Towards the end of 2015, a number of predictions about fitness trends for 2016 came out. Some of them were outdated while some ideas really grabbed our attention. Let’s not waste our time discussing the outdated suggestions but focus on what trends are expected to rule the roster for the rest of the year. The suggestions are going to be very sensible and realistic, so you can even use them as a reference to take your fitness to the next level.

Fitness Programs at Faith-Based Institutions

In recent times, we have seen religious places such as churches, temples, and mosques and other faith-based places like ashrams and synagogues showing more interest towards educating people about the right methods for health and fitness improvement through meditation, chakra dhyana and yoga.

These are places where people gather in huge numbers hoping for some peace. They are bonded by a set of common belief and values that is strongly implanted in their minds from their ancestors. Of late, many such faith-based institutions have started offering special classes which not only involves prayers and counseling but also nutrition advice and health care tips to reach a higher level of well-being.

John, a regular visitor of Sivananda Yoga Ashram in California, tells us “any individual who joins a faith-based community becomes a part of a big group of people that are looking to help each other out and create a spiritual and friendly environment. The teachings include a number of practices that are aimed at improving the health, wellness, and mental state of a person. Not just in Sivananda but even in other faith-based communities, you can see people going on a regular basis to get relief from problems such as divorce, debt, and drug addiction.”

When you do something by faith, something that you are ready to accept and follow, you automatically see the difference in your mood and actions. We do not say that faith-based communities will replace health clubs, but they will play a major role in improving the life of people in the coming years.

An Increase In Online Video-On-Demand Programs And Video Streaming Services

Stressful work conditions, frequent travelling, and other activities leave us with little or no time to attend health and fitness courses. That said, people who want to learn will keep learning, no matter how busy they are.

That is probably one reason why we see fitness enthusiasts looking up the Internet for self-help videos to learn various ways on how they can improve their physical and mental well-being.

Videos are interactive and fun to watch and learn from. In future, we continue to see a rapid increase in online video-on-demand programs and video streaming services that are dominated by how-to and tips-based demonstrations by instructors.

See Also: 14 Top Fitness Apps to Get You in Shape 

Wearable Technology

There is no doubt about the fact that technology has become an integral part of people’s life. The concept of wearable technology has grown tremendously over the past couple of years, and there are predictions stating that it grow into a $30 billion market by 2020.

Wearable technology refers to using gadgets to track a range of activities that influence the health and fitness condition of a person. From heart rate monitors to activity trackers and smart wristbands, there are tons of gadgets that help keep track of a person’s fitness activities.

You can use fitness gadgets to track how many calories you burnt while climbing the stairs, how many hours you slept, what your heart rate is when you’re stressed out, and more. Fitness equipment come with round the clock monitoring facilities, and people are finding their use very convenient in maintaining or improving their health condition.

Group Fitness Sessions For Better Results

The usual scene is that there is always a group of people that hit the gym and practice weight-training and there is another group going outdoors for activities like jogging, cycling, and swimming. However, that is expected to change in the coming months.

Considering people’s demand for coach-led training sessions for more fun and motivation during training sessions, we believe health clubs and fitness studios will introduce group fitness sessions segregating training programs into different formats ranging from short to medium to lengthy in order to meet the demands of people in basic, intermediate, and advanced categories.

In other words, we could see instructors include cardio and weights in every session so the user gets the best of both worlds.

Health Coaching For Fitness Instructors

Usually when you walk into the gym, there is always an instructor who is highly knowledgeable and skilled about workout routines and use of equipment. You will get all the advice you need on how to go from a skinny fellow to a professional bodybuilder. However, not all of them are great health experts. The gym is not where you get the best health advice.

But, this 2016 or someone down the line, we could see fitness experts work with health experts and gain equal knowledge and awareness about the right diet and nutrition and health factors to help their students get better results from their workouts. It’s the combination of the best health and fitness advice that can guide a student to experience overall development of his/her physical and mental well-being.

See Also: Breaking the Fast: What I Have Learned Using Intermittent Fasting

So, which trend do you bet on? What is your outlook on fitness trends for 2016? Please comment your answers below and we’ll pick up from there.

The post Top 5 Fitness Trends for 2016 appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Did you know that there are teas to help you lose weight?

To reduce our daily stress, relaxing with a brewing cup of tea in hand is one of the best and healthiest alternatives. Whether it is summer or winter, people love drinking tea for its aroma and wonderful health benefits. Drinking tea gives you more energy and enthusiasm for your daily routines.

Surprisingly, drinking tea can also help us lose unwanted pounds or curb obesity. Here are some tea types that are most beneficial for weight loss advantage.

 

Green Tea:

Originating from China, green tea is extracted from the same plant Camellia sinensis which also produces black tea. Its processing method is different from other tea leaves though as its withering and oxidation technique is also varied.

White Tea:

White tea refers to a minimally-processed variety of tea. The leaves of the Camellia sinensis are plucked from plants during the budding stage, steamed and then dried.

Originally found in China, Nepal, Taiwan, Galle, India, and Thailand, this tea is called white tea due to the silver-whitish hairs of the unopened buds of the tea plant. The tea itself is a light color and has a light taste.

Oolong Tea:

Oolong tea is the traditional tea of China and other South Asian countries. While extracted from the same plants as other teas, the different style of oxidation and processing make it a unique variety of tea. Leaves are more oxidized under the direct sun for making oolong tea.

