Competition motivates everyone to excel and outperform our peers, especially when it comes to sports. Since not all sports are created equal we have found the top 10 healthiest sports that provide a low risk for causing serious injury and a high payoff in physical and mental health benefits.

Using different resources such as the internet, library, industry literature and Samir Becic’s knowledge as one of the leading health and fitness experts in the U.S., we were able to narrow down the 10 healthiest sports based on studies and research.

Here are the Top 10 sports that can improve overall fitness and capacity:

Swimming

Swimming is not only a complete physical workout; it is also an awesome sport for your heart and a low-stress activity. It keeps you at a healthy body weight since it burns lots of calories, improves lung capacity, and builds muscular strength and endurance. On top of that, swimming is the perfect year-round sporting activity since it can be done at an indoor pool, outdoor pool, or beach.

Tennis

This is one of the best aerobic exercises on par with jogging and cycling. You can burn up to 600 calories while playing one hour of tennis. All the little but fast movements like sprints, pivots, slams, makes you exert energy in short but powerful bursts. Tennis increase arm strength, coordination, and cardiovascular health.

Rowing

Research shows that the rowing has numerous health benefits including effective weight loss, a low risk of injury, and increased muscle strength. Though originally an outdoor activity, Rowing can be done and enjoyed indoors on a rowing machine.

Wrestling

Wrestling is a great sport to develop physical fitness skills as well as useful self-defence mechanisms. Womens wrestling training has increased in popularity due to its practical benefits and anyone can participate in freestyle wrestling for fun and fitness. The amazing stunts and movements in wrestling improve joint and body mobility, aid weight loss and contribute to overall fitness and coordination.

Squash

Squash has been labelled as the #1 healthiest sport in the world many years in a row by Forbes. Not only does it burns calories, increases aerobic fitness, boosts flexibility, develops strength and power, it also improves hand-eye coordination. It also improves social skills and interaction when played on a team or as doubles.

Basketball

Though playing basketball may take a lot of your energy, it is very beneficial since it builds endurance and improves balance and coordination. Research shows that it increases spatial awareness, develops concentration and self-discipline, builds bone strength, great for cardiovascular health, and builds up confidence. It also fosters great teamwork and sportsmanship skills when played competitively.

Cycling

Every year, cycling events and races take place in May and June, the typical season for cycling. You don’t need to compete in order to enjoy cycling. Cycling classes are fun and available everywhere, you can cycle outdoors with a group or take indoor spin classes at your local gym. Not only does cycling increases cardiovascular fitness, boosts muscle strength and flexibility, it also makes you happier and makes your brain stronger.

Cross-Country Skiing

Skiing in the Nordic mountains has been known as a great physical activity since it burns more calories than any other form of exercise or sport. Athletes burn up to 1,122 calories per hour of vigorous mountaineering! Cross-country skiing is a proven full-body workout which is uniquely effective. Studies suggest that skiers are about 40 percent fitter than physically fit individuals.

Running

Age is not a limitation for this physical activity, anyone can take it up. It’s not only fun but also very beneficial. Regular runners have a lower risk for bone and muscle loss as they age compared to those who do not run regularly or at all. The physical demands of the sport make bones grow and become stronger. It is also great for mental and overall physiological health. Endorphins are released when running which the famed “runner’s high.”

Volleyball

Volleyball got included on the list for the healthiest sports because of its many benefits. This includes increased metabolic rate, improved agility, enhances coordination, and boosts mood and it is also very effective in burning calories.

Gymnastics

This sport requires the athletes to be in a good physical condition. With all the stunts to be performed, this sport can improve overall fitness, strength, balance and body control. A gymnast must utilise all his mental and physical facilities in order to win the competition. Gymnastics does not only offer physical gains; it is beneficial for improving concentration and mental focus. It also provides children a range of physical, mental, emotional and social benefits.

It doesn’t matter what sport you want to participate in as long as you enjoy it while reaping its health benefits and supporting this by consuming plenty of balanced meals such as buying daily prepared take home meals to enjoy.

We have come a long way and it is time to observe the great accomplishments in women’s health. Nonetheless, it is time to highlight the greatest health concerns women around the world face and devise plans on how to overcome these obstacles. Listed below are just ten of the main issues about women’s health:

Cancer: Two of the most frequent cancers affecting women are cervical and breast cancers. Discovering these two cancers early is vital to keeping women healthy and alive. The most recent global statistics show that roughly half a million women die from cervical cancer along with also half a million in breast cancer every year. The huge majority of those deaths occur in low and middle-income countries where screening and therapy are nearly non-existent, and in which vaccination against human papilloma virus should take hold.

Reproductive health: Sexual and reproductive health issues are responsible for a third of wellness problems for females between the ages of 15 and 44 years of age. Unsafe sex is a significant risk factor especially among women and women in developing nations. It is therefore essential to acquire services for the millions of women who do not have adequate access to contraception and health services. In the first world, it is important to break the stigma associated with urinary incontinence treatments as many women suffer from this and should be able to seek help.

Maternal Wellness: Countless women are taking advantage of great improvements maternal health during pregnancy and childbirth which have been put into action over the past decades. However, those advantages don’t extend everywhere and several women still die from complications in pregnancy and childbirth. The majority of these deaths might have been averted if they have access to family planning and basic health services.

HIV: Too many young women still struggle to shield themselves against sexual transmission of HIV and to find the treatment they need. Additionally, this leaves them especially vulnerable to tuberculosis – one of the primary causes of death in low-income nations.

Sexually transmitted diseases: I have already mentioned the importance of protecting against HIV and human papillomavirus (HPV) disease (the planet’s most frequent STI). Nonetheless, it’s also important to do a much better job of preventing and treating diseases like gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and syphilis. Treatment should be more widely available and education should be delivered on how to prevent transmission.

Violence against women and girls: Girls can be subject to a range of different kinds of violence, but sexual and physical abuse — either by a spouse or somebody else — is especially invidious. It is important for health workers to be more attentive to violence in order that they can help stop that, in addition, to provide support to individuals who encounter it.

Emotional Wellness: Studies and evidence show that women are more likely to experience mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety and somatic complaints, than men. Depression is the most common mental health issue for women and suicides a top cause of death for women under 60. Helping sensitise women to mental health difficulties, and providing them the confidence to find help, is essential. Mental instability can lead to further health concerns and problems such as negative self-image and the undertaking of cosmetic procedures such as labiaplasty and commonly these days many women undertake breast implants Melbourne.

Non-communicable ailments: In 2012, some 4.7 million women died from non-communicable ailments before they attained the age of 70, the majority of them in now- and middle-income nations. They died because of road traffic injuries, dangerous use of tobacco, misuse of alcohol, medications, and compounds, and obesity. Helping women and women embrace healthy lifestyles early on is essential to your long and healthier life.

Being young: Adolescent women face several sexual and reproductive health issues: STIs, HIV, and pregnancy. Approximately 13 million teenage women (under 20) give birth each year. Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death for all those young moms. Many suffer the effects of unsafe abortion.

Becoming elderly: The increasing trend of elderly people working from home, older women might have fewer pensions and benefits, less access to healthcare and social services compared to their male counterparts. Blend the larger risk of poverty along with different ailments of older age, for example, dementia, and older women have a greater chance of misuse and normally, inadequate health. There are other issues associated with ageing including social isolation and sensitive issues such as vaginal laxity.

While I lie awake thinking of women and their health concerns, I remind myself the planet has produced a great deal of progress and new developments lately. We all know more, and we’re becoming better at implementing our understanding at providing young women a fantastic start in life. Usage of solutions, particularly those for reproductive and sexual health, has grown in some countries. Significant variables that affect women’s health are school enrolment rates and increased political involvement of women have increased around the world.

