Since most essential proteins are provided by food and you are exercising hard, you should make sure to include enough dairy products, eggs, fish and meat in their daily diet as well as nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Even though animal foods are a source of good protein, you should eat a variety of plant-based proteins as well to get all essential amino acids your body needs when training towards your fitness goal.

It is long known that especially athletes who include a lot of weightlifting into their exercise need a higher protein intake than the average individual since their muscles need to be repaired after the break down during exercise. When working out tough, your muscles are extremely challenged and are in need of recovery. To encourage a healthy process of repairing, your body requires plenty of amino acids, one of the reasons why a lot of athletes take in protein after exercise to provide nutrition for speedy recovery. Taking in proteins shortly after a workout is furthermore associated with a decrease in muscular soreness and overall fewer medical visits.

Protein not only repairs the damage done to the muscle fibres but also promotes muscle growth at the same time and the reason, why so many bodybuilders watch their protein diet closely. For muscle repair and steady growth, such athletes are required to take in almost 50 percent more than the average person, who requires about 0.74 grams of protein per kilo of their body weight. For that reason, people who are looking to build some muscle mass are recommended up to 1.7 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight, hence a 75kg bodybuilder should have a protein intake of about 114 grams per day. To help you figure out the amount of protein in cooked meat to help you fix your dinner tonight, there are roughly 7 grams of protein contained in 30 grams of chicken meat, which means an 85-gram piece of breast provides about 21 grams of protein.

A lot of athletes feel they do not get enough protein from their diet alone and turn to supplements such as protein shakes or bars after exercise to get the recommended intake to help them reach their fitness goal. If you are looking for a supplement that helps you build extra muscles fast, Gold Standard Whey is the perfect protein supplement to turn to. Whey is a protein that is digested easily by most people and the popular powder comes in various delicious flavours such as Cookies & Cream, Rocky Road or Vanilla Ice Cream. Mixed with your preferred beverage, Gold Standard Whey is a prime choice for post-workout protein shakes. The high-quality product benefits from added branched chained amino acids to help boost your internal protein production and enables you to recover faster from workouts.

If you don’t feel like mixing yourself a shake but are out for a protein boost on the go that is densely packed with nutrition, high in fibre and protein but low in carbs and does not come as a sugary treat in disguise, look no further. Quest bars are the protein bars to turn to not only for their reputation of being the best tasting protein bars on the market but because of their convenience. Quest bars are small and can be consumed quickly by active people who lack the time for extensive meal planning. Contrary to shakes, these protein bars do not require measuring and mixing but can be eaten on the go by athletes who are given the choice between delicious flavours such as Apple Pie, Cinnamon Roll or White Choc Raspberry.

Read Also:

The Best Supplements for Weight Gain

Effective Tips To Lose Baby Weight After Pregnancy

The post How A High Protein Diet Will Help You Meet Your Fitness Goal appeared first on Expert Zine.

When looking to gain weight, it is often a better strategy to gain more muscle mass than body fat. This is because increasing body fat usually results in adverse health effects in the long run. However, gaining muscle, though more rewarding, is usually harder. Your diet, exercise and lifestyle must all be oriented towards your goal of gaining weight. If these alone are not giving you maximal gains, then dietary supplementation may be an option worth considering.

While quite a bit of controversy still surrounds diet supplementation, it is clear, through numerous researches, that adding calories and proteins to your regimens can really propel you towards your goals. This does not mean that all supplements in the market are good for you, or that they are all even necessarily safe. However, great quality supplements can go a long way in helping you attain your weight and health goals. This article is thus directed towards guiding you towards the right supplements, so that you not only gain weight reliably, but also in a healthy way.

Protein Supplements

Gaining muscle mass is the best way to gain weight. Not only is it reliable, it is also healthy and generally beneficial to your well-being. Since proteins are the building blocks for muscles, you must ensure that your protein intake is optimal. However, it is worth noting that research has shown that increasing protein through supplementation only helps increase muscle mass in exercising adults whose daily protein intake is below the recommended threshold. Thus, if you are already consuming about 1.4-2.0 grams/kg of protein in your regular diet, protein supplements may not greatly improve your growth.

