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Health Trends of 2019

Every year, new health trends emerge and become an important part of health culture. In 2018, we saw the emergence of alternative milk substitutes, group fitness, wellness beverages, and activity trackers.

Now, around half way through 2019 we see these emerging health trends:

Eco-Friendly Packaging

This trend has been growing with reusable and paper straws to help the environment, but it’s growing in 2019. These eco-friendly packages will be replacing single-use packaging in the food industry and in grocery stores. You will start to see more compostable and reusable packaging. Some ideas of eco-friendly packaging is biodegradable bags, compostable cups, plates and cutlery and reusable boxes and bags.

Plant-based Vegan and Vegetarian Meals

In 2019, you will see a rise in the amount of plant-based foods in grocery stores, restaurants and fast food restaurants. One major event that has already happened in 2019 is that Burger King released its Impossible Whopper in the United States. This is the vegetarian option of their classic Whopper Burger. More plant-based options for vegetarians and vegans are emerging on the market. In studies, looking at plant-based diets, it has shown that eating a plant-based diet can help reduce blood pressure, treating diabetes, and improve cholesterol levels. You will see more options of these plant-based foods in 2019.

Healthy Snack Foods

In 2019, you will see more of your favourite snacks get a healthier twist. This has been a growing trend since 2018, but in 2019 you will see more and more options of healthier snacks. An example of one of these healthier snacks is organic potato chips cooked in coconut oil. You will also see a rise in the amount of refrigerated healthy snacks. Refrigerated protein bars, bottled smoothies, yogurt, hummus and more are going to be some of the new upgraded snacks you will see start to hit the market.

Online and Home Workouts

This trend allows you to get personal training from the comfort of your home. Gyms and fitness studios can be seen as intimidating situations, so people are turning to at home and online workouts. An example of this trend is the rise in purchases of at home workout machines like the Peloton or The Mirror workout machine.

Food Intolerance Testing

This trend has been around, but is growing in popularity as at home food sensitivity testing is growing. Food sensitivity and allergies have been confused with each other. If you are food sensitive to something, you can still eat it in moderation. Many at home tests can tell you these sensitivities.

See more trends here.

 

You may try one of the new health trends in 2019 to remain physically healthy, but why not try a way to remain financially healthy? At Oomph, we help our clients find the perfect life insurance policy that keeps them and their family financially healthy in case of sudden death or illness. Get your free quote today.

 

Tips for Staying Healthy During the Summer

Summer is the perfect time to relax and unwind, but some people may let their healthy habits slip. Keeping a healthy lifestyle during the summer is especially important because weather is hotter. Resisting the urge to let your healthy habits slip is very important. Here are some tips to keep a healthy lifestyle during the summer:

Wear Sunscreen:

Protecting your skin is one of the most important things you can do this summer. Skin cancer  is the most common cancer in Ireland and can be caused by extended exposure to strong UV rays. During the summer, the sun is out longer and the weather is nicer and exposure to the sun is the easiest way to get vitamin D. It’s important you spend time outside, but make sure you are protecting your skin by using sunscreen or covering up.

Stay Hydrated:

During the summer, it is easier to become dehydrated because of the increase in temperature. It is very important to drink more water to prevent dehydration. It is also important to not drink a lot of alcohol and coffee to prevent dehydration. Alcohol and coffee are very dehydrating liquids. You may think that coffee has some water in it, but it does not. Keeping hydrated is very important in the summer heat.

Eat Healthy:

Ice cream and frozen treats can seem like the snacks to eat in the summer heat, but may ruin a healthy diet. You can have sweet treats in moderation, but there are healthier snack options. The summer is great for fresh fruit and produce. Go to your local farmers market or fruit stand and you will find amazing deals on fresh produce. Fresh fruit is healthier for you than ice cream and is still a sweet treat.

