Food Is Medicine

In life, we are given too many choices; as a result, we make some bad ones. In particular, many of us make many wrong food choices when it comes to our diet: we eat what we are not supposed to eat, and do not eat what we are supposed to eat. In other words, we forget that food is medicine.

Food is medicine, because it gives the energy for growth and development. At birth, we all got our nutrients in the food consumed by our mothers during pregnancy. So, some of us were healthy babies, and some were not so lucky. After that, we are pretty much on our own, especially when we grow up. Our food choices produce the energy we need to grow and maintain our bodies throughout our lives. In that respect, food is medicine.

Food is medicine because we obtain self-made energy from food. As we age, our self-made energy from the food we have consumed over the years begins to decline, and this is evidenced by our inability or difficulty to cope with the stressors of life. These stressors may have come in many different forms, such as overexposure to sunlight, polluted air, contaminated water, and a host of other lifestyle factors of modern life. After decades of abuse to our bodies, our choices - whether we have made them knowingly, or they have been imposed unwittingly on ourselves - begin to take their toll, resulting in the development of chronic conditions and degenerative diseases. To add insult to injury, our metabolic slowdown that comes with the natural process of aging makes it even more difficult to maintain our health and energy. Instead of focusing on the concept of food is medicine, many of us begin to resort to a quick fix of our health problems, which is the use of dangerous pharmaceutical drugs.

Remember, all drugs are toxic chemicals that address the symptoms without removing the causes of our health conditions. Food is medicine; use good food choices instead of dangerous pharmaceutical drugs.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, once said: "Let food be your medicine, and your medicine your food." Take a step further: Let food be the "only" medicine. If you have developed a degenerative disease, start thinking of food is medicine, in fact, the best medicine, if not the "only" medicine. Your body is designed to digest and utilize food to get its nutrients and energy. But only wholesome food can do that - not even supplements, because supplements are just what they are called.

If food is medicine - the "only" medicine for you, you will empower yourself with knowledge about food, and you will pursue a proper diet with high-quality, non-toxic, nutritious superfoods. That means, you will refrain from eating those commercially prepared and chemically loaded processed foods obtainable at the supermarket. When food becomes the "only" medicine, you will also learn to trust your body; that is, you will learn what your body is telling you, and how it responds to real, wholesome food. Food is medicine!

When you do become sick, you should also learn how to use herbs as medicine. Herbs from different parts of plants have different therapeutic values that promote self-healing without the use of dangerous pharmaceutical drugs. As a matter of fact, many common herbs, such as cinnamon, garlic, and ginger, have been used as "food" medicine for thousands of years. According to a Chinese saying, "You can never draw a line between foods and herbs. Herbs can cure many common ailments, such as constipation, cholesterol, high blood pressure, with little or no side effects. For example, use ginger 's anti-inflammatory properties to fight arthritis pain and nausea; use hawthorn berries for your cardiovascular health; use aloe juice to cure an upset stomach. So, why take dangerous pharmaceutical drugs?

If food is your "only" medicine, you will make good food choices, such as the use of healing foods for health improvement and self-healing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5825480

How Failure is KEY to your Success (game changing advice)

Mindset for how to deal with failure

Small Steps to Success

Habits are essentially what define us. Good habits result in positive routines, efficiency and order. Reversely, bad habits take us in the opposite direction and lock us into rigid, negative patterns of behaviour.

Our happiness or lack thereof, success or lack of and even health and fitness levels are all tied into and the result of daily habits.

The stark reality is, we may know how to eat healthy, how to exercise and how to get in shape yet we find ourselves no closer to reaching our goals than we were months back. We may have the best intentions to improve ourselves but find we are still "wallowing" and practicing the same destructive habits.

What gives?

It is, for the most part, hard to form new, healthy, "lasting" habits even with the best intentions to become better. However, there is a way to move past these seeming "stumbling blocks" of resistance that arise and try to keep us locked into damaging, unhealthy habits.

What is this secret formula we can follow that renders these blocks neutral?

Believe it or not, there is a lot of science behind the process of habit formation and a "habit-forming" formula that actually works is available for anyone to use.

Here's the secret:

"Dream big; start small."

In other words, pick just one habit that you want to change for the better. Keep it small and attainable and focus your energy on that small/tiny habit for a period of 21 days to one month. By keeping it small and simple, you eliminate the temptation to say "no," and the more likely you are to keep going.

To be successful, this new "tiny habit" must be -

A behaviour you can do at least once a day

Something that takes less than 30 seconds to complete

Requires little effort but is relevant to the full behaviour

The key is to not "bite off more than you can chew." Literally. Drop the illusive idea that your life goals must be big audacious things that are only achievable when the timing is right, or you have better resources or you finally catch that "big break."