However, if you are not getting enough protein in your diet, then a protein supplement such as Quest Bars or Gold Standard Whey can help you increase muscle and thus gain weight. Of importance to note is that for your body to adequately utilise proteins, you are also required exercise regularly and also take in adequate calories daily.

Creatine

Creatine is an organic compound found naturally in muscle cells. It is important in production of energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate and has been used a supplement by bodybuilders for many years. Creatine helps by improving muscle performance during exercise, as well as increasing strength. While many people have questioned the safety profile of this ubiquitous supplement, innumerable researches have shown that it is not only safe, but also very effective when one is looking to gain muscle mass.

Mass Gainers

One cannot simply talk about supplementing weight gain without venturing into the topic of weight gainers. These compounds are high calorie supplements that contain up to 252 grams of carbs and 50 grams of proteins in one serving. That means you will be taking in more than 1000 calories per serving of these mass gainers. They are usually made into shakes that can be drunk pre- or post-workout or even throughout the day. Mass gainers function similarly to eating a caloric surplus in your daily meals. It is however important to note that while weight gainers can be used to supplement daily diets, they are not better than actually increasing your intake of real food.

Exercise enhancers

Compounds or products that help you exercise harder and more efficiently may help you gain weight when coupled with good diet and/or an appropriate supplement. Caffeine (usually infused in shakes), citrulline and beta alanine are just a few of these exercise-enhancing supplements. They help you exercise harder (caffeine) and improve muscle perfusion (citrulline) and thus increase gains.

While all these supplements can help you make the gains you are aiming for, you should always ensure to consult your healthcare provider, your trainer (if you have one), as well adhere to the guidelines provided by the manufacturer. This will ensure that you get maximum benefits from whatever supplement regimen that you decide to use. All these plus more quality and genuine supplements can be found and bought from various certified stores and be used to propel your weight gain in the right way.

Read Also:

Best Supplements for Weight Loss

Effective Tips To Lose Baby Weight After Pregnancy

The post The Best Supplements for Weight Gain appeared first on Expert Zine.

There are a few things you can do to help you shed those postpartum pounds. The tried and tested methods include a healthy combination of diet and exercise. You should however be realistic in your weight loss goals, because contrary to what most magazines and celebrity stories tell you, this is a process that can take some time. Here are some of the ways you can get rid of the extra weight after pregnancy:

Increase your protein intake

A healthy way to shed pounds is to increase your intake of healthy protein in your diet. The science behind this is that protein increases the metabolism in your body, reduce your appetite healthily, which in turn reduces the amount of calories you take. Protein also takes more energy for your body to digest when compared to other foods thanks to its higher thermic effect. A healthy source of protein is to increase you intake of lean meats, fish, legumes, nuts, eggs, and of course dairy.  You should also explore healthy protein supplements such as whey which you can add to a morning smoothie, especially if you plan on exercising.

Breastfeed if you can

The benefits of breastfeeding have been extoled for a long time, and have a lot of medical research backing them. Other than providing nutrition for your baby, breast milk is also the first contact point for your baby’s immune system, thanks to the antibodies in it that help fight bacteria and viruses. Breastfeeding is also healthy for you, since it helps your uterus contract and return to normal size, and also lowers your chances of getting complications such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and postnatal depression.

Additionally, breastfeeding has been known to help in your weight loss journey after childbirth. A study conducted on women after giving birth found that women who breastfed lost about 1.68 kilos more on average than those who did not, six months after delivery. While it is sometimes not possible to breastfeed for various reasons, it is something you should consider doing where possible.

Exercise

Without a doubt, exercise is the best way to shed those postpartum pounds. It has the dual benefit of strengthening areas in your body that sustained trauma during both the pregnancy and childbirth, while getting rid of the unwanted baby weight. Areas such as the pelvic floor and certain muscles especially in your core and back benefit from this.