Get Outside and Exercise:

The summer weather is the best reason to get outside and exercise. The sun is shining and there is no rain in sight, so why wouldn’t you want to be outside? You can turn simple outdoor activities into exercise. An easy outdoor activity that can be turned into exercise is swimming. 30 minutes swimming can burn around 300 calories. You can also try new outdoor hobbies during the summer.

Get Sleep:

Sleep is very import in staying mentally and physically fit. While you are sleeping your body heals and repairs itself. During the summer, especially on holiday, you might have late nights and early mornings. It is important that you keep a similar sleep schedule because it’s such an important part of remaining healthy.

Disconnect:

The summer can be a nice time to put your phone down and enjoy the outside. Disconnecting from your devices will reduce the amount of time you spend staring at a screen. This can improve you physical and mental health. Go outside and enjoy the summer sunshine with family and friends, instead of sitting inside watching TV or on your phone.

 

Staying mentally and physically healthy is important, but what about your financial health? In the case of sudden death or illness, will you or your family be financially protected? At Oomph, we make finding a life insurance policy online easy. Get your free personal quote here.

 

Tips for Holiday Home Security

While you are relaxing on holiday, the last thing you want to be thinking about is if your house is secure. The majority of home burglaries happen by someone who lives nearby because some burglars check out possible targets. Burglars check houses for signs that no one is home when picking a target. When you are gone on vacation, it is easy to forget about the signs that alert burglars that you’re away. Here are some tips for home security while you are on holiday:

Home Security System

With the home security technology today, it is very easy to check up on your home while you are away. This is the easiest step you can take to protect your home because there are so many options available. Most home security systems are directly connected to the company’s help system or the police. This allows quick connection to help if there is something wrong. New systems have camera options that you can set up, so that you can check in on your house. The security system company will give you a sign to put outside your house to alert that you use their system. This is a deterrent for burglars when you are home and away. Home security is the easiest way to protect your house and your family whether you are home or not.

Regular Maintenance Up Keep

When you are away you might think you do not have to keep up with your landscaping, you are wrong. Some burglars look for unkempt yards as a sign of the homeowners being away. If you normally have weekly landscaping done on your lawn, not keeping this up will alert that you are not home. Keeping your normally schedule landscaping or asking someone to come cut your grass is an easy way to keep your home safe while you are away.

Hold your mail and packages

Another sign to burglars that you are not home is if you have mail, packages or newspapers stacking up outside your house. An easy step to take is to get your mail held, especially if you are going on a long trip. You can ask a trusted family member or friend who lives near by or you can fill out a mail-hold form at your post office. This is an easy way to protect your home from burglaries because there will be no sign that you are on holiday.

Keep Valuables Locked Up

Keeping your valuables locked up is one of the best ways to protect them while on vacation. In the worst-case scenario that your house does get broken into, your valuables will be protected. Having a small safe in your house can protect your jewellery and other valuables that you did not take on holiday.

Low Key Social Media

Another easy step you can take is keeping your social media about your trip to the minimum. In some cases, burglars have looked the homeowner’s social media to find out if they are on holiday or not. This is an easy way to make your home a target. Posting your holiday pictures after your trip can be an easy way to protect your home.

 

For More Tips click here. 

 

Home security on holiday is an easy way to protect yourself and your family. Another way to protect yourself and your family is to purchase a life insurance policy, in case of sudden illness or death. At Oomph, we make it easy to purchase a life insurance policy online. Get your free personal quote here and see profiles of our customers and their policy.

 

Health Benefits of Cutting Down on Screen Time

Because of our work culture and technology today, we spend a lot of time staring at screens. According to a Nieslen Study, adults spend nearly 11 hours a day staring at a screen. Screen time can cause health problems that you may not know about. Below are easy tips to prevent these screen time problems.

Too Much Screen Time Related Health Problems

Sleep Problems

Blue light emitted from digital devices can affect your ability to sleep. These light emissions can harm your brain’s production of melatonin. Melatonin is needed for sleep because it is a chemical produced by your body to regulate your sleep. This is usually made worse when staring at screens in the dark. Using technology before bed can also affect the quality of your sleep. This can increase your brains activity while it is trying to settle into a restful state for sleep.

