Healthy Diets and Weight Loss Will Increase Your Happiness

Healthy Diets and Weight Loss Will Increase Your Happiness

At the age of 26 my friend was on her way to obesity. One problem caused many others, like dissatisfaction with herself, looks of disgust by others and the risk of getting diabetes. The last one made her re-evaluate her life as she was warned that it would make things more difficult. She started an individual program of losing weight under the guidance of specialists. So, 39 pounds off is the result of two years of hard work.

Firstly, she had to switch to a healthy diet which meant that she needed to cut down on sugars and salty food as it blocks the water in the body, something that is really bad if you are at the risk of diabetes. She had to start also drinking more water, which is necessary because it speeds up the metabolism and helps to burn fat. Then she started to exercise regularly; it was not an easy thing for her to do. Sometimes it was simply walking instead of driving the car. And of course she set a certain time for eating, with no snacks in between.

So, a healthy diet and exercising helped her body to regulate its processes with the result that her blood sugar went down. She could avoid the danger of getting diabetes. And it must be said that a healthy diet combined with exercises has also improved her health condition in general. But the most important thing is that it has changed her personality and gave her back my self-respect.

Talking to people who struggle with being overweight has taught me that often these people have low self-esteem and even dislike themselves. They wish to find the internal strength to change their situation, but often do not succeed. Their internal state of unhappiness affects their relationships with their family and friend, and thus, these people's unhappiness increases even more due to the difficult relationships.

How to Exercise When Ill - Some Facts About Mental Training

How to Exercise When Ill - Some Facts About Mental Training

If you think physical exercise is all there is to training, think again. No doubt, if you need to build muscle or stamina, then "real" physical training, i.e. running or weight lifting or rafting will always be needed to get your body into shape. There is another side to the effects of exercising though, and that is that it coordinates certain muscles, learning to move exactly as prescribed by the particular sport's rules etc.

In the last analysis, all that physical training does if it is not building muscle or stamina is beating certain pathways in your nervous system that mean you can move as elegantly and precisely as desired, be it in golf, gymnastics or figure skating. This goes for all sports, soccer requires as much precision in hitting a ball in the right place with adequate force (not too hard, not too little), to score a goal as any other discipline.

And the more often you practice these movements yourself, the more accomplished you become. The more you watch others, be it your coach, your team-mates or your competitors, the better the state-of-the-art typical motion will be picked up by your brain and wired into your system.

When you follow training statistics over the years then one can see clearly that training periods became longer and longer, and in most cases you'll find, the earlier (as a child) an athlete began to train, the more time he or she devoted to training during their lifetime the better their chance to become a champion, if their coach was any good.

However, there is only so much time you can devote to your training before you overexert yourself and any further second invested will become counterproductive. Most world class athletes are working out near that threshold. And if they're hurt and have to suspend physical training it is often near catastrophic.

As we've seen, in the last analysis there are these two sides to training: the physical stimulation of muscle and building stamina and the preparation of neural pathways. The latter does not have to be done by physical exercise alone! As studies have shown (and many a past athlete knew instinctively), just mentally rehearsing an exercise will build these pathways just as well. And what's more: if it is a potentially dangerous move you need to learn (and even with the "right" golf swing you can damage a cartilage or strain a muscle!), you can practice dry runs that way, before you ever make that move for the first time. The most fascinating result of some studies was that this mental training built muscle as if you had exercised physically. The gain was only about half the gain of real physical exercise which is why we still recommend the real workout if you want to get ahead in your sport, but it was significant. If you want to loose weight, just lying on your couch and watching a mental training video won't help you much.

But imagine you were ill and not allowed to exercise or if you were mortified or just feeling apprehensive about a new move that you need to master in your sport but are afraid to practise - then mental training is the exact remedy!

