Natural Sleep Aids: Fall asleep naturally with proven home remedies, herbal tea, and relaxing nature aids for a guaranteed night’s rest. No need for sleeping pills.

Did you know that almost half the UK population struggles to fall asleep at least once a month? And when we do drift to sleep, how many of us get the correct sleep quality that we need to endure a full day?

While prescription sleep aids are an option, they can often cause further sleep disorders and problems with our natural sleep patterns. Although not new, natural sleep remedies are finally taking the floor to improve sleep quality worldwide.

Related: How to Fall Asleep Fast: 5 Proven Sleep Techniques

Using complementary and integrative health techniques, anyone with sleep problems can now monitor their sleep disorder symptoms and identify what natural sleep remedies could help improve their sleep quality.

By following a sleep-promoting diet, consuming some simple dietary supplements, and adding some of these natural remedies to your bedtime routine, you’ll be falling asleep in no time!

Note: If you have any underline health issues or you take medication, it’s always best to consult with your doctor.

How Can I Solve My Sleeping Problem Naturally?

Don’t stress; there are many forms of natural sleep aid that can help curb your insomnia symptoms.

In this article, we’re going to tackle home remedies to help you get a good night’s sleep. However, you can do many other things to improve your natural sleep-wake cycle.

From doing regular exercise to practicing mindfulness and meditation to eating a wholesome diet, the quality of sleep we experience has to do with various factors.

These activities reduce cases of high blood pressure and help with lowering body temperature, both of which are connected to treating insomnia.

Related: How to prioritize self care

What is the Natural Drug That Helps You Sleep?

There are a bunch of natural drugs that can help promote sleep.

I like to refer to these as supplements rather than drugs to avoid confusing them with clinical sleep medicine. They’re typically safer to take and have fewer (or no) harmful side effects.

The leading supplements that are known to be natural sleep aids include:

• Melatonin supplements – Melatonin is a hormone that controls your circadian rhythms. For chronic insomnia, melatonin supplements can help you get to sleep faster and improve the quality of your rest.

• Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) – when taken together, these two amino acid supplements can increase serotonin levels in the body. Aside from being a natural remedy to reduce stress and anxiety, research suggests that GABA and 5-HTP can help you sleep deeper and for longer.

• Magnesium supplements – Magnesium is a mineral that can be found in many foods. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps you feel more relaxed. This mineral also supports GABA neurotransmitter receptors in calming your mind. Simply speaking, magnesium in a pill form prepares your body for rest and offers enhanced sleep quality for those who have trouble falling asleep.

• Glycine supplements – Glycine is an amino acid found in red and white meats, peanuts, and seeds. Research shows that taking this supplement before bed can help you fall asleep quicker, improve your sleep quality, and decrease daytime sleepiness.

What Can I Take to Help Me Sleep Instead of Melatonin?

If you don’t feel like splurging on supplements, there are a bunch of natural remedies to help with jet lag, poor sleep quality, or an occasional sleepless night.

(Note that if you’re struggling with sleep apnea, sleep disturbances, sleep latency or have a risk of heart disease or allergic reactions, you should seek professional medical advice and consider drug administration from a medical doctor. You might even be advised to give cognitive behavioral therapy a try, which is a structured sleep program designed for primary insomnia.)

These herbs and flowers are known to improve sleep and treat sleep problems. We’ll dive into these in more detail in the rest of the article:

• Dried chamomile flowers
• Valerian root
• Passionflower
• Lavender

1. Enjoy a Tart Cherry Juice Nightcap

Not only is it refreshing and delicious, but cherry juice is also a source of antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation and swelling and boost immunity.

Combined with its anti-inflammatory properties, this wonder fruit also has a high melatonin content. Together, this makes for a great sleep aid to help your stay asleep for longer.

If melatonin supplements aren’t in your price range, or if you would just prefer a natural aid to insomnia, cherry juice (or a snack of fresh cherries) is a great alternative to melatonin or valerian.

2. Eat a Dinner Rich in GABA

GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acids) is one of the amino acids found in the brain that help to reduce anxiety, tension, and stress. As a result of feeling calmer, this natural product helps us sleep better.

GABA supplements are available at most pharmacies. You can also increase your GABA levels by exercising regularly and eating certain foods. For example, fish, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and broccoli contain GABA.

