Positivity is the Key to Physicality

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While so many fitness articles are focused on physical action, physical diet, and physical results, they fail to acknowledge what I consider to be the true key to success: positivity. I know, I know. It’s not like positivity alone will grant you the abs you seek. But, what it will do, is act as a source of perpetual optimism and motivation. It is positivity that will drive you to succeed.

So many fail because so many fail to recognize their own accomplishments. They become bogged down in negativity while trying to better their self, and it is for this reason they ultimately fail. This negativity paradoxically becomes associated with getting better, and as a result, the individual in question soon stops trying to better their their self, because they feel crappy as a result. They associate the negative feelings with trying to get better. However, when you retain positivity as your source of motivation, when you remember what you do like about yourself as you better yourself, you have no negative association. Thus, your motivation takes care of itself, while you take care of yourself. I’ve listed some tricks below that I use on a daily basis in case you need a little inspiration:

  1. Remember three things you are grateful for. This will serve to remind you that life is already great. All you’re doing, is making it even better.
  2. Say out loud five things you love about yourself. This combats the negatives that we often become so focused on erasing when we diet and exercise. Rather than lose something, we are gaining something. This works wonders for continued motivation.
  3. Write down the habits you believe are necessary to achieve your goals. This way your routine will become ingrained in both your memory and your body. Your exercises will never be more than a thought away so long as you remind yourself of the routine necessary to achieve the body that you want.
  4. Remember the accomplishments you can already boast. It is through this that you will retain the confidence necessary to keep pushing yourself. You are more than capable; you’ve already done it. All you have to do is remember your past achievements that were more difficult to accomplish anyway. This is easy.

Remember yourself. Remember what you want. Remember who you are, and you will be what you want to be.

 

 

Phenomenal Follicles

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All too often we see our hair take a turn for the worse with seemingly no signs. We just wake up to unforeseen follicle dissatisfaction. Surprisingly enough however, the answer is often as simple as what you eat. It is for this reason that I’ve decided to list some of the most recommended cuisine when it comes to taking care of that fresh cut.

1. Salmon

Salmon is known to provide a pristine sheen to your head of hair. This delicious fish’s inclusion of large omega-3 fatty composition results in its well-known hair-shining properties. Your body, unable to produce these healthy fats, can fall victim to insufficiency when it is denied these ingredients. Thus, when you make it a point to indulge in this particular fish, both your health and your hair becomes stronger.

 2. Chickpeas

These delicious legumes are rich in protein, a necessary component for fortifying your scalp. Protein grows your follicles to glorious lengths while the chickpeas’ inherent keratins coat those same follicles to present a durable and resilient exterior. Face the elements without fear of breakage so long as Chickpeas are a staple in your diet.

3. Greek Yogurt

Packed in protein just like Chickpeas and Salmon, Greek Yogurt additionally boasts a unique ingredient that grows your hair at an optimum rate. Bear the hair you deserve while munching on spoonfuls of delectable Greek Yogurt. Who knew attaining the perfect head of hair could be so delicious?

4.Kale

Although not exactly known for its fantastic taste, Kale is known for its hair-growing properties. Specifically, the prevalence of Beta Carotene is converted into Vitamin A which is significant for a couple of reasons.

Primarily, Vitamin A serves to grow and replenish cells. This profound cellular generation naturally applies to your hair’s cells as well. Thus, Vitamin A grows hair. Plain and simple.

Additionally, Vitamin A is responsible for the production of Sebum. Sebum is the oily substance you often find in your hair after not washing thoroughly. Sebum is a good thing, believe it or not; and Vitamin A makes Sebum. So basically, Vitamin A grows your hair by way of cellular regeneration and then maintains those hairs by way of Sebum, a natural conditioner.

These are just a few foods that can keep your follicles looking their best. If you’re interested in learning more, you may want to check out this slideshow I came across doing research, here…

Myth of Supplement Danger

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It seems that as of late the press will often focus on the potential danger of new supplements in the vitamin market. While this is not necessarily untrue, especially when considering beginners who haven’t quite gotten used to experimenting with a healthier diet and overall lifestyle, it does seem to have blown out of proportion. That is, while there are some possible risks associated with new and emerging supplements that have not been on the market for long,  they are not exactly dangerous.

In fact, according to a recent study courtesy of the peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, there have been literally zero deaths at the hands of supplements. In this scenario, a supplement is being defined as “any amino-acid or single ingredient herbal product.” Said definition encompasses creatine, chondroitin, and melatonin to name but a few.

This information stems from a, to repeat, peer-reviewed, respected, and accurate medical journal entitled the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service. This is viable information from a valuable source that happens to disagree with the household name of the FDA. This information is being pulled from here. For further evidence and reading that that article actually pulls from, click here.