The taste and aroma of these tea leaves can be varied according to the province where it is cultivated and processed. Oolong tea is a favorite with tea connoissurs in China.

Black Tea:

Black tea is the most common variety of tea found almost in every part of the globe. It has a dark red color that appears blackish giving it the name of black tea. Both machine and manual processes are used in producing this variety of tea.

All these tea varieties have special weight loss properties embedded into their composition. You can use them for regular consumption in order to avail their multiple health benefits.

Now, let us learn how tea helps to lose weight with a proper diet program.

See Also: How to Lose Weight… By Snacking

Tea Is Packed With Antioxidants

Anti-oxidants are a major feature behind the tea benefits for weight loss. Every variety of loose tea is richly packed with anti-oxidants that help the body flush out toxins and waste components we accumulate. These anti-oxidants come from the natural properties of tea plants and the processing method of the tea.

Tea Improves Metabolism

Researchers have found that drinking 4-5 cups of tea can increase your rate of metabolism. The important factor, EGCG or Epigallocatechin gallate present in loose tea helps to enhance your metabolism. Increased metabolism helps burn surplus fat in the body and can help you lose weight with the right diet and exercise.

Tea Shrinks Appetite

Eating too much (and not being active as much) leads to gross weight gain. Drinking tea helps curb your appetite by slowing down the food cravings. Green tea, oolong tea, black tea, and other loose tea varieties have such properties that can reduce your appetite and stop consumption of extra calories.

See Also: Healthy Eating: 5 Killer Strategies to Lose Weight to Live Longer and Happier

Tea Reduces Visceral Fat

Most people have accumulated fat around their stomachs and waists. The fat around vital organs is called visceral fat. Tea is incredible for reducing it. Visceral fat is quite dangerous  as it elevates the risk of getting type II diabetes and other serious problems.

However, make sure to brew your tea properly to derive optimum results with this beverage. You need to exclude sugar from your tea as well as cut down on eating snacks or other calorie- rich junk foods along with it.

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Anxiety has been a huge part of my life. As someone who suffers from social anxiety, I struggle with feelings of anxiousness on almost a daily basis. These feelings of anxiety are often accompanied stress, feeling overwhelmed, and occasionally depression.

After struggling with an anxiety disorder for years, I have learned some effective ways of coping with my anxiety. As a college student, I don’t really have the money to invest in therapy or medication,but I have found ways to cope with my anxiety that are both effective and inexpensive.

1. Journaling

One of my favorite ways to cope with anxiety is to write in my journal. It is an effective way to vent your feelings out and let go of them at the same time.

Journaling will also help you get to know yourself better. Writing in your journal will help you learn more about your thought patterns and can even help you change negative ways of thinking.

What should you write in your journal? You should write about situations that make you feel anxious. You should also write about how you feel about these situations. You can rank how you are feeling on a scale from 1-10 if you find that helpful.

Writing down these things about your anxiety will help you identify why certain situations make you anxious and help you realize which patterns of thought trigger your anxiety.

If a journal sounds like too much work, check out Dr. Gazipura’s awareness log. It’s basically everything we’ve been talking about in one convenient place. It is a worksheet that makes it easy to describe situations that make you anxious and figure out your negative thought patterns in these situations. Keep in mind that this worksheet if for people who specifically have social anxiety, so it may not work as well for you as it has for me. But I think it’s worth mentioning nonetheless.

While journaling, you can also give yourself positive self-talk in written form. This is a great way to reinforce positive feelings toward yourself.

For example, if I am having trouble accepting myself I might write something like “although I am not perfect, I completely accept myself. I know that I am worthy of acceptance and love.”

I find it easier to give myself positive self-talk in the form of writing because it is easier to grasp when I see it written down. After you finish writing our your positive self-talk, it would be even more helpful if you read it out loud to yourself.

For more about how journaling can help with anxiety, check out this helpful article on Psychology Today’s website.

See Also: 5 Tricks How to Overcome Anxiety and Fears

2. Meditation

Another way you can cope with anxiety is through meditation. I started practicing meditation a few months ago, and it has worked wonders for me.

It has helped me change the way I think and has helped me with some of the physical symptoms of my anxiety. For example, I often feel jittery or my heart will pound before entering a social situation, but if I meditate my jitters tend to disappear and my heart rate usually slows down.

Most of our anxiety is drawn from future worries. We are scared about the speech we are about to give or the plane we are about to board. Meditation helps us refocus our minds on the present moment, therefore relieving us of our anxious feelings.

Meditation helps us pull our attention away from our anxious thoughts and brings us back into the present.

See Also: How to get rid of stress and anxiety in 10 minutes?

3. Talking it Out

The best way to cope with anxiety is to simply talk it out with a close friend or family member.

This has proven to be most effective in my life. When I am feeling overwhelmed I like to call or text friends that understand what I’m going through and will listen to me.

Talking to a close friend or family member is a lot like journaling, just with a person on the other end. The people closest to you are deeply about you and their words of encouragement are often all you need to get out of an anxiety funk.

Being vulnerable is a huge risk and is extremely scary. But making yourself vulnerable is often the biggest step towards relieving your anxiety. You have to be able to accept the way you feel before you are able to change it. Talking about your anxiety is arguably the best way to do this.