3. Drink Calming Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is one of those common sleep aids that we have all heard of. It’s a herbal remedy known to reduce inflammation and stress and improve sleep quality.

Its contribution to sleep improvements is linked to the flavonoid content found in the chamomile flower.

4. Practice Aromatherapy with Patchouli Oil

I’m a huge fan of essential oils and aromatherapy before bed. Patchouli oil is a concentrate made from a plant with a woody, sweet and spicy smell.

Like cherries, the flower has anti-inflammatory properties that can help us stay calm and relaxed. And let’s be honest, one of the most significant barriers to a good night’s rest in older adults is stress!

Whether you prefer to inhale the oil through a steamer, put it in your favorite oil burner or diffuser, or rub it on your temples, it’s worth giving this natural anti-inflammatory a try.

5. Make a Tasty Tea from the California Poppy

If you’re not getting insufficient sleep, have issues relaxing before bed, or generally suffer from depression or mental exhaustion, try drinking some tea brewed from the Californian poppy flower.

This flower works with your brain’s GABA receptors to promote relaxation, and it’s particularly useful for sleeplessness caused by anxiety and stress.

6. Have a Bedtime Snack of Almonds and Bananas

Another one of the leading supplements used to treat insomnia is magnesium. If you’re on the hunt for natural supplements to help you sleep, try eating foods rich in magnesium.

My favorite bedtime combination is chopped bananas and almonds.

Bananas are high in magnesium, tryptophan, vitamin B6 and potassium. Almonds have a high magnesium and calcium content.

As a result, melatonin production in our bodies helps regulate our sleep cycles.

This dietary magnesium supplement is a tasty option for a bedtime snack that won’t break the bank or cause any bedtime stomach issues.

7. Brew Valerian Root Tea

Valerian root is a herbal sleep remedy known to help us quickly fall into a deeper sleep, and experience an overall more restful sleep.

Commonly added to dietary supplements, you can also easily brew valerian root tea to sip on a few hours before bed.

This remedy was used in ancient Greece and Rome to help with insomnia, stress, and anxiety.

8. Calm Your Nerves with Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is another natural treatment that has sleep-promoting effects. Like many other herbal remedies, this citrus-scented plant has treated insomnia since the Middle Ages.

Aside from improving general mood and cognitive functioning, about 600 mg of lemon balm in a capsule form per day can act as a mild sedative and significantly impact your stress and anxiety levels.

Alternatively, try making a tasty tea combining lemon balm and valerian, or find a good teabag version at your local grocery store!

9. Rub Lavender Oil Into Your Temples

Lavender oil is another essential oil that is commonly used to induce sleep and increase rest quality. When tested on live participants, research shows that lavender increases the amount of slow-wave and deep-wave sleep.

However, not only is it known to calm the mind and ready you for bed, but it has also been linked to increasing your energy levels in the morning.

Lavender can also be used to ease allergies and eczema.

10. Boil Passionflower to Make a Natural Sleep Medicine

Also known as incarnate, passionflowers have a range of health benefits that include helping people fall asleep faster.

Passionflower is another herb that boosts your brain’s GABA levels. As a result, this slows the activity in your brain and readies you for bed.

If you have trouble sleeping, passionflower can calm your mind and set you up for a good night’s rest.

It’s always a good option to try a natural sleep aid to improve sleep quality. Supplements are a top option for those with a budget, but even natural sleep aids can hugely impact subjective sleep quality.

For more sleep hacks, watch the video below:

If you have severe issues with sleeping or experience severe insomnia, I recommend contacting your doctor to provide medical advice.

How to Fall Asleep Fast: 5 proven sleep techniques to help you beat insomnia and fall asleep faster.

Have you always wanted to be one of those people who can fall asleep instantly?

I’ll reveal five powerful yet easy hacks to help you fall asleep in less than two minutes!

A good nights sleep is vital to maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Research shows that quality sleep is just as important as regular exercise and maintaining a healthy diet.

Getting enough sleep each night is proven to help boost your immune system, prevent diseases, lower stress levels, and even encourage healthy weight loss.

If you struggle to fall asleep fast, follow these five simples techniques.

Hack 1. Plan your day with a sleep in mind

Believe it or not, a good night’s sleep starts with a well planned day. If you want to fall asleep fast, focus on these three activities throughout your day.

