The diet industry is massive. And for most moms, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Practically everyone wants to lose weight, tone up, and make themselves look great.

For years, nutritionists have known that the best way to get a great body is to choose the right foods. When you eat right, you provoke biological changes that make you lean and fit.

“Diets” - as in radical changes to your regular eating pattern - promise that short-term modifications will help you get the body you want. How many women have told you that they’re “on a diet?”

Most diets, however, aren’t based on traditional foods proven to help reduce weight and keep people healthy - like the old Mediterranean diet of beans, whole grains, and vegetables. No - the majority of modern fat diets ask people to restrict entire food groups and sometimes, eat foods from categories that most should avoid.

Take the keto diet, for instance. The idea here is to shift the way your body burns fuel, away from regular glucose from carbs to ketones from burning fat. Practitioners, therefore, eliminate practically all starches and replace them with oils and meat - two food groups associated with adverse health outcomes.

Infographic by University of Southern California

Back pain is an extremely common health problem. Most people experience lower back pain, although it can occur in other parts of the back too. When you're experiencing back pain, it can be a nightmare. Finding the cause is often very difficult, which makes it hard to tackle. There are many different causes and various treatments, and you often need to try a few different things before finding something that works. It can take some time to find something that works for you, but you can explore the options available to try and find a solution. You can work with your doctor and other medical professions to discover what is best for you.

Exercise

When your back hurts, you might feel like resting is the best thing to do. However, lying still is actually one of the worst things that you can do for an aching back. In fact, you should try to be on the move if your back is hurting. Walking is excellent for your back, and you might benefit from swimming too. Resting for a day or two can be helpful, but it's important not to rest for too long. As well as walking and swimming, yoga and another stretching can be helpful. Some people also benefit from physical therapy, which helps them to improve their back pain with the help of a therapist.

Image from Pixabay - Pixabay License

Be Kinder to Your Back

Back pain can be a result of your lifestyle. Things like sleeping in a bad position or having bad posture while sitting or standing can cause your back to ache. By improving these things, you can also improve your back pain. A quality mattress is important for a good night's sleep, giving your back the support that it needs. If you can't afford a new mattress, a new mattress topper could help. A good pillow is also useful, helping you to sleep in the right position. Lying on your side is best for your back, as well as your neck, especially if you place a pillow between your knees. Good posture is also important, so ensure you're sitting well in your desk chair and not slouching.

Every parent wants the very best for their little ones. So much so, everything that you do is for them, their happiness, and their health. But, sometimes, you may find that you really don’t know if the efforts you’re making are for the best. It can be tough. So, it’s definitely nice to know that whatever you’re doing is working. When you want that to happen, here are some quick wins to get you started.

Move A Lot

To start with, it’s important for you all to move a lot. And the idea here is that you’re doing it too. Not only to set a good example but to keep yourself healthy too. This could be simple as walking to the park, running around in the garden, or playing sports together. It can be fun and good for keeping you fit.

Relax & Have Fun

Next, you should also make sure that you’re able to relax too. If your kids are going to grow up to be well balanced, they need to know how to relax and manage their minds. Having chill out time and prioritising fun can be so important to keep them happy and healthy.

Think of a family vacation with the kids and memories of frolicking in the sand will spring to mind. You had such an incredible time that you want to repeat the experience over and over again. It’s as if there isn’t anything that can stop you or your loved ones when you’re in a foreign country on a golden, sandy beach. Well, anything but the sun. Unfortunately, UVA and UVB rays tend to be stronger on vacation as destinations are more tropical. That means protecting your children’s skin from burning.

The clothes in your suitcase will offer the most protection, which means you must bring the right items. Shorts and t-shirts are fundamentals, but they leave a lot of skin exposed to sunlight. With that in mind, it could be worth buying long-sleeved tees and board shorts, both of which have more fabric. Shirts are fantastic if you want them to be stylish and practical at the same time. There are even SPF shirts and tees that are manufactured to reflect the sun’s rays. Patagonia has some of the most rigorous outfits for kids.

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A humble accessory is enough to maintain a healthy amount of sunlight each day. Of course, a snapback is now a staple of most vacationers’ suitcases, but floppy, wide-brimmed hats are more suitable. The size of the brim means it covers everything from their face and head to their neck and shoulders. Sunglasses shouldn’t be dismissed either. Aside from being fashionable, quality shades keep the light out of kids’ eyes, which is vital when their peepers are growing because they’re very sensitive. A tip: don’t buy throwaway ones that last for the vacation. Instead, pick a top brand and splash out a little so that you know the lenses are adequately filtered.

Falling pregnant is incredibly exciting, and the chances are that you were over the moon when you first saw those two red lines. Since then, though, you've started to feel a lot less positive about your pregnancy journey. Reasons for this can vary from nausea that lasts all day to mood swings and even susceptibility to pre-pregnancy antenatal depression. 1 in 10 pregnant women also experience severe anxiety at some stage.

A certain degree of anxiety seems inevitable considering that you're facing the largest life change possible. The sheer idea of coping with a baby can get on top of you, as can the stress of increased medical appointments and a need to find a health insurance quote that isn't going to bankrupt you before baby's born. When you think of it that way, it's astounding the anxiety figures remain as low as they are!

Image by Lisa Fotios: CC0 License

Sometimes, though, changing hormones pair with these pressures to create an altogether more worrying pregnancy anxiety. If you feel that you're falling foul at the moment, then don't hesitate to take the following crucial steps towards managing or even overcoming symptoms.