When coupled with proper dieting and the use of healthy supplements such as whey protein, had the best results when it came to losing baby weight. In fact, an analysis of women six months after childbirth found that those who combined healthy eating and exercise lost an average of 1.72 kilograms more than those who concentrated on eating healthy alone.

After the demands of childbirth however, it is important that you should take it slow and ease into the exercise routine. Start with something as simple as taking walks in the evening. Increase the duration of the walks, then slowly over time, you can progress to more demanding routines such as jogging, running and interval training. The quiet exercise time also helps you cope better with the demands of being a new parent.

Avoid crash dieting

Crash dieting is where you take foods with low calorie values in order to lose the largest amount possible in a short time. This is dangerous for your body because after the rigours of sile birth, it requires proper nutrition to heal and recover to optimum levels. A low calorie diet will leave you deficient of a number of nutrients and will have you feeling constantly tire, which is the opposite of what you need in the sleep deprived haze of taking care of a new born.

You should instead consider counting your calories by working out the nutritional value of what you are consuming. This will have the dual benefit of helping you identify what nutrients you should incorporate more into your diet, and ensuring your body is getting enough calories to function efficiently. Along with counting calories, you can also explore eating food in smaller portions across the day, and having healthy snacks such as protein bars instead.

The post Effective Tips To Lose Baby Weight After Pregnancy appeared first on Expert Zine.

A significant decrease in interest in physical intimacy often has a great impact on a woman’s life and can cause great distress in a relationship. While sex therapists have had success treating men with premature ejaculation problems solution, men’s main sexual complaint along with their worries not to be able to last longer in bed, it has long been difficult to help women with low libido. This is why great research has been put into the causes of sexual dysfunction among both genders lately, but despite being able to develop Viagra to treat erectile dysfunction the industry is still struggling to realize a pill that helps women to find their sexual desire again.

It goes to show that sexual desire in women is a problem caused by the combination of both mental and physical factors, hence the issue is more complicated and cannot be treated with a simple pill. Naturally, there is a gender difference when it comes to sex drive and a lot of women find themselves in a relationship where the male partner has a stronger libido than themselves which might make it harder for them to experience their own desire. On the other hand, research shows that the frequency of sexual intercourse does not always have something to do with sexual desire and satisfaction. Women’s low desire issues tend to be closely linked with declining hormones, relationship issues and job stress as well as their daily responsibilities within their families accordingly there seems to be less time for sexual desire.

But there are effective therapies available to put the lust back into a woman’s life and programmes, which teach meditative techniques to help her take emotional time-outs from the daily responsibilities and focus on her own desire. One of the programmes was attended by 45 married heterosexual women and introduced a six-step program that also came out as a book. One of the main techniques the programme focuses on is to promote deep relaxation and positive feelings about self-sexuality in order to let go of negative thoughts such as having a poor body image, overall low self-esteem or previous negative sexual experiences. As low desire often causes a conflict within a relationship, the programme also suggests engaging the partner in a conversation in order to have a constructive discussion on why the female might have lost interest in sex. If a couple has to deal with relationship issues, the women often lose interest in sexual intimacy, which leads to a low sex drive.

Yet communicating with the partner about sexual preferences and needs might help to rekindle the connection and lead to a more laid-back approach on both sides. The programme also addresses the struggle in finding the right time and mood to have sex spontaneously, instead daily life gets in-between and couples often schedule sex in advance rather than letting it happen spontaneously. Scheduling might, in fact, help women with low desire as they can anticipate desire and look forward to it. Furthermore, one of the six steps teaches the male partner to understand that taking the time to seduce the female partner and engaging in a whole-body massage is a fundamental element of lovemaking and not to rush things by focussing entirely on genital touch instead of the sensual caress.

The women attended the programme reported a significant increase in desire and sexual satisfaction.