1. Exercise. Physical activity is proven to improve your sleep dramatically. Even a 10-15 minute walk or yoga stretch during the day can help you to fall asleep faster at night.
2. Your Diet. Avoid spicy, citrusy and sugary foods 2-3 hours before bedtime. These foods can keep you awake at night and stop you from reaching a state of deep sleep. You should also avoid alcohol and any beverages containing caffeine. Instead, eat foods high in potassium and magnesium, such as bananas and nuts. You can also drink soothing herbal teas such as chamomile or Valerian root.
3. Unwind. Try to keep the more stressful tasks towards the beginning of the day. You should aim to start unwinding2-3 hours before bed. Reading a fiction book, watching a lighthearted movie and practising meditation are great ways to unwind. You should also write down any tasks you need to complete. This can help you to offload your thoughts to avoid overthinking before bedtime.

Hack 2. Keep Your Bedroom Sacred

Do you watch TV in bed? Or maybe you use your bedroom as a work from a home office. The truth is, your bedroom should be used exclusively for sleep. Using your bedroom for daytime activities will send confusing signals to your brain. So, keep your bed a sacred place to rest, and you’ll find you’ll fall asleep faster.

Hack 3. Breathing Techniques

If you’re struggling to relax or feel anxious, try this quick and easy breathing technique. Take a deep inhale for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds, and then exhale slowly for 8 seconds. Repeat this process over and over until you feel yourself drifting into a deep relaxing sleep.

Hack 4. Create a blackout environment

Sleeping in complete darkness is proven to help you fall asleep faster and reach a deep sleeping state, known as REM. Turn off all electrical devices in your bedroom, and invest in blackout blinds to create the perfect blackout environment. You should also avoid blue light devices such as phones and laptop screens for at least an hour before bed.

Hack 5. Listen to relaxing sleep sounds.

One of the most effective hacks for falling asleep fast is, in fact, noise. But, not just any noise; white noise. 

Research shows that listening to rain sounds, whirring fans, and air conditioning sounds is similar to lullabies.

Check out the sleep sounds videos on Youtube, which include a black screen – that means it will not disrupt your blackout environment. 

I hope you found these five sleep hacks helpful.

How to Prioritize Self Care: easy ways to make self-care a part of your daily routine. Learn to nurture your emotional, physical & mental wellbeing by prioritizing self-care and taking care of yourself.

Caring for yourselves takes patience and time, and while our modern lifestyles often force us to neglect our physical and mental health, we need to make a conscious effort to spend time looking after our bodies, minds, and souls.

Self-care should never be an afterthought and should be a high priority for everyone. Simply setting aside time to take care of yourself is the first step to prioritizing self-care.

What exactly is self-care?

The World Health Organization has defined self-care as “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.”

While its scope is broad, caring for yourself involves actively taking the time to look after your mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social self to improve your general well-being and life satisfaction.

What are the five types of self-care?

From taking a few minutes a day to meditate, to eating healthily, to getting enough rest, self-care comes in many shapes and forms:

1. Emotional – To understand our deeper selves, what we want in life, and how we plan to get there, we need to reflect on our emotions. This type of self-care helps us to connect to and process our emotions. Writing in a journal and engaging in a creative hobby are examples of emotional self-care.
2. Physical – Managing our physical health has a ripple effect on our mental wellbeing. Physical self-care ideas include joining a yoga class or fitness class, sleeping enough, and eating healthily.
3. Mental – Stimulating our minds by reading, educating ourselves, and interacting with interesting people is essential to our overall well-being.
4. Spiritual – Thinking of the bigger picture by engaging in meditative practices and spending time appreciating nature forms a big part of our understanding of the world and our place in it.
5. Social – We should spend time with those we love and care for to enhance our social relationships.

1. Learn how to say ‘no’

A pivotal lesson you’ll learn when prioritizing your time is learning to say ‘no.’ Whether your friends are probing you to join them on a night out or whether your boss is making you work too many overtime hours to count, it’s essential you know when to say ‘no.’

If you don’t manage to say ‘no’ to people too easily, you’ll end up spending your time doing more for others than for yourself. Eventually, you’ll build up resentment towards those people and even yourself and perhaps explode at an unexpected (and often inconvenient) time.

