Cure your fears of change.

Usually people are afraid of bad changes, things that affect their existence in a negative way. The question arising is how to cure our fears of change? The most important thing is to understand that life is always made from ups and downs and nobody can be in a permanent ascending trend, simply because that is impossible. Even the most envied stars experience the downs life has to offer, so nobody can avoid them.

However, the most important thing is not how to avoid changes, fears and bad experiences, but how to learn from them. It is crucial not to let problems overwhelm you, but to know how to use them in your favor.

There is no doubt that problems affect us, which is actually normal, due to the fact that we have feelings, but, nevertheless, every single hard moment of our lives should make us even stronger. That is why specialists suggest that you should always analyze and meditate on the worse situation you had to deal with, in the course of your life. Try to learn from your mistakes, because they will help you be prepared for the changes or less pleasant situations to come.

There are many ancient beliefs that consider that every single episode of our lives happens with a pre-determined reason. They also think that life, somehow prepares us for certain events to come, so if we focus enough attention on our previous experiences, we will understand many things from the present.

With all that, it is also true that the unexpected can happen anytime. However, you should keep in mind that a change in not always for the worse and consequently, you must never let go of a chance, because you are afraid to take the risk. Remember that, from time to time, something has to happen in order to free you from monotony, so you shouldn’t be surprised if, at a certain moment in time, instead of being afraid of change, you desire it with all your heart.

If you just don’t feel capable of realizing what a certain change in your life, actually means, here’s a list of tips that might help you get mobilized:

• Try to think only of the positive impacts that will result after the change. See how important they are and meditate upon how to multiply them, by adding some other good aspects, which need certain assistance.

• It is always good to picture somebody else in your situation, as picturing ourselves in a less desirable position, always looks more dramatic than it really is. If you realize that the other person can handle the change, you can be sure you’ll be able to handle it as well.

• Imagine the worse situation that can result after the change. Now try to find various solutions to it. Meditate on how much you can lose, if the worst happened, and how important those things are to you. If you find more than one reasonable solution, you are safe – the change can’t be stronger than you are!

Use meditation to lose weight.

As we all agree, the brain is the one in charge for most of our actions. Even though, not always the decisions our brains take are the smartest ones, fortunately we can educate them, according to our own desires and aspirations. One very important thing we can use our brains for is meditation, meaning to think profoundly at something in order to get it solved or to understand it.

If your issue has to do with losing weight, be sure you can solve it by using this method. Keeping a diet is something everybody feels he knows how to do, but nevertheless, the advice not always works for everybody. That is why specialists strongly suggest you should find your own ways to lose weight efficiently and without major discontent. This does not mean you cannot pay attention or get inspired by other people’s experiences, but do not forget that, in what concerns your own person, you’re the one who knows better.

How do you start your own meditation plan? First of all, gather as much information regarding the manner in which other people solved the problem, including the information you disagree with – you can place that one on the not to do list. Where can you find the information? As soon as you start digging you’ll realize it’s everywhere: TV, magazines, internet, friend’s advice etc.

Next step, once you got all the material you need, is to take the time to analyze it, meditating as well, on how you can adapt it, in order to best fit your needs. Remember to be responsible when keeping a diet, as otherwise, your own health might be in danger, so never exaggerate!

Here are some tricks that always work, if you adapt them a little bit to your personality:

• Whenever you do something tough, for which you need determination, think about how to make it fun: cook weird foods, for example; try eating things you never tried before or do whatever makes you feel that keeping a diet is enjoyable. Let your brain help you a little bit and you’ll see how easy and fun things can turn out!

• Set a goal. It is important to know what you are fighting for, but, however, do no exaggerate. Meditate thoroughly on what the goal means to you, what changes it could bring to your life and if you set your goal too high or to low.

• Don’t forget that help is something we all need. Think which sort of help could serve you best: a doctor’s advice, a counseling group, a specialized magazine, talking to your friends, listening to your own intuition etc. Do not be afraid to make the choice you consider the best, because, remember, nobody knows you better than yourself.

• Remember to enjoy yourself. No matter how difficult something seems to be, always try to determine a way to find pleasant and enjoyable things about it! In order to enjoy yourself, you have to perform actions that make you have a good opinion about your own person. For example, reading a book, taking care of a pet or of a sick person, sharing with others your efforts, followed by the deserved accomplishments, etc. are all things that feed your inner spirit and make you feel good about yourself.

Once you got the answers to the questions you gathered in the first place, you can build the list with the things to do and the ones always to avoid. Remember that this list should be a mirror of yourself, the result of your own meditation, so never distrust it and be sure you’ll see the results!

Tips to follow when you’re feeling down.

Everybody has, from time to time, a period when he or she feels more tired than usually, and has a hard time concentrating. The important thing is to know how to react under such circumstances and to be able to maintain control and not fall into depression.

There are a lot of ways to deal with such situations, the most important thing being to remember that the unhappiness is only temporary and the sunshine will appear again shortly. According to the situation one has to face, there are some, so called tips, that can help you gain back stability and control over your life. Here are some of them:

• If the situation permits it, nothing works better than a walk in the park – nature can do miracles when it comes to healing a tired human spirit! If you take your dog with you as well, you’ll see life at least 50% more beautiful.

• If you find yourself at the office and you feel you simply cannot go on with your work, take a moment only for yourself. Put an article or a work related material in from of you, in order not to look suspicious to your boss or colleagues, and… start dreaming. Imagine yourself on an island, lying in the quite sun of the afternoon, reading your favorite book. Before you know it you’ll start feeling better and you also got yourself a holiday to plan!

• If you are at home, you feel lonely and miserable and nobody notices it, prepare yourself a bath. Turn the lights off, play your favorite music, light some candles if you want, and try to relax. Don’t forget to hang a note to the door asking everybody to give you a break. The time you spend only with yourself is more than precious, is unique, because nobody understands you better than you do, so try to take advantage of it as well as you can.

• If your love mate just dumped you and you feel like everybody knows it, try to do something that involves getting in touch with new people. Go to parties, go to movies, take some friends out for a beer or go on a blind date – anything that helps you understand your universe in not strictly related to that person. In no time, you’ll discover that there are things you forgot you like and there are new ones you can’t wait to try!

However, whenever you’re down, don’t forget to analyze yourself and discover what brought you to that state of mind. During the meditation have in mind all the good things that you did for you and, especially for the others, and remember how proud you felt during those moments. Do not forget that only during the moments when we feel down we consider our strong and weak points, that is why, whether we like it or not, the sad moments are necessary and bring changes in everybody’s life.

That is why, specialists strongly recommend you to find the way to turn the situation in you favor and to identify the way to improve yourself. Also, keep in mind no to be afraid to let the others know how you feel and ask for advice.

How to find out what you want from life.

No matter how young or old you are, you must have gotten to a point in your life when you have to take a big decision, which will probably affect your entire existence. There is no doubt that there are certain moments in life when you feel helpless and disoriented and believe you could use a hand in order to figure out how to proceed with your life.

Those particular moments are the very moments when you should not depend on anybody’s advice, because, even if they gave it to you with the best intentions, in case anything goes wrong, you’re always going to blame those persons. That is why specialists strongly advise you, every time you find yourself at a crossroads, to always take the decisions by yourself. Obviously, the question arising is: how can we know how to take it and which is the best solution?

The answer is never going to be simple for some of us. However, there is a technique that can be of great help and employed regularly will have great results: it is called meditation and it has been used for centuries in certain rituals and by ancients civilizations. Even in old and famous books, like the Bible, for example, we are invited to meditate, to discover and fight the evil in us and by knowledge to gain control over our decisions and our lives.

How do we proceed when meditating? First of all, we need to be away from any source of distraction, because we can’t analyze our deepest feelings and thoughts and watch a movie at the same time. Secondly, we need to ask ourselves a series of questions that will help us to better determine who we really are. The questions should relate to everyday aspects:

• What do you like doing?
• What made you most proud of yourself during your entire life?
• What is it that you always wanted to do and you never found the time? (you can include here anything from visiting friends, to going to Antarctica, or seeing your dentist)
• What role does money play in your life?
• What is it more important for you, you family life or your career?
• How much do you depend on others?

If you are worried about a certain decision, let all the questions be related to that issue. If you’re just confused in general, when asking the questions, think about the common topics that one has to deal with during his life. Don’t forget to write down the answers. Try to concentrate and to be sincere; after all, nobody will judge you.

All these questions will help you determine exactly where you stand and what is it that you want form life. All you have to do is to get the right interpretation of your own replies. In order to do that, help yourself to a coup of tea or your favorite coffee and take the time to analyze them thoroughly. Mark with a red pen whatever you find pride worthy answers and with a black one the things that don’t make you proud.

