5 Amazing Benefits Of Learning To Love Yourself

 

No matter how much the hardest among us deny this – we all have a desire to be loved. Often, it's a romantic love that we crave. We are caught up in our loneliness and it's normal to have a want for companionship. Though, romance isn't everyone's struggle or want – it may be a familial want or a platonic friendship. While, for some it may be a combination of all of these. 

 

Rejection and hurt can leave us feeling unfulfilled and disillusioned with how we expect relationships to play out. When they don't go as we want them to we often blame ourselves and wonder where we went wrong... that's not what it's about. 

 

This is where learning to love yourself comes in – and that comes with some incredible benefits, here are six.

 

1.     You'll Be Large & In Charge 

 

Instead of making bad choices because you're being led by shame, guilt or fear – you will be empowered to make choices that truly make sense for who you are – meaning you will be living your authentic life. You will no longer be caught up with people pleasing, instead you will live a life that brings you satisfaction. Self-love means trying to honor yourself because you know your needs are just as important as others. 

 

2.     You Set Boundaries & Stick To Them 

 

Once you have the hang of honoring your needs you start to feel more confident, which means you are more assertive. Of course, this results in a more purposeful attitude, especially when it comes to dating. You start to see who is wasting your time and you're strong enough to move forward without them. More to the point, you are strong enough to set clear boundaries with people and stick to them.

 

3.     The Approval Seeking Will Stop 

 

When you truly love yourself, you stop worrying about what everyone else thinks about you – which means you're a less defensive person and more confident about living a life that is authentic for you. Why would you need acceptance from everyone else when you truly accept yourself? 

 

4.     You Will Be A Conscious Decision Maker 

 

Loving yourself gives you the courage to cut things from your life that don't truly bring you joy or provide you with ample space to grow. It's easy to make courageous decisions when you value yourself and actively make choices that are intended to honor you, rather than risk harming you. 

 

5.     You Will Enjoy Alone Time

 

A lot of people get caught up in keeping busy schedules simply because they're terrified of feeling or being alone. You surround yourself with people, throw yourself into work, and make decisions that help you avoid that loneliness. Why would you do all of the things that you don't love? You could be filling that time with things that you actually enjoy doing – whether it’s meditation, swimming, writing or watching a movie. It doesn't need to feel scary to spend time alone, you should enjoy time with yourself. Self-love brings more comfort when you're spending time in your own company. 

How Much Exercise Do You Need Every Day To Lose Weight?

Weight loss is a goal that requires both a disciplined dietary approach and exercise, among other factors, to achieve and excel. How much exercise is needed every day to achieve your weight loss goal is a common question and not one that generally has a clear answer. 

Unfortunately, there is not a magic number of minutes, reps or hours needed to lose weight, rather there are a number of variables that need to be considered in order to figure out the right number. 

We'll examine the different variables that come into play when trying to determine how much exercise is needed to give you a roadmap to determining the exercise timeframe that works best for you.

Variable 1: Calories Consumed and Calorie Quality

The first principle of weight loss is that to lose weight we must achieve a caloric deficit or expend more calories than we are consuming. Thus, in order to know the amount of exercise needed to lose weight, we need to know what our daily caloric intake is, and just as importantly, what the sources are for those calories (for example, vegetables versus potato chips). 

To this point, if you operate on a low-calorie diet generally speaking, it would take less exercise to lose weight and you may be fine with a moderate 3-4 day a week training plan. Conversely, if you eat excessive amounts or use tons of supplements, you'll need to up your exercise plan and really push to get back into the caloric deficit mode.

Variable 2: Exercise Type and Intensity

The second key variable is the type of exercise, and more specifically the intensity. 20 minutes on the elliptical has a far different energy output than 20 minutes of all out sprinting. This variable can also dovetail with our first variable, in that the greater the number of calories consumed, the more energy we may have for high intensity exercise, whereas if we aren't consuming too many calories, we may not need to exercise for an especially long time or at a high intensity per se. 

In general, exercise modalities that are more aerobic will require a longer time to see any sort of effective impact on weight loss. Jogging, biking, the elliptical or other options would all require a significant amount of time, potentially hours over the course of a week, to see a meaningful impact. 

Conversely, anaerobic activities such as sprinting, resistance training or interval training methods will be more effective in a short amount of time, yet their intensity level is much higher and thus they have a certain level of pre-requisite fitness to achieve their full potential and results. 

Variable 3: What is the Weight Loss Goal? How much time do we have to achieve it?

The third variable is arguably the most important, what is the weight loss goal? Much like our car ride or travel plans are determined by our destination, our exercise plan and weight loss journey will be dictated by the goal we have set. 

If the goal is to lose 5 pounds in two months, that is a fairly modest and achievable goal for most and would not require much additional exercise. If you were a sedentary person prior to your goal you would only need to exercise 20-30 minutes a day for 3-4 days a week to achieve this goal. 