As a nurse, doctor, pharmacist, dentist, optometrist, dermatologist, specialist or other healthcare professional personnel, you probably devote a large quantity of time with your patients. While physicians might get all the glory for their services, nurses and other healthcare providers are doing the real hard work as well. Due to your livelihood and personal traits, it’s possible that you already command trust and respect; for your skills and diligence. Nurses who increase the degree of contact you’ve got with your patients, developing a connection with them may provide huge advantages, such as helping you boost their quality of maintenance and making your task easier.

Building familiarity and trust with your own patients may cause them to feel comfortable and be much honest when speaking you with regarding their well-being. Additionally, as soon as you know a patient’s character, you will be better placed to notice changes which could be indicative of health issues, in addition, to understand how to maintain the patient combined and in great spirits.

Ensuring that you as a health professional has a good connection with all your patients is vital so they trust you and will return to your practice for service, especially if you provide non-essential services. Building trust is a key to maintaining a good practitioner-patient relationship for the long term.

1. Communicate Frequently and Adequately

Successful communication is the basis on which you’ll be able to develop trust with your patients and their families. Now you go through a getting-to-know-you stage with the individual which works better if you can easily set a snapshot of the life, like learning in their hobbies, friends, loved ones, and their day to day tasks and working atmosphere. An important part of becoming a fantastic contributor is obviously educating patients about the variety of health issues they’re facing. Talking through the healthcare process and steps with patients reassure them that they are in safe hands and shows them that you are knowledgeable and that you truly care. Being a fantastic listener is just as important, you ought to completely hear out all of the concerns and inquire follow up questions of your individual prior to arriving at any decision. Sometimes patients just need someone to talk to and to ask questions and understand the situation.

2. Express Empathy

You have to have the ability to empathise with your individual without being emotionally defeated. You might have a whole lot in mind, and the individual might not be the most pleasant person to be about, maybe as a result of anxiety, confusion, pain, along with other difficulties, but it is significant that being emotionally present while also not letting let their difficulties or mindset to affect you emotionally. Your purpose must be to link while still having a few partitions between you and exactly what the individual is experiencing. This also can help you make objective choices while advocating for the individual. You should express your emotions and sympathise whilst remaining professional and neutral at all times.

3. Job Calmness

As a nurse or other healthcare practitioner, you would like to come across as calm, capable, and in charge of the circumstance. Your confidence can help to reassure the individual that is as it ought to be. If a situation occurs that’s frightening to the individual, they can stay calm, confident that you’ve got it managed on their own behalf. Patients like to know that they are being looked after and treated properly, so it is your job to reassure them and provide information on treatment and opinions from higher practitioners. Try not to become frazzled and take on more than you can handle as this will lead to mistakes and stress for yourself and the patient. Ensure you understand the patients custom instruments which you may need to operate and are confident with using all other medical instruments that the patient may require. Building trust requires a calm and collected approach.

4. Research Your Industry

Do some personal research into what other practitioners are doing to build trust and rapport with their patients. Are they calling patients every week to check up on them? Are they asking specific questions as to what brand medications patients prefer? Are they simply super engaging and enthusiastic in conversations? Conduct a benchmark audit for your own practices and find areas for improvement. Researching you area and utilising best practice benchmarking will ensure you are not falling behind and gaining the trust of your health patients. It may even be worthwhile to undertake workshops with your team and encourage everyone to go to the next level in creating a healthy lasting trustworthy relationship with patients.

You probably know about the general things needed for a great health and fitness website, but then there are such characteristics which elevate the site better for the consumer and consequently make cash for your company. Whether you operate a fitness gym, offer weight training Sydney a health centre or great Sydney personal training your website is an asset.

What Your Gym Website is Missing!

There are a number of facets which will need to come together to earn a health and fitness site successful. You have to think about, layout, photography, copy-writing, share-ability, responsiveness, blogging and much more.

You can not single out one thing that will make a site successful. You can not have a fantastic SEO without fantastic digital copy-writing and website layout. A layout not only needs to be amazing with a great photography but in addition, it should be responsive. Most website platforms are customisable including craft websites. See the web agency that you created your website with for help if you are unsure.

All these are the five attributes many health and fitness websites are forgetting, if you would like a thriving gym site which always sends new folks to your fitness centre, then you have to employ these five attributes instantly.

Gym Reviews Page:

Individuals visiting your site wish to learn when you’ve got a fantastic health club and they’re not likely to take your own word for this. They should find other people saying favorable things about your fitness center to enhance confidence and trust in your physical fitness industry.

When a new movie comes out how frequently do you browse the testimonials? How about to get a product you are likely to purchase online? For restaurants, movie theatres, clothes shops, and any product or service offered you will find reviews.

Add a page to your fitness centre site in which you share with people all the favourable reviews your fitness centre has. These testimonials are from Facebook, Google Plus, Yelp, etc.. To reveal reviews, of course, you need to find some first. Request your associates to leave you an overview next time they’re visiting your gym.

Gym Blog:

A website offers new content to your site, and that is fantastic for SEO. A fitness website also provides pertinent new content to your however to become site traffic and present fitness centre members.

As a health club owner you need your site to become an actual representation of your fitness center and a non-active site may interpret to a non-active health club to your site traffic. Share with your neighborhood that there is a lot happening in your fitness center. Share blog articles on occasions which you might host, a new coach, healthy foods, fitness tips, weight loss ideas, whatever you think your loved ones and the overall people will like to see.

When doing blog copy-writing for your health centre write every post to your perfect member. Are you trying to find individuals attempting to eliminate weight or gain mass? Create your perfect buyer and compose every blog post for this buyer. Web sites are also a wonderful way to construct a fitness centre community on your site.

Wonderful gym member highlights:

This attribute falls based on testimonials. Folks are joining gyms since they get healthy, stay fit or becoming more self-confident. These are the overall few buckets that gym drop in. If you are aware that the vast majority of folks join your gym since they wish to eliminate weight, then discuss blog article updates featuring members which are losing a great deal of weight.

Show people visiting a site your exercise business delivers outcomes. Show evidence your members are happy and working towards their own goals successfully. All these wonderful member spotlights reach two important things. It attracts people to trust your health club and the outcomes your coaches deliver and it makes them think. Seeing someone else achieve or make progress towards a target that’s comparable to theirs will inspire them to behave.

Valuable free fitness e-books:

If you are searching to raise the number of individuals you’ve got access to your daily, weekly or yearly basis using your site to your benefit.

Provide visitors arriving at the fitness centre site valuable content provides they’d provide you their email address. The people that download the deal will wind up in your email list in which you cultivate them into gym members. These e-books may be about a subject that people currently likely to your fitness centre would discover valuable. For instance; should you possess a Cross Fit fitness centre you could offer an Olympic Weightlifting Training Guide.

This stage rolls well into our closing attribute.

Gym Email Marketing:

This isn’t a feature only on your site per se, but your site is what gets the ball rolling. I said in the prior stage your gym site should begin collecting email addresses. These speeches are about folks needing more info about your fitness centre, fitness information or healthful eating tips.

Once people get in your email list, you can not forget about that. You have to send them info weekly or month. The time periods have to be consistent, and the material must remain valuable. The target is to turn those email subscribers into fitness center members.

For those folks who are in your town, this will definitely keep your fitness centre top of thoughts. If they’re considering joining a fitness centre, they will probably consider yours if the time comes. Providing ongoing blog articles and e-books to the people on your email list will help keep them interested in your physical fitness industry over the competition.

In case you have yet to execute these five site features to your gym site the opportunity to begin is now!

As a fitness company proprietor, the significance of a gym site can seem overwhelming but when implemented and handled with a correct electronic strategy it’s going to have a huge influence on your company.