How to train mentally

You need to mentally repeat and emulate the exact moves you are meant to practise. If you already have vivid pictures of what you need to do, then just repeat these in your mind over and over - you will just become better and better at what you seem to already be good at. If you want to learn from the masters in the field you must watch them practise over and over until their perfected movements become your own. That's best done by watching videos. That said, you need to

- Make sure you can tell if the person you are using as your guide is performing correctly - you don't want to learn any substandard moves. Mental training allows you to train alongside the best in class!

not always have to look at them consciously and with a fixed gaze! Rather, just let a certain movement play again and again while you're doing the washing-up, reading, doing some repairs or so. It would be enough if you looked at it from the corner of your eye! Your eyes have kind of peripheral vision, as you can check: look straight ahead, then move your fingers outwards and sideways until they begin to disappear. If your eyesight is not impaired you will find that your eyes can spot your fingers at an angle of more than 180 degrees!

- Play the videos in full and the special scenes repeatedly as long as you like, and when you can't, e.g. if you ride a bus or whenever you find idle time that you cannot use any better, then mentally rehearse these scenes, now picturing yourself in them, as if YOU were the one who did those moves.

Keep a log or diary of certain measures that pertain to your particular sport that describe your progress (e.g. height jumped, time run etc.) in the discipline you practice and compare your results over time. When you feel that you have done enough in one field, try and get hold of a typical video of another crucial set of movements and do the same. Every few weeks or months, review the old material as well, and if you can get someone to film you doing these movements from preferably the very same angles that your former role models where shown from, then you can even compare how you figure (try to get a second opinion as well if you trust someone enough to let them in on your little, perfectly legal, secret!).

References:

Franz Rasch

Secret to Achieving Goals

Secret to Achieving Goals

 

The 5 A's You Need for Achieving Goals.

We all have goals that we want to attain. We all aspire to climb up the ladder to appease our thirst for the dreams that fuel our ambitions. But while some quickly climb up the ladder for success others lag behind and find it difficult to step beyond the limited horizons of their day to day lives. So what underlines the difference between individuals and their achievements? The secret to achieving goals lies not in mysterious philosophies but in simple acts of life which when practised can change the course of the future. A look at the 5 As that can steer you towards the path to success.

Secret to achieving goals - #1 - Aspire - The first step towards achievement is aspiration. Ask yourself how badly you want to achieve the goals that you have set for yourself. Want badly enough and you will automatically give it a 200% to help reach the end. The key to great success lies in deep yearning and need to succeed.

Secret - #2 - Attention - Narrow down your focus to the goal that you have in mind. Shift your attention away from the peripheral events that constantly try to take your focus away and make you falter in your efforts. And when you can see your goal clearly you can also see the path that will lead to it.

Secret to achieving goals - #3 - Adventure - Learn to take risks and step out of your comfort zone. It is only when you do so that you can come across new experiences which will help enrich your life and broadens the limited horizons of your knowledge.

Secret - #4 - Affirmation - Practice positive affirmations to help you go through your day with a happy and positive outlook. The rising popularity of this thought shows how a simple thing like telling yourself to be positive can go a long way to achieving goals.

Secret to achieving goals - #5 - Adoration - Love yourself. It is only when we learn to love ourselves first, love ourselves more than anyone else that we can traverse the many miles towards our goal with ease and overcome every hurdle without any problem. And no, loving ourselves does not make us selfish. It simply helps us rejoice in the precious gift of life and become positive human beings.

Apply these simple yet powerful mind exercises and see the difference they make to your way of thinking, and to your life. You will realize that the secret to achieving goals lies not out there but right in your own heart.

 

 

 

References

Maureen Rainford

Christmas Weight Loss Plan

Christmas Weight Loss Plan - Cheat Your Way Through This Holiday Season

 

Are you interested in a Christmas weight loss plan or are you here because you think it is ridiculous to think that someone can actually lose weight during the holiday? Either way I am glad you are here because I am going to share a fresh new way to diet through the holidays that will allow you to enjoy every one of your holiday dinners and parties. If you are curious how you can eat pumpkin pie, stuffing and mashed potatoes and still lose weight then take the next 2 minutes to read on.

Christmas Weight Loss Plan

1. Regularly cheat on your diet to keep your fat burning high. The problem dieters face is a big one. When they stick strictly to their diet their body adapts to what they are doing by slowing the metabolism. This is a big problem because when your metabolism is slow so is your weight loss.

To lose weight consistently you must balance a low calorie diet with periodic high calorie days which keep your metabolism pumping. And this works wonders over the holidays, in fact it is in my opinion the only way to avoid weight gain during the Christmas holiday.

