Self Enhancement Alternatives 5 Actions To Open up Your Innovation
improvement is an ability that everybody has. Some find out it simpler to communicate their modern part than others but that will not mean you do not have expertise. Just like mowing the lawn, studying how to generate and cutting it requires a bit of your energy and energy and attempt and work out to accomplish your prospective. It just needs a chance to work, work out and perseverance. In this article find out a few guidelines on how you can open up your prospective with these 5 self Enhancement alternatives and carry out your modern part.
1. Don’t pay attention to what others say.
If you have a concept, do not let other individuals feedback damage your concept. If they do not like your concept then they can cope with it. You need to comprehend to do elements for yourself. Do you think that Einstein and other great prodigies went on to pay attention to their buddies about their ideas? I do not think so.
2. Exercise
Exercising calms your system by submitting hormones through your system. During work out many individuals get a hurry of creativeness since they are so comfortable. Try it, run for a kilometer or two and see what happens.
3. Find your own style
Everyone is exclusive and design is also exclusive in individuals too. A poet can be informed from another one just because of the terms he uses or a designer because of the sweep he used. If you can find yourself an exclusive design that performs for you individuals will know what a useful resource you are because no one would have the same ability as you.
4. Don’t cover up yourself behind elegant equipment
Just because you have the most costly advanced devices will not create you the best. Yes it does give you an benefits but it is only a small one. Take this for example, do you think a photographer with the latest photographic camera on the market that really will not comprehend digital cameras at all is really going to create it larger than a photographer who knows how to take images using a non reusable photographic camera. No! The same goes with composing, if you have a costly computer what use is it to you if you can’t create. Ensure that you are excellent with your expertise, just because you have elegant devices will not mean you may be the best!
5. Add some passion
Passion is that extra bit of attempt that will take you to the next level. Those who ability can do an excellent job but someone with interest will give your very best. Do you think that job place will drop into your lap just because you are the most talented? Maybe, but others will be established to get that place and that could create them almost difficult.
These are just 5 of the many elements that can open up your advancement and hopefully you will take these into account to carry out your advancement and let everything grow from there.
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Top Ten New Year’s Promises
The close of the season is around the corner. It’s the season where we both look again on the last season’s events and most especially, look forward to what the New Year will bring about.
Oftentimes, as we look again, we usually rue elements we’ve done wrong or forget to do. And to prepare us better for the returning New Year, we make a listing of positive modify in our way of life. It may contain elements we wish to achieve or have, thinking we want to modify or routines and way of life we want to try.
To help you see what more can you do better and modify in your way of life, this is the top ten New Year’s Solution you can utilize in the future New Year.
1. Manage Yourself
Do you often get following time? You have too many actions but too short period.
Sometimes our lack of your energy and effort results from our listlessness to manage it. We usually forget the variety of projects we acknowledge that we get found off protect when elements submitted up.
Start to be structured and begin it with you. It may contain developing a to do listing, having a work schedule but most of all, know how to focus on your actions and obligations based on their significance.
Learning to prepare your actions does not only help you fix the debris of your way of life and operate, but also help you set your main concerns on elements that matter most to you.
2. Be Fit and Healthy
The world is getting much deadly and impure that a lot of not treatable ailments, such as cancer, have been getting away a lot of existence. And as such, the emergency of being healthy and fit is higher.
A lot of studies have stated and shown that there are a lot of methods to remain fit and healthy. As easy as walking, running or simply do some extending training at least thirty (30) mins per day can help you convenience away ailments to remain fit and healthy. Not only lethal ailments will be reduced or removed, but also such as worry, tiredness and all other psychological and actual illness we experience in our day to day actions.
3. Master, Master and Learn
Did you know that actual discovering comes from outside the school? And that actual discovering is beyond the amount and master’s degree we earn understanding.
Real discovering comes from our day to day actions and goes through. As they say, we learn best through action.
Also, realize that discovering can come in different types and many sites, like sessions we study our own actions, for visiting training/seminars, getting innovative sessions on art or music, discovering a new game and a lot more.
4. Invest More Time Developing Relationships
Prestige, energy and success are probably essential in your way of life, but ask yourself, why do you operate tirelessly to achieve those? Who are your inspirations to do so?
Most of us will probably answer our family or community, the individuals we serve and be influenced of. Although this reason is clear, frequently we forget it as we get blinded by the glow of reputation, energy and success that we get too fast paced and neglect the root base of our drive.
Take a chance to slow down and spend time building interactions with others. Keep in thoughts that at the end of it all, it’s not what you have that they will remember; it’s what you have done.
5. Have More Faith
Why do some individuals get fortunate while others don’t?
And why are there so many hard-working men, but yet they have gotten fortunate with their career or life?
People usually neglect the energy of trust and knowing. It may contain your religious techniques of desires or just simply knowing that elements can be carried out. That you are capable of have what you want.
So if you want to get fortunate, operate and believe.
6. Make Self-Meditation a Habit
Have you ever joined a Yoga training class?
If you have joined one or never heard of it, it’s a breathing training for your persona. Yoga training is one way of deep breathing that helps you rest and convenience worry. This is done by relaxing and managing both your persona. And after each time, you will feel tranquil to deal with the debris of way of life.
Self-meditation does the same to your way of life. Making a New Year’s resolution is another form of self-meditation for it makes you look over your previous to provide you experience tomorrows with a much better YOU.
7. Are living Within Your Means
Are you one of those who helplessly delay for their regular income only to be able to touch it for a few mins before they would income it to a cashier to pay a long superb debt?
A lot of individuals in our technology now cannot do without bills and card. It becomes a very essential part of their way of life, that if without it, they could not endure.
And while we possess this gorgeous card, we usually reside beyond our indicates. We usually think that we can have more and more of the material elements that we want with less and less sources to do so. Then period, we are filled with bills.
If you want to make a modify in your regular problems, here are some ideas,
Live within your indicates. If you can not, then, discover a more method for reside more.
8. Avoid Bad Habits
What are the elements you wish you examine do if you do not begin ever?
Is it smoking? Drinking? Girls? Flirting? Disloyalty? Cheating?
You know it’s not doing benefits in your way of life, so what do you have to do?
STOP IT! Simple as that! How? Point out to yourself of the repercussions of carrying on to do so.
9. Be a Advantage to Others
Love individuals and individuals will really like you.
When I say really like, it does not mean light really like, but genuine and truthful care and really like for others.
Remember that way of life alone is not only single and sad, but also, useless.
10. Are living Life To The Fullest
Balanced way of life moves in four aspects: psychological, religious, psychological and actual.
Live in all areas of your way of life, for too much of one thing is always bad.
Don’t delay at the end of the vacation to reside your way of life, instead, remain in the vacation of a successful way of life. That is a way of life resided to its maximum today.
Please take note that this listing is not a procedure, but a pure guide that you can utilize or pay no attention to in your way of life. Our only purpose is to give you an idea of what you can look upon in your way of life that you can think of applying in the returning New Year.
HAPPY & BLESSED NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
15 Ways To Hack Your Brain For A Better Life
Not everyone is born with a large brain. Not everyone can say things like “Elementary my dear Watson,” with a straight face. But that does not mean you can not get a competitive advantage. I remember that scene in the matrix, where the machines are using humans as disposable batteries AA? Not far from the truth. With more than 100 billion neurons, the brain produces about 100 watts of raw energy. The mind is literally a life. And as your other muscles, the more you use, the more it ages the better it works.
If you are looking for a better understanding of mind, more memory and increase alertness, here are 15 simple ways to give your brain box of six bottles.
1. Exercise: You knew it was good for the muscles, but the brain? Absolutely! Over 20% of the body’s blood and oxygen to the brain directly (without passing GO or pay $ 200). Exercise, especially cardio training, more efficient flow to the brain, keeping it well oiled machine. But if you want something a little ‘zen, try yoga. Yoga as many poses Downward facing Dog, is specifically designed to get the blood to the brain more quickly, putting his head below the heart. But if you’re really in a hurry, something as simple as opening a window and take a breath of fresh air can give your brain the more juice it needs.
2. Moisturize: If you need a little pick-me-up, can not double-espresso habit. Instead of trying to drink two glasses of water. The caffeine in coffee and soft drinks can temporarily make you feel more alert, but eventually it will become even more tired by dehydration of the muscles and constriction of blood vessels. And in large quantities, caffeine can send a rush to the bathroom with a bad case of the trots, as it stimulates the spasmodic contractions of the intestine. Water, by contrast, is a simple way to keep the mind alert and refreshed. And you can not beat the price.
3. Find the third stimulation: A friend of mine used to say “. I do not need caffeine, I Motorhead “And he always had his papers in time. Now, heavy metals can not be your thing, but listening to music can increase your productivity. Like the smell of dinner can bring on feelings of hunger, engaging all five senses to stimulate brain activity. For example, the color pinks a visual aphrodisiac. The excitement will dilate your pupils, increases blood flow, and left the pleasure centers in the brain – which will make you more alert and focused. When decorating your workspace light or to change your font color to something more alive, you can work in boredom and fatigue. Aromatherapy can be extremely effective, because the smell is the strongest sense. Lemon, peppermint and cypress are the flavors of several known to stimulate the brain. Or eat a peppermint candy activate both fragrances and flavors.
Take handwritten notes instead of typing will help you retain information more effectively, the pressure points activated by holding a pen linked to the creative centers of the brain and memory.
4. Happy thoughts: We’ve all seen the thrillers of Hitchcock; a person does something so terrible or completely blocks testimony to their minds. Well, in a much smaller scale, such forgetfulness happens all the time. The brain, especially memory, does not respond well to stress. If you are tense, overworked or unhappy, it is much less likely to withhold information or to remain on alert. Try to remove the stressors in your life and work. Practice relaxation techniques; take a hot bath or massage. Or cook some bacon. Many times I have found that happiness = bacon. Anyway, your body is in tune with their emotions, and it shows much more than you think.
5. Play: No Hide No “search. Studies in patients with dementia have shown that word and puzzle games can improve and even restore cognitive mental. Crosswords, a contest or Sudoku: all these activities, the fun can keep pink brain. And the best part is you do not really need to know. This is an example where victory does not matter because the brain reacts to an attempt to resolve the problem, not the knowledge stored in his head. Probably the best games of the brain are those with the strategic objectives such as chess, Risk and Strategy, the goals are constantly changing, and require more brain activity.