Most people tend to focus on other people and in doing so neglect their own wellbeing until they are at a point where they are feeling lost within themselves. Building your self-confidence and self-esteem is like undergoing a home renovation requiring structural timber beams as a foundation and the help of professional plumbing services to fix up the bits and bobs in the bathrooms and kitchen.  There are many areas that require attention, just like with a personals mental well-being.

Low self-esteem will leave you feeling quite down. Find out more about what causes reduced self-esteem and what you could do to repair it.

This will help if:

• You have low self-esteem
• You need to know what causes low self-esteem
• You need strategies to enhance your self-esteem.

What causes low self-esteem?

Fundamentally, self-esteem is the way you feel about our own skills. Your self-esteem, if it is high, low or somewhere in the middle, may have a fairly huge influence on your life.

In the case you’ve got low self-esteem, an important thing to do is try and determine what’s causing it. It might be associated with:

• Loneliness
• Bullying
• Poor academic performance
• Abuse or neglect
• Being jobless
• Something happening at a deeper level.

Occasionally it can be tough to recognize the root of your low self-esteem. Maybe you’ve never actually thought about it, or perhaps it’s hard to ascertain when it first began. Whether you understand just what’s causing it or not, there are steps you can take to build your confidence and enhance how you feel about yourself.

Here are 10 ways for improving your self-esteem

1. Positive self-talk

Should you keep telling yourself you are no good, you may just begin believing it, although it is not correct. Should you see that you frequently take part in unfavourable self-talk, have a look at some ways you are able to challenge your negative thinking and build your confidence levels.

2. Do not compare yourself to other people

It may be tempting to quantify your worth against other men and women. So what if your colleague is amazing at sport? You simply have to determine which it is you are good at. Everybody is great at something. What are your own strengths?

3. Movement and exercise

Moving your body via exercise or just movement, in general, can help to increase your mood. It is as simple as that. Exercising releases endorphins which create a feeling of positivity.

4. Do not aim for perfection

It is great that you may want to do things well, but remember that perfection is not realistic for anyone.

5. Do not beat yourself up when you make an error

Everybody in the world makes errors, it is basic human nature. Why should you be any different? If you stuff up, do not stress: simply learn from it and proceed.

6. Concentrate on the things you can alter

There is no point wasting all of your energy thinking about matters that you cannot change. Rather, have a think about a few of the things which are in your own ability to control and determine what you can do about these.

7. Do things you like

In the case where you do things you like, you are more inclined to think favourably. Schedule time daily for pleasure and comfort.

8. Celebrate the little stuff

You woke up on time. Tick. You poached your eggs. Winning. Celebrating the tiny successes is a fantastic and totally legitimate means to feel better on your own.

9. Be considerate and helpful

Being of aid to somebody is an excellent way to raise their mood, but you will also realize that you feel much better about yourself once you do something especially great for somebody else.

10. Surround yourself with supportive people

Do not hang around those that bring you down. Find individuals who make you feel great about yourself and avoid those who are inclined to activate your negative thinking. Think of these people like architectural timbers in a house, they are part structural but also bring out the best in the houses aesthetic.

There are a range of things that you can do in order to build your confidence. A number of them are only tiny modifications to your frame of mind; others you are going to need to work on to get a little more time to make them comfortable habits.

If it is about building self-confidence that you are after, consider these tips:

Look at what you have already attained

It’s easy to diminish confidence if you think you have not achieved anything. Create a listing of all of the things you are proud of in your life, whether it is getting a fantastic mark on a test or learning how to surf. Maintain a list close by and add to it if you do something you are proud of. When you are low in confidence, then pull the list out and use it to remind yourself of all of the wonderful stuff you have done.

Set some goals

Set some goals and put out the measures that you want to take to reach them. They do not need to be large goals; they could even be things such as baking a cake or even arranging a night out with friends. Just target a small accomplishment which you could tick off a list that will assist you in gaining confidence in your ability to get things done.

Get a hobby

Look for something which you’re really enthusiastic about. It could be photography, gaming, cooking, providing plumbing services or anything else. When you have worked out your hobby, commit to giving it a try. Odds are, if you are interested or passionate about a specific thing, you are more likely to be motivated and you’re going to build skills faster that way.

People have theorized that living close to the sea can benefit one’s health, but currently there is not much data to back this theory up. Here are five proven reason why you should move to the beach, not only to live in that coastal décor beach house you always wanted to move into, however by moving to the beach, could also benefit your health.

People have theorized that living close to the sea is beneficial for your health, and now there is data to back up that theory. According to a study conducted by the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Exeter in England, people who live near the sea are healthier than those who live inland. The report analyzed data from England’s 2001 census, comprising 48 million people. Taking into consideration age, sex, and socio-economic status, the results suggested that those who dwelt in the coast were in finer fettle than their non-coastal counterparts.

The study concluded that there was an association between going to the shore and total wellness an improvement of the beach move, but the direct researchers said that this sort of study couldn’t establish a direct cause and effect. But, previous scientific studies have concentrates on what exactly it is around the ocean that arouses well being. In any event, this seems like the perfect excuse to move to the shore that we have all been looking for.

Here are some reasons that beachfront living enhances health:

1. The Relax Factor

Do you know that feeling of comfort that overcomes your body when dig your feet in the sand? It is not in your head. The ocean has been shown to inspire creative thinking, decrease stress, and encourage compassionate thinking. Living at the beach also means you get to live in your dream beach house, filled with your favourite coastal interior design to make your home really feel like a holiday house for relaxation!

2. An Active Lifestyle

Living by the shore encourages physical activity, finally resulting in a healthier lifestyle, the Exeter study indicated. Why are people more active in the shore? The coastal beaches and paths promote outdoor activity, Dr. Michael White, the direct research on the Exeter study stated.

3. Breathing Fresh, Salt Air

There is not any better smell than fresh sea air, but begin taking deeper breaths at the beach since it is great for you, too. The salty sea air from the shore does wonders for the respiratory system and for those who suffer from asthma, bronchitis, sinus pressure, and coughing will see a difference in their condition after only 1 day at the shore. The ocean air truly is the best medicine!

4. Extra Vitamin D

The reflection of sunlight from the sand and the sea is a superb way to receive your daily dose of vitamin D. provided that you are smothered in SPF sunscreen, getting some sunshine everyday is good for your well being. Vitamin D from sunlight enhances pancreatic protection, increases endorphins, reduces the risk of cancer, and enhances bone health. According to research performed by the King’s College London’s Institute of Dermatology, skin absorbs vitamin D in sunlight even with sunscreen – so pile it on and get outdoors!

5. Swimming in Salt Water

There is no greater healer than salt water. Swimming in the sea enhances the immune system, hydrates skin, and boosts circulation. Seawater that is rich in magnesium also continues to be demonstrated to relax muscles and helps induce sleep. And as swimming in one of the best forms of exercise, you are better off paddling round the ocean than at the pool.

Exercising for at least 30 minutes each day can have a massive influence on your long-term health. But this is hard when you are working in fulltime occupation, running a business, and even tougher when you have moved overseas. Here are a few tips for staying healthy when you are working full time in a different country.

Find a helper for your business
If you manage a business, the best way to ease your stress and to stay healthy is to hire someone worthy of your position. Whether it is hiring an online business coaching business, or hire new staff to manage your workload. Perhaps try to take a business coaching program to lead your business to success, and your health!

Join a gym
There might be a gym near your work, or you could even have access to gym facilities on the job. Many businesses now offer fitness facilities on site for their employees to use to maintain their health whilst working long hours during the day. Therefore, if you exercise before work, on your lunch break, or earlier you go home, factoring just thirty minutes into your working day will have a substantial effect on your health, fitness, and general mood during your working day.

