That’s why it’s good to flip the script from time to time. Conventional wisdom says that in order to be healthy and fit, you need to spend hours in the gym. Of course, training can be a wonderful approach to take, and it will help you feel so much healthier than you would otherwise. But without the ability to rest from your effort, you’ll limit your results.

Moreover, it’s important to note that with all the stressors of life, some of us need good rest to begin with. So, if you’re hoping to get in shape this year, consider learning how to rest well. In this post, we’ll discuss various methods for achieving that:

Routine Rest Is Essential

Of course, you don’t have to put two hours on the sofa before you go into the gym, although that would be nice. It’s good to bake-in rest into your schedule. As strange as it sounds, doing that is not always an obvious practice. Not everyone has a reliable sleep schedule, they get it when they can, and it’s ebay to procrastinate in the evening. Yet as you might put time aside for the gym, learning to sleep at appropriate times, and to get as close to your eight hours as possible can rocket-boost your gym performance, especially if experiencing a plateau.

Listen To Your Body

It’s essential to be mindful of how you feel. Sometimes, throwing yourself at a workout you have zero energy for isn’t necessarily the wisest option. If you need rest, you need rest. Sometimes, taking a night off, or taking a deload week is essential for even elite athletes. As you can imagine, it’s certainly crucial for those adapting to exercise and getting their body used to renewed activity once more.

Fuel Your Body Correctly

It’s essential to fuel your body for exercise, but you’d be surprised at how nutrition can help with recovery, too. For example a high-protein diet allows for increased muscle recovery. Relaxing supplements like Nothing But Hemp help you to get better sleep and rest after workouts more easily. Plenty of water allows your body to flush toxins, keep your digestive system healthy, and your skin and bones in good condition. Vitamins like Vitamin D helps improve your immune system allowing you to feel stronger more capable, which is essential to meet the load of exercise.

With this advice, you’re certain to get fit but never by dismissing your necessary need for rest. That way, you can work out, but without harming yourself.

The post Want To Get Fit? Learn How To Rest, First appeared first on InstantELLA.

If you, like me, have a tendency to get swept up in the changing seasons, you may be missing out on changes that can help you feel great as the months get colder. Check out these five ideas to see what you might benefit from this pumpkin season!

Your Look

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Who doesn’t love getting a fresh new look? Seasonal changes inspire lots of people to cut and color their hair or update their wardrobe, and it definitely serves as a confidence booster when your kids are heading back to school and life just seems busier. And with new trends emerging each year with every season, it’s easy to find something new and fun to try.

Even simple changes like parting your hair on the other side of your head or investing in a warm jacket that will transition perfectly into winter weather will get you in the Fall spirit and ready to take on the challenges ahead.

Your Workout

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If you like to get your sweat on at the gym, it’s easy to stick to the same workout you’ve been doing for the last six months, but the coming of a new season is the perfect excuse to make some alterations. New class schedules will start coming out, too, and it may be fun to add one or more of these into the rotation.

You should also think about how the change in weather will affect your preferred workouts and what you can substitute on those days. Does the road you love to run get icy early on? Transition to a new route or the treadmill. Will your regular gym hours be crowded now? Try a bodyweight workout at home or joining a Fall sports league.

Your Hygiene

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As many women can attest, when the weather changes, it can make perfectly controlled skin suddenly dry up or breakout and hair brittle and dull. Anticipate how the Fall season will affect your skin and update your skincare routine accordingly.

You may switch out one product or all of them, but it’s worth it to keep your skin and hair looking beautiful. And if your last visit to the dentist was quite a while ago, replace your toothbrush so those pearly whites can keep impressing.

Your Food

Fall Weeknight Dinners

You’ve gotten into a great rotation when it comes to meal plans, but with the harvested fields come a slew of new delicious foods you don’t want to miss out on.

It’s time to take a quick hour and rehash your go-to recipes. You may choose to add squash to an already amazing meal or go full out with a different meal that compliments the new corn recipe you’ve found on Pinterest.

Your Schedule

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With the new season comes a change in commuter routines and the habits of the general population. Will your favorite coffee shop now be overrun with college students? Will it take 20 more minutes to drive by the elementary school along your normal drive to work?

Now is a good time to think about how you’ll need to adjust your own routine to avoid traffic buildup and busy crowds. But it’s also a good time to map out all your favorite seasonal activities so you can make the most of the corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and football games you love.