Your best bet is to ensure you don’t reach your breaking point by turning down invites and declining work to give yourself time to make your own routine a priority. It’s an empowering action to establish boundaries with those you love and those you work for.

As counteractive as it might be, saying ‘no’ when you need to can be more beneficial to both sides of a relationship than resentfully saying ‘yes.’

What does prioritizing yourself mean?

Prioritizing yourself means considering everything your body needs and making sure you get it. Giving yourself the time of day and attention to focus on what you need by spending time working on your goals, desires, and self-care routine.

Why is it important to prioritize yourself?

If you’re prone to giving more of your time and love to those around you, you might be neglecting your own self by falling short of your goals, hopes, and dreams in the hope of lifting those around you instead.

4 reasons you should be prioritizing yourself:

1. You need to reach your personal goals.
2. You can’t be expected to give to others without giving to yourself.
3. You must love yourself foremost before you turn your attention elsewhere.
4. The bottom line is that the only person who will prioritize yourself the way you need is you.

Is it selfish to prioritize yourself?

While it might seem selfish and counteractive to take some time for yourself rather than spending it on someone else, it’s in fact highly productive and will help your relationships in the long run in a variety of ways.

1. Spending time focusing on and improving your own mental and physical health improves our general wellbeing and makes us more pleasant to be around.
2. We are less likely to resent our loved ones if we feel we aren’t forced to always do what they want, on their time.

How to prioritize yourself?

The best way to prioritize yourself is to decide what your body needs, set time aside, and give yourself what your body requires.

From eating healthy food to regular exercise and meditation to getting an adequate amount of sleep each night to create a self-care routine, you should start doing more of what you enjoy and crave and less of what you don’t.

While there will always be certain things we need to do which cannot be avoided, you’ll be surprised at how much time in your day you can free up for your own self, by saying ‘no’ to the things that don’t bring you joy.

2. Journal your short term goals

When we talk about goals, we often refer to long-term plans. It can be daunting to think about where you might be in 5 years, and when prioritizing our self-care routines, it’s more beneficial to focus on our short-term aspirations.

Consider what you would like to achieve at the end of each hour, day, and week. Journal these thoughts and add them to a weekly planner. Research shows that keeping a weekly or monthly calendar or a to-do list helps you manage your time better while improving your productivity levels. It can also be a great stress relief to check things off your lists.

When we write down our hopes and dreams on paper, we are more likely to seriously consider them in our daily activities and are constantly reminded of what steps we need to take to make our goals a reality.

It’s important to pay attention to how you feel and reflect on your progress, making sure not to put extra pressure on yourself and prioritize your health over your career and social aspirations.

How do you decide on your priorities?

The best way to figure out what you should prioritize is to take a moment to think about what your mind, body, and soul crave. Whether you need better nutritional attention, and more sleep or crave some simple alone time, make time to accommodate yourself.

Add simple activities, such as an afternoon nap or time to cook a healthy meal to your self-care routine. By giving your body, mind, and soul what it needs, you’ll be improving your overall physical and mental health while making yourself more approachable for yourself (and others).

How do you prioritize your personal goals?

If you’re wondering how to prioritize self-care, the best way is to set physical time aside to achieve your goals. We must ignore the critics; and compliment ourselves on our achievements, however small they may be, while giving ourselves adequate time to achieve the goals we set ourselves.

3. Start a self-care routine

A self-care routine is a great way to set aside time to improve ourselves and our happiness.

Checklist to start a self-care routine:

1. Find what makes you feel most centered and satisfied.
2. Brainstorm how you could incorporate what you enjoy doing into your daily life more.
3. Schedule time to relax and find ways to unwind.
4. Set yourself self-care aspirations.
5. Check in with your progress and see what you are managing to do right and what you aren’t giving yourself enough time and space to do.
6. Keep adjusting your routine to better fit in with your daily tasks and schedule.

What are good self-care ideas?

• Do physical exercise, but don’t overdo it.
• Meditate daily.
• Try this self care shower routine.
• Engage in a creative outlet or hobby to get your creative juices flowing.
• Make sure you get between 7 and 9 hours of good quality sleep each night.
• Laugh every day.
• Spend time outdoors and in the sun. Experts state that getting between 10 – 30 minutes of sun exposure each day can increase our vitamin D levels.
• Make time to cook and eat healthy and nutritious food.
• Spend time with people who bring you up and avoid those who bring you down.

