Deciding to take the step to getting healthy can be overwhelming as you often wonder where do you even start. There is so much information out there that trying to add in all these new foods and lifestyle changes can lead you feeling defeated before you have even begun.
I believe that you first need to look at the things that can be sabotaging your ability to lose weight and get healthy. These three things should be looked at if you are just getting started or you have already been committed to a healthy lifestyle for years
I find this as one of the biggest misconceptions in weight loss.
It seems simple enough that if you start eating less you’ll automatically lose weight, But when you see how the body treats that you will think again before drastically cutting calories
Your body needs to be in a state of balance. If you’re cold your body starts to shiver to get warm, if you’re tired your body starts to slow down as it craves sleep. When you start to deprive yourself of food your body compensates by also slowing your metabolism. Since calories are being consumed sparingly the body will start to expend energy less in order to preserve the few precious calories it has.
This can grind weight loss to a halt as the body is now trying to desperately hold on to what it has making each pound loss a longer and longer process. The flip side is when an abundance of food is then introduced back in (which will eventually end up happening after trying to restrict food for too long) your body with an already lowered metabolism will very readily convert the new influx of calories into body fat.
Your body has been starved and it doesn’t know if it will be getting food again so it quickly converts the sudden influx of food into stored energy aka body fat.
A reduced calorie diet usually then follows and the same process continues over and over as that incremental bit of weight gain each time adds up to quite a lot over the years.
We live in a society where it has almost become a badge of honor to proclaim how little sleep we got the night before but look how it doesn’t stop me!
This will certainly stop your weight loss pursuits though.
Lack of sleep can have a big impact on your hormone levels, primarily the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that when out of balance and secreted too much can cause weight gain and a lower metabolism as another “preservation” mode.
When you get very little sleep, especially in the 4-5 hour mark your body is assuming there is some kind of stress going on. It doesn’t know if there is a some sort of physical threat or famine or that you’ve been up all night watching a Keeping Up With The Kardashians marathon.
Your body basically assumes something negative must be happening if it’s keeping your from sleep and those constantly elevated,unbalanced cortisol and stress hormone levels will severely sabotage your weight loss pursuits
This will be related to the sleep issue but it’s becoming apparent that chronic stress is responsible for an immense amount of diseases and illnesses.
At the moment 43% of adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. And here is a list of just SOME of the effects of stress on the body:
You can see how weight gain and obesity seem almost secondary to these other horrible conditions but the effects of stress are two fold in weight loss pursuits; stress creates effects in the body that will allow weight loss to become excruciatingly hard while at the same time causing weight gain itself.
Reducing stress in your life is not only beneficial for your waistline but your entire overall health and wellness.
There are some simple steps you can take to help reduce and remove stress from your life including:
This only scratches the surface of things you can do to reduce stress but hopefully it encourages you to explore all options in taking back your health and wellness.
There are other things involved with getting underway in weight loss but if you keep these 3 things in your back pocket it will help set you up for success.
Remember to:
Jamie Logie is a personal trainer and nutrition and wellness specialist who runs regainedwellness.com and the Regained Wellness Podcast. You can get the free Healthy Eating Starter Kit ebook by going to http://ift.tt/1FrNCPe
The post 3 Key Reasons You Might Not Be Losing Weight appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.
Deciding to take the step to getting healthy can be overwhelming as you often wonder where do you even start. There is so much information out there that trying to add in all these new foods and lifestyle changes can lead you feeling defeated before you have even begun.
I believe that you first need to look at the things that can be sabotaging your ability to lose weight and get healthy. These three things should be looked at if you are just getting started or you have already been committed to a healthy lifestyle for years
I find this as one of the biggest misconceptions in weight loss.
It seems simple enough that if you start eating less you’ll automatically lose weight, But when you see how the body treats that you will think again before drastically cutting calories
Your body needs to be in a state of balance. If you’re cold your body starts to shiver to get warm, if you’re tired your body starts to slow down as it craves sleep. When you start to deprive yourself of food your body compensates by also slowing your metabolism. Since calories are being consumed sparingly the body will start to expend energy less in order to preserve the few precious calories it has.