Conversely, if you goal is to lose 30 pounds in two months, the equation is radically different, and it would take an extreme amount of exercise, multiple hours every day at high intensity to achieve that same goal. 

Putting it All Together: Finding the Right Number

Now that we have examined the variables, we can think about how to more effectively answer the question of how much exercise we need per day to lose weight. If you have a low caloric intake generally speaking, are planning on utilizing low intensity aerobic exercise and have a modest goal than you might be ok with 30-45 minutes of aerobic exercise a day. 

However, if you love to eat, love to lift weights and also have an ambitious goal for weight loss, you're going to have to spend hours per day working out to reach those goals. 

The ultimate recommendation would be to accurately assess your starting point as compared to your goal, look at how much time you have to reach that goal, and then make a plan accordingly to reach it rather than rely on a standard number or cookie-cutter approach that doesn't apply to every person. 

Why Is Adequate Vitamin Intake So Important

Performing a plethora of roles to maintain good health and development, vitamins are essential nutrients that we can’t live without. 

 

Yet there are so many that perform wonders without our even actually being aware of it, until we don’t get sufficient amounts and problem occur. 

 

Vitamins are characterized by the following:

 

• They’re found naturally in food, with varying amounts
• They can’t be made by the body (save for vitamin D after sun exposure)
• They are organic in their structure and can be broken down by air, heat or acid, making it more difficult for your body to absorb them since cooking and storage affects their chemical structure - even exposure to air
• They’re crucial for normal and healthy development and functions
• When they become absent from the diet, it can cause certain deficiencies

 

There are 13 essential vitamins which are divided into 2 categories:

 

Water-soluble

• B vitamins
• Biotin (vitamin B7)
• Folic acid (folate, vitamin B9)
• Niacin (vitamin B3)
• Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
• Thiamin (vitamin B1)
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin C

 

These vitamins need to be replenished on a daily basis since they’re easily absorbed into the bloodstream as food is digested or supplements are dissolved. Present in the watery sections of the food you eat, water-soluble vitamins are continuously regulated via your kidneys. Any excess is flushed out with urine. 

 

Some of the roles these vitamins play are:

• produce and release energy
• boost immune system
• maintain tissue health
• build proteins and cells
• Produce collagen present in skin cells, blood vessel walls and gums that aids in the process of healing wounds

Fat-soluble

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K

 

These vitamins are quite difficult to figure out because we’re more likely to be deficient in these types of vitamins; yet taking them for prolonged periods of time, especially supplements, can be toxic and very harmful to your health. These vitamins aren’t as easily transported through the body as water-soluble vitamins. 

 

In fact, any excess is stored in the liver and fat tissues for up to 6 months. First, they’re absorbed through the intestinal wall, then they enter the lymph vessels before making their way into the bloodstream. 

 

Most fat-soluble vitamins need a protein carrier to facilitate their movement throughout the body. 

 

Fat -soluble vitamins are responsible for the following:

• protect vision
• build bones
• protect the body against illnesses, diseases, and free radical damage
• blood clotting
• formation of healthy red blood cells
• interact together favorably to enhance absorption

Vitamin Deficiencies

Unfortunately, nutrient deficiencies are extremely common. The main culprits are poor diet, digestive problems, or chronic stress.

 

“Nutrient deficiencies alter bodily functions and processes at the most basic cellular level,” says lecturer at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health in Washington, DC, Tricia L. Psota, PhD, RDN. “These processes include water balance, enzyme function, nerve signaling, digestion, and metabolism. 

 

Resolving these deficiencies is important for optimal growth, development, and function.” They can also lead to diseases and chronic illnesses. 

 

A common example is the lack of vitamin D and calcium can cause osteoporosis, a condition characterized by brittle bones.

 

People who are at most risk for nutritional deficiencies are:

 

• the elderly
• athletes who train intensively for long periods of time
• those with low income
• smokers
• consumers of alcoholic beverages
• Some of the most common symptoms of vitamin deficiency are:
• hair loss
• oral health problems
• muscle cramps in the calves and arches of the feet
• muscle weakness
• fatigue
• shortness of breath
• dizziness
• irregular heartbeats
• mental fogginess

 

Every one of the 13 vitamins has a certain role but each also works in unison with the other 12 to lead to best possible physical condition. This is why it’s so important to eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains, beans and lentils, lean meat, and fish to make sure you’re getting all the essential nutrients your body needs to prevent deficiency, promote fat loss and enhance muscle gain. 

 

Supplements and multivitamins are a great way to make sure you’re getting the vitamins you need. Talk to your doctor to make sure you’re getting the right amount instead of getting too little and not getting the most out of your supplements or getting too much and increasing your risk for toxic reactions. A simple blood test is all you need to know whether or not you are vitamin deficient.