This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please view my policy page for more information.

The choices you make about your health now can affect your health as you get older. Living a healthy lifestyle is one way you can prevent various diseases, stay mobile and potentially live longer.

There are a lot of things you can do to stay healthy, but there are also a lot of things you could be doing that seem fine now, but could affect you in the future. Ready to start thinking about your future? Get to know the bad habits that could damage your long-term health and what you can do to avoid them.

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Smoking

Smoking can lead to all kinds of health problems. While you might not feel the severe effects now, in the future you could be at risk of developing lung or other cancers, heart disease and more. Smoking will also make you age quicker than you’d like to. Get help with quitting smoking to help you begin to reverse its effects and look forward to a healthier future.

Living a sedentary lifestyle

Do you tend to spend more time sitting down at your desk or on the couch? A sedentary lifestyle can almost be as damaging as smoking. It’s important to get moving throughout the day to help you keep your metabolism up and boost your energy levels. Being more active will help you to maintain a healthy weight and improve your cardiovascular health. Try doing at least 30 minutes of exercise a day and watch your move, energy and waistline start to improve.

Ignoring health checks

Keeping up with your health checks is important to maintain your health throughout your life. From going to the dentist to getting your pap smear on time, the health checks that are provided to you can help identify issues early and help you get treatment when needed. It’s easy to forget about an appointment or to keep cancelling, but doing so could be damaging. Put those reminders in your phone and on your fridge and make sure you stick to them.

Not looking after your eyesight and hearing

It’s easy to take your eyesight and hearing for granted, but there are plenty of things you can do to help make sure they stay effective. Get your eyes tested regularly and take plenty of screen breaks, your eyes will thank you for it. Meanwhile, if you notice your hearing is in decline, get checked out to see if you could benefit from hearing aid technology. Be kind to yourself and to your body, you’ll help prevent a number of problems in the future by taking care of the seemingly small things.

Your life choices can have a significant impact on your health as you age. That’s why it’s important that you take the time to focus on your health and wellbeing and make important changes for the sake of your health. From trying to prevent breast cancer to maintaining a healthy weight, take charge of your health and cherish it - you’ll be thankful when you’re older.

Image Courtesy Of Lucija Ros

This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please view my policy page for more information.

A common problem a lot of women face as they age is what is known as “turkey neck.”  As we age, our muscles in our body naturally begin to weaken. The same is true for the muscles that develop under our neck.  The thin skin that we develop over these neck muscles won’t be adequately held in place with the weakening muscles, thus causing the skin to droop and sag like a turkey.

Surgery is one avenue that people can take to have this taken care of, but for many, surgery is a scary thought and a costly one at that.  This article will explore some alternatives to surgery that can be done to help restore that natural, beautiful look. It is essential to understand that the sooner you begin this kind of lifestyle, the more effective it will be as you age.

Exercise Your Neck

That’s right, in addition to working on those abs, you can perform various exercises to help strengthen those neck muscles.  Multiple online resources can be found with tips to help you avoid surgery such as SiO Beauty and Livestrong.

One exercise that you can do is to simply lie down and tilt your head and neck back ever so slightly.  Slowly and gently move your head to the right, then to the left, and then flat back on the floor. Repeat this exercise several times but stop immediately if you feel any pain or cramping.  This exercise helps to build your neck muscles, thus tightening the skin and preventing it from sagging down.

A second exercise that they suggest is to place your hands over your collarbones at the base of your neck with your palms facing down.  As you apply pressure, you want to tilt your head back slightly. You should not tilt your head straight back. As you are doing that, you want to have your lower lip cover your upper lip.  Hold for a few seconds and then return to the normal position. This should be repeated 10-15 times.

A third, and pretty natural exercise to do is chewing.  Tilt your head back a bit and pretend that you are chewing a stick of gum.  You can do this sitting down or standing up, and you should be able to feel the muscles working their magic underneath your chin with your hands.  

You can also perform a kissing exercise in which you lean back and pretend to kiss the ceiling.  You won’t even need a breath mint for this exercise. Lean back, pucker up, hold for 5 seconds, and then release.  Repeat for 20-25 times.

Roll it out!  There are plenty of rollers available (you can even use one of your cooking rollers if you’d like) and lay down and roll up and down your neck.  It may feel a bit funky and awkward, but doing that daily will help to strengthen those muscles.

If you are in the early stages of this development or trying to get ahead of the game, it is best to start these exercises early in life.  These exercises are not a cure-all but will help to keep the muscles tightened for as long as they possibly can.

Creams and Tightening Facials

In addition to performing the daily exercises above, it is suggested that you look at some of the cosmetics and tightening facials that are available to you.  These are great reinforcements to the neck exercises. Since the neck provides fewer oil glands than the face, it will dry out more easily and wrinkle. So, if you plan on moisturizing your face, why not extend it to your neck as well?

Neck skin provides a list of products that you could explore to use.  They recommend the SiO Necklift Patch as a product to help the fight against turkey neck.  Many of the products that people use to treat wrinkles can also be used on the neck.  The products will help to tighten your skin as well as hydrate it, which is vitally important.

Safe substances like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, green tea, coconut oil, aloe, shea butter, and licorice roots can all be found in a variety of products provided.  These are natural healing substances that should be part of our daily lives anyway.

