Get Creative in the Kitchen: Delicious Ways to Make…

Make Your Meals More Exciting

Here are 7 tips to help add some variety to your mealtimes.

Mix It Up The best way to keep your meals exciting is to use a variety of foods in your meals and introduce new ingredients whenever possible. This keeps your family from getting tired of the same food week after week. It’s also a healthier way to eat. Including a wide variety of foods in your diet is the best way to ensure that you get all the nutrients your body needs. Spend some time browsing the aisles at your supermarket and looking for new ingredients to try, or find ideas in downloadable cookbooks online or just purchase meals ready to eat!

Food-SpicesTry New Spices There’s no simpler way to give a dish a makeover than by adding a little spice to it. Add cayenne pepper or chili powder for a little heat, or spice up your meat with herbs like rosemary, basil, and mint. The possibilities are endless, and it can completely transform your old, boring dish into something completely new! To infuse the flavor of the spices into your food, marinate your meat or veggies for 12-24 hours beforehand in the refrigerator.

Variety of Colors One way to make your meals more interesting is by using foods of different colors at each meal. It will look more attractive on the plate, and your family will be more likely to clean their plates. If you serve multiple veggies or a salad, make sure to include some color variety there as well. A plate full of greens is not going to be appealing to most children.

textures-for-foodAdd Texture Just like you want to include foods of different colors in each meal, you should also try to include foods of different textures. If the main dish is a soup or stew, make sure to include something crunchy like fresh carrot sticks, crackers, or a garnish of nuts. Vary your texture from day to day as well – try not to serve soup for 2 or 3 days in a row, for example.

Grill It! A grill is a great way for infusing extra flavor into your foods, and it can help to add some variety during the summer months. The good news is you can cook just about anything on the grill, from veggies to main dishes to desserts. You can also use an indoor electric grill during colder weather–it won’t be quite the same as the “real thing,” but you can enjoy the smoky flavor of the grill all year long.

Kids-CookingLet Your Kids Help If you have kids who are picky eaters, one of the best ways to get them excited about their food is to let them help prepare it. Let them choose their favorite recipes (within reason!) and take part in the cooking process as much as they are able. Look for kid-friendly recipes in downloadable cookbooks online to get started. This is a great way to bond with your children and encourage them to eat new foods at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 


Characteristics of the Flavored Woods

Wood plays a very vital role in making your smoking food scrumptious. With electric or charcoal barbecue smokers, smoking food has become an easy task to do. Consider using these types of wood to enhance the flavor of your meats. Apple, Cherry, Hickory, Mesquite, Oak, Pecan, Maple, and Alder are the flavors that enhance your food.

Apple-WoodApplewood

Is a slightly sweet and denser fruity smoke flavor that is best used with beef, poultry, game birds, and ham.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cherry-woodCherry wood

This is a sweet fruity-smoke flavor that is good to go with all meats.

 

 

 

 

hickory-woodHickory

Is a pungent, smoky, bacon-like flavor and is the most common wood, best used with pork, and ribs.

 

 

 

 

mesquite-woodMesquite wood

Is a strong earthy flavor, best to go with most meats especially beef and most vegetables.

 

 

 

OakOakwood

Oh, this heavy smoke flavor is best used with red meat, pork, fish, and heavy game.

 

 

 

Pecan-WoodPecan Wood

This is similar to the hickory flavor, best used with pork, and fish meat.

 

 

 

 

Maple-WoodMaple wood

Is a mildly smoky somewhat sweet flavor and is best used with meat, cheese, and vegetable.

 

 

 

Alderwood-TreeAlderwood

A very delicate hint of sweetness that is best used with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.

 

 

 

 

Black-WalnutBlack Walnut 

This heavy smoke flavor is usually mixed with lighter woods like pecan and apple flavor, best to use with red meat and game. This process doesn’t cook your food but gives it food smoky flavor.

 

 

 

 


Here’s how to solve the eggshell sticker…

Make Your Meals More Exciting

 

Oh yea, here is something that has perplexed me for a while. It’s one of the annoying things about eating eggs that are cooked by boiling is attempting to unpeel them. I have never fully understood exactly why some eggs you’ll be able to peel so effortlessly yet others you wind up sacrificing half an egg from the peeling method. Therefore, here are several tips that might help ease some of that aggravation.

  1. Use older eggs. Eggs that are a couple of weeks older or longer typically will peel a little easier in contrast to if they’re fresh.
  2. Put the egg in the water at the boiling point. That egg white is going to bond more firmly to the membrane layer inside the eggshell if the eggs are cooked less quickly. Introducing a cold egg into the boiling water stops this from occurring.
  3. Following that first temperature shock, shut the heat down. This will enable the eggs to cook at a reduced rate, which will allow the yolks to cook before the egg whites turn out to be overcooked, and thus rubbery.
  4. Before peeling refrigerate to chill your eggs. When the egg is colder its structure will be firmer, and as the egg shell is removed craters probably will not be made in the egg whites. Holding it in the fridge overnight before peeling ought to also help.
  5. Crack your eggshell throughout and peel under running water. Slowly breaking up a shell into smaller portions prevents more eggs to attach themselves to the white exterior. The cold running water helps to keep the surface of the egg firm. Having an egg organizer helps keep your eggs sorted by dates.
  6. Eggs are good cholesterol and help with testosterone, all with the beautiful protein. I eat four eggs everyday and feel good.

These would be only some techniques to help to keep your boiled egg unaltered when peeling. I have found they will work in basically all cases, nevertheless for some reason often there are eggs which will always be difficult. This however should not stop us from making eggs a staple in our diet.

 

 

The Incredible Health Benefits of Cabbage

According to Ancient Roman healers, breast cancer could be cured by rubbing on pastes made from cabbage. Not long ago, modern scientists would have considered this practice as Folklore, but now they are not so sure.

Jon Michnovicz, president of the Foundation for Preventive Oncology in New York City says: “Studies have shown that if you make cabbage into a paste and rub it on the backs of laboratory animals, you can prevent the development of Tumors.

But the best way to absorb the health properties of cabbage is to eat it, of course.

Cabbage can fight off breast, lung, and prostate cancer. It also contains a wealth of nutrients that can protect you against heart disease, birth defects, and digestive problems, and lowers the risk of cataracts. One study found that eating four servings of cruciferous vegetables, like cabbage, per week, reduced the risk of dying from any cause by 26 %.

 Healing Properties of Cabbage Cabbage, like other cruciferous vegetables, contains several compounds that can help prevent cancers, according to studies. Researchers reviewed almost 100- studies that showed the relationship between brassica vegetables, such as cabbage, and cancer. They found that in 70% of the studies cabbage consumption was related to a lower risk of Cancer.

Scientists found that there are two compounds in Cabbage that make it a cancer-preventing food. The first one, Indole-3-Carbinol, or I3C, is especially effective against breast cancer, according to research. The compound act as an Antiestrogen, which means that it removes harmful estrogens that have been linked to Breast Cancer. “There was no doubt that if we gave women pure I3C, it would work,” says Dr. Michnovicz. But for the average person, eating cabbage or another cruciferous vegetable, such as broccoli, would have the same effect.

The second compound in cabbage, named Sulforaphane, proved to protect against breast cancer, by inhibiting carcinogens and aiding in DNA repair. Women in Poland eat three times as much cabbage as women in the United States 30 lbs a year compared to 10 lbs in the US. Women in Poland also use to eat more raw cabbage, sauerkraut, and short-cooked cabbage as a side dish, instead of boiled or slow-cooked cabbage. Compounds in cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables are also protective against Lung Cancer. A study of Chinese women in Singapore, a city with a high level of air pollution, found that non-smokers who ate cruciferous vegetables reduced their risk of lung cancer by 30%.

Smokers who ate cruciferous vegetables reduced their risk of lung cancer by 69%.

savoy-cabbageCabbage also protects against Prostate Cancer. A study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle found that men who ate three or more servings of cruciferous vegetables each week lowered their risk of prostate cancer by 44 percent. Cabbage is a cook’s best friend. It’s versatile, inexpensive, readily available, and easy to prepare. The only thing is the unpleasant smell. But there is a remedy against it. Next time you want to cook cabbage, add a Celery stalk or a whole English Walnut (in the shell) to the pot. This will neutralize the smell.

Or, cook the cabbage quicker, stir-frying it in a wok or skillet, rather than boiling it for a long time. To preserve the beneficial compounds in cabbage, experts recommend eating cabbage raw. If you must cook your cabbage, steam it lightly, (5 minutes or less), to retain the phytonutrients and maximize their availability. Don’t microwave cabbage, because it decreases the amount of Sulforaphane. Don’t boil cabbage either. In one study, 90 percent of the glycosylates were found in cooking water. 

Don’t buy halved or shredded cabbage, because it loses its Vitamin C content quickly when cut. When you get your cabbage home, place the whole head (in a plastic bag) in the fridge. To promote the production of the most glycosylates, slice or chop cabbage and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before cooking.

Antioxidant Protection. You have read about antioxidants in presiding articles, like Vitamin C and E and Beta-Carotene. They do an excellent job by protecting you and neutralizing free radicals, which damage healthy tissues throughout the body, causing heart disease, cancer, and other serious conditions. All cruciferous vegetables are loaded with these antioxidant compounds. Researchers found that a half-cup of red cabbage contains more antioxidants than a cup of Green Tea, which has long been considered to be a super antioxidant source.

bok-choyTwo cabbages, Bok choy, and Savoy are also excellent sources of Beta-Carotene, a nutrient that other cabbages don’t have in abundance. High blood levels of Beta-Carotene are related to fewer cases of heart attacks, certain types of cancer, and cataracts.

These cabbages are also excellent sources of vitamin C, which has proved to boost immunity, as well as reduce blood pressure and heart disease. A half-cup serving of raw Bok choy provides 16 milligrams of Vitamin C, 27% of the Daily Value (DV) for this Vitamin, while the same amount of raw Savoy Cabbage supplies 11 milligrams or 18 % of the DV. These same cabbages are also decent sources of B Vitamin Folate. Half-cup of either of those provides about 35 milligrams, or 9 % of the DV.

Your body needs Folate for normal tissue growth. Studies have proved that Folate also may protect against certain forms of Cancer, including Cervical, Colorectal, and Lung Cancers, Heart Disease, and Birth Defects.

Also, research shows that women are at high risk for Folate deficiency, especially if they take Birth Control pills.

-Adrian Joele

Winning the War on Our Money: A Psychological Battle

Our Money: Fighting a Psychological Battle

Fighting a Psychological BattleAcross the world, governments and populations alike are encountering the same challenges – namely, how to treat the coronavirus and prevent its spread.

But this is just the beginning. Certainly, in the here and now – in the immediate future – bringing the virus under control is the priority, and we salute the legions of scientists, medical personnel, and key workers who are making that happen every day. But what comes next? How do we deal with the economic depression that follows such a crisis? How do we avoid global recession? There is one thing we must do: We must not give in. We must not roll over and simply accept the worst case as inevitable.

And we won’t. This is not the way that we – as a species – do things. If the last few months have taught us anything, it is that the incredible resilience of humanity is still alive and well. Even in the face of such hardship, the flame of endeavor, compassion, of positivity, still burns brightly.

This is all well and good, but what does this mean in practice? How do we go about channeling this resilience into a set of practical solutions that will carry us, and our finances, forward?

Let’s take a look at this in a little more detail.

Fighting a Psychological Battle3Practical Solutions to Winning the Psychological Battle

We often hear the phrase “it’s all in your head,” as if a psychological problem is somehow less valid than a physical or external issue. In the 21st century, we are pushing back against this – not only recognizing that psychological issues need real consideration but also understanding that there are real steps we can take to overcome them. So, if you’ve found yourself hounded by money worries and anxiety as a result of this crisis, how do you overturn the negativity?

Develop a complete understanding of your situation

Much of the anxiety and worry we feel daily comes from uncertainty and a lack of knowledge. If we do not know what we are dealing with, we assume the worst. And, these negative feelings build and build until we are overwhelmed. Fight this tendency. Fight it with knowledge. Sit down and work out how the virus has affected your incomings. Then, work out what adjustments can be made so not only can you keep yourself moving forward, but you also can actively set yourself up for a thriving future.

This is not a one-off exercise. You need to get used to appraising your situation regularly, running the accounts, assessing the damage and the improvement, and arming yourself with the knowledge you need to gain the upper hand.

Begin to diversify

Don’t put all your eggs, as the adage goes, in one basket. There’s a reason why this has become so cliché – because it’s such great advice. If your income stream is too narrow or too restricted, you are putting yourself in danger. Even when times are good, you are only a hop, step, and jump away from a serious financial problem.

So, what’s the answer? Diversity. Don’t turn your back on your current revenue streams and business interests. Instead, seek to add to them. Think about how you can protect yourself with a more diverse portfolio of investments, and then consider how this diversity can drive your success.

Fighting a Psychological BattleBuild a positive attitude

Negativity will get us nowhere. Instead, it erodes our psychology and makes it difficult to gain perspective and understanding of our situation. Our minds become clouded by doubt and other such thoughts. But, by making small positive changes to our mindset, we can counteract this. Make these small incremental changes – by reframing setbacks as challenges and opportunities, for example, or by putting certain minor hardships in a broader context. Get used to doing this, and witness big changes in your psychology.