This can grind weight loss to a halt as the body is now trying to desperately hold on to what it has making each pound loss a longer and longer process. The flip side is when an abundance of food is then introduced back in (which will eventually end up happening after trying to restrict food for too long) your body with an already lowered metabolism will very readily convert the new influx of calories into body fat.
Your body has been starved and it doesn’t know if it will be getting food again so it quickly converts the sudden influx of food into stored energy aka body fat.
A reduced calorie diet usually then follows and the same process continues over and over as that incremental bit of weight gain each time adds up to quite a lot over the years.
We live in a society where it has almost become a badge of honor to proclaim how little sleep we got the night before but look how it doesn’t stop me!
This will certainly stop your weight loss pursuits though.
Lack of sleep can have a big impact on your hormone levels, primarily the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that when out of balance and secreted too much can cause weight gain and a lower metabolism as another “preservation” mode.
When you get very little sleep, especially in the 4-5 hour mark your body is assuming there is some kind of stress going on. It doesn’t know if there is a some sort of physical threat or famine or that you’ve been up all night watching a Keeping Up With The Kardashians marathon.
Your body basically assumes something negative must be happening if it’s keeping your from sleep and those constantly elevated,unbalanced cortisol and stress hormone levels will severely sabotage your weight loss pursuits
This will be related to the sleep issue but it’s becoming apparent that chronic stress is responsible for an immense amount of diseases and illnesses.
At the moment 43% of adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. And here is a list of just SOME of the effects of stress on the body:
You can see how weight gain and obesity seem almost secondary to these other horrible conditions but the effects of stress are two fold in weight loss pursuits; stress creates effects in the body that will allow weight loss to become excruciatingly hard while at the same time causing weight gain itself.
Reducing stress in your life is not only beneficial for your waistline but your entire overall health and wellness.
There are some simple steps you can take to help reduce and remove stress from your life including:
This only scratches the surface of things you can do to reduce stress but hopefully it encourages you to explore all options in taking back your health and wellness.
There are other things involved with getting underway in weight loss but if you keep these 3 things in your back pocket it will help set you up for success.
Remember to:
Jamie Logie is a personal trainer and nutrition and wellness specialist who runs regainedwellness.com and the Regained Wellness Podcast. You can get the free Healthy Eating Starter Kit ebook by going to http://ift.tt/1FrNCPe
The post 3 Key Reasons You Might Not Be Losing Weight appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.
via 500px http://ift.tt/1zfpIp6
via 500px http://ift.tt/1zfpIp6
Are you performing at a high level in your area of focus such as sports, health, business, blogging, or at work? Whatever your area of focus, reading your goals often can produce faster and more consistent results. Losing sight of your goals can leave you stagnant or swimming against the current. I have compiled five key insights and beliefs that I hope will sell you on the importance of frequently reading what matters most—your goals!
One of the main objectives of writing goals is to determine the steps you need to take to arrive at your desired destination. A daily review of the road map to your goals will ultimately put you in the best position to successfully execute the plan you’ve written for yourself. If the plan becomes second nature (like the route you take to the gym or to work), then the targeted goal and its route become inevitable.
I think everyone has listened to a song and then found that we “replayed” it in our mind for a few days (the earworm phenomenon). Yet the entire song is available to us via memory only for several days; inevitably, it seems to fade from memory over the coming weeks.
Goals are very similar. Reviewing goals frequently enables us to easily recall their steps or benchmarks when we are not reviewing them, which gives us a stronger probability of implementing the actions necessary to achieve them. Frequently reviewed steps will eventually create a pathway in the brain if we consistently review them and not allow them to escape us. There are many studies that back the benefits that repetition has on the brain.
One major drawback of not reviewing our goals is that we will eventually lose desire for them.
Personal development godfather Jim Rohn says, “Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.”
Goals, too, will eventually lose value if they are not reviewed frequently. Reviewing goals at least 10 times each week enables us to mindlessly pivot towards them to make them realities. We know that thoughts can become actions. As a result, we can reach our goals faster.
The more tasks we accomplish and the greater progress we experience towards reaching our goals, the more our self-respect will increase.
When we feel an increase in personal value, our sense of worth keeps us happy. Think of someone who is trying to lose weight. Do they stop after losing 6 pounds? Usually not, and the reason is that losing 6 pounds represents real progress and, in turn, an increased sense of personal value. That motivates the dieter to lose more weight.