Maintain your gym shoes in your car
Small reminders can make a major difference to keeping healthy. For Example, it can be a great idea to keep your gym bag in the car, or at work so you are prepared to go out and be active on your short break! In case you need to go home to change and collect your gym essentials, there is a possibility you will just stay there.

Cycle to work
When it is cold outside, and you own a vehicle in the driveway, it is easy to see why a lot people jump in the car to drive to work. Driving to work is normally the easiest option concerning punctuality, particularly for anyone who has a lengthy commute beforehand, and can mean being stuck in traffic! However, if it is realistic, you can beat the traffic and improve your health by biking to work. This is an excellent means of factoring exercise in your working day, even if it is just a few days a week.

Take your time
Even little changes can have an enormous effect on your health. So when you first start exercising, it is important that you pace yourself and take it easy, slowly progress to a harder training methods as you become more confident with your sporting skills. Commitment is great, but you do not need to burn yourself out in the early phases of your fitness journey. Begin by heading to the gym a few times a week and, as your fitness levels improve, you may then begin to work out more frequently. Take things slowly and give your body time to adjust to your new regime. Even taking a brief walk in your lunch break can make a significant difference.

Use fitness programs
There are many exciting and innovative fitness programs that are fantastic for keeping you motivated during the day and ensuring that you stick with your regime. When you have got a thousand and one things to consider, anything will help. There are also many programs that help you to monitor your workouts and Keep count of how many measures you have taken during the day.

Pack your lunch
Nutrition is a massive part of staying healthy. Many people work on big business websites or in inner city locations, and are surrounded by an enormous number of fast food outlets, and this can result to eating unhealthy everyday. Try to pack your lunch when it is possible, as you are not only saving your health but also your pockets! Taking your lunch to work each day helps to avoid the requirement of buying food near the workplace. To ensure that you don’t forget, always prepare your meals the night before for an easier morning.

It is difficult to think that there was once a time when people just walked around aimlessly with their bare feet, regardless of what the terrain or temperature was like. These days, you’d fight to make it down the street without passing many shoe shops, boasting plenty of designer strappy heels, on-trend sneakers and seasonal specials.

Though your health may not be the very first thing to spring into your mind while you peruse the office sales, scroll endlessly through the most recent ASOS sale or queue for hours to get a set of Yeezys, the shoes we wear are now fundamental to our everyday wellbeing. Ergonomically designed sneakers, or footwear which does not fit correctly, can give rise to quite a few of brief and long-term health issues that affect different components of our whole body, therefore it is essential to be clued up on what you are putting on your own feet.

Michael Ratcliffe, Podiatrist in Carnation Footcare, states that the three major purposes of shoes would be to shield our toes, empower us to walk where we want and supply a sense of relief and relaxation once we are on our toes for long periods of time. Whether you are coaching a soccer team on the field all afternoon or are in the business of commercial property sales, then you need to have the correct footwear on all day.

Short-term problems

Ill-fitting shoes can lead to damage to your feet almost instantly. A number of the more common conditions include:

Corns

Corns are a ‘plug’ of tough, dead skin which exist within a bony prominence, like a joint. They are frequently brought on by prolonged pressure into the particular area, usually from poorly fitting footwear.

It normally includes a punctate, discrete form and can be extremely painful when pressure is put on the area. Corns can be difficult or soft (and, where they exist between the feet, moist) and may contain blood vessels or nerve fibres. Long-standing corns may be firmly connected to deeper soft tissues, making them hard to fully eliminate.

Shoes which are overly loose may allow your foot to slip and rub, or styles that put excessive strain on a particular section of the foot will be the most likely contenders to trigger corns.

Nail issues

Nail and fungal infections are really common in the United Kingdom, having an estimated 16 percent of all Europeans believed to be afflicted by some kind of infection. Ingrown toenails, form if the sides of the nail pierce the surrounding epidermis, are a nuisance and may cause pain. Wearing socks and shoes which don’t fit correctly and are overly tight in areas around the toe pressure to the surfaces of the feet and may push the skin to the nail plate. Furthermore, cutting your toenails erroneously (neither directly across nor at a gentle curve) and cutting down the sides of your nail may put your toe in danger of an ingrown toenail.

Furthermore, fungal toenail infections are not just gruesome in causing discolouration and brittleness of the nail, however, they are also able to affect out self-esteem and in rare cases can lead to additional complications where the infection is spread. Trauma, possibly one incident or repeated minor episodes (due to tight footwear), may lift the nail in the nail bed giving ordinary skin home organisms a portal of entry to the nail bed and thicker base of the nail plate at the place where they can flourish.

Preventing the use of tight hosiery and footwear, which could harm the nail via meticulous injury and generate a moist environment where the fungal spores may flourish, can assist in preventing fungal toenail infections.

Athlete’s foot

Athlete’s foot is brought on by a dermatophyte, a bacterial species residing on the epidermis. It triggers intense itching, inflammation and flaking of the skin, also is concurrently unsightly, embarrassing and extremely infectious. This illness impacts the moist and sweaty regions of the foot, especially between the feet and the toe webbing spots (particularly in tight-fitting shoes which attract the feet in near proximity to each other for the length of wearing these shoes) and frequently beneath the inner arch of the foot.

This illness can spread and be caught while walking barefoot in a place where others have also not worn shoes. Great foot hygiene and application of an antifungal lotion will help, it’s very important to deal with this illness before it spreads into your toenails.

Taking preventative Measures

Finding the correct preventive measures for long-term damage to your feet is like looking through commercial real estate listings, there are a lot and only a few will apply to you. The biggest preventative measure is to simply be more conscious of the footwear that you purchase, and how many times you wear a specific style is important. Some things you should be looking out for if treating yourself to a brand new pair of sneakers include:

• Make sure there’s enough space at the front of your sneakers (the ‘toe box’) to wiggle your feet freely. If the shoe would be to tight here then you place yourself in danger of compression numbness and lesions.
• Ideally, your shoes need to have a fastening of some type, which let you adjust the fit of your shoe if needed.
• The top region of the shoe needs to be made from natural substances for overall flexibility, comfort and durability.
• Cushioning within the shoe is excellent for comfort as well as to decrease the jolting effect when landing on your heels and moving off from the balls of your toes whilst walking.
• When you buy shoes online make sure they fit correctly, if not simply return or exchange them. It may be of hassle now but it will save you in the long run.

Busy professionals cannot waste one minute of the day. Our bodies need energy to keep moving. If you frequently work during lunch and go hours without so much as breaking for a snack, you may have difficulty focusing and receiving results from the job you are doing.

There are a number of things you can do to keep yourself healthy while you’re powering through your day. Only a few straightforward changes can make a significant difference in your energy levels, in addition to your overall health.

1. Do not skip breakfast.

As you’re running out the door to your early-morning meeting, the final thing you are considering is stopping for breakfast. But breakfast skipping has been linked with an increase in diabetes and obesity risks, in addition to morning moodiness.

2. Make it convenient.

You probably find you have very little time to stop by the grocery store, especially during the workweek. There are businesses that give you the luxury of bringing fresh food from local farmers straight to your home and workplace, saving you a trip to the store or farmer’s market. When fresh fruit and vegetables are delivered to your door there are no excuses not to eat healthy.

3. Prepare Beforehand.

One of the greatest things you can do is prepare snacks and foods for your day until you depart in the morning, especially if you’ll be working through lunch. However, what if there’s rarely time to put a meal together in the morning? It is possible to solve this issue by setting time aside over the weekend to prepare meals and snacks for the week. Purchase plastic containers that can be refrigerated or frozen and picked up each morning on the way from the door.