Be proactive

Change cannot happen by itself. Your aims and objectives won’t be achieved without effort and action. This does not mean mistaking movement for progress and rushing around like a headless chicken, though. Rather, it means outlining what you want to achieve in the long and short term, thinking about what you need to do to achieve this, and then putting one foot in front of the other until you get there.Fighting a Psychological Battle4

The coronavirus has made goal achievement a little more challenging than usual, so you may need to change your approach. But don’t be discouraged.

Seek assistance

There is help out there, so make sure you get the help you need. This may come from talking to friends and co-workers, or from engaging with webinars, video media, or insightful articles. The truth is, there is no single “correct” way to educate ourselves and grow our emotional and psychological resilience. We are all in this together, so let’s help one another. Let’s accept the help that we need to win the psychological battle, and come through this crisis stronger than ever.

-David Love

https://universalsoullove.com/founders

Ready to Reopen: Back to Business This Fall

Back to Business This Fall

Back to Business This Fall2As the days continue to get shorter and summer comes to an end, there’s no better time than now to do some much-needed planning and ensure you can get back to business this fall with renewed confidence.

For many businesses, the summer months tend to be much slower, and this makes it easier to neglect the business planning process when what we should be doing is kicking things into high gear in preparation for the upcoming holiday season.

I know some of you are probably wondering, “Why is she going on about business planning? Isn’t that something you do before you’ve even launched your business?”

That may be true, but writing a business plan isn’t something you just do once and never think about again.

A business plan is supposed to define your company’s objectives and determine how you plan on achieving those goals, right?

So, what makes you think the business planning process is something that ends the second your business is launched?

The truth is your business plan shouldn’t be some static document that always remains the same.

Instead, it should be a fluid strategy that morphs to meet the ever-changing needs of your business, and that means it’s a never-ending process.

At a minimum, you should be re-evaluating your business plan at least once a year, and what better time to do it than before the holiday rush?

In any case, after reading through the list of tips we’ve laid out below, you should be able to get back to business this fall armed with great ideas and inspiration to help you cap off the year on a high note.

Back to Business This Fall3Tips to Get Back to Business This Fall

  • Review & Strategize Many small business owners spend so much time working on their businesses, that they often don’t take time to work on their businesses by planning, reviewing, and strategizing.

At any rate, as the summer comes to a close, you should try to schedule some quiet time away from the office to think, dream, plan, strategize, and review.

With that in mind, here are some questions for you to ponder:

Have you met your objectives?

If so, what allowed you to do that?

If not, what was it that got in your way?

Did you reach your revenue goals?

How many new clients did you gain?

How did those clients find you?

What areas of your business were the most profitable?

Are there any undue expenses you need to keep an eye on?

Which marketing activities are giving you the best return on investment?

Is every member of your team on the same page about your business objectives and what needs to be done to achieve them?

Are there people you need to follow up with who is coming back from vacation or about to go on vacation?

  • Make Goal Cards I’ve always been a firm believer in the power of focus and intention.

That being said, writing down your business goals and reviewing them as much as possible should help you keep them top of mind, while staying excited about achieving them, and avoiding getting sidetracked by things that are not in alignment with your priorities.

I love to set aside time each morning to visualize each one of my goals as if it’s already come true. This gets me engaged and enthusiastic about doing whatever it takes to make those goals materialize.

  •  Organize Your Tasks Another way to maintain that enthusiasm and stay on top of all your business goals, and the tasks that need to be completed to reach them is to break them down into action items with deadlines.

This means you need to define what you’re going to do yourself, what you can assign to a team member, and what you can outsource.

Aside from determining who’s going to do what, you’re also going to have to ensure everything’s organized in a way that’s comprehensive and easy to understand.

For example, Asana and Basecamp are excellent project management tools that make it easy to track, manage, and follow the progress of tasks, especially for teams that work remotely.

Here at eVision Media, we use EGroupware to manage all of our projects and it helps our virtual team to be more organized and productive.

This platform offers a multitude of project management tools and allows every member of our team to find whatever they need to know about a particular task using a single intuitive interface.

So, whether you choose to use one of these platforms, go with another one, or decide to use a completely different method, the important thing is to find a way to organize all your tasks so you can ensure every member of your team stays on the same page about what needs to be done when it’s due, and who’s supposed to do it.

  • Identify Required Resources If you want to ensure you’re firing on all cylinders this fall, you’ve got to take stock of everything you need to make that happen.

I know this can be incredibly overwhelming, but it’s better to do it now when you have some breathing room instead of doing it on the fly in the middle of the holiday season when there’s no time to plan.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to make sure you’re not forgetting anything:

Do I need to learn any new skills?

Do I need to hire new team members?

What do I need to make my goals happen?

Are there any industry events I should attend?

Are there any networking groups I should look into?

Should I hire a coach or mentor to help keep me on track with my goals?

Should I invest in new equipment or software so I can get things accomplished faster?

Whatever questions you end up asking yourself, the purpose of this reflection is to make sure you’ve armed yourself with everything you need to make your goals a reality.

So, make sure to go over everything meticulously and consider every possible scenario so you can be sure you’re not overlooking anything.

READ: Simplifying & Demystifying the Business Plan by simplifying-demystifying-business-plan-pamela-chatry2

Creating a business plan can be one of the most intimidating things you’ll ever do. There are a ton of things to consider, and once you start getting into the financial aspects, it can end up being downright terrifying. So, if you want to come up with a business plan, but you want to learn more about what goes into it, then this is definitely for you.

In this video, strategic business advisor and planner, Pamela Chatry, and I discuss what goes into a business plan, including what your sales and marketing should look like, determining hiring and outsourcing criteria, and much more.

  • Update Your Website Something else you can do to adjust your business plan at this critical time of year is to review your website.

This means looking for anything that’s out of date, updating it with new information about things like upcoming promotions or product launches, and changing anything else that is no longer applicable to your business.

For example, one of our clients is a Texas-based human resource and leadership consultant who runs a business called Quantum Ascendance.

Over the last several months, her business has shifted to focus mainly on helping American business owners who’ve been affected by pandemic restrictions to apply for what’s known as the employee retention credit.

So, once she made us aware of this change, we got straight to work making a banner for her website, so this new service could be featured prominently on her home page.

We also worked with her to update her site with fresh blog content related to the employee retention credit, so she can highlight her expertise and let potential clients know that she’s offering this service.

Truth be told, she was already connecting with a lot of clients through other means, including referrals and social media, but it wouldn’t be right to not showcase this service on her website, as well.

At any rate, with the holidays just around the corner, now is the time to stop neglecting your website, update it accordingly, and get it working for you instead of against you.

  • Holiday Planning If you’re planning on taking some time off over the holidays, now would be a great time to ensure all your ducks are in a row so you can relax and enjoy your vacation instead of wasting your time worrying.

First and foremost, this means making sure every single member of your team knows what’s expected of them and they understand all the protocols they’re required to follow.

That being said, no matter what kind of business you run, it’s incredibly important to have a solid set of standard operating procedures (SOP).

With this in place, even if you’re unable or unwilling to answer inquiries from your team while you’re on holiday, they’ll have something to refer to that will tell them everything they need to know.

I recently took three weeks off, which was a bit scary at first, not least because my team had to launch a website in my absence.

But I made sure to finalize our SOP before going on vacation, which ensured they knew exactly what to do, and as a result, I experienced only a few minor interruptions during my time off.

  • Scheduling If you’re running a business, you’ll probably end up with a mile-long to-do list, and that means it’s going to be very difficult to remember everything.

And if you’re anything like me, you won’t rest until everything is scheduled and organized, so you can stop worrying and get back to building your business.

If you’re looking to do this sort of schedule, two things I would recommend are creating a content calendar and a promotional calendar.

This involves planning out all the content you’re going to publish and all the promotions you plan to offer well in advance, using some sort of calendar or spreadsheet.

Everything I need to know to write each article can be found on this sheet, including the topic, due date, keywords, and notes to explain exactly what needs to be written.

But before you can do all that, you’re going to have to determine what kind of content and promotions you want to offer.

As of right now, there’s still time to have a back-to-school sale, plus Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas are coming up, so you should try to take advantage of this window to sit down and figure out exactly what your plans are for these holidays.

This way, instead of scrambling to come up with ideas at the last minute or stressing about when your next article is going to be published, you can just kick back and relax with your family during the holidays, knowing everything is planned out and ready to go.

  • Advertising One way to quickly grab holiday sales is to capture the attention of potential customers by setting up ads that correspond to each holiday you’re looking to target.

For example, you can retarget people who visit your business’s Facebook page using a custom audience retargeting pixel on your website.

This means if someone is looking at gifts for dad on your website, you can retarget them with ads on their Facebook feed that feature the best gifts for dad.

Most social media platforms offer this same kind of functionality, as well, so make sure to take some time to think about where you’re getting a lot of engagement on social media so you can make the best decision about which platforms you want to target.

No doubt, social media can be an absolute goldmine for ad targeting, but despite having accounts on most of the major platforms, I still prefer advertising through Google Ads and other forms of paid search, so keep this in mind.

Paid search allows you to target users similar to how you would on social media, but instead of the ads being served to them on their social feeds, they’ll show up on Google when they search for whatever keyword(s) you’re targeting, and your link will be prominently placed within the search results.

Not sure how to do all this stuff? You should get help from a marketer who knows how to get the best results from these kinds of advertising.

  • Consider Some Cards Despite being immersed in the world of digital marketing for more than 20 years now, I will never discount the value of tried-and-true old-school marketing tactics, like sending out greeting cards.

You could just buy some greeting cards and send them out to your customers, colleagues, staff, and vendors, or target specific areas and have them delivered door-to-door, but you’d be missing out on the perfect chance to showcase your brand.

Instead, why not take this opportunity to leverage your visual brand with some custom-designed cards?

I know it sounds like a blast from the past, but greeting cards are still a great way to let your clients, colleagues, staff, and trusted vendors know how much you appreciate them.

One idea to stand out from the crowd is to send Thanksgiving or New Year’s cards instead of the typical Christmas card.

And speaking of cards, with all these holidays coming up, it’s also an appropriate time to start offering gift cards, if you’re not doing that already.

Even if you are, you can always entice people by featuring specific imagery on your cards for each holiday.

In any case, gift cards provide a terrific option for people who are shopping for those hard-to-buy-for individuals, so it’s something to consider.

  • Book Your Vacation Time Now I know this one seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many business owners leave this stuff to the last minute and allow their teams to do the same, only to end up with one massive headache right before the holidays.

Aside from booking your own vacation time as soon as possible, you should encourage team members to put in their vacation requests early, as well.

This way, you’ll have more time to work out any scheduling issues, and this will make your holiday time less stressful.

In any case, I hope these tips have inspired you to come up with some creative and profitable plans that will help you to build your business as we near the fall season.

Putting this kind of thought into your business plan, and updating it regularly, can produce truly amazing results if you go through everything in detail and make sure to cover all your bases.

Remember, the more you plan now, the easier and more successful your business will be for the rest of the year.

Do you have any further tips you can share about how you’re trying to get back to business now that summer is almost over?

Are you wondering how you’re ever going to figure out all this stuff on your own? We’ve been helping business owners to build their brands for more than 20 years, and we can help you, too. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you.

To your business success, Susan Friesen

 

Exercise for Optimal Health

Healthy for Life 

If people would realize how many health benefits exercise can offer, there would be no hesitation in getting started with some form of exercise.

https://amzn.to/3OnaiI9Especially older folks are harder to get motivated because they think the exercise will cause an injury. On the contrary, exercise will keep their overall fitness level and muscle strength in optimal form. It’s a matter of choosing the right form of exercise.

Swimming, walking, and gardening are very suitable for older people. Swimming has the advantage that their body weight will be partly supported by the water, which makes it possible to exercise without risking any bodily harm.

Walking is the best exercise you can have because it’s natural. Good long brisk walks give a lot of benefits- the whole body begins to respond. You breathe properly, your circulation and heart benefit, and it’s good for the mind and positive thinking.

fitness-running (2)Fitness gurus have recognized the supremacy of brisk walking. Contrary to jogging, brisk walking provides a lot of benefits without any problems. Walking is almost as important as the right food. You need to eat properly and exercise properly, the two together give you the best results. The internal organs of the body need tone and for this most of them depend almost entirely on physical activity.

Exercise produces big results whether we’re 40, 60, or 80. According to the Human Physiology Laboratory at Tufts University Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, we respond well to exercise at any age. Muscles grow, bones strengthen, and metabolism increases. Our body fat decreases while blood sugar and balance improve. I proved this to myself when I taught strength training at a retirement residence.

https://amzn.to/3OnaiI9With modest effort, exercisers in their 80s grew stronger and more vital. We were all delighted. Reduced muscle strength is associated with age-related disability. The most common cause of muscle weakness is inactivity. After three months of high-intensity muscle training, healthy men over 60 experienced gains similar to those reported for younger men training with similar intensity and duration. Stronger people remained more independent and less burdened by advancing years. Any type of exercise helps, but combining aerobics, strength, and flexibility works best. For most people, aerobic exercise is an easy place to begin.