If you’re ready to create a self-care routine, check out the 30 day self-care challenge by What’s Good?.

4. Pay attention to the way you feel and switch up your schedule

While habits can be comforting and convenient, it’s important not to become complacent in our daily activities and to continue to challenge ourselves to be the best we can be. The best way to do this is to explore new ways of doing things by adding, removing, and switching our daily schedules.

Doing things differently helps to take us out of our comfort zone and activate different parts of our bodies and brains. Changing our routine can help us figure out how to better achieve our goals by learning from experience.

5 tips for switching up your daily self-care routine:

1. Visit new places.
2. Join a new gym/exercise class.
3. Explore your own area by walking new routes (safely).
4. Explore cooking different meals.
5. Do your grocery shopping at a different store.

5. Create a ritualistic bath time

A great form of self-care can be found in a good cleansing ritual (physically and mentally). Schedule time to indulge in a warm bubble bath, light some candles, add some essential oils to your bath, and enjoy the soak.

While cleaning ourselves has obvious benefits of hygiene and self-love, while making us feel refreshed and renewed, it’s also a great way to moisturize and hydrate our skin and hair.

A warm bath is associated with reducing blood pressure, easing breathing, relieving muscles and joints, and maintaining our bodies’ natural temperature.

6. Pay attention to your social media screen-time

One of our generation’s greatest challenges is monitoring and controlling the amount of time we spend scrolling through our smartphones.

Being in constant contact with our closest friends and watching what total strangers do on an hourly basis can cause us to compare ourselves and our lives with other people.

This brings us into a negative cycle whereby we feel the need to constantly ‘watch’ and aspire to other people (often ‘influencers’). However, it’s important to remember that ‘influencers’ are there to do just that – influence, and their daily lives hardly look like what they portray on their social accounts.

The benefits of limiting time on social media:

1. You’ll spend less time comparing yourself to others and more time focusing on your own wellness.
2. You’ll better protect your personal privacy by not revealing where you are and what you are doing at all times.
3. It will free up significant time to spend on yourself or with loved ones. The average young adult spends an average of 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone each day.
4. You’ll live more in the moment and be more aware of your surroundings. At the same time, you’ll be less likely to obsess over the past by searching for old friends and ex relationships on your social media.
5. Your overall happiness and mood will improve as a direct result of the above.

7. Plan your meals to spark your creativity and give you energy

Eating healthily offers a myriad of benefits for our bodies. From increasing our energy levels, immune system response, moods, heart and organ health, as well as aesthetic looks, it’s the one action we should all focus our attention on.

I try to plan my weekly meals, writing down the healthy ingredients I wish to consume, matched with unique and delicious recipe ideas.

While cooking nutritious food, which increases your energy levels, you’ll have a chance to use the creative side of your brain, all while learning and improving a new skill!

8. Carefully choose who you want to spend your time with

Like saying ‘no’ to things that don’t bring you joy, we must make our time a priority by spending time with those who lift our spirits and make us happier while limiting the time we spend with toxic friends make us feel unworthy.

This is a more difficult commitment to make than expected, as it can be hard to decline invitations and avoid toxic relationships. However, the benefits from surrounding yourself with positive people who bring you joy and confidence will be life-changing.

9. Schedule a few minutes a day to relax

It might sound crazy, but with a busy work and social schedule, it’s important we pencil in time to relax. You won’t benefit from running from one activity to another if you don’t give yourself downtime to unwind in between!

My favorite time to relax is usually at the end of the day when I have completed everything I need to do. By winding down before you head to sleep, you’ll also increase the quality of your sleep.

The line between prioritizing self-care and selfishness isn’t as thin as it seems. Learning how to prioritize self-care and taking care of yourself is essential to maintaining a healthy body, mind, and social relationships.

Meditation is a great way to relax your mind and practice mindfulness. You can listen to these guided meditation videos daily for great results.

Running is an effective way to lose weight. It could be challenging at first, but once you get the hang of it, running exercises become more enjoyable and you also get to keep fit and healthy eventually.

Does running help you to lose weight?

Running does help in losing weight. These exercises actually burn a lot of calories and fat which results in weight loss.