6. Watch TV quality: Would not it be wonderful if it was true. Unfortunately, studies indicate that the person sitting in front of the tube is counterproductive. But if in the form of break-butt in the chair called, choose a game or contest shows like Jeopardy, and try to answer questions. Even if you’ve never heard of The Federalist, the brain is stimulated in the same way as if you were playing Trivial Pursuit with friends.
7. Surfing the Internet: Net-addicts are combining! We have known it all the time, and now we were right. A recent study conducted at the University of California at Los Angeles found by searching the Web has contributed to the centers of the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning. A simple task like searching the web appears to enhance brain circuitry. Brain scans showed that more of the brains were activated to use the Internet than simply reading a book. Not to mention, there are all kinds of great online puzzle games online and waiting to make you smarter. And here’s Clincher: to surf, the more your brain works.
8. Eating food for thought: do not go together. Deprived of food and literally starve the brain makes you stupid stupid. But if you want to get high mental performance are what you eat, here are some things to remember. Proteins are the most important fuel for the brain. But Atkins is not automatically, causing the brain also needs vitamins and minerals crucial dishes. It is always best to get them from food to pills. Vitamin A, to protect the membranes of brain cells, the B vitamins, essential for neuronal growth and vitality, vitamin C, so important in brain function that the brain is fifteen times higher than in other parts of the brain, vitamin E, prevent and actually reverse the deterioration of the brain, magnesium, to maintain vitality, metabolic activity of neurons, zinc, rids the brain of impurities such as lead, to improve cognitive function, and amino acids necessary for growth and health of neurotransmitters.
9. Fill the fish oil, “Jeeves is a size 14 hat, eats tons of fish, and works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.” During the creation of his immortal, omniscient valet Jeeves, author of PG Wodehouse gave the character a huge domed skull and a regular diet to stimulate the brains of fish. It was no surprise when scientists showed what we knew all along: that eating fish can make you brainy. In Indeed, it is not fish, but Omega -3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), to go around. These fatty acids maintain the levels of dopamine in the brain increases the high growth of neurons in the frontal cortex of the brain and increases the cerebral circulation. Who is a complicated way of saying that the fatty acids that your brain is operating at full capacity, like a tune-up. But before you stock your pantry with tuna, be sure to eat large quantities of fish that can put you in danger of toxins and mercury poisoning.
So it is best to get EPA and DHA from alternative sources and supplements.
10. Eating weeds: not the kind to hide from their parents, but the medicinal plants. Oriental medicine is kick ass and taking names when the brain is concerned. There are about a dozen “brain boosting” herbal, but the two most important are the Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng. As a medicinal tonic to go, can not be more powerful than ginkgo, to improve cerebral circulation, which stimulates cognitive abilities monstrously. Ginseng is considered the “Cadillac” of Asian herbs, incredible neurological effects. Once thought to realign the body of “yang energy,” we now know that ginseng helps the brain to adapt to stress by agents of the improved productivity of the adrenal glands. The result is an exhilarating balance, which attains enlightenment and monitoring of the brain, no nervous system, shaken, Guy brightness response of most stimulants.
11. Learning new things: That sounds pretty obvious, right? But it’s not that simple. Very few people find time to master new skills or read a new book that is not for work or class. Learning a foreign language, a new trade or a recipe, or challenge a familiar object with each increase of brain growth by stimulating parts of the brain that may have been stagnant and unused until now. But all this takes time, right? Wrong! Try to spend 15 minutes a day in his new discovery, while all ads on a TV show than an hour, and you will be surprised how much they learn.
12. Do not waste time: if your brain were a computer, how many times a day he would sign flashing hourglass? Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers of the world, gave us the theory of relativity, and very good advice: “Make everything as simple as possible.” You can hardly expect your brain to do its best if it is cluttered with non-essential. The best way to organize your mind is to de-clutter your life. Maximize your time with some personal modifications. Save time in the morning to decide the night before, what clothes you wear. Make and keep a list of daily priorities and long-term, and do not let your attention wander. Try multitasking. If you want to be in the bathroom for a while, bring a book or a piece of work you need to get out (you do not have much else!) If you have a long trip or stuck in traffic, make the most of the time listening to an audio book.
If you have to queue at the bank or in stores, make a few notes you need to revise or flash cards for the new language, you decided to learn. Of course, you can look funny, but you become wiser.
13. Actively to improve your memory: There is a new character, Grey Anatomy, which was great for us his photographic memory, which refers to articles in obscure medical journals of the century, railing outside the periodic table without batting an eyelid. For the actor who plays this character to do so convincingly, I bet you had to find a better way to remember information. There are a lot of tricks and methods to get a nice response, but basically they all boil down to some basic principles.
First of all, you know how you learn. There are three basic learning styles: visual, auditory, movement. You can find out which of you, listen, read and write three sentences what I remember best. Once you know how to learn, optimizes data. If you are a visual, a post-it will be very helpful. If you are hearing, to invest from the recorder.
Secondly, the most effective way to remember the facts were made up of different associations. For example, you might remember the date, your dentist appointment, because that number was a favorite singer of age when he died. Or something more cheerful, but you get the idea. If you’re a visual person, try to form a powerful image or snapshot. For example, if you park your car at the 4b, you may remember, that by taking snap shot four hornets hovering above the roof of the car. Trying to establish the emotional associations. If your wife asks you to choose something in storage, think for a minute as you will be disappointed if you forget it, and probably you.
Third, rinse and repeat. Repetition is a proven method of memorization. Just for fun, pull the old book Sat preparation of high school and see how the vocabulary you still remember. Give your memory a workout by re-learning these forgotten gems.
14. Rest Almost nothing is more crucial for proper brain function and effective sleep. Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep, but it hurts to try to think about when you are tired of the letter. Here are some ways your brain to get the most out of sleep. If it takes much time sleeping, not to fight or give in and take a pill. Instead, ease into sleep while reading a book. But make sure it’s fiction. While you might think that the non-fiction would be more boring, studies show that non-fiction of active reflection on the brain, preventing sleep. If you wake up tired, not because you do not have enough sleep. This could be because your brain is deprived of fasting during sleep. Try to eat a little sugar, 100 calories snack before bedtime. It will not be enough to keep awake, and can keep the head in the morning tired. If, despite your efforts, you do not have enough Z, seriously consider a nap.
National action plans are not childish or European, is a completely natural to cheer up your brain. A series of short naps (20-30 minutes) during the day will not set hours of sleep, but it will extend the fatigue that leaves your mind completely useless and you are unemployed.
15. Sex: women go weak at the knees to the idea of the magnitude of his … brain. That’s right. A lot happens to the body during sex, and much more is going on in your head. His brain, that is. There is no activity that is increasing blood flow to the brain, improving cognitive abilities. Having sex may also produce hormones that significantly improve brain function. An example includes the oxytocin “trust”, a hormone that occurs during sex. This increases your ability to think of creative solutions to a problem of serotonin and dopamine, which increases after sex, creative thinking to help a person calm and logical decision making. And if you have trouble sleeping, give your brain the rest it needs, look no further.
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Killer of your Concentration.!
In today’s fast-paced world, we need to do a lot, in a very short time. Fast paced life, decreased day span, partitioned lives; that’s what one can summarize a person, now a days. Another side effect of this hectic lifestyle is reduced or scattered concentration. How many of us have picked up a long-pending novel, only to put down once we see, how thick it is? Does the 10-sec commercial during your favorite serial, annoy you and make you flip channels like a fish out of water? Let’s see which of your habits are killing your concentration?
Social Media
With so much information available online, it is one of the top concentration killers. You log in to just check 1 email, and before you know, you have Facebook, SU, LinkedIn and everything else dancing on those multiple tabs. It’s easy to connect with friends — and disconnect from work — many times an hour. Every status update zaps your train of thought, forcing you to backtrack when you resume your work.
Managing social media & your work
Make a note on your desktop, to remind you frequently, to avoid logging in to social media sites while you’re working. If you feel compelled to check in every now and then, do it during breaks, when the steady stream of posts won’t interrupt your concentration. If you can’t resist logging in more frequently, simply disconnect the internet cable, till you finish your work.
Email Overload
There’s, definitely, something about an email – Once you are notified, if just has to be replied! Although many emails are work-related, they still count as distractions from your current project. You won’t make much progress if you constantly stop what you’re doing to reply to every message.
Don’t let email dictate your schedule
Carve out specific hours during the day to reply to emails, instead of checking email continuously. During the rest of the day, you can actually shut down your email program, to give you uniterrupted working hours.
Cellphones
You decide, what is more alluring? The ping of an email or the ring-tone on your cell phone. It’s a sound few of us can ignore. But taking a call not only costs you the time you spend talking – it can also cut off your momentum on the task at hand.
Stop the ringing
Ever heard of caller id? All cellphones have it. If you suspect the call is not urgent, let it go to voice-mail. If you need peace and quiet, use the silence mode. Like email, chose a few minutes a day to answer to voice-mails. Listening to all your messages at once, will definitely, be less disruptive than taking every call as it comes in.
Multitasking
Yes, we all think, finishing your emails with a cup of coffee and bagels is a pat on the back, But did you notice, the increased number of typos in that reply or those tiny little coffee splatters on the white shirt? Getting more done is not always wise. Research suggests you lose time whenever you shift your attention from one task to another. The end result is that doing three projects simultaneously usually takes longer than doing them one after the other.
1 in the hand is worth more than 2 in the bush.
Make it an habit to devote time for 1 project at a time, particularly if you’re working on an intense or high-priority task. Save your multitasking skills for chores that are not urgent or demanding — it probably won’t hurt to tidy up your desk while talking on the phone.
Stress, Fatigue & Depression
It is important to notice how one leads and is responsible for the other. Once you have too much on your plate, it can be hard to focus on individual tasks. To make matters worse, stress takes a noticeable toll on the body. You may develop tight shoulders, headaches, or a racing heart, all of which can chip away at your ability to concentrate. With seeming failure at all corners, depression is bound to set in, leading to more stress.
Don’t fear therapy or treatment
Most people tend to think of sadness or anger as the hallmark of depression, but experts say difficulty concentrating is one of the most common symptoms. Depression is highly treatable with the help of anti-depressants and consultation. Similarly, try using Yoga or meditation to reduce stress. It can help you rein in stressful thoughts, so they don’t demand so much of your attention. In one study, researchers found that people who took an eight-week meditation course improved their ability to focus. Also try to achieve 7-9 hours of sleep per night. By making sleep a priority, you get more done during your waking hours.
