and what happens to your body when you're stressed.... When we are stressed, it is very easy to develop negative thinking patterns because we become frustrated by our challenges and feelings of overwhelm. This negative outlook then makes it even harder for us to manage the problems that come up and to move forward and break through the cycle of stress. I know this sounds pretty woowoo wahwah but ... ... practicing thinking positive thoughts can help us to focus on our strengths and accomplishments, which increases our confidence which in turn increases our motivation and so our harmony & balance. And by being in a positive frame of mind this allows us to spend more time making progress, and less time feeling down and stuck. The following tips provide practical suggestions that you can use to help you shift into more positive thinking patterns: 1. Take Good Care of Yourself It's much easier to be positive when you are eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest. 2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For Stresses and challenges don't seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in your life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference.
3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member's bad mood is due to something you did, or that your co-workers are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back, speak up and ask them. Don't waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about. 4. Refrain from Using Absolutes Have you ever told a partner "You're ALWAYS late!" or complained to a friend "You NEVER call me!"? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like 'always' and 'never' makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering. 5. Detach From Negative Thoughts Your thoughts can't hold any power over you if you don't judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and don't follow it. 6. Squash the "ANTs" In his book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," Dr. Daniel Amen talks about "ANTs" - Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like "Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me," or "The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!" When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them! 7. Practice Lovin', Touchin' & Squeezin' (Your Friends and Family) You don't have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick me-up. 8. Increase Your Social Activity By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people, and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way! 9. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return. 10. Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focus on something negative. It's never productive, because it's not rational or solution-oriented, it's just excessive worry and stress. Try changing your physical environment - go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music. It’s important to understand the signs of stress and react with a positive way of handling it such as these 10 tips.
The key to busting stress is making sure that you look after YOU. Have a look at your work life, your personal life and social life to see if there are any areas you can create more harmony. You might be surprised on what you find. Is your waist measurement greater than 80cm? You could be sliding towards pre-diabetes. But apart from your waistline, how would you know that you're on the way to this dangerous state?
How Does It Happen? When you eat a food that is digested into glucose - bread, pasta, sugary foods like muffins, biscuits, cakes, icecreams, whole grains, fruit & vegetables - insulin is released into your bloodstream. Insulin is the key that opens your cells up to accept the glucose so that they can use the glucose for energy. When the cells are full and cannot take in anymore glucose - glucose can't remain your bloodstream because it will cause damage to our body's organs and tissues - so the glucose is turned to fat and stored in your abdominal cavity. It goes by the name, visceral fat. When you generally have a high amount of glucose in your blood stream, your cells stop responding to the insulin. It's like they have changed the locks - so the insulin can't open them - and that means you are insulin resistant. With insulin resistance comes increased fat storage. Increased fat storage is the beginning of lifestyle diseases like type-2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer. What can you do to change things around?
Exercise or movement lowers blood sugar levels, because the glucose is being used to provide energy for your exercise. It also boosts your body's sensitivity to insulin. This means that your cells will open up for insulin and take in the glucose that is flowing in your blood stream. By losing 5% of your total body weight you can reduce your risk up to 60%!! That means that if you weigh 80kgs, then losing just 4kgs can have a big health impact. When it comes to your waist measurement, for every cm over 80cm, this is an indication that you need to lose a kilogram. Got a waist measurement of 89cm? Then you can aim to lose 9kgs. Remember, of course, that the scale and her numbers are not always a good guide of your progress. A better guide is keeping track of measurements. A loss in cms is a better indicator that you are losing fat. Would you like help in losing the muffin top? And changing the way your body looks and feels? Feeling like you could do more because you have buckets of energy? Get on the wait list for Ditch & Switch - A 12 Week Program to Lose Belly Fat & Gain Energy A healthy brain is an essential part of every human being; a positive mindset is also an important function and plays a significant role. But stress, inadequate sleep and a poor diet can lead to a foggy feeling that includes confusion, lack of memory, and poor work focus. To relieve these symptoms, Matcha green tea was introduced by the Zen Monk, Eisai, in 1191 A.D. Matcha green tea is considered to be the healthiest form of green tea. It comes from a tea plant name ‘Camellia Sinensis.’ Let’s explore what Matcha tea is, and how it can clear that brain fog. Matcha green tea: We're so busy in our lives that we can sometimes forget to take care of our health. This can result in a lot of stress-related issues. Matcha is a strong and powerful instrument that helps boost energy levels and brain health. Matcha is made from entire green tea leaves. Its effect on brain health is more than 10 times that of regular green tea. Most people like it because it boosts energy intensity in a unique way and increases your focus. Matcha helps attention span and is considered a mental superfood. Matcha green tea has caffeine but this is not the primary source of boosting energy because it also has an amino acid known as l-theanine. Read more about L-Theanine... This plays a vital role in brain-boosting skills and abilities. Drinking matcha green tea supports a fresh, calm, relaxed feeling and encourages a more powerful and attentive feeling. This is a healthy habit to add to your to-do list. Benefits of Matcha tea There are a lot of benefits to enjoying a daily cup of matcha green tea, such as:
We have a guest post from Lee Foulis -
Lee is a Life Coach of 10 years who currently practices on the beautiful South Coast of KZN. She has a Facebook Page called Life is Choices * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TWO WOLVES Two wolves live inside each of us, according to an old Cherokee fable. "My son, the fight is between two wolves. One is evil. It is angry, envious, jealous, sorrowful, regretful, greedy, arrogant, self-pitying, guilty, resentful, inferior, dishonest, proud, superior, and egotistical. The other is good. This wolf is joyful, peaceful, loving, hopeful, serene, humble, kind, benevolent, empathetic, generous, truthful, compassionate, and faithful." His grandson thinks for a while, and then asks: "Which wolf wins, Grandfather?" T he old Cherokee simply replies, "The one you feed." Self awareness is very important. We like to blame others for our woes and whilst this may feel good for a while, you are also giving away your personal power by blaming others. By doing this you put yourself at the mercy of others who, you think, are sabotaging you. This is of course not true. You are the only one sabotaging yourself and the only one responsible for the choices you make and their consequences.
The more responsibility you accept the further your wings will stretch. So, decide to take full responsibility for your happiness, relationships, career, health and fitness. It is the only then will you succeed. So, which wolf are you feeding? Share with a Friend Forward to a Bestie |
Categories
All
POPULAR POSTS
Archives
January 2021
|