The Path To A Better You - Free Self Improvement Resources

How To Feel [Good] Fabulous! - A Method For Feeling Great Again, More Effective Than Any Medicine

Did you know there is a report called the World Happiness Report that measures and analyses how global happiness changes over time based on data stretching back to 2005?

Sadly, the latest report reveals that people are feeling worse with
increasing tensions and negative feelings and emotions rising around the world. It seems, as a global society, we are riding a tide of unhappiness as worry, sadness, anxiety, and anger are on the rise.

All this unhappiness and internal struggle, if not tended to, can eventually lead to a more serious condition, that of depression.

Depression is a mood disorder that affects how we feel, think and behave. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical issues, causing persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest in life.

As one of the world's most common health conditions, it is a leading global disability and the second largest killer after heart disease. It is estimated that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men experience an episode of depression by the time they reach 65.

Depressed people can be hard to spot. They don't necessarily cry easily, nor do they walk around with a permanent frown or long face. However, the damage going on inside continues ticking away until their interest in life begins fading away with symptoms of depression filling the void.

Some of the more obvious symptoms include eating and sleeping too much or too little and lack of energy and feeling numb like nothing matters. Confusion, forgetfulness, being on edge or upset, anger, worry and feeling scared with thoughts of self-harm are all negative patterns resulting from a depressed state.

Although there are more and more medical treatments readily available for depression, the condition continues to rise not fall. Why? Because drugs/anti-depressants, the go to medical answer for treating this condition, do not cure the patient. Anti-depressants are a band-aid offering temporary relief, they treat the symptoms but not the cause.

The one thing that is empowered to change us permanently - emotionally, mentally and physically is activity/movement because humans were created to move. Our bodies were never designed for the sleep-deprived, poorly nourished, under-exercised, frenzied pace of the twenty-first century.

Living a sedentary lifestyle, one void of prope movement/exercise has proven to be a quick ticket to the grave. Thankfully, informed people are getting smarter and putting two and two together - linking the importance of physical activity and mental health.

According to Dr. Ben Singh, leading author of one study on sedentary lifestyles, activity is 1.5 times more effective at reducing symptoms of depression, psychological stress and anxiety than medication or cognitive behavior therapy.

He states, "while the value of physical activity for people with depressionvand anxiety is widely recognized, it is not considered for managing suchvconditions as often as the study asserts it should be. Physical activityvmust be prioritized to better manage the growing cases of mental health conditions."

The truth is exercise is the most potent and under-utilised antidepressant offering both short-term and long-term benefits that positively impact our mental health, without any accompanying negative side effects.

In the short-term, endorphins and dopamine are released in the brain immediately after exercising. Both hormones help boost mood and buffervstress. In the long term the release of neurotransmitters in the brain in response to exercise help increase mood and cognition while decreasing inflammation and boosting immune function.

Endorphin levels, our feel-good hormones, see a whopping increase of morebthan 60 percent after exercising leaving us feeling rejuvenated and even euphoric, helping to keep our minds trouble free.

Exercise has been routinely known to provide important benefits such as increasing cardiovascular (heart/lung) health, lowering blood pressure, keeping bones strong, and improving muscle tone and strength.

Body fat gets reduced while energy gets a boost. But the benefits of exercise don't stop at the physical level. Exercise offers psychological benefits as well such as increased self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment.

It lifts moods, reduces anxiety levels, increases the ability to handle stress and improves sleep patterns. And let's face it, a good night's sleep goes a long way towards a successful day.

In the end, we are one person, whose bodily systems of body, mind and emotions operate as one. What affects one area will also impact another.

Science has proven that there is an incredible connection between our physical actions and our mental health and "what we do in the way of physical activity does have a significant impact on how we feel."

Why not take advantage of the incredible health benefits that exercise offers and get your body moving? It is one of the most effective, healthiest, least disruptive and cheapest ways of managing mental health disorders while providing a wealth of physical benefits along the way and everyone, no matter what age or current health condition can benefit.

If you have enjoyed this post and would like more inspiring free resources visit my website: https://selfimprovement.gifts There may be something there that will resonate with you and help you live your best life.

Getting Back Into The Kitchen Is Key To Protecting Our Health

According to a report released by the USDA, the amount of money spent by the Western world eating out has now, for the first time ever, surpassed what consumers spend on food at home.

What this means is that convenience foods have taken the place of home cooking and the results have been disastrous - a spike in obesity, diabetes and other diet related diseases.

