Here are eight steps to optimize your health and energy levels:

1. Eat a healthy and well-balanced diet

Whole grains, vegetables, and fruits provide us with sustained energy along with essential fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Ensure adequate protein to build and maintain lean muscle mass. Good protein sources include fish, lean poultry, beans, and seeds.

2. Develop good sleep habits

Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Get into a routine of going to bed and rising at the same time each day. If you are struggling to get a good night's sleep, consider a natural remedy that contains L-theanine and melatonin. These nutrients can help improve sleep quality.

3. Get regular exercise

Exercise boosts energy levels and improves your overall feeling of well-being. It also helps reduce stress and improves sleep. Try walking or bike riding.

4. Manage your stress

Try meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises. Simply taking five deep breaths when you feel stressed can help promote immediate calming and relaxation.

5. Take a multivitamin with antioxidants

A multivitamin can help make up for gaps in your diet and ensure that your body gets all the vital nutrients needed to function optimally. B-vitamins are required for energy production in the body and they also help combat the effects of stress. Antioxidants fight free radical damage, which can result from too much stress. Look for a multivitamin that contains antioxidants, such as pomegranate, lycopene, and grape seed extract.

6. Limit your intake of alcohol and nicotine

Alcohol makes you drowsy and impairs sleep. Nicotine is a potent stimulant that can cause irritability, anxiety, and impair sleep quality. Avoiding both will improve your sleep quality.

7. Drink adequate fluids

Dehydration can cause fatigue, headache, and interfere with concentration. Drink lots of purified water, and when you feel like you need a boost have a cup of green tea. The antioxidants and amino acids in green tea can boost energy levels and provide other health benefits.

8. Consider a natural energy booster

Certain herbs and nutrients can help increase energy levels and stamina without causing over-stimulation. Look for a supplement that contains ingredients such as guarana, ginseng, green tea, and Rhodiola to help give you a lift.

If you suffer from persistent fatigue, talk to your doctor. Aside from stress and lack of sleep, fatigue may be caused by prescription medication, depression, low thyroid, fibromyalgia, and anemia.

Shawna Page, Founder & CEO of femMED, is Naturally Savvy's Natural Supplements and Lifestyle expert.

Photo Credit: xamogelo

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Here are eight steps to boost energy, fight fatigue and optimize your health and energy levels:

1. Eat a healthful and well-balanced diet. Whole grains, vegetables, and fruits provide us with sustained energy along with essential fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Ensure adequate protein to build and maintain lean muscle mass. Good protein sources include fish, lean poultry, beans and seeds.

Read more about healthy eating tips for a busy lifestyle

2. Develop Good Sleep Habits. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Get into a routine of going to bed and rising at the same time each day. If you are struggling to get a good night sleep, consider a natural remedy that contains L-theanine, 5-HTP and melatonin. These nutrients can help improve sleep quality.

3. Get regular exercise. Exercise boosts energy levels and improves your overall feeling of well-being. It also helps reduce stress and improves sleep. Try walking or bike riding.

4. Manage your stress. Try meditation, yoga or deep breathing exercises. Simply taking five deep breaths when you feel stressed can help promote immediate calming and relaxation.

5. Take a multivitamin with antioxidants. A multivitamin can help make up for gaps in your diet and ensure that your body gets all the vital nutrients needed to function optimally. B-vitamins are required for energy production in the body and they also help combat the effects of stress. Antioxidants fight free radical damage, which can result from too much stress. Look for a multi that contains antioxidants, such as pomegranate, lycopene, and grape seed extract.

6. Limit your intake of alcohol and nicotine. Alcohol makes you drowsy and impairs sleep. Nicotine it a potent stimulant that can cause irritability, anxiety, and impair sleep quality.

7. Drink adequate fluids. Dehydration can cause fatigue, headache and impair concentration. Drink lots of purified water and when you feel like you want a boost have a cup of green tea. The antioxidants and amino acids in green tea can boost energy levels and provide other health benefits.

Read more about ways to stay hydrated besides water

8. Consider a natural energy booster. Certain herbs and nutrients can help increase energy levels and stamina without causing over-stimulation. Look for a supplement that contains ingredients such as guarana, ginseng, green tea and rhodiola to help give you a lift.