Post the list somewhere where you can see it more than once a day, or post it in more than one place. You’ll notice that, step by step, even unwillingly, the black things on your list will start turning red. Don’t forget to renew the list when most of it has turned red! It is the best way to always be aware what your expectations from life are! Good luck!

Learn to make gifts!

Everybody agrees that it feels great to receive gifts! They don’t have to be expensive; they just have to be there! Gifts are a very good way to show how much we care for somebody. Obviously, it is not the price, but the manner in which we give them away, what really makes the difference!

Behind every good present there is a person who worked hard to make the best choice. The secret to buying the perfect gift is to think about the message you want to send out, when the receiver opens it. If you think about his or her hobbies, to his or her vacation plans etc. it means you really studied that person and you bought the present precisely for that occasion.

There is another kind of persons, who love to make presents, and who buy a lot of stuff without having a specific person in mind, waiting for a good occasion to surprise somebody. Those undetermined gifts can be thinks like: a nice watch, a pen, a scarf, an agenda, a CD etc. They always make nice presents and when you need to go to an unscheduled party, you don’t have to worry about what to purchase for the occasion. The right criteria for choosing the presents without a pre-determined sender are: choose useful things that people usually don’t buy for themselves and elect unisex presents, as you can’t be sure whether it is going to end up with a man or a woman.

Another thing about presents is how to wrap them. Wrapping might be one of the major issues about a successful present: although the inside might not be too interesting or too original, if the box is nice is will make a difference. Remember to be as creative as possible: if you can only give to somebody a keychain, put it in a bag full of his or her favorite candies and be sure it will indeed make a difference!

If you get ready to go shopping for Christmas presents or for other occasions when you need to make many gifts divide them into three categories; family, friends and formal gifts – for the people you don’t really care about, but still, on special occasions, you exchange gifts with. Once you divided the categories make a list with the persons who are going to receive the gifts, so that you know exactly how many persons there are and how much money you need to invest.

If you’re wondering what kind of present might be the most appropriate for a certain event, keep in mind that usually family members like to receive personal things (new toothbrush, socks, clothes etc.), friends always appreciate funny stuff, while people with whom you have a formal relation will constantly admire presents which demonstrate attention and good taste.

Also, when shopping for gifts keep in mind that it is important to pay attention to details, like what’s the profession of the persons about to receive a present, what colors does he or she usually wear and what size etc; be efficient – if you’re buying stuff for your work mates don’t hesitate to buy the same thing for more than one of them.

Now all you have to worry is … your budget, but don’t worry – the more you give away, the more you get!

Understand Your Own Perfectionism.

If you do 99% of one thing right but mess up the other 1% and this keeps you awake at night then you are a perfectionist! In more general terms, whenever you participate in an action and something, no matter how small, goes wrong, you will feel responsible for the negative element. There are several reasons why this happens and also a few tips on how to make your perfectionism work for you.

Society teaches us to “do our best” even from early on in out lives. In school we are expected to have high grades and do well in sports. The same pattern follows us through high school and college. We are constantly aware that people around us expect results… good results from us. We are trained to think that anything less then perfect is unacceptable and when something goes wrong we take the blame upon ourselves and aggravate it. Living up to our expectations is difficult and we often act with the fear of failing, of not being perfect.

Let’s see how these negative characteristics of perfectionism can be turned to fight in our corner. The first thing would be to let your emotions surface. Perfectionism doesn’t allow any mistakes or hesitations. However, people around you are just like yourself – not perfect. They will get closer to you if you show your real self than if you show them a perfect mask. Stumbling on a word, dropping a paper or forgetting a name won’t make you fail in the eyes of others. On the contrary, a human approach to things will always attract more supporters than a cold, robotic approach. You can always turn a small mistake into a good joke that will instantly break the ice between you and an audience, for example.

Surrender your quest for perfection for something that works even better: authenticity. You cannot fool everyone all the time and you cannot constantly play a role in your business and social life. Of course, a mistake should be acknowledged and you should try to correct it the next time an opportunity arises. Improving yourself by learning from your own mistakes is essential, but don’t fall into the extreme where no success is satisfactory. The ambition to get everything right lowers your possibilities of enjoying life itself. You can never achieve perfection, thus you will never be completely happy.

Another problem with perfectionism is that it is, in its essence, demoralizing. If you’re in a middle of an important presentation and one of your slides falls off, you will, as a perfectionist, get overwhelmed by an acute sentiment of failure. The rest of the presentation will degrade itself because you will no longer be able to concentrate, as the pressure you are putting on yourself is clouding your judgment. Let go of your emotions and accept the small incident. There are always ways to turn it into something positive. Make a little joke with your audience or ignore the problem completely and go on with your speech. An honest response to any of your personal mistakes will always be more valuable and appreciated than a perfectionist frustration that ruins your entire day.

Learn To Live Life The Fun Way.

Happy and sad moment alternate in our lives and the problem arises when we realize we have no or very little control over them. A 100% happy life is utopist, but there are ways to train yourself to react better to problems and difficulties. Let’s have a look at some of the most frequently used methods of cheering yourself up, no matter how big the problems might seem.

Try to surround yourself with cute things, like children or animals. You will be instantly “contaminated” with their joy and innocence and, at least temporarily, a huge weight will be lifted from your shoulders. Children are also great teachers, even though they don’t realize it. Take their example, for a moment, and enjoy every single thing life has to offer you, like kicking a ball, throwing stones in the water or savoring a candy bar.

It never hurts to offer yourself a reward every now and then. After a long day struggling with problems your mind and body need some time off. Do one of your favorite things: watch TV all evening without moving a muscle, take a long hot bath, play a computer game or go out and dance. Fun moments will remind you of how life should be and this will motivate you even more to do your best and solve all problems as fast as possible, so that you can go back to fully enjoying life.

Gather some courage and face whatever is worrying you. The worst idea is to lock yourself in and to start feeling sorry for yourself. Thinking about a problem for hours and hours will do you very little good. It’s time to take action and, even though it is hard, to take the first steps toward solving the difficulties. If you have a health problem, for example, and you are afraid to go to the doctor just wake up one morning and do it. Don’t think about it, don’t analyze, just go. Once you get to the doctor your mind will probably come up with a dozen good excuses to get you out of there – try to resist it. The sooner you solve your problems the less chances there are of letting them grow out of control.

Immerse yourself in a creative activity, such as painting or practicing a new sport. This will keep your mind away from worrying and you will win some well-deserved relaxation. Seeing your friends is also a good method of eliminating stress and worries. You can try to combine the two and get involved, together with some friends, in a new and exciting activity. Physical activities work like a charm as they also grab the full attention of your mind. A tennis or soccer match won’t give you enough time to start having negative thoughts, as you will be focused on the action. Activities that involve your mind – such as chess, for example – are also effective, as long as they are fun and the competition factor is low.

By following the general guidelines presented above you will reduce stress factors and allow your mind and body to recharge their energy and respond better to any distressful influences.

Discover and Control Your Dual Nature.

We often put a tag on ourselves, accepting only some parts of our personality. We accept a word like “independent” but don’ realize that sometimes we should say “selfish”. We might like to call ourselves “ambitious”, without realizing that we often act “stubborn”. Her is a practice that can give you more insight on who you are and enable you to respond to various situations in your life with a better understanding of your actions. It is also useful to experience this exercise while trying to see yourself in a non-restrictive manner.

1. First of all, write down three personal qualities you have which you feel good about. For example:

I am dedicated.
I am dependable.
I am good at heart.

2. Secondly, add an "alternative reality" to each one of the statements. This means that you should find examples when the opposite of the initial statement is also true. Here’s how it might look:

I am dedicated in a work related environment, but sometimes I can also be easily distracted from my task.

I am dependable and trustworthy when it comes to my work place, but I can also sometimes be less dependable with my friends.

I am good at heart, but sometimes I act selfishly and without regards for other people’s feelings.

3. At this point you should reverse the sentence topics, and even modify some words if you feel it helps. Starting with the negative aspects that accompany your personality will give you more insight and offer you a better perspective on these issues.

HerE is how it may look like after the transformation:

I am sometimes distracted from my work, but I am usually dedicated to my chores, especially in a business environment.

My friends may find me less dependable at times, but when it comes to work I am a person you can count on.

I sometimes ignore what other people wish, but I am good at heart most of the time.

Take a look at the last two lists (steps 2 and 3) and read them carefully for a few minutes. Don’t pay attention to the topic of the sentence but try to focus on the meanings your words expressed. Always keep in mind the purpose of this little exercise: “black” and “white” are rarely defining for a person. By identifying your duality you get a better chance of appreciating your actions and the responses they trigger.