Hunger
The brain can’t focus without fuel, so skipping meals – especially breakfast – is a top concentration killer. Research indicates short-term memory and attention suffer when you rise and shine but do not dine.
Keep fueling yourself
Always eat breakfast and try your best to have lunch too, even if it means, at your desk. Keep high-protein snacks (cheese, nuts) in your drawer or bag, when the hunger pangs strike and you have no time! Avoid simple carbohydrates (sweets, white pasta) as they make you lethargic, instead go for complex carbohydrates (whole grains) for instant energy.
Medication
Unknown to you, many drugs like medications used to treat depression can interfere with concentration. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist to check if a medication or supplement you are taking may be affecting your concentration.
Talk with your physician
If you suspect your medicines are clouding your concentration, don’t assume there are no other options. Talk to your doctor about adjusting your dosage or switching to a different class of medication.
Losing concentration is a very common phenomenon these days, so don’t stress yourself out. With some research and proper lifestyle changes, you can find yourself working efficiently, at work and at home.
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76 Brain Hacks to Learn Faster, Deeper, and Better
If someone granted you one wish, what do you imagine you would want out of life that you haven’t gotten yet? For many people, it would be self-improvement and knowledge.
New knowledge is the backbone of society’s progress. Great thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and others’ quests for knowledge have led society to many of the marvels we enjoy today.
Your quest for knowledge doesn’t have to be as Earth-changing as Einstein’s, but it can be an important part of your life, leading to a new job, better pay, a new hobby, or simply knowledge for knowledge’s sake — whatever is important to you as an end goal.
Life-changing knowledge does typically require advanced learning techniques. In fact, it’s been said that the average adult only uses 10% of his/her brain. Imagine what we may be capable of with more advanced learning techniques.
Here are 76 tips related to knowledge and learning to help you on your quest. A few are specifically for students in traditional learning institutions; the rest for self-starters, or those learning on their own. Happy learning.
Health
1. Shake a leg. Lack of blood flow is a common reason for lack of concentration. If you’ve been sitting in one place for awhile, bounce one of your legs for a minute or two. It gets your blood flowing and sharpens both concentration and recall.
2. Food for thought: Eat breakfast. A lot of people skip breakfast, but creativity is often optimal in the early morning and it helps to have some protein in you to feed your brain. A lack of protein can actually cause headaches.
3. Food for thought, part 2: Eat a light lunch. Heavy lunches have a tendency to make people drowsy. While you could turn this to your advantage by taking a “thinking nap” (see #23), most people haven’t learned how.
4. Cognitive enhancers: Ginkgo biloba. Ginkgo biloba is a natural supplement that has been used in China and other countries for centuries and has been reputed to reverse memory loss in rats. It’s also suggested by some health practitioners as a nootrope and thus a memory enhancer.
5. Reduce stress + depresssion. Stress and depression may reduce the ability to recall information and thus inhibit learning. Sometimes, all you need to reduce depression is more white light and fewer refined foods.
Balance
6. Sleep on it. Dr. Maxwell Maltz wrote about in his book Psycho-Cyberneticsabout a man who was was paid good money to come up with ideas. He would lock his office door, close the blinds, turn off the lights. He’d focus on the problem at hand, then take a short nap on a couch. When he awoke, he usually had the problem solved.
7. Take a break. Change phyical or mental perspective to lighten the invisible stress that can sometimes occur when you sit in one place too long, focused on learning. Taking a 5-15 minute break every hour during study sessions is more beneficial than non-stop study. It gives your mind time to relax and absorb information. If you want to get really serious with breaks, try a 20 minute ultradian break as part of every 90 minute cycle. This includes a nap break, which is for a different purpose than #23.
8. Take a hike. Changing your perspective often relieves tension, thus freeing your creative mind. Taking a short walk around the neighborhood may help.
Perspective and Focus
9. Change your focus. Sometimes there simply isn’t enough time to take a long break. If so, change subject focus. Alternate between technical and non-technical subjects.
10. Change your focus, part 2. There are three primary ways to learn: visual, kinesthetic, and auditory. If one isn’t working for you, try another.
11. Do walking meditation. If you’re taking a hike (#25), go one step further and learn walking meditation as a way to tap into your inner resources and your strengthen your ability to focus. Just make sure you’re not walking inadvertently into traffic.
12. Focus and immerse yourself. Focus on whatever you’re studying. Don’t try to watch TV at the same time or worry yourself about other things. Anxiety does not make for absorption of information and ideas.
13. Turn out the lights. This is a way to focus, if you are not into meditating. Sit in the dark, block out extraneous influences. This is ideal for learning kinesthetically, such as guitar chord changes.
14. Take a bath or shower. Both activities loosen you up, making your mind more receptive to recognizing brilliant ideas.
Recall Techniques
15. Listen to music. Researchers have long shown that certain types of music are a great “key” for recalling memories. Information learned while listening to a particular song or collection can often be recalled simply by “playing” the songs mentally.
16. Speedread. Some people believe that speedreading causes you to miss vital information. The fact remains that efficient speedreading results in filtering out irrelevant information. If necessary, you can always read and re-read at slower speeds. Slow reading actually hinders the ability to absorb general ideas. (Although technical subjects often requirer slower reading.) If you’re reading online, you can try the free Spreeder Web-based application.
17. Use acronyms and other mnemonic devices. Mnemonics are essentially tricks for remembering information. Some tricks are so effective that proper application will let you recall loads of mundane information years later.
Visual Aids
18. Every picture tells a story. Draw or sketch whatever it is you are trying to achieve. Having a concrete goal in mind helps you progress towards that goal.
19. Brainmap it. Need to plan something? Brain maps, or mind maps, offer a compact way to get both an overview of a project as well as easily add details. With mind maps, you can see the relationships between disparate ideas and they can also act as a receptacle for a brainstorming session.
20. Learn symbolism and semiotics. Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols. Having an understanding of the symbols of a particular discipline aids in learning, and also allows you to record information more efficiently.
21. Use information design. When you record information that has an inherent structure, applying information design helps convey that information more clearly. A great resource is Information Aesthetics, which gives examples of information design and links to their sources.
22. Use visual learning techniques. Try gliffy for structured diagrams. Also see Inspiration.com for an explanation of webs, idea maps, concept maps, and plots.
23. Map your task flow. Learning often requires gaining knowledge in a specific sequence. Organizing your thoughts on what needs to be done is a powerful way to prepare yourself to complete tasks or learn new topics.
Verbal and Auditory Techniques
24. Stimulate ideas. Play rhyming games, utter nonsense words. These loosen you up, making you more receptive to learning.
25. Brainstorm. This is a time-honored technique that combines verbal activity, writing, and collaboration. (One person can brainstorm, but it’s more effective in a group.) It’s fruitful if you remember some simple rules: Firstly, don’t shut anyone’s idea out. Secondly, don’t “edit” in progress; just record all ideas first, then dissect them later. Participating in brainstorming helps assess what you already know about something, and what you didn’t know.
26. Learn by osmosis. Got an iPod? Record a few of your own podcasts, upload them to your iPod and sleep on it. Literally. Put it under your pillow and playback language lessons or whatever.
27. Cognitive enhancers: binaural beats. Binaural beats involve playing two close frequencies simultaneously to produce alpha, beta, delta, and theta waves, all of which produce either sleeping, restfulness, relaxation, meditativeness, alertness, or concentration. Binaural beats are used in conjunction with other excercises for a type of super-learning.
28. Laugh. Laughing relaxes the body. A relaxed body is more receptive to new ideas.
Kinesthetic Techniques
29. Write, don’t type. While typing your notes into the computer is great for posterity, writing by hand stimulates ideas. The simple act of holding and using a pen or pencil massages acupuncture points in the hand, which in turn stimulates ideas.
30. Carry a quality notebook at all times. Samuel Taylor Coleridge dreamed the words of the poem “In Xanadu (did Kubla Khan)…”. Upon awakening, he wrote down what he could recall, but was distracted by a visitor and promptly forgot the rest of the poem. Forever. If you’ve been doing “walking meditation” or any kind of meditation or productive napping, ideas may suddenly come to you. Record them immediately.
31. Keep a journal. This isn’t exactly the same as a notebook. Journaling has to do with tracking experiences over time. If you add in visual details, charts, brainmaps, etc., you have a much more creative way to keep tabs on what you are learning.
32. Organize. Use sticky colored tabs to divide up a notebook or journal. They are a great way to partition ideas for easy referral.
33. Use post-it notes. Post-it notes provide a helpful way to record your thoughts about passages in books without defacing them with ink or pencil marks.
Self-Motivation Techniques
34. Give yourself credit. Ideas are actually a dime a dozen. If you learn to focus your mind on what results you want to achieve, you’ll recognize the good ideas. Your mind will become a filter for them, which will motivate you to learn more.
35. Motivate yourself. Why do you want to learn something? What do want to achieve through learning? If you don’t know why you want to learn, then distractions will be far more enticing.
36. Set a goal. W. Clement Stone once said “Whatever the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve.” It’s an amazing phenomenon in goal achievement. Prepare yourself by whatever means necessary, and hurdles will seem surmountable. Anyone who has experienced this phenomenon understands its validity. [Related Article: How to Write Your Goals]
37. Think positive. There’s no point in setting learning goals for yourself if you don’t have any faith in your ability to learn.
38. Organize, part 2. Learning is only one facet of the average adult’s daily life. You need to organize your time and tasks else you might find it difficult to fit time in for learning. Try Neptune for a browser-based application for “getting things done.”
39. Every skill is learned. With the exception of bodily functions, every skill in life is learned. Generally speaking, if one person can learn something, so can you. It may take you more effort, but if you’ve set a believable goal, it’s likely an achievable goal.
40. Prepare yourself for learning. Thinking positive isn’t sufficient for successfully achieving goals. This is especially important if you are an adult, as you’ll probably have many distractions surrounding your daily life. Implement ways to reduce distractions, at least for a few hours at a time, else learning will become a frustrating experience.
41. Prepare yourself, part 2. Human nature is such that not everyone in your life will be a well-wisher in your self-improvement and learning plans. They may intentionally or subconsciously distract you from your goal. If you have classes to attend after work, make sure that work colleagues know this, that you are unable to work late. Diplomacy works best if you think your boss is intentionally giving you work on the days he/she knows you have to leave. Reschedule lectures to a later time slot if possible/ necessary.
42. Constrain yourself. Most people need structure in their lives. Freedom is sometimes a scary thing. It’s like chaos. But even chaos has order within. By constraining yourself — say giving yourself deadlines, limiting your time on an idea in some manner, or limiting the tools you are working with — you can often accomplish more in less time.
