Mental Health

                As important as physical health is it’s virtually impossible to live a truly healthy and happy life if you neglect your mental health. A lot of people don’t actually have a solid idea of what it means to be mentally healthy and I feel like this is a very important thing to be so let’s talk about it.

                Mental health, according to google is “a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being”, but once again, what exactly does this mean? In my opinion, mental health is any one person’s level of immunity to mental distress or mental illness, ability to keep themselves focused, ability to keep themselves optimistic, and even ability to keep themselves happy. Mental health affects physical health, mood, and personality in general, as well as may other aspects of life so it is very important to be aware of how your psyche functions so that you can recognize good and bad habits in order to keep your mental health in check.

Mental health can be affected by sleep levels, diet, exercise habits, and your perspective on how life affects you emotionally. Think about that for a second; your outlook on life affects your mental health. I used to believe that mental health determined your outlook on life, that it was a direct cause-effect relationship with no room to move, but recent studies have shown that if you change your mindset, your outlook on the world, your mental health becomes better.

Moral of the story, mental health is important, do not neglect it or you could suffer some serious physical and mental conditions alike. Try and keep healthy exercise and diet habits as well as an optimistic outlook on life to keep your mental health in check. Good luck, and enjoy your journey!

Soreness

Two days ago I had an awesome workout! I pushed myself to my limits and lifted heavy… to the point that my legs barely passed as functional the next day. Soreness is something that I take as a sign that I got in a good workout and if the soreness only lasts 24-48 hours that is exactly what the soreness is signaling. If the soreness lasts more than 2 days, and you’ve been working out regularly for a month or so, your body is very likely telling you that you have an injury and you need to take a break; you should ice, massage and see a doctor if the pain persists. Though soreness could be illustrative of a larger issue most of the time a little pain is just your muscles getting stronger. After all, building strength is quite literally a process in which you work yourself to the point of tearing your muscles just to regrow them stronger so obviously, a little pain does actually mean gain. If the pain is annoying or interfering in your life there are a few tips and tricks for reducing soreness if you’re not a freak like me who actually enjoys the pain: Icing is a great way to reduce swelling but a lesser known solution is BCAA (branched-chain amino acids).

                BCAAs are a great way to increase performance, decrease soreness and build muscle because taking them after or during a workout fuels your muscles and helps them operate at their highest level. Think about your muscles like an engine, food is your fuel and supplements like BCAAs are your oil changes, your light performance and your tire performance; your car could operate without peak condition elements, but with them it operates at an even greater level. I highly suggest drinking a scoop or two of BCAAs during or after workouts, you’ll work and even feel better for it. Stay safe and enjoy your journey!

 

Other methods to reduce soreness:

• Stretch regularly- this could break up knots which contribute to soreness
• Dynamic stretching is better after a quick warm up
• Eat protein rich foods 30 minutes after a workout
• Foam roll/massage your legs (then ice)
• Make sure to warm up and cool down during workouts