Life is easier when we wake up every morning and review our life’s purpose through a review of our goals. We then activate that energy and momentum as we take one step closer to our destination.
Maybe your goals are written down clearly to the extent that you become charged every time you read them. But are you able to recall your goals and plans like a melody that sticks in your mind, so that your actions reflect your goals?
By practicing ongoing repetition, we become programmed to know the steps to take to reach our ultimate destination. It is worth the time spent!
Stay strong and dig deep daily to produce what’s important to you faster. The benefits and outcomes will result in your masterfully illustrated dream board.
I am curious to know . . .
Brad DeVore is founder and coach for the personal excellence website PositiveJump.com. To receive his free list of personal excellence tips and other authentic content, click success to sign up for updates or learn more about the new PositiveJump nation!
The post Top 5 Reasons Reviewing Your Goals is a Must For Your Success appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.
Are you performing at a high level in your area of focus such as sports, health, business, blogging, or at work? Whatever your area of focus, reading your goals often can produce faster and more consistent results. Losing sight of your goals can leave you stagnant or swimming against the current. I have compiled five key insights and beliefs that I hope will sell you on the importance of frequently reading what matters most—your goals!
One of the main objectives of writing goals is to determine the steps you need to take to arrive at your desired destination. A daily review of the road map to your goals will ultimately put you in the best position to successfully execute the plan you’ve written for yourself. If the plan becomes second nature (like the route you take to the gym or to work), then the targeted goal and its route become inevitable.
I think everyone has listened to a song and then found that we “replayed” it in our mind for a few days (the earworm phenomenon). Yet the entire song is available to us via memory only for several days; inevitably, it seems to fade from memory over the coming weeks.
Goals are very similar. Reviewing goals frequently enables us to easily recall their steps or benchmarks when we are not reviewing them, which gives us a stronger probability of implementing the actions necessary to achieve them. Frequently reviewed steps will eventually create a pathway in the brain if we consistently review them and not allow them to escape us. There are many studies that back the benefits that repetition has on the brain.
One major drawback of not reviewing our goals is that we will eventually lose desire for them.
Personal development godfather Jim Rohn says, “Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.”
Goals, too, will eventually lose value if they are not reviewed frequently. Reviewing goals at least 10 times each week enables us to mindlessly pivot towards them to make them realities. We know that thoughts can become actions. As a result, we can reach our goals faster.
The more tasks we accomplish and the greater progress we experience towards reaching our goals, the more our self-respect will increase.
When we feel an increase in personal value, our sense of worth keeps us happy. Think of someone who is trying to lose weight. Do they stop after losing 6 pounds? Usually not, and the reason is that losing 6 pounds represents real progress and, in turn, an increased sense of personal value. That motivates the dieter to lose more weight.
Life is easier when we wake up every morning and review our life’s purpose through a review of our goals. We then activate that energy and momentum as we take one step closer to our destination.
Maybe your goals are written down clearly to the extent that you become charged every time you read them. But are you able to recall your goals and plans like a melody that sticks in your mind, so that your actions reflect your goals?
By practicing ongoing repetition, we become programmed to know the steps to take to reach our ultimate destination. It is worth the time spent!
Stay strong and dig deep daily to produce what’s important to you faster. The benefits and outcomes will result in your masterfully illustrated dream board.
I am curious to know . . .
Brad DeVore is founder and coach for the personal excellence website PositiveJump.com. To receive his free list of personal excellence tips and other authentic content, click success to sign up for updates or learn more about the new PositiveJump nation!
The post Top 5 Reasons Reviewing Your Goals is a Must For Your Success appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.
I previously wrote a great article about why drinking water will help you lose weight, which a lot of people connected with.
Today I would like to present you with a visual as to why drinking more water not only helps you to lose weight but can keep you healthy and energetic as well. The effects of dehydration can be disastrous for your body and can keep you fat, sick and tired.
Infographic used with kind permission from Get Skinny Be Happy
The post 11 Reasons Dehydration is Making You Fat Sick and Tired appeared first on Change your thoughts.