As we breathe deeply, the diaphragm – which separates the chest from the abdomen – rises and falls repeatedly, massaging all the internal organs, particularly the stomach, small intestine, bowel, lungs, and liver. The stretching and relaxing of the intestines are vital in preventing that widespread form of ‘self-poisoning’: constipation. Exercise does keep you regular!

In the mid-eighties, a vital clue to the right exercise for lifelong health was uncovered by brilliant research in biochemistry. Biochemists established that all cell replication in the immune system and therefore all immune strength is dependent on the availability of the amino acid glutamine. Your immune system uses a ton of it. But immune cells cannot make glutamine. Only muscle cells can do the job. So your muscles have to supply large amounts of glutamine to your immune system every day to maintain it. That’s it! The mitochondria of muscle are the furnaces in which most of your body fat and sugar are burned for fuel.

Muscle is what stresses your skeleton to maintain your bones. We also know that muscle is the vital link that also maintains your immunity and hence your resistance to all diseases. Muscle is the health engine. Which so much overwhelming evidence that muscular exercise is essential to health, what are we doing about it? A big fat zero.

Healthy for Life with Exercise3Muscle is the health engine. It’s a proven fact that the right exercise not only maintains your heart, your lungs, your muscles, your bones, a healthy level of body fat, and even your intestinal function but also some more subtle functions, like insulin and your body’s dealing with sugar. It has been known for more than fifty years that a lack of exercise leads to glucose intolerance.

However, not long ago research has shown that getting off the couch and starting moving, not only maintain insulin function to deal with the sugar but also can reverse decades of damage. Insulin-dependent diabetics, for example, using the right exercise program, can increase insulin efficiency so much that some patients, who have used insulin daily for years, no longer need it. In healthy people, the right exercise completely protects glucose tolerance against the degenerative changes in insulin metabolism that lead to adult-onset diabetes.

Healthy old men who maintain a lifelong exercise program, have the same healthy insulin efficiency as young men. A high-sugar diet, which progressively destroys insulin metabolism, makes it virtually mandatory to exercise if you want to avoid glucose intolerance as you grow older.

Most physicians believe that hardening of the arteries, a degenerative process, is inevitable. The National Institute on Aging Research Centre in Baltimore is showing in ongoing experiments, that regular exercise maintains arterial elasticity and even reverses arterial hardening that has already occurred. I could fill many pages citing numerous bodily functions which are maintained by regular exercise. But I will keep it short.

runners-for-fitnessResearch recently undertaken has revealed the major way in which exercise protects you against all diseases. It started with the evidence that exercise increases the overall number of white blood cells. Followed by more precise findings that moderate exercise increases bodily production of lymphocytes, interleukin 2, neutrophils, and other disease-fighting components of the immune system. There is no doubt that the right exercise strengthens your immunity. And it also strengthens your resistance to all forms of damage, decay, bacteria, viruses, toxins, and even radiation.

 

Closing with the wise words of Louis Pasteur, the father of modern medicine: “Host resistance is the key.”

 


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Wishing you a cheerful holiday season!

 

Unlock the Benefits of Dumbbells

Using Dumbbells in your Exercise

If you have ever exercised in a gym, you have probably used dumbbells to do strength training. You may have dumbbells set laying around your home.

Dumbbells in your Exercise

Dumbbells are smaller hand-held weights resembling single-piece mini barbells. Dumbbells are available in various weights, beginning with those less than 5 lbs. These are best used throughout aerobic exercises or when using an exercise bike or treadmill. Heavy dumbbells allow you to build muscle mass.

Dumbbells are versatile, affordable, and easy-to-use weights that allow you to do a range of exercises to enhance your fitness. Based on the weight amount you use, the number of reps you do, and the pace at which you work out, they can help you enhance cardiovascular health, build muscles, burn fat, or improve muscle endurance for sporting activities.

In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of using dumbbells for your fitness routine.

Helps Burn More Fat Overall

For beginners, if define exercise isn’t what you’re aware that frequent strength training using dumbbells, while mixed with the usual cardio workouts, may help burn more fat overall? One study suggests that women who included dumbbell training in their exercises a minimum of 3 days a week were able to lose more fat during usual activities, thus allowing them to fulfill their weight and fitness goals more rapidly. This occurs because in addition to the fat you burnt when you were doing a strength training workout, the body also keeps burning extra fat after you finish your workout since more calories are needed to develop muscle than to lose fat.

So, even when you are not looking to burn fat anymore, strength training or dumbbell workouts make it simpler to keep your ideal body weight besides improving your muscles.

Helps in Preventing Diseases

There is also evidence to suggest that frequent strength training with dumbbells can help in preventing some diseases. For instance, women who experienced menopause in the past can lessen their chance of having osteoporosis (which may cause bone fracture and breakage) by doing a dumbbell training workout as suggested by their doctor. Also, dumbbell training has been proven to help keep glucose levels in the blood in control for countless people having diabetes.

Improves Balance and FlexibilityDumbbells in your Exercise 2

Besides helping you keep an ideal weight and prevent some diseases, frequent dumbbell training may also enhance your overall balance, flexibility, and coordination at a level that cardio workouts cannot do simply. Many dumbbell training workouts need you to naturally maintain a balanced posture, which eventually helps with coordination and balance. In addition, the included range of activities in many dumbbell training workouts is perfect for improving flexibility.

Protects the Muscles and Bones

Dumbbell training can aid to protect the bones and overall muscle density. Nevertheless, are you aware that after people complete puberty, they slowly start to lose bone mass every year? It is a surprising revelation for most people; however, the good thing is that by using your muscles in workouts frequently (minimum 3 days a week), you may save bone mass and save the muscles during the process.

Improves your Self-Esteem

Although a body-mind relation indeed exists, this is greatly true when someone uses dumbbells (or any kind of workout) to exercise. As dumbbells add resistance to one’s body, soon this causes your body to get fit and tone rather than building bulk. As “tightness” is what everyone desires from their outlook, soon this becomes a reality and therefore it makes the individual feel good. This in turn develops confidence and provides them with a good feeling about their bodies.

Improves the Metabolic Rate

As exercising with dumbbells will slowly improve your body’s strength while developing muscle and losing calories at a rapid rate, this happens because with dumbbells you lose more fat when compared to calisthenics.

Fast Results

Maybe this one is the biggest benefit of using dumbbells rather than freehand and cardio workouts, and you can merely finish your dumbbell exercises in just an hour and call it a day while burning similar if not more fat.

FAQ’s

Are dumbbells effective?

Dumbbells are greatly effective to target particular muscles, and can contribute majorly to overall performance and resistance to injury. There are huge values and returns of investment to exercising isolation movements, no matter what your objectives are. Dumbbells can improve muscles to a level you simply cannot do with barbells.

Do dumbbells burn belly fat?  Dumbbells in your Exercise 4

Dumbbell workouts are a great way to burn body fat, including on the stomach. Although you cannot target specifically belly fat, however, losing calories all through your body will also aid you to lose fat on the tummy. Developing muscle and doing dumbbell circuits (probably with hex dumbbells) is greatly effective for burning belly fat.

Do dumbbells build muscle?

Yes, as long as you raise the weight over a period. You can surely build massive bodies with dumbbells; however, you may face a roadblock if you do not keep increasing your weight. 

Should you use dumbbells every day?

Weight lifting daily is safe as long as you’re giving rest to other muscle types. Split workouts, where you work different muscle types on different days, are ideal for this. In case you don’t, you will have the risk of a plateau or injury.

How long should I use dumbbells?

If you are a beginner 30 minutes a day is ideal. You can exercise with weights such as a 20 lb. dumbbell even longer, however, never over-train your muscle, three workouts per muscle type is enough (advanced). In case your dumbbell train for over 60 minutes you are perhaps doing one of these things over-training or speaking too much.

Dumbbells in your Exercise 5Final Words

Regardless of the level, you are in your fitness journey, you should keep dumbbells a part of it. Not just they are easy to store and use, but dumbbells are comparatively cheap and because they are versatile, they can be used for a wide range of exercises.

Considering all these dumbbells can be a wise investment for your fitness goals.


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Beyond the Impossible

Impossible is Just a WordImpossible is Just a Word

Everyone, at some point in his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn’t fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning homer?

Who hasn’t dreamed of being the homecoming queen?

And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, successful, or happy with our relationships?

Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easily collect dust in our attic.

This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self-actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day to day just barely existing.

But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher.

The most common problem with setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking I can’t do this. It’s too hard. It’s too impossible. No one can do this.

However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.

Impossible is Just a Word2

Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee? Theoretically, they said, the bumblebee couldn’t fly. Unfortunately for the bumble, bee no one has told it so. So, fly it does.

On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming of totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result? Broken dreams, and tattered aspirations.

If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, you will find yourself clinging to the impossible dream.

Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Under one header, list down things ‘you know you can do. Under another header, write the things “you might be able to do”. And under one more, list the things that are “impossible for you to do”.

Now look at all the headers who strive every day to accomplish the goals that are under things ‘you know you can do. Check them when you can accomplish them. As you slowly can check all of your goals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the other header-the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’

Impossible is Just a Word4As the items you wrote under things I could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are ‘impossible for you to do to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’

As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the goals you thought were impossible become easier to accomplish. And the impossible begins to seem possible after all.

You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high and start working towards that goal little by little. However, it also is unwise to set a truly unrealistic goal.

Those who just dream of a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.

On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that man could be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams are now realities.

Impossible is Just a Word 10Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or her dreams, there has to be work and discipline. But take note that 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplished one.

Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”? That is as true as it can be.

So dream on, people! Don’t get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you step up the ladder of progress, you will just about find out that the impossible has just become a little bit more possible.

 

 

Impossible is Just a Word3Impossible is Just a Word

 

Exhausted: The Reasons Behind My Constant Fatigue

So tired all the time? The question that arises is why I am feeling tired all the time. Although it is pretty normal to feel tired after a long day, a constant urge to drop into a bed or a cozy couch is an alarm that something is amiss with your health. This article discusses why you are always on a press to snooze mode or feel drained post-lunch and recommendations to avoid the situation.

tired all the timeWhy am I so Tired All the Time?

The day can affect a person’s physical and mental health. It also takes a dig at the quality of life. Usually, a good night’s sleep or a day off can work well to restore energy levels or eliminate extreme fatigue. But if they are not fixing the issue, something could keep up with your mental health, and should be concerned immediately. It is beneficial to seek help sooner than later if you are not sure about the cause of being tired all the time despite a good diet and enough rest.

Here are 13 key reasons why someone is so tired all the time and when to seek help:

Diet is the most critical pillar of a healthy lifestyle, and so is its importance in sustaining the body’s energy levels. Skipping the meals drops the required level of calories. Long breaks between the means lower the sugar level and make you tired. It is essential to take a healthy diet and high-energy snacks to keep your systems running smoothly. Another more important thing is never to skip an end-day meal going hungry to bed reduces sleep quality, leaving you tired on the day after.

Sedentary Lifestyle Physical activity improves energy levels; on the other hand, a sedentary lifestyle leaves you feeling exhausted and sleepy. In one study, researchers worked on how an inactive and sedentary lifestyle affects women’s fatigue levels. Seventy-three women participated in the study. Some woman was physically active quite well, while others were not physically active.

According to the study’s findings, physically active women had a significantly lower fatigue level than women living a sedentary life. This supports the notion that a healthy lifestyle is physically active, leading to more energy and vigor.

Vitamin Deficiency multivitamins Being tired all the time can be a sign of vitamin deficiency. It might occur because of low vitamin D levels, vitamin B-12, iron, magnesium, and potassium. A routine blood test is required to identify the deficiency. In case a person is vitamin deficient, the doctor may recommend taking supplements. The natural way to cope with the deficiency is to increase foods rich in multivitamins and other nutrients. For example, clams, beef, and liver may reverse a B-12 deficiency and reduce the constant tiredness and fatigue.Why I am so tired all the time?

Stress can deteriorate sleep quality and its duration. Also, the lack of sleep elevates stress levels. Therefore, it is essential to manage the mental burden and enable a better and sufficient rest, restoring your energy levels. Persistent stress keeps the body in a state of fight and flight, leaving you exhausted. Stress is also a trigger in worsening sleep disorders. It is advisable to avoid stressful events and off to bed in time for healthy sleep. Other ways to prevent stressful thoughts and remain calm are to practice meditation and build new achievable goals regularly.

Depression When you are suffering from depression, lack of energy and tiredness becomes a problem. Feeling tired tends to associate with physical issues, but mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and stress contribute to exhaustion and chronic fatigue. Consult your therapist for mental health treatment or counseling. Antidepressants, anti-anxiety medicine, and cognitive behavioral therapy can make a difference to alleviate the symptoms of depression. If you’re struggling to cope with depression, It can cause Irregularities in sleep and begin to impact your mental health, seek medical advice immediately.

Sleep Disorder can be an underlying cause of tiredness. If a person’s energy level doesn’t improve after weeks, or even improving lifestyle, speak with your doctor. You may need a sleep specialist. A sleep disorder such as sleep apnea or insomnia also affects a person’s cognitive, mental, and physical abilities. Sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing pauses while a person is asleep. As a result, the brain and body don’t receive enough oxygen during sleep leading to daytime fatigue.