It is important to note that you should not be simply venting about your symptoms or how much anxiety sucks, you should be talking about the anxiety itself. Doing your best to flesh out why you might feel this way and what patterns of thinking are causing your anxiety.

Being open about your anxiety is terrifying, and it takes great courage. Remember that there is no reason to be ashamed of your anxiety, it does not define you as a person. You are so much more than your anxiety.

It’s time to have the courage to be vulnerable.

The post 3 Healthy and Inexpensive Ways to Cope with Anxiety appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Have you ever thought of marketing with Facebook? If you’re not sure where to get started on your online marketing strategy, why not start where everyone already is: Facebook!

Here are four good reasons why Facebook is the best place to start marketing your business, and why-— with all its ingenious features — it might be the one that will deliver the most returns.

Facebook gives your business a personality.

Unlike other advertising and listing sites, a Facebook page allows you to build a character for your business. Here, you can post a creative summary or bio, use a captivating cover photo, or share interesting quotes, photos and videos.

You, with the help of your Facebook marketing agency, can also strategically choose posts that will capture the interest of your target audience. For instance, you could post recipe videos if you target homemakers, career advice if you’re reaching out to young professionals, or fun viral videos if you want to engage teenagers specifically.

Your posts will appear on your followers’ news feed, next to their friends’ status updates; so it’s like building a more personal relationship with your clients, instead of a purely transactional one.

See Also: 5 Tips to Use Social Media for eLearning Content 

Facebook makes you accessible to your customers.

Having a Facebook page for your business does not mean having a one-way platform where users can only view whatever you post. Through Facebook reviews, comments, and Facebook Messenger, customers can reach out to you anytime for feedback, suggestions, inquiries and requests.

Through marketing with Facebook, your business gets the extra edge of convenience and accessibility because customers can get quick answers to their concerns without them having to leave social media. Interact with your clients on the comments section or respond to private inquiries through Messenger, and let them sample the warm and accommodating service that your business offers.

Facebook helps you engage the right people.

Have you ever checked the ads that appear on the side columns whenever you browse Facebook, and realize how they incidentally match your last few likes and searches? It’s not coincidence; it’s Facebook Analytics at work.

Facebook knows its users by collecting data from browsing and online activity, so it pretty much knows who would be interested in what you sell. Facebook Ads is a very convenient system that you should take advantage of, since Facebook already does all the data-crunching and analyzing, and all you have to do is choose the right settings for your ad.

If you are not sure how to set this up, get a professional Facebook marketing agency to do it for you.

Facebook sends strategic follow-throughs on your prospects.

Facebook marketing also features an ad retargeting system, which is one of the cheapest and most effortless ways for you to follow-through your prospects. This works on Facebook users who have visited your website or viewed some of your listings, but did not make a purchase.

See Also: 6 Ways To Become Productive on Facebook

Facebook allows you to post ads on the side columns and news feeds of these specific users, to keep them reminded of the item or service which they found interesting even while they browse on social media. Similar with Facebook Ads, this system is also very convenient, because Facebook does the tracking and the ad posting on your behalf. All you have to do is wait for the client to reach out and finally make that purchase!

 

The post 4 Good Reasons For Marketing With Facebook appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Giving our homes a makeover is often limited to a paint job, changing the drapes, or reupholstering the couch. But a facelift should not be reduced to a beautification project. Renovation should also be about making homes safer and smarter.

Times have indeed become more dangerous, and home security is something all homeowners should take very seriously. Aside from safety, there’s also the need for all homeowners to respond to green initiatives by using the technology available in the market.

By definition, a smart home is a home “equipped with network-connected products for controlling, automating, and optimizing functions such as temperature, lighting, security, safety, or entertainment, either remotely by a phone, tablet, computer or a separate system within the home itself.” This was the definition from Coldwell Banker and CNET. A survey by CNET showed that 87% of Americans acknowledge the value of smart home technology but only one in four actually uses the technology.

You’d think that having a smart home is just about having an Internet connection. Well, technically speaking, you’re probably right. But there are so many other things you can do to make a smart and safe home renovation, even while on a budget. You’d be surprised that some efforts do not even require money.

Here are affordable home renovation ideas that will make your home safer and smarter.

When it comes to the door, don’t hold…back

Never think twice about having a sturdy door. Sure, you have seen homes who invest in making their doors worthy of a magazine cover, painting it boldly and designing it intricately. However, a smart homeowner would think of safety first. Don’t settle for pretty. It makes no sense to have a pretty door that burglars can easily push down or yank open.

Check the locks

One of the ways to ensure door safety is to inspect the locks, with changing them if necessary. Use double locks or deadbolts rather than just ordinary door handle locks. Make sure that they are tamper-proof. If you can have those keyless and automated locks, that would be a good investment.

Eyes on entry points

You can’t be everywhere all the time. Even when you are inside the house, it is physically impossible to guard every entry point including the garage. What you can do is to go to a security system store and ask for surveillance cameras. Install a reliable security system in your house so you could monitor everything that’s happening. These days, you could even receive live feeds from all cameras in your mobile device. Now, you have eyes on every corner of your home.