4. Invest in grab-and-go snacks.

Look around your office. If there’s nothing to bite on, you can end up shrugging off your appetite for hours or worse, going down the hall to the vending machine. Buy healthy snack-size foods like boxes of raisins or healthy granola bars.

5. Don’t work and eat.

Multitasking was proven to be devastating to the waistline. Instead of distractedly munching on a salad as you’re working on a proposal, place your work aside and concentrate entirely on your own meal. Even better, take your lunch outdoors on a great day and combine the advantages of fresh air with savouring your food. You will get a more pleasurable eating experience and return to your desk feeling refreshed.

6. Eat and interact

While distracted eating could possibly be awful, socialising has its own health benefits. Schedule lunch meetings as often as possible to make sure that you get a good midday meal in. You may use the opportunity to take team members offsite to acquire their thoughts, meet with clients or community with co-workers.

7. Stay hydrated.

Whether you like the taste of it or not, water is an important part of good health. Consider having an in-office water cooler to make it easy for you and your colleagues to stay hydrated throughout the day. If that isn’t a possibility, maintain a small refrigerator in your office to hold bottled water.

8. Choose healthful options at restaurants.

Eating out is inevitable for a busy worker, but you don’t have to settle for fatty fast food choices. Virtually all restaurant chains have healthy dining options to entice health-conscious clients. To play it safe, stay with grilled instead of fried and select sides such as fruits, soups, and salads over fries or onion rings. Consider eating fresh organic foods as opposed to even canned fruit or vegetables.

9. Make family dinners a priority.

Evening foods are an important time for families. Ensure you’re home every evening in time to talk with your spouse or your family over a meal. If you’re single, schedule routine get-togethers with friends where you enjoy a healthy meal. This will allow you to maintain a healthy work-life.

If you are considering buying a shiny new Apple Watch Series 2, you may be asking yourself if it can really allow you to get fit. Particularly if you’ve noticed the current headlines claiming that fitness trackers do not work. So what does science really have to say about the fitness device? I chose to look into the science behind Apple Watch fitness assumptions. There are two important functions for an effective exercise tracker. First, it must inform you to do the proper things. Secondly, it should convince you to follow that advice. After all, the best fitness information from the world remains useless if you do not follow it.

Apple Watch makes three recommendations to your health: Sit less, move more and get some exercise. That is exactly what the stand, move and exercise bands in Apple’s Action app are intended to track. Is there actually any evidence that achieving these three goals will enhance your wellbeing? I asked that question to Cardiogram CEO Brandon Ballinger, who has collected plenty of information on whether Apple Watch owners have wholesome tickers.

Ballinger and his staff recently conducted a study examining the resting heart rate of 6,668 participants using its cloud management system on the Apple watch device. Your resting heart rate is a measurement of how fast your heart is beating when you’re resting and relaxed, such as when you’ve just awakened in the morning. Why did they seem at resting heart rate? The Mayo Clinic stated that, generally, a lower heart rate at rest implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness. Which sounds like a fantastic thing, and the great news is that it is exactly what Ballinger’s team discovered.

As you can see from the results, test participants that clocked more minutes of exercise on the green ring, and calories on the red ring, tended to have lower resting heart rates. Ballinger stated that on average, each 18 minutes of exercise translated into a 1 bpm reduction in resting heart rate. Equivalently, 178 calories of motion per day translates into a 1 bpm decrease as recorded within the cloud management system. This doesn’t prove that the connection is “causal.” Just because the statistics show that those who do more exercise on average have lower resting heart rates, that doesn’t prove that using the Apple Watch helped. Perhaps they were more active because they already were fit and therefore had lower resting heart rates, for example.

Ballinger’s research indicates that Apple’s three goals may help you lower your resting heart rate. However, are these goals the best advice you can get, and is there some other action you should do to improve your health? To answer this, I compared the action goals with the World Health Organization’s recommended levels of physical activity for adults aged 18 to 64, which can be:

Do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75 minutes in vigorous intensity, each week. This activity ought to be sustained in sessions of at least 10 minutes’ duration. You’ll become even more health benefit if you increase the length of your action.

The World Health Organization doesn’t include standing in its own physical activity recommendations, but it does highlight the risks of a sedentary lifestyle, asserting a lack of exercise could very well be one of the 10 leading causes of death and disability in the world. If you really want to know if Apple Watch helps people get in shape, you will need to specify precisely what you mean by “in shape.” Then you must carry out a “randomized controlled trial”, where test participants receive randomly assigned to two groups; one with and one without Apple Watches, to determine which group finds the maximum success. Until this sort of research is conducted, we simply don’t know for certain.

If all this is beginning to sound a little wishy-washy, then excellent. Because the reality is that available science simply cannot tell you if an Apple Watch can help you to get in shape. Finally, that is down to you. Asking if fitness trackers function is the wrong question, in my estimation. It is like asking if a fork and knife will feed you; of course not. But if you use them correctly, they can let you eat. In the same way, if you use your Apple Watch correctly, it can allow you to get fit.

Melbourne can anticipate summertime heat waves when the weather climbs to 50 degrees in a few decades if greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow, new research has found. The study, led by Sophie Lewis in the Australian National University, analyzed new models being prepared for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to analyze the difference between a 1.5- and 2-degree heating limit in comparison with pre-industrial times. For Melbourne, we could swelter in 50-degree weather even when the 2-degree global warming limit agreed in the 2015 Paris accord were attained, according to the research co-authored by Andrew King from Melbourne University and released Wednesday in Geophysical Research Letters.

And when it gets hot, it really warms up here in Melbourne and in other capital cities of Australia; meaning your health could be affected by the dangerous heat levels on the rise. By checking your air conditioner appliances regularly, can be the most important method to provide you with a safe and healthy Summer, along with maintaining your devices through a process, in which will check your appliance repair service which will ultimately help you to stay cool this summer.

The present records for the 2 cities are 45.8 levels for Sydney, place on January 18, 2013, and 46.4 levels for Melbourne on Black Saturday, 7 February, 2009. Such hot days raise the dangers of bush fires. If heat average temperatures rise, we will change the entire distribution of temperatures and we will see a very large percentage gain in the extremes. Temperature records are being broken frequently in Australia, with some records 12 times more likely to be set than cold ones since 2000. A heat wave last month smashed many documents across eastern Australia with over half of the NSW channels with over 20 years of information registering their hottest September day, the Bureau of Meteorology said. Whilst trends in regional seasonal rain amounts are less apparent, a warming world is very likely to create single-day intense rain events more likely. In Britain’s case, a repeat of the July 2007 severe flood would be 70 percent more likely at 2-degrees warming in comparison with present conditions, he said.

In a third recent paper by Australian-based researchers, printed last week at Scientific Reports, Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick discovered the amount of additional heat wave times will rise significantly based on whether global warming is comprised to 1.5 or 2 levels, or beyond.

The study indicated heat wave times, and according to a sequence of three or more successive times in the warmest 10 percent for this date, will jump by an additional 14.8-28.2 annually for every degree of warming. The heat waves themselves will be 3.4-17.5 days longer per degree of global warming, with peak intensity of 1.2 to 1.9 degrees. In the worst affected areas, like portions of the tropics, summers will get a season-long heat wave, with substantial impacts on human health, productivity and ecosystems — even if warming can be kept to a worldwide average of two degrees.

In Melbourne capital cities may be exposed regularly to this type of heat on a daily basis during the summer; the health of individuals is most important. As young children or the elderly could suffer from this change to heat dramatically. We believe that having an air conditioner that works is most important for the general public in such times, as the sweltering heat can take its toll on the most vulnerable. And here is one last tip; make sure to check your air con is up to scratch with air conditioner maintenance. Why would you want to swelter in the heat, when you can simply install an air con to make life more enjoyable?