Sleep Apnea is a complex medical condition that can cause hypertension (high blood pressure), decreased concentration, and even a stroke or heart attack. Sleep apnea treatment involves using a CPAP machine or an oral device to keep the upper airway open during sleep hours.

Burn-out If a person has a constant feeling of running on empty, one could be going through burnout. The World Health Organization (WHO) now considers burn-out as a medical condition, defining the condition as a syndrome caused by chronic stress at the workplace. But how does it play a part in making someone feel tired all the time?

Scientific facts determine that a rest-activity rhythm is an essential requirement to perform well. Sleep is a prime pillar of human health which is mandatory for the body to perform well during working hours. If a person is becoming a workaholic and performing continuously without a sound sleep or downtime, which is required to restore the body’s ability to function OK- what comes next is physical and mental health deterioration. Therefore, sidestep burn-out and let more downtime invade your daily routine for relaxation.

Being Overweight Being overweight can also cause tiredness all the time. When body weight is more than the desired BMI, it becomes harder for the body to carry your weight during daily life, making you exhausted or feeling tired all the time. You can gradually improve your condition by working on a plan to gradually lose weight by adopting a healthy lifestyle like eating well and starting exercises like swimming, jogging, walking, and gradually increasing the workout.

Fibromyalgia Daily activities become a struggle for people who have fibromyalgia, causing muscle pain and tenderness. Fibromyalgia affects the muscles and soft tissues, but it causes pain that does not let you have a good sleep. The awakening of night and restless leg syndrome results in chronic tiredness throughout the day. An over-the-counter pain killer helps improve pain and sleep. Some people also find an antidepressant, physical therapy, and exercise helpful.

Why I am so tired all the time2Chronic Fatigue Syndrome A person can feel tired all the time without any significant health ailment because of chronic fatigue syndrome. It is a long-term illness with various symptoms such as extreme tiredness, insomnia, and even some patients may feel staying asleep for longer durations. Even longer sleep durations do not help to improve the feeling of tiredness. The cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown, and the diagnosis is only possible after ruling out the chances of all other health disorders by a health professional. Treatment of chronic fatigue is possible only by understanding your physical limitations, mild to moderate regular exercise, and circadian rhythm changes.

Medication Certain medications can make you drowsy and sleepy or make you feel tired all the time and complete everyday chores like driving or operating machinery challenges. On the other hand, some medications can cause insomnia, such as high blood pressure and asthma. Consult your doctor about any such medicine you are taking to find if any alternative or dose adjustment.

Diabetes If you are continually experiencing fatigue, thirst, frequent urination, and unexplained weight loss, get yourself tested for diabetes. Feeling tired all the time can be a symptom of diabetes. If a person has diabetes, the body doesn’t make enough insulin leading to high blood sugar and leaving you tired and irritable. Consult a doctor for any unexplained fatigue as it can be a symptom of other medical conditions like heart disease and cancer.

Under-Active Thyroid Hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid, occurs when the body doesn’t produce the required thyroid hormones. An under-active thyroid causes symptoms such as fatigue, lethargy, and weight gain. Although with treatment, people with hypothyroidism can lead an everyday life.

Sleep ApneaPost-Viral Fatigue feeling tired all the time or for most of the day after recovering from an infection like flu and glandular fever, are the signs of post-viral fatigue syndrome. Symptoms include chronic tiredness, severe muscle pain, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, fever or chills, chest pain, and shortness of breath. It is common to feel tired after an illness, but if your symptoms are not alleviating for weeks or months and prevent you from leading an energized healthy man’s life-it’s better to seek medical advice. However, there is not enough research on post-viral fatigue, so it’s challenging to find treatment. The best way to improve the condition is by having self-care making you feel better gradually.

The takeaway, There is not a hard and fast rule that every other day is an easy day. A few days are meant to squeeze your energy and it’s quite understandable to feel tired at the end of such days. But being tired all the time is something that needs to be addressed by a health professional. You may have a health condition that required to be discussed with your health professional. Another thing to understand well cannot be attributed to physical health alone, sometimes what needs the most attention is your mental health.

Khalyla the Magnificent Labradoodle

Khalyla the Labradoodle 

Khalyla-the-LabradoodleLabradoodles are wonderful family dogs. They are great for first-time pet owners. They are friendly, and intelligent, and do well with children and other dogs. They are easy to train, easy to care and make good watchdogs.

Description: Labradoodles are Hybrid Dogs that are a cross between a poodle and a Labrador. They come in various sizes depending upon the size and characteristics of the parents, the lab, and the poodle. Their coloring may be black, brown, cream, gray, silver, white, or yellow, again depending upon the color of the parents. There are also miniature Labradoodles for those looking for a smaller dog.

Health

Labradoodles are generally quite healthy. They are prone to hip dysplasia and genetic eye problems depending upon their parents’ genetics. That is why it is so important to get your labradoodle from a reputable dog breeder. Be sure to read the ingredients label when buying dog food. The primary protein should be from a quality animal source, preferably, chicken. Grains such as soy, corn, and wheat gluten can be hard to digest and may cause possible allergic reactions. It is not natural for dogs to eat grain, so grains should not be included in the dog food you buy over the counter. Remember, never feed people food to dogs, especially food with a lot of seasoning.

Khalyla-the-Labradoodle (Care

Labradoodles should be brushed at least a couple of times a week, with regular grooming every 8 to 12 weeks including ear cleaning, nail clipping, and teeth brushing. Usually, there is little shedding with a Labradoodle, however, if it has more characteristics of the lab rather than the poodle, it will tend to shed.

Exercise

Labradoodles are highly energetic so they need to have a regular exercise routine of 30 to 60 minutes every day. Due to their high energy, they may become destructive if they become bored and do not receive the needed daily exercise. Exercising the dog is not only healthy for the dog but is also healthy for the pet owner. Walking a dog can be a very enjoyable and relaxing experience.

Training

Labradoodles are very intelligent and are usually easy to train. They like to please their owner so they are inclined to listen to commands with fewer repetitions for obeying specific instructions. They also make good watchdogs. They will bark and alert their owners if an unknown intruder enters their area. If it is time to own a pet, remember these important facts: Check the local or online Pet Adoption Centers first.

There are thousands of pets needing adoption every day; If you are unable to find your perfect pet at the Adoption Center, then begin to conduct research and find a reputable pet breeder from whom to buy a pet. Do not buy from a puppy mill; Always spay and/or neuter the pet; and be sure to devote quality love, time, and attention to care for the pet.

FYI

For those who want to help find homes for pets that need adoption, go online and view profiles of pets who need adoption. Then share the profiles via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Email. Perhaps there is someone within a social network who needs a pet and is ready to adopt

Khalyla-the-Labradoodle3 Animals are wonderful companions. Whether it is a cat or a dog, they can bring so much enjoyment to an individual or a family. Yes, owning pets means taking good care of them with food, shelter, and affection.

However, the unconditional love and devotion they provide in return are well worth the effort. There is nothing more rewarding than coming home and being greeted by a dog with a happy face and wagging tail.

Regardless of how bad your day has been, your best friend, your dog will be sure to cheer you up. Remember, only those who have love, passion, time, and dedication to care for pets should own pets.

Pets are not something that should be bought or adopted one day and forgotten the next.

Overcoming Bad Habits: A Step-by-Step Guide

Break a Negative Habit One Day at a Time

Unless you’re perfect, you probably have a habit that drives you or others nuts. The conflicting nature of bad habits makes them difficult to overcome. What is your bad habit?

Typically, the top bad habits we indulge in are eating unhealthy foods, smoking, using chewing tobacco, lying on the sofa instead of exercising, and nail-biting.

The good news is, however, that whatever negative habit you have, you have the power to change it if you want to.stress-bad-habits

Consider these strategies for inspiration to break your negative habit now:

  • Avoid getting overwhelmed. Realize your goal now is to simply decrease the occurrence of the negative behavior. As you endeavor to gradually reduce the behavior, you’ll feel better and more in control. Eventually, you may be able to stop the habit.
  • Focus on a daily mini-goal to help you make small adjustments. Let’s say you typically eat more bread and carbohydrates than recommended. You have two bowls of cereal for breakfast and eat two sandwiches for lunch. Do you think you could reduce your daily carbs? But you’re caught in a vicious cycle and keep eating the same things each day.

* Set a specific mini-goal to reduce carb intake by making one small change daily. You’ll be motivated to turn around your negative habit. In this example, a daily goal to reduce bread at lunch strengthens the resolve to eat fewer carbs. * At lunch, rather than eating two sandwiches, add extra meat, cheese and vegetables to your sandwich. You’ll still have a filling lunch but you’ll reduce your bread intake by half. high-carbs

* After you’ve persevered in altering your habit for six weeks to two months, then you can set another mini-goal to replace your second bowl of cereal with a bowl of fruit instead. You’ll feel optimistic and ready to tackle another mini-goal in your quest to reduce carbs.

  • Use time intervals to control your negative habit. Maybe your negative habit is smoking. The first thing you should know is how many cigarettes you smoke in a day. Perhaps you smoke 20 cigarettes. If you’re awake 16 hours a day, you’re smoking slightly more than 1 cigarette per hour.

* Allow yourself to smoke one cigarette per hour. During the first day, you’ll reduce your cigarette intake by four cigarettes. That’s progress! By the end of the week, you’ll have smoked 28 cigarettes less than you normally do. Now that’s a real motivation to continue the path to a smoke-free life! quit-smoking

* After smoking one per hour for 10 days to two weeks, extend the time interval between cigarettes from one cigarette every hour to every 1-1/4 or 1-1/2 hours. Continue increasing the time length between cigarettes until you’re smoking one cigarette every 4 hours-four cigarettes daily.

* At this point, decide either to further reduce cigarette intake or to quit smoking completely. Your one-day-at-a-time method is working.

  • Reward yourself for your successes. Daily, document on a calendar how you did. For example, if you met your mini-goal, record “MMG” for “met mini-goal.”

* You could also jot down the number of times you did the negative behavior that day-this method works well for those working to reduce smoking, chewing tobacco, or nail-biting behaviors.

* Use your calendar information at the end of the month to determine if you were successful 75 percent of the time in reducing your negative habit. If so, allow yourself a reward of some type to strengthen future efforts to break your bad habit.

* You might enjoy an afternoon of fishing or taking part in a favored hobby. Maybe a new nail polish or set of golf balls will suffice.

Although getting rid of a bad habit is a challenge, you can break your negative habit using these one-day-at-a-time techniques. 

Thanks to Don Lewis for this helpful wisdom. Check out his site https://bildalist.bilderprofit.com 

The Symbolism of Pearls

What is the Meaning of Pearls

The Meaning of PearlsJust like all the other gemstones, pearls carry a meaning. Historically, the glowing white orbs have been associated with the moon. With the high luster and deep color of pearls, it is no wonder why these natural gemstones have been held in such high regard for thousands of years.

What is the spiritual meaning of a pearl? Simply wearing a pearl reminds the wearer to be honest, pure, and wise, and to walk with the utmost dignity. Different colors of pearls bear different meanings. As expected, white pearls symbolize purity, innocence, faith, and honesty. Gold or black pearls symbolize prosperity and riches. Rose or pink pearls work well with the Heart Chakra, while all pearls work with the solar plexus Chakra, beneficial for digestion and immunity.

woman 1879905 1920Just like other gemstones, pearls are given for a single month as a birthstone. June is the month of the pearl and many women and men born in June proudly display their pearls to honor this fact. The birthstone chart was first established in the 16th Century when it was believed fair favor and good luck would fall upon the wearer of their birthstone.

In Christianity, St. Augustine deemed the pearl to be a symbol of Jesus Christ, after evaluating a passage of Biblical text that gives each of the twelve apostles a specific gemstone in their honor. Several passages in the Bible refer to pearls, the most well-known one an allegory about the “pearly gates” of heaven and “casting pearls before swine.”

The Japanese have always held pearls in high esteem, and often associate good luck with those to wear the round beauties. It should be noted that the Japanese only hold meaning for the saltwater variety of the pearl since the round saltwater pearls are native to the archipelago chain and have made the island native quite popular due to the innovations of pearl harvesting companies like Mikimoto.

Meaning of PearlsPearls have a spiritual meaning and have been the most popular accessories with bridal wear historically and continue to be a strong favorite today. The innocence and beauty symbolized by the pearl are also symbolized by the bride, so the match is perfect. From the traditional princess-length pearl necklace to a stunning pendant, earrings, or bracelet mixing pearls with other precious gemstones, pearls are a fast favorite for weddings. Even many bridal gowns, veils, and headpieces are adorned with pearls to create a stunningly elegant effect.

Achieving True Satisfaction

Know Deep Fulfillment 

Several decades ago, I began studying goal setting as if my life depended on it. I was committed to learning anything and everything I could about how to set goals and “have it all”. I was certain that having it all would bring me a very deep level of happiness. My motivation was the fact that in my twenties I had reached a point where my greatest goal was to merely get through another day. With many of my childhood dreams shattered, my life consisted of going to a job I despised, being newly divorced and left with no apparent way to support myself, and living from day to day wondering if this was it.   

