Blood Sugar Dysregulation

Experiencing high blood sugar or low blood sugar problems? If you feel drowsy after meals, get irritated and hungry 2-3 hours after a meal, or crave strongly for sweet desserts or snacks, then you have joined the ever increasing crowd of people with problems of blood sugar imbalances. In most cases, you can point a finger at the modern diet, often the culprit behind metabolic syndrome and blood sugar dysregulation.
Blood sugar dysregulation, also known as dysglycemia, simply means the inability of the body to regulate or maintain healthy blood sugar levels. In this case, a person with blood sugar dysregulation can either have high blood sugar levels, low blood glucose levels, or a fluctuation between both conditions.

What is Blood Sugar?

Another term for blood sugar is blood glucose. Glucose is the substance taken from the food we eat and converted into energy for the cells. Carbohydrates are a source of glucose which is processed in the digestive system and directly released into the bloodstream. Glucose in the blood triggers the pancreatic action of insulin release which allows the cells to receive or absorb the energy-giving glucose. It is normal after each meal for our blood sugar levels to rise and then settle down after an hour. A meal spikes blood sugar levels but insulin action and cell absorption balances out the glucose volume after a time.

When Does Blood Sugar Dysregulation Happen?

A person afflicted with blood sugar dysregulation either experiences chronic high blood glucose levels, low blood sugar levels, or fluctuate between these two conditions. When the body fails to regulate its blood sugar movements at healthy levels, things rapidly go south. Dysglycemia is often a precursor to diabetes. This condition often causes other health issues too such as immune system dysfunction, metabolic fatigue, and hormonal imbalances.
Chronic high blood sugar or hyperglycaemia can in the long run lead to blindness, erectile dysfunction, renal disease, and other serious conditions. Chronic hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar can spell kidney disorders, hepatitis, and problems with the endocrine system.
When a person chronically consumes a diet high in processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and sugary foods, he raises his blood sugar levels drastically all the time. The pancreas is tasked to meet this radical rise by pumping matching levels of insulin so that a large volume of glucose can enter the cells. Over time, the chronic elevated levels of insulin exhaust the cells so that they start refusing to absorb insulin and therefore become insulin resistant. When cells become insulin resistant, glucose is refused entry into them as well. There is now excess glucose in the blood and the person is now afflicted with high blood sugar or hyperglycaemia. Because the body will always try to metabolise excess sugar, it converts these excesses into triglycerides to be stored as fat.
On the other hand, chronic radical increases in blood glucose levels often sees hypoglycaemic (those prone to blood sugar levels lower than normal) crashing midday or a few hours after a meal. With more insulin opening cell doors to the higher volume of glucose in the blood, the cells tend to absorb more glucose and leave the bloodstream depleted of much of it. The body is then depleted of its energy source and goes into a crash. This phenomenon is termed reactive hypoglycaemia. Hypoglycaemics experience loss of energy, a constant craving for sweets, loss of focus, and even poor memory.
In both cases, blood sugar dysregulation leads to insulin resistance in the long haul causing huge issues over weight control, diabetes, and cardiovascular health.

Signs of a Blood Sugar Imbalance

Detecting the signs of an impending blood sugar imbalance is important to avoid problems of high or low blood glucose conditions later on. People need to be aware of the following symptoms so that early corrections can be made:

• Extra fat in trunkal area. Increasing girth or fat quantities at the torso is a sign that all is not too well. Usually the quantity of abdominal fat is a dead give-away; but, be also aware that fat at the torso includes upper body areas such as back and shoulder blade sections.
• Dark skin on jawline, neck, armpits or under the breasts. Elevated insulin levels cause this condition called acanthosis nigricans.
• Buffalo hump. A hump of fat at the base of the neck and between the shoulder blades can signal elevated blood glucose levels.
• Gynecomastia. Colloquially, gynecomastia is known as "man boobs". Increased blood sugar level can trigger an enzyme to change the male hormone, testosterone, to the female hormone, oestrogen. Such as action promotes growth of male breast tissue.
• Lab results showing either elevated or below normal blood glucose levels. It is important to get at least a yearly blood glucose test.
However, what if you are already having an imbalance? Here are some tell-tale signs that could alert you to whether you have a high or low blood sugar count.

Signs of Hyperglycaemia (High Blood Sugar)

Symptoms for hyperglycaemia include:

• Dry mouth
• Chronic thirst
• Chronic urination
• Suppressed appetite in the early stages; increased appetite later on
• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue, lethargy
• Weakness
• Difficulty waking up; drowsiness

Signs of Hypoglycaemia (Low Blood Sugar)

Hypoglycaemia symptoms list the following:

• Pallid face
• Tremors
• Tingling lips
• Palpitations, rapid heart rate
• Anxiety, panic
• Sweating
• Disorientation
• Drunken-like behaviour
• Cognitive impairment such as loss of concentration, impaired memory
• Paranoid and aggressive disposition
In diabetic patients, the condition of low blood sugar is dangerous as this increases the risk of death.

