Most of us are living with unwanted tension in our back and shoulders. We work overtime, stress about various life situations, and just about everything we do throughout the day is in a forward motion, which weakens and then subsequently tightens up our backside. There are many things you can do to help reduce this tension, including getting yourself on a regular exercise routine and releasing this tension.

If you can imagine for a moment the upper body posture of an elderly adult who is hunched over, with shoulders internally rotated and head jetting forward. You may not realize it, but most likely you are slowly moving into that same position. Everything from brushing your teeth, making breakfast, driving, sitting on the computer, looking at your phone, doing laundry, etc. is all movements in the forward posture with shoulders internally rotated and head forward. 

This situation is not entirely hopeless, if you can start to realize this and add a new routine to your weekly workout plan. All you need to do is release the muscles that are getting tight from working more than then need to, and release the muscles that are weak and starting to brace themselves because they are not strong enough to hold optimal posture.  And lastly, you must strengthen the  weaker muscles so they hold your posture efficiently. 

So, the basic plan is release the chest muscles and upper trapezius (muscles that run along the top of your shoulders to you neck) through massage and stretching, because they are working overtime. Release the mid-back trigger points that have been created from weakness, and start strengthening your rhomboids, lower trapezius, and serratus anterior (all muscles that connect through your mid-back to help stabilize your shoulder blades to improve posture and reduce unwanted tension build up).

So, how do we release the tension? I don't know about you, but it's not all that easy to massage out my own back. The backnobber is an amazingly simple product that can help you reach those essential hard to get spots on your back and shoulders with minimal effort. The key to using the backnobber is leverage. Use the hand closest to you to pull slightly towards you and the hand furthest from you pushes away to create the perfect amount of leverage for you to release the trigger points that are bothering you. 

I recommend lying down for releasing some of the tough spots at the base of your neck. It will allow you to relax your upper body and neck while leveraging the backnobber into the nooks and crannies that hold tension for you. Keep in mind, simply releasing the tension will not keep the tension from coming back. Exercise, particularly for the mid-back is essential for preventing the shoulder and upper back tension from returning. This combination of releasing and strengthening will help your posture and reduce your upper body pain if you're consistent and patient. 

Check out the backnobber and all of our other helpful fitness accessories that will help you stay in the best shape possible. Living a happy, healthy, holistic lifestyle!

Better-Wellbeing.com

When you have lots of fruits and vegetables in your kitchen, you're bound to get a few fruit flies now and then. They can be annoying and even downright frustrating when they start to travel around your house and bother you when you're trying to relax at home. Or at least that's what we've been experiencing. Fruit flies are very small and have a short life span, but they can reproduce quickly as well. They may be living in the skin of fruits that you buy at the farmer's market or grocery store before you bring them home. Then within a few days, you see them around your kitchen. It's important to keep your kitchen counters and sink clean to prevent flies from sticking around by offering food. Always wash your dishes right away and keep the garbage disposal emptied after you've washed dishes. We've also found a very simple and eco-friendly way to help rid you kitchen and your home of these pesky little bugs. You can make a fly trap that sits out on your counter top with a few items that you probably already have around your home. When I first found out how to make this trap we had a large infestation of fruit flies and caught about 20 fruit flies with two traps in the first week! Now that I always keep a trap out in the kitchen, we only have a few flies caught each week as maintenance. 

All you need is:

1. Pour apple cider vinegar into the cup. About 1/2 to 1 inch high. The flies love the smell of apple cider vinegar, because it's a fruit and has the scent of fermentation since it perishes when unrefrigerated.

2. Cut a small hole in the center of the plastic lunch bag. This allows the fruit flies a small hole to enter through. Keep the hole very small so that they can't find their way back out.

3. Tape the plastic bag around the rim of the cup. I never put tape directly on the cup, and I like to cut off the excess plastic bag so it looks cleaner.

4. Set the trap out in your kitchen, dining room, or any room that you have fruit fly problems. I find that it sometimes takes a couple days for the flies to find the trap. They are drawn to the smell of the apple cider more when it starts to ferment a bit. Although if you look at the photo above of the trap I made last night, I already have a fly in there crawling in the top left corner. I like to empty the apple cider every week or two and put out a fresh trap. It starts to smell like dirty feet after a while. 

Hope you enjoy this Blog and keep your kitchen bug free! Post any other great ideas you have for keeping your kitchen bug free. We'd love to hear from you!

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1. What is Better Wellbeing?

Better Wellbeing is an online retail store where you can find all natural, organic, and eco-friendly products for you, your family, and your home. We offer products and household items that can help you improve your overall well-being. Living a healthy lifestyle is important to us, which is why we created this site to share with you. We wanted a place where you could shop and find high quality goods. We look for items that are Fairtrade, Made in the USA, Certified Organic, Vegan, and Natural.

2. What do you sell?

We sell everything from body care that is all natural with no parabens or sulfates to environmentally friendly furniture and non-toxic mattresses. If you’re looking to directly improve your health, we have a whole category with fitness products, yoga accessories, and even at home equipment like inversion tables. We also offer natural supplements and essential oils for self healing. For the truly organic fans, we have certified organic cotton clothing, linens, and bedding for you and your children. We even have a whole category for your kids that includes toys, clothing, bedding, body care, and baby care. But my personal favorite is our books and DVD category, that includes inspirational resources on fitness, self healing, meditation, self improvement, and holistic cooking. Take some time to browse around and let us know what you think. And of course, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about the site or our products.