Know Deep Fulfillment

More than three decades ago, all I wanted to do was survive the harsh realities life had put in front of me. And survive I did. I barely got by each day, feeling like the world was against me and wondering why all the lucky breaks happened to others but not to me. I nurtured the belief about how tough life was and as a result, never got any breaks. So much in fact that I lost my assembly-line job with the inability to get another. I became more disillusioned with each passing day and felt stuck with no way out.

I found a book that changed my life foreverThe Magic of Believing by Clyde Bristol. From the first page to the last, I was captivated by what I read. Written in 1948, the information is as powerful today as the day the book was written.

In essence, the author wrote that we create our reality by what we think and believe. Feeling as if I had found the holy grail of knowledge, I was fascinated that I had never heard this before. Or if I had heard it, I had never paid attention to it.

Amazingly, as I applied what I read, a few small things shifted. The shift was enough to encourage me to learn more about the power of thought.

Because I didn’t have any disposable income at that time, I found one of my favorite hangouts to be the local library. I read anything and everything I could get my hands on to do with changing the circumstances of my life. There was no shortage of information on setting goals, reaching achievement, accepting “believe and you will achieve” and other such topics. 

Know Deep Fulfillment 2

As much as I had no desire to do much of anything before the discovery of The Magic of Believing, I now had a thirst that no amount of reading, learning, or searching could quench. I was fascinated with what I heard about “What you can believe, you can achieve.”

Now my quest was to turn my life around and acquire whatever I wanted on a material level so that I would be fulfilled. Little did I realize the lessons life had in store. I would learn that fulfillment was not about acquisition but rather something completely different. You see, there were many times I acquired just what I thought would be the “golden ticket” to happiness. Although some things did bring me a sense of satisfaction, often it would be short-lived.

So, what was the answer? When would that deep sense of fulfillment be mine? Having placed so much emphasis on acquisitions, awards, and outward recognition (and having achieved a great deal) I wondered why there were times when, regardless of the outward trappings, a deep level of fulfillment would often evade me.

Over more than a 30-year journey of discovery, my experience and definition of fulfillment have morphed more than once from something superficial to something that words cannot begin to express. Something that one comes to “know” rather than define with words. Yet, words are often all there is to convey to another what the experience is.

Happiness and fulfillment had very little to do with what was manifested on the outside. There is no doubt whatsoever that happiness is an inside job. Granted, there are outward things that do invoke feelings of joy, but it is something that manifests from the inside out, rather than from the outside in. 

Know Deep Fulfillment 4

 

Ironically, when we are on a quest for the deepest level of fulfillment, life will give us exactly what we need. It may appear as if it has nothing to do with what we want, yet when we give ourselves permission to step back, observe all that has occurred, and recognize the gift in even the most difficult situations, we realize we have been given exactly what was needed to reach the deepest level of appreciation, fulfillment and joy life has to offer.

 

Yet, it takes more than simply knowing this. It takes surrender and willingness to allow life to unfold in such a way that we are allowed to become who we are meant to be. It takes a willingness to know that often we just don’t know all there is to know.

This is counterintuitive to much of what many people are selling as the “key to happiness.” How ironic is this? For years we can search for “the knowledge” only to discover the greatest knowledge is that we just don’t know all there is to know.

It is in surrendering to this fact we are in a position to know more. What happens is we become okay with letting go of the need to do, know, and be everything. We simply move in the space of being in concert with what is. We reach a place of showing up to the miracle of what each day has in store.

It has been said that a miracle is a shift in perception. It is in the ability to recognize the shift where the greatest miracle resides – the miracle of who we are meant to be.

Know Deep Fulfillment 4Make no mistake, there will be experiences in our day-to-day living that at times may seem more than we are equipped to handle. Yet, when we move in the space of appreciation for what is in front of us, life holds amazing miracles – miracles that no amount of money can buy; miracles that create the tapestry of our lives; miracles that take us to the deepest place of surrender that makes life have more depth than we ever dreamed possible; miracles that allow us to love in ways we never dreamed we would or could; miracles that allow us to become the person we are truly meant to be.

It is in the surrender to something beyond what we can see, feel or touch that all we had hoped for will manifest.

 

Seven Strategies for Smart Nutrition

7 steps of Savvy Nutrition, 14 tips of Balanced Body

Nutrition and body well-being from the inside out are overlooked in modern days. We focus on outer appearance and sometimes miss that treating the inner causes is by far more successful in the long run than treating the outer consequences.

During the past years, I became increasingly interested in holistic approaches and methods to improve mind, body, and spirit. Today I would like to share useful information I have come across and collected over time-related to body wellbeing. Please take what you need from this article. It’s an invitation to reflection and an encouragement to deeper research or even a visit to a nutritionist should you need and choose to do so.

Our blood tells us everything

7 steps of Savvy Nutrition Our body is a vehicle and representation of everything we eat, drink, ingest or absorb regardless of form. Whilst I am not by far in favor of extremes or dramatic life changes, some balance and moderation are always good when it comes to food, drinks, and other substances we expose to.

Through our digestive system, our blood is a health barometer and a representation of all meals and liquids that come into our body. A blood microscope analysis takes about 5 minutes and shows: how we function, the level of toxins collected in the body, the state of health for the red cells and the oxygen transportation (Wikipedia on Red cells), the existence of any bacteria, mushroom (yeast), level of fat and hydration, clogged cells due to toxicity.

How the body works

In chemistry, the PH scale measures the acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution. The scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral and our blood ranging between 7.3-7.4 Everything above 7 and up to 14 is alkaline, and everything below 7 and down to 0 is acidic.

When the blood and body are too acidic, they create an unfavorable environment where illness, bacteria, and yeast thrive. Hormonal diseases, digestive and lymphatic problems, cancer, reduced oxygen intake, and fatigue are only some of the issues that may appear.

Scientifically it was not proven that an alkaline diet will remove these risks. Moreover, our bodies have strong regulatory systems that adapt to the environment and whatever food we choose in our diet. However, what is true, is that a more alkaline diet will ease the burden on your digestive system and your blood and body during the PH balancing process. When the PH is too acidic, the blood neutralizes it by extracting minerals from muscles or good alkaline food if ingested. Our mouth, digestive system, and mind (producing thoughts) are acidic, our muscles are alkaline. That is why, too much acidity results in low minerals (calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium) and overall weakened muscles and body.

The aim would be to have a diet that mirrors the normal PH of the blood. Unfortunately, our lives today make it difficult to easily access alkaline products. In simple terms, almost everything around us is acidic. Processed food, meat, dressings, alcohol, coffee, and cosmetics are acidic. The same goes for rumbling thoughts, overworking, stress, or usage of technology which produce acidity and bring blood PH below neutral.

So how can we Help our Body be Slightly Alkaline?  Savvy Nutrition

  1. Drink Alkaline Water! Water is vital to the correct functioning of the body, both from quantity and quality perspectives. The quantity depends on factors such as environment, health conditions, pregnancy in the case of ladies or exercising, and the intensity of physical effort. As with everything, a book can be written only on this. In a simplified version, a formula for the quantity (in liters) is your weight in kg times 0.4. For example, a weight of 60kg, requires an intake of 2.4 liters of water per day (60kg x 0.4).

Alcohol, coffee, or coffee-containing teas do not count and intake of water should increase proportionately. Soup and herbal tea are good and so is bottled water sold in shops if the label shows a PH level around 7. Tap water (where drinkable) is mostly alkaline. If not, adding lemon juice, and sodium carbonate or buying a machine that alkalizes automatically would do the job.

  1. Eat Greens! Almost all green vegetables are alkaline and good for digestion. Notice the difference in how you feel after eating veggies vs. eating meat or other processed food. Heavy meals induce a state of fatigue and burden as the system and blood are fully employed for digestion. On the other hand, vegetables make you feel light and energized, whilst in addition, they contain chlorophyll and help the production and transportation of oxygen into the cells

  2. Eat Proteins from Vegetables! Our bodies need Proteins, but good alkaline ones which exist in vegetables. Meat such as pork, lamb, or beef has a PH between 3 and 4, below the PH level of our blood. In exchange, some vegetables such as broccoli, beans, peas, lentils, sprouts, mushrooms, corn, spinach, or artichoke contain a good proportion of proteins and can be a good replacement for meat. In a simplified manner, the formula of ideal protein intake (in grams) is your weight in kg times 0.8 (For example if you weigh 60kg you should eat around 50 grams of protein per day). An ideal diet would include meat or fish only once a week, eggs maybe twice a week, and the rest of the necessary taken from the greens.

  3. Add good Fat to your meals! Fat is very important for the brain, and eyesight and they make you feel full. Fat is not necessarily meat or associated products. You can take your necessary dose of fat by adding alkaline ingredients to your food such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, or nuts and seeds that contain Omega-3s. Good fats (unsaturated) help reduce cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. Bad fats (saturated) are found normally in animal products and cooking oils. Coconut oil, butter, olive, and avocado oils are relatively good for cooking. However, seeds, nuts, and other vegetable oils such as corn, sunflower, sesame, canola, etc. contain polyunsaturated fats which are unhealthy in the long run, especially for cooking.

  4. Eat natural Sugar! Added sugar contains no nutrients and is bad for the teeth, overloads the liver, can be addictive, and can cause illnesses like diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and heart disease. As with fats or carbs, sugar can also be categorized between ‘’good’’ and ‘’bad’’. Processed sugar or similar sweetener products are generally not recommended, including cakes, sweets, and commercially processed products containing sugar among ingredients. The best intake of sugar and energy comes from fruits and vegetables. Agave, stevia, and coconut sugar are also good replacements. You may also create cookies and desserts from alkaline products such as almond milk, coconut, and banana (PH around 9) (http://www.shape.com/latest-news-trends/good-sugar-vs-bad-sugar-become-more-sugar-savvy)

  5. Have your dose of rich Salt! Salt helps the body with minerals and balances the acidity. Processed salt contains limited amounts of minerals. Himalayan salt is a good modern option that contains 84 minerals. It has been preserved under ice and lava for millennia and kept free from pollution, so it’s a good source of healthy minerals.

  6. Limit Dairy products! Opinions differ quite a lot, but generally dairy is difficult for the digestive system, especially as we grow older and have fewer lactase enzymes (after the age of 4). Most of the world (depending on the ethnic group) is intolerant to dairy or highly allergic. In addition to different chemical substances that can end up in the milk such as pesticides or antibiotics (http://www.all-creatures.org/health/howmilkanddairy.html), cow’s milk contains much more protein than human milk. This creates acidity and employs the body to neutralize it. Because it’s an acidic source of calcium, our body will extract its calcium to balance it and in return weaken our bones.

Cheese is also not necessarily good and comes down to common sense. Besides the fact that it consists of milk, it may also contain mushrooms (like yeast) or other bacteria. Goat milk and cheese are a better replacement as their DNA is closer to the human one.

How to detox your body?  detox-your-body

In the body we have around 5-6 liters of blood (7% of the body weight) that transports nutrients and oxygen to the body, cleans the waste in our cells, fights disease, and moves hormones and chemicals. When our digestive system activates, it employs the blood for breaking food into vitamins, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. The more time the blood is employed for digestion, the less time and resources are available for the other functions of cleaning the body, transporting oxygen to the cells, and taking out the residuum and toxins.

Giving some break from eating can enable the blood to perform its other functions and improve health. For example, fasting has been in some traditions for ages. It’s a process of cleansing the body based only on liquid and no solid food. A simpler way to fast is once or twice a week between 8:00 pm to 12:00 am or between 12:00 am to 6:00 am. That translates into having eaten solid food for around 75% of the time and allowing your body to detoxify 25% of the time.