Supplemental Techniques
43. Read as much as you can. How much more obvious can it get? Use Spreeder (#33) if you have to. Get a breadth of topics as well as depth.
44. Cross-pollinate your interests. Neurons that connect to existing neurons give you new perspectives and abilities to use additional knowledge in new ways.
45. Learn another language. New perspectives give you the ability to cross-pollinate cultural concepts and come up with new ideas. As well, sometimes reading a book in its original language will provide you with insights lost in translation.
46. Learn how to learn. Management Help has a resource page, as does SIAST (Virtual Campus), which links to articles about learning methods. They are geared towards online learning, but no doubt you gain something from them for any type of learning. If you are serious about optimum learning, read Headrush’s Crash course in learning theory.
47. Learn what you know and what you don’t. Many people might say, “I’m dumb,” or “I don’t know anything about that.” The fact is, many people are wholly unaware of what they already know about a topic. If you want to learn about a topic, you need to determine what you already know, figure out what you don’t know, and then learn the latter.
48. Multi-task through background processes. Effective multi-tasking allows you to bootstrap limited time to accomplish several tasks. Learning can be bootstrapped through multi-tasking, too. By effective multitasking, I don’t mean doing two or more things at exactly the same time. It’s not possible. However, you can achieve the semblance of effective multitasking with the right approach, and by prepping your mind for it. For example, a successful freelance writer learns to manage several articles at the same time. Research the first essay, and then let the background processes of your mind takeover. Move on consciously to the second essay. While researching the second essay, the first one will often “write itself.” Be prepared to record it when it “appears” to you.
49. Think holistically. Holistic thinking might be the single most “advanced” learning technique that would help students. But it’s a mindset rather than a single technique.
50. Use the right type of repetition. Complex concepts often require revisting in order to be fully absorbed. Sometimes, for some people, it may actually take months or years. Repetition of concepts and theory with various concrete examples improves absorption and speeds up learning.
51. Apply the Quantum Learning (QL) model. The Quantum Learning model is being applied in some US schools and goes beyond typical education methods to engage students.
52. Get necessary tools. There are obviously all kinds of tools for learning. If you are learning online like a growing number of people these days, then consider your online tools. One of the best tools for online research is the Firefox web browser, which has loads of extensions (add-ons) with all manner of useful features. One is Googlepedia, which simultaneously displays Google search engine listings, when you search for a term, with related entries from Wikipedia.
53. Get necessary tools, part 2. This is a very niche tip, but if you want to learn fast-track methods for building software, read Getting Real from 37 Signals. The Web page version is free. The techniques in the book have been used to create Basecamp, Campfire, and Backpack web applications in a short time frame. Each of these applications support collaboration and organization.
54. Learn critical thinking. As Keegan-Michael Key’s character on MadTV might say, critical thinking takes analysis to “a whole notha level”. Read Wikipedia’s discourse on critical thinking as a starting point. It involves good analytical skills to aid the ability to learn selectively.
55. Learn complex problem solving. For most people, life is a series of problems to be solved. Learning is part of the process. If you have a complex problem, you need to learn the art of complex problem solving.
For Teachers, Tutors, and Parents
56. Be engaging. Lectures are one-sided and often counter-productive. Information merely heard or witnessed (from a chalkboard for instance) is often forgotten. Teaching is not simply talking. Talking isn’t enough. Ask students questions, present scenarios, engage them.
57. Use information pyramids. Learning happens in layers. Build base knowledge upon which you can add advanced concepts.
58. Use video games. Video games get a bad rap because of certain violent games. But video games in general can often be an effective aid to learning.
59. Role play. Younger people often learn better by being part of a learning experience. For example, history is easier to absorb through reenactments.
60. Apply the 80/20 rule. This rule is often interpreted in dfferent ways. In this case, the 80/20 rule means that some concepts, say about 20% of a curriculum, require more effort and time, say about 80%, than others. So be prepared to expand on complex topics.
61. Tell stories. Venus Flytrap, a character from the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, once taught a student gang member about atoms, electrons, and protons by saying that an atom was one big neighborhood, and the protons and neutrons had their own smaller neighborhoods and never mixed. Just like rival gangs. The story worked, and understanding sparked in the students eyes.
62. Go beyond the public school curriculum. The public school system is woefully lacking in teaching advanced learning and brainstorming methods. It’s not that the methods cannot be taught; they just aren’t. To learn more, you have to pay a premium in additional time and effort, and sometimes money for commercially available learning tools. There’s nothing wrong with that in itself, but what is taught in schools needs to be expanded. This article’s author has proven that a nine-year old can learn (some) university level math, if the learning is approached correctly.
63. Use applied learning. If a high school student were having trouble in math, say with fractions, one example of applied learning might be photography, lenses, f-stops, etc. Another example is cooking and measurement of ingredients. Tailor the applied learning to the interest of the student.
For Students and Self-Studiers
64. Be engaged. Surprise. Sometimes students are bored because they know more than is being taught, maybe even more than a teacher. (Hopefully teachers will assess what each student already knows.) Students should discuss with a teacher if they feel that the material being covered is not challenging. Also consider asking for additional materials.
65. Teach yourself. Teachers cannot always change their curricula. If you’re not being challenged, challenge yourself. Some countries still apply country-wide exams for all students. If your lecturer didn’t cover a topic, you should learn it on your own. Don’t wait for someone to teach you. Lectures are most effective when you’ve pre-introduced yourself to concepts.
66. Collaborate. If studying by yourself isn’t working, maybe a study group will help.
67. Do unto others: teach something. The best way to learn something better is to teach it to someone else. It forces you to learn, if you are motivated enough to share your knowledge.
68. Write about it. An effective way to “teach” something is to create an FAQ or a wiki containing everything you know about a topic. Or blog about the topic. Doing so helps you to realize what you know and more importantly what you don’t. You don’t even have to spend money if you grab a freebie account with Typepad, WordPress, or Blogger.
69. Learn by experience. Pretty obvious, right? It means put in the necessary time. An expert is often defined as someone who has put in 10,000 hours into some experience or endeavor. That’s approximately 5 years of 40 hours per week, every week. Are you an expert without realizing it? If you’re not, do you have the dedication to be an expert?
70. Quiz yourself. Testing what you’ve learned will reinforce the information. Flash cards are one of the best ways, and are not just for kids.
71. Learn the right things first. Learn the basics. Case in point: a frustrating way to learn a new language is to learn grammar and spelling and sentence constructs first. This is not the way a baby learns a language, and there’s no reason why an adult or young adult has to start differently, despite “expert” opinion. Try for yourself and see the difference.
72. Plan your learning. If you have a long-term plan to learn something, then to quote Led Zeppelin, “There are two paths you can go by.” You can take a haphazard approach to learning, or you can put in a bit of planning and find an optimum path. Plan your time and balance your learning and living.
Parting Advice
73. Persist. Don’t give up learning in the face of intimdating tasks. Anything one human being can learn, most others can as well. Wasn’t it Einstein that said, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”? Thomas Edison said it, too.
74. Defy the experts. Dyslexia, in a nutshell, is the affliction of mentally jumbling letters and digits, causing difficulties in reading, writing and thus learning. Sometimes spoken words or numbers get mixed up as well. In the past, “experts” declared dyslexic children stupid. Later, they said they were incapable of learning. This author has interacted with and taught dyslexic teens. It’s possible. Helen Keller had no experience of sight, sound, or speech, and yet she learned. Conclusion: There is more than one way to learn; never believe you cannot.
75. Challenge yourself. People are often more intelligent than they realize. In a world that compartmentalizes and categorizes everything, not everyone is sure where they fit in. And genius can be found in many walks of life. If you honestly suspect that there’s more to you than has been “allowed” to be let out, try an IQ test such as the one offered by MENSA. It’s unlike the standardized IQ tests given in many schools. You know the kind — the ones which traumatize many young students into thinking they are stupid, simply because the tests don’t really assess all student’s knowledge and learning ability. And the ability to learn is far, far more important than what you already know.
76. Party before an exam. Well, don’t go that far. The key is to relax. The worse thing to do is cram the night before an exam. If you don’t already know a subject by then, cramming isn’t going to help. If you have studied, simply review the topic, then go do something pleasant (no more studying). Doing so tells your brain that you are prepared and that you will be able to recall anything that you have already learned. On the other hand, if you didn’t spend the semester learning the ideas you need, you might as well go party anyways because cramming at the last minute isn’t going to help much at that point.
Related articles
- Steps to Improve your Memory (almurtaza110.wordpress.com)
- How We Learn (englendd.wordpress.com)
- 25 Scientifically Proven Ways to Make Yourself Smarter (imaginethespirit.wordpress.com)
8 Ways To Stop Being Afraid of Making Wrong Decisions
Every morning we wake up and face a new day with new challenges. It’s human nature and this is the course of life. Even if I was not always prepared for whatever fate has given me to carry on my shoulders I struggled and I managed to get all things to an end.
One of the greatest challenges I faced was fear: fear of change, fear of making wrong decisions and fear of holding my point of view. This instinct of fear can mess up our lives distorting the way we look at ourselves and at the people around us. From definitions, fear is a pre-programmed emotion that acts as an instinctual response to potential danger. And this instinctual response causes different physical reactions, because when we are afraid, the adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol are released into the blood stream.
We can say there are two types of fear: healthy and unhealthy fear. For example if we are afraid of spiders or if we are afraid of not succeeding something, then we have an unhealthy fear. This fear is unproductive, it’s stressing us and it’s repressing our actions, blocking the normal course of things. On the other side, if we are smoking a lot and we are afraid of putting our health in danger, then this is a healthy fear. This healthy fear could motivate us to take better decisions and to better organize our life.
Unfortunately, what we face most are unhealthy fears. “The most destructive element in the human mind is fear. Fear creates aggressiveness” says Dorothy Thompson.
As I mentioned at the beginning, fear is the instinctual response to potential danger, therefore we must analyze and manage the “potential danger” in order to stop being afraid.
- See beyond the danger. When we face a potential danger we panic and this makes us take wrong decisions or run away from responsibilities. What we should do instead is take a deep breath and think of all possible consequences and implications. Many times,things are not as bad as we think they are.
- Take a positive attitude. We are strong enough to manage all the problems and nothing can stop us.