3. What was the inspiration for the site?

We wanted to create a space where healthy, like-minded individuals could find amazing products for their home that would improve their life in some way. The site originally started out as being primarily fitness products and grew into so much more. Everything on our site was hand picked based on what we thought could help you live in a more chemical free environment, become healthier in all aspects, and simply feeling good about the household items you surround yourself by because they are coming from good resources.

Browse around Better-Wellbeing.com and see for yourself all the wonderful products we have!

And the list goes on... with so many simple ways to clean your home and improve your hygiene, you'll never look at baking soda the same way again.

16. Heartburn relief: this is one of my favorite uses of baking soda. For those days you've over indulged a little too much or just had an acidic meal eating out. Add 1/2 to 1 tsp of baking soda to about a half cup of water, mix thoroughly and drink quickly. It's quite salty, but your next burp will be refreshing and digestion will calm. 

17. Hair treatment: add a little baking soda to your conditioner to help reduce split ends.

18. Dandruff treatment: Many people develop dandruff from a pH imbalance from their usual shampoos. Use baking soda instead of shampoo for several days as an alkalizing anti-dandruff treatment. Massage into your scalp thoroughly. 

19. Bug bites: make a small amount of paste with mostly baking soda and a few drops of water to reduce bug bite itching, poison ivy, and sunburn. Dab a bit of paste on the area and let it soak in.

20. Weed killer: sprinkle baking soda on the cracks between the pavement  to prevent weeds from sprouting up.

21. Melt icy sidewalks: sprinkle baking soda on your icy sidewalks to melt away the ice. Sodium bicarbonate is less corrosive than traditional cooking salts.

22. Produce cleaner: instead of purchasing produce cleaner, use baking soda to clean your fruits and vegetables when you get home from the farmer's market.

23. Clean your toothbrush: soak your toothbrush in a mixture of 1/4 cup baking soda and a 1/4 cut water over night for sparkling fresh cleaning.

I know there are more uses for baking soda than just these 23...what are some other uses that you know of?? Post your comments below to add to this list!!

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Continuing the list of many uses for sodium bicarbonate, today list is going to be mostly on cleaning. Baking soda is a wonderful cleaning product, inexpensive, and simple to use.

8. Laundry: add a cup of baking soda to your heavy soiled laundry (and use detergent too) for an extra clean wash. This is great for wash cloths and towels you use for cleaning or outdoors work.

9. Brighten your dull floors: add 1/2 cup of baking soda to a bucket of warm water and start mopping.

10. Freshen your carpet: sprinkle baking soda over your carpet and let sit before vacuuming. Wait at least 15-30 minutes, but several hours would be best.

11. Unclog your sink drain: heat up a cup of vinegar and mix with a cup of baking soda, then pour it down the drain to unclog your sink.

12. Deodorize your sink drain: if you have metal drain pipes, this should work well. But don't try this with recently used other drain cleaners. Start by pouring 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by 1/2 a cup of vinegar. Wait about 15 minutes, then flush the drain with hot water.

13. Toilet cleaner: sprinkle 1/4 cup of baking soda in your toilet and start scrubbing away for a cleaner toilet bowl.

14. Shine your silver: use 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water with a sponge or wash cloth to shine your silver. Once you wash off the residue, you'll have a shiny new set of silver.

15. Clean your dishwasher and coffee maker: run an cycle of baking soda in an empty dishwasher or coffee pot for a fresh appliance.

Check back in for part 3! 

Better-Wellbeing.com

Sodium bicarbonate is one of the most versatile substances with a multitude of uses for you and your home. (And it's really inexpensive too!) Baking soda is very alkaline which gives it an antibacterial cleaning property. Let's take a look at some of the wonderful things you can do with it!

1. Face wash: add a pinch of baking soda to a handful of water and wash away. 

2. Face scrub: use approximate 3 parts baking soda with 1 part water and gently exfoliate skin by rubbing the mixture onto your face in a circular motion.

3. Face mask: make a paste with water and baking soda (slowly add drops of water to the mixture) and dab on face. You can use as a mask once a week for clearer skin (Using too often may dry out skin)

4. Acne zapper: make a small amount of paste with a few drops of water and a big pinch of baking soda. Dab the mixture in small amounts for spot treatment on acne. Use 1-4 days in a row till acne is gone. 

5. Mouthwash: add a small amount to water and swish in your mouth for 1-2 minutes after brushing your teeth. If you want to add a little flavor to your mouthwash, add a drop of peppermint essential oil or any other flavor you like.

6. Toothpaste: make a past with water and baking soda (just like the face mask) and brush away. And just like the mouthwash, you can add essential oils like spearmint or wintergreen.

7. Add about 1/2 a cup of sodium bicarbonate to your bath tub for a rejuvenating, energizing, and cleansing experience.

Check back in for part 2!

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