See Also: 10 People in Urgent Need of Smart Home Security Systems

Take control of your home

The best thing about security systems these days is they are no longer limited to sounding an alarm when a threat becomes apparent. Aside from keeping our homes safe, security companies also make it smarter by giving you full control of your appliances. The Honeywell home security series features a wide-array of security systems that let you turn on and off the lights, set the timer, and adjust the thermostat from a smartphone. Never again will you have to worry if you leave the hair curler plugged. This way, you can control your electric bill while doing the environment a favor.

Accident-proof your home

While our homes are our own personal sanctuaries, accidents do happen especially when you have kids and elders living with you. Avoid trips and falls by choosing less-slippery flooring like wood or vinyl. Furniture such as tables and sofas must not be located near a window where kids can climb and fall. In the bathroom, get some anti-slip mats.

Grills on windows

Glass windows are very popular among homeowners. They look very modern and also very easy on the eyes. However, securing them with locks may not be enough. Consider mounting grills on your windows for added home security. You can be a bit more artistic and playful with the color you choose to paint them but the idea here is safe home renovation. This will also give you another layer of security when you choose to put the curtains away and let natural light in.

Achieve drama with LED

Lighting is an important part of any design or renovation. It sets the tone. It can essentially tell you how you should feel at a certain moment. Lighting can make a place look warm and cozy. Identify the areas that need lighting and make sure to use LED bulbs.

Lighting up the porch

Putting some dramatic lighting outside the porch is a particularly nice touch. Not only is it pretty, outdoor lighting also intimidates burglars who would rather work in the dark. Make sure to use LED bulbs so you would not have to worry about your electric bill spiking up even if you leave them on the whole night.

Don’t forget the bathroom

When people talk about home renovation, the living area and the kitchen always get special treatment. But don’t forget the bathroom. Simple bathroom upgrades such as updating the mirror and the sink can make a huge difference. Add a floating shelf for towels and toiletries.

Channel your inner handyman

One of the most budget-friendly home renovation ideas is fixing what’s already there. Renovation does not always mean buying new things but repairing what you can. Check the shower and the sink for leaks. Check the walls for cracks. Check the ceiling, too. Repair them while you can before things get worse. This is how to you keep a home smart. Make sure everything is working perfectly.

See Also: 5 Practical Home Improvements To Sell A House

Would you like to move it?

Sometimes, you don’t need to buy anything new. All you need is to move it. Try re-arranging some of your furniture to give your place a whole new look. This is also a chance to make your space look bigger. Rearrange your furniture in such a way that it is simplified and de-cluttered. Make sure you encourage a flow that is functional.

Give it a new hue

Paint is one of the most affordable home renovation materials that you can have. A can of paint can do wonders. If you are not ready for a major paint job on your living room walls, try it on kitchen cabinets first. You will be surprised at the transformation. You may also want to make those knobs a bit funkier.

Show off DIY skills

If you are on a budget, you have to try to do things yourself as much as you can. There are tutorial videos for anything these days so do not be intimidated. Try to build a headboard for your bed, a shelf for books, a daybed for additional sleeping space, and an ottoman for the living room. You don’t only get to save money, you also get to enhance your skills while giving your home a personal touch. How smart can that get?

Boost storage, reduce clutter

Adding storage is always a good renovation trick, not to mention a cheap renovation idea. If a home has more storage, there would be less clutter. You can add storage in the kitchen and in the bedroom to arrange your closet.

Give it some personal touch

One of the cheapest home improvement ideas is designing with personal touch. Instead of keeping your collection in a box, why not make a gallery of sorts? Frame one of your kids’ artworks and hang it proudly. Decal your favorite quote on the wall. Stencil your initials on a throw pillow. There are so many things you can do to give your home character.

Renovating your home need not be expensive. You don’t need to break down the walls just to give it a new look. All it takes is to know exactly what it is that you want to achieve. In this case, if you want a safer and smarter home, use not only technology but also creativity.

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Most of us, women in particular, have a hard time saying no. We don’t want to disappoint anyone, especially not the people we love. As a result, we end up putting everyone else’s needs ahead of our own.

When put on the spot, we feel like we have to give an answer immediately. We get flustered and end up saying ‘yes’ when we really shouldn’t. This leads to us cancelling at the last moment and then having to deal with the inevitable guilt that follows.

Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy

Living abroad is amazing. The only downside is that you miss your friends and family back home. A lot. Opening a Cape Town office provided the perfect solution. It made good business sense and we were going to do it anyway, but at least now I’d have a bona fide excuse to go home and I’d get to see the people I love more often.

I’d have to work too, but since I love what I do I didn’t see that as a problem. Unfortunately, my friends and family didn’t make the work connection and expected me to be available all the time.

In the beginning I tried to do both: work a full day and be available to socialise at a moment’s notice. I failed miserably. My work suffered, I was exhausted, the get-togethers were stressful because I was constantly on my phone, and my relationships with everyone became strained.

I quickly realised that trying to keep everyone happy was having the opposite effect. Nobody, least of all me, was having a good time. I needed to learn how to say no, and fast.

See Also: 4 Ways to Make Yourself Happier on a Daily Basis

Setting Boundaries

The first thing I did was set some boundaries. I explained that while I loved spending time with them, staying with friends and family wasn’t a workable option. I needed my own space to retreat to after a busy day and I wanted to be able to work in the evening without feeling guilty. I also made workdays off limits for socialising.

Both scenarios were met with resistance initially, but we quickly worked out a compromise. If they accepted my work boundaries, I’d make the effort to respect our time together. I promised to leave my laptop at home and put my phone on silent.

