But first, life

Nowadays, that we are busy with studying and caring for our careers we often tend to forget that we need to treat our bodies with respect, because if you neglect your body from now on you will not be able to make it to your goals in good health and complete happiness. And one of the things that we often tend to forget about is the vitamins that we need in our daily diet. I am therefore introducing "The Vitamin Guide" where I will present you to a vitamin each time and why it is important to consume and how you can increase your intake in the certain vitamins through your daily diet.

This first post is about the essential vitamin C. Vitamin C is classified as an "essential" since our bodies do not naturally produce this vitamin, and we are therefore only able to get vitamin C into our systems through our diet.

But why is it so important for us to consume Vitamin C? Vitamin C is an antioxidant which means that it is a molecule that inhibits oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals which can lead to the start of chain reactions. When these chain reactions occur in a cell it can cause damage or even death to the cell.

Vitamin C is also involved in the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein that holds the whole body together. It is most commonly found in the skin, bones and conective tissue within the body, which provides the structural support and strength as well elasticity. Collagen is however, made up of amino acids, out of these amino acids nine of them are considered to be essential, which as introduced above means that we can not produce ourselves. Therefore the consumption of Vitamin C is almost vital in the collagen production

Vitamin C also helps with wound healing. If a person lacks Vitamin C however they will often find that they have a more difficult time in healing their wounds and and they will also experience bone and joint pain as well as gum bleeding.

But it is very simple to avoid the lack of vitamin C because almost anything around you contains this essential vitamin. Some of the few are the following:

• Lemon 
• Oranges
• Carrots
• Cabbage 
• Spinach
• Tomatoes 
• Strawberries 
• Brocollli 

Sources:
(1) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant
(2) - http://www.webmd.com/diet/the-benefits-of-vitamin-c
(3) - http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262881.php

Waking up in the morning can often become a rough task to complete, especially in times where the whole night have been spent studying and worrying about the next big report. It is therefore vital that the morning starts off good in order to have the right work ethic and right motivation to do all of these tasks correctly.

In the last few years I have been in corperating five different tasks into my morning routine so that I can have an improved morning and therefore accomplish the work that I expect from myself.

1. Brain training. As the first thing in the morning I usually start my day off with my daily brain training. This will not only stimulate my brain but it will also have me aquire more energy (because of my natural need to do good). This is a two way benefit. First of all it allows you to wake up and gets your brain activating, but it also benefits the knowledge that you accompany yourself with. Doing this daily can help you improve your listening skills along with your understanding and such.

The following apps can be recommended: Elevate, Neuronation & Fit Brains.

2. Hot lemon water. There are many people who start of the day with a hot beverage. Many choose coffee or tea. But many benefits can be gained by substituting that drink with hot lemon water (a coffee can although also be enjoyed afterwards). The reason for this is that the hot lemon water helps kickstart the digestion proces for the day. But it also contains a lot of beneficial vitamins. To read a whole guide on hot lemon water and how it should be done correctly read the following article!

3. Read the news. Not only can your brain be activited in the morning by doing brain training, but reading the news or watching the news for that instance can also increase your brain activity in the morning. It says that those who read in the morning - for that instance the news - do better than those who don't. I usually read the newspaper, but online news pages are also preferable,

The following news sites can be recommended: The New York Times, The Huffington Post & The Wall Street Journal.

4. Yoga. Incorperating yoga or just even light stretches in the morning can add a lot into your overall daily experience. It does the same to the body as splashing cold water onto the face does. It gets you activated. It helps you calm and it helps you stay collected.

5. Plan the day. One way to improve your morning is by planning the day. This way you will create an overview over the day which will lead to you being more aware and more calm when taking on the day. This can be done with the old school notebook or a variety of apps can be used.

I can recommend the following apps: Any.do, Planner plus & My Study Life (for school work)

Remember it is vital to get a good start to your day, so take the time to care for yourself even if its 5 minutes or so.

Work hard & stay dedicated

Love,
Dunia