Here is what I recommend you do, simply diet strict for the week leading up to your party and then take the day off and enjoy all the fixings and Christmas cookies. Your body will retain water from this day but you will have boosted your metabolism and that is enough to more to get rid of that water weight and you will burn fat faster giving you a net weight loss.

2. Cheat on your exercise time. When you exercise this holiday season you want to cut down on your time and increase your fat burning and this is how you do it - add intensity. A Harvard study proved that short burst of intensity followed by short burst of rest was the key to putting the body in a fat burning mode. You can cut a 40 minute workout and actually get better results.

This Christmas weight loss plan is designed to allow you to eat your favorite foods and cut your exercise time in half while increasing the rate your body burns fat, I encourage you to follow this plan yourself or click on the links below to learn more specifics.

The good news is that you don't need to pick up any weight or feel deprived over the Christmas holiday season to keep from picking up all the weight you have lost! In fact, it is possible for just the opposite to occur and to lose weight over the Christmas holiday season...

The bad news is that Christmas does not give you permission to over-indulge and undo all the good you have done so far! Remember, it's only food, and the pleasure is temporary.

Go into the season with a different way of thinking this year - the Christmas season is probably the ultimate test you will ever endure in terms of food and losing weight, so think about food differently, and you will walk out of the Christmas holiday season with a looser belt and a grin on your face because you would not have picked up any weight...

The most helpful tip I can give you is that you actually make the commitment to yourself before all the feasts begin to choose to only eat when hungry. Make the conscious decision this holiday season, that no matter what, you will not stuff yourself on food, but food remains food no matter the season, and you choose to eat only when hungry. If it helps, take a doggy bag to eat over a longer period of time over a couple of days rather than stuffing yourself in one go. That will make you feel that you are not depriving yourself, but you will still be exercising self-control.

Here are some other practical and helpful tips to get through the holiday season in victory:

• Monitor liquid calorie intake. Obviously water doesn't count - you can drink as much of it as you want. What you really should be cautious of are things like fizzy drinks and alcoholic beverages including beer, wine and champagne which are empty calories. Limit yourself to just one or two during holiday dinner activities. Sip water in between your drinks to space them out a bit.
• Snack before dinner. If you eat an apple or drink a full glass of water about 20 to 30 minutes before you eat, you'll eat less because your appetite won't be horrendous. With that said, never go to a meal feeling starved, or you'll end up with a food hangover for sure. Those tend to be filled with feelings of regret and major bloating - it's just not worth it for those few minutes of temporary pleasure...
• Eat a side plate of salad before your main meals. This helps prepare the body for the abuse to come, and you will find that this serves two benefits - the raw food helps to digest your meal faster, which means faster elimination and it serves to fill you up a little before the "bad" foods come tumbling down.
• It's perfectly okay to indulge - a little. You can still have a taste of everything you enjoy, just watch your portions. Split your huge slice of pie with a family member and take small samples of everything else you want to try.
• Move after eating. Try to walk around a bit after you eat instead of plopping your stuffed butt on the nearest couch. It'll help you burn a few extra calories.
• Work out extra hard (and during the holidays, you will have extra time so you can't use lack of time as an excuse...sorry!) On weeks you know you'll be having holiday get-togethers, put some extra effort into your workouts. If you eat more than you planned, work it off by putting in the extra time to burn the extra calories you ate.
• It's okay to say "No." Don't be afraid to tell people "no, thank you." It's YOUR body, and it's YOU who has to get rid of the excess through hard work.
• Be aware. Before you start eating, look at the food on your plate and tell yourself that this is a lot of food and it will fill you. Of course, don't initially pile your plate up high so that you have an excuse to overeat! Rather dish up a small portion, pause when done and if you are still hungry, only then go back for more.
• Copy a thin person. If you have not yet learnt how to identify true hunger, copy someone who is thin. Watch how much they eat and simply copy them!
• Eat slowly. If you eat slowly, you'll give yourself a chance to feel full, rather than jamming food down your throat fast and then feeling like you're going to throw up afterwards because you're so full.

Most importantly, if you are tempted to overeat, remember that it's just food and the pleasure is only temporary.