You have also created a list of three qualities and three negative aspects that you believe characterize you. The first step in removing the negative characteristics was already taken – you identified them. Now it is time to put the exercise to practical use. Next time you find yourself in a situation where a choice has to be made or a decision to be taken, try to remember the exercise. Observe that particular situation from a dual point of view by acknowledging your positive features while also analyzing the attached negative parts. Practice can lead to a natural integration of this exercise in your conscious and subconscious mind. After a while, you may not even need to make a conscious effort to analyze a situation from both perspectives and this process will come naturally. A much desired objectivity can appear between your positive and negative characteristics, and you can use it to make the right choices in most situations.

How To Effectively Recover After Childbirth.

The post-natal period is characterized by general and extended fatigue. The main factor leading to this stressful state is represented by sleep deprivation. Recovery after childbirth varies from women to woman, but most of them accuse fatigue weeks and some, even months after. More than half of women feel that they haven’t totally recovered their pre-natal energy after six weeks.

There are a few things you can do to improve the recovery stage and diminish its time. Sleep deprivation is hard to eliminate, as the child is most active during the night in their first few months. Constant interruption of the mother’s sleep leads to constant tiredness. The elevated hormone levels present after childbirth also contribute, in a negative way, to this problem, but, fortunately, they only last about a week after. On the bright side of things, it only takes a couple of nights of uninterrupted sleep for the mother to recover.

Time management is also radically changed when a child is born. All the patterns and usual events now change top face the difficulties presented by addressing the child’s needs. A good plan is to try and anticipate all the potential problems before child delivery and build a network of friends and family that are willing to help you out. You will probably have to delegate most of your usual chores to other people, and you should also see this as something useful, not frustrating. Taking care of your child should become the number one priority – family and friends can address all other issues. The baby’s father should always be there to help out. He will undoubtedly accept most of your requests, realizing that the better you feel the better does the child feel.

Taking advantage of the support everyone is giving you shouldn’t be total. Leave one or two things that you should deal with each day. Solving even some small problems will help you keep your self-esteem levels high. Anticipate all the other issues that might come up. Be prepared with some clean diapers and plastic begs for the dirty diapers. Have snack ready besides your bed, in case your child wakes you up and you feel hungry. If the child’s bed is in a different room than your bedroom, make sure to have a comfortable chair next to the child’s bed.

It also helps to give yourself a break every now and then. Try to keep a room in the house tidy and clean, making it a good sanctuary to clear your head and relax your body. Long warm baths might seem like a luxury during these extenuating times, but try to use them to recharge your energy. A well balanced diet is necessary and vitamin and mineral supplements may be useful, at the doctor’s recommendation. You shouldn’t diet for the first three months after childbirth. Carbohydrates are used extensively during this time for various processes, and eliminating or reducing their intake will lead to aggravated fatigue and physical weakness. Don’t give up practicing at least one of your hobbies, as even small periods of time when you’re having fun will recharge your energy. If the weather is nice you should do your best to try and take short walks, as this will get you into good shape.

Time to quit smoking.

Love and cigarettes have many things in common. They say that a relation is very much like a cigarette: you have to put an end to it, before it hurts you. Also, if you look at somebody who quitted smoking recently and somebody who broke up not long time ago, you’ll see a lot of resemblances. The comparison between love and a cigarette is quite accurate, with the specification that a relation can be with the right person, and, in that case it can’t hurt you, but a cigarette, no matter how light it is, it’s always harmful!

When do people usually quit smoking? Unfortunately, they wait until one morning when they look in the mirror and notice how yellow their teeth are, how bad their skin looks and how awful they cough; in other words, much more later than they should. If you find yourself in the same situation or close to it, that means you’ve just become or you’re about to become conscious about the fact that you have a problem.

Once you realize what your problem is, you get down to business and try to solve it – obviously by quitting smoking. First week after quitting cigarettes is idealistic – you breathe easier, your hands don’t smell bad anymore and, since you’re so determined, you think you can break any records.

Nevertheless, you should also expect to go through a period when you feel capable of killing for a smoke. Lack of nicotine will also affect you physically, not only mentally. You’ll find yourself in great pain, in a bad mood, just as if you quitted taking drugs. When you go through precisely the period described above, keep away thoughts like: I’ll smoke only one more and then I’ll realty quit – once you start smoking again, you suffered all that pain in vain. On the other hand, try not to:

• Start drinking, instead of smoking. It’s even worse.
• Keep any lights around or ashtrays – they will represent too much of a temptation.
• Encourage you friends to smoke next to you, just to show them how tough you are.

Keep in mind that there are thousands of people on this planet trying to quit smoking, so you are not alone. Try to get more information regarding the amount of evil cigarettes do to you. Watch TV, read magazines, go on line, or even try to get professional help, because once you did made your decision to quit smoking and you respected it for more than two weeks, it’s a pity to give up.

Many persons, and not only women, have confessed that they are afraid to gain considerable weight, when quitting smoking. Specialists have not denied this fear. They do admit that we have to use something in order to compensate for the cigarettes we don’t smoke anymore. Usually lack of cigarettes is compensated by candies, which served in great quantities will result into a lot of body fat; chewing gum, which actually stimulates our gastric juice and makes us hungry more often.

Nevertheless you have to assume all those risks and try to diminish the unpleasant effects by exercising a lot, because otherwise, the problems to deal with will be even more considerable than a few extra pounds.

Provide Your Body With The Right Combination Of Vitamins.

Vitamins play a crucial role in our body’s chemistry processes but many people neglect their importance and eventually end up getting ill or suffering because of their ignorance. We generally assume that we can take most or all of the needed vitamins and minerals strictly from our diet, but this is not always true and it is a process that is different from one person to another. Vitamins supplements come as an alternative to a highly balanced diet, which many of us just can’t keep to. There are a few basic things that we should know about how to ensure a good vitamin supply and reduce the chances of falling sick.

The first thing we should be aware of is that each of our bodies is unique – there are not two human beings exactly the same. Because of this it is hard to come up with a precise dosage of vitamins that you need on a daily basis. Vitamin intake is largely dependant on your diet. As many people already know, fruits and vegetables are the best source for the top vitamins that we need to live a healthy life. They provide good amounts of vitamins A, C, D and E (and several other) that rank highest on the importance scale.

When your body receives less vitamins than it needs you will experience several negative effects, manifested in different forms. Too little C vitamin, for example, will lower your defense mechanism against viral infections, while a lack of the A vitamin can lead to poorer eyesight. There are several factors that can cause a need for more vitamins. You may need to help your body out with vitamin supplements if you are eating irregularly or if your main diet is formed from fast food items or processed foods. Making physical efforts for long periods of time also puts more stress on your organism, which, in turn, will demand more resources in order to replenish your energy.

However, vitamin supplements should also be used cautiously, as they can lead to a vitamin overdose. Vitamins A and D, taken alone, may have serious side effects if they are not accompanied by other multi vitamin supplements. Some people respond negatively to higher doses of C and E vitamins. Calcium, an essential mineral for our bone system, needs to be accompanied by D vitamin. Otherwise, the body only keeps a small amount of Calcium and eliminates the rest. The D vitamin helps your body absorb Calcium better. Other mineral – vitamin combinations are especially effective, such as the B6 vitamin and Magnesium. Tandems such as the ones mentioned above work well together because each component balances the other by helping the body to make the most of their presence.

Insufficient vitamins may lead to a weakened immune system that is very permissive with viruses, highly increasing your chances of getting sick. Tiredness, apathy and low energy levels may also appear when your vitamin equilibrium has been altered.

Improve Your Holidays Through Yoga.

Even during holidays we are still attacked by outside stressful factors which can ruin a very promising vacation. Holiday stress is a rather antagonistic expression but it is real and it can cause serious upset. There are countless reasons to get angry during your holiday: poor services, bad weather, high prices, noisy tourists, annoying insects and the list can go on an on. Yoga offers several methods of reducing the effects of such negative elements in the form of meditation, sakshin, pratyahara and pranayama.

Meditation is also a recommended practice when holiday stress factors become active. Meditation helps you prepare for any potential stressful situations and is invaluable during and after these obstacles are gone. A detached state of consciousness that allows you to get a better understanding of the realities around you is referred to as sakshin. Pratyahara is a state of peace obtained by reducing to a minimum all outside intereferences. The mind gets calm and relaxed, focusing towards the inside of your own body. By using pranayama you are able to calm yourself in almost any difficult situation by regulating your breathing and thus harmonizing the energies in your body.

Being prepared for any stress factors is vital for a successful holiday. Anticipating a potential problem doesn’t mean worrying about it before hand. It means that when the problem does occur you should already have a good understanding of why it happened. You will always get much better results by addressing an issue with a clear and calm head, rather then acting on an impulse.

When a situation occurs try to “step out” of your body and see yourself in that particular setting. Objectivity is hard to reach, especially when it comes to your own self, but it helps to get a neutral perspective on things. Directing an action by the guidelines of an objective mind will prove more successful than jumping in head first into a situation. Concepts like “I couldn’t help myself” should be constantly discouraged from your own vocabulary and thoughts. Take control of your inner self and you will have better control of what’s outside your body in the surrounding world. You should first feel you body’s reaction to an outside element and only react afterwards, when a clear judgment dictates what to do. Breathing techniques are of great help when it comes to relaxing an impulsive spirit and bringing calm to a particular event or situation.