Waiting for your "big break" before moving forward is like Charlie Brown sitting in the pumpkin patch waiting for the "Great Pumpkin" to appear. It's not going to happen. In fact, it's the small steps... the baby steps that you intentionally take that "move energy" in the physical realm and this is what draws your "big break" to you.

Remember, you can't light a big fire, you must first spark it and then feed it kindling. View your life goals as tiny, daily behaviours (sparks) that are repeated until a successful habit is formed.

"Doing it" is what counts, and by keeping things small and attainable, you are much more likely to "do it."

What seeds of change would you like to see manifest in your life this week that could grow into a healthy character quality or habit?

Want to begin exercising? That's admirable. Shoot for just five minutes a day for one week. That's all it takes. You can do this!

Cooking from scratch? No problem. Set your sights on creating one meal from scratch daily or per week to begin with. Design it around your schedule without adding stress.

Want to get out of debt? Start by saving an extra "defined amount of money" per week. Or begin earning that much more weekly.

Don't try to earn it all at once.

Once you decide to create a new habit in a "small way" you harness the power of your subconscious mind making it easier to do once established.

Examine and select one small habit that you can start on today that will help improve your life status.

Take baby steps towards shifting this habit from negative to positive and find ways to stay accountable. Piggyback your new healthy habit onto an older, established habit or something you do on a regular basis and watch as it seamlessly becomes part of your routine. Easy peasy!

As your small tasks get easier to complete, slowly expand your goals and efforts while building more momentum with future victories. Racking up those "small victories," especially when beginning, makes it easier to continue enjoying more "small victories."

Wise Chinese Proverb:

"It is better to make many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10533435

Binge sleeping explained & it’s role in insomnia.

Binge-sleeping, Naps And No Tracking Help Put Bad Habits To Bed

As we start the new year with a renewed focus on our health and wellbeing, it’s time to put some bad habits to bed… and sleep is no exception.

Last year we saw the start of the ‘clean-sleeping’ and ‘smart sleep tracking’ trends; but in my opinion, this quest for more shut eye resulted in us losing sleep.

Putting a number on how many hours of sleep we should get just isn’t realistic. When we talk about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sleep we’re creating fear about something that is as personal to you as a fingerprint.

This constant concern about not getting enough sleep can cause us to actually lose sleep. I’m encouraging Brits to make 2018 the year we all say goodnight to sleep anxiety.

To help Brits shake off sleep anxiety this year here are my six trend predictions for 2018:

1. Sleep binging

Yes, a full night’s sleep every night is the ultimate goal, but for most people, this is an unrealistic expectation because they have children or work long hours. So, when you get the opportunity for a good, long sleep – take it.

Recharging your batteries with an extra-long slumber at the weekend or during a holiday is something we should embrace and enjoy. Regular sleep binges will help your body to do all the repairing it needs to do – so don’t feel guilty about having an early night, or an extra lie in.

2. The rise of the anti-trackers

Modern society has taught us to count everything. Whether it’s the calories we consume or how many steps we take each day, most of the time counting helps us to develop better habits.

However, putting a number on how many hours of sleep we should be getting can exacerbate anxiety about not being able to get enough. With more of us counting sleep rather than sheep, 2018 should be the time when we reflect as individuals on what we need, and what we can realistically achieve.

If you are someone who struggles to nod off, or you find yourself waking up during the night, don’t be tempted to check the time. This immediately causes your brain to calculate how many hours of sleep you’ve clocked and stimulates it with light, making it less likely that you’ll fall asleep again quickly.

3. Made-to-measure sleep

I hear people say all the time that they ‘don’t sleep well’, however, when you dig a bit deeper, most of the time they are comparing themselves with those (literally) closest to them – usually their partners or the people they live with.

Instead of judging yourself on the habits of others, ask yourself how you feel about your sleep. The amount of sleep someone needs really varies, and we need to think about our individual needs when it comes to getting a good night’s rest.

4. Losing the race to bed

This year we want to encourage people to lose the race to bed. In the evening, we naturally start to relax and feel sleepy, whether it’s in front of the TV or elsewhere. We then realise it’s time for bed and rush to prepare. This adrenaline stimulates our bodies and makes it harder to drop off.

I encourage people to lose this race to bed and instead do all the necessary bed-preparation before they sit down to relax. Get your PJs on and teeth brushed before chilling out. Avoid screens, dim the lights and let yourself relax. Once you feel sleepy, just take yourself straight to bed.

5. Holistic help

If you regularly struggle with sleep, or even if you just want to find out how to improve your personal sleep pattern, a health assessment is a great way to get feedback on your entire lifestyle.