Tips for Balancing Blood Sugar Levels

As an ounce of prevention is always worth more than a ton of cure, the best way to make sure of maintaining your blood sugar at an even keel is to incorporate these suggestions into your lifestyle:

• Eat right. Minimize or best, eradicate your diet of processed, refined, and high sugar foods. A diet low in vegetable intake and high on junk food is the quickest way to destroying your body’s ability to regulate its glucose volume.
• Regular exercise. This improves insulin signalling.
• Decrease stress. Chronic stress invokes the chronic release of the hormone, cortisol. When cortisol lingers too long in the body, it elevates blood sugar levels. Its constant activity can cause blood sugar dysregulation.
• Avoid the habit of skipping meals. Chronic blood sugar crashes because of long intervals without fuel sources (food) plays havoc on the metabolic system.
These suggestions are but a short list and it would be good to be aware of more healthy habits. Keeping your blood sugar levels at a healthy balance most of the time actually just boils down to maintaining a wholesome and healthy lifestyle.

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Grow Your Own Vegetables and Herbs for Health

A garden full of flowers is an aesthetic pleasure; but a vegetable patch at one side of your backyard is both functional and rewarding, health-wise. There is nothing like eating fresh food. Whether these are cooked or eaten raw, taste and texture are a gustatory delight compared to food that has sat in freezers for days before it sees your plates.
The taste of a succulent tomato right off the vine is simply divine than that of one picked from a freezer shelf in a supermarket. Vegetables and herbs are sensitive to taste and nutritional breakdowns when exposed in their picked state uneaten for many hours. For people particular about what goes into their mouths, it makes sense to grow their own food. One can start with a vegetable and herb garden.
While the thought of gardening may make a lot of people balk at the idea, growing your own vegetables and herbs is really not that complicated. That is, if you choose the right plants, have some time on your hands, the will to eat healthy, and some good advice.
The health benefits of gardening for your table may be worth the effort. Growing your own vegetables and herbs can encourage one to…

Get More Servings of Fruit and Vegetables in the Diet

Did you know that cucumbers, peppers, pumpkin, squash, and tomatoes are technically fruits? This is why fruits, aside from veggies, can be your garden crop and ultimately a large part of your nutrition.
Grow the vegetables/fruits/herbs that favour your palate. Your efforts at cultivating your food will prompt you to savour more of it. Plus home-grown plant foods are so much tastier than store-bought ones because these are consumed fresh with all the nutrition intact as soon as they are harvested. Great tasting veggies equal more demand for them, right?

Trim that Waistline

Depending on your crops and garden size, gardening can be hard work. If you have the advantage of large garden size, you may achieve a caloric deficit akin to gym exercise with activities such as planting and mulching. Carrying weight around the garden can count as resistance training so there you get exercise with two major benefits: a trimmer figure plus some horticultural accomplishments.

Improve Your Mental Health

Plants are a soothing balm to the spirit. Just looking at a beautiful garden can lift moods. Puttering about the garden can actually help relieve stress, lower blood pressure, and improve feelings of well-being.
The very activity of growing your own food is a mental boon. Gardening can be a meditative exercise which may distract a person, at least for the moment, from his hurts and depression and offer a sense of control over something. Growing one’s own vegetables---planting, cultivating, and finally seeing and tasting the fruits of one’s labours--also gives the gardener a sense of personal accomplishment that goes a long way to shoring up flagging egos or self-esteem.

Have Control over What You Eat

You grow it, you control it. When you pick up a head of lettuce at the supermarket, you don’t really know what went into growing it. You also do not know how your food was handled until it was dumped on that shelf for your consumption.
With your home-grown vegetables and herbs, however, you know exactly what fertilizers or pest control measures you applied on your plants. You have control over when to harvest your produce and what to do with these. In addition, you garner some peace of mind that what you and your family eat from your garden is safe and healthy.

Make and Eat Home-Preserved Food

It is painful to see part of your harvest go to waste especially if you worked hard on growing this yourself. You are apt to cut down on food wastage by making your own home-made preserves. These preserves can be produced in the form of jams and fermented food.
Fermented food has presently gained popularity as a healthy addition to one’s diet. Healthy fermented food does not refer to the pickled variety you find on grocery shelves. These refer to the home-made probiotic kind only the right fermentation process with lactic-producing bacteria can make. Fermented food lends a lot of health mileage to our gut by enhancing the flora balance within our digestive system. A healthy gut often translates to an overall healthy physical system.
Growing your own vegetables and herbs need not be complicated and you don’t need the acreage. If you lack a backyard, a community garden can be the answer. You can also grow some vegetable varieties and herbs in pots.
Get your fingers green by learning more about the hobby of vegetable and herb gardening. Tomatoes, carrots, basil, and green beans make great starter crops for budding green thumbs. So, go ahead and grow your own salad. You will probably never go back to the store-bought variety.