You need to interrupt the actions of your subconscious mind before you are able to take control of a situation. Initial responses are hasty and often very hard to avoid, but it is essential that, through practice, you get a constant feeling of control over your reactions. The first reaction to a negative element can be either that of fighting back or that of fleeing. In any of the two cases a considerable amount of tensions fills you body, and it could be days or weeks before you manage to get over this unfortunate event. A calm and balanced response has chances of eliminating any sort of tension before it even gets a chance to start growing. Remember that most holidays are short and you can’t afford to spend half of your stay in a negative mood. After all, you are there to try to recharge your energy, not to try to waste it on meaningless tensions.

Stop Smoking Through Self Hypnosis.

Many people find it impossible to stop smoking, no matter how much they tell themselves this is a negative habit to have. They often quit smoking, only to go back to it after a while. There are hundreds of drugs that claim to help you stop smoking – some are more effective, some have no effect whatsoever. However, an easier and healthier method is also available: quitting smoking through the use of self-hypnosis and mental concentration.

After a while smoking becomes a program that our mind continues to run. It is not your body requesting a cigarette - your mind is responsible for this process. By going straight to the source of this problem (your mind) you can obtain control over it. Otherwise, your attempts to quit smoking will only affect you on your conscious level, leaving the unconscious one free to reinitiate the desire to smoke. Most of the times, the initial strong will that determines the conscious mind to say STOP is going to fade away, allowing your “smoking program” to come back even stronger than before. You are creating a whirlwind you will have less and less chances of escaping with the passing of time. After a while (months or years, depending on the individual) smoking becomes part of your mental processes, on the same level as breathing, eating, sleeping.

There are other good reasons to stop smoking for good, as it’s not only your health getting damaged in the process. By repetitively quitting and returning to smoking you will become aware of your weakness and low will power. This can lead to other psychological issues, such as depression and a very low self-esteem. A person experiencing this will cause himself/herself even more problems, becoming insecure and unwilling to take on important projects due to fear of failure.

Self-hypnosis is a good solution to all these problems. Several methods of falling into a self imposed and controlled state of relaxation are available. They work by providing your mind with a safe and quite place, where you can recollect your thoughts and start working on the problem. Hypnosis works with suggestion and you will apply this to your smoking problem. Repetitive practices of self-hypnosis are needed but each time you will feel even more confident with your mental powers. Whenever your subconscious mind pushes you towards lighting a cigarette you can revert to self-hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis does not have immediate effects, but it is probably the best long term solution you can take. Many people will be skeptical about its effects and might quit after a few days. This is a process that requires you to start knowing yourself better, which many see as a hard journey. However, this method not only gradually reduces your desire to smoke, but also reprograms your subconscious mind to eliminate the desire to smoke forever. When practiced regularly for a few months, self-hypnosis techniques become efficient and beneficial to other aspects of your life. Positive changes don’t stop at smoking and extend to other aspects of your life, boosting your morale and self confidence and guiding you towards a healthier mental state, which, in turn, is reflected on your body’s health.

How To Lose Weight Using Yoga.

Yoga’s power to create a state of mental and physical well being may also be put to good use for taking off excess weight. Yoga promotes a healthy and balanced life style and when combined with a calorie burning program may show exceptional results. Practicing yoga will also increase your metabolism, increasing the calorie burning process, but you should not see it as an immediate results method. By following the rigors imposed by yoga you will gain a holistic, long term solution to balance your life style and keep off any excessive weight. In addition to loosing weight you will also experience an increased ability to concentrate and focus, higher resistance to stress factors and an all round healthier way of living.

Metabolism is regulated by the thyroid, a component of the endocrine system. It is responsible for the chemical processes in your body that transform food into energy. Yoga uses a series of twisting poses that stimulate the work flow of the internal organs, thus boosting metabolism to burn more calories and reduce your body weight. Improved local circulation is another direct effect of using yoga postures and this leads to a healthier, more energetic body. When the calorie intake is lower than the calorie output your body will start burning fat cells to acquire the necessary energy. A perfectly healthy and strong metabolism takes this process even further and you will see better results than traditional weight loss formulas.

Different back bands, combined with forward bends, are used to stimulate metabolism. Poses that affect the neck area, where the thyroid gland is situated, are especially useful is the weight problem is caused by a hormonal imbalance. These poses can be those of the camel, rabbit, plow, bridge and shoulder stand. Moving quickly between a series of poses can accelerate the process. For people who are significantly overweight some of the bends may prove to be a difficult task to accomplish. They should gradually increase the difficulty of the postures until they are confident enough to go to more complex exercises.

Muscles can be strengthened by using standing poses, such as the warrior. A higher endurance and increased caloric output will also result from using standing poses. Energize the body and increase your metabolism even more by using Kapalabhati and Ujjayi Pranayama.

A proper diet should also be followed to support the holistic weight loss system. Try to consume food rich in fiber, vegetables, whole grains and less high fat and processed food items. Balance is essential in all maters concerning your food and no excess should be made. Do not totally eliminate certain food items from your menu and remember that diversity is the key to an equilibrated and satisfactory diet.

A gradual approach is essential with all yoga practices. Results may not be spectacular and immediate, but this is one of the best long term weight loss methods available. In addition to weight loss you also benefit from an increased protection against adverse factors as well as a general feeling of well being and inner peace.

Yoga Therapy for Eating Disorders.

Over 10 million women and a million men are affected by different forms of eating disorders in the United States alone. Most of them are teens and the common illnesses are represented by anorexia and bulimia. The physical factors related to these illnesses have only been recently acknowledged as only mental factors were previously thought to be responsible for these conditions. Eating disorders are triggered by a complexity of factors including social, biological, psychological and behavioral items.

A calm and focused mind has a better chance of reducing the harmful effects of eating disorders. Yoga has been proven to reduce depression and recreate a state of balance and well being. Different yoga practices encourage heightened levels of self esteem and promote a positive view of your own body. This is a crucial factor in eating disorders and has been shown to significantly increase recuperation and healing. By eliminating self judgment, yoga establishes a strong connection between mind and body, allowing the two elements to work together in decreasing any negative effects. Anorexia affects your body’s energy levels and reduces the bone density, creating unwanted negative effects at a physical level. Regular yoga practice also increase the overall fitness level of the body, giving it a good chance of fighting against illnesses.

The yogic system identifies eating disorders as a problem related to the first chakra and different poses are used to balance it: crab, full wind, pigeon, locust, staff etc. Strengths and courage can be increased by using grounding postures such as mountain, goddess, standing squat and prayer squat. The postures reestablish the strong mind-body connections and help overcome most physical obstacles. Most back bending poses help reduce depression and forward bends usually calm the spirit and reduce the effects of anorexia.

As the mental component plays an important role in eating disorders, meditation can reduce harmful thoughts and feelings. An active, specifically targeted meditation practice will prove to be very effective. Less obvious results can also be obtain by using a general mediation technique. The yoga poses work best when the exterior elements are left aside and concentration focuses on inner aspects of yourself. Paying special attention to breathing and inner sensations will take you to a state of calmness and increased awareness. This new state will allow you to go further an explore new concepts that will enable you to achieve goals that proved problematic in the past.

Being aware of the problem and showing a constant and strong desire to change that is a great method to reduce the effects of bulimia and anorexia. An early adoption of yoga practices would make the patient more aware of the problem, thus contributing to an early cure. However, these yoga techniques are usually used in the recuperative stages of the illness. Most people suffering from anorexia or bulimia go through a strong denial stage, which aggravates their condition even more. As with all illnesses, yoga works best in the prevention stage of the problem, when the negative effects are still low and easier to eliminate.

How to Overcome Stage Fright.

You can turn your inherent stage fright into a feeling of balance and equilibrium that will allow you to speak in public and feel comfortable while doing it. Very few people manage to control their emotions to a high level and it takes them years of practice to do so. You don’t have to approach this issue from a radical point of view. Instead of suppressing your emotions you can try to use them in your advantage, to make them work for you instead of against you.

The most important thing, when you have a public speech, is to let your audience see the real you, not an image you are trying to project. Don’t try to go in front of them with a “fake” personality – they will sense it and react negatively. Don’t try to be more than you are as playing this role will be difficult and you will almost certainly overlook some details. People are a lot more willing to accept someone who is a bit insecure or clumsy rather than accepting a person who is obviously putting on a mask and trying to cover his real personality. Being you is easy – you are doing that every day!

