Matador Team
1. Travel exposes you to different environments, which create stronger antibodies and boost your immune system significantly.
Antibodies are the little proteins that protect your immune system from harmful pathogens. In fact, research shows exposure to some dirt and minor illnesses actually keeps your body and gut stronger. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t practice basic hygiene on the road — you should still wash your hands or use a little hand sanitizer here and there — but having some new bacteria in your life isn’t a bad thing. One blogger even suggests that after 17 years on the road, travel has been his best probiotic. When you travel from place to place, your body adapts to thousands of new bacteria, which it turn makes it much stronger.

2. Travel lowers stress levels.
Like a lot, a lot. This one might not come as a big surprise to you, but it’s been scientifically proven that travel will increase your happiness, decrease your depression, and chill you the F out. A study found that three days after vacation, travelers felt well-rested, less anxious, and in a better mood. And these improvements didn’t disappear when they returned home, they lasted for weeks afterward.

3. Travel improves your brain health.
Travel expands your mind. You meet new people. You adapt to new situations. You become more globally and culturally aware. This is all good for your health because new experiences increase cognitive flexibility, keeping your mind sharp. Studies have shown a connection between travel and an increase in creativity, a deeper sense of cultural awareness and personal growth. And according to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, those who travel and study abroad tend to be more open and emotionally stable.

4. Travel will decrease your risk of heart disease.
That’s because people who wander away from their homes for a little vacation are generally less stressed and anxious — or at least they’re willing to take a break from their stressors. Because of this, the long-running Framingham Heart Study found that men and women who traveled annually were less likely to suffer a heart attack or develop heart disease.

5. Travel keeps you fit.
Okay so travel often means sitting for hours on end in a series of moving vehicles, but it also means lots of opportunities to force yourself to be active. When we travel, we want to try new things and see all there is to see — we spent money to get there, after all — so we’re more likely to attempt an extreme sport, walk the city streets much more than we would back home, or hike to get the best views of our surroundings. Even if you plan to stay all day at the beach, walking on sand will force your muscles to work twice as hard.

6. There are a lot of places on Earth that have healing properties.
And they may not be in your own backyard. When you travel, you get to visit healing sites that others don’t — like the natural hot springs of Turkey, Iceland or Costa Rica that draw on the earth’s healing properties. Soaking in these mineral-rich waters can improve your skin, relieve pain and stress, and increase longevity. Energy vortexes — do exist, first of all — and are also sacred places made up of ‘anything that flows,’ whether it be wind, water or electricity. They are the places where the earth’s powers converge to heal, uplift, and rejuvenate. Some famous energy points include Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt, but there also vortexes in the United Stares in places like Sedona, AZ and Mount Desert Island, Maine.

7. Travel will let you live longer.
It’s true; those who travel tend to have a longer life expectancy. Whether local or global, all forms of travel enhance our lives and can actually increase our life expectancy. Research shows that travel reduces stress, keeps your body healthy inside and out, and boosts brain health. This adds up to an increased chance of living longer and to having more fun doing it.

Unprocessed foods include edible parts of plants (fruits, vegetables, seeds, roots, etc.) or animals, as well as fungi and algae. These can be fresh, frozen, or even fermented — the important distinction is that they have not been treated with additives, injected with salt, or rubbed with oil until they're about to be eaten. Examples include dry beans; grains like rice; fresh or dried mushrooms; meat and dairy products; seafood; plain yogurt; nuts; and spices.

Processed culinary ingredients involve a step up in production. These are ingredients made from unprocessed foods, like vegetable oils, butter, and lard. This category also includes extracted food, like honey from combs, sugar from cane, and syrup from maple trees.

Processed foods are items that get infused with ingredients like sugar, salt, and fat to help keep them edible longer. Canned fruits, fermented breads (which most breads are, as they're made with yeast), alcohol, cheese, pickles, and salted nuts all make this list.

Finally, there are ultra-processed foods. These items are designed to be ready to eat and ready to heat at a moment's notice. To make that possible, these foods are often made in a factory, broken down from their whole or fresh form and treated with thickeners, colors, glazes, and additives. They may be fried before they're packed in cans or wrappers. They might contain high-fructose corn syrup, protein isolates, or interesterified oils (replacements for trans fats, which are now widely banned). Examples of ultra-processed foods include packaged granola bars, carbonated soft drinks, candy, mass-produced breads, margarine, energy drinks, flavored yogurt, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs.