But don’t get weighed down by the stress of your current schedule; you can start looking at dates for your next vacation, too! Making your spring or summer plans now will help you and your best friends get through the never-ending winter months.

The post 5 Changes to Make When Summer Turns to Fall appeared first on InstantELLA.

But now one big question comes to mind: where will you live? On campus or off campus is the question, which one is the best option for you? Should you choose on-campus housing or off campus? And what does that even mean?1

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Here are a few pros and cons for housing on campus and off campus from some student apartments for BYU-I housing, which can hopefully make the decision process a little easier.

On-Campus

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The definition of on-campus housing is that the housing is considered to be on the actual campus, the most well-known type of on-campus housing being dorms.

Pros

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There are many pros to living on campus, especially if you are new to college and this is your first semester. Also, a lot of on-campus housing includes a meal plan, meaning you won’t have to worry about cooking.

The first pro is that you are on campus, meaning you are close to all the amenities that campus offers such as the school cafeteria or gym.

Another is that you most likely won’t need a car because you will be within walking distance for most parts of the campus.

Cons

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One con that many attribute to on-campus housing are that the people who tend to live there are mostly first or second semester students, so there isn’t a lot of variety in age and experience.

Also, some may find concentrating a little more difficult due to a large amount of activity in or outside the rooms.

Another con is that most of the on-campus housing means having more roommates than some of the off-campus housing.

Off-campus

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Off-campus housing is most apartment complexes that are around or very near the school but are technically not in school housing. Some colleges even have an approved housing list, which differs from just the community housing for that city.

Pros

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The off-campus housing means a little more independence and freedom, which can give the student more opportunity to learn responsibility and accountability.

Off-campus housing can also offer a little more variety of students, as well as more freedom for activities and such.

Another benefit of off-campus housing is that it can sometimes offer the student more privacy than on-campus housing can, with opportunities for private instead of shared rooms.

Also, there are instances where off-campus housing can be a little more cost-effective than on-campus housing just because there are more price options to choose from.

Cons

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One of the cons of off-campus housing is that depending on where you live it can be more of a commute to campus and may even require a car.

Sometimes with off-campus housing, you may need to make a little more effort to get involved in social activities on campus.

Also, there may be times off-campus where the tenants may be more rambunctious and noisier than on-campus housing.

Even though there are pros and cons for both on-campus and off-campus housing, either way, there is a great option for you and your needs.

The post Off-Campus Versus On Campus: The Pros And Cons of Choosing Student Housing appeared first on InstantELLA.

Don’t be overwhelmed just yet. If you play your cards right, summer vacations can be a time of fun, learning and rediscovery of your own youth! Here’s how you do it.

Create a Routine

It does not end with planning a drive down to the beach or renting the perfect beach-house getaway. I’d recommend chalking out a schedule, planner or routine of activities even before summer starts. That way you will not only be prepared on day #1 but you would have been able to pre-register and save a spot for all those outdoor summer activities as well, you know what they say about the early bird. Obviously, having a plan would also ensure you’re making the best use of time and opportunities during this vacation.

A quick tip on planning the summer for your kids – include a mix of activities because children get bored easy and love variety. While a large part of summer is about the kids, it’s not all about them. Remember that you need to be relaxed and having fun too. Don’t cram your calendar with activities 24/7. Not only will that burn you out (and may burn out the kids too) but it leaves no room for re-adjustment or tweaking, and that’s no fun! Lol. Take on only as much as you’ll logically be able to handle and save room for downtime.

Having said that here are a couple of activities you and your kids can include in your summer routine.

Interactive Learning

Summer is all about Fun and so is Interactive Learning.  It involves a PC, tablet or other devices, interactive software, immediate answers to queries, virtual rewards and badges/ titles for performance and even online competitions. Sound like a video-game? Yes, because it pretty much is and that is exactly why kids find it so much fun. Except they’re learning along the way too.

American educational technology companies like IXL, through their online tools and website, offer students a chance to practice educational material. Often affiliated and recommended by the Public-School System, they provide students an engaging yet focused environment in which to excel. Sign-ups are free, through the affiliated school and students like my kids can use them throughout the year. Hint: even during summer

Registering your kid(s) at the Local Library’s online Summer Reading Programme is another great example of interactive learning. These programmes include several other exciting activities that go along with reading. My kids, for example read “The giving Tree” and then completed the lesson by planting a sapling in our backyard. They also enjoyed building their original Legos after reading a book on Lego design; and made their own tin can- robots after attending a book reading at the library which focused on robots and machines. Find IT Virginia and similar free online resources provide opportunities for e-reading and learning.