Read More:

• Decoding Sexual Satisfaction
• What to Expect from Sex Counselling
• 10 Tips to Improve Men’s Sexual Health

The post Effective Self-Help for Women With Zero or Low Sexual Desire appeared first on Expert Zine.

Weight gain, coupled with the wave of health consciousness that is currently taking over Australia are the reasons why more people are looking to shed the extra kilos and exercise more. Exercise alone however cannot help you shed the weight, or maintain your preferred weight. It needs to be undertaken together with a radical dietary shift. This means healthy eating, focussing mainly on certain proteins, healthy carbs, and of course, vegetables and fruits. To help with weight loss, there are certain supplements that have been known to be highly effective. Here is a quick look at supplements that you should add to your weight loss diet:

Whey Protein

This is a one of those dietary supplements that gym rats swear by. However, it is important to note that whey protein does a whole lot more than just help with building huge muscles. Whey protein has been found to help with weight loss when incorporated into the diet, with results being as high as 5 kilos within a couple of months alone. People who drank one whey protein shake every day lost more weight than those that tried other sources of proteins such as soy protein shakes.

The way the whey protein diet works is by both helping you build muscles while supressing your appetite as well. Muscle growth increases your body’s metabolism, and by extension, increases your ability to burn fat. By suppressing your appetite, your urge to eat unhealthy foods is also contained. Whey protein products such as Cellucor Whey are best consumed in tandem with an exercise routine. It could be as nonchalant as a long walk every day or a more intense cardio program.

Glutamine

This is actually a naturally occurring amino acid in the body. It is found abundantly in the muscles, helping repair them. This in turn helps you maintain a healthy tummy region while keeping your blood sugar stable.  The levels produced in the body are however not enough to contribute comprehensively to any weight loss endeavour. When taken as a supplement however, it helps with increasing glucose metabolism. This reduces the levels of excess glucose, which the body stores as fat.

Caffeine

Caffeine is known for that jolt of energy it gives at the start of the day. It has however been linked to a host of other benefits, including helping lower the risk of certain cancers, and of course, weight loss. The way this works, is that caffeine helps your body break down the large molecules through oxidation, for the body to use as energy. It also increases the level of activity in people, causing them to consume more energy. The more active they are, the better their body works to burn fat.

Green Tea Extract

To some, this sounds like one of those quack pitches that sell them false hope in the form of tea. This this extract, that could not be further from the truth.  Green tea extract however is an excellent supplement for anyone who is looking to lose some weight. It works by helping to increase the oxidation of fat, while also stimulating thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (These are special fat cells that increase your metabolism). The key ingredient is the extract’s phytochemicals, particularly ECGC (epigallocatechin gallate). Studies have shown that when ECGC is taken in low doses, it helps increase your body’s fat oxidation by as much as 33%!

It should be noted though that this product does contain caffeine for those that may have some caffeine sensitivity.

Glucomannan

This strange sounding supplement is a type of fibre that is found in the root of a certain plant called the Elephant Root. The way this works is that glucomannan has a high water absorption and retention rate. This then sits in your stomach for a while, ensuring that you feel full and therefore consume less food. It has been found to be highly effective, especially when combined with healthy eating habits. People have been known to lose as much as 3 to 5 kilos in as little as 5 weeks. Other benefits of this supplement include helping lower blood sugar, cholesterol, and helping in alleviating constipation.

People embarking on a glucomannan diet should know that it can cause bloating and flatulence.

Chitosan

This is another fibre that has been known to help with weight loss. It is also called shark cartilage, and comes from the exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects. The research on chitosan is still not concrete, but studies have shown that people who had consumed it twice a day with food had a lower BMI and a lower body fat level as well. They also had fewer occurrences of flatulence and bloat. It should be noted however that this is not a magical answer to all your weight loss questions, but instead works just like any fibre, and increases metabolism while keeping you fuller for a longer time.

Read Also:

• The Pre-Workout Energy Boosting Machine
• Fitness And Conditioning Through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

The post Best Supplements for Weight Loss appeared first on Expert Zine.