Growing up, many men and women are taught to be embarrassed about their sexuality, and that such matters have to be earmarked for marriage, and that their sexuality (and their sexual relationships, married or otherwise) should likewise be heterosexual. Most small, regional communities are often unaware, ignorant or intolerant of even the most widely accepted of the diverse sexualities and genders that exist.

These thoughts have been ingrained into the minds of several, but anybody fighting conflicts between their sexuality and their sanity needs to know that what they have been educated with are only ideas. These thoughts aren’t universal, and there are probably people in precisely the exact same city, congregation or loved ones of a person fighting that sense and believe otherwise. Maintaining your anger in the aftermath of guilt, shame, fear, and repression may be an overwhelming undertaking, but it is totally and completely feasible to work through some contradictory ideas and achieve a more calm, fulfilling and healthier life through understanding yourself and your sexuality.

Many of my readers may probably be surprised to hear that as a late teen I once planned on waiting to have sex until marriage, dawned a “virginity rules” t-shirt, and wore a purity ring. Obviously, I have since become sexually active (even before I was married) and I’m totally comfortable with my sexuality and sexual identity, and am quite open and speak openly about sex. This dramatic shift did not occur immediately, however, and it did not come easy.

I grew up in a really sexually repressed surroundings, one where I had been told that intercourse was just intended to be between one male and one female, that are married to one another, with anything which wavered from this standard being incorrect, filthy, and sinful. Due to this, I fought greatly during my sexual awakening. It started off as being inquisitive about my own body– what parts were, what they looked like, what it felt like when they touched me– and then feeling guilty, embarrassed, and filthy after I allowed my curiosity to get the best of me. As my sexual feelings climbed, and I longed to experiment with different people, I’d constantly stop myself before matters got “too much” and my innocence was called to question.

My mom refused to talk to me for days after locating a sixteen-year-old-me along with a boyfriend cuddling together on a sofa watching a film; she punished me for weeks after discovering that I’d gone out on dates and kissed boys. I felt to be an abomination for being drawn to also women as well as men. For me, there was no support network for young people like there is today. I’d attended seminars in which “innocence” talks were granted, and that I was convinced that my entire body was earmarked for my future husband solely, and that no guy would like to marry me when I gave in my sexual desires and also allow other guys (let alone ladies!) touch me. They said I had been like tape: which you simply stick the very best the first time, and then the bond gets poorer and poorer, and I thought their claims to be true.

They also made me feel wrong for something which is not just completely organic, but may also be great, even outside the very restricted contexts some people today present the good of sex or gender as merely happening behind closed doors so to say

If you are reading this article right now, it might be you felt the way I did, and you are on a quest to find out what to do about those feelings you are experiencing. I am here to try and help you, by telling you that everything you’re feeling is okay and that embracing who you are and your sexual identity is good for both your mental and physical health.

The most significant thing that I wish to state is, there isn’t anything wrong with you. Allow me to state that one more time. There isn’t anything wrong with you. It is fine to be interested in your entire body. It is fine to explore your own body. It is fine to masturbate. It is fine to have sexual feelings and desires. It is fine to be with different individuals sexually when that is something everybody involved consents to. It is fine to be drawn to either men or women, or to be either gender. In an ideal world, anyone struggling with their sexuality would see that and think “Oh, alright! I don’t have anything to worry about afterward,” and from that point out there accept themselves and fight no longer. Regrettably, however, we do not reside in an ideal world, and while these words that you just read can facilitate the fighting just a little bit, they are not magic.

Coming to terms with the reality that being a sexual being is, in reality fine, may take a while, but the simple fact that you hunted for and discovered this post is a great beginning and a step in the ideal direction. It means you are probably wondering why you’ve been educated about sexuality and sexual health in such a poor way and why it turned into a bad thing. The sooner you accept and embrace your sexuality, the happier and healthier you will feel!

WHY HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY? 

Many individuals consider the concept of getting plastic surgery in a bid to boost their physical appearance. Throughout the decision making process, the positive health benefits available typically take a back seat to simply “looking better”.   

PLASTIC SURGERY CAN ENHANCE YOUR SELF-ESTEEM 

The typical aim of plastic surgery is to enhance physical appearance and as a result patients wind up feeling much better about how they look. The natural consequence of this is a gain in self-esteem which frequently influences additional positive feelings and actions. It might be argued that anyone that relies that intensely on their own looks because of their self-esteem has issues that plastic surgery can’t mend, and in most case that is true. An excellent plastic surgeon will think about the psychological and psychological state of their patients in addition to the bodily and make conclusions based on the entire picture. 

PLASTIC SURGERY CAN RELIEVE NECK, BACK AND SHOULDER PAIN 

Girls with excessively large breasts and a body frame which has difficulty supporting them nearly always have an instant relief of pain they’d long ago given up on. When speaking with those girls, it is always interesting to be aware that they’d accepted the pain and distress for such a long time, when it left they could barely describe how good they felt. This is one example where plastic surgery might even be covered by insurance as a result of debilitating health effects. Should you fall in to this class, there’s a plethora of advice from ones that have had the procedure and have reaped the rewards. Read their testimonials, speak with them if you are able to speak and also with your insurer and your plastic surgeon to completely understand your choices. 

PLASTIC SURGERY CAN IMPROVE YOUR BREATHING AND OXYGEN FLOW 

Patients with a deviated septum may have this fixed with a Rhinoplasty. Deviated Septums frequently lead to difficulty in breathing and typically an immediate outcome of this is excessive snoring. Once adjusted, the individual and the individual’s spouse will undergo a much better night’s sleep. It must be noted that a good deal of health issues can be directly correlated to not sleeping well, therefore allowing the individual to sleep better is, in itself, a catalyst to fixing additional health conditions that are caused or affected by not sleeping well. 

PLASTIC SURGERY CAN IMPROVE YOUR VISION 

A Blepheroplasty, or eyelid surgery, will fix droopy eyelids, thus immediately improving the eyesight. Furthermore, dry-eye issues may also be adjusted during a Blepheroplasty. Combining the favourable effects of repairing droopy eyelids and rectifying dry-eye issues improves the eyesight of the patient. Many patients report instant relief from long time debilitating consequences of droopy eyelids and dry eyes. Blepheroplasty is a great option to fight this and frequently leads to patients being happier with their appearance in addition to their recently improved eyesight. 

PLASTIC SURGERY CAN LOWER YOUR PROSPECT OF HEART CONDITIONS 

Removing fat from the body is going to result in improved blood pressure and lower cholesterol – equally essential elements in heart ailments. The total amount of fat removed during liposuction and/or a breast reduction is relatively modest but it does help. If the individual is overweight then other methods for weight reduction should definitely be considered first and then liposuction and other surgical procedures can be considered after. Irrespective of the methods chosen, the idea of eliminating the fat cells in the body is going to have a positive influence on your blood pressure and cholesterol readings – both a massive advantage for anyone and everybody. 

With summertime just days away, the Center for Construction Research and Training – also called CPWR – has issued a hazard alert about heating dangers and precautions employees can take to prevent heat-related illnesses on a slab crane. Data from CPWR reveals that 17 construction workers died in 2015 as a result of heat-related conditions.

Recognizing the symptoms of heat exhaustion (weakness and moist skin; aggravation, dizziness and fainting; nausea or vomiting) and heat stroke (confusion or tingling; dry, hot skin and perspiration stops; and convulsions or seizures) one of co-workers is vital, the alert conditions.

CPWR offers these tips for working in hot weather:

• Dress for hot conditions. Wear clothing that are light, loose-fitting and lightweight.
• Drink water about every 15 minutes. Do not wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
• Don’t consume alcohol and avoid caffeine.
• Take regular breaks. Find shaded, cooled or air-conditioned places.