MedicalNewsToday
Researchers are exploring both the effectiveness of essential oils for flu treatment and the best ways to apply these oils.

Research has found that the following essential oils have significant anti-influenza virus properties:

Bergamot oil is effective against flu viruses as a vapor after just 10 minutes of exposure.
Eucalyptus oil shows anti-viral activity as a vapor.
Red thyme oil is effective against flu viruses as a liquid phase.
Cinnamon leaf oil also shows antiviral activity as a liquid.
Tea tree oil is effective against the flu virus within 5 to 10 minutes of exposure, as found in another study.
Lemon balm is also shown to prevent the avian influenza (bird flu) virus from reproducing.

There are two basic methods for using essential oils:

Application to the skin: Topical application of essential oils should always be done by mixing them with a carrier oil, such as jojoba oil, olive oil, or nut oil. They can be massaged in or put into lotions and bath products.
Inhalation: This is done by floating the oils in hot water and inhaling the vapors or using a room diffuser.

Fitness bands
Fitness bands are the newest trend in the world of fitness. They track your steps, calories, sleep duration, etc., and can be really useful for people who lead extremely busy and stressful work lives as it can bring them to the realisation that they need to pay attention to their bodies and health. Their range varies from company to company, and you can choose one according to your pocket.

An air purifier
Considering the pollution levels in all metropolitan cities of the country, there can't be a better and a healthier gift than an air purifier. Available in different sizes and offered by a variety of brands, air purifiers ensure that you breathe in clean air and keep your body away from all the toxins present in the air these days.

If buying an electric/battery operated air purifier is too expensive for you, opt for natural ones like Aloe vera plants, money plants, etc., to ensure that your loved ones stay safe and healthy.

Healthy cookbooks
If you have a friend or a family member who is really fond of cooking and loves experimenting with food, you can gift them a recipe book that has recipes that are healthy – if they are diabetic, or for whatever specific health problem that they have. The health recipe book is not just a gift to them, but also to the rest of the family as they can also indulge in good, delicious, and healthy food that they make. Also read How to avoid holiday weight gain: 5 healthy Christmas cookie recipes you must try this winter season

A Yoga mat
For the friend or family member who is more into Yoga, than the gym, you can gift them a really cool and good quality Yoga mat to inspire and motivate them to practice Yoga and keep away from all diseases and illnesses. You can also get a Yoga mat customized for them – like get their initials on it, or get a really cool print of a movie/song/band they like!

A Gift Card
Giving a gift card with a wellness theme is another great idea. Local chiropractic or wellness offices, massage therapists, yoga studios, or gyms are all great options. These are thoughtful gifts that may reap long term benefits. They also may help jump start New Year resolutions. Word of advice, if choosing a gift card for a spouse you may want to lean towards chiropractic or massage over a gym membership. Just a thought. ;)

​1 Monaco 89.73
2 Macau 84.41
3 San Marino 83.01
4 Andorra 82.43
5 Japan 82.25
6 Guernsey 82.16
7 Singapore 82.14
8 Hong Kong 82.04
9 Australia 81.81
10 Italy 81.77
11 Jersey 81.38
12 Canada 81.38
13 France 81.19
14 Spain 81.17
15 Switzerland 81.07
16 Sweden 81.07
17 Israel 80.96
18 Iceland 80.90
19 Anguilla 80.87
20 Bermuda 80.71
21 Cayman Islands 80.68
22 Isle of Man 80.64
23 New Zealand 80.59
24 Liechtenstein 80.31
25 Norway 80.20
26 Ireland 80.19
27 Germany 80.07
28 United Kingdom 80.05
29 Jordan 80.05
30 Greece 79.92
31 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 79.87
32 Austria 79.78
33 Faroe Islands 79.72
34 Malta 79.72
35 Netherlands 79.68
36 Luxembourg 79.61
37 Belgium 79.51
38 Virgin Islands 79.33
39 Finland 79.27
40 Turks and Caicos Islands 79.11
41 Korea, South 79.05
42 Wallis and Futuna 78.98
43 Puerto Rico 78.92
44 European Union 78.82
45 Bosnia and Herzegovina 78.81
46 Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha 78.76
47 Gibraltar 78.68
48 Denmark 78.63
49 Portugal 78.54
50 United States 78.37