 

 

References

 

Dr. Becky Gillaspy

Claire Carradice

Beat The Cold Weather and the winter Blues - Training and Nutrition

Beat The Cold Weather and the winter Blues - Training and Nutrition

 

 

Training Blues - Staying Motivated In Winter

 

"It's too cold. It's too wet. It's dark. I'll go tomorrow. Maybe I'll go to the gym tonight after work. I just can't be bothered."

If you're anything like me, this is the conversation that you have with yourself every morning when the colder weather sets in. Every morning when the alarm goes off, I lay for a few moments in the dark and try to work up the motivation to get my body out of bed and out the door to train. Summer is ok, as it's light, warm and the birds are singing. In the colder months, it's usually pitch bIack, freezing and lonely. I often hear of people who "bounce out of bed" in the morning with a smile on their face, excited to be up at some ungodly hour to put themselves through more punishment. In winter, I am not one of these people.

These are some of the tricks that I use to ensure that I get my training done on those cold, dark mornings:

• Get enough sleep. If you are getting up at 5 or 6am, make sure you are in bed early enough that you feel rested in the morning when your alarm goes off.
• Never, EVER, EVER, EVER hit snooze. If you don't get up straight away, it won't happen.
• Prepare the night before. I have my clothes, shoes and any other gear I'll need laid out ready to go. I roll out of bed and get dressed before I can talk myself out of it.
• Have a hot coffee as soon as you wake up. The warmth and the caffeine will make your life a little bit better.
• Arrange to train with a friend. It's a lot harder to make excuses when you've got someone else waiting for you.
• Set weekly goals. Giving yourself a weekly mileage target to hit is a really powerful way to motivate yourself.

There's no doubt that training in cold weather is nowhere near as fun as the summer months, but you can use this time to build a great summer body, improve your base fitness and set yourself up for a fantastic racing season. One real positive is the uncrowded running trails and bike paths that would normally be clogged with joggers and people dawdling along. If you run or ride to work, you will find your commute times come down as you don't have to slow down for as many people on the way to work.

Remember, you've worked hard over the summer to get your fitness to its current level.

 

 5 Great Nutritious Winter Foods

Winter's tough and not just for those that have to hibernate. In fact, from November until nearly March - when the clocks go back; there really can be an air of the downbeat about the world. Aside from causing colds and illnesses, winter can often make you want to comfort eat. The longer evenings, the colder and wetter weather and the lack of any solar powered vitamin D make heavier, starchy foods more desirable.

However, it doesn't have to be like this. There is plenty of amazing in-season foods that can offer you tasty alternatives as well as the opportunity for exploration in the kitchen.

Red Cabbage

Many of us have terrible memories of cabbage. Most of us recall over-boiled green mulch we got at school. However, cabbage is an amazingly tasty vegetable if cooked correctly provides a significant amount of nutrition and is also very versatile. We are especially fond of red cabbage - it an be truly yummy.

Red cabbage is full of antioxidants, rich in minerals, vitamins and anthocyanins - this gives it the red tone. Cabbage is beautiful braised with apples and even added to salad. It's also ideal for stir fries and coleslaws and is a tremendously healthy and versatile vegetable and we love it.

Leeks

We often find people make leek into soup. However, leeks can be added to omelettes, salads and even stir fries and are super tasty. They are high in fibre and also packed with numerous essential nutrients. Their delicate flavour makes for adaptability and they come with a range of health benefits.

Brussel Sprouts

Another often maligned food, Brussels sprouts are a fantastic food and rich in a wide range of all things good. They're packed with anti-oxidants, have a high fibre count and are even claimed to have cancer prevention qualities thanks to a high level of glucosinolate.

Kiwi

This winter fruit contains around 100mg of Vitamin C and an array of antioxidants. They're essentially a common super food and can be eaten alone or added to salads. As a matter of fact, we find that they go very well with spinach -succulent, juicy and tasty.

Kale

Winter vegetable kale is a low calorie, high fibre alternative to other greens and is known as 'the new beef' because of its nutritional benefits. It's full of everything from iron, to vitamin K and even has omega 3 fatty acids. Per calories it has a higher calcium count than milk and is also an antioxidant. Kale is wonderful in salads, stir fries and in a wide range of winter dishes and is a bit of a change from the usual. Give it a try if you haven't had it before.