Try to stop and think about your difficulties of speaking to a large audience. Examine them with curiosity, try to see your reactions in context. Don’t judge your reactions – observe them. You may find it hard to play the role of a detached observer, especially when it comes to your own person, but this is one of the best ways of discovering exactly where things start to go wrong.

Warm up your mind before a presentation, but don’t neglect your body. Every muscle of your body should be relaxed, your leg muscles should be up to the challenge of you standing up for a longer period of time. Even the slightest physical inconvenience will affect your communication, so try to step on stage with a perfect mental and physical condition.

Don’t forget to breathe. Rhythmical breaths bring a feeling of order and balance – exactly what you need before and while you hold your speech. Try to breathe deeply for about ten minutes, as this will bring precious oxygen to your brain, allowing it to function at maximum capacity.

Make contact with your audience. Try to see the scene as a place for dialogue, instead of monologue. Try to make eye contact with some audience members and adopt a relaxed posture. Smiling sincerely will always increase the chances of a good presentation. Remember that all those people in front of you are not there to judge you. They are there to receive the information you have so focus on the purpose of your speech rather than the public’s attitude towards you.

Turn your fear into a feeling of acceptance. Your fears come from the fact that you are worried that the audience will pass negative judgment on yourself or your presentation. Ignore this thought end step on stage with the belief that you are there to share information or experience and that you will be met with acceptance and interest. The more engaging the presentation, the better. Communicate with audience members and try to do this on a one on one level. By talking to a certain individual you personalize your performance, you make it become part of who you are. Keeping eye contact with your audience may be difficult and disturbing, but you should try to do it every now and then. Make a statement and then pause and glance at the public. Remember that non verbal communication claims a vital role in your presentation and the way it is perceived by others.

The Healing Powers of Yoga.

There are several medical conditions that can be improved by practicing yoga. It can be used to lessen the negative effects of infertility, lung disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, insomnia, cancer, high blood pressure, and joint pain. The beneficial effects of yoga practices are well recognized not only by the yoga community but also by medical doctors.

One of the main elements that lead to an illness is stress. Being responsible for a huge number of sicknesses, this item, which we develop in our minds, can be reduced through a good usage of yoga techniques. Here are just some of the problems that are related to an over active stress response: depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, some types of diabetes mellitus, cardio-vascular disease, several autoimmune diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, reproductive problems, and an aggravated suppression of the immune system.

The response of the sympathetic nervous system can trigger stress in our metabolism. The reaction to various outside stimuli is also known as the “fight or flight” response – the mind and body, faced with an endangering or disturbing element, prepare for one of the two options. Physically, this is manifested through an instantaneous heart rate increase, together with a high ascent of blood pressure. Breathing gets shallow and the muscles tense in anticipation to the following action. Internally, this response reduces the blood flow to internal organs and processes that are not essential in that particular moment (such as digestion and elimination) are shut down. This state of increased awareness and readiness is beneficial on a short term, preparing our body to react to the outside interventions and stimuli. Both in a “fight” and in a “flight” situation, the body is physically and mentally prepared to act. The problem arises when long-term exposure to similar stress takes place. This “fight or flight” response is only meant to help on short periods of time – the longer it is activated the less resources will the body have to function normally.

There is a natural countermeasure for the “fight or flight” response. It is called the parasympathetic nervous system or the “relaxation response.” It is automatically activated when the elements that caused the stress are gone but it is also possible to increase its effects by breathing deeply and relaxing your muscles. By increasing the length of this process we allow our body to recover faster, enabling it to eliminate the harmful effects of stress in a prompt and efficient manner.

Yoga highlights the idea that by using breathing and relaxation techniques you can reduce the harmful effects of stress factors on your body. A lessened “fight or flight” response can also be achieved by looking at adverse factors as challenges rather than threats. This approach allows your mind to focus on finding a solution, rather than creating an abrupt response. Another concept employed by this technique is that of acting versus reacting, of taking initiative versus responding to outside factors.

The positive effects of yoga during a healing process are undeniable. However, these techniques should only be used as a form of support and the healing shouldn’t rely solely on them. The best results are achieved by combining yoga with traditional and modern medicine and by addressing a problem both from a mental and physical point of view.

A Better Understanding of Hypnosis.

In order to practice hypnosis for therapeutic reasons you will need three elements: imagination, concentration, and a real motivation to be hypnotized. Every time someone works with a group to induce hypnosis we can still say we are talking about self-hypnosis. It is every person’s individual option if they wish to collaborate with the operator and experience hypnosis.

Releasing the power of your subconscious mind takes some time and practice, but it can then be used to improve most aspects of your life. Therapeutic hypnosis is not available to all people, but most of us can reach light or medium states through concentration and patience. Deep levels of hypnosis produce the best therapeutic results, but beginners may also achieve efficient states of relaxation and inner peace too.

Lighter levels of hypnosis usually enable their operators to experience feelings of relaxation and calmness. Various perceptions of physical changes may also occur: tingling sensations in the fingers, blinking eyelids, a sensation of weight in some parts of the body etc. The intensity of these experiences is low, but a few weeks of practice can teach you how to develop these skills even further. Another element that often relates to initial hypnosis is time distortion. Most subjects will believe they were hypnotized for a shorter amount of time than it is in reality. After a few hypnotic experiences a person will start to get a better perception of the passing time.

The altered state becomes more enhanced as we progress to medium levels of hypnosis. Physical perceptions gain more importance and the subject may experience heightened tingling feelings or heaviness in the lower body. Some subjects experience floating sensations and all these feelings are perceived as being very real by the one being hypnotized. This stage allows the hypnotist to suggest stronger visual images in the subject’s mind. At this level, creating illusions becomes more accessible. New thresholds that were unavailable previously now become apparent. Conscious awareness may fade out for the patient when the level of hypnosis deepens.

Even better mental and physical responses can be achieved through the somnambulistic levels of hypnosis. Several physiologic responses can be observed, such as the REM (rapid eye movement) usually associated with dreams during sleep. At this stage the patients may experience complete conscious amnesia, being virtually absent from their surrounding reality. This is also the level where strong hallucinations occur, during the actual hypnosis process and even after it ends. Hypnosis is seen as the sleep of the nervous system. There is a decrease of the rate of respiration, not as strong as the one experienced during sleep. Circulation also slows down, together with the brain waves.

Brain waves variations in intensity start with beta, the fastest, then slow to alpha, theta and delta. Beta waves are primary when the mind is under a normal state of consciousness. Reduced levels of hypnosis decrease the brain wave activity to alpha and deeper levels may take a subject’s brain waves all the way to theta. Various applications of hypnosis include therapeutic pain relief, psychological treatment and many more.

Activate Your Dream Power.

Let’s have a look at a simple technique that will help you relax your mind and take more control over your ideals and goals. This technique can be used over and over, in most situations, and consists of two distinct phrases.

1. Decide on an aspect related to your life that you have been thinking of improving. Focus on just one specific element.

2. Project yourself as already having achieved your goal. This can be done using an “I am” statement – if you want to loose weight you might say “I am fit and feeling good in my body”.

3. When you feel confident enough try to say your word out loud and listen to your own words. Try to speak in a positive manner, eliminating any negative terms from your phrase (such as “can’t”, “don’t” etc).

4. Take a walk, maybe outside or inside your home and keep repeating the statement as you do so.

5. Let yourself wander around for at least 15 minutes, while repeating the statement in your mind. You will experience new thoughts triggered by the things you come across in your walk. If your mind gets further from the “I am” statement gently try to concentrate more on it.

6. During your walk pay extra attention to things that attract your thoughts. Have a small notebook ready and write them down, or draw a sketch of the object that got your attention.

For the second phase you have to return to your initial place and continue the process.

7. Sit down and have a look at the items you wrote about. Try to draw something that portrays all the elements you noticed – it doesn’t matter if you are good at drawing or not.

8. Breathe slowly and start looking at the drawings in front of you. Try to allow your mind to concentrate only on the drawings and nothing else.

9. Think about why those items got your attention during your walk.

10. Also think about what it is that grabs your attention now, as you look at the drawings. New ideas might have appeared as a consequence of following step 8.

11. Now try to see what the connections between the items you noticed and your “I am” statement are. Integrate the statement and the items into an imaginary story such as: “This tree I noticed had really healthy leaves, just like I am happy with the state of my body”.

12. For the last step take a few slower, deep breaths and think about how this exercise worked.

You might have noticed that your mind tends to selects elements from the surroundings on its own. It is interesting to see that all the selected items are somehow related to the “I am” statement. You can use the benefits of dreaming actively for a very wide variety of situations. The make believe game you play puts you on a direct path to solving your problem. Constantly analyzing and worrying about what is troubling you can take a long and winding path, but that will take a lot of your time and energy, while the results might be unsatisfactory.

Obstacles of yoga.