Now, of course some supplements can end up harnessing a negative impact on your body when taking too many at once. This sort of irresponsible consumption can be harmful in any regard though. If you exercise too much, you can become dehydrated. But if you drink too much water, you can develop water intoxication. If you stay out in the sun too long, you can develop skin cancer. It should honestly go without saying that too many supplements can be bad for you.

To be safe, one should always abide by the age-old idiom “everything in moderation.” Be responsible and take everything with a grain of salt even when that everything comes from the hand of authoritative sources like the Food and Drug Administration. Practice common sense. Practice rationality. There is no reason to go overboard when moderation will do the job just as well.

To be frank, something needed to be said considering the rampant negative publicity permeating the nutritional market today, especially when that negative publicity can become outright libel. Cheers friends. Have a good one.

Raising the Internal Thermostat

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Similar to your house’s thermostat which controls the internal temperature of your home, you have what I like to call an internal thermostat that controls how far you can go in achieving your goals, especially when it comes to your self image. You see, the way a thermostat works is that once you set it, for example, to 70 degrees, the thermostat will make sure that the temperature doesn’t deviate too far from that number. The same concept happens with our internal thermostat. Once we set a certain bar regarding how fit we can be, how much weight we can lose, or how successful we can be, we will never go higher or past that bar. In other words, that bar will limit our growth to whatever we set it, and that’s not good.

As a coach working in the fitness industry for 10+ years, I can attest to the fact that the number one factor that limits people’s transformation is how they perceive themselves and what they believe about themselves. The unfortunate reality is that most people see themselves in a negative light. They feel like they can only accomplish things to a certain point, but they don’t dare to go beyond those expectations. For example, when things become challenging, people’s natural tendency is to hyper-focus on the obstacle itself instead of focusing on the bigger picture – themselves as being overachievers who can and will overcome any obstacle. Moreover, people tend to settle for less because they simply don’t know how to change their self image. Committing to improving your health or losing weight can be tough, especially if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. Being disheartened by slow results or overwhelmed by confusing information is normal, I know. But don’t let that limit your expectations.

The key is to visualize yourself as achieving everything and anything you set out to do. Change whatever negative image you have of yourself and replace it with the right images, images that will motivate and inspire you to keep going. Make sure you don’t pigeonhole yourself into thinking you’ve gone as far as you can go and rise above and beyond that internal thermostat inside you. Remember, the sky’s the limit!

Great Foods That Alleviate Stress

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Being a human being is a difficult task, especially when you have stress from work, family, friends or other external circumstances that have a negative affect on how you operate sometimes. But, there is some awesome news–believe it or not, there are some foods out there that actually help with stress. You heard me right! Healthy, delicious food that will make you feel better about whatever forms of stress are affecting your day to day life.

Oatmeal

In addition to being an awesome insoluble fiber (lowers cholesterol and overall glycemic index), oatmeal is a great start to decrease stress. This breakfast food is a healthy choice to decrease belly fat while using serotonin for a calming solution to sooth any anxiety.

Oranges

German researchers found that consuming Vitamin C actually reduces elevations in cortisol, which is the most common stress hormone in your body. Oranges are also awesome for maintaining your system’s immune system and fighting sickness.

Salmon

Omega-3 anyone? Fish like salmon is a great nutritional source to reduce stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline from increasing when faced with a situation that really gets under your skin. A study at Ohio State University highlighted the fact that omega-3 fatty acids decrease anxiety by 20%. Pass that fish over!

Avocados

Due to their high potassium content, avocados have been shown to help reduce stress-related high blood pressure. These creamy gems contain more potassium than bananas–who would have thought right?

Broccoli

Broccoli contains folic acid, a vitamin that has been proven to reduce not only stress,  but also anxiety, panic, and depression. Not to mention that there are also a great source fiber any time of day.

Almonds

Nothing says relief like almonds, right? These gems are loaded with a ton of vitamins that increase serotonin to help relieve stress or anxiety.The zinc and magnesium combination in these nuts has been shown shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and improving its overall quality. I mean no one wants to fall asleep at their desk in their morning, right?

Blueberries

Loaded with antioxidants, blueberries are also rich in Vitamin C and also help reduce elevations in cortisol. These berries not only taste delicious, but also have a very low glycemic index which is a great plus!

 

The Ultimate Life Hack to Transform Your Diet…For Good

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FItnessThe amount of information out there about losing weight is simply mind-boggling. Whether it be anecdotal evidence from your friends and family, things you read online, or advice from a healthcare provider, almost anyone interesting in making a life change for the better is liable to not just find an abundance of data, but conflicting opinions on how to interpret it. This holds true over time as well. Many health-related insights that were widely accepted as true not too long ago are now subject to debate. On the other hand, we learn more and more about our bodies (and changing them for the better) each day.

When weeding through all the information at your disposal, there are a few ways to approach incorporating it into your life. Sometimes, you learn valuable information about the kinds of food you should or shouldn’t eat. In other instances, you might learn the science behind by that is the case. Perhaps most importantly, you learn how to adopt those nutritional insights into your lifestyle. Therein lies one of the greatest and most persistent challenges to a weight loss process. It is never enough to just learn about it – you need to be able to execute as well, meal after meal and day after day.