These five winter foods offer you a healthy alternative and also help you ward off colds, illnesses and those winter blues, while providing the pick me up you need to enjoy this winter wonderland

 

Reference

 

Gene Crowe

Victoria C S Wills

Exercise Motivation –Quick NLP Technique to Keep You Moving

Exercise Motivation –

Quick NLP Technique to Keep You Moving

 

The following is a really quick visualization technique if you are experiencing a lack of motivation for going to the gym.

, this is a common issue shared by many people.

Give this a go (obviously committing your full and positive participation: o)

1, Stand up, close your eyes and take a few nice deep breaths to get yourself nice and relaxed

2, Imagine a time and a situation in the not too distant future where you are REALLY proud of the level of health and fitness you have achieved through consistently working out several times a week

3, In your mind's eye look at that future you as if you are a 3rd party observer. Notice everything about your physical appearance. How good do you look? What is your body language like? Looking at your face, do you appear happy, confident or something else? Give yourself plenty of time to notice everything about the future you in as much detail as possible. Make the colours as vivid and bright as you can.

4, Still with your eyes closed, take a physical step forward and imagine that you are stepping into the body of that future you so that you are now seeing everything through your own eyes (like trying on a new suit of clothes!!).

5, Really let yourself become aware of how fantastic you feel. Actually put your body into that same position. Notice the abundance of heath and energy you feel and especially how much more motivated you are, having achieved this result. What does it feel like to occupy this body?

6, See what you see, hear what you hear and notice what emotions you are experiencing in this situation? Take that feeling from wherever it is inside you and crank it right up - as if you have an emotional volume dial - and send it up to the top of your head and down to the tips of your toes. Intensify the whole situation and let yourself feel as wonderful as possible while you now also think about getting yourself off to the gym. Enjoy this experience for as long as you wish before opening your eyes and reorienting yourself back to the here and now - holding onto the good feeling.

Your nervous system doesn't know the difference between a real event and one that is vividly imagined which is why we are able to get ourselves motivated by simply directing our thoughts in the right way. Imagination is always stronger than conscious will, so the pictures you make in your mind have a much greater effect on you than what you say to yourself.

If you go ahead a try this out please let me know how you get on.

 

 

 

References:

Paul Dalton

Balancing out Physical Stress on the body and Its Effects

Balancing out Physical Stress on the body and Its Effects

 

Physical Stress and Its Effects

We are looking at the physical stress model and its effects as well as some simple solutions to begin to reduce it in our lives. Physical stress is simply stress on the body by means of outside forces. This can simply be gravity in some instances. But we will look at some common physical stressors that we encounter in today's society.

First off, children, backpacks are a huge source of physical stress to our youth. One’s backpack should be no more than 10-15% of a child’s body weight. Parents out there pick up your child’s backpack and see how heavy they really are. A 100lbs child should only be carrying up to 15lbs in the packs. Most first graders only weigh 50-70 lbs, that's less than 10 lbs they should be carrying.

Another very common form of Physical stress is repetitive motion. This can be simply typing at a keyboard, clicking a mouse 100+ times a day, etc.. Repetitive stress can also be golf, baseball, tennis, bowling and many other "normal" activities.

Repetitive stress is usually a form of micro-trauma, Repetitive small injuries to a joint or structure. Over time, the body finds ways to protect itself from it, ie, calluses form on your finger tips from playing the guitar long enough, this is the bodies way of protecting itself. If say the physical stress is inside your body, inflammation and for an easy term, a callus form for protection. This inflammation and "callus" cause pain and joint dysfunction inside the body. Tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, are usually the result of repetitive physical stress.

Some simple ways to reduce this physical stress, in the case of the backpack, adjusting the weight is the first step, second, make sure the child has a backpack that fits them properly, third, make sure the child wears the backpack properly (using both straps). For typing there are orthotic keyboards, ergonomic mice, proper chair height, etc.. Athletes who perform one sided activities, bowling is a good example, need to stretch and strengthen their non-dominant side. Golfers need to develop the muscles that are involved with swinging a club on their non-dominant side also to prevent injuries to their lower back.