The danger for heat-related illnesses is growing for employees unaccustomed to higher temperatures working with the largest cranes or drake low loaders, people working in hot and humid weather, and people who perform heavy physical labour, based on CPWR.

The hazard alert also has tips for companies, including having a crisis plan and providing training on heat-related ailments.

What is a heat-related illness?

During a heat wave, it is important to understand and be able to recognize the symptoms and signs of a heat-related illness. There are various sorts of heat-related ailments, ranging from the ones that cause temporary discomfort to the generally deadly disease called heat stroke. In most heat-related illnesses, the symptoms arise when a man is subjected to extreme temperatures.

What are the symptoms and indications of heat-related illness?

The following checklist can help you recognize the signs of heat-related disorders:

Heat Rash: Heat rash is a skin irritation caused by excessive perspiration during warm, humid weather. It can happen at any age but is most common in young children. Heat rash looks like a red cluster of pimples or little blisters.

Heat cramps: someone that has been exercising or engaging in different kinds of strenuous activity from the warmth may develop painful muscle spasms from the arms, legs, or stomach known as heat cramps. The body temperature is usually normal, and the skin will feel cool and moist, but sweaty.

Heat syncope: Someone who experiences heat syncope (fainting) will have the sudden onset of dizziness or fainting after exposure to elevated temperatures, especially after exercising or working from a blueprint of second storey extension designs and ideas in the heat. Like heat cramps, the skin is pale and sweaty but stays cool. The heartbeat may be diminished, and the heart rate is usually rapid. Body temperature is normal.

Heat exhaustion: Heat exhaustion is a warning that the body is getting too hot. Those most prone to heat fatigue include older people, individuals with high blood pressure, and people working or exercising in a hot environment. Someone with heat exhaustion may be thirsty, giddy, weak, uncoordinated, nauseous, and perspiration profusely. Just like heat syncope and heat cramps, the body temperature is usually normal in heat exhaustion. The heart rate (pulse rate) is elevated or normal. The skin is generally chilly and clammy.

Heat stroke: Heating stroke is a serious, life-threatening illness that occurs when the body loses its ability to control its temperature. Victims of heat stroke almost always perish, so immediate medical care is essential when problems first start. In warmth stroke, someone develops a fever that quickly increases to dangerous levels within minutes. A person with heat stroke usually has a body temperature above 104 F (40 C), but the temperature may rise even higher for those outside for prolonged periods like home extension builders. Other symptoms and signs of heat stroke may include confusion, bizarre behavior, strong rapid pulse, feeling bloated, combativeness, dry flushed skin, staggering, and absence of perspiration. Delirium or coma may also result from heat stroke.

Seek emergency medical attention and always contact a GP or doctor if the symptoms of those conditions are severe or worsen with time, even if heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat syncope may all be present in moderate degrees.

I really like the idea of more of the everyday guy modelling plus size clothing while wearing boots from shoes online in the spotlight, as opposed to the stereotypical photo-shopped model you see in the media. I hope you enjoy this article of a ‘plus-size’ everyday guy who is pushing for the idea of the word plus size to change people’s perception. Enjoy!

Do men want to see more ‘average-looking’ blokes showcasing their clothes?

Zach Miko is 6ft 6in, has a 40in waist, and is the first plus-size male model signed to a major agency, IMG, which looks after models including Lara Stone, Freja Beha and Gigi Hadid. Zach’s portfolio includes American retail giant Target and his future prospects includes the UK’s largest plus-size fashion store Your. The signing of the 26 year old, highlights how the ‘plus size’ male modelling industry is changing.

Despite the demand, there are currently no plus-size male models on the books of a major agency in the UK. Three agencies that focus on plus-size male models exist in Germany but their influence rarely extends beyond German borders (Miko is from Connecticut). In menswear, plus-size refers to XL and up (higher than a 42in chest), but can stretch to anyone very tall and well built. For perspective, 32 inch waist male models are typically used by The Guardian

Coined “brawn” by IMG (and the brother of “curve”, its female division), it marks an attempt to remove the “plus-size” moniker and, the agency hopes, presents a more realistic male body shape wearing everyday guys clothing, and not just the women’s division targeted at womens shoes and clothing.

You’ve been signed to IMG as its first plus-size or “brawn” male model. Congratulations. So far, you’ve only modelled for Target and yet your profile has blown up overnight. Why do you think that is?

There are very few plus-sized male models in the US. I think it made a splash because Target is a big retailer. But they just put me in the shoot with classically sized male models, so all the fashion blogs were like: did Target sneak a plus size guy into their site? But, yes, it has been quick. The first published sales copywriting came out in July, the first article came out in September and here we are.

Do you think people would have noticed sooner had it been a plus-size female model in the shoot?

If it was a women’s site showing off womens ankle boots, and there had been a non-model in the lineup, yeah, sure.

Why? Do you think people are less interested or aware of plus-size male models, or the lack thereof?

It’s still a very new thing. There is still no definition for it. This whole idea of “brawn” is loosely based on me.

There have been several campaigns to change the way we talk about plus-size models, in a bid to change the way we view “larger” models, including #droptheplus. Is being called a brawn model an acknowledgement of that?

I don’t find “plus size” offensive, but I think it’s the same as fat in that plus size has grown to have a negative connotation. Plus means additional, outside; it keeps pushing that label of not being “normal”. If you see the word “brawn”, you think about physical strength and power, just as “curve” suggests sexy and confident, as opposed to “big”.

Why do you think plus-size male models have yet to move into the mainstream industry?

There has been a lot of support in women’s modelling – models such as Ashley Graham and Tess Holliday have been making huge waves. Seeing someone like Graham, who would normally be shunned, was awesome. I always had my own body-image struggle. With men, there is still a lot of bravado and false masculinity to get through.

What do you mean?

You’re not supposed to care about how you look. If you have issues, you aren’t supposed to talk about it. It’s considered weak or unmasculine. Which is stupid. It’s about having feelings that make you human. I think, even now with the progression, you still have that 1950s male mentality of men being strong and emotionless.

Do you think your presence in the male modelling world will help things?

If the plus sized digital content strategy makes men realise that it’s OK to care about how you look, or even feel bad about it and want to change … I have had body issues all my life and that can make you insecure. You project those feelings onto others and that can damage relationships. It creates this vicious cycle. It could all be avoided if you opened up and said I do or don’t feel good about myself.

Is it about how you see yourself or how others see you?

I was between diets and trying to change the way I look for so long going to the physio. As an actor [Miko is a member of the T Schreiber Studio and has appeared in Limitless], I was told by every casting director that I was too big. But I think I was trying to make other people more comfortable. I have always been a big guy, I was picked on as a kid, and that’s where it came from. We live in a society where “big” and “fat” have become insults, and “skinny”, “little” and “petite” have become compliments. We have come to correlate a negative meaning with “big” and “fat”.

You aren’t exactly big, either.

Yeah. And I think men want to see a normal-looking guy modelling their clothes and even shoes online brands that appeal to the everyday guy.

But then there are issues related to being overweight or “fat” in a health sense.

I am a big advocate of health. I just don’t think you have to be a twig tobe healthy. Other people don’t have a right to project an idea of unhealthy on to you if you have this extra weight. I think labelling people who wear plus size clothes as unhealthy is unfair. You don’t know what their health is. People think I’m a slob and that I don’t take care of myself. But I do. For starters, I cycle every day. But you do start to internalise that feeling.

Believe it or not, that timber table is doing more good than you thought. Picking furniture for your home is often a matter of taste, instead of a mindful effort for your health. In fact, the health advantages of specific furniture might never enter your mind when choosing a coffee table, lounge or kitchen bench top. That may just change, thanks to a brand-new report which associates our choice of furniture to our wellbeing.