Three questions to ask

You need to put yourself first. This might seem selfish, but in fact the opposite is true. If you don’t make you a priority, you won’t be able to show up for everyone else.

Keep putting everyone else’s needs ahead of yours, and you’ll eventually burn out. And even if you don’t end up collapsing in a heap from exhaustion (maybe you’re made of stronger stock), there’s still the mental and emotional toll to deal with.

See Also: Taking a Life Audit: Five Steps to Prioritising What’s Important

Sooner or later you’ll feel resentful and you won’t have anybody to blame but yourself.

Now, whenever anyone asks me anything: Would you like to have dinner? Can you babysit for me? Have you got an hour spare to…?

I have to answer ‘yes’ to these three questions:

Can I do it?

Do I have the wherewithal to accommodate your request? Do I have the time, the money, the energy, etc. required to help you? If I’m in the red, then it has to be a ‘no’.

Do I want to?

Do I have the desire to do whatever it is you’re asking? Maybe you want to go for drinks tonight, but all I want to do is curl up on the couch with Gabriel Macht and a glass of Pinot Noir.

Is it the best use of my time?

Getting together with old school friends would be fun. Reminiscing about ex-boyfriends and teenage escapades is always a hoot, but I also have a huge proposal due.

Before you commit to anything, you need to say ‘yes’ to all three. And I don’t mean a wish-washy half-arsed yes. I’m talking about a resounding ‘Hell Yes!’.

Saying ‘no’ takes practice

In the beginning this is going to be tough. You’re used to ‘old you’ who bends over backwards for everyone except you. ‘New you’ is more cognizant, more mindful even. You take the time to weigh things up. You do your due diligence before promising anything.

Pro tip: There will be situations where you’re caught off-guard by a request. When that happens, say this: I’m not sure, let me get back to you.

It’s not a flat out ‘no’, but it’s not a ‘yes’ either. It’ll give you time to consider your options before giving a definite answer.

How to say ‘no’ with aplomb

I’m much better at it than I used to be, but I still sometimes struggle. Something useful to remember here is that it doesn’t always have to be an outright ‘no’.

These three versions of ‘no’ from The EveryGirl are particularly useful:

Not this way
You’re not completely against the idea, but in its current form it’s too much for you to handle on your own.

Not right now
You don’t want to veto the request outright; you simply need to defer it to a more suitable time.

No, thank you
You just don’t want to. You don’t need to make excuses, just be polite about it.

What about saying ‘yes’?

Initially you might find yourself swinging the other way and saying ‘no’ to just about everything. That’s okay. Just remember that staying in No-ville isn’t a long-term option. It can get pretty lonely there.

When it’s time to start saying ‘yes’ again, how do you say it without compromising yourself? The trick is to not see everything as black and white.

It’s probably not the best use of my time to go to a friend’s daughter’s sports day when I have a deadline looming. But while I can always work a bit later on the proposal, who knows when I’ll have the chance to watch her play soccer again?

With every situation, you need to weigh up all the pros and cons. Don’t just look at the obvious ones, investigate them all and then make a final decision.

Show up 100%

If you do say ‘yes’ to something, then go all in. No hemming and hawing, no piddling about on the side-lines, surreptitiously glancing at your watch or checking your cell phone.

If you say you’ll do something, do it with enthusiasm. I’m not suggesting you channel your inner Tony Robbins; but don’t act like you’re doing everyone a favour just by being there.

Also, don’t say you’ll do something and then back out at the last moment. Unless you’re faced with a genuine emergency, you need to honour your word.

What happens if we don’t exercise our ‘no’ muscle

• We’ll miss out on the opportunity to say ‘Yes!’ to things that really matter.
• Our time will be usurped by people who aren’t that important to us, which means we won’t have anything left for the ones who mean the world to us.
• Other people’s priorities will take precedence over ours.
• We miss out on the much-needed rest and recovery that comes from downtime.
• We end up feeling stressed, which invariably leads to resentment.

Saying no isn’t being selfish. It’s necessary for your happiness and for other people’s happiness too.

The post Saying No As Much As Yes To Enjoy Life More appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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How does one find hope? Where does hope come from?

My head? My heart? My faulty logic? Some survival strategy?

I am not sure how hope manifests but I am sure that as I observe it, it becomes infectious, viral and creative . Can I just keep my dim eyes open and wait for hope to walk across my path or am I charged with some responsibility to seek the hopeful moments, situations and individuals who are occupying my small piece of the world?

I do a bit of both — chase and wait.

When I am active in my pursuit, more hope awaits me and having more hope confirms the next incident or re-frames the situation from tragic to something better. The world offers us joy, opportunity, challenge and renewal as and when they are needed.

Accepting the gift and accepting responsibility for their stewardship is a powerful and enriching experience. Don’t let it slide by without grabbing hold. Hold tight and make the moments last. You will be better, your world would be better and the future for all of us will be better.

Unfortunately, many are watching for and pursuing despair and distrust as a shield. They see pain and look for more. They hear a lie and stop believing. They have their worldview confirmed because the object of their quest is hopelessness.

See Also: 3 Signs You’re Losing Hope

For regular readers, you know I believe we have hundreds of choices that we don’t often exercise or even consider. Choosing to seek and find hope is another choice.