Recent research shows that high-intensity running exercises like sprints, hill runs, and intervals other than burning fat, they also suppress appetite making you eat less.

Now that you know running aids in weight loss, let’s look at running tips you should consider as a beginner.

1. Consult with your doctor before you start running

Consulting a doctor is necessary before you start running workouts. You may be having an underlying condition that you’re unaware of. A heart check-up  for example could prevent a heart attack or heart complications when you get into action.

A general medical checkup is vital especially for people who are not used to hard or tiring exercises. This will prevent injuries that may occur during such exercises.

2. Invest in good running equipment

Investing in good running equipment is important because your athletic performance and well being depend on it. People often underestimate this key factor and end up feeling tired, uncomfortable, and blistered.

Some of these running equipment include:

Heart rate monitors (HRMs)

HRMs provide instant feedback about your cardiovascular system and the stress experienced while running. They alert you when you over-train, provide your heart rate limits, and also count calories.

Garmin, Suunto and Polar are popular for their heart rate monitor products.

Running shoes

Shoes determine how you run, therefore, it’s good to invest in the best.  Running shoes should be a good fit and gentle on your feet. These prevent blisters and pain in your feet.

Running shorts

The best running shorts should be lightweight and comfortable. They should also contain wicking properties, which is drawing moisture away from your body.

Although most of them come with elastic bands; those with drawstrings are the best as you can adjust the waist to your preference.

Your running shorts shouldn’t be too tight, you may obstruct blood flow around your waist. They shouldn’t be too loose either, as it might become uncomfortable while you’re running.

Running tights

Running tights keep your legs warm. They should be snug fitting and comfortable to prevent cold from penetrating your legs. This is because cold weather may cause sore muscles or injuries. But with tights that fit snugly, this problem can be avoided.

Running tops

Whether short-sleeved or long-sleeved, a good running top should be comfortable and snugly fitting otherwise they’ll cause friction around your armpits.

Its material should favor sporting activities. It could be spandex, nylon, polyester, microfiber, etc.

Running socks

Socks provide warmth and protection for your feet. But, running socks should do more than that. They should draw sweat away from your legs to prevent friction and should be padded at the arch area for more comfort and to prevent blisters.

Go for running socks that are a good fit more so at the arch area. If they don’t fit well, they might slide off your feet and build up inside your shoes.

Sports Bra

The best sports bra limit movement around the bust area for the best running experience. It should also be comfortable and specifically designed for sports activities.

3. Walk before you run. Start slowly

Warming up before running stretches your muscles which minuses the risks of injury. It also enables you to adjust your body for longer distances. It promotes blood circulation to all muscles you’ll need while running.

4. Hire a running coach or download a running app

A running coach will help you reach your objectives since they’re highly trained experienced in what they do. They will help you build up your confidence more so if you’re a beginner.

The cost of hiring a running coach depends on the qualification and demand of the coach in question or even your needs.  Some may require hourly payments while others prefer payments monthly which range from $40 to $ 400.

All in all, before hiring a coach ensure that their specialty, qualifications, or experience matches your needs.

A running app could also help, it tracks paces, calories, routines, distance, and many more. They’re a great way to keep you motivated and help you achieve fitness goals.  Most of them are beginner-friendly and ensure you make the most out of them.

 5. Stay hydrated

Staying hydrated throughout your running exercises boosts your performance. Water improves your energy levels and regulates temperature during these workouts.

Since you lose a lot of electrolytes and water through sweating, they’re all replaced when you’re hydrated. Dehydration may cause fatigue, migraines, and increased heart rates.

6. Fuel your body with the right nutrition and foods

We might as well agree that food powers your runs. This is why it’s important to fuel your body with the right diet.

Dietary carbohydrates are energy giving foods which basically powers your cells and gives you enough energy to run.

Another food that acts as a source of energy is fat. Fat is broken down into fatty acids and other compounds that are mostly used during endurance exercises.

With this in mind, you have a rough idea of what your diet should comprise of. But, don’t go overboard as you’ll do more harm than good.

For carbs, ensure that you’re intake is 60% to 65%  of your total calorie intake. But for runners like splinters, this may not enough and they may need more than 70%

For fat, your intake should be 20% to 35% of your total diet and no more than that. You can achieve this by sticking to foods that have low saturated fats like nuts and cold-water fish.