It’s inspiring to envision the future and to set dreams and goals for things we hope to achieve. But then there’s the question of how to turn those dreams into reality. It’s not as easy as just wishing it to happen; our biggest dreams can take a lot of time, hard work and perseverance.
Fortunately there are plenty of people who have already made it happen. We can learn from them and study their efforts in order to understand what went right.
As Brian Tracy once said, “success leaves tracks.” And in those tracks we can discover habits and behaviors that helped make them so successful. From there we can gain insights and knowledge to guide us on our own paths.
1. They don’t make excuses why it won’t work – they find reasons it will
There are a lot of excuses to give why you can’t reach your dreams – time, money, energy, environment among others. Sometimes they can seem impossible to overcome.
But those who successfully reach their dreams don’t give in to these excuses. Rather than seeing obstacles as insurmountable, they see them as challenges – something they’ll eventually solve.
Instead of finding reasons why your dreams won’t work, start to look for reasons that they will. This will help you avoid a defeatist mindset and move you a step closer to victory.
2. They’re willing to take risks
The bigger the goal, the bigger the risk it takes to get there. As with any big endeavor, there’s always an element of chance and the possibility of failure.
Reaching your dreams means putting yourself out there and doing things you’ve never attempted. Whether that means taking a chance on an opinion, a business or a product, you have to try something new to reach your reward.
But if you believe in yourself and know that what you’re doing is the right course of action, the risk will be worthwhile. The only alternative is to sit back and wonder what might have been.
3. They know that getting anywhere takes time, patience and effort
History is full of people who gave up too early, never realizing just how close they were to realizing their goals. Whatever your dream happens to be, you’ll need strength to persevere every day towards it.
Perseverance acts like a filter to weed out those who only “kind of” want their dream from those who truly want it. Think of it like an endurance test which needs to be passed in order to get where you want.
The time and patience it takes to reach your dreams should be treated like a marathon. We’re trying to get to the finish line, but need to focus on continually making progress. In the end it doesn’t matter what your pace is as long as you keep putting enough footsteps in front of the other. With enough patience and perseverance, you’ll eventually get to the end.
4. They create time to make it happen
If you’re like most people, you lead a busy life. We all have things to do, friends to hang out with, and lives to live. But in all your busyness, enough time needs to be carved out to work on making your dreams a reality.
Take a lesson from John Grisham. While writing his first novel, he worked 60-70 hours a week as a lawyer, using any time in the morning or during courtroom recess he could find.
By most people’s measures, he had no time to write. But instead of giving up, he created time whenever possible and that eventually helped him launch his writing career.
5. They have unwavering faith in themselves
People who reach their dreams don’t know they’ll reach it. If they’ve never done it before, they have no previous experience to reference.
It’s often hard to find reasons why you think you’ll make it. There will be more doubts and fears pulling you back and little to no reassurance of success.
This is why faith is so important. When your path to success is unclear, it will keep you moving forward, knowing that somehow you’ll find your way. With enough faith, you’ll discover hidden strength and resolve to keep you moving forward.
6. They enjoy the process to get there
Realizing your dreams is a lot like mountain climbing. For most of the climb, you’re fixated on reaching the top – that’s your goal. However, most of your time will be spent on the journey to get there.
The journey to reach your dreams is just as important as the dream itself, perhaps more important since that’s where you’ll spend most of your time. You have to love the work and effort you do every day to reach your destination.
If you can’t find a way to enjoy the time it takes to reach your dream, you’ll find it harder to get there. Getting your dream isn’t solely about the target, it’s also about finding the joy in the process to get there.
7. They don’t rely on luck, they prepare for it
The relationship between working hard and being lucky is closer than most people realize. However, luck is a concept that most people misunderstand.
Being lucky isn’t solely about being in the right place at the right time. It’s also about preparation and being in the right mindset so when the right opportunity comes along, you’ll be able to capitalize on it.
The ancient Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” With that in mind, we should see luck as nothing more than preparation for the moment when all your hard work pays off.
Steve is the writer behind Do Something Cool where he blogs about travel, motivation, self improvement and adventure. He’s always looking for ways to make life more interesting. For fresh ideas on living life to the fullest, join his newsletter.
The post 7 Things Successful People Do Differently to Reach Their Dreams appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.