They are tailored to your mouth and are used to treat crowded teeth, overbite, under bite, cross bite, gap teeth and open bite defects. Invisalign corrects your teeth over a number of stages where clear mouth guards are interchanged as your teeth are gradually corrected.  Before undertaking the Invisalign procedure it’s best to arm yourself with as much information as possible so you know what you’re getting yourself into. This post is aimed at giving some information about some things you may not know about Invisalign.

Eating and drinking with your aligners

You’re not supposed to eat with your Invisalign aligner in your mouth. Luckily they are easy to remove. So before eating, take them out and then it’s important to brush your teeth before putting them back in. Some foods such as sugar and acids will get caught in between your teeth and the aligner. This will cause decay and will require another session back in the dental chair. It’s ok to drink water, as long as it’s not too hot. The heat will affect the plastic of aligners and may cause them to warp.

Check-ups with your dentist

The average time frame for Invisalign to complete the transformation is 13 months. In that time, you will need to attend a check-up about every 6 to 8 weeks depending on your dentist’s recommendations. You will be given three or four sets of aligners for each interval as your teeth align in different stages. This can be annoying especially if you’re busy with work but well worth it in the end result.

Ergonomics of Invisalign

You’re probably wondering what Invisalign will feel like in your mouth. Will they be comfortable? It’s a common question asked by people undergoing the procedure. With Invisalign, the movement of the teeth is subtle, so the procedure is generally pain free. This being said, you might experience some slight discomfort and tenderness as your mouth gets used to the aligner. Invisalign is custom fit for your mouth so they are very comfortable compared to conventional braces. The aligners are transparent and barely noticeable, which is one of biggest advantages of the treatment.

Aftercare

When you finish your Invisalign treatment you will be required to wear retainers to ensure that your teeth remain straight. When you go for your consultation it’s recommended that you ask your dentist if you will need to wear a retainer after, as each case will have different aftercare requirements.

Can I kiss?

Your love life will not falter from wearing your aligners. Invisalign patients have reported no problems dating or kissing. Although after a heavy session of making out, it is advisable to clean your teeth and aligners thoroughly to ensure bad bacteria doesn’t affect your teeth.

The Cost

On average Invisalign is roughly the same cost as traditional braces. Then again, it all depends on the treatment required. It’s best to speak to your dentist and discuss the cost. Some more intensive procedures may require more aligners and will set you back a little more cash. Oftentimes, payment plans are available making achieving the perfect smile a little easier on the bank balance. Some health care providers will cover a percentage of the costs. It might be worthwhile checking your policy to see if your insurance does.

Speaking with Invisalign

When you first put your aligners in you may notice that your speech is slightly altered. Don’t worry. When your mouth gets used to the aligners your speech will return to normal. You get a little excess saliva but that is part of the process and easy to accommodate.

Hopefully, this post has given you some information before making the leap and getting Invisalign treatment. So do your research and discuss with your dentist in full detail the ins and outs of the treatment so you don’t get any unwanted surprises down the track.

The post Things You May Not Know Before Getting Invisalign appeared first on Expert Zine.

Sexual satisfaction is the act of full filling a desire until you are in a state of contentment. This may be varied according to the individual, but the general consensus is that both parties involved orgasm and collapse into each other’s arms if you believe what we are taught in the movies.

However, we live in the real world and these dramatized romantic depictions are often not an accurate representation of real life. Certain setbacks and constraints can affect our ability to perform in bed and thus affect our ability to sexually satisfy.

The act of penetration is not the only way to please your lover and send them screaming for the high heavens. Sexual satisfaction can be obtained by using many different techniques and its very important to listen to your lover’s needs, wants, and desires and bring the spark back into your love life.

The broad subject of sexual satisfaction is almost impossible to decode as everyone’s sexual desires and personal kinks differ and what may send someone in waves of multiple orgasms may leave someone else feeling uneasy and awkward.