- Expand our comfort zone. There are three important zones where we can be situated: the comfort zone, the learning zone and the panic zone. Let’s think of it as three circles one inside another. The unexpected gets us out of the comfort zone and into the learning zone which leads to the panic zone. It was proved by scientists that operating on the edge of our comfort zone is the best place to learn and grow. As long as we are “inside” it’s ok, but if we face a new and different situation we get out of these zones and move into the panic zone. We have to learn how to behave and how to manage the new situations without being afraid of taking wrong decisions. After all, is practice and learning that make these transitions less scary, resulting in an expansion of the comfort zone.
- When you want to give up, do one more step. This step is about pushing our limits and becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. We never know we will succeed unless we actually try.
- Do not avoid or postpone tasks and activities. I often find myself postponing and delaying certain activities just because I am afraid of the result. In the end, we still have to do that thing and with time passing it might become even harder and we won’t get rid of it. More that that the pressure and the stress will become more intense. So let’s do things at the right time and feel a great release indifferent the result.
- Don’t be afraid of competition. We are just competitors – like all the others. We don’t have to give up fighting just because we are scared. Just because we can’t read fear on our competitors’ face this doesn’t mean they are not scared. The first rule in winning is to participate!
- Strengthen your will with religious beliefs. If you are a religious person, then you should know that fear is not a God’s will. God wants us to be strong and to carry our problems with strength. Take some time to say a prayer and “have a talk with God”.
- Get enough sleep. Usually when we get into these situations, we neglect one of the most important things: sleep. If our body does not rest enough, there will appear another variable, fatigue, which will aggravate our situation even more. Sleep enough because it’s vital to be fresh when you take important decisions.
We might all have some fear about the future and about the unknown but we must always keep in mind that “The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.”
Related articles
- Living with Fears (12images.wordpress.com)
- How to live (peppidee.wordpress.com)
- How to Step out of your Comfort Zone (jemenah.wordpress.com)
Eat Healthy:- 52 SuperfOOds
Step into any supermarket and you’ll see thousands of labels shouting good-health claims: Whole grains! No trans fats! Essential vitamins and minerals! But figuring out what really is part of a healthy diet is getting harder and harder in these days of information overload. And it shows in the sobering statistics: 66% of Americans are overweight or obese—which is a big reason more of us are developing diseases such as diabetes, and at younger ages.
Start here: Clean out your kitchen, tossing as many unhealthy items as you can. Single-ingredient foods— apples, chicken, cooking oil, etc.—are keepers. Packaged foods with long lists of hard-to-pronounce ingredients go out, especially if they contain more than 7% of calories from saturated fat or more than 10% of calories from sugar. Now, turn the page and find out what you’ve made room for!
52 Superfoods
Fill up on these nutrient packed foods, which can help you fight disease. Feel more energetic and even lose weight.
1. Eggs Each egg has 6 grams of protein but just 72 calories. No wonder researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, found that eating eggs for breakfast (as part of a low-cal diet) helps you slim down.
2. Tomato sauce It’s loaded with lycopene, which makes your skin look younger and keeps your heart healthy. In fact, a Harvard study found that women with the most lycopene in their blood reduced their risk of a heart attack by 34%.
3. Dried plums(prunes) They’re packed with polyphenols, plant chemicals that have been shown to boost bone density by stimulating your bone-building cells.
4. Walnuts Just 14 walnut halves provide more than twice your daily dose of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat that’s been shown to improve memory and coordination.
5. Brussels sprouts They have more glucosinolates (compounds that combat cancer and detoxify our bodies) than any other vegetable. For a side dish that will make you wonder why you’ve been avoiding them, slice each one into quarters, then sauté in olive oil with chopped sweet Vidalia onions.
6. Acai juice A glass or two of this anthocyanin-rich berry juice can dramatically boost the amount of antioxidants in your blood, say Texas A&M University researchers.
7. Apples They contain quercetin, an antioxidant that may reduce your risk of lung cancer.
8. Bok choy This calcium-rich veggie can protect your bones and may even ward off PMS symptoms.
9. Steel-cut oats Because they’re less processed than traditional oats, they’re digested more slowly—keeping you full all morning long.
10. Salmon You’ll get all the heart-smart omega-3s you need in a day from just 3 oz.
11. Avocados Their healthy fat keeps you satisfied and helps you absorb other nutrients. For a new u twist, brush a halved avocado (pit removed) with olive oil and grill 1 minute. Serve with red onion, sliced grapefruit and balsamic vinegar.
12. Spinach A half-cup provides more than five times your daily dose of vitamin K, which helps blood clot and builds strong bones.
13. Canned pumpkin It’s filled with natural cancer fighters alpha- and beta-carotene.
14. Cauliflower White foods can be good for you! This one is packed with cancer-fighting glucosinolates.
15. Scallops A 3-oz serving has 14 grams of protein but just 75 calories.
16. Collard greens They’re exploding with nutrients like vitamin A, zeaxanthin and lutein, which keep your eyes healthy.
17. Olives They deliver the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat you get in olive oil, but for just 7 calories per jumbo olive!
18. Brown rice It’s a top source of magnesium, a mineral your body uses for more than 300 chemical reactions (such as building bones and converting food to energy).
19. Oysters These keep your immune system strong. A 3-oz serving (about 6 oysters) dishes up a quarter of your daily iron, plus nearly twice the zinc and all the selenium you need in a day.
20. Edamame One cup has a whopping 22 grams of plant protein, as well as lots of fiber, folate and cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.
21. Strawberries They’re loaded with ellagitannins, phytochemicals that may halt the growth of cervical and colon cancers.
22. Lentils A great source of meat-free protein, a half-cup of cooked lentils also gives you nearly half your daily folate, a B vitamin that protects a woman’s unborn baby from neural tube defects.
23. Bran flakes Their whole grains keep your heart in tip-top shape by reducing inflammation and melting away belly fat.
24. Kiwi Italian researchers found that it reduces asthma-related wheezing, thanks to its high vitamin C content (one kiwi has 110% of your daily requirement).
25. Black beans They’re loaded with protein, fiber, and flavonoids—antioxidants that help your arteries stay relaxed and pliable.
26. Sunflower seeds A quarter-cup delivers half your day’s vitamin E, which keeps your heart healthy and fights infection.
27. Sardines 3 oz provide more than 100% of your daily vitamin D. Sardines are also a top source of omega-3 fats. Try adding mashed canned sardines to marinara sauce and serving over whole-wheat pasta.
28. Asparagus A half-cup supplies 50% of your daily bone-building vitamin K and a third of your day’s folate, it’s a natural diuretic so it banishes bloating, too.
29. Bananas They’re loaded with several kinds of good-for-you fiber, including resistant starch (which helps you slim down).
30. Broccoli sprouts They have 10 times more of the cancer-preventing compound glucoraphanin than regular broccoli.
31. Fat-free milk With a third of the calcium and half the vitamin D you need in a day, plus 8 grams u of muscle-building protein, it’s the ultimate energy drink.
32. Baked potatoes Each one packs a megadose of blood-pressure–lowering potassium—even more than a banana.
33. Sweet potatoes Half of a large baked sweet potato delivers more than 450% of your daily dose of vitamin A, which protects your vision and your immune system.
34. Flaxseed Not only is flaxseed loaded with plant omega-3s, it also has more lignans (compounds that may prevent endometrial and ovarian cancer) than any other food. Store ground flaxseed in your refrigerator and sprinkle on yogurt, cold cereal or oatmeal.
35. Greek yogurt It has twice the protein of regular yogurt.
36. Dried tart cherries Researchers at Michigan State University found their potent anthocyanins help control blood sugar, reduce insulin and lower cholesterol.
37. Wheat germ A quarter-cup gives you more than 40% of your daily vitamin E and immune-boosting selenium.
38. Whole-wheat english muffins You get 4 ½ grams of fiber for only 134 calories.
39. Tea Both green and black tea prevent hardening of the arteries, according to researchers at the University of Scranton.
40. Peanut butter This smart spread has arginine, an amino acid that helps keep blood vessels healthy.
41. Blackberries The king of the berry family boasts more antioxidants than strawberries, cranberries or blueberries.
42. Mustard greens These “greens” (actually a cruciferous veggie) are a top source of vitamin K. For a tasty pesto, chop them in a food processor with garlic, walnuts, Parmesan and olive oil.
43. Grapes They’re a leading source of resveratrol, the plant chemical responsible for the heart-healthy benefits of red wine.
44. Soy milk A good source of vegetable protein, calcium-enriched soy milk has as much calcium and vitamin D as cow’s milk.
45. Brazil nuts They have more selenium than any other food. One nut delivers your entire day’s worth!
46. Canola oil A Tbsp of this heart-healthy oil has all the alpha-linolenic acid you need in a day, plus two different forms of vitamin E.
47. Blueberries They improve memory by protecting your brain from inflammation and boosting communication between brain cells.
48. Oranges One orange supplies more than 100% of the vitamin C you need in a day. It’s also a good source of calcium and folate.
49. Watercress With just 4 calories per cup, this cruciferous veggie delivers a hefty dose of vitamin K, zeaxanthin, lutein, beta-carotene and cancer-fighting phytochemicals.
50. Turkey breast It has 20 grams of satisfying protein but just 90 calories per 3-oz serving.
51. Barley A top source of beta-glucan, a fiber that lowers cholesterol and helps control blood sugar.
52. Shiitake mushrooms One serving (about ¼ lb) provides as much vitamin D as you’d get from a glass of milk.
Related articles
- 9 Best Canned Foods (beatcancer2010.wordpress.com)
- Flax Seeds Essential For Health (positivechangeshypnosisnw.wordpress.com)
- Clear Skin nutrition (nutrition-sheet.com)
- The Flax Of Life. (veggiefitness.wordpress.com)
20 Tasty Aphrodisiacs To Put Sizzle In Your Sex Life
If you’ve got sex on the brain but your body’s feeling unsexy, put away the blue pill! You don’t need Viagra, you need food. (Just not potato chips.) Sexual health and energy is synonymous with a healthy, energized you. An active lifestyle, balanced diet and self-confidence are the best ways to get the sexual charge you need – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few foods out there that can give you that extra…boost you’re looking for.
Maca
This Andean root is the first food that comes to mind when I think of sexual health and stamina. Just me? It’s been commonly used in Peru since the times of the Inca to increase strength, energy and libido. Modern foodies consider it a superfood, and with good reason. Maca is excellent for balancing hormones and makes a tasty addition to deserts and smoothies.
