We’re already a 1/4 of the way done with 2024. Some of us may need a vacation more than most. These are the signs to look for that you need a vacation ASAP:

If you wake up with headaches, stress may be taking a toll on your body – headaches in the morning may mean you’re grinding teeth at night, a sign of stress.

If you spend more money than normal, or find you’re shopping and buying things unnecessarily, that could be a coping mechanism to deal with stress and exhaustion – and it’s money you could be spent towards your vacation!

If you start to notice your behavior has changed, that you lose your temper more quickly, it’s a good sign you need a break.

When it comes to work, if you notice you’re more irritable with coworkers or more annoyed with your boss than normal or if you’re making simple mistakes at work, it’s all signs you could need some days off.

If you notice you’re avoiding things you actually enjoy doing – favorite pastimes, or anything from exercising to spending time with family – when you’re burnt out, you’ll find you don’t have the energy for anything outside of work.

Finally, just booking that vacation is a mood booster, and gives you something to really look forward to.

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With the warmer weather getting here, you’re going to want to be out and about and doing things. But are you going to be ready? Here’s some tips on how to get started.

First – stand up. Literally – it’s the easiest thing to do to get your body ready – and immediately upon standing, you’ll start using muscles and burning calories.

Once you do get moving, track your steps – new research says 7500 per day should be the goal; but if you can only do 1000 today, try to do 1200 tomorrow – increase a little at a time.

Don’t immediately think you can do a marathon – start small – try 10 minutes of exercise a few times a day – space things out.

If you’ve been sedentary for a while, start stretching. Your shoulders, your neck, your hips – all need to get moving.

Most important – even though it may feel like we’ve aged a lot more than the year that passed, it’s not like we did permanent damage. It’s never too late to get started again.

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If you head to social media, you may see a lot of influencers saying to skip coffee in the morning and drink lemon water instead. They say it will do everything from boost metabolism, break down, fat, and detox your body.

Unfortunately, there’s no medical science to back any of that up.

So, should you do it anyway?

That really depends as there is one side effect to look out for – and that could be heartburn and acid reflux. Lemon – or anything acidic like tomatoes and grapefruit – can trigger those symptoms. But the good news is that lemon water may not affect most that way!

The dilution of the water will help, plus it will keep you hydrated and may cause you to drink more water if you prefer the taste!

Proper hydration helps support overall health. And if you don’t have any negative effects, then having a glass when you wake up makes sense. You won’t experience what social media claims, but it will get your day started healthier.

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When you exercise you’re probably either listening to music or watching TV during cardio. But instead, you should be exercising your brain and doing some learning.

Specifically learning another language.

Learning a new language is harder as we age, but new studies show that it’s easier to learn a new language while exercising. When our bodies move, our brains do a better job in understanding, memorization, as well as retaining words.

Scientists think exercise makes our brains more open to taking in new information.

So if you’re planning a trip to a non-English speaking country, make sure you hit up the gym first.

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A good night’s sleep is important for our overall health. How much sleep we need varies – but the bottom line is that we need it every night!

A few nights of sleep loss can lead to deterioration of both your physical as well as mental well-being. And just one night of bad sleep creates the biggest jump in symptoms. So that means if you’re sleep-deprived during the week, and then when you try to “catch up” and sleep in on the weekends is something to avoid.

Getting more rest on the weekend won’t help for the week – because that first night of poor sleep will significantly change how well you can function.

And it’s not like you’re staying up all night – sleep loss is defined as about 90 minutes of restlessness. Researchers have found losing sleep produces feelings of anger, nervousness, loneliness, irritability, and frustration. Physical symptoms were found as well – upper respiratory issues, aches, and gastrointestinal issues.

Those mental and physical health symptoms remained elevated with each night of sleep loss and didn’t return to normal until those studied had a night of sleep lasting more than six hours.

Nearly a third of us get less than six hours a night, and it’s a habit that’s hard to break – but the sooner you start getting the rest you need, the better you’ll feel!

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