The possibilities are truly endless and I would have killed to have these opportunities growing up, but am happy my kids have them now. Better late than never.

The great outdoors

Physical activity is as important as mental health. My husband and I start our day with a jog around the neighborhood, while the kids do 2 laps each on their bicycles. It doesn’t matter who beats who to the house first, but we all return awake, alive and hungry. Whoever gets home first kills time playing some good old-fashioned basketball outside.

We take it easier on the weekends and substitute the jogs and bike rides for a day of mini-golf, bowling or the park.

And while a trip to the beach is a must, if you’re looking for local activities, Facebook Events  and Groupon Coupons could be a good place to start. Explore local events and workshops , take the kids to the amusement and water parks or the local fare, state-parks and museums, buy putt-putt, laser-tag, roller-skating and arcade game coupons for the family on Groupon at a discounted rate. Save some money, Explore, and thou shall find!

And don’t forget, your own backyard can be an ideal place to spend some time – if you’ve got a pool, make sure you search for a pool service near me to keep it clean and hygienic, but even without a pool, your own outdoor space can be a fantastic place for some truly wonderful adventures. 

Help Around the House

With great fun comes serious responsibility. If you haven’t already, take this time to teach the kids the nuances of laundry, doing the dishes, helping fix a meal and generally cleaning up after themselves.  It will go a long way in teaching them responsibility and preparing them for success as adults. Initially, I used to get a lot of pushback from my kids. It started with the “do we have to?”  but after gentle persuasion it’s slowly shifting to “can I help?”. Why surely, you can!!

Get a Pet

Now’s as good a time as any to get a pet for your kids to play with. My kids brought home 2 hermit crabs – Hermie and Sebastian – from the beach this summer. They had been after us for a while to get them a dog or cat. Since these cute little crabs are low maintenance, we figured it would be a good compromise. The bonus is the kids learn a little responsibility. They have researched how to take care of the hermit crabs and decorated the crab tank on their own with minimum supervision from us adults. Who knows, if the crabs survive a couple years, they might earn their puppy or kitten one day.

Indoor Fun

Ever heard the phrases “What do I do now?” or “I’m bored” from your kid(s), implying that you as the adult, are automatically supposed to come up with a solution to fix the ‘boredom’? Not anymore. This year I invested in arts & crafts, board-games, books, Legos and DIY projects to keep the kids engaged and entertained all summer long.

Some of the more interesting games that both kids and adults can play include, Connect Four, Jenga, UNO, Scrabble, and Monopoly. These never get old. Lego building is another activity that the boys and my husband enjoy and have organized several competitions around them.

We have family game nights where in addition to playing board games we all descend into the basement for a game of Pool or tag team Video Gaming. Other nights we chill over Netflix. Choosing Trilogies and other movie series like Aliens, The Godfather or Star Wars may work well during the summers when you can watch the series back to back and the kids don’t have school the next day.

Execute the Routine

Having created a schedule, it’s important to execute. The easiest way to do this is working as a team. After drafting the schedule, my husband and I discussed it with the kids to get their feedback and buy-in. Once everyone agreed, I had the kids replicate the schedule on a calendar in their room. Now they too share responsibility in keeping track of daily and weekly activities.

While some kids can be stubborn or rebellious, I honestly believe that all kids want structure and do well when given clear directions. Creating and executing a daily routine during the summers help build structure and discipline into the day. The kids have fun, parents can manage their time better and it’s a win-win all around. You know you’ve hit the nail on the mark when reminders and instructions become fewer and smiles and laughter greater!

Remember to have Fun!!

Summer comes along once a year and so it’s important to remember to have fun, irrespective of the activity on the routine. The routine is just a guideline meant to organize the day, not to limit fun. The routine should be flexible. If at some point activities need to be rescheduled, removed or added to the plan, go ahead and make alterations to the routine. As long as everyone is on-board and having fun, you’ll be fine.

It’s been just a few weeks of summer for my kids. Not only have I survived, but I must admit I’m actually looking forward to the weeks ahead. My secret lies in creating a balanced routine that includes having all out fun while learning, growing, being creative and unlocking hidden talents together!

The post Beach More, Worry Less : Smart Tips & Activities To Keep Kids Engaged This Summer appeared first on InstantELLA.