Cacao
Always a woman’s favorite. Real dark chocolate (we’re not talking See’s Candies here!) with a high cacao content contains natural stimulants and wellbeing chemicals, plus plenty of magnesium which is good for the heart and women’s libido. A healthy heart means better circulation, and that means better sex drive. Melt it, pour it, lick it…
Chiles
You can’t travel in Latin American without hearing a hot and spicy joke about the size of a man’s chile. And if you’re a fan of picante foods, you know how they can make you a bit sweaty and excitable. Blame it on the capsaicin, the substance in hot peppers which releases endorphins, stimulates nerve endings and increases heart rate.
Cardamom
This deliciously exotic little spice has a reputation in its home country of India for being an aphrodisiac. I just think it’s got a wonderful, sensual taste. But there may be some science behind it too: cardamom is high in cineole, which stimulates the nervous system.
Ginger
The spicy taste of hot, fresh ginger tea will heat your body up, make your heart race and increase the heat. What more do you need to get it going?
Pumpkin Seeds
High in zinc, which is needed for testosterone production, pumpkin seeds are essential for the libido in both men and women. Toast some up, pop in a movie, oh, forget the movie…
Oysters
Cold, slimy: I always wondered why oysters have such a reputation as an aphrodisiac food. Some say it’s the shape, but I say it’s the zinc, baby.
Hemp
Whether you prefer the seed, the milk, or the oil, hemp is high in the Essential Fatty Acids needed to help balance hormones for a better libido. Whip up a hemp milk latte and cozy up to your sweetie for some kisses to get things going.
Almonds
Best when eaten raw, almonds are high in libido-boosting vitamin E. A very sensible sex-boosting insurance policy. Eat daily.
Garlic
This one surprised me, because we all know how unattractive it is to be around someone who reeks of garlic. But take note, allicin improves blood flow to the sexual organs, so just make sure you and your partner have garlic in your meal together and you won’t mind the way the other smells. You have to admit, for garlic, that’s a sexy picture.
Bananas
This suggestively shaped fruit regulates blood pressure, and you’d do well to eat one a day, because there’s nothing quite like excessively high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) to cause erectile dysfunction.
Pomegranate Juice
A very sensual juice and luscious juice (surely Nigella Lawson would approve), many think that pomegranate’s high antioxidant content keeps free radicals from interfering with circulation. Which would have apositive effect on erectile dysfunction.
Goji Berries
These superfood berries are considered a potent sexual tonic in Asia. They improve mood and well being and increase testosterone production. They’re tart, complex and intriguing – fittingly.
Celery
Granted, celery is not the sexiest food, but it does contains andresterone, which is the hormone that gives men a subtle smell that drives women wild. I’m talking that t-shirt smell, ladies. (Men: we like this.)
Ginseng
This high energy root normalizes hormones levels in both men and women and it’s been used for centuries by the Chinese to increase stamina and desire.
Ginkgo Biloba
Sort of a wonder herb touted for many purposes, ginkgo can be used to increase sexual energy and regulate blood circulation.
Guava
High in vitamin C, guava is great for the antioxidants. Kiwi and berries are high in vitamin C too, which keeps the sexual glands running smoothly. There’s nothing like sharing a cool fruit salad on a hot summer’s day”¦
Wild Salmon
Another great source of Essential Fatty Acids. Try it cold with creme fraiche, crackers, wine and a little hand-feeding.
Avocado
Such an amazing food anyway, avocados are high in EFA’s and B-vitamins for hormone balance, and folic acid which is good for the heart and gives you energy.
Leafy Greens
Eat your salads, ladies, dark leafy greens help your liver metabolize estrogen, and create a good balance of this hormone essential for healthy female sexuality. Sure, they don’t look sexy, but they’ll make you feel amazing.
Of course, there’s no one food that’s going to magically improve your sex life. The key is to avoid cigarettes and excessive alcohol and maintain a state of general health and wellbeing. You can’t expect to sit on your tuckus all day snacking on potato chips and be an excellent lover!
Related articles
- Do Natural Aphrodisiacs Work? (thegreatone22.wordpress.com)
Lose weight the French way
HAVE you ever wondered why most French women appear to be effortlessly slim? The answer could lie in their diet. Not the Mediterranean diet, but a weight-loss program that has been taking the country by storm.
When French nutritionist Dr Pierre Dukan introduced his Dukan Diet there 10 years ago, the book rushed to the top of the French bestseller list and spawned a dieting revolution.
Today, more than 1.5 million French women swear by its dramatic and long-lasting results.
Politicians, film stars and high-profile models, including Gisele Bündchen and Jennifer Lopez, live the Dukan life, all of them seduced by its promise of permanent slenderness while eating what you like.
The basic rules
The Dukan Diet starts with a short Attack phase, where you eat nothing but protein – just meat, fish, eggs and non-fat dairy products.
This is the kick-start that gives you the initial impetus and sets the tone for the other phases.
This stage produces immediate results – you can lose as much as three kilograms in five days.
You can stick to the Attack phase for as little as one day or as long as 10 days, but if your goal weight is 12 to 20 kilograms away, then five days produces the best results.
If you have about six kilograms to lose, two or three days on the Attack phase works well; if you are looking to slim down by only three kilograms, a single day in the Attack phase (where you’d be expected to lose one kilogram instantly) is often enough to get you started.
A short-term, protein-rich regime purges the tissues of excess water, dulls the appetite (if you eat only protein, your body produces ketonic cells, which are powerful natural appetite suppressants), while maintaining muscle tone.
Proteins are relatively low in kilojoules (compared with fats and many carbohydrates) and their complex structure means the body has to work hard to digest them – you will burn more kilojoules processing protein than any other food.
After one to 10 days in the Attack phase, dieters move on to the Cruise phase. This is the workhorse stage of the diet, where you alternate pure protein days with days when you add vegetables to your protein.
Weight will fall off at a rate of about one kilogram a week, but with a range of meat and vegetables to choose from, you won’t be hungry.
No more constraints
When you reach your ideal weight the Consolidation phase kicks in, releasing dietary constraints and putting fruit, bread, cheese and starchy foods such as pasta back on the menu.
You are even encouraged to have two totally unrestrained celebration meals a week.
This is a doctor’s recommendation and an important part of the diet’s acceptance that you can relish food and stay slim forever.
You won’t lose weight in this phase, but nor will you gain weight.
Consolidation has been designed to stop you going back to your former eating habits and to set your body’s equilibrium.
If you stick to the plan for five days, for every 0.5 kilograms you lost in previous phases, your body will consolidate the weight loss.
When your time in Consolidation is up and your weight has stabilised, you are free to eat and drink whatever you like for the rest of your life, but you must adhere to that one Dukan rule: protein only on Thursdays. Forever.
Phase one: attack
Have you ever wondered why most French women appear to be effortlessly slim? The answer could lie in their diet.
Not the Mediterranean diet, but a weight-loss program that has been taking the country by storm.
When French nutritionist Dr Pierre Dukan introduced his Dukan Diet there 10 years ago, the book rushed to the top of the French bestseller list and spawned a dieting revolution.
Today, more than 1.5 million French women swear by its dramatic and long-lasting results.
Politicians, film stars and high-profile models, including Gisele Bündchen and Jennifer Lopez, live the Dukan life, all of them seduced by its promise of permanent slenderness while eating what you like.
The basic rules
The Dukan Diet starts with a short Attack phase, where you eat nothing but protein – just meat, fish, eggs and non-fat dairy products.
This is the kick-start that gives you the initial impetus and sets the tone for the other phases.
This stage produces immediate results – you can lose as much as three kilograms in five days.
You can stick to the Attack phase for as little as one day or as long as 10 days, but if your goal weight is 12 to 20 kilograms away, then five days produces the best results.
If you have about six kilograms to lose, two or three days on the Attack phase works well; if you are looking to slim down by only three kilograms, a single day in the Attack phase (where you’d be expected to lose one kilogram instantly) is often enough to get you started.
A short-term, protein-rich regime purges the tissues of excess water, dulls the appetite (if you eat only protein, your body produces ketonic cells, which are powerful natural appetite suppressants), while maintaining muscle tone.
Proteins are relatively low in kilojoules (compared with fats and many carbohydrates) and their complex structure means the body has to work hard to digest them – you will burn more kilojoules processing protein than any other food.
After one to 10 days in the Attack phase, dieters move on to the Cruise phase. This is the workhorse stage of the diet, where you alternate pure protein days with days when you add vegetables to your protein.
Weight will fall off at a rate of about one kilogram a week, but with a range of meat and vegetables to choose from, you won’t be hungry.
No more constraints
When you reach your ideal weight the Consolidation phase kicks in, releasing dietary constraints and putting fruit, bread, cheese and starchy foods such as pasta back on the menu.
You are even encouraged to have two totally unrestrained celebration meals a week.
This is a doctor’s recommendation and an important part of the diet’s acceptance that you can relish food and stay slim forever.
You won’t lose weight in this phase, but nor will you gain weight.
Consolidation has been designed to stop you going back to your former eating habits and to set your body’s equilibrium.
If you stick to the plan for five days, for every 0.5 kilograms you lost in previous phases, your body will consolidate the weight loss.
When your time in Consolidation is up and your weight has stabilised, you are free to eat and drink whatever you like for the rest of your life, but you must adhere to that one Dukan rule: protein only on Thursdays. Forever.
Phase two: cruising
This next phase consists of two alternating diets. This is the workhorse stage, where you alternate pure protein days with days when you add an array of unlimited vegetables to your wide selection of meat, fish and no-fat dairy products. Expect to lose about one kilogram a week.
The most efficient way to work this stage is to spend one day on the pure protein Attack diet, and the next on a protein and vegetable diet, switching between the two, one day at a time, until you reach your chosen weight.
However, some people prefer to work to a rhythm of five days of protein followed by five days of protein plus vegetables, or, if you have only a little weight to lose, try two days of pure protein a week (say Mondays and Thursdays), with every other day protein combined with vegetables.
Now you can introduce the following vegetables – raw, steamed, boiled or baked (in foil) – with your meat or fish: artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage (white, red, Savoy, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprout), capsicum, celery, celeriac, chicory, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, French beans, leeks, mushrooms, onion, pumpkin, radish, salad leaves (lettuce, rocket, watercress), sorrel, soy beans, spinach, swede, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnip, zucchini.
In principle, you can eat as many of these vegetables as you like, whenever you like, but if you want speedy weight loss, it’s best not to eat vegetables with complete abandon – it’s better to eat until you no longer feel hungry.