Although this subject is broad, there are many common denominators involved. Arousal. Sexual arousal is essential in sexual satisfaction. Arousal is the act of provoking the senses in your sexual partner. This covers almost everything from flirting to foreplay and anything that will get your lovers heart beating faster and stimulate their sexual appetite.

However, since the arrival of the internet and access to a diverse array of content people’s sexual appetites have evolved and become more niche. People are reaching out online to their peers and finding that they are not the only ones with so-called ‘irregular kinks”. For the example, Acrotomophilia is the term for people who are aroused by amputees and these people have the ability to find and connect with each and satisfy their off-kilter sexual needs.

Anasteemaphilia is the arousal of a person’s body size. Usually either dwarves or very large people. These are just a few of the abnormal kinks out there, the internet is full of them and is a great source for likeminded people to connect and full fill their strange sexual desires.

But if you are more of a traditionalist you might be a little more by the book. Don’t get me wrong when I say, traditionalist, I don’t mean sex with the lights out and missionary only. I’m talking about natural sex between two people without the aid of different kinks in place.

First things first:

Get to know your partner

You and your sexual partner should playfully talk about what each other wants and what feels good. Communication is the key to a healthy sexual relationship. If you’re mid-coitus and something feels good, let your partner know, tell them, or cry out in sheer ecstasy. The act of communication during sex not only act as a pleasure gauge but will also stimulate your partner and promote uninhibited sexual ambiance. You should be comfortable and confident in your own body as this will help your partner feel the same. Awkward people and environments promote an awkward sexual experience and detract and distract you from reaching climax.

Take your time

Sex is fun, so why rush it? Take the time to set the mood, make your bedroom, or wherever you choose to have sex, an inviting comfortable zone, one that is going to be conducive to a night of lovemaking. Don’t rush things. Take it slow and build. Start by caressing each other, gently stroking each other. Kissing on the neck and back. Explore each other’s bodies and find each other’s individual erogenous zones.  Always observe your partner’s reactions while exploring to ensure that you know exactly the right buttons to push.

After you have worked each other into a frenzy, hold off on having intercourse until you’re both in overdrive. Anticipation and build-up often leads to a more explosive and satisfying climax.

During intercourse don’t be afraid to experiment. Experimenting is a good way to find out what you like and don’t like and the interplay between you and your partner will bring you closer sexually, as you are traveling on the same journey. This is the path to a healthy and satisfying sexual relationship.

Generally speaking, decoding sexual satisfaction is almost impossible as everyone is unique and each person is turned on in different areas in different ways. Ultimately, the end goals are for you and your partner to be both sexually satisfied and therefore communication is vital to a healthy sexual relationship.

Take your time and talk to your partner, this will bring you closer together and result in a lively, vibrant sex life and ensure that you and your partner will enjoy each more and maintain a healthy, long-lasting relationship both emotionally and physically. Its super fun to practice, and if it’s not you’re probably doing it wrong.

Read More:

• What to Expect From Sex Counselling
• 10 Tips to Improve Men’s Sexual Health

The post Decoding Sexual Satisfaction appeared first on Expert Zine.

The pre-workout supplement has come a long way since just grabbing a banana and eating it in the car on the way to the gym. Nowadays the supermarkets are rife with different choices to choose from, so making a decision as to which one will work for you can be a daunting task.

This is where Cellucor C4 shines a bit brighter than the rest, it’s an excellent pre-workout supplement for the beginner all the way to the veteran. It helps with boosting energy, endurance and focus. So whether you’re just starting out and looking for something to take or you’re someone who has a lot of hours of gym under your belt, Cellucor C4 will work for either of you. It will help you reach your full potential without you having to put in too much thought of what you’ll be consuming before hitting the weight section or road.

It also helps to know that it is made by a trusted company who cares about its consumers.The elements that make Cellucor C4 a pre-workout supplement that works is its ingredients.