Eye Strain

Too much exposure to screens of digital devices can possibly cause Computer Vision Syndrome. This can cause eyestrain, headaches, itchy eyes, eye fatigue and blurry vision.

Poor Posture

Poor Posture is another problem people who spend too much time on digital screens can have. This poor posture can damage muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and spinal disks.

 

Prevention Tips

Even though some screen time cannot be prevented, there are some things you can do prevent some of these problems;

Computer Glasses

You can purchase blue light glasses that reduce the amount of blue light your eyes are exposed to. This can reduce eyestrain and help improve your sleep.

Desk Chair

The desk chair you sit in at work can help improve your posture and keep you from slouching. Getting a chair with good lumbar support or using a pillow to support your lower back can prevent poor posture and back problems.

Screen Time Control

There are many apps and some phones that have ways for you to set up time controls for apps on your phone or tablets. Apple’s iOS 12 has a tool where you go into the settings of your phone and limit the amount of time you spend on certain apps. There are apps you can download on all phones to limit time.

Ban Screen Use in the Bed Room

This can help prevent you using your phones or other digital devices right before you go to bed. This can improve your sleep because you are limiting exposure before going to bed.

 

Screen time reduction is an important way to keep healthy. Taking these steps will help you remain physically healthy, but it is also important to remain financially fit. Protecting yourself and your family financially from sudden death or illness is a way to remain financially fit. Even if you think you will not qualify for a life insurance, we can help you find a policy. Get a free personal quote here.

Easy Changes to Keep a Healthy Lifestyle on a Budget

With the fast pace lives that we live today, it may seem impossible to keep up a healthy lifestyle. It may seem easier to buy pre-made meals or just eat out and skip the expensive gym membership, but there are changes you can make to live a healthy lifestyle on a budget.

 

Meal Plan

One way to eat healthier is to cook your own meals. A way to stay on budget while cooking your own meals is to meal plan. Meal planning helps you stick to a budget and only get the necessities for the meals. When you go into the grocery store, you will be able to stick to the grocery list and you know it is in your budget. This helps maintain a healthy lifestyle on a budget.

Avoid Purchasing Top Brands

Living a healthy lifestyle does not mean you have to buy the top brands. When you buy generic brands you save money and more often then not are getting the same product. Because of food production standards and regulations, you know the product is made safely and with mostly the same ingredients. If you compare name brand and generic products, they will usually have the same ingredients labeled on the back.

Avoid Going to the Grocery Store Hungry

If you go to the grocery store hungry, then you will end up buying things you do not need. Because you are hungry, your cravings can take over what you purchase at the store. When you go to the grocery store with a budget and you are hungry, you may buy items that are not on your list over items on your list. Sticking to your shopping list will insure that you stay on budget and stick to your meal plan.

Buy Frozen Vegetables and Fruit

When you buy frozen produce, you are saving money and getting the produce you want. Fresh produce always changes because of the seasons and is usually the more expensive option. Even though frozen vegetables lose some of their vitamins, frozen vegetables maintain their mineral, fiber and carbohydrate content from when it is fresh produce.

Home Gym Videos

Buying a gym membership can be very expensive and going to the gym might not suit your schedule. Living a healthy lifestyle does not mean you buy an expensive gym membership. There are tons of free workout apps and videos online for at-home workouts. This saves you the travel time to the gym and do not cost anything. This is another way that you could maintain a healthy lifestyle on a budget.

Packed Lunch

Packing lunch for work or school helps your budget and your health. When you pack your lunch, you do not run to get fast food. Packing your lunch also insures you have healthy snacks and do not run out to get snacks either. This way you insure you are eating healthy and not spending excess money as you are sticking to your budgeted meal plan.

At Oomph, we make buying life insurance easy and affordable for you. Keeping healthy is important, but protecting yourself and your family from sudden death or illness is also important. Oomph can help you find a policy that fits in your budget. Get your free personal quote here.