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How to Use Anxiety to Your Advantage

As they say, when life gives you lemons, make great lemonade. Should your lemon be anxiety, squeeze it to your advantage instead of wallowing in its sour taste.
Anxiety can hew its way down a destructive path if you allow it. Endless worrying without action will get you nowhere good but on the road to depression. There are ways however to harness its stimulating effect to great benefit.
Only a few have discovered how to channel the destructive power of anxiety for considerable personal advantage. These are people who seem to thrive on stress and pressure. How do these people leverage a liability to perform as an asset? The answer is the willingness to accept a paradigm shift in how we perceive anxiety. What you must do is see anxiety as an asset for improvement and change rather than an overwhelming liability.
Turn anxiety on its head by using this energy on nervous worrying as fuel for taking positive, concrete actions. Incorporate these changes and see if you can turn the tables on a liability and gain some mental toughness as an added bonus.

Use Anxiety as a Kick-Starter for Assessment or Change

The emotion of anxiety has not evolved for nothing. It is one component in our “fight-or-flight” response that kicks in when threats are perceived. Just as anger compels us to stick up for ourselves and jealousy prods us to guard our territory, anxiety can be seen as our radar for taking stock of our current situations or circumstances. Are we doing okay or aren’t we? Will the satisfactory state of our status quo continue 5 years from now? 10 years? Anxiety provokes us to imagine worst case scenarios. It is up to us to use this as a kick-starter for change ...to plan, prepare, modify, improve, or try harder to better our odds of lowering risks and succeeding.
Channelling your anxiousness towards improving yourself instead of letting it lead you around a loop of increasing self-doubt is an effective way of avoiding debilitating anxiety, the kind that binds you in overwhelming fear and inaction. In other words, use anxiety as a motivator to push yourself toward self-improvement.
Let’s take a scenario: Your group thinks you have the knowledge and the experience to make a presentation to a crowd on their behalf. Problem is, you are afraid of public speaking and have never had much experience with this activity. In light of this situation, you get all these overwhelming, anxious thoughts… What if I freeze onstage? What if I forget what to say? What if I bore people? What if I don’t succeed getting my group’s message across? When these glum thoughts start raising their ugly heads, challenging your fears and doubts with logical reasoning may put these in perspective. Why not ask yourself: Is my topic interesting? If it is interesting to me, won’t I project that interest in sharing it? Are people in my group going to help me? Won’t I have cue cards to help me find my place? You just may find that a lot of your fears may be blown out of proportion, which should encourage you to know that you may do more than just fine.

Use Anxiety to be Active

All those jittery feelings need to be expelled safely somewhere. When you are starting to get all keyed up, why not use the energy of anxiousness on exercise? There’s nothing like a brisk walk or a run around the block to tamp down those nerves. Plus, you get to keep your body in good shape as well. Exercise releases those feel-good chemicals called endorphins which induces the euphoric “runner’s high,” mood-lifters that lower anxiety and depression. Because exercise with its mood-lifting hormones makes you feel good, moving may make you see things in perspective and realize that they really aren’t as bad as they seem. So the next time your nerves start to get the better of you, lace up and get those endorphins flowing.

Use Anxiety to Do Something New

Anxiety can paralyse you to inaction with all the fear and doubt it engenders. To break the stasis, use your nerves as an excuse to go into a new hobby. It doesn’t have to cost much. Hobbies like gardening, painting, collecting music, and baking bread can ease your mind off your trepidations and divert focus to learning new skills. Alternatively, you can use all that energy for worrying toward helping others. Doing volunteer work for a children’s ward at your local hospital or even just helping a friend move house will help take the focus away from yourself. Another plus side to helping others is the reward of feeling some accomplishment and purpose, another positive side effect of going outside of one’s self and garnering some goodwill in the process.

Follow Anxiety with Anger

It is strange to hear advice to assuage one negative emotion with another; but for some people, this works. Anger directed at one’s self is used as a challenge to check one’s inability for making decisions stemming from anxiousness. Chronic avoidance or procrastination of decisions and tasks may give way to more stress. Of course not all outcomes of decisions will be positive; but acting and taking risks instead of freezing from inaction may help us learn from experience. Our experiences will help strengthen our mettle when more adverse events or disappointments occur later in life.
Anxiety should be perceived as one’s motivator to being proactive rather than just reactive. If you are afraid that a colleague may be better than you at the job, then put in the extra time to improve your skills. Anxiety does not always have to be a debilitating factor. See it as a challenge and a stimulator. Once you recognize its motivational value, you can make anxiety work for you, not against you.
References:

• http://www.businessinsider.com/how-productive-people-turn-anxiety-and-fear-into-an-advantage-2013-2

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/11731837/Make-anxiety-work-for-you-How-to-use-overthinking-to-your-advantage.html