Radio Frequency skin tightening facials is another avenue that you can explore instead of surgery.  It helps to firm and reduce the appearance of sagging skin around the neck. It’s recommended that people interested perform this treatment once a week for 6-8 weeks and then begin a maintenance program every six weeks thereafter. And, not only is it effective, it’s relaxing as well.  You can get a two for one experience.

Everyday Habits

Probably the easiest treatment of all that you can do is to take care of yourself each and every day.  It makes perfect sense that the way we take care of ourselves physically and mentally will lead to positive results.

Regular everyday exercise is vital to the health of our bodies.  Exercise helps to increase your blood circulation, which provides the skin cells with the proper nutrients.  Being active and exercising also helps your mind stay fresh as well as reduce stress. And it is no secret that the less stress we have in our lives, the more youthful we will look.

Your diet is also a critical factor in maintaining healthy-looking skin.  There are many anti-aging diets available out there to help your body load up on the vitamins and minerals that it needs.  These vitamins and minerals act as antioxidants, which will keep the harmful toxins out of your body. Eating healthy will help you feel better about yourself as well and remove some of that stress mentioned earlier.

It is essential that you lower your consumption of alcohol.  In addition to being bad for your liver, it can be bad for your skin as well.  The more that you drink, the more dehydrated you become, which affects your skin tremendously.  Your skin will lose the moisture that it needs to stay hydrated and the alcohol will also suck out some of the Vitamin A that you need as a toxin remover.  It is ok to have a glass of wine or cocktail on occasion but know that you are putting your skin in jeopardy with any overconsumption. Smoking falls under the same category, so be sure to quit for many reasons beyond just healthy skin.

Sleep is an extremely important and often overlooked health benefit.  A good night’s sleep will refresh your body and rejuvenate your skin. Seven to eight hours of peaceful sleep is recommended each night.  Staying hydrated with lots of water throughout the day will also help your sleeping pattern because it is flushing out those nasty toxins, keeping your skin hydrated, and your body healthy.  Going to bed not feeling well will never help in the sleeping process.

Finally, be careful of the sun.  There is nothing better than beautiful sunshine to brighten up your day, but the UV rays that it provides will break down your skin’s collagen and elastin.  Be sure to apply sunscreen daily. Read more about some of the best skin cream and sunscreen lotions on the market today.  There is a wide variety of options to fit your personal needs.

Be Happy for YOU

Whatever you decide to do in this world, make sure that you are happy.  More often than not, especially as mothers, we become overly concerned with everyone else and put our own health on the backburner.  

Dear Moms, Take Care of Yourselves First is a great refresher for the importance of a healthy you!  Everything that has been mentioned above can be taken care of from an early age to avoid ever having to run into turkey neck.  It is when people lose the ability to put themselves first that we run into problems. You are useless in helping other people if you are not healthy yourself.  

Find a walking buddy and make it a daily habit to get out and walk (or run if you prefer).  It is the perfect de-stressor, and it can even involve pushing the kids in their strollers. You need to be able to check out every once in a while from the daily grind of life and allow yourself to be free.  Being active and moving also gets you away from connecting to the World Wide Web and all its social media platforms. Live in the moment and be happy. Ultimately, this will lead to a better and healthier you.

Your body, your mind, and your skin will be forever grateful.

This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please view my policy page for more information.

The summer is the best part of the year for most people, with loads of sunshine, plenty of activities, and the opportunity to go on holiday. If you happen to suffer from any type of allergy, though, going away might be a challenge. Your food sensitivities will prevent you from eating just about anything on the menu, not to mention that the dry warm air can be full of pollen that triggers you hay fever. If you don’t want to miss out on your next holiday, you might want to try some of these solutions. 

Image via Flickr

Take Antihistamines

Most mile allergies can be treated with antihistamines, but you are not guaranteed to find the same ingredients and strengths at your travel destination. You should visit your doctor and ask for a prescription to take with you, Unfortunately, even the change of air and climate might trigger an allergic reaction that you cannot foresee, and not being able to take part in outdoor activities can ruin your holiday.

Bug Repellents

Image via Max Pixel

Some people are extremely allergic to bee and wasp bites, and they can have serious reactions, including swelling of the limbs that spreads all the way up to the heart. You should take bug repellents if there is a chance that you will come across these insects - or ones you don’t even know about - at your destination. You should also take some antihistamine cream with you, so you can immediately reduce the swelling.

Sun Protection and Sunhat

Sun allergy can be extremely depressing, especially during the summer months. If you have a sensitive skin, and have rashes when you are staying outside during the day, you will need to ensure you are covering your body up well. Take a supersized scarf with you to cover your shoulders when you are out in the sun. A wide brimmed sun hat will also protect your face from the sun’s rays, without making you feel too hot underneath. If your eyes are sensitive to the sun, you can take care of your senses, too, by wearing sunglasses with advanced UV protection.

Go Self Catering

Those with food intolerance or insensitivity might not be able to book a budget-friendly all inclusive holiday, either, you might as well go self catering and pick your meals and ingredients, so you can avoid feeling poorly for the rest of the vacation. It is hard to find out what was used for each meal, especially if you are staying in a foreign country.

Get a Steroid Injection

Once you have found out what you are allergic to exactly, and visited an alleergy specialist, you will be able to find the right long term treatment option. If you want to eliminate your symptoms for a long time, you can ask for a steroid injection that will last for up to a year.   

Living with allergies can be challenging in the summer when you are trying to enjoy your vacation. Don’t let your condition ruin your fun, and get professional help and advice.