During a health assessment at a Bupa Health Clinic, we show our customers that there’s no such thing as a ‘normal’ night’s sleep, and help to build a picture of what would work for you as an individual. This gets people to become more aware of their personal needs and follow their own rules about sleep. Rest assured, learning how to get a good night’s sleep will help with every area of your life as you’ll have more energy.

6. Boost energy levels with a nap

It may be hard to work around work but a short nap of 20-30 minutes can help improve mood, alertness and performance, especially in the early afternoon when blood sugar levels are low.

Just remember that naps shouldn’t replace long periods of sleep, as this is when the real work begins and our bodies really get the chance to rejuvenate and repair.

And like everything to do with rest, it’s entirely personal – naps may be great for some while others will find it difficult to include in their day-to-day routine – and that’s absolutely fine!

By :Dr Petra Simic

Clinical Director of Bupa UK Health Clinics

An Article from: www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

One of the Greatest Speeches Ever...

Steve Jobs

Such Wise Words 🙏

You Can Do The Hard Things

Former US President Theodore Roosevelt's wise words:

"Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty... I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well."

These positive, wise words can, unfortunately explain away negative situations such as "advance aging" because advanced aging is most often the result of backing off from doing the hard things, especially regarding our health.

In life, we are constantly tempted to take "the path of least resistance" because, well, it's the easiest and usually the quickest way. But easy does not translate to better nor does it translate to growth. Easy translates to lazy. And, when it comes to our health, lazy translates to disease and "advanced-aging."

An Exchange of Energy -

Have you ever really gotten anything of lasting value in your life without some form of valuable/energy/ monetary exchange? Certainly nothing that has any lasting value comes free because everything is an energy exchange.

When we put a little energy into accomplishing or achieving something, the "little" value we receive back matches. But when we push the envelope and challenge ourselves to do the harder thing, to reach beyond our current limits, our ROI grows expoentially.

There's no better example of this than lifting weights in the gym - one of the best things we can do to sculpt our bodies and strengthen our muscles. What's hard today, won't be after many repetitions. Enjoying the benefits that stronger muscles provides us demands that we continually challenge ourselves by adding more weight.

There is no gain in life without some sort of stretch/pain. It's called evolutionary growth and all human emotional, mental and physical challenges hold within them the greatest opportunity for growth.

Rather than avoid the "hard stuff," we need to see the "silver lining" hidden within the hard stuff and stop running away from a race we can never win.

Perceptions are Key

Shifting our perceptions is the starting point. Seeing challenges as opportunities for growth is the clear answer to confronting fear and eliminating its paralyzing effects. Challenges boost our adrenalin and energy output and increase our heart rate but not the same way as a "fight or flight" response would.

Different hormones are released when we're faced with challenges; we're more focused and able to access our mental and physical faculties easier.

We've become weak as humans, literally and figuratively because we "take the easy way out" too often. This explains the reasons we are currently experiencing a global health crisis.

We want to be healthier but it's "too hard to lift weights or make time to go to the gym

We want to be healthier but it's too hard to let go of unnecessary easy things eating up time

We want to be healthier but it's "too hard" to give up our destructive diet in lieu of nutrient dense foods

We want to be healthier but we don't want to take time to cook and prep our own meals. It's too hard and so we opt for "fast foods"... (the only thing fast about fast foods is how quickly they destroy our health).

We want to be healthier but want it as a gift, not something we've earned through "hard work" and as a reward for adjusted lifestyles

We want to be healthier without putting forth any "hard effort"

Easy doesn't push the envelope. Life is not set up to operate that way. Life is set up as a reward - give and take system. What you put in, you get out. It's really that simple.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

-Thomas A. Edison

Pushing challenges aside and continuing to opt for the easy way sends very clear messages to our minds and to our body that we are satisfied with our lot in life. Life returns the same to us and rather than pushing the door to new opportunity wide open or healing us from the inside out, it begins the process of sedentary decay.

The raw truth is, we are either moving in a forward direction by tackling the "hard stuff" or we subtly move ourselves in a negative direction by staying in our comfort zone of safety.

Success at anything is directly connected to sacrifice. Sacrifice most often means giving up something in exchange for something else.

The "good" we're all searching for in life is cleverly wrapped up in a willingness to tackle the "hard things" rather than wimp through the easy ones. Our current health status is the perfect example and reason to begin tackling the "hard things."

It's time we traded our "easy path" false delusions about getting healthy for some real growth "hard solutions" because we cannot move forward or heal completely from any health crisis, personal or global until we address the causes. If we have not focused on and addressed the initial causes, it is only a matter of time before another global health catastrophe reappears cleverly disguised in a "different virus or disease."

"It is better to make many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10546502