My challenge for this week is to have us all find hope and chase it with passion. Are you up to joining me?

Today I see hope in the weekend parade pictures on FaceBook of my grandchildren and the conversation about the future of Canada with my mother.

Make This Week Hopeful,

B

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Admit it. You’re frustrated.

You’ve got this great new idea that you’ve been dying to work on, but your progress has been stop and go at best. Every time you sit down to work on it something comes up.

You just need to look this one thing up so you know how to do it. Then you’ll get to work. And how annoying is that fan blowing your hair around? You should go turn that off so you can actually focus.

Before you know it, you get to the end of the day and realize you didn’t get anything important done.

How do successful people make this look so easy?

Why Do We Procrastinate?

Let’s take a trip back through time. Before the internet or cities existed, back when there was just man and nature.

Back then, doing something new wasn’t a good thing.

Taking a new route might end with you getting bitten by a snake or eaten by a lion – game over. Procrastination protected us. We became a creature of habit. Until we were starving, we stuck with what was safe and familiar.

What do you do now that procrastination is working against you?

Become a creature of better habits.

Send Your Lack of Focus Packing

Imagine the busiest day you’ve ever had. It’s the end of the day, and you’re laying down in bed. Then you realize – “I didn’t do anything important today.” Ever had one of those days?

We all have.

When you start off a day without knowing what you need to achieve, you’ve lost the battle before you ever got out of bed. You need a plan of attack for the day before you ever get up. That way, as soon as you wake up you know exactly what you need to do.

This is the first habit you need to create. Every evening, come up with the three most important things that you have left to do. These should move you forward towards your goal and make other things on your to do list unnecessary.

Take these things and ask yourself – “If I did nothing but this the entire day, would I be satisfied?”

If so? Write them down on a sheet of paper. Put that sheet of paper beside your bed. This is your to do list for tomorrow.

See Also: 7 Tips On How To Overcome Procrastination Everyday

Starting Your Day Off on the Right Foot

Don’t start celebrating – you haven’t killed procrastination yet.

If you want to have a successful day and get everything you planned done, you need to create another habit. If you stop here, you’ll have a small stack of post-it notes laying forgotten beside your bed.

To clobber your procrastination, you need to take a moment each morning to reclaim your focus. As soon as you wake up, you want to do two things. First, you want to review your current list of goals. Remember why you want to accomplish each of these goals. This will motivate you and put you in the right frame of mind for the next exercise.

When you finish reviewing your goals, look over the piece of paper with your action items. Schedule your day around these three things. Don’t let your most important tasks be at the mercy of the less important things that come up during the day.

If possible, you should get these done first thing in the morning. If you’re tired in the afternoon, do them now while you’re still fresh.

Great, but How Do I Stop Procrastinating?

If you start with the easy task, you’ll drag your work out until you can find a reason why you can’t do the task you dread.

To overcome your inertia, you have to attack the mammoth first.

Before you do anything else for the day, take the hardest, most unpleasant task you have. Sit down at your desk – or wherever you can actually do it – then set a timer and start working on it. Don’t google it. Don’t read articles about it.

Start working on the parts you know you can do, and do your best with the rest. Even if you have to go back later and look a few things up to finish the task. You’ll be far less likely to spend the rest of the day reading articles. Trust me, I’ve been there.

Doing the hard task first has extra benefits. Not only will you have the thing out of the way, you’ll have done the hardest thing you’re going to do all day. By this point, nothing else should be able to stop you. You’ll have started the day with a massive amount of momentum, and inertia will take over from there.

See Also: Strategies And Tips On How To Avoid Procrastination

Stop Learning New Things Every Day

When you attack that mammoth task, one thing is going to kill your focus more than anything else. It’s a little thing I like to call the Wikipedia Effect.

It starts off innocently enough. You need to know how to do one thing so that you can complete the task. You look it up on the internet. You click a link. Then another. Before you know it, you’re watching funny cat videos and your momentum is gone.

If you want to stop this from happening, you need to stop browsing the internet trying to learn things. Keep any information you need to complete the task handy in Evernote. Highlight the key points. If you need to refer to it, read only as much as you need to be able to finish the task.

See Also: How Procrastination Can Make You More Productive

Procrastination Sucks.

Especially when you have that great idea you know could change your life. If you could just get around to doing it.

Improving your focus and killing your procrastination can be as simple as using a few good habits.

Just imagine getting to the end of the day and being proud of all the progress you made towards your dreams.

Being able to set your goals and accomplish them without delays and distractions.

Imagine this sort of day being the norm, rather than a rare exception.

To start, all you have to do is create that first habit. Write your next steps down now, and then review them in the morning.

Procrastination could become a thing of the past.

The post 4 Habits That Will Improve Your Focus And Destroy Procrastination appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Do you want to know how to live the life of your dreams?

One goal that nearly all people have in common is living a wonderful life. The word wonderful may be interpreted differently by each person, but still, it always has something to do with how you imagined you would live your life.

Unfortunately, only a few amongst us will actually live the life they wanted for themselves. It’s not that other people don’t want to live the life of their dreams badly enough. It’s just that they’re doing certain things that are holding them back in life.

First of all, you need to accept that your current situation isn’t the way you want to live the rest of your life. By doing this you’re making room for improvement. After you’ve done that, you can find out what is holding you back in life.

