Healthy Living & Mindfulness

The social media apps on your phone are likely some of the most frequently used, but keeping up with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat feeds can be exhausting. So, to save your time and sanity, it’s worth culling your “following” list every now and again. If there are people you never interact with, or who you would be happy to never hear from again, don’t waste energy scrolling past their updates—cut them out of the picture. Once you’ve done so, you’ll find yourself having a happier, more streamlined experience online. Instagram Instagram has rolled out a new way for you to see who you’ve interacted with most often: Tap your profile button (bottom right), then Following , and Least Interacted With. You’ll see the people you don’t often chat with or whose photos you rarely like and comment on. Simply tap Following to sever your Instagram connection with someone on the list. You can also see the order you started following people. Next to Sort by , tap Default , and you’ll see the people you’ve been following since the beginning or the people you just connected with. Again, just tap on any of the Following buttons to remove someone from your feed. To disconnect with someone straight from your Instagram feed, tap the three dots in the top right corner of any post, then choose Unfollow. These unfollow buttons pop up in other places on Instagram, too—If you head to someone’s profile page, for example, you can tap Following , then Unfollow. A variety of third-party apps also let you quickly unfollow other Instagram users, but you use them at your own risk (you’ll be giving them access to your Instagram account and data). Look for established software options built for social media marketers, like Combin—it’s free to use for a single Instagram account, will show you who isn’t following you back, and will flag accounts that appear to be inactive. Twitter  Popular Science Head to the list of people you’re following on Twitter by tapping your avatar (top left), then Following. The accounts you’ve followed most recently will be listed at the top. Tap any of the “following” buttons you see on the right to unfollow someone, and you won’t see them on your Twitter feed again. Unlike Instagram, Twitter doesn’t have a simple way of showing who you’ve interacted with the least. Instead, it’s up to you to sift through user profiles and see whether you still find their posts interesting (if they’re still posting at all). You can also tap Following on any account profile, and then Yes to stop following it. There are a huge number of third-party tools that aim to help you manage the people you’re following on Twitter, but the platform has recently cracked down on the way other apps can use its service. That means these sorts of features are no longer available or are severely limited, at least right now. One extra step you can take in the Twitter app is to open the Following page from your profile, then look for the Follows you badges. This will give you some idea of the people who are mutually connected to you, which might make it a little easier to decide whom to unfollow. Facebook From the Facebook news feed, tap any username you see, then tap the friend badge (a head and shoulders icon with a check mark next to it). On the next screen, you can choose Friends to either unfriend someone or to “take a break” from them (you won’t see any of their posts, but you’ll remain connected). To see all your Facebook friends, tap the menu button (three horizontal lines), then Friends and All Friends. Use the Sort button to change the order of this list, putting your newest or oldest friends at the top, or stick with the default. In our case, the default sorting seemed to put the people we interact with most at the top, but yours may vary (Facebook doesn’t actually say anything about this default order). To unfriend someone, tap the three dots next to their name. If you’re wondering who you spend a lot of time interacting with on Facebook, you can find out by going to someone’s profile page, tapping More , and See Friendship. This will show you photos and posts you’re tagged in together, events you’ve both signed up for, and more. It might just help you decide who is worth keeping as a friend. Facebook doesn't reveal who interacts with you least, or which accounts are least active—it wants you to stay friends with as many people as possible, so you'll have to check manually. Some third-party apps claim to be able to do this for you, but we haven't found any that look reliable or safe enough to recommend. Snapchat  Popular Science A quick way to see people you haven’t interacted with in a while on Snapchat is to go to the Chat pane and scroll down. As you go, you’ll notice the receipt dates getting older and older. If there’s someone you haven’t exchanged text, pictures, or videos with in months, you might want to think about removing them. Tap on any avatar , then the three dots in the top right-hand corner, followed by Remove Friend to get rid of someone on Snapchat. The profile page you see after tapping on an avatar shows you any saved chats you’ve got with the person in question, which might give you an idea of how much you interact. Look under the Charms heading, too, which shows you in-app awards you’ve won with that person. Many of these, like the BFs (best friends) one, show how well-connected you are on Snapchat. It’s actually relatively easy to work out who your best Snapchat friends are from the chat list and user profiles. To see all the friends you’ve got on Snapchat, tap the avatar button (top left on the camera screen), then My Friends. Your friends will be listed alphabetically, but you can tap individual names to see each profile, and use the Snapchat emojis to see who you’re closest to on Snapchat—hearts and faces are good signs.