Carrots and beetroot are on the list of vegetables too, but they are quite starchy, so avoid having them with every meal and, while you’re in this phase, steer completely away from starchy vegetables such as potatoes, rice, corn, peas, beans, lentils and avocado (it is technically a fruit anyway).
Don’t worry if your weight loss plateaus occasionally on the days when you eat vegetables. This is merely the water levels resetting themselves. Stick with it. The weight will fall off.
Phase three: consolidation
The third stage of the Dukan Diet – the Consolidation phase – provides an important period of transition between hardline dieting and a return to normal eating.
Clinical evidence shows that the high-risk period for regaining weight after a diet is about five days for every 0.5 kilograms lost.
But don’t despair – if you have missed meat pies or curry, or if you have been longing to finish your meal with a real dessert, your time has come to indulge again.
In the Consolidation phase you follow a more open diet, but one which is not yet free from all constraints. Nourishing yourself is not just about taking in enough kilojoules to survive; it is also about enjoying eating.
It is now time to reintroduce this biological pleasure which was taken away from you.
Eat as much protein and vegetables (together) each day as you want without any restriction on quantity, time of day or combination.
•Add one serving of fruit per day (avoid high-sugar fruits such as bananas, grapes, cherries, dried fruits and high-fat nuts).
•Enjoy two slices of wholemeal bread per day, spread with fat-reduced butter.
•Have one serving (40 grams) of hard cheese per day (but avoid blue cheese, soft cheese or goat’s cheese).
•Factor in one serving of starchy foods per week in the first half of your Consolidation phase, increasing to two servings per week in the second half. This includes pasta (a 225-gram serving with tomato, not creamy, sauce and with no oil), couscous or polenta (225 grams cooked in stock, not butter or oil), lentils, beans, chickpeas, rice (ideally brown) and potatoes (but only occasionally and without butter).
•Broaden your meat repertoire to include any quantity of lamb, roast pork and ham (remove all fat first) once or twice a week.
•Let your hair down and plan and enjoy one celebration meal a week in the first half of the Consolidation phase, increasing to two meals in the second half. In this meal you really can eat whatever you want – and you should choose foods that you’ve missed during the weight-loss period.
•But there are two important conditions to this celebration meal: never have second helpings of the same dish and never eat two celebration meals in a row (if you splurge on Tuesday night, at Wednesday’s breakfast the success of your diet is on the line). Have one of each: one starter, one main, one dessert and one glass of wine. Have reasonable quantities of each dish and alcohol, but have only one of each.
•You should still stick to having one pure protein day per week, say, Thursdays. This is your insurance policy against gaining weight again.
•Have two tablespoons of oat bran per day (as a pancake or sprinkled on food).
•Walk for 25 minutes per day (longer if you enjoy it and have time).
Phase four: stabilisation
When you have successfully completed the Consolidation stage of the diet (five days for every 0.5 kilograms you lost in the Attack and Cruise phases), you are ready for the fourth and final stage of the Dukan Diet.
Your new slim body will have given up its extreme reactivity, wanting to extract every last kilojoule from everything you eat, and your metabolism will be calmer.
But experience shows the likelihood of regaining weight will remain if you do not incorporate into your lifestyle a number of habits specifically designed to deal with this risk.
The Stabilisation stage of the Dukan Diet offers permanent slenderness in return for four simple, extremely effective but non-negotiable measures that you should follow for the rest of your life.
Stabilisation rules
•Go back to eating whatever you like, but continue to use the basic rules of the Consolidation phase as a safety platform (eat unlimited protein and vegetables, one piece of fruit a day, two slices of wholemeal bread, a portion of cheese, two starchy foods and two celebration meals a week). Use this as your back-up if you are under threat of regaining weight.
•Pick one day a week for the rest of your life when you eat nothing but protein. This is the key that allows you to eat normally for the other days of the week. (Drink at least two litres of water to flush the digestive system).
•Vow to walk briskly for 20 minutes every day.
•Increase your daily oat bran intake to three tablespoons and stick to it for life.
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10 Marriage Rules You Should Break
The two of you should do everything together; work out every disagreement (without actuallyfighting); spend every night in the same bed; and never, ever be bored. Say what?! These and other so-called “rules” for marriage need some serious debunking. And it’s not just because rules your mother may have passed on are outdated; some may be downright damaging. In fact, “breaking some marriage ‘rules’ may be the best thing you can do for your relationship,” says Barbara Bartlein, RN, MSW, psychotherapist and author of Why Did I Marry You Anyway? Here are 10 rules you can break with confidence.
1. Never go to bed angry.
Where did this one come from? Turns out, it may go as far back as the Bible, which advises not letting the sun go down on your anger. But trying to work through a problem when you’re tired and stressed won’t get you anywhere, says Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD,psychologist
and author of A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness. “Agree to disagree for now, and to revisit the issue when you’re rested.”
2. Always be 100% honest.
In marriage, no-holds-barred honesty is not always the best policy. For example, “you don’t need to share details of past relationships,” says Bartlein. “That invites comparisons, and when you compare, someone comes up short.” The bottom line: You need to be polite and caring when it comes to your partner’s feelings.
3. Never vacation without each other.
The received wisdom here is that if you have time off from your jobs and lives, you should naturally prefer to spend it together. One problem with this rule is that you and your spouse may not have the same definition of a great getaway (you like to ski, he’s a beach bum). The other danger, says Dr. Lombardo, is the belief “that you have to be each other’s everything, and that’s just not realistic.” Sometimes, you need a spa weekend, and he may want to go camping (or vice versa). Just be sure that you don’t alwaystake off without each other.
4. If you fight, you’re headed for divorce.
Actually, says Bartlein, research shows that couples who neverfight—assuming that means they’re holding back to avoid conflict—are more likely to split. You need to find ways to fight healthily and productively (without blaming, name-calling and the like), but that said, being committed to respectfully airing out conflicts is a far better rule than “keep your mouth shut.”
5. Once you have children, they come first.
“So often, I see couples who have put their relationship on hold in order to be good parents,” says Dr. Lombardo. But those couples, she says, have it exactly backward. Making your relationship top priority is better not just for you, but for your children, who need to see you in charge and who feel safer and more secure with parents who have a loving relationship. “Create couple-only time during which you do not discuss bills or children, where you do fun activities and enjoy each other’s company.” The kids’ll be all right.
6. You should never sleep in separate beds.
Um, snore much? It’s a myth that couples always sleep better and more cozily together than apart. One partner may be a toss-and-turner, or one may hit the hay early while the other keeps a reading light burning till the wee hours. So if one of you occasionally decamps to the guest room, don’t sweat it. “Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to the health of your mind, body andmarriage,” says Dr. Lombardo. Just be sure a separate-bed habit isn’t about avoiding sex or physical intimacy.
7. Partners should sync up their hobbies.
Though spending every free moment you have training for a marathon while your spouse works on his classic car isn’t good for your marriage, neither is subscribing to the notion you should quit doing what you love just because your husband doesn’t love the same things. Giving up your passions is akin to forgoing your independence, and “without independence in a marriage people feel trapped,” says Bartlein. Pursue your separate interests andfind activities you both enjoy.
8. If there’s no spark, you’re doomed.
Many married couples understand intellectually that they won’t always experience that I’ve-been-drugged-by-love feeling in a long-term relationship. “But many still believe that when the spark dies out, it means they’re in the wrong relationship, and seek something new,” says Bartlein. Long-term relationships survive on commitment and trust, out of which grows love. The mistake here is to believe that you can live forever on fireworks, or even just love, alone.
9. Boring is bad.
The problem with this so-called rule, says Bartlein, is when couples confuse a calm, predictable union with a bad one. A drama-filled relationship may feel exciting, but in the long run it’s not likely to be healthy. Isn’t it better, she says, to “boringly” know where your spouse is every night than to be “excited” by constant ups and downs? “Better to have a safe, relaxed, ‘boring’ life together in the everyday. You can always inject excitement with vacations and activities.”
10. You should have sex with your partner to make him/her happy.
This may be a particular problem for women, especially new mothers. “Sex becomes yet another item on your to-do list, and you think you have to do it for the sake of your marriage, and the happiness of your spouse,” says Dr. Lombardo. While neither of those reasons is wrong, they shouldn’t be the only reasons. “Sex is for both of you.”
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8 Secrets of Sexually Satisfied Couples
Your sister, your best friend, your cubicle-mate—you keep hearing about these women who enjoy fabulous sex lives with their partners. But how do they manage to keep it hot, especially when they have a couple of kids and more than a few years together? So you don’t have to broach the subject yourself, we asked a few lucky women for their secrets to a satisfying sex life. Here’s what they had to say—and how you can apply their advice in your own bedroom.
1. They schedule sex.
What? Put “Have sex” on your calendar? “Absolutely!” say couples happy with their sex lives. Rather than killing the mood with a lack of spontaneity, scheduling sex tends to “take away all the very real excuses I could otherwise use, like that I’m exhausted after working and getting the kids to bed,” says Holly Jenkins,* who has been married for two years and has three boys under the age of 10. “For couples in long-term relationships, planning a romantic interlude leads to a higher-quality, more enjoyable sexual experience,” says Victoria Zdrok Wilson, JD, PhD, who cowrote The 30-Day Sex Solution with her husband, John Wilson. Instead of thinking of calendar sex as unromantic, view it instead as a delicious form of foreplay. Send each other anticipatory texts, plan what you’ll wear (or not), and so on.
2. They lock the bedroom door.
This little bit of hardware is essential in a home with children, says Jennifer Flanders, who’s been married 24 years and has 12 children, ranging in age from 11 months to 23 years. She jokes that whenever the family moves to a new home, a new lock on the master bedroom tops the to-do list. Even if you don’t have a physical lock, creating a sense of boundaries is key, says Sacha Mohammed—married 14 years, with 7 children. “I always made sure the children were put to bed on time when they were little so my husband and I could have our time together; the kids were also taught to always knock to announce their presence.” According to Dr. Zdrok Wilson, “each couple needs to evaluate their environment and determine the optimal conditions for great sex.” For some, a lock may be enough to create an adults-only barrier. Others may need to go further to create a sensual, relaxing haven in their bedroom by banning electronic gadgets, computers and TVs, not to mention kids and their toys!