Anyone embarking on the journey of yoga will face a series of obstacles, difficulties and detours. You will need to remove all of the following difficulties, noticed by yoga practitioners for a long time, in order to be able to fully benefit from the positive aspects of yoga. Here is a quick look at the nine major obstacles:

1. Vyadhi – This obstacle refers to physical or mental illness. Practicing yoga si even more difficult when you are not in great health. A balanced, healthy life style ensures victory on this obstacle, by preventing any form of sickness.

2. Styana – The second major difficulty related to yoga refers to an advanced state of apathy, which interferes with you willingness to commit to your responsibilities. We neglect and avoid practice by procrastinating and this, in turn, leads to coming up with excuses for not doing our work.

3. Sanshaya – One other major interference in the practice of yoga is related to the issue of doubting the benefits of practicing it. This problem also arises when faith in your own capabilities is low. This leads to a deviation from the original goals, making you more susceptible to outside interference.

4. Pramada – When lack of persistence and will is notices, the 4th yoga obstacle comes in place. Yoga requires a unique approach, as it is a combination of arts and sciences. If you practice yoga without the proper emotional and mental states, you may turn its positive aspects into negative ones.

5. Alasya – A lazy and inert state of mind and body will prevent you from receiving yoga’s full benefits. Most people have a hard time dealing with their own will power, creating the perfect conditions for this obstacle to appear. The road to success is hard most of the times and a strong will power can support your ascent. A passive approach, on the other hand, will almost certainly lead to a slow and ineffective advance.

6. Avirati – Physical objects hold a magnetic attraction to the majority of people. Yoga needs you to let go of these ropes that tie you to the material world and make progress in the realm of the spirit. Removing the weight of physical things is vital while practicing yoga.

7. Bhrantidarshan – Misunderstanding the path you are taking while practicing yoga can lead to disappointment. Avoid this by keeping your hopes in good contact with reality.

8. Alabdha-bhumikatva – We are often victims of our own discouragement. When a failure occurs we fall into a state of self-depreciation and low optimism levels. Failing to reach a step on your road to achieving your ideal can lead to aggravated forms of this obstacle.

9. Anawasthitatwa – Poor yoga practice may also lead to the incapability to reach and hold a higher level of consciousness. This can be frustrating and result in disappointment.

Overcoming these obstacles is possible by helping your mind to focus on single elements a one time. Do not allow any of these obstacles to increase in power, as the others will soon follow. The passing of time and a strong will and commitment is usually very effective in dealing with the 9 yoga obstacles.

The Power of Your Inner Voice.

The inner voice is an indefinable element that exists in everyone of us, helping us sense good and bad, differentiate right from wrong and make decisions. This voice is a mixture of your personality and past experiences, being different from one person to another. You will never hear your inner voice speaking to you, but its messages are reflected in your behavior and attitude. If you wish, you may call your inner voice your soul, and harnessing its power should be something you must be aware of.

Many people experience difficulties when communicating with their inner self. They tend to judge and evaluate things in a manner that is unproductive, depriving themselves of opportunities just waiting to be taken. If this is your case, you should start by adopting a small but radical change: eliminate the word “can’t” from your vocabulary. Of course, this is more of a symbol than an actual tool to “cure” your negative views, but it can become very effective. Try to stop for a moment whenever you hear yourself saying “I can’t do that” and think about it. What made you use this expression? Why didn’t you say “Yes, I can do it!”? What is the underlying reason for your denial?

Maybe you won’t find answers to these questions right away, but this exercise will teach you to adopt a positive attitude towards everything about you. Most of us have a rather conservative inner voice. We unconsciously try to avoid experiencing new things because we feel insecure about them. We like our old patterns and habits and are weary about changing them. This is a feeling that tends to get more pronounced as you get older, but this doesn’t mean that we have to accept it as it is.

Let’s say your life long dream is to drive a Ferrari. You try to search back, in our past experiences, and you will not find any solutions for achieving this ideal. The inner voice then draws the final conclusion: “it can’t be done!”. You will have a hard time putting your conscious mind against your inner voice, but in order to achieve the goal you must escape the ropes that tie you to the past and search for new alternatives. Your inner voice is probably against this: “you’re doing fine as you are now, why would you want to risk changing things?” it might say.

Even though it is a difficult endeavor, you should keep in mind that it is, after all, your inner voice. Thus, you do have control over it and you can make it work for you in reaching your goals. Through perseverance and strong will you can turn all of your negative aspects concerning yourself into positive ones. Stop running away from your fears – they will never stop haunting you! Prepare to face them, one by one. Tell yourself, before a difficult challenge that is waiting for you, that you will come out as a winner. A positive attitude and good morale may weigh much more in the balance than countless hours of physical or technical preparation.

Eliminate the fears that are holding you back.

One of the best ways to discover exactly what is stopping you from achieving the goals that you have set is to analyze exactly how much you wish to succeed. By honestly looking at your inner self you will find out how strong your will power is and how many resources you have to put into. Unfortunately, for most people this is one of the hardest things to do.

We believe that it is better to hide our failures and disappointments, as they are the ones that can cause pain. The psychological connections go a lot further, but the main idea is that our mind naturally eliminates all the factors that are potentially harmful to our body. This is how our most daring dreams and ideals get hidden somewhere deep in our subconscious mind and we are afraid to bring them out. The idea of succeeding is often much weaker than the notion of failure, and this fear is keeping our potential to a lower limit.

The fear of believing in your ideals is a naturally occurring phenomenon, but it is also greatly amplified by the society in which we grow up. When turning into adults, teenagers have to abandon the dreams and hopes they had as children and see the “actual reality” surrounding them. Society teaches us to follow a set of footsteps and never go stray. By creating order, this process also limits creativity and passion. We may become great citizens, but what good will that do if deep inside we feel like we should want more?

There are a few tricks that may help you get closer to your ideals. Begin by writing them down. Seeing the words on paper has a strong effect and you will soon realize if those dreams are worth fighting for. Try to examine each of your goals through you own eyes. Don’t let the others around you guide your view – you are trying to reach your goal, not theirs. Don’t write your list in stone – there’s nothing wrong to erasing or adding new goals.

Try to envision yourself reaching your ideal. By constructing an image of success in your conscious mind you will also influence your subconscious to do the same. Project yourself in the future, with all the skills that you need to reach that ideal. If you do this often enough you will reinforce your beliefs and increase the chances of getting where you wish.

Sometimes it is hard to manage all the issues mentioned above on your own. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from someone you care about. Share your feelings with a special person that will support your actions and always be in your corner. Try to judge if the trust you will invest in that particular person (parent, brother, wife, best friend etc.) will not fail. Even if you think you won’t be accepted with your new ideals – give it a shot.

There is no magical way of achieving success but you can always increase the chances of reaching your goals with these simple exercises. When you manage to eliminate, or at least diminish, the fear that is holding you back, all of your expectations will seem easier to achieve. It is not easy to take a journey into your own soul, but if you manage to gather sufficient determination this could prove one of the best trips you have ever taken.

Frequently Asked Questions about Weight Loss and Diets.

If you’re on a diet, or considering going on one, you’re in luck. We’ve put together ten of the most frequently asked questions about diets and weight loss and compiled them here. Enjoy!
 
1. How much should I weigh?
Your doctor can answer that question most accurately. More important than how much you weigh is your body/mass index, which measures your height against your weight.
 
2. What's the best diet for losing weight?
Any diet that provides all the nutrition that you need for health, and in addition, provides fewer calories than your body burns regularly.
 
3. How can I keep off the weight that I lose?
If you lose weight gradually and re-educate both yourself and your body about food, you'll have a good start. The secret to keeping weight off is to balance your energy needs with your food intake. Eat enough calories to supply your body's energy needs, but not so many that your body stores the excess as fat.
 
4. What's the story with obesity and diabetes?
Obesity increases the risks of a number of chronic health conditions, and diabetes is one of them. People who are more than ten percent overweight increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes substantially.
 
5. How do I decrease my intake of sugar?
Obviously, you can decrease your intake of sugar by cutting out sweets and refined snacks, but you should also watch out for 'hidden' sugars. Check ingredients. High fructose corn syrup and sucrose are both simple sugars that add lots of calories and little nutrition.
 
6. How often should I weigh myself?
Most diet experts recommend that you weigh yourself no more than once a week. Some go so far as to tell you to throw out the scale entirely! A more accurate measure of your loss is your clothing size. If your clothing is feeling looser, you're doing great.
 
7. Do I really have to exercise?
You don't HAVE to, but it will be a lot harder to lose weight if you don't. A half hour of moderate exercise daily is the minimum activity level for healthy weight loss. You can get it walking, running, cleaning your house - anything active burns calories.
 
8. What's a calorie?
A calorie is a measure of energy. Foods are rated with calories based on the amount of energy they provide to the body when consumed.
 