When you are hungry, if you are unhealthy, there is a decent chance that to make the right choice you need to battle both nature and nurture. Your body composition, hormones, and genetics overall could very well play a hand in your disposition towards less than optimal eating choice. Furthermore, a lifetime of developing poor habits can make it extremely difficult to reverse those patterns and adopt healthier practices. As such, if you are serious about being successful and reaching your fitness goals, you need all the help you can get. Fortunately, there is one simple best practice that, above all else, can help get you where you need to go.

Set yourself up for success.

What does this mean when it comes to eating right? Do whatever you need to do to ensure that when those hunger pangs hit and you need to satiate a craving, that you have planned in a way that eliminates failure as an option. One of the very best things you can do is only keep healthy foods in your house. Removing treats of any variety erase the possibility of you going overboard or abusing them. It is always important to live in a healthy way that is actually sustainable and, for nearly everyone, this does mean it will be both unavoidable and okay to indulge once in while. However, you need to do it on your own terms. Keeping cheat foods at home increase the likelihood that you lose control and go overboard with no real planning or legitimate cause to do so. If all you have is great, healthy options at home then that is what you will eat. Win the war against late night cravings by obliterating its arsenal against you and shopping smart. Your waistline will thank you.

How You Are Doing Your Weekly Weigh-In Wrong…and How To Fix It

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weight loss scaleTracking weight loss is a crucial part of ensuring that your hard work to improve your lifestyle is more than just an empty exercise in discipline, but actually yielding results. However, you may be surprised to learn that the information the scale volunteers is far from stagnant! A recent study by the Public Library of Science concluded that some days are statistically proven to be more reliable indicators of your progress than others. Sound crazy? Just read on to learn the very reasonable truth behind this shocking discovery.

However, there are certainly details to consider about weight data collection overall, first. One truth to always remember is that weight will always naturally fluctuate day-to-day. As a result, most experts will agree that weekly check-ins are more than just enough, they are actually preferable to checking your weight daily. Weighing yourself just once a week is much more illustrative of trends in the right (or wrong) direction. Doing so daily may just serve to discourage you, as you obsess over the natural ebb and flow of progress.

Checking your weight once a week, ideally first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything, will provide a much truer sense of your results and better consistency. The surprising additional finding in this study was that, when weighing yourself once every seven days, the day you pick actually matters.

The best day to weigh yourself is Wednesday.

The Public Library of Science discovered a few things. First ,when maintaining weight, Wednesday revealed the least weekly fluctuation, creating the most reliable readings. Wednesday also proved to be the day when study participants happened to weight the least week over week, which does make sense. People tend to indulge slightly more over the weekend, so weighing in right in the middle of the stretch between Sunday and Saturday give your the most time to get back into your body’s best form.

Weigh yourself and log your progress just once a week, on Wednesday morning, before doing anything else. This will paint the most accurate picture of your progress towards your best body ever.

The Secret Ingredient To Guaranteed Weight-Loss Success

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In Joel Osteen’s best-selling book Your Best Life Now he recounts the tale of a man on a cruise across the Atlantic Ocean. This individual was having a wonderful time with his fellow seafaring company but, every time meal time rolled around, he would excuse himself and go back to his room to eat cheese and crackers he brought with him rather than partake in the dining hall’s fancy culinary offerings. This behavior was consistent day after day, so finally another passenger worked up the nerve to ask about it towards the end of the trip. “Why don’t you join us in the dining hall tonight for dinner?” the passenger inquired.

The man responded, seemingly embarrassed, “Well, to tell you the truth, I only had enough money to purchase my ticket.  I don’t have any extra money to purchase fancy meals.”

At this, the other passenger startled and responded, ““Sir, don’t you realize the meals are already included in the price of the ticket?  Your meals have already been paid for!”

Upon hearing about this anecdote, it is easy to jump into a position of judgement and condescension. However, in life, many of us often display the exact same thinking patterns that caused this man to miss out on so many delightful meals and such a huge portion of what his trip experience should have been.

Your potential is limitless! That is true for every single person. Unfortunately, the perspective to realize and embrace this truth is not very common. We all make decisions every day – some of these prevent us from leveraging the excellence that is already within us. Just by virtue of being alive, we have already purchased so many metaphorical meals. But instead of walk confidently into the dining hall, we can sometimes fall into the bad habit of presuming the worst and missing out on opportunities in favor of settling for our own version of cheese and crackers. Choose to believe in yourself, instead.

The most important thing you can do, and the secret ingredient to succeeding when it comes to losing weight (or, truly, anything else) is the courage to commit to it. Do not get comfortable in complacency. Life is much too short to stagnate. Take action. Stop walking away from the amazing things your life could be and start making it happen. You can do or accomplish anything you put your mind to. Act like it!