It’s inspiring to envision the future and to set dreams and goals for things we hope to achieve. But then there’s the question of how to turn those dreams into reality. It’s not as easy as just wishing it to happen; our biggest dreams can take a lot of time, hard work and perseverance.
Fortunately there are plenty of people who have already made it happen. We can learn from them and study their efforts in order to understand what went right.
As Brian Tracy once said, “success leaves tracks.” And in those tracks we can discover habits and behaviors that helped make them so successful. From there we can gain insights and knowledge to guide us on our own paths.
1. They don’t make excuses why it won’t work – they find reasons it will
There are a lot of excuses to give why you can’t reach your dreams – time, money, energy, environment among others. Sometimes they can seem impossible to overcome.
But those who successfully reach their dreams don’t give in to these excuses. Rather than seeing obstacles as insurmountable, they see them as challenges – something they’ll eventually solve.
Instead of finding reasons why your dreams won’t work, start to look for reasons that they will. This will help you avoid a defeatist mindset and move you a step closer to victory.
2. They’re willing to take risks
The bigger the goal, the bigger the risk it takes to get there. As with any big endeavor, there’s always an element of chance and the possibility of failure.
Reaching your dreams means putting yourself out there and doing things you’ve never attempted. Whether that means taking a chance on an opinion, a business or a product, you have to try something new to reach your reward.
But if you believe in yourself and know that what you’re doing is the right course of action, the risk will be worthwhile. The only alternative is to sit back and wonder what might have been.
3. They know that getting anywhere takes time, patience and effort
History is full of people who gave up too early, never realizing just how close they were to realizing their goals. Whatever your dream happens to be, you’ll need strength to persevere every day towards it.
Perseverance acts like a filter to weed out those who only “kind of” want their dream from those who truly want it. Think of it like an endurance test which needs to be passed in order to get where you want.
The time and patience it takes to reach your dreams should be treated like a marathon. We’re trying to get to the finish line, but need to focus on continually making progress. In the end it doesn’t matter what your pace is as long as you keep putting enough footsteps in front of the other. With enough patience and perseverance, you’ll eventually get to the end.
4. They create time to make it happen
If you’re like most people, you lead a busy life. We all have things to do, friends to hang out with, and lives to live. But in all your busyness, enough time needs to be carved out to work on making your dreams a reality.
Take a lesson from John Grisham. While writing his first novel, he worked 60-70 hours a week as a lawyer, using any time in the morning or during courtroom recess he could find.
By most people’s measures, he had no time to write. But instead of giving up, he created time whenever possible and that eventually helped him launch his writing career.
5. They have unwavering faith in themselves
People who reach their dreams don’t know they’ll reach it. If they’ve never done it before, they have no previous experience to reference.
It’s often hard to find reasons why you think you’ll make it. There will be more doubts and fears pulling you back and little to no reassurance of success.
This is why faith is so important. When your path to success is unclear, it will keep you moving forward, knowing that somehow you’ll find your way. With enough faith, you’ll discover hidden strength and resolve to keep you moving forward.
6. They enjoy the process to get there
Realizing your dreams is a lot like mountain climbing. For most of the climb, you’re fixated on reaching the top – that’s your goal. However, most of your time will be spent on the journey to get there.
The journey to reach your dreams is just as important as the dream itself, perhaps more important since that’s where you’ll spend most of your time. You have to love the work and effort you do every day to reach your destination.
If you can’t find a way to enjoy the time it takes to reach your dream, you’ll find it harder to get there. Getting your dream isn’t solely about the target, it’s also about finding the joy in the process to get there.
7. They don’t rely on luck, they prepare for it
The relationship between working hard and being lucky is closer than most people realize. However, luck is a concept that most people misunderstand.
Being lucky isn’t solely about being in the right place at the right time. It’s also about preparation and being in the right mindset so when the right opportunity comes along, you’ll be able to capitalize on it.
The ancient Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” With that in mind, we should see luck as nothing more than preparation for the moment when all your hard work pays off.
Steve is the writer behind Do Something Cool where he blogs about travel, motivation, self improvement and adventure. He’s always looking for ways to make life more interesting. For fresh ideas on living life to the fullest, join his newsletter.
The post 7 Things Successful People Do Differently to Reach Their Dreams appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.
Sig Nordal 