14 tips for a Balanced Body

  1. Size of the portion is one of the biggest problems of today’s modern world. Obesity, digestive problems, bad sleep, bloating, and fatigue can be caused by what you eat and more important by how much you eat. The ideal size of your portion is the size of your fist, which is how big your stomach is. Everything, in addition, stretches the stomach to accommodate the amount of food consumed. Except for green vegetables which contain water and shrink after chewing, most of the food maintains its original weight and size from the plate into your stomach. To help yourself, use smaller plates and utensils for eating, as well as non-transparent dishes which have been demonstrated to facilitate eating higher quantities of food
  2. Chew well! About 20-30 times for one bite. The more we chew, the more the food gets exposed to saliva and digestive enzymes. This facilitates digestive processes and avoids indigestion and bloating. Putting the fork down after having taken a bite, is a simple way to allow time to chew well and be present.
  3. Take Smaller bites! Taking little pieces and breaking down the food sufficiently is one of the most critical processes of the digestive system; overeating or eating in big pieces results in the food not being digested and transferred into the colon where they create a good environment for indigestion, flatulence and bacterial overgrowth.
  4. Don’t eat fast! Your meal should take about 30 minutes minimum. Eating fast allows one to put more food into the stomach and get ‘’stuffed’’ before realizing it. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to register the chemicals from the food and tell you if you are full. Satiety is not a result of your stomach being full but rather of your brain acknowledging the chemicals. The level of chemicals increases 10 to 30 minutes after eating and decreases in the next 3-5 hours giving the sensation of hunger http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/stomach-full-stop-eating-3080.html
  5. Contrary to common knowledge, drinking water during eating is not recommended. The water dilutes the gastric acid and burdens the process of digestion. Water intake should be done 30-40 minutes before or after a meal.
  6. Stay present! You may have caught yourself wondering when did you eat all the ice cream or all the popcorn. When we are not fully focusing on one process, we easily end up not realizing what we do. Overeating or not chewing well is very common when we watch TV or engage in conversations. Keeping your levels of awareness high and putting all the concentration in one place, will relief your stomach and bring short and long-term benefits. Some soothing music may be a wonderful way of accompanying your meals without distraction.
  7. Eat-in healthy combinations: Proteins (meat, fish, eggs) go well with greens (vegetables), and greens go well with carbs (bread, pasta, rice, cereals). Proteins and carbs (starches and fruits) do not digest well at the same time and fruits ideally should be eaten alone. Allow a minimum of 2 hours between meals and around 3 hours in-between your last meal of the day and going to sleep
  8. Eat at regular hours. Your body remembers the time for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks and prepares its resources for these processes. In other words, some discipline and predictability to your lifestyle make it easier for the body to allocate resources and employ them for optimal functioning.
  9. Buy and eat seasonal fruits and freshly collected vegetables as they maintain best their vitamins and minerals; replace eating anything processed with everything from the garden. Don’t avoid garlic and onions as they are natural bacteria-killing and try replacing processed fat with coconut oil and Omega 3/6/9
  10. Treat your stomach! If you feel your digestive system needs some help you may want to talk to a doctor or nutritionist. Having a close look at what you eat may change your life for the better. Probiotics are also good helpers; they are good live bacteria that help the gut stay healthy and improve the digestive system. The impression is that bacteria is bad in general, but actually, our body is a home for good and bad bacteria and probiotics rebalance your intestine flora accordingly. http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/what-are-probiotics
  11. Brush / clean your tongue. During the night, our mouth accumulates all kinds of bad bacteria resulting from digestion. Before putting these bacteria back into your body, you may wish to use a brush or scraper device to clean your tongue (which can be found online or at the pharmacy). Rinsing your mouth afterward with coconut oil helps eliminate the acidity, cleans even better, and has a good taste and smell; for a continued good start, I would recommend drinking a glass of warm water and lemon juice that has a high alkaline PH
  12. Brush your body 10 minutes after waking up (a big natural brush that can be found in body shops). These will gently remove the dead cells eliminated during the night from your body and allow the skin to breathe better, regenerate and have an optimal release of toxins. Take a shower afterward.
  13. Exercise to increase your muscle mass and help the body become more alkaline. Practice love and a positive mindset as they are both alkaline as well 🙂
  14. In addition to daily movement, meditation as a routine is a great tool to manage the rumbling mind and balance overall wellbeing

blueberries-savvy-nutrition

 

 

Most of the things our bodies need can be made from natural products with no additives or chemicals. Even toothpaste can be done from mint, coconut oil, and soda with no aluminum; or sunscreen for example from carrot juice and coconut oil. It’s a matter of lifestyle and caring for yourself.

Always ask your body how it feels after ingesting different things and make observations on what works for you. If you have pain, feel tired, and have low energy after eating or drinking, then something is not working well for you, you may need to read, learn or observe more about it.

The more you practice the 7 steps of Savvy Nutrition, the more you look and feel way better! 7 steps-of-savvy-nutrition

 

Home Automation: The Smart Way to Live

smart-technology

Let’s talk about smart technology. Do you fall into the category of those homeowners who always keep on worrying about whether they have forgotten to lock their doors? If yes, then you need to get over your traditional locks. Locks have great importance as they are part of your house security and people keep on checking whether they have locked their doors to ensure home security. It adds additional stress to your life if you worry about your home safety and locks.

Therefore, most homeowners have switched to smart technology to control their house locks and devices whenever they want. Smart technology helps you monitor with additional security, which gives you peace of mind. In the modern era, locks got smart to reduce unnecessary stress and make our lives safer.

Following are the benefits of having a smart lock:

Appealing

Smart locks are not restricted to the simple turn of a lever or key, which helps us sleep soundly at night. Such locks go the extra mile to keep out intruders. They are more appealing than the classic key lock and are widely used by people located in high crime high-crime places and homeowners and guesthouse owners who stay away due to their business. You need to upgrade your lock to add more convenience and security.

Portable 

Smart locks are portable as they are managed and controlled with the help of your smartphone. So, you can take your locks anywhere you want. You can view the status of your lock if you have data or Wi-Fi connectivity. You can easily control your locks just by tapping your screen.

Connected  Devices 

A smart device is a device that is either electric powered or enabled by Wi-Fi. Smart locks are connected to networks that have private access. They are connected to the internet of things (IoT).

No Need for Keys 

Smart locks eliminate the need to carry keys everywhere. This helps you to go smart and avoid misplacing keys again and again. In this way, you save a lot of time and effort.

Can be controlled 24/7  smart-technology

You can control your locks using your smartphone, so you don’t have to worry about who will enter your home in your absence throughout the day. You don’t have to worry about getting confused about whether you’ve locked your back door or not. You will always control your locks when you control your locks through the app.

Tightened Security

Homeowners can easily verify who comes at their door when their locks become a part of a smart security network. Smart locks enable tightened security as you can let your visitor come in and out by controlling the locks. You will not worry about an open door that makes you the victim of a break-in.

Ample Options for Locking and Unlocking your propertysafe for the family

When your tenant, guest, or house cleaner isn’t tech-savvy but knows how to handle smart technology it makes it easy on them, or, then you can open and secure your lock with the help of a smart deadbolt combined with the traditional locking method. You can use a keypad smart lock instead of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for storing the passcode on the locking device.

It’s high time you don’t waste time buying analog locks and buy smart locks in their place. It becomes an important part of the smart home security package, adding more convenience and security to your house. Smart locks are a relief as they activate the locking mechanism if you forget to lock the door yourself. You can download the app on your smartphone or mobile device to integrate such locks into your home security system.

 

BE PROACTIVE. DONT BE A VICTIM.

 

The Keys to Successful Dog Training

Successful-Dog-TrainingSuccessful dog training

Successful dog training includes unconditional love and warm genuine friendship. If you’ve owned a pet dog before you are already aware that along with the delights of the new doggy – it may also include frustration, unconditional messes, and genuine destruction. Do not worry, with some obedience training you can head off unwanted dog behavior.

5 Wonderful Benefits of Proper Dog Training

It builds a good relationship with both you and your dog and establishes you because of the pack leader. Enough time you may spend together cooperating, researching one another, and deepening your bond.

A properly trained dog is a welcome dog that can be taken almost anywhere and is also fantastic to become around when camping, hiking, as well as just taking a walk, as he will not be high-risk or perhaps a nuisance to others.

Proper dog training corrects undesirable dog behavior. Chewing your furniture, digging your flowers, barking at everyone who passes from your yard as well as bolting the door could be resolved with some concentration on obedience training.

Whenever you train your pet, it stimulates your dog’s intellect and allows him to make use of his brain; dogs are curious naturally and wish to find out about both worlds as well as the people around them. Dogs possess a deep need to please us, it’s instinctive, then when they could know what you want of them plus, they react to our commands; they think vital and needed – a powerful member within the pack.  Successful-Dog-Training2

It will save you money and time! Making the effort to teach your pet to behave properly in your house saves time cleaning messes and will save you money by lacking to change torn-up pillows, shoes, or any other valuable possessions.

There are lots of wonderful benefits to some properly trained dogs, to a lot of to complete list, but among my favorites is the companionship, using a dog that will protect our family when I’m not around. It had been best said by an unknown author: “He or she is your friend, your lover, your defender. You might be his life, his love, and his awesome leader.”

Successful-Dog-Training3The top proper dog training technique is the usage of Positive Reinforcement to teach your pet. This is just rewarding good behavior that you would like to find out repeated, and ignoring bad dog behavior. This can be a direct contrast to some now outdated way of obedience training which by today’s standards was cruel, (like using shock collars, hitting your pet with rolled-up newspapers, as well as rubbing your dog’s nose in pooh.) Your pet instinctively would like to make you happy and if you use positive reinforcement to teach your pet you will notice that your pet learns quicker as well as the instruction is remembered throughout your dog’s life. This is the best way for a properly trained dog.

5 superb pieces of advice to facilitate your pet training efforts

Make sure to use meaningful rewards. Most dogs become bored quickly and don’t respond too with only a pat on their head or perhaps a good boy. To help keep your training to the highest standards use tempting incentives permanently dog behavior.

Mix in the rewards, don’t always provide the same treatment while training your pet. All dogs have different favorite treats; I’ve trained dogs that will practically rob a bank for any liver treat. Try to look for 2 or 3 special treats which you can use just whenever you train your pet. 

Successful-Dog-Training IV

Make use of the right timing whenever you reward your pet for obeying a command. Your ultimate goal would be to mark the required dog behavior by having a treat timed so your dog understands what behavior earned the treat. Some dog trainers recommend a clicker while training to mark the actual moment your pet does everything you desire, then immediately provide the reward. This is effective but so does a higher pitched “whoop,” or some other sound the dog can identify because of the reward sound.

Be clear and consistent together with your commands. Decide your verbal clues before you begin your training and stay with them. Make sure that the whole family uses the same commands as well as your dog’s rate of obedience training is going to be higher and you’ll see quicker alternation in dog behavior.

Take time to learn proper dog training techniques – it can help to have it right the very first time out. If you’re a newcomer to obedience training or perhaps an experienced trainer; it’s smart big dividends to read through trusted sources to understand more about the advantages of training your pet.  Successful-Dog-Training

You happen to be the best person to teach your pet! It may be easy to teach a pet dog to accomplish just about anything. Beyond understanding basic dog behavior and obedience training, I’ve trained dogs to seal the doorway, dance, speak, play bang you’re dead, catch Frisbees, as well as other cute and impressive tricks.

With fresh and new dog-related information being added constantly you are certain to achieve success in all your proper dog training efforts.

 

Mental Health in the Youth: A Growing Concern

Mental Health in Youths

Something that we should keep an eye on in these crazy times. Mental health in youths is not just something important, adults have to pay more attention to and work on, it is also something teens and youths can struggle with. It is also not just the absence of a mental illness; it is also about having the tools to deal with setbacks and challenges life might throw at you.

Having good mental health in youths is just as important as being physically healthy. Just as people exercise, eat well, and lead a healthier lifestyle to achieve good physical well-being, so too are the things you can learn to help with mental well-beingself-doubt-mental-health

The added difficulty with youths is that this is a time when they are already moody, experimenting with behavior, developing sexual preferences, changing their appearance, and being influenced by societal expectations and peers.

Often experiments at this age are harmless, but sometimes they are not. When you add to that, stress, family problems, learning problems, anxiety, depression, bullying and so on then it is clear there are some big things going some big things are going on they need help with. Teens turn to self-harm, develop dangerous behavior, and may even display warning signs of suicide.

Rising rates 

Not noticing when a youth’s mental health is at risk leads to an increased likelihood of unsafe behavior, self-harming, isolation, academic failure, poor health, drug and alcohol dependency, unsafe sexual habits, unemployment, and more. As the crisis gets worse, not better every year, the rising rates of mental health problems mean we are seeing a staggering number of suicides and suicide attempts. Youth mental health statistics 2022, show more and more youths face mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression and other more serious psychological problems. The issue then is even if teachers, parents, and the community can see it what then can be done to help? 

mental-healthImproving access to mental health in youths support

When you are able to recognize the warning signs of suicide you can take action. This is not just the role of the parents, it is something teachers, counselors, club organizers, employers, and the whole community can help with. Being good role models, offering advice not judging, listening, helping them with self-esteem issues, and making sure there are programs in place and resources available.

Suicide prevention programs, social skills training, violence prevention, conflict resolution, anti-bullying, and so on. Education in schools helps parents to prevent the abuse of drugs and alcohol, promote mental health, and pay attention to the pressure teens have placed on them. With better attention paid to their mental well-being youths can improve their lives, and see a positive impact on how they feel, and on their personal and academic achievements.

Child Psychology & Mind Development

Along with the physical health of your child, it is necessary to care about his psychological health because during childhood a child passes through several mental changes and these changes leave a dark impression on his mind till the younger stage. A child’s psychological development depends basically on the love that he or she will receive from his parents, especially in the first days of his life.

In early childhood, it is necessary to give more & more love as well as affection to your child more love allows it to develop physically, mentally, and emotionally. It should be taught how to eat, walk and talk and how to get the most out of what it learns at school and college.

A child who is treated well in his childhood has more confidence & Children who are not respected and loved acquire serious psychological problems from the beginning of their formation. If you had a sad childhood, you probably have many psychological problems, even if you don’t admit their existence, or if you cannot recognize various behavioral abnormalities in the way you act.

The minds of children are very sharp and are affected easily by all events in the immediate environment. Events that are only trivial or unimportant to adults may leave deep scars or memories in a child’s mind.

