Nicole Hopkins, Author at Healthy Smart Living

Pelvic Floor Strengthening: Exercises for a Stronger Core

April 17, 2024

Pelvic floor exercises are beneficial for women and men alike. Your pelvic floor has three layers of muscle, and each plays an essential role in improving posture, blood flow and continence as well as helping with issues like premature ejaculation or achieving orgasm. These are the muscle tissues that support your anus, bladder and genitals. By building strength in these muscles, you can boost your physical and mental health. Additionally, if you struggle with incontinence or sexual dysfunction, using pelvic floor stretches as part of a treatment plan can boost your confidence, too! The Best Pelvic Floor Exercises For a Stronger Core 1. Kegels Nearly everyone has heard of kegels. Honestly, they’re so popular that I wouldn’t blame you for thinking they were the only pelvic floor exercises you...

pelvic exercises

Exercises for Lower Back: Pain Relief and Strengthening

Nicole Hopkins

March 20, 2024

Fitness

Lower back pain is one of the most common problems we face, and it can really take a toll on your quality of life. Taking painkillers or lying down may seem like the best options, but the truth is that lower back strengthening exercises are often a better solution. Working out when you’re hurting probably doesn’t sound appealing, and that’s understandable. However, doing some simple, gentle exercises for lower back pain can build your muscles, boost your flexibility and reduce or even eliminate your pain. Why Exercises Are Ideal For Lower Back Pain First, exercise of all kinds boosts your circulation, which means more nutrient- and oxygen-rich blood is able to reach your joints, muscles and ligaments. This helps you feel more flexible and eases stiffness. Second, a weak...

back pain

Facial Exercises to Lose Face Fat and Get Defined Cheekbones

Nicole Hopkins

February 21, 2024

Body, Top Picks

If you've spent any time on Instagram, TikTok or Reddit, you've likely seen that facial exercises are more popular than ever as a way to sculpt your features and lose excess fat. While these measures alone won't transform your appearance, facial muscle exercises have some great benefits. This is why I think it's worthwhile to learn some of the more popular ones and incorporate them into your daily beauty regimen. So, let's talk about how to do face muscle workouts! How to Get the Most Out of Your Facial Muscle Exercises The best way to capitalize on facial exercises is to use them as one part of a healthier overall lifestyle. This includes incorporating small changes like adding more movement to your day, lowering your intake of salt and...

skincare wrinkles

Benefits of Rosemary Oil and Medicinal Usage

Nicole Hopkins

January 24, 2024

Wellness

The benefits of rosemary oil and rosemary supplements are numerous, making it a popular addition to a health and beauty routine. When you think about rosemary, do you think of Thanksgiving seasoning, an herb garden or all-natural perfume? Personally, I think of stuffing seasoning and aromatherapy, in that order. In addition to being a delicious seasoning, it’s widely used as a medicinal herb all over the world. From applying rosemary oil on your face to diffusing it into the air, let’s take a look at some of the best ways you can incorporate the many benefits of rosemary oil into your health regimen. Potential Health Benefits of Rosemary It’s important to remember that much of the research into rosemary’s medicinal properties is still ongoing, so you should always consult...

rosemary

Support and Comfort: The Benefits of Sports Bras

Nicole Hopkins

December 20, 2023

Fitness, Style

Explore the benefits of sports bras that provide essential support, reducing discomfort during workouts and promoting an active lifestyle. The benefits of wearing a sports bra when working out are numerous, so it's a great idea to invest in a few, no matter what kind of physical activity you choose. Some people think that wearing a regular bra is just as good for a workout as a sports bra, but trust me when I say there are more benefits of wearing a sports bra than you might think! 3 Benefits of Wearing a Sports Bra 1. They're more supportive than regular bras. Sports bras are designed to keep the girls from bouncing, jiggling or drooping while you're active. As long as you get the right support level, you'll find they...

sports bra

Retinol 101: A Beginner’s Journey to Flawless Skin

Nicole Hopkins

November 22, 2023

Body, Top Picks

Adding actives to your skin care routine is an excellent way to keep your skin looking young, fresh and radiant. However, before you incorporate a retinol serum into your daily routine, it’s important to understand how to use it properly. Otherwise, you can actually do more harm than good! I love having powerhouse products like retinol and vitamin C in my skincare regimen, so I’ve made this guide to retinol for beginners so you can get all of the great benefits, too. Retinol 101: A Quick and Easy Cheat Sheet Retinol, aka vitamin A, comes in a few different forms. Pure retinol is only available as a prescription (called tretinoin) because it’s extremely potent. But! Over-the-counter retinol creams and serums have a different class of less intense yet still...

retinol

Tartar Troubles? Discover How to Remove Calculus Bridge

Nicole Hopkins

October 18, 2023

Wellness

When you see the phrase "calculus bridge," you probably think of math and architecture (I did). However, we're talking about calculus on teeth, commonly called tartar. Dental calculus is the scaly next step beyond plaque, the sticky film that forms on your teeth after eating or drinking. When plaque is left in your mouth, it combines with your saliva to create hardened scales, aka calculus or tartar. If you've ever looked up calculus bridge images, you know that it can get pretty serious and gross. So, let's talk about what you can do to prevent calculus buildup and how to remove it. How the Calculus Bridge Was Built When tartar is left to build up over time, it can spread across multiple teeth, forming a calculus bridge. Some...

calculus bridge teeth

Discover 4 Unique and Nutritious Blue Fruits

Nicole Hopkins

October 4, 2023

Nutrition

Beyond the familiar blueberries, discover lesser-known blue fruits with surprising flavors and health benefits. When someone asks you to name a blue food, your go-to is almost certainly blueberries, right? Some people might mention blue vegetables like blue potatoes or blue corn, but for most of us, our knowledge of naturally blue foods stops with blueberries. Did you know there are actually several other blue fruits? They're all packed with flavor and plenty of health benefits, including a boost to your heart and gut health, lowered risk of type 2 diabetes and a huge dose of anti-aging antioxidants and anti-inflammatory anthocyanins. So, if you're looking for ways to "eat the rainbow" and impress your friends, here are some blue-colored foods besides blueberries to add to your grocery list. Blue...

blue fruits

Step into Pilates: A Beginner’s Primer

Nicole Hopkins

September 6, 2023

Fitness, Top Picks

New to Pilates? This guide covers the essentials, helping you embark on a rewarding fitness journey with Pilates as a beginner. Starting Pilates is an excellent way to improve both physical and mental health. As with anything new, though, trying to figure out where to start can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, beginners Pilates exercises are easy to learn and can give you a challenging (in a good way!) workout. This is a guide to Pilates for beginners, so we will cover the basics, and hopefully, you'll feel confident and excited about your fitness journey by the end of this article! Crash Course: Pilates For Absolute Beginners 1. Benefits First, let's talk about the benefits. Anyone can do Pilates because it's customizable to suit your fitness and flexibility levels. It provides an...

Unlock Your Body’s Potential with Somatic Exercises

Nicole Hopkins

August 3, 2023

Fitness

As the push for mind-body awareness and better health has increased, somatic exercises have become more popular. Somatic movement is an excellent way for people of all ages and fitness levels to incorporate activity into their daily lives, regardless of how busy they are or if they have mobility constraints. Let's talk about how to unlock your full potential by adding somatic practices to your everyday routines. Somatics: What It Is and What It Means For You [caption id="attachment_6534" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Madison Lavern on Unsplash[/caption] The definition of somatics is "of the body." In our context, though, it refers to staying in the moment and being present while you perform a set of movements. For a more scientific somatics definition, a recent article from the journal Frontiers in Psychology says...

somatic exercises