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Why Take Part in Spring Cleaning and How to Make It Fun

Spring cleaning is a great way to free up space in your house by removing old things you no longer need. A thorough cleaning makes room for new items you may need or projects you may want to work on. Below is a list of reasons to embrace spring cleaning and how it can benefit your life.

Declutter your environment

Keeping your environment organized can help improve your productivity by making it easier to find things you need. Removing items that are not serving a purpose in your life and are instead just taking up space can help free up room for things that you can actually use to your benefit. Taking items you no longer need and giving them away to charity enables you to find a new use for things you can no longer use while helping others.

Making room for things you need

By cleaning out your house of non-essentials, you can increase the amount of space you have to store any new items that may be useful. Cleaning also offers an opportunity to clear any household items from the previous season that are no longer appropriate so that items in season can replace them. For example, if you have put temporary fencing on your plants to protect them from animals during winter, you can remove this to make room for any new plants you may want to grow in spring.

How to make spring cleaning fun

Spring cleaning doesn’t need to be stressful; if you plan it accordingly, it can be fun. Cleaning in sections and taking your time rather than doing everything at once can help you get through the workload efficiently. If you live with others, you can work together to organize everything; if you live alone, you can ask a friend for help. Rewarding yourself for a job well done helps to keep you incentivized. To reward yourself after finishing your spring cleaning, you can go out and treat yourself to your favorite dessert or a fun hobby that you enjoy. You can also take a picture of the before and after as a reminder of your progress. The satisfaction of achieving your goal can also serve as a reward in and of itself since you will have something to be proud of accomplishing.

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD, is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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Tasty and Healthy Gluten-Free Dishes

Finding both healthy and tasty recipes can be a challenge, especially with a gluten allergy. Gluten can be found in a lot of common foods, so alternatives need to be chosen. However, with some creativity and healthy ingredients, any meal can be a treat for those with gluten allergies. As a plus, most of these dishes can be made quickly and with ease if one stockpiles the right ingredients. Here are some tasty and healthy gluten-free dishes.

Turkey Meatballs

Meatballs often contain gluten because they have breadcrumbs in them.  These turkey meatballs are a healthy alternative. Ready in 10 minutes, turkey meatballs contain lean ground turkey, Parmesan, herbs, and gluten-free breadcrumbs. This can be cooked in an air fryer before the sauce is applied.

Chickpea Kale Caesar Salad

A meal on its own, a crispy kale Caesar salad with chickpeas is an excellent meal prep option. Romaine lettuce and kale can be combined with sweet potatoes, chickpeas, walnuts, dressing, and red onion. Not only is it gluten-free but it is also vegetarian and vegan friendly.

Taco Stuffed Peppers

Try using a green or red pepper as an alternative to a standard taco shell.  Able to be combined with ground turkey, salsa, taco seasoning, and brown rice, this recipe is filled with healthy ingredients. This dish is also very versatile and can be used with anyone’s preference for healthy toppings.

Dr. Barbara R. Edwards, Princeton Internist, practices at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. She is also the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health.

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Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

It’s a commonly known fact that exercise has a plethora of health benefits, both physical and mental. You can probably rattle off any dozen from the list right now: maintained or reduced body weight, reduced blood pressure, prevention of cancers and heart disease, longer stamina, and so on. Let’s look at a few of the most important mental health benefits that come from exercising.

Improved self-esteem

Continued exercise with slowly increasing intensity can also cause you to lose body fat, making you feel even better about yourself when you look in the mirror. Exercise not only improves how you see yourself in the mirror.  It also stimulates the part of the brain that makes you feel satisfied.

Reduction of stress and anxiety

Suffering from anxiety can cause impairment of cognitive functioning. In studies, exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety and sensitivity to stress. Coupled with therapy or another form of mental health help, exercise is one of the leading remedies to curing anxiety disorder naturally.

Improved learning

Certain research has shown that there is a link between learning and memory, and exercise. As we know, exercise improves cognitive function, which can lead to an improved rate of learning. On this same token, exercise is known to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein imperative to memory forming.

Increased creativity

For those who love to create, whether it’s the painters of the world, songwriters, designers, or anyone else with a passionate creative itch, exercise has been known to improve creativity levels in people.

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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Best Foods for Eye Health

Eating healthy foods can give a large variety of benefits both physically and mentally. They can help to sharpen the mind, give you more energy, and give other important boosts to everyday bodily functions. However, not many people consider eating healthy food to be a factor in improving eyesight. You might be surprised at how many normal foods we eat every day can contribute to better eyesight and eye health overall. Here are some of the best foods for eye health:

Fish

More specifically, salmon, fish is rich in fatty acids called Omega-3s. These contribute greatly to eye health by helping to improve visual development and retina health while even assisting in preventing dry eyes. It is recommended that one eats wild-caught options instead of farm-raised as wild-caught has more omega-3s and less saturated fat.

Eggs

An extremely versatile food, eggs contribute to eye health in more ways than one. The yolk alone contains potential eye boosters like Vitamin A, zinc, zeaxanthin, and lutein. Vitamin A helps to protect the surface of the eye, the cornea. Zinc helps with retina health while zeaxanthin and lutein help to prevent age-related eye conditions like cataracts.

Dairy

Many dairy products have the potential to aid in eye health. Products like yogurt and milk have Vitamin A, which adds protection to the cornea, and zinc, which can prevent conditions like cataracts and even aid in seeing at night! Grass-fed cows are recognized as being a source for more of these benefits so look for products that mention grass-fed on the label.

Dr. Barbara R. Edwards, Princeton Internist, practices at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. She is also the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health.

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Ways to Break Out of a Bad Mood

We’ve all experienced having a bad day. Being stuck in the doldrums, waking up on the wrong side of the bed, having a bad hair day—it all boils down to a bad mindset having a ripple effect into all the little inconveniences of modern life. So how do optimists approach a bad day? How do they break out of a rut to persevere in order to keep chugging along? There are some practical steps you can take, no matter how your day starts out.

Listen to Music

Something that can stimulate some endorphins is listening to your favorite musical artist, an album you love, a soundtrack, or even a podcast that brings a smile to your face. Each of these auditory tools can help keep your mind busy and can even change the way you are feeling. Is there an album that can transport you to a positive time in your life that can turn your day around? Delve into that world to help change your mindset.

Work Out

One of the best things you can do when you are feeling intense frustration is exercise. Moving your body enables you to take out all the negative emotions you are feeling and actually work through them. Combine listening to music you love or get your energy up with music that gets you pumped and ready to work out. If the weather allows, take the opportunity to exercise outside. Any combination you can make with working out, outside and music is bound to help release your tension and release endorphins to improve your mood.

Journal

When it comes to your feelings, it is beneficial to recognize them as well as feel them. So, the next time you find your mood sour, grab a notebook, a piece of paper; anything, and write down your feelings. This can help you process them and realize why you may be feeling the way that you are. Using that time to journal your feelings can release that tension you may have been holding. You may find that your bad mood is released as if you were talking it out with someone, which can also be just as beneficial.

Don’t let your next bad mood ruin your whole day. Embrace your own feelings and work through them. Any of these activities can help you be proactive and productive when it comes to bettering your mood.

Dr. Barbara R. Edwards, Princeton Internist, practices at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. She is also the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health.