• 1.6g CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine for supporting muscular endurance (apparently the only patented and clinically studied form of beta-alanine that has actually shown to support muscular endurance when working out
• 1g Creatine Nitrate
• 150mg Caffeine for boosting energy
• 1g Arginine AKG

When reviews have mentioned side-effects they were mild and nothing serious. This is especially true for anyone who is sensitive when it comes to caffeine. Taking something with more caffeine than you’re used to can cause heart palpitations. So be cautious if you know how you handle caffeine on a daily basis.

Cellucor C4 should be taken about 30 minutes BEFORE your workout on an empty or almost empty stomach to ensure complete absorption of the supplement. A large meal followed by Cellucor will not benefit you because the food will hamper the absorption of the product.

All you have to do is add water and you’re ready to go. And with all the different flavours available you won’t get tired of it. Whatever your taste buds there’s definitely something for you.

Flavours:

• Orange
• Fruit Punch
• Pink Lemonade
• Strawberry Margarita
• Watermelon
• Blue Raspberry
• Peach Mango
• Pineapple
• Passion Fruit

Many people have benefited from switching to a pre-workout supplement before a workout. It takes most of the thinking away and you don’t have to decide what to have before dashing out the door or leaving late from work for that spin class. It’s easy to carry around or keep a container at your desk. It’s not a banana that you might forget about and three weeks later you have a strange smell wafting up from your drawer.

It’s never too early or too late to try something new that actually might just work for you. There are plenty of online stores that stock Cellucor C4 and will deliver it directly to your door or place of work. You don’t even have to venture into a health store somewhere and have some muscly shop assistant attack you with questions about what your workout looks like. It’s as easy as adding it to your cart and checking out.

Happy exercising!

Read More: Fitness And Conditioning Through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

The post The Pre-Workout Energy Boosting Machine appeared first on Expert Zine.

Unfortunately, cases of children getting cavities is increasing, especially in the 2 to 11 years age group.

Children should visit a dentist for the first time within 6 months of the first tooth erupting. This can be accomplished simply by mum or dad holding the baby on their lap, while the dentist has a look inside the baby’s mouth. The dentist can then assess for any decay or abnormalities. Parents then have the chance to ask questions and to be given instructions on how to care for their baby’s mouth/teeth and how to reduce oral bacteria. Parents can be shown that *bushing* their infants teeth is as simple as wiping over the tooth with a face washer or using a small baby size toothbrush.

Limiting your child’s intake of carbohydrates, especially milk and juice is important. It’s the amount of time your baby has access to these sugary liquids and intake that should be monitored especially when given in a bottle or cups around bedtime. If your baby needs to have a bottle before bed, plain tap water is the best option.

As your child continues to grow, your dentist will begin introducing good habits and suggestions for preventing tooth decay, tooth loss and gingivitis. Visit to the dentists in Parramatta for an older child will include an exam, cleaning and instructions on how to floss and to brush teeth properly. If need be the dentist can also review proper nutrition for overall health, and, if your child has started playing sports the right mouth guards to use to protect their teeth.

Remember as parents you play an important role in your child’s dental health, you will need to constantly reinforce good oral hygiene habits such as flossing and brushing. Most importantly you must remember that children learn from you and from watching you, from watching YOUR good dental hygiene habits. Lead by example to demonstrate how important your child’s teeth are to them and will be to them. Caring for their teeth is important for their health in general, today, tomorrow and as they grow into adults.

Your child’s oral care

It’s important to take good care of your child’s baby teeth, while they will eventually fall out, it’s important to look after them until they do. Baby teeth are important, from helping your child to be able to speak clearly to biting and chewing food. Many of the same dental procedures available to adults are available to children such as x-rays, cleaning and orthodontics.

When a child reaches 6 or 7 their baby teeth will begin wiggling and coming loose, let your child wiggle their tooth until it falls out on its own, this will help minimise the pain and bleeding that can occur with a lost tooth.