I’ve created a list where I identified the three things that were holding me back from living my life. By sharing this with you, I hope that it will save you a lot of time and that you can apply it directly to your life.

See Also: How to Realize Your Dreams Even If You Don’t Know How to Get There

So lets find out if what’s holding you back from living the life of your dreams and how you can fix it.

1. Sitting on the couch

People will give you so many reasons about why they aren’t able to do something. Most of those reasons are just excuses. They excel in procrastination, which is arguably the biggest killer of your dreams. It lets you keep on thinking that you have enough time to do what you want do. Meanwhile the time ticks away and you’re still at the same place where you were 5 years ago..

These lazy procrastinating people are always complaining about what they could have been doing if they didn’t ‘suffer’ from x in life or if they didn’t lack x in life. You can’t complain and hoping things will get better.

What you need is a vision and motivation for your life, because at the end of the day, these people want to achieve their dreams too, but they just don’t know where and how to start.

Find out why you’re procrastinating and find out what really motivates you to take action. The best motivation to accomplish anything in life comes from the deep desires in your heart & mind.

When you know what you desire and you remind yourself everyday of it, your productivity and execution level will take on forms you’d never expect of yourself.

See Also: 16 Excuses that Prevent You from Going After Your Dreams

2. Overthinking about what others may think of you

One of the worst things you can do in life is trying to please everybody and to care about what everybody will think of you. Not only does it cause anxiety, but it also works like a paralyzer. You’ll feel scared to step out of your comfort zone, because you’ll fear to be scrutinized and judged by your family, friends or maybe even people you don’t know.

When you stop getting out of your comfort zone, not only will you deprive yourself of the opportunity to do new and exciting things, but you’re also letting them determine how you’ll live your life. There isn’t a particular key to living the life of your dreams. But, trying to please everyone is most definitely not one of them.

It’s normal to care about what others may think of you. I’m not telling you to shut it all out and to never ever listen to what someone else says about you. Listen to them and let them know that you accept their opinion for what it is.

However, don’t let the opinions of others influence the course of your life. Don’t stop doing something just because it’ll be frowned upon. As long as you’re not negatively affecting others, you should do things your own way according to your plan.

See Also: 5 Practical Keys to Living The Life of Your Dreams

3. Focusing on the negative side of things

Most people have the awful tendency to always look at the downside of things. When a challenge comes up in their lives, the first thing they start to talk about is how difficult it is to overcome it and that they never faced something like this before in their lives.

Sometimes, people even do something more unbelievable and manage to find the bad in something positive. They actually don’t realize how negative and pessimistic their attitudes towards life are.

The best way to overcome a negative attitude is to stop denying it and to accept the fact that you’re much more negative in life than you can realize. This may be difficult to accept because no one wants to be a negative person. However, the acceptance part is the most difficult and once you’ve done it successfully, you’ve opened the way to change.

The second part would be finding out why’re always so salty and acting like a ‘know it all’. For example, is it a defense mechanism against your own insecurities or do you like to be negative and if so, why? Asking yourself these questions will help you find out how you can change your perspective from a negative into a neutral one.

We often blame external things for the things that we lack in life. This is a big misconception in our society. We’re actually really fortunate with the fact thtat it isn’t usually external variables that prevent us from living the life of our dreams, but the internal things.

We can change our internal situation. We have the power to take control over our life and to shape our life in the ways that we want to create the life of our dreams. So quit looking for excuses and start looking for improvements.

What is holding you back from living the life of your dreams?

The post 3 Things You Need To Stop Doing To Live The Life Of Your Dreams appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Early in life, I learned to view my body as a sort of prison. While other little girls spent time playing and living carefree young lives, I struggled my way through ballet class– attempting to forcefully train my body to be graceful, obedient, and beautiful. Through my journey from student to professional, no matter my efforts, no matter how low my weight, or expertly I executed choreography, I never felt it was enough.

At the root of it all, I felt that my body held me back. “If I’d only been born with narrower shoulders, higher arched feet, longer legs,” I dreamed, “I would be better and do better. My life would somehow be easier”, I thought.

My soul was that of an artist, choosing dance as the medium within which to come alive, but my very human body never seemed good enough to match the ambitions I held for my dance career.

Over time, I began to resent the body I was born with, feeling limited by the “hand I’d been dealt”. I realized that while I couldn’t control the body I was given at birth, I could control how I operated it– working harder, training longer, and being as skinny as possible in order to be the best dancer I could be.

Eyes firmly on the goal to curate my identity as professional ballerina, I adopted so many ways to control, shape, and demand from my body. I used this discipline to transcend and ignore my basic human needs for rest and food– in true “no pain, no gain” fashion.

These habits served me fairly well, or so I thought, until my first major injury at age 29 forced me to take some time away from the stage in order to heal. Forced to truly partner with my body (instead of dominating and controlling) for the first time in my life, I began a continually unfolding journey of healing and awakening, coming back home to myself.

When I began to understand that my body was something to respect and honor– that I had limits and finite energy that had to be acknowledged—and began acting as such, I realized that my body was an extension of me, my soul made flesh. I realized that my one, greatest responsibility in life was caring for this body every day, because she is my home in this lifetime.

Embodying this realization meant no more excuses, no more blurred boundaries with others, no crappy, convenient, or emotionally-charged food choices. It was time to go beyond the surface level frustrations I held and tap into what really mattered most.