9. Can I lose weight without changing my diet?
Weight loss results when you burn more calories than you consume. If you only need to lose a small amount of weight and your diet is generally healthy, you can lose weight by increasing your activity level to burn more calories. If your diet is poor, or if you're more than a few pounds overweight, you really need to learn a new, more healthy way or eating, or you'll put the weight back on when you go back to 'normal' eating.
 
10. Should I eat fish on my diet?
Unless it's expressly forbidden by your diet, absolutely. Fish is high protein, low saturated fat, and high in omega 3 fatty acids. Some doctors recommend eating as much as 10 servings of fish per week.

The Last Resort: Weight Loss Surgery.

Surgery is the most severe of the recommended treatments for obesity. Bariatric surgery is reserved for cases of severe obesity that have been resistant to all other methods of weight loss and weight control. There are two basic types of bariatric surgery (also known as gastrointestinal surgery), each with a different purpose.  The risks for both are similar, as are the prospective results and outcome.
 
Restrictive Weight Loss Surgery
 
The first type of bariatric weight loss surgery is 'restrictive'. It includes the well-known 'stomach stapling'. The purpose of restrictive surgery is to restrict the amount of food that can be eaten at one time. Doctors create a small pouch at the top of the stomach that holds about one ounce of food, with a small opening at the bottom to hold food in the pouch and cause a feeling of fullness. After the surgery, a patient can eat no more than 3/4 cup to a cup of well-chewed bland food at a time without becoming nauseous. The intent of the surgery is to reduce the amount of food eaten by restricting the amount of food that can be eaten at once.
 
Variations of restrictive surgery include 'lap banding', in which the pouch is created by wrapping a silicone band around the upper part of the stomach. Since there is no need to cut into the stomach or intestine, the complication rate is lower than in standard restrictive surgery, and the recovery period is shorter.
 
The second type of bariatric surgery for weight loss is the malabsorptive variety. These are the more common type of surgery for treatment of obesity. The most well-known of the procedures is the gastric bypass. The purpose of gastric bypass and other types of bypass surgery is to prevent the effective absorption of nutrients from food eaten by 'bypassing' most of the intestine in the food's path through the body. The malabsorption results in significant weight loss and a reduction of appetite.
 
The possible side effects of gastric bypass surgery include:
 
Chronic diarrhea
Stomach ulcers
Foul-smelling stools and flatulence
Risk of nutritional and micro-nutritional deficiencies
Dumping syndrome - symptoms include faintness, fainting, nausea, sweating and diarrhea after eating
 
Patients seeking bariatric surgery are evaluated by a medical professional for suitability for the surgery. Candidates include those who are at least 80-100 pounds overweight, and who have shown little success with traditional weight loss methods. In additions, patients who have other physical problems which require weight loss may be candidates.
 
If you're considering weight loss surgery, you must realize several things:

1. The risks of surgery are serious.
2. You will require lifelong medical supervision after the surgery
3. You will still need to make lifestyle and dietary changes.
4. Many health insurance plans will not cover it.
 
Be sure that you choose a surgeon experienced in bariatric techniques, and that you will be provided with full physical and emotional support before, during and after the surgery.

Diet Pills: A Lot Of Risk For A Little Loss.

There are a number of products on the market - both prescription and non-prescription - which claim to be effective weight loss aids. Many of these have been associated with serious medical risks, including heart attack, heart abnormalities, tachycardia, stroke, seizures and death. The side effects can be daunting, but how realistic are they?
 
Diet pills fall into several different classes. Most are appetite suppressants of one kind or another, generally stimulants with effects similar to those of amphetamine. They are approved for treatment of obesity, where it's considered that the health risks associated with gross overweight outweigh the risks associated with the medication.
 
For someone who has less than 30 pounds to lose, the risks are far less cut-and-dried. While the FDA and manufacturers closely monitor the effects of prescription weight loss medications, over the counter medications and their risks are far less well-documented. They're even less well-documented for herbal preparations, especially those whose makers don't officially make weight loss claims for them.
 
While makers of pharmaceuticals must meet stringent labeling requirements and tests for safety and effectiveness, those who make weight loss 'supplements' are not regulated in the same way. As long as they don't contain a 'new' ingredient, or one that has never been marketed for weight loss purposes, they are not subject to FDA review. Instead, the manufacturer is held responsible for the safety and effectiveness of their products. Often, that means unregulated dosages, unhealthy additives and ineffective ingredients.
 
In an effort to encourage improvement in the reporting standards and the pharmaceutical standards for weight loss medications, the United States Pharmacopoeia has introduced the Comprehensive Dietary Supplement Verification Program. Currently voluntary, it involves certification by the USP of certain labeling and practice standards, including that the product contains the ingredients stated on the label in the strength declared, that they are within limits for impurities like metals, pesticides and bacteria, that the medication will be absorbed by the body according to USP criteria, and that it has been created with all safe precautions.
 
Until the day that all over the counter medications and herbal preparations marketed as weight loss supplements and aids are labeled and tested by impartial researchers, there are some things that you can do to lessen the risks associated with using diet pills.
 
Research is your best friend. There's a lot of information out there about drugs and herbs like ephedra, ephinedrine, phentermine and sibutramine. Know what you're taking and what the risks are so that you can watch for side effects.
 
Always talk to your doctor before you start taking any drug or herbal supplement. Many of them interact poorly with other medications, or have an adverse effect on chronic conditions.
 
Follow dosage instructions. Overdoses of stimulant medications, which are a component of most weight loss preparations, can be serious and severe.
 
Don't take any weight loss pill or supplement for more than a few weeks without it being prescribed by a doctor.
 
Check with your pharmacist when purchasing over the counter weight loss preparations to be sure that the ingredients don't interact with other medications you may be taking. Include both prescription and nonprescription medications in your questions.
 
Ideally, don't take weight loss pills. The effectiveness of most have not been proven at all. It's an awful lot of risk for such a little loss.

Losing Weight After Pregnancy.

You could be lucky. I was - just once. When my middle daughter was born I actually weighed 10 pounds less than I had when I'd conceived her. That's not something you can count on, though, and I can tell you that from experience as well. Most women start their lives as a new mom with an extra 8 to 15 pounds that they didn't have pre-baby.
 
There's a very good reason for that. God designed our bodies with nurture in mind. Part of that weight that you put on during pregnancy was meant to nurture your baby AFTER birth. While your body requires an extra 300 calories a day to keep up with the nutritional demands of your baby during pregnancy, a breastfeeding mother requires at least 500 extra calories a day to produce enough milk and remain healthy. Your body stores up a little extra nutrition for after the birth just in case there isn't enough food for its needs when it's time to feed the new little critter.
 
If you're breastfeeding, that's part of the good news. You'll automatically be burning an extra five hundred calories a day - which will make it considerably easier for you to lose the extra weight. In fact, you may not need to do anything special at all to lose weight. Just focus on eating a normal, healthy, well-balanced diet. If you're not breastfeeding, you won't find it quite as easy. Your focus should still be on healthy eating, with moderate exercise to burn extra calories.
 
Here's more good news for new mothers. Exercising is easier. Actually, that's not quite right. Burning more calories is easier. Walking alone for an hour burns 200 calories. Walking while pushing a stroller ups that figure considerably. Push a stroller uphill, and it's even higher. You'll get extra duty out of things you never thought of like lifting the stroller and car seat in and out of the car, carrying the baby up and down stairs and just plain carrying the baby.
 
Still. If you find yourself with stubborn pounds that simply won't come off, exercise and a moderate reduction in calories is the way to go. Just like pregnancy isn't the time for weight loss, just after pregnancy isn't the time to stress your body further with severe dietary restrictions. Aim for losing about a pound a week, though chances are you'll find it coming off faster than that. Being a mom is a high-energy proposition!

How Much Weight Should You Gain During Pregnancy?

If you're pregnant, you're very likely concerned about the amount of weight you're gaining, the effect it has on your body, even how difficult it will be to take off after your pregnancy. Your OB/GYN or midwife is your best source of advice about healthy weight gain during pregnancy, but there are general guidelines.
 
Depending on your weight at the start of your pregnancy, your doctor may tell you that a healthy weight gain for you is anywhere between 15 and 40 pounds. If you're underweight to start (a BMI of less than 18.5), 25 to 40 pounds is a reasonable weight gain during pregnancy. If you're overweight, he or she may suggest you stick closer to 15 to 25 pounds. Of that weight, 6 to 8 pounds of it is the baby. The rest is amniotic fluid, extra tissue and blood to nourish the baby (including the placenta), and the increased size of your breasts and placenta. You'll lose as much as 15 pounds of it WITH the birth (amniotic fluid, placenta and baby).
 