June is not only an amazing summer month; it is also the time we celebrate our fathers! Due to this honoring of dads everywhere, it is also the month that has been selected as the annual national Men’s Health Month with a focus on male health and wellness the week of June 10th through the 16th since 1994. This year is men’s health by numbers with some fascinating and somewhat unnerving statistics about the top risks and dangers to longevity and wellness. Men’s Health Month was created to bring male health education and prevention into public awareness and hopefully get men thinking about their diets, physical build, annual check-ups and personal habits to create a lifestyle around wellness. This may not seem as easy as it sounds when you are balancing career, home, spouse and for those dads out there, the little ones, but your health is the only guarantee you have in this game of life. Without it, you lose every time. So, let’s take a look at the ways you can squeeze in the workout, get quality nutrition on your plate, lower your stress and take preventative steps for your health. 1.      37, 150, 65 If your waist size is 37 inches or more, you are automatically at a higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity.  To combat this number, it is recommended that men get a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise each week. That is only two and a half hours each week or five 30-minute sessions, meaning you get your weekends free! If you don’t squeeze in the workouts, you run the risk of being one in five men who die before the age of 65. Trust us when we say your wife and children do not want that to happen. So this year, in honor of men’s health and Father’s Day, let’s take a look at how to get the movement you need without sacrificing too much of your full schedule. Let’s face it, exercise takes time, but it gives back a lot more in return. That makes it a good investment. If you get your sweat on, you will sleep better, and as a new dad, every minute counts! Getting your endorphins up counteracts stress and irritation giving you more patience and reducing stress related illnesses like headaches, high blood pressure and dietary distress. If you feel you simply don’t have the time or energy, check out a few fitness life hacks that can get you burning calories in under 30 minutes. Less can be more when you take on P90X, HIIT, Tabata, or TRX! If you can’t make it to the gym, grab an online video and crank up the music while you challenge your kids to keep up with you. This tones your body and teaches them that taking care of their health can be fun. If your children are still infants, but over 8 months old, buy a running stroller with all-terrain wheels and get them outdoors with you. Taking them on a run, jog, hike or even a power walk will be quality time as a parent and as a steward of your body. For all the wives and kids reading this, buy you and your dad lessons at something you would both enjoy like martial arts, boxing, boot camp or train for a half-marathon together. Showing him you care about his health and want to spend time with him will help build your bodies and your relationship! 2.      5, 14, 10 What goes in the body is just as important as what the body does. Energy in, energy out is the true secret to weight management whether you need a caloric deficit or surplus to reach your goals. To get those calories with a wide variety of nutrients, we are supposed to eat a minimum of five fruits and vegetables each day, and that doesn’t mean servings. We need variety! A good rule of thumb is eating the rainbow each and every day, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red, and try to throw in a new fruit or vegetable each day to rotate your produce. You can find great local variety at farmer’s markets on the weekends or keep a large selection of frozen choices ready to eat. If shopping and cooking are not the priority for anyone’s schedule then be sure to keep quick punches of nutrition in your cabinets like plant-based protein supplements, superfood powders and bone broth proteins. There is no need for our health to suffer when our schedules don’t allow for marathon cooking. Once you have healthy foods and a regular exercise schedule, it’s time to take a look at vices and extra-curriculars. A cocktail or beer here and there is no problem, but don’t consume more than 14 units of alcohol each week. This will help your system manage its natural detox functions and protect your liver from cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis and liver cancer. If longevity is your goal, it’s time to cut the cigarettes as well, since smokers die an average of 10 years younger than non-smokers. A decade can feel like a lifetime! 3.      120, 80, 75 Our last set of numbers have a lot to do with stress and wellness practices. When you are stressed and not taking care of your nervous system, it is often your blood pressure that will warn you to take it easy. A healthy reading is 120/80. If you are 140/90 or higher you’ve entered into hypertension. It’s time to slow things down and focus on you. Schedule in some down time, proper sleep of 8 hours a night or more and treat yourself to some body work like acupuncture, massage or a steam and sauna. If you can’t squeeze it in, then begin basic deep breathing techniques while watching the news or sitting at your desk. Recognizing your stress levels and quality of life are vital in avoiding our final statistic. 75% of suicides and premature deaths from heart disease are men. Fathers, husbands, brothers and sons, we want you with us as long as possible. Please, schedule your annual check-up, squeeze in a run or trip to the gym a few times a week, try to eat one or two healthy meals a day and give your busy schedule a rest with some much deserved you time. Happy Father’s Day.