3. They have perfected the quickie.
During certain critical periods in a marriage––particularly when you’re new parents––time and energy are both at a premium. Couples who maintain a good sex life during these challenging times have learned to make the quickie something that’s good for both of them. If you’ve avoided speedy sex sessions in the past because it takes time for you to physically get in the mood, don’t underestimate the power of the mind-body connection. Try thinking of a place or time when the sex was amazing, and use it like a meditation, taking yourself back there in your mind, says Sharon Gilchrest O’Neill, marriage and family therapist and author of A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage. And “don’t be afraid of fantasizing,” she adds, because if you can figure out how to use 20 minutes to your advantage, you can avoid dry spells in your sex life.
4. They experiment.
“Be open to different ways of expressing yourself sexually,” says Jenkins. “As with music, people tend to like a mix of the predictable and unexpected.” You have to find the right balance between being adventurous and being conventional: Don’t be so conventional that it’s boring. But don’t be so adventurous that you lose your intimacy–or level of comfort. This could mean everything from positions to the overall attitude you bring to the intimate encounter. Sexual ruts––always doing it on a certain day, at a certain time, in a certain room––can breed boredom. Something as simple as mixing it up on the living room floor or in the shower can add some much-needed spice. Or get out of the house entirely. “Many couples report that they have the best sex when they’re not at home,” says Dr. Zdrok Wilson. “I call it ‘the dirty little motel’ syndrome.” And it doesn’t have to be limited to when you’re on vacation—hire a babysitter or drop the kids off at their grandparents’ house every once in a while so the two of you can book a room even if it’s only for a couple of hours.
5. They keep communicating.
Mohammed says that “excellent communication skills” is the top reason she and her husband continue to enjoy a satisfying sex life. “Before we got married, my husband told me we would talk about everything, and he meant it,” she says. There’s no other way to understand what your partner wants, needs or enjoys other than talking. And don’t make assumptions: You may be surprised to learn that what you thought was foolproof doesn’t really float his boat anymore, says Gilchrest O’Neill. “Save those conversations for when you’re not having sex, though in the actual moment, speak up about small adjustments your partner can make to increase enjoyment.
6. They avoid or reject excuses.
“Many of the excuses other couples use to avoid sex––like headaches, stress, tiredness or arguments––are some of the exact same reasons we choose to make sex a priority,” says Flanders. “Sex relieves pain, reduces stress, promotes better sleep and motivates us to settle our disagreements quickly.” Beware of letting excuses take on a life of their own, because, to use one example, the kids aren’t needy babies forever, and before you know it sex is so far on the back burner it’s fallen completely off the stove. “Brainstorm solutions to the things that get in the way of having sex,” suggests Gilchrest O’Neill. Tired? Go to bed earlier. Not enough time? Get creative with the hours or minutes you do have. However, if the root of your excuses isn’t fixable with practical changes (for example, if there are underlying problems or resentments), consider seeing a therapist.
7. They trust each other.
Jenkins cites her and her husband’s adventurous sex life, but is quick to add that for adventurousness to exist, it has to be preceded by trust. “Great sex is a reflection of the overall rapport and communication you have in other rooms of the house. To have trust with your spouse, you have to always try to build each other up outside the bedroom. If you say or do something critical or disrespectful to your partner during the day, why would he want to be naked and try something new with you later that evening?” she asks. Trust, comfort and ease with each other happens when you engage in active listening, says Dr. Zdrok Wilson. “You have to work on listening to your partner in an active, empathetic way and reciprocate by confiding in him, and baring your own feelings,” she says. Once you two feel like allies—not adversaries—your sex life will feel more honest and, hopefully, a lot hotter!
8. They care about their appearance and health.
“We still take pride in how we look for each other,” says Mohammed. Certainly staying in shape and paying attention to appearance helps you and your partner maintain the mood. But it’s not just about pleasing your partner’s eye; taking care of yourself makes you feel good about yourself. Not only that, but your libido is dependent on your overall health. “When you feel unhealthy, tired, ill or lacking in energy, you’re not likely to be motivated to engage in regular sexual activity,” says Dr. Zdrok Wilson. So, hit the gym, put on some makeup or dress up even if you’re not going anywhere. Do whatever makes you feel sexy and he’s guaranteed to notice.
Also Read This Great Related Articles
- 10 Reasons Why Having Sex Is Good For Your Health
- Hit the Snooze Button To Live Longer
- Use Common-Sense Lifestyle Tips for Longevity
- 5 Keys to Enhanced Sleep
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Benefits of Walking…!!
Walking is widely recommended for its health benefits. According to a recent U.S. Surgeon General report on physical activity and health in America, more than half of the U.S. population does not participate regularly in any type of exercise. That physical inactivity can lead to poor health.
The Surgeon General urged Americans to “get in shape,” encouraging everyone to get at least one-half hour of moderately vigorous activity (such as brisk walking) each day. The latest recommendations suggest that you should try to walk two miles at a brisk pace of three to four miles per hour nearly every day.
It is increasingly obvious that one of the best ways to maintain good health is through physical activity. Regular participation in exercise has been shown to be helpful in the prevention of such killers as heart disease, cancer, anddiabetes. Exercise also helps to control weight. (According to the latest research, one out of three Americans is obese.)
And because exercise helps to strengthen muscles and bones, it can even decrease your risk of developing diseases such as osteoporosis and arthritis.
Some of the most interesting and overwhelming evidence supporting the need to be physically active is from the research being conducted at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Kenneth Cooper, known as the “father of aerobics,” founded the Cooper Clinic in the early 1970s to investigate the effects of physical activity and fitness on health and longevity and to help people develop healthy lifestyles.
In July 1996, research from the Cooper Institute showed that participating in moderate to high levels of physical activity reduced the risk of dying from any given cause. This held true regardless of other risk factors. In other words, even if an individual suffers from high blood pressure or obesity, the chances of dying are lessened by maintaining at least a moderate level of fitness. This is remarkably good news, especially for individuals who have hereditary risk factors such as a family history of heart disease.
In 2007, Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, published an updated report on physical activity and public health. In order to make a recommendation on the amount of exercise necessary to benefit America’s health, an expert panel of scientists, including physicians, epidemiologists, exercise scientists, and public-health specialists reviewed research on physical activity and the impact of exercise on health.
Their conclusion was the same as the plea issued by the Surgeon General: “Every U.S. adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, or preferably all, days of the week.” The researchers determined that intermittent as well as sustained activity can be beneficial. In other words, on days when you can’t fit in a 30-minute walk, you can still garner fitness benefits by taking two or more shorter walks squeezed in throughout the day.
This may seem somewhat confusing to those of you who are well acquainted with previous recommendations to exercise for a sustained period of 20 to 60 minutes. The Surgeon General’s report is not meant to overshadow or replace these previously recommended exercise guidelines.
Exercising for a sustained period of time is still the best way we know to make improvements in your cardiorespiratory fitness. But for many, exercising for long periods of time can be intimidating. And most of us experience days when unforeseen events throw off our schedules and prevent us from having a solid block of time for exercise.
Significant health benefits can be realized by simply ceasing to sit and starting to move. The risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, and colon and breast cancers can be reduced just by becoming more physically active.
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10 Habits for a Stronger Heart
The smartest plan for attacking a heart attack is, of course, preventing one from ever happening. Choose three of the following strategies and make them a habit. The closer to the top, the more you reduce your risk of heart disease.
1. Convince Your Wife to Stop Smoking
Nonsmoking husbands of smoking wives face a 92 percent increase in their risk of heart attack. Breathing secondhand smoke boosts bad cholesterol levels, decreases good cholesterol, and increases your blood’s tendency to clot.
2. Work Out for 30 Minutes, Four Times a Week
Middle-aged men who exercise vigorously for 2 or more hours cumulatively per week have 60 percent less risk of heart attack than inactive men do.
3. Lose 10 to 20 Pounds
If you’re overweight, dropping 10 to 20 pounds lowers your risk of dying from a heart attack. A 10-year study found that overweight people had heart attacks 8.2 years earlier than normal-weight victims.
4. Drink Five Glasses of Water a Day
Men who drink that many 8-ounce glasses are 54 percent less likely to have a fatal heart attack than those who drink two or fewer. Researchers say the water dilutes the blood, making it less likely to clot.
5. Switch from Coffee to Tea
A recent study found that people who drink three cups of tea a day have half the risk of heart attack of those who don’t drink tea at all. Potent antioxidants, called flavonoids, provide a protective effect.
6. Eat Salmon on Saturday, Tuna on Tuesday
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health say that eating fish at least twice a week lowers heart-disease risk by more than 30 percent. The magic ingredient is the omega-3 fatty acids.
7. Ask Your Doctor About Vitamin E and Aspirin
Men who take both cut the plaque in clogged arteries by more than 80 percent, according to a recent University of Pennsylvania study.
8. Eat a Cup of Total Corn Flakes for Breakfast
This cereal contains one of the highest concentrations of folate (675 micrograms) of any cereal. Taking in that much folic acid daily cuts your risk of cardiovascular disease by 13 percent, according to researchers.
9. Count to 10
Creating a 10-second buffer before reacting to a stressful situation may be enough to cool you down. Men who respond with anger are three times more likely to have heart disease and five times more likely to have a heart attack before turning 55.
10. Eat Watermelon
It contains about 40 percent more lycopene than is found in raw tomatoes, and a new study shows that your body absorbs it at higher levels due to the melon’s high water content. Half a wedge can boost heart-disease prevention by 30 percent.
Hit the Snooze Button To Live Longer
Brunch at 10?
Make it 11.
As if not having circles under your eyes wasn’t a compelling enough reason to get enough sleep, here’s another biggie: You’ll be less likely to age from diabetes, the makes-you-sick- and-tired disease that affects more than 24 million Americans and 2 million Canadians.
While more than 80 million of us in North America have the genes for type 2 diabetes, very few of us have to express them, if we do the right things.
When researchers let people sleep just 5.5 hours a night for two weeks, they saw that the sleep-deprived folks had started to develop diabetes; they had increasedinsulin resistance and reduced glucose tolerance.
What does that mean?
Basically, your body has mailmen that take energy from food and place it inside the mailbox in your cells.
But with diabetes or insulin resistance, those mailmen can’t get the mail inside.
So glucose, like a posse of bored teenagers, hangs out in your bloodstream and causes all kinds of trouble.
That’s dangerous to your arteries, your brain, your immune system and your kidneys.
Previous research saw the risk for developing diabetes go up with far less sleep, but these scientists decided to test a more realistic scenario of just 5.5 hours (sound familiar?).
Too busy to get to bed earlier?
No, you’re not; especially since your life depends on it!
Try inching up your bedtime by 10 little minutes a night.
By this time next week, you may have dropped your risk of aging from diabetes.