If you suffer with persistent fatigue, talk to your doctor. Aside from stress and lack of sleep, fatigue may be caused by prescription medication, depression, low thyroid, fibromyalgia, and anemia.

Image: Michal Hrabovec

The post 8 Ways to Fight Fatigue and Boost Energy appeared first on NaturallySavvy.com.

Building bone is a slow and gradual process that begins in the womb and leads up to the greatest bone development in the years before early adulthood. Bones usually reach their maximum mass when people are in their mid-thirties. By age 40, more bone is lost than is made (about 1% per year), and our bones start to become weaker. In women, bone loss may reach 3-5 % per year during the first five years after menopause because prior to menopause, estrogen helped to keep our bones healthy. At menopause, estrogen levels fall dramatically, and many women experience an accelerated rate of bone loss causing women to be at greater risk for osteoporosis than men.

The consequences of osteoporosis can be devastating. As bones slowly lose their mineral content and become fragile, even a gentle nudge can cause them to fracture. To make matters worse, there is often no prior indication of osteoporosis until bone loss has already occurred.

Not all calcium is created equal

We've all heard about the benefits of supplementing with calcium – but WHICH calcium is best? Calcium carbonate or calcium citrate? And combined with what ingredients? Making sense of all the research can be a daunting task. The consensus however, points to calcium citrate as the best choice. It is the most easily absorbed, can be taken by anyone, and new evidence has shown that calcium citrate plays a superior role in protecting against bone loss when compared to other forms of calcium. Aim for at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day in a comprehensive formula that includes 500 milligrams of magnesium. If magnesium is not present, calcium will not be properly deposited into bone and instead will deposit in soft tissue, causing kidney and gallstones, joint discomfort, as well as increased atherosclerotic plaque.

We've also heard a lot about vitamin D. It's important in its own right, but it's also essential to ensure adequate calcium absorption, bone mineralization and muscle function. A deficiency in this key vitamin is associated with decreased bone and muscle strength, resulting in higher risk of falls and fractures. We get most of our vitamin D through sun exposure, and only a limited amount from our diet. So it won't come as a surprise that living north of the equator puts us at a distinct disadvantage due to the limited amount of sun exposure we get during the winter months. Supplemental vitamin D has therefore been strongly recommended by the experts, even more so after the age of 50. Aim for approximately 800 IUs of vitamin D per day.

Diet and exercise are also important. Bones require physical activity to stay strong and healthy, and respond to exercise by increasing in strength and mass. As for diet, ensure you consume adequate protein, fruit and vegetables and avoid excessive use of alcohol or caffeine-containing products such as tea, coffee or some sodas, which can stop your body from absorbing calcium. Smoking also contributes to bone loss so if you smoke…try your best to quit.

Prevention of osteoporosis throughout your life is essential! Put these practices into place and take a stand against osteoporosis starting now.

The post Prevent Osteoporosis: Calcium Is Not Enough appeared first on NaturallySavvy.com.

Shawna graduated with a Bachelor of Science and entered the world of Investment Banking, taking a position on the Institutional Equities desk of Merrill Lynch Canada. After 7 years on the Sales & Trading side, having increasingly senior roles, she was offered the opportunity to develop the Marketing division in Canada representing various Investment products and services.

In 1997, Shawna was offered the role of Managing Director and Chief of Staff at TD Securities, the investment arm of the Toronto Dominion Bank. Reporting directly to the Chairman & CEO, Shawna was responsible for all operational aspects of the Executive Office and was responsible for creating, staffing and managing the Marketing, Communications and Events areas within the Investment Dealer.

In March of 2007, with a proven and well established track record of success, Shawna left TD Securities to create the femMED.

Shawna Page is the Founder and CEO of femMED, a line of natural supplements made just for women. femMED includes thirteen doctor-recommended formulas made with the highest quality vitamins, minerals and herbs with each formula designed to address a common health concern. From heart health and hormonal balance to weight management and breast health all femMED products are free of dairy, egg, artificial colors or flavors, and almost all are gluten free, yeast free, suitable for vegetarians and delivered in a vegetable capsule. Best of all, femMED formulas are designed to work on their own, or in combination with other femMED formulas to achieve multiple health goals.

For more information about Shawna, visit her website at http://www.femmed.com

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