Melanie is a registered yoga teacher and full-time wellness entrepreneur in New York City, and she also runs a fun and healthy blog called Headstands and Heels. Her blog focuses on “healthy living made fun and fashionable” and is filled with positive vibes. When you visit her page, be prepared to see tons of workout classes, yummy and healthy recipes and an overall passion for fashionable wellness.  We chose Melanie to kick off our #WhatsYourOrigin campaign because she connects fitness, wellness and health in a way that makes it an achievable lifestyle which is what Terra Origin products are all about. As Melanie puts it, #WhatsYourOrigin is meant to show “a healthy lifestyle in action!” So feel free to follow this hashtag and use it on your own wellness journey with Terra Origin products! Some of Headstands and Heels favorite products are: 1. Terra Origin Healthy Plant Protein in chocolate Melanie strives to live a plant-based lifestyle, so our plant protein fits perfectly with her day to day protein needs! 2. Terra Origin Healthy Gut Mint Melanie just created an amazing recipe with Terra Origin Healthy Gut mint! She knows her followers experience a multitude of dietary issues and restrictions, so she tested out our product for those who experience stomach pains and sensitivities. We hope you’re as excited to get to know Melanie as we have been. Be sure to follow along her journey with the #WhatsYourOrigin hashtag. She has many exciting activities, events, and recipes to share with you along the way, so find us on Instagram: @terraorigin!        

We understand that you have many choices when it comes to your health and well-being. That is why we want to spend a little time getting to know one another. We are more than just another company; we are a company on a mission to provide the perfect balance of modern science with the purity and power of nature. We are founded on principles of holistic values entwined with superior product quality, and we guarantee it. This mission is found in our name, meaning “from the earth,” in where we source our ingredients and in the Ayurveda principles our team incorporates into each of our creations. This means that we are following a system of natural healing that is over 5,000 years old, with a focus on preventing ailments in the mind and body! Using this ancient wisdom, we then set out to find the highest quality ingredients available that are harvested and produced as naturally as possible. We do not add in empty fillers or confusing preservatives.  Are you wondering how we can guarantee every ingredient?  That’s simple. We believe in doing it ourselves. The entire Terra Origin team and process is conducted on-site to cut out any factors that may jeopardize the quality we have set out to produce. This includes a group of passionate and talented scientists and technicians who process and analyze all the raw ingredients before they ever get passed along to our in-house developers. Each step from production to packaging takes into account our values and standards to ensure that you get exactly what your body needs. Give your body and your mind the very best. Part of our values is to help you stay healthy on the inside and on the outside. This is why we have created products that go beyond a powder or a supplement. Research has shown the benefits of a peaceful night’s sleep, supporting the nervous system for inner peace and radiant skin and a youthful glow to rejuvenate us. Studies such as these went into our supplements to help you reach that balance in life. The same attention was given to our powders. Gut health is vital to the full function of the body. The right protein blend can make or break the benefits and functionality. Greens are severely lacking in the modern diet and essential for repair and function as it was intended. Fruits give us crucial nutrients to fight oxidative damage and nourish our systems. We researched the very best nature and science have to offer, so we could bring you a line of nutraceuticals with enough variety to support your individuality and unique body. If this is not enough to convince you that we have your best interests at heart, then we will also promise to make it right with 100% guarantee for free returns. We produce for ourselves, for our children and for you and your family. We have set out to create for the health and wellness of the future. It all starts with you, so take a look.