The report, launched today by Planet Ark Environmental Foundation has actually discovered there is one naturally-derived product which can really benefit your health – wood. “We know that employees are less stressed out and more efficient, students learn much better, patients recover quicker, and individuals are usually better and calmer in indoor locations which include wood aspects,” states Planet Ark’s David Rowlinson.

The report, which was released to accompany World Wood Day, intends to press the focus onto natural products when selecting furniture for your house, using research to support its claims of health gain from wood. The research study recognizes that lumber has the capability to lower one’s heart rate and reduce the tension reaction in students and employees. It also assists in speeding healing time after surgical treatment.

Plus, lumber has another benefit – when sourced properly, it’s extremely eco-friendly. “Properly sourced, accredited wood is the significant building product that helps take on climate change. Wood is eco-friendly, it takes in carbon from the environment, and there are less carbon emissions connected with its production compared with carbon-intensive products such as concrete or steel,” Rowlinson states.

There is the ecological sustainability of crafted lumber, mostly from wood’s capability to keep carbon, but most importantly, the brand-new research study is around resident health and behaviour to validate its use of lumber in structure environments like schools and online tutoring centres or tutor services.

Another research study performed by the Human Research Institut in Austria exposes the many substantial advantages of wood structures from the engineered timber walls to architectural trusses for school students. The research study was based upon 4 classrooms featuring wood construction, with psychophysiological measurements performed on 52 students from lumber classrooms and basic classrooms throughout an academic year.

Substantial distinctions were observed in the health criteria of students from the wood and basic class. Students in the wood classrooms displayed reduced heart beats, exposing decreased school-related tension levels. This research study mirrors a report commissioned by Planet Ark in 2014 which discovered that direct exposure to wood items and interiors might produce comparable health advantages to those developed by hanging around in nature.

Released in the lead up to World Wood Day on Saturday March 21, the ‘Wood – Real estate, Health, Humankind’ report checked out many research studies evaluating the health and wellbeing advantages of wood interiors in houses, companies, and locations of learning and recovery.

BVN will hire numerous new age crafted wood items from around the globe for its approaching change and addition of a 1970s concrete structure in NSW. The group will recondition and extend an old Telstra training centre structure at North Strathfield in Sydney, which has ended up being the brand-new house for the Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School.

The task is the 2nd phase in the overall redevelopment of the structure, the very first being the fitout of the ground floor which opened in April 2015 for students in kindergarten to year 2 and their English and math tutors. The 2nd phase of the job is much bigger and concerns all the structure’s levels and its external skin. Upon conclusion, the structure will be the home of 450 primary school students and it has been allocated as a design template for the future of central city school styles.

However while renders of the completed school stand out, and its claim to be an environmentally-friendly design for adaptive reuse in the context of our growing cities is sound, it is the structure’s composition and interior surfaces that are presently making headings. The structure has been called the very first Australian school of the timber age and will be fit with a brand-new glulam and glue laminated site frame, cross laminated lumber (CLT) walls and a distinct CLT slab/acoustic ceiling system.

All signs from BVN are that it will aim for Europe to be the source of the lumber which, consisting of the shipping of products, is anticipated to considerably decrease total construct time for the task.

I was reading on a blog and I came across this very well written and insightful article written by Mandy Farmer, who is a beautiful mother of a lovely young boy with Autism. I found this very moving and I just had to share this with everyone, to help educate people just how hard it is for young ones growing up with autism. I hope you find it just as interesting as I do.

Please Don’t Tell Me Autism Is a Gift

Every time I sit down to write, I often already have a positive message to end on in mind. I don’t have that today. Today I am sad, I am angry and I am coming from a place that I don’t often go: a place with walls papered by self-pity and lighting dimmed by exhaustion. We’ve all been there, but of course, we try not to live there.

I read story after story that highlights the aspects of having a child with autism spectrum disorder that are positive and uplifting. I’ve written many posts that do the same. I think these stories are important; they help spread awareness and acceptance, they celebrate our children holistically, which is great because our children deserve to be celebrated.

I wonder, though, if sometimes we sugar-coat or put a positive spin on reality to make ourselves feel better or maybe to avoid coming off as a victim. After all, bloggers who have written more negatively about their children with autism are often scrutinized and demonized. Another reason I usually stay away from the negative: I don’t want my child (or others with autism) demonized or people to think any less of him.

As positive as I try to stay, there’s a reality with which we have to contend. That reality usually gets to make a short appearance in my blog in sentences like “Of course we have our challenges” or “And even though he struggles…” Anyone affected by autism knows those phrases are emotionally charged.

But I started thinking. People outside of our household, people outside of our community, must all be scratching their heads and wondering this: If our children and their autism are so great and so gifted, why are autism parents so vocal about needing help and advocating for their children? Why would a savant be labeled “disabled” or need to receive special services from a school district?

Autism is a spectrum disorder. No two people on the spectrum are the same. Many of our children are not savants. Many of our children are not even on target with their development for their age. Many of our children will live with us for the rest of their lives.

So, please, don’t tell me autism is a gift. When my child has been screaming every 30 minutes all day long when we stay at our favourite Lorne accommodation or romantic holiday, or we have to go to the store and he screams at the checkout, the cashier telling me he’ll be OK and will be great with numbers when he grows up is not what I want to hear.

When I look into my son’s eyes when he doesn’t understand his surroundings and his anxiety and fear are palpable, there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do to take that fear away. You cannot look into his panicking gaze as he’s shaking and cowering from everyday stimuli and tell me this is a gift or an enlightening experience, and trying to cheer them up by surprising them with kids shoes online only last momentarily..

Please don’t tell me his autism is a gift when I take his little sister to the hospital for a concussion resulting from an impulsive outburst he could not control.

When I see his older brother with tears in his eyes yet again because his little brother doesn’t want to play with him or has lashed out at him, I don’t accept that this is a gift. He’s hurting and his needs are put on the back burner every day; I see no positive in that other than I’m hopeful it will build character and instill compassion in him.

As I bang my head against a wall just trying to get my child an education like everyone else is entitled to, I wonder if outsiders know just how “challenging” it is. We are in a district in a state that won’t even provide classes for preschool children with special needs. So I found a private preschool with a small centre for autism that would take him, but he has so much anxiety about going every morning that he screams the whole way there and as his teachers carry him in. I have a laundry list of medically prescribed therapies that I have to work around the clock to access for our child. Once we finally have established providers, we drive and we schedule and usually have some type of appointment every day. These are not ground-breaking therapies that are going to have my child doing quantum physics or painting masterpieces; these are necessary to get my child to function high enough to dress himself and feed himself and to allow him to tolerate being in a room with everyday noises. They say that going away with your child to a pet friendly accommodation somewhere is good therapy, but sometimes it can really scare the lovely animals away.

And then there’s the loneliness. Please don’t tell me autism is a gift when my child and his siblings are no longer invited to birthday parties because parents don’t want one of my child’s meltdowns to ruin their kid’s special day. When I stop having friends outside of the autism community because other people don’t want to hear about autism and how it’s consuming your life, it doesn’t feel like a gift. Unfortunately as much as it consumes our lives, it consumes our conversations too. And that doesn’t make for great girls’-night-out conversation. I can’t say I blame former friends for throwing in the towel, but that doesn’t make it any less lonely. The gift that keeps giving.

I know this post will offend some, but just as my opinion is that autism is not a gift, you, of course, are entitled to a different one. For me, autism is exhausting, and I feel like every minute of every day is spent trying to break my child free from the anxiety that consumes him.

Please don’t tell me autism is a gift. My child is a gift; his autism is a disability.