Fitness Tuesday: Why do you need to stretch???

Hello and happy Tuesday, people. This weekend was pretty relaxing for the most part. Went tubing on a lazy river with some of my co-worker and then ran a few errands on Sunday. Thought I was done with my class but I was wrong. I have to return in some items (WHHYYY MEEEE!!!!!). Hopefully (fingers crossed) I can get the grade that I need so I can graduate this Summer. Anywho, today I wanted to talk about a subject that I talked about a year your or two ago: stretching. If you want to see more, here is the link to the post: http://www.vulnaviajohnson.com/2017/05/fitness-tuesday.html.

A few benefits of stretching include increased flexibility, helping with muscle tension, soreness, & increased blood flow. I try to stretch once before I get out of bed in the morning & once before I go to bed. During the work day, I do more stretches that help with my hands since I type most of the day.
Here are a few stretches that any age can do to help decrease your chance of getting injured:

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If you want to get some more information about stretching here are a few articles that go more in depth about the topic:

Facts about Stretching

Mayo Clinic

Why stretching is just as important as exercise

I think that it is important that people are getting as accurate as possible information. There are so many people (especially on social media) that give nutrition or health advice but are not trained to do so. The health & nutrition advice I give out is to benefit people of all races, age, & genders. It just gets annoying when people jump on the health & wellness bandwagon because they think it's the "cool trend" to be on.

Okay, end of my mini-venting session. Next week, I am going to talk about why you should eat a balanced diet instead of jumping on the diet trend train. Peace & blessings, all & have a great Tuesday!!! 

Thoughtful Thursday

Happy Thursday and August!!! July went by really fast. I can't believe that this summer is almost over. One plus side is that I'm officially done with school, partly. I turned in all the assignments but now I'm waiting to see what grade I received, need a B to be done done. Fingers crossed. One thing this means is that I'm going to be able to blog more & work on some personal projects that I have put on the back burner. Motivation is a wonderful thing, right. Speaking of which, her are some thoughts for this Thursday:

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So excited about spending the rest of my summer catching up on sleep & doing things that I enjoy. It's nice knowing that I have time to relax, figuring out what my next move is. The possibilities are endless at this point.

Peace & Blessings, all & have a great start to your August!!!!

Fitness Tuesday: Foam Rolling

     Since the last time that I wrote somewhat regularly in May, I have been trying out different health activities and techniques to see if they would help with some of my physical pain that I have been having. Originally, we thought that it was a side issue from my thyroid problem. Recently, we narrowed it down to a pinched nerve (not sure where thought). One thing that I started doing is foam rolling for the problem.

I have been trying to find some different ways to use my roller, which I bought at Marshall. They sell roller online and at Physical Therapy offices/facilities as well. When buying a roller make sure to get the correct length for your height. One thing I learned is that it hurts that's not a good thing. It has to do with the fascia underneath the skin. According to Mosby's Dictionary of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, fascia is an elastic connective tissue found throughout the body that surrounds and supports various muscles and organs. Unhealthy fascia can cause cellulite and pain among other issues. Here are a few foam roller exercises to tryout to work out any stiffness or pain in your body:

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This muscle roller is the one that I bought from amazon a while back. I usually roll in the morning and before bed. Personally, I found that it has helped with the tightness in my legs. I also use a large foam roller to lay on to stretch out my back after sitting for most of the day. This roller is similar to the roller that I have (mine is a 36').

If you need more resources on fascia. Here are a few resources about fascia:

The Top 5 Ways Fascia Matters to Athletes by Brooke Thomas

Latest Wellness Trends for 2019 from Simple Roots Wellness

Feeling Achy? The Body Part You Don't Know You Have by Corrie Pikul

Gave some of these exercises a try if any of you have chance. Peace & Blessings, all. Have a Great Tuesday!!!

Summer salads

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     With it being summer, I love easy recipes that I can make that don't require a lot of cook time. A salad is a great way to incorporate vegetables and protein in meal, without all the heaviness of a traditional meal. Salad's are a go-to for lunch & dinner due to my busy schedule. Not having time to make a full dinner, many salad options are far better for you than anything processed in the grocery store or those from fast food restaurants.  Here are some of my favorite at the moment:

-Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes & Mozzarella

-Summer Chicken Salad

-Lemon-Orzo Veggie Salad 

-Caprese Salad on a Stick

-Veggie Salad in a Jar

-Watermelon salad with Feta & Cucumber Pickles

I love getting recipes from online cooking magazines and sites. If you have an account, you can save them like a digital recipe box. In my case, I print them off since it is easier to have them on hand when I need them. These salads can be served as the main dish or as a side. If anyone has a salad the at they have tried, I would love to see it.

Until next time, Peace & Blessings all. Have a great Monday!!!

Thoughtful Thursday

     Happy summer all!!! I am a bit late saying that, like almost two weeks to be exact. I have had been having a writer's block so to speak. A lot of topics I want to talk and have post set up for but are incomplete. Part of it is that it is summer the other part is frustration about life and blogging in general. I have made a commitment to myself that I am going to try to manage my time better to write more again.

We all go through periods in life where we are indifferent about various situations. For the last two-three month, that is the period that I'm slowly moving out of. One way that I'm doing that is through my health. I have added in some vitamins and supplements after going to the doctor. In some future post I'm going to talk about vitamins & supplements, holistic treatments that I've done, along with other areas in the health & wellness field. Another way, being the main way is through my diet. For the moment, I'm probably going blog two to three days a week or until I get some other things I have to do finished. Until then, here are some thoughts for this Thursday:

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Peace & blessing everyone. I hope you all have a great Thursday!!!!

Thoughtful Thursday

Happy Thursday, all!!! This is going to be a short and sweet post. As usual, I am super busy. I still have to finish my last three projects for my one class so I can turn them in before the Summer season starts. Right now I have an I in the class until I turn in the rest of my work. I also have to turn in my graduation paperwork to Graduate this summer. I am a walking mess as of late so I am just rolling with the punches. Until next week, here are some thoughts for today

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Peace & Blessing! Have a great Thursday everyone.

Thoughtful Thursday

     Happy May and Thursday!!! Life happened again. Got busy with my final semester of Graduate School: one class left, turning in all my graduation paperwork & then I'm done. Been feeling blah thanks to living in the land of pollen. Something big did happen: I broke down and bought a car. I've had my car for sixteen years (I bought it in college and it the only car that I've ever owned up until 2 & a half weeks ago). I like it but it's a big adjustment going from not having a car payment to having one now.

Other than that, I'm just trying to figure out what I'm going to do now since I'm done with school again. There is definitely going to be time for writing again. Some time for reading and trying some of the recipes in all the books I bought recently also.  All this going to start next week once I stop slacking and finish my final class projects. Until then, here are some thoughts for this Thursday

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Since, it's been forever since the last time I posted, I have a good amount of post to put up so everyone be on the lookout for that. Until then, Peace & Blessings, all!!!