Men who sit with their wallets in their back pocket are sitting with a stress applied to their lower back, woman who carry big purses on the same shoulder all the time = stress, the list goes on and on.

To reduce the amount of physical stress exerted on our bodies, we just need to first acknowledge its there and find a simple solution to reduce it.

 

How You Can Help Your Body to Self-Regulate Itself

According to research, adaptogens are unique from other substances in that they 'have the ability to balance the immune system and the endocrine system and they help the body to maintain optimal homeostasis'. Adaptogens work at the cellular level to improve the function and vitality of every cell in the body, thereby increasing the health of the entire organism.

By definition, adaptogens are natural substances that:

1. Are entirely safe and have no negative side effects.
2. Stimulate the body's own self-regulation process and they increase the body's non-specific resistance (ability to cope with external and internal stress).
3. Normalize functions of the bodily systems, improving a wide variety of conditions and aggravating none.

For centuries adaptogens have been used to combat stress, mental and physical fatigue, and to minimize tissue damage resulting from free-radicals that our bodies are exposed to on a daily basis. Adaptogens are noted for having the most broad spectrum healing properties. They are protective and increase an individual's resistance to chemical, physical and biological stresses.

A few of the main effects of adaptogens include:

• Antioxidant effects that inhibit free radicals from adversely affecting cell membranes
• Ability to facilitate formation of proteins
• Ability to help the body re-build damaged muscle tissue
• Increased endurance
• Increased availability of energy throughout the day
• Reduction of stress feelings
• Deep and restful sleep
• Greater mental alertness
• Significantly elevate recovery process after physical activity and illness

According to research, the following list shows the powerful effects of six of the most important adaptogenic herbs used today.

Ginseng (Ren Shen) is known to:

• Have immune enhancing effects
• Improve ability to withstand stress
• Increase work performance and quality
• Enhance mental function
• Extract inhibited radical formation (Anti-oxidant effect)
• Decrease fasting blood sugar and body weight
• Increase RNA and protein content in muscle and liver tissue
• Saponins in Ginseng lower cholesterol and protect against atherosclerosis
• Influence endocrine system (increases release of ACTH, which stimulates adrenal glands and their activities)
• Increase Circulation
• Augment Chi

Astragulus (Huang Qi) is known to:

• Increase circulation and boost vitality
• Enhance immune function by increasing natural killer cell activity and enhancing macrophage activity
• Enhance recovery after illness, disease, or prolonged stress
• Increase Basal Metabolic Rate

Schisandrae Chinensis (Wu Wei Zi) is known to:

• Counter the effects of stress and fatigue
• Have normalizing effects in cases of insomnia and neurasthenia
• Improve mental coordination and alertness
• Improve work efficiency, physical endurance, and quickens reflexes
• Stimulate non-specific immunity
• Have an antibiotic effect
• Benefit the Gastrointestinal, Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Reproductive Systems

Licorice Root (Gan Cao) is known to:

• Have anti-inflammatory effects due to its high concentration of saponins
• Enhance immune function
• Exhibit estrogenic activity and mineralocorticoid effects
• Have a stimulating effect on the adrenal cortex
• Have an antibiotic effect
• Have anti-allergic, anti-toxin, and anti-neoplastic effects
• Have anti-spasmodic and analgesic effects
• Strengthens Chi and benefits all 12 energy meridians

Radix Polygoni Multiflori (He Shou Wu) is known to:

• Increase circulation and boosts vitality
• Have a cholesterol lowering effect
• Eliminate toxins
• Have anti-aging effects (studies show that He Shou Wu retards the aging process)
• Have an effect on Endocrine, Gastrointestinal, and Cardiovascular Systems
• Prevent premature graying of hair

Fructus Lycii (Gou Qi Zi) is known to:

• Increase circulation
• Have an immuno-stimulating and anti-neoplastic effect
• Have an effect on Cardiovascular, Gastrointestinal, and Reproductive Systems

Now you can see why all of these incredible herbs are used in all Ancient Herbal Secrets proprietary formulas.

References

Diann Clark

Linden Pfeiffer