Proteins repair tissues damaged during your exercises, this makes them an integral part of your diet. According to USDA Dietary guidelines, your protein daily intake should be 10 % to 35%. You should focus on those that are low in fats and cholesterol like poultry, beans, eggs, lean meat, fish, etc.

Don’t forget to add in vitamins and minerals which are essential for your well-being. Minerals such as calcium are good for strong bones and teeth, iron build your muscles naturally while zinc boosts your immunity.

7. Don’t forget to stretch

This keeps your muscles healthy and strong. Stretching before you run will provide the flexibility that allows a range of motion in your joints. This will indeed prevent the risks of injuries.

To sum up, getting the right equipment, eating the right diet and staying motivated will help you stay on the course and you’ll be able to achieve your short or long-term fitness goals.  You can keep motivation by keeping your workouts fun, running with a friend/ family, or by joining competitions.

Butt lift workouts give you a nice sculpted bum which is good for aesthetics.

But what if I told you butt lifting workouts has more to it than just looks. They also help:

• reduce knee and back pains
• tones and strengthens your muscles
• improve your physical performance

Here are 4 butt lift workout routines you can do in less than 4 minutes!

1. Dumbbell Front Squats

This workout requires core strength and ankle flexibility to achieve a good posture.

Targets: core, gluteus maximus, quadriceps, hamstrings

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold a pair of dumbbell weights on each hand, and rest on top of your shoulders with your palms facing in. This is your starting position.
3. Lower down to a squat by bending your knees forward and pushing your hips backward.
4. Pause for a moment and then drive back to your starting position. This makes your 1st rep.

Benefits

Dumbbell squats improve intermuscular and intramuscular coordination. This allows different muscles to work together for a stabilized joint motion.

2. Sumo Squats

Targets: calves, hips, hamstrings, inner thighs, glutes

1. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Toes should face outward about 45 degrees.
2. Hold one weight with both hands vertically. This is your starting position.
3. Breathe in as you bend your knees and push your hips back to form a squat. While doing this, ensure your core is tight, and your back is straight.
4. Breathe out as you drive up through your heels back to the starting position.
5. Repeat this for 8-10 reps.

2 common mistakes people make while doing a sumo squat.

PROBLEM #1 Knees caving in. Weak hips or some knee problems cause this. To prevent this, use knee bands or do hip abduction exercises before the exercise.

PROBLEM #2 Bending/ leaning forward when taking the weight towards the floor. Always look up and maintain a straight back throughout.

3. Stiff-Legged Deadlifts

Targets: hamstrings, upper legs, core, glutes.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grab a pair of dumbbells with an overhand grip, i.e., palms facing your body.
2. Push your chest out by engaging your core and keeping your shoulder blades together. This will be your starting point.
3. Inhale as you bend over at the waist with knees bent. This will push your hips backward and allow your dumbbells to run along your thighs. You should feel a deep stretch at the back of your legs or hamstrings.
4. Exhale when you reach halfway down your shins.
5. Tighten your core as you push through your heels back to your standing position. Remember to keep the weights in close contact with your legs as you stand up.
6. Do 3 to 4 sets of 10-12 reps.

Benefits

• Improves your athletic performance. Boosts your muscle strength, which will help you in your exercises.
• Increases the mass of glutes and hamstring muscles. This will increase your lower body size, boosting your strength in other workouts.

4. Alternating Side Lunge

Targets: quadriceps, hamstrings, inner thighs, glutes

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart with dumbbells resting in front of your legs. Brace your torso by contracting your abdominal muscles and core. Keep your head slightly held high. This makes your starting position.
2. Breathe in as you step out the left leg wide into a 90-degree angle. Keep the other leg straight. Slightly bend your left knee and push back your hips. Exhale as you use your left leg to push back to your starting position.
3. Repeat the process but this time, stepping out with the right leg. You can do 2-3 sets of 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Benefits
Alternating side lunge workouts improve your flexibility and performance. It also helps you develop balance and agility.

Workout Tips

You should always warm-up before indulging in any workout exercise. This will stretch your muscles for increased mobility. It will also prevent possible pain and injuries.

It would be best if you did not overload yourself with heavyweights as this could lead to injuries. Again, lifting too light dumbbells is not good either. They limit your lifting abilities. Just choose dumbbells that allow you to maximize your full potential.