Any doctor will tell you that pregnancy is NOT the time to go on a diet. Your body AND your baby need the nutrients of an adequate, balanced diet to keep you both healthy. This doesn't mean that you should throw all your restraint to the winds and 'eat for two', though. Your body needs approximately an extra 300 calories a day to build a healthy baby. Those 300 calories should come from the same healthy variety of foods that your normal diet gives you. (You were eating a healthy, balanced diet, weren't you? If not, pregnancy is a great time to start.)
 
You can expect to gain weight along a fairly predictable pattern. In the first three months, you'll gain 2-4 pounds altogether. During the second trimester, you can expect to gain between 3-4 pounds a month (about a pound per week). During the last three months, you'll gain an additional 8-10 pounds. Your doctor or midwife will weigh you regularly, and may express concern over a deviation from this pattern. A sudden sharp weight gain, for instance, can indicate pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes.
 
If your doctor advises you to try to limit your weight gain during your pregnancy, be sure to choose a healthy diet that provides all the necessary daily requirements for vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Remember that a 'diet' during pregnancy isn't meant to help you LOSE weight, but rather to limit the amount of weight gained.
 
Regular exercise is also good for both you and your baby. You can maintain most of your daily activities, and if regular workouts were a part of your daily routine, then by all means keep them up. You'll feel better, and your body will be less likely to protest the extra weight with aches and pains. Do keep in mind that exercise during pregnancy shouldn't be overly strenuous, and that you should avoid activities with a risk of falling or injury. Also remember that your center of balance is different - it may feel awkward to do the things you usually do while you're carrying your little bundle of joy.
 
For specifics with regard to your own situation, speak with your doctor or midwife. If you're concerned about gaining weight, or feel that you're gaining too much, you can ask for a consultation with a nutritionist to help you design a healthy eating plan that will make sure the baby is well-nourished, and your concerns about your weight are met.

Strategic Weight Loss.

One of the first things that you'll do when you decide to lose weight is to set a goal weight. For most, that goal will be their 'ideal weight', but for many, that 'ideal weight' may be exactly the wrong weight for them to be aiming for.
 
Years of dieting or being overweight have the physiological effect of moving the body's concept of the 'ideal weight' from what is truly considered ideal. The 'set point' is the weight at which your body naturally feels most comfortable. If you've been overweight for a very long time, or if you've consistently 'yo-yoed', your body may respond to your initial weight loss by lowering its metabolism because it believes that you are starving to death. This slowing leads to discouraging plateaus that often knock people off their diets entirely, and lead to regaining all or part of the lost weight.
 
Instead of aiming for an 'ideal weight' that calls for you to lose weight steadily for months or even years, many experts recommend aiming for shorter-term attainable goals. Since the bulk of diet research shows that most dieters lose weight steadily for about 12 weeks, then hit a plateau, that's the number that they suggest you aim for. The strategy that many have found works best for them is one of alternating periods of weight loss and maintenance, each lasting 8-12 weeks.
 
Choose a realistic amount of weight that you can lose in 8-12 weeks. Figuring that the most reasonable and healthiest weight loss rate is 1-2 pounds per week, 30 pounds in three months is not unreasonable. Diet until you reach that goal, or for 12 weeks, whichever comes first, and then switch to a maintenance diet.
 
Why switch to a maintenance diet at that point? In part, you're giving yourself a 'breather', a break from more restrictive eating. The other part, though, is that you're re-educating your body and letting it establish a new 'set point'. Once you've maintained your new weight for 8-12 weeks, set another weight loss goal, and move back into weight loss mode. By giving your body a break from 'starvation', you'll have overcome its resistance to losing more weight, and be back to dieting for 'the first two weeks' - the weeks that most people lose weight more rapidly.
 
You'll also be giving yourself a chance to 'practice' maintaining your new, healthier weight. Researchers have found that more than half of the dieters who take off significant amounts of weight do not maintain that weight loss once they go 'off' their diet. By practicing weight maintenance in stages, you'll be proving to yourself that you CAN do it, and removing a powerful negative psychological block.
 
This will work with any long-term weight loss diet, no matter the focus. You'll find it much easier to do if you choose a diet that has concrete 'phases', like the South Beach or the Atkins, since the weight loss and maintenance phases are clearly laid out for you to follow. Regardless of the diet you choose, though, by alternating between weight loss phases and maintenance phases, you'll teach yourself and your body how to maintain a healthy weight.

Beating the Freshman 15.

It's a fairly accepted 'fact' among college age women that they will gain weight their first year away from home. It's so well accepted, in fact, that nearly anyone will know immediately what you mean when you refer to the 'Freshman 15'. The research doesn't quite bear it out, though. One study conducted 15 years ago found that incoming freshman did gain weight at higher rates than their peers who did not attend college, but the average weight gain for the stressful freshman year was 7 pounds, less than half the mythical 15 pounds they'd been told to expect.
 
Even more encouraging is that a more recent study of college weight gain monitored the weight and body fat of freshman women. More than half the students put on weight, but for most it was less than five pounds. One third of the students lost weight. Interestingly, those students who most worried about gaining weight believed that they had gained weight even when the scales showed that they hadn't.
 
If you're concerned about gaining weight in that first year away from home, here are some concrete suggestions that can help you avoid the dreaded Freshman 15.
 
Adopt a Healthy Attitude Toward Food.

Researchers place part of the blame for the Freshman 15 on the tendency to turn to food for comfort. In an unfamiliar setting, with new stresses and new worries, students may turn to the familiar foods that make them feel good to help them get through. Train yourself to eat when hungry - and deal with stress through other means.
 
De-stress.

The corollary to the statement above is that the less you allow changes and worries to affect you, the less stress you'll have to deal with. One of the best ways to stress-proof your body is by eating a healthy diet. Regular exercise and making sure you get enough sleep play a big part, too. When you're body is well-nourished and well-rested, you'll find it much easier to deal with stress without resorting to major snacking.
 
Watch out for the parties.

Away from parental supervision for the first time, many college age students give in to the urge to party. Try to keep in mind that beer, even light beer, has 100 calories per every 12 ounces that you drink. You're also a whole lot more likely to snack on high fat junk food like chips when you're drinking. As for other drugs - there are all sorts of reasons not to smoke. Add the fact that it's fattening to the list.
 
Exercise.

Take advantage of the gym facilities and any student privileges you might have by getting regular workouts. Swimming, tennis, aerobics - any sport that you play, any activity that you do will both burn calories, and help reduce the stress of your first year at school.
 
Socialize.

Find a group of friends and be a part of it. The more you feel like you belong, the less you'll be missing home, and the less you'll be snacking to make up for it.
 
The Freshman 15 isn't inevitable. Just remember to eat healthy, exercise, sleep well and have fun. The weight loss will take care of itself.

Do You Know Your Body Mass Index?

For some, the need to lose weight is clear. Those whose body weight places them into the obese or morbidly obese categories are well aware that they are carrying too many pounds. But what about the borderline overweight? Is that ten pounds over the ideal weight raising your risk of health complications? Are you just 'big-boned'? How do you decide if you really need to lose weight - and how much you need to lose?
 
Doctors have a number of different ways to measure the need to lose weight. Long gone are the years when they relied on an insurance company chart of 'ideal weights'. The most commonly used measure is the Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI measures your weight relative to your height. It is generally an accurate representation of muscle-to-fat ratio, though there are some limitations.
 
1. It may overestimate the BMI of an athletic person, because muscle is denser and weighs more than fat.
 
2. It may underestimate the BMI of an older person, or others who have low muscle mass.
 
There are many BMI calculators available online that will allow you to check your own BMI. The table for determining risk factors associated with obesity is:
 
Below 18.5 - Underweight
18.5 - 24.9 - Normal
25.0 - 29.9 - Overweight
30.0 and up - Obese
 
If your BMI is above 25.0, your doctor or other medical professional can advise you on the best weight loss plan for you. You should know that there are great benefits to losing even a moderate amount of weight. Some of those include:
 
* Lowering your risk of diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, a weight loss of as little as 10 pounds can decrease the chances of pre-diabetes developing into diabetes by 58%.
* Lower your risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association states that coronary problems are directly correlated to weight. By losing weight to bring your BMI to within normal ranges, you significantly lower your risk of developing heart problems.
* Reduce your risk of arthritis and pain from arthritis. A number of forms of arthritis are related to weight. Losing weight substantially decreases the strain that additional weight places you your knees, hips, back and ankles.
 
Are you motivated to get started? Here are three ways that you can start losing weight today:
 
Get active.

If you do nothing different in your life but exercise for one half hour daily, you will lose 5-7% of your body weight per year.
 
Cut out white breads and sugars.

Substitute whole grains for refined flours and sugars, and you'll automatically reduce the number of calories that you consume daily.
 
Eat more fresh vegetables.

Fresh vegetables, especially raw, are a significant source of many of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs daily. They're high in nutrition, while low in calories. By increasing the amount of fresh vegetables that you eat and reducing the amount of processed, refined foods, you'll cut calories and carbohydrates significantly.