Several factors affect the mental development of a child in early childhood:

  • Memorable physical/bodily sensations
  • Personal experiences/events that evoked strong emotions of fear, joy, sorrow, etc.
  • Emotional relationships with friends, teachers, or family members.
  • Domestic abuse or violence
  • Sexual molestation or abuse
  • Accidents or illnesses experienced or observed.
  • Personal success or failure in school

Several other situations badly affect the mind of a child. At any age, parents need to be aware of the result of their reactions to their children’s learning about emotions. Hence the important thing is that you take notice of your child’s emotional state and take it into account when you react. Acknowledge it in an age-appropriate way first, before you race for a solution. Don’t be shy to ask: ‘So what are you feeling right now?’ or ‘How does that make you feel?’

 

SPTS USA

If you are looking for support, advice, or information, whether for parents, educators, youths or the community you might want to head to SPTS USA. it is a great resource there to help educators understand what their role is in youth suicide prevention and improved mental health. The quicker we can observe warning signs, and refer students to the right resources the more chance we have of having a positive impact. 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. 

800-273-8255

Exhausted to the Core

Clean sheets help with sleep which helps your health.

Extreme fatigue, what to do if someone is feeling extreme fatigue all the time? The question that arises is why I am feeling tired all the time. Although it is pretty normal to feel tired after a long day, a constant urge to drop into a bed or a cozy couch is an alarm that something is amiss with your health. This article discusses why you are always in a press-to-snooze mode or feel drained post-lunch and recommendations to avoid the situation. lack-of-energy

Extreme fatigue all the time can affect a person’s physical and mental health. It also takes a dig at the quality of life. Usually, a good night’s sleep or a day off can work well to restore energy levels or eliminate extreme fatigue. But if they are not fixing the issue, something could keep up with your mental health, and should be concerned immediately. It is beneficial to seek help sooner than later if you are not sure about the cause of being tired all the time despite a good diet and enough rest.

Here are 13 key reasons why someone might experience extreme fatigue all the time and when to seek help:

Diet is the most critical pillar of a healthy lifestyle, and o is importance important to leave feeling in sustaining the body’s energy levels. Skipping the meals drops the required level of calories. Long breaks between meals lower the sugar level and making makes you tired. It is essential to take a healthy diet and high-energy snacks to keep your systems running smoothly. Another more important thing is never to skip an end-day meal going hungry to bed reduces sleep quality, leaving you tired on the day after.

An active lifestyle improves energy level; levels the other hand, a sedentary lifestyle leave feeling feel exhausted and sleepy. In one study, researchers worked on how an inactive and sedentary lifestyle affects women’s fatigue levels. Some woman was physically active quite well, while others were not physically active.

According to the study’s findings, physically active women had a significantly lower fatigue level than women living a sedentary life. This supports the notion that a healthy lifestyle is physically active, leading to more energy and vigor. woman-fatique

Vitamin Deficiency multivitamins can be a sign of vitamin deficiency. It might occur because of low vitamin D levels, vitamin B-12, iron, magnesium, and potassium. A routine blood test is required to identify the deficiency. In case a person is vitamin deficient, the doctor may recommend taking supplements. The natural way to cope with the deficiency is to increase foods rich in multivitamins and other nutrients. For example, clams, beef, and calf liver may reverse a B-12 deficiency and reduce the constant tiredness and fatigue.

Stress can deteriorate sleep quality and its duration. Also, the lack of sleep elevates stress levels. Therefore, it is essential to manage the mental burden and enable better and sufficient rest, restoring your energy levels. Persistent stress keeps the body in a state of fight and flight, leaving you exhausted. Stress is also a trigger in worsening sleep disorders. It is advisable to avoid stressful events and off to bed in time for healthy sleep. Other ways to prevent stressful thoughts and remain calm are to practice meditation and build new achievable goals regularly.

When you are suffering from depression, lack of energy and tiredness becomes a problem. Feeling tired tends to associate with physical issues, but mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and stress contribute to exhaustion and chronic fatigue. Consult your therapist for mental health treatment or counseling. Antidepressants, anti-anxiety medicine, cognitive brand, and levels below therapy can make a difference to alleviate the symptoms of depression. If you’re struggling to cope with depression, it can cause Irregularities in sleep and begin to impact your mental health, seek medical advice immediately.

Sleep Disorders

If a person’s energy level doesn’t improve after weeks, or even improving lifestyle, speak with your doctor. You may need a sleep specialist. A sleep disorder such as sleep apnea or insomnia also affects a person’s cognitive, mental, and physical abilities. Sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing pauses while a person is asleep. As a result, the brain and body don’t receive enough oxygen during sleep leading to daytime fatigue.  mental-health

Sleep apnea is a complex medical condition that can cause hypertension (high blood pressure), decreased concentration, and even a stroke or heart attack. Sleep apnea treatment involves using a CPAP machine or an oral device to keep the upper airway open during sleep hours. extreme-fatigue

Burn-out If a person has a constant feeling of running on empty, one could be going through burnout consider. Doctors now consider burnout as a medical condition, defining the condition as a syndrome caused by chronic stress at the workplace. But how does it play a part in making someone feel tired all the time?

Scientific facts determine that a rest-activity rhythm is an essential requirement to perform well. Sleep is a prime pillar of human health which is mandatory for the body to perform well during working hours. If a person is becoming a workaholic and performing continuously without sound sleep or downtime, which is required to restore the body’s ability to function OK; what comes next is physical and mental health deterioration. Therefore, sidestep burn-out and let more downtime invade your daily routine for relaxation.

Being overweight can also cause tiredness all the time. When body weight is more than the desired BMI, it becomes harder for the body to carry your weight during daily life, making you exhausted or feeling tired all the time. You can gradually improve your condition by working on a plan to gradually lose weight by adopting a healthy lifestyle like eating well and starting exercises like swimming, jogging, walking, and gradually increasing the workout.

Daily activities become a struggle for people who have fibromyalgia, causing muscle pain and tenderness. Fibromyalgia affects the muscles and soft tissues, but it causes pain that, does not let you have a good sleep. The awakening of night and restless leg syndrome results in chronic tiredness throughout the day. An over-the-counter pain killer helps improve pain and sleep. Some people also find an antidepressant, physical therapy,  and exercise helpful.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can make you feel tired all the time without any significant health ailment because of chronic fatigue syndrome. It is a long-term illness with various symptoms such as extreme tiredness, insomnia, and even some patients may feel like staying asleep for longer durations. Even longer sleep durations do not help to improve the feeling of tiredness. The cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown, and the diagnosis is only possible after ruling out the chances of all other health disorders by a health professional. Treatment of chronic fatigue is possible only by understanding your physical limitations, mild to moderate regular exercise, and circadian rhythm changes.

Certain medications can make you drowsy and sleepy or make you feel tired all the time and complete everyday chores like driving or operating machinery challenges. On the other hand, some medications can cause insomnia, such as high blood pressure and asthma. Consult your doctor about any such medicine you are taking to find if any alternative or dose adjustment.

Diabetes  GU Energy Original Sports Nutrition Energy Gel

If you are continually experiencing fatigue, thirst, frequent urination, and unexplained weight loss, get yourself tested for diabetes. Feeling tired all the time can be a symptom of diabetes. If a person has diabetes, the body doesn’t make enough insulin leading to high blood sugar and leaving you tired and irritable. Consult a doctor for any unexplained fatigue as it can be a symptom of other medical conditions like heart disease and cancer.

Under-Active Thyroid Hypothyroidism, or an under-active thyroid, occurs when the body doesn’t duce the required thyroid hormones. An under-active thyroid causes symptoms such as fatigue, lethargy, and, weight gain. Although with treatment, people with hypothyroidism can lead an everyday life.

Post-Viral Fatigue feeling tired all the time or for most of the day after recovering from an infection like Covid or the flu as well as glandular fever, are the signs of post-viral fatigue syndrome. Symptoms include chronic tiredness, severe muscle pain, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, fever or chills, chest pain, and shortness of breath. It is common to feel tired after an illness, but if your symptoms are not alleviating for weeks or months and prevent you from leading an energized healthy man’s life-it’s better to seek medical advice. However, there is not enough research on post-viral fatigue, so it’s challenging to find treatment. The best way to improve the condition is by having self-care making you feel better gradually. woman-vitamin-deficiency

There is not a hard and fast rule that every other day is an easy day. A few days are meant to squeeze your energy and it’s quite understandable to feel tired at the end of such days. But being tired all the time is something that needs to be addressed by a health professional.

You may have a health condition that required to be discussed with your health professional. Another thing to understand well cannot be attributed to physical health alone, sometimes what needs the most attention is your mental health.


 

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Unlocking the Secrets of Emotional Intelligence

You’ve got emotions, right?

Or do they, have you? How many times have your feelings led you into trouble or made you feel like you’d been kicked to the curb by life itself? Life isn’t simply a matter of what’s in our minds. There’s a lot of power coming at us from what seems like the unthinking part of ourselves – our emotions. The thing is, emotions hold the power potential for good or ill. We need them! We just don’t need them to rule over us.

How wonderful life is once we’ve learned how to harness the interior energy and ride it like a tamed stallion into our daily life. It’s a journey that I call moving from recovery to mastery. First, we have to learn how to recover from the onset of negative emotions past or present. That’s the beginning stage—the ABCs—of emotional intelligence. Then, with those lessons well in circumstances place, we can begin to live as masters of our interior emotional state, enjoying life as a river of peace no matter what our outward circumstances may be. heart-pegusas

It never fails to surprise me that few of us were ever instructed in the ways of the heart when we were growing up. Our emotional state is immensely important, yet consistently underrated. Consider the effect that your emotional state has on the following:

* Your enjoyment of daily life

* Your ability to enjoy the Lord

* Your ability to be guided by God

* Your physical health

* Your relationships with others

* Success in work; fruitfulness in ministry

Now add in the well-proven fact that our emotions have the power to derail our lives and destroy our relationships—if we let them. That’s a ton of good reasons for wanting to learn how to gain mastery over our emotional state.

This isn’t a subject of mere academic interest for me. I lived for years besieged by an emotional life that I didn’t understand and couldn’t manage (that story is told in Rescued from Hell). Oh, I could keep it fairly well contained most of the time, but I was surviving, not thriving. I had a lot to learn, if I was ever going to come out from under mountains of emotional chaos and confusion. The great thing is that emotional intelligence can be learned. What I’ve been learning, anyone can learn.

Covering the Basics in Four Sections

In this article we’re going to look at the chaos agents of the emotional life—negative emotions—and seek to understand them from a thoroughly Christian point of view. Then I’ll go over seven ABCs of emotional intelligence that will help you get a winning, warrior’s perspective on the task set before us. Finally, I’ll close by going over the difference between recovery and mastery.

1) What Is Emotional Intelligence?

2) What Are the Negative Emotions?

3) Seven ABCs of Emotional Intelligence

4) From Recovery to Mastery

 

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Persons with emotional intelligence, according to psychologists, have the ability to understand their own emotions as well as those of others and can act appropriately using those emotions. Here we’re focusing on the side of understanding our own emotions and becoming adept at dealing with them God’s way. This will inevitably help us better understand the emotions of others. We are not nearly as different as it seems.

Emotions can be conveniently separated into “positive” and “negative” emotions. This is something that we all instinctively do, though we sometimes fail to set the dividing line in the right place. Psychology tends to take the approach that all emotions have a positive value and that we need to learn how to manage them. I’m going to make the Christian case that certain emotions were never meant to be in us in the first place and that what we need to do is not manage them, but eliminate them when they show up.

In Christian terms, therefore, emotional intelligence includes the ability to exercise sovereignty over one’s own emotional state. We do that by carrying every negative emotion that seeks to dominate us captive to Christ. Then, He works with us, helping us be restored to confidence, trust and peace—His emotional life. This may seem like hard work at first, but it is certainly a sign of intelligence to do it. Like all worthwhile pursuits it requires effort and perseverance to gain the ability. The Lord knows this: He told us to keep our hearts with “all diligence.”

What Are the Negative Emotions?  Emotional Intelligence-IQ-EQ

The negative emotions are those that are unhealthy for both our inner life and our physical bodies. (See Spiritual Roots of Disease.) We don’t like them because they don’t feel right, but this isn’t always the best indicator. Some emotions that feel negative are ones that we need: a healthy fear of God, the fear that leaps on us in the immediate presence of danger, the grief that comes when someone we love dies, the guilt that alerts us when we’ve sinned. These are thankfully rare but they aren’t truly “negative” in Christian terms, because they don’t come from our fallen nature.

Many “positive” feelings, however, do come from below: a strong desire for too much to eat or drink, sexual lust in all of its forms, feelings of conceit that flatter our pride. I would go on, but you get the drift—downward and away from the Lord. Jesus, by the way, is our best indicator of where the dividing line is truly set between the positive (godly) emotions and the negative (ungodly) ones. Try imagining Jesus in any particular emotion and you will immediately see either its rightness or its wrongness. This is our unfailing test of what is right for us now that He lives in us. Any emotion that doesn’t fit into Jesus, doesn’t belong in you either, now that He is living in you. These are the truly negative ones He wants to teach us how to expel.

Seven ABCs of Emotional Intelligence

We don’t have to be dominated by the negative emotions. We can learn to exercise true sovereignty over them and live in the Spirit. Study these seven ABCs of emotional intelligence, and then put them to work!

We are sovereigns over our own hearts. This should be pointed out in connection with our “kingly” calling. The Lord has given everyone a realm of authority that has tremendous consequence in their life and the world around them: our hearts. The first step to emotional recovery is realizing the power that we have been given to manage our own hearts.