I realized essentially that to hate my body was to, in fact, hate myself. And when I realized just how much I had been unconsciously hating myself all those years, I was heart-broken. I resolved to return to myself– treating myself as a loved one each moment. Creating love, peace, calm and strength from within, first.

Here are a few of the tools I used:

I studied my unique, individual body.

Not the body, but my body, learning which foods, relationships, activities and movement helped me to feel good vs. relying on mass (confusing) opinions about what worked and what didn’t. When I got to the roots of what my particular body wanted and needed to thrive, my relationship to food changed drastically, I started taking more time for myself and releasing relationships and things that no longer served me. Most importantly, I became more confident about my body and within my life.

I stopped torturing my body with exercise I hated and found movement I loved.

As a dancer, I was taught to “suck it up” and push through intense pain on a daily basis. This meant smiling beautifully– tutu and tiara in tow– regardless of whether my feet were bleeding in my pointe shoes, or my muscles ached and burned from exhaustion.

Ballet requires fierce determination, training, and skill. Pushing is required. But so is listening to the body and acknowledging the body’s limitations.

When I committed to doing things differently—with honor and respect for my body– I realized I seriously disliked most of the ways I’d been keeping myself in shape. As I began to explore different types of movement that felt great to me, I created space to witness, in awe, all that my body was capable of.

It took time for me to release these patterns of forcing and pushing, but came to find out, both my body and I do much better with a gentler approach.

See Also: Self-Acceptance: The Key To True Happiness

I healed my relationship to food and healed my body in the process.

Like many of my clients, I was constantly confused and frustrated in my relationship to food. I never knew what to eat (or what not to eat) and I struggled with consistency and emotionally charged eating.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, I also suffered from a lifetime of food allergies that left me feeling bloated, ill and lethargic regularly. By returning food to its rightful role in my life—as fuel, nourishment, and a source of healing instead of comfort, stress-relief, or a mindless sport—I began to witness my body change.

My digestion healed, my weight stabilized, my energy increased, and my skin became clear for the first time in my life. By eliminating the foods and eating habits that plagued me, I was able to focus more fully on what I wanted in life. I finally felt healthy and strong and had the energy and vitality to do more than just constantly obsess over food.

I released obligations, relationships and things that no longer served me.

Most women are chronic “over-givers”. Our time, energy, and nurturance often go toward everything and everyone else except ourselves.

Recognizing that I needed to make some serious changes in my life starting with my relationship to myself, I knew I had to make my own well-being a priority. Not out of selfishness or laziness, but out of self-love and self-respect.

I implemented stronger boundaries on my time, saying no more frequently and made downtime, relaxation and stress management necessary components of each day instead of occasional luxuries to be had when everything else was complete. Subsequently, I released those people, relationships, and commitments that no longer served me or left me feeling drained. I made the activities and relationships I needed to feel incredible in my life mandatory priorities.

I transformed my inner dialogue.

As a dancer, I thought I was happy and healthy because I was thin and active, but my inner world anything but. I was uncomfortable in my skin and felt like something was missing from my life.

The more I studied holistic well-being, the more I realized that true health goes much deeper than yoga, quinoa and size 2 jeans. If I was cruel and cold to myself internally, no amount of green juice or Pilates would change that (and I love green juice and Pilates!). I had to change the way I spoke to and related to myself on a fundamental level in order for things to really shift.

Once I began to treat myself like a loved one, I flourished in all areas of my life and became more consistent in my habits from a place of devotion vs. rigidity.

See Also: 11 Simple Ways to Fall in Love With Yourself

I started relating to my body as a “she” not an “it”.

When I began to see my body as a living, breathing, female animal with needs all her own– instead of a disobedient beast that held me back from what I really wanted– it became difficult for me to refer to my body as an inanimate object, an “it”. If I could acknowledge my pets for their innate being-ness with pronouns like “he” or “she”, but not my body, there was a serious disconnect happening. As I changed this one, simple way of referring to myself, I began to see that my body was truly my best friend, supporting and carrying me through each day like a loyal companion who deserved love, honor, and respect.

As my relationship to my body healed, I began to think of my lineage– my mother, my grandmother, and women and children of future generations. How would their lives be different if they were taught to honor and respect their bodies from the beginning? To feed themselves exquisite food as fuel vs. stuff themselves out of boredom, for comfort, or as a way to soothe painful emotions? If women came to love the bodies they call home—these miraculous creatures we’re entrusted with care of—what would that change in our world?

Our bodies are our windows to life. When we are overweight, sick, tired, overwhelmed, stressed, and downright abusive to ourselves, it seriously inhibits the way we show up in the world. Most women are taught that their bodies are flawed. They receive images in media, comments from others and other constant reminders of all the ways in which they don’t add up, but it’s time for us to rewrite this story starting with ourselves.

It is my deepest belief that when a woman loves the body she calls home, she embraces her power to create the life she was born to live.

I am living proof of this as are the hundreds of women I’ve worked with in my Nutrition & Lifestyle Coaching practice. I am consistently inspired and amazed when women take these lessons to heart and I’ve seen lives heal and change in major ways as a result of reconnecting to their amazing bodies.
I invite you to love the body you call home.

The post A Ballerina’s Story: How I Learned To Love My Body After Years Of Hating It appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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