Cavities can start occurring when those sugar-coated foods are left to stay in the mouth for a long time. Bacteria’s that live on the teeth feast on these bits of left over food and can eat away at the tooth’s enamel. Salvia is there to wash away the acid that builds up between meals, but, if your child is always eating, there might not be time for these acids to get washed away.

Top tips for good dental hygiene during childhood

• Dental visits – your child should see a dentist by his or her first birthday.
• Brushing and flossing – begin adding a small amount of toothpaste to your child’s toothbrush when he or she is around 2 years old. Young children have a tendency to swallow toothpaste rather than spitting it out, so introduce toothpaste only when your child is old enough not to swallow it. As soon as you see two teeth in your child’s mouth are touching introduce them to flossing and floss once a day.

The post Dental Tips for Parents appeared first on Expert Zine.

Sex counseling is its own branch of therapy, separate from relationship counseling. Generally, relationship counseling is about trying to overcome relationship breakdowns or issues to stay together, whereas if your relationship is great but your sex life is not, then that’s where a sex counselor is the one that you need.

People go to sex counselors by themselves, or as a couple – either is fine. Some therapists specialize more in doing one on one sessions, or others usually only see couples. Like any other therapist, you might not “click” with the first one that you try out. If you don’t think it’s going to work with one person, don’t be disheartened – it may just be a personalities mismatch. Instead, seek out someone else and give it another crack again,

Now, sex counseling might seem a little daunting at first, like a bit of a black box, an unknown. Rest assured that sex counseling is a professional field, with trained counselors ready to help to the best of their abilities.

Sex counseling is quite like regular counseling if you’ve ever been to see a counselor or a psychologist – or even if you’ve just seen them on TV (although psychologists on TV aren’t quite the same as in real life).

Counselors and psychologists are trained to help talk through your issues, come to understand what’s happening and perhaps underlying causes, lead you towards psychological and behavioral breakthroughs, and give you tools to apply in real life, once you exit beyond the confines of their office.

Sex counseling will only be as effective as what you put into as well as take away from it. Make sure that you take note of what is discussed in each session and apply the takeaways in your life. You will not be “cured” within a single session – unless perhaps your issue is erectile dysfunction and your sex therapist points you in the direction of Viagra! People generally need multiple sessions to help the lessons learned stick, and to advance further in their sex lives. Make sure that you realize this before you walk into your first session, or you might wind up feeling like it wasn’t effective enough when you leave. These things take time. You owe it to you and your partner’s pleasure to give it the time it needs!

Unlike regular therapists, a sex counselor will give you exercises to do at home or during the day that revolve more around sex and intimacy. These may be a combination of activities to do solo, as well as activities that you can do with your partner. Make sure that you go through them, even if they do feel a little forced or silly. It’s worth giving everything a shot for the sake of your sex life!

Everyone deserves a full and rich, satisfying sex life, and if you feel that you’re not getting that, then it might be time to pay a sex counselor a visit to see what help they can offer. You can try heading to your doctor for a referral to a good sex therapist or conduct some of your own research online before deciding on who to see. Some services may be partly covered under your private health insurance, so if this is of interest to you make sure that you inquire about it before you go in for your appointment, as well as make sure to check with your insurance policy.

There’s nothing to be ashamed of if your sex life isn’t going the way you know it should be going, or if you are having ongoing issues. The only thing to be ashamed of is not getting help! Let a professional help talk you through your issues, and provide feedback and tools to help you do better overall. You owe it to yourself to be living the best life possible, so this is another way in which you can seek it out.

Don’t let problems bubble over. Address issues when they pop up and make sure that you’re giving yourself (and your partner) the best shot at having a healthy and satisfying sex life. You may also need to see your doctor in combination with seeing a sex counselor if you need to take any prescription medicine to help you along a bit. Your sex therapist will be able to indicate if this is necessary if you would rather visit them first than chat to your doctor about it – it’s really up to you.

Read More:

• Why We Should Talk About Sex
• 10 Tips to Improve Men’s Sexual Health

The post What to Expect from Sex Counselling appeared first on Expert Zine.