We can rule over our emotions. For the most part no one can help the emotions that go off inside of them—that’s a reflection of things deeper down. Don’t waste time blaming others or yourself for what you are feeling. Take charge over your feelings and “banish” the ones you don’t want by carrying them as captives to Christ. You have that power.

No one else can control our emotions. What others say or do may cause emotions to come up inside of us, but it always our choice if we are going to let them stay or drag them to the door. Real growth can take place once you grasp this principle that no one (and no circumstance) has power over your emotions, but you. God made it that way.

Don’t force your feelings or ignore them. As rulers of our hearts, we are meant to be servants, not tyrants. We cannot “force” the ones we want to come. Nor is the victory gained by ignoring the emotions our hearts are generating. Our loving God is never ashamed or shocked by any feeling we might hove, so be honest with Him about them.

Don’t believe your feelings. It is important to be aware of what our feelings are reporting to us, but it is even more important never to believe them without an inquest! Feelings are flagrant liars. There is a message worth listening to but it is rarely the one on the surface seeking our immediate attention (see point 6).

Our deepest beliefs control our feelings. Feelings don’t drop in out of the blue. Our present emotional reactions reveal what the fallen side of our heart still believes. That past programming will hold our emotional life captive unless we learn to fight back. By steadily carrying our negative emotions to Christ our heart begins to hold the new beliefs.

Freedom comes through believing truth. This is not a will power contest between you and your feelings. It is a truth encounter in which you choose by an act of your will to agree with God. In the light of Christ, we see the inner lie exposed (as in “You’re right, I don’t need to be afraid, jealous, angry, discouraged, etc., I need to settle down and trust You.”). Then we renounce our agreement with that negative emotion and ask the Lord to break its power over us. In this way we choose to believe what He tells us to believe and do what He shows us to do. Eventually, the thoughts of our heart give way to the new believing and our emotions shift—one episode at a time.

The next time that you notice your emotional state is being robbed of peace, don’t be passive like a department store “dummy.” Exercise your emotional intelligence by carrying every negative emotion (that seeks to dominate you) captive to Christ and be restored to confidence, peace and freedom—His emotional life.

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds, throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.- 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

From Recovery to Mastery  Emotional Intelligence

When the peace of Christ enters our hearts, it feels so good and liberating that we merrily float above all our old feelings. Eventually, however, we discover that our former host of negative emotions keeps showing up and dragging us down! To stay in Christ’s peace, we have to first learn how to get recovery over past issues that wounded us; then, we can use these same “tools” to gain mastery over our emotions in the present. Where our inner state is concerned, there are two great assignments which are gracious invitations to experience the surpassing vitality of new life in Christ:

  •  Restoration: Preparing our inward state to hold up under the pressures of daily life requires recovery of the natural grace that got lost along the way. For countless reasons—not least of which is getting free of the pain—we need to recover from any emotional brokenness emanating from our past.
  • Mastery: As we learn to manage our emotional life, we not only receive freedom from the past, but we gain the graced ability to reign with wisdom over our own emotions, making it possible to live even the most active or embattled days with deep peace and Spirit-led resourcefulness!

We truly can learn how to be lifted and carried by the river of peace that God is sending our way each day. Being born again ushers us into a new life; the Holy Spirit within us provides the power to live a new life. He is the River of Peace. Are you only experiencing trickles and puddles of that peace? Take courage: It is never too late to learn the way of the heart! smile-live-Get-what-u-need

For over a decade Steve Evans and Healing Streams have been helping people recover inner peace and freedom.

Find out how to gain mastery over negative emotions and live with childlike freedom of spirit by taking his completely free “eCourse for Healing” at HealingStreamsUSA.org. Get started now!

 

Essential Survival Techniques

survival skillsBasic Survival Skills

We live in a world marked by modern conveniences, which is great. Modern technologies allow us to find our way, stay warm, find shelter, and even get the food and water our bodies need.

While this is fine, have you ever thought of uncertainties that nature may present?

What if a heavy storm knocks power out?

What if your phone battery dies in the middle of nowhere?

You need a few skills to survive these inevitable life moments.

There are plenty of basic survival skills that everyone needs to know and practice. While most of them look less important to learn, they can potentially save your life, depending on the situation. This post will cover some of the basic survival skills you need to learn.

Of importance, until you get out into the field and practice any survival skills, all you have is a false sense of security.

 

Survival skills everyone should try and master:

To prepare yourself for whatever might befall you, here are basic skills you can learn on your own to prepare yourself to handle most survival situations:

  • Finding water

When it comes to surviving, water is often the first thing that people look for. After all, nothing is more critical to survival than clean, drinking water.

Finding food and water is a skill that people used daily for survival that has since been forgotten. While there is no guaranteed way to look for water, it is obvious that streams are found downhill or in crevasses where hills meet. If you can’t find a water source, you will need to explore the area further. Lush areas with green vegetation and animals are likely to have water.

Rain, snow, and dew are other reliable sources of clean water you can collect. In extreme conditions, you can squeeze water from vines and thistles.

Most importantly, don’t drink any water you find. Make an effort to purify or boil it. This takes us to the next survival skill.

  • Starting and tending to a fire campfire for food

Even if you find a flowing stream with what seems to be clean water, make an effort to make it safer for drinking. In the wilderness, you will need to know how to start a fire to boil your water. Fire will also give you life-saving warmth, help you cook, scare predators away, and even other people notice your location.

While starting a fire with a lighter can be easy and quick, you need to learn how to start a fire from scratch, which requires practice and patience. One of the techniques is making a flint that can generate sparks. You can also short-circuit your battery to create sparks.

The most important thing is to practice and master how you can start a fire in different weather conditions. There are a whole lot of effective techniques to create fire by friction.

  • Foraging for food

While you can survive for a few weeks without food, as long as you have clean, clean drinking water, having the skill to hunt and forage for food is critical.

There are lots of edible wild plants that you can eat while in the wilderness. However, you need to be super keen; otherwise, you may find yourself feasting on poisonous fruits.

You will also need to learn and master hunting, trapping, fishing, and any other technique you can use to get food.

  • Building a shelter  survival today

Once you have water and food, the next most obvious basic thing you want is to find somewhere you can hide from the elements. The type of shelter you can build and how to build it depends entirely on where you are, how long you will stay there, and the available resources.

The basic requirements are branches for poles plus some clothing, a tent, or leaves to cover the finished structure. There are a lot of factors to consider as well. For instance, walking distance to water source and chances of immediate surroundings catching fire.

  • Basic First Aid

First Aid Only 298 Piece All-Purpose First Aid Emergency Kit

 

There are times when it is difficult for emergency services to reach you when you are sick or injured. Being able to administer first aid may save a life at such critical moments.

Apart from knowing how to use a first aid kit, you should be able to come up with creative ways to offer first aid using what is readily available. For instance, creating a brace with tree branches and harvesting natural medicine.

 

winter-landscape-camping

Final thoughts

Learning basic survival skills is a great way to prepare yourself for uncertainties. Practicing and mastering these skills can bring you closer to nature and help you save your life should things go wrong.

If you want to go beyond being just a beginner at this or any other skill, and work toward developing a real mastery, then you are going to need a deeper and more powerful strategy.

 

 

What you need is a way to hack your brain so you can develop a winning mindset.

 

 

A winning “mindset” is a “state of mind” that allows you to enter a “flow state” at will. You do this by programming your subconscious mind.

 

 

Believe it or not, most of what you do throughout an average day is NOT freely chosen by your normal waking consciousness even though it may seem that way. The truth is that most of what you do on a day-to-day basis is done on autopilot. 


Be Safe wherever you Go!

 

Learn to Fish: A Step-by-Step Guide

Teach Yourself How to Fish3There are more anglers today in the United States. Of these, millions fish every day, and the simple truth for doing so is that it’s a lot of fun. Casting your line and catching fish is an integral part of American culture.

Many people itch to go outdoors and fish but it’s not as simple as it seems.

Like most things in life, you need to learn and acquire knowledge and skills. Want to know how to fish?

Follow us as we help explain this craft.

 

  • Gather the Right Fishing Gear

Before you even step close to a lake or river, you’ve got to get the right fishing gear. You don’t have to buy expensive gear to learn fishing but if you can afford it, well and good. The most important things a beginner needs are a rod, line, and reel.

When shopping for fishing gear, choose a very good line. This will make learning a lot easier. We recommend the 300 to 400 yards spool as they hold high-quality monofilament. Avoid the 1,000-yard spools as they hold lower-quality mono. Teach Yourself How to Fish

Other important things to purchase include:

  • Rain jacket
  • Waders and boots
  • Leaders
  • 4-to-12-pound monofilament fishing line
  • Fishing hooks (number/size 6 to 10)
  • Cork or plastic bobber

You’ll also need a selection of fishing lures or live bait.

  • Get a License

Get the current fishing license for the state you’ll be fishing in. You can get a license online or in convenience stores and fishing stores around the area. The license is fairly inexpensive but it costs more for non-residents.

If you want a better bang for your buck, we recommend that you get an annual license. It usually goes for about $30 to $200. You can use the annual license to fish throughout the year instead of getting a license every time you head out to fish.

  • Set Up Your Hook, Line, and Sinker

Tie the casting plug on your line. To do so, use the improved clinch knot. Start by passing the line through the hook eye then tag the end. Make five turns around the standing line then insert the loose end of the line between the first loop and the eye. Pass the tag end through the second loop and finally tighten the knot slowly.

Attach two sinkers at least six to twelve inches above the hook. The weight of the sinkers will keep the lure and bait down in the water. Attach the bobber to the fishing line with the spring clip. This allows the bobber to move up and down the line with ease. So, when fish nibbles at the bait, the bobber lets you know when it moves up and down.

  • Learn to Cast

The most challenging part of fishing is casting. Poor casting translates to missed opportunities. In normal fishing, people usually cast with the weight of the sinker, lure, or bait but in fly fishing, people cast with the weight of the line. This makes a weightless fly which is best for fly fishing.

It’s important to know the right place to cast. Before you cast, allow six inches of the line at the end of your fishing rod. Next, keep the reel below your hand. Now, flip the bail on your spinning reel. This helps to keep your line in place

To cast, hold the rod with a little tension. To put the cast in the back from the front, start slow then speed up as the rod goes back. Aim towards where you want to cast then move your line in one swift stroke. Now, stop your hand sharply and your line will go where you want to cast it. Once your lure hits the water, flip the bail back. Now, start reeling to attract fish to your bait.


fly fishing

Keep practicing to master the steps above. Once you do so, it will be a lot easier for you to fish.

  • Find the Right Place to Fish

Knowing where and when to fish influences the outcome. The where and when varies with your target species. Whether you prefer to fish from the shore of a stream, pond, river, or by the dockside, understanding the target species helps you determine the type of gear and line.

 

Since you’re a beginner, we recommend fishing with a friend by the shore of a river or stream. Other water bodies make perfect fishing spots in your local area. From lakes to oceans, you’ve plenty of options.

  • Baiting Your Hook

Now that you know how to cast, the next step is to learn how to bait your hook. There are different things you can use as bait. Some people prefer using 4 to 5 kernels of corn while others use ¼ slices of hotdog, especially on a #4 baitholder.

While all these are good options, we highly recommend using a small piece of Nightcrawler. They usually come in counts of 12 to 24 available at Walmart or your local tackle shop. You can also dig for smaller worms in the garden. To do so, find moist areas under rocks or leaves.

If you’re not comfortable using worms, then use the aforementioned items. To bait your hook with your worm, use your thumbnail and pinch off a small 1-to-2-inch section of the worm. Then pierce one end of the worm and thread to the barbs of your hook. Next, piece the worm on the other end and secure it to the bar. Make sure it covers the point of the hook.

Cast your line into the water and once your bait is in the water, your hard work should start paying off. If using a bobber, you should see it halfway submerged. However, if the bobber is completely submerged without a bait, then you added too much weight to your sinker. Or, the bobber is too small. Replace with the correct bobber.

Castaroud Telescopic Fishing Rod KitIf you follow the steps above, you should land your first fish in minutes. Remember, be patient and keep practicing to hone your skills.

If you want to go beyond being just a beginner at this or any other skill, and work toward developing a real mastery, then you are going to need a deeper and more powerful strategy. What you need is a way to hack your brain so you can develop a winning mindset.

A winning mindset is a state of mind that allows you to enter a flow state at will. You do this by programming your subconscious mind.

Believe it or not, most of what you do throughout an average day is NOT freely chosen by your normal waking consciousness even though it may seem that way. The truth is that most of what you do on a day-to-day basis is done on autopilot.

An example of this would be when you’re driving your car and as you do so you get bored and begin daydreaming. Before you know it, you find yourself several miles further down the road with absolutely NO memory of having driven those last several miles. So, who exactly was driving while your waking consciousness was in la-la land, and how exactly did you manage to avoid an accident?

Your subconscious mind was in control. You already spent years programming your subconscious with how to deal with a broad range of possible driving scenarios and thus it had no trouble taking the wheel while your waking consciousness took a little break. In other words, you were able to take effective actions without having to THINK about them.

 

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