Obesity and diabetes are worldwide health issues for several reasons, but the collapse of home cooking is one of the primary ones.

Let's face it, our modern schedules place excessive demands on our time, so saving a bit of time by using convenience foods seems like a good choice in the moment. Unfortunately, we've traded time for a piece of our health.

Sure, convenience foods may add a few minutes to an overly stressed schedule, but it plays havoc with our health meter and our lifestyles.

It's time to reverse this dangerous, unhealthy trend that robs us of our vitality. What good is more time if our health is suffering?

We need to monitor the nutrients our bodies receive and be in control of the additives that go into our foods before we consume them. This means taking a proactive role in our health and well-being by returning to their source, the kitchen.

The kitchen is the hub of most homes, but its potential is being ignored. It's time to implement and experience a reborn culture of home cooking through lifestyle changes, not an occasional whim to cook. Doing it occasionally won't work as it does not engage passion and repetition, two vital ingredients to making permanent change. And because this lifestyle change generally involves others, it needs to be a family affair, one that all members of the family or household get involved in and become
knowledgeable about.

The primary benefits of cooking and enjoying homemade snacks and meals are:

Healthier ingredients -Being in control of what ingredients go in our home-cooked meals and how much is used empowers us to get the biggest bangfor our buck by choosing the best, freshest, nutrient dense ingredients we can get our hands on.

Cooking at home is a healthy discipline that eliminates second guessing about what's in our food, making it easier to control our weight.

Energy levels, weight control and self-confidence all get a nice boost when the right foods are consumed but take a health hit when we choose the wrong ones.

Easier on the budget -Eating out eats our budget. We not only pay for the food we are served, but we pay the overhead to keep the restaurant staffed, running efficiently and open for business.

The cost of these services far exceeds what we would pay at the grocery for healthier ingredients that allow us creative license right from the comfort of our own kitchen.

Fast food not only costs an unreasonable amount of money these days, but it is the worst offender of all, robbing our body of needed nutrients (the reason we get hungry in the first place) while emptying our wallet with little to no return on our investment except excessive calories.

Our hunger pangs return quickly since we have not yet satisfied our bodies cries for nutrients. This causes overeating and other related weight issues.

Food impacts every single facet of our lives. Protection against disease, energy levels, weight control, and mental health are all on the winning end when we eat healthy.

Portion control -Portion control is out of control because we cannot dictate what size portion is served when outside our own kitchens. How many times have you been told to "finish the food on your plate?" When over-served as often happens when we eat out, this guilt trip and excessive temptation contributes to our overall health and weight crisis.

If you are looking to cut down your portion size bear in mind that a large plate makes portions seem small so using a small plate can trick the brain a bit as it makes portions seem bigger.

Shared family time -This is the best benefit of all. Cooking together is a great way to share valued family time. Just watch the joy and pride explode on your child's face when they participate in making their own creations that they get to eat. Bring them shopping with you. It is the perfect time to educate them about the nutrient value of different foods and why we need them.

Sitting rather than standing, putting our utensils down between bites and avoiding distractions, like cell phones, tv's and computers while eating, makes us a conscious eater, with focus on what we are eating. The taste and the texture become more prominent when our attention is on the moment rather than zeroed in on a sitcom of someone else's life.

And, finally, shopping for the ingredients and preparing our own snacks and meals gives us the opportunity to infuse the foods we consume with the most Yea important ingredient of all, love.

According to French chef Eric Frank Ripert, author, and television
personality specializing in modern French cuisine and noted for his work with seafood, Spiritual experiences in cooking are very important. "When food is prepared with love, the people who eat it can feel that. If you have in your life something cooked by someone in your family who put love in the food - you feel something, something, a sensation."

Eating needs to be perceived as something we do to increase our health, boost our vitality and add to our longevity, not something to appease our senses, ease our emotions and fill our lonely soul tank with food.

Viewing food as the direct path towards building and maintaining health is what gets us focused on the ingredients we are buying and cooking with and blind to the ease and tease of fancy packaging.

If you have enjoyed this post and would like more inspiring free resources visit my website: https://selfimprovement.gifts There may be something there that will resonate with you and help you live your best life.

Strengthening Exercise - The Single Most Basic Thing You Can Do To Improve The Quality Of Your Life

A well-known remedy proven to slow and even reverse the aging process is readily available to all of us that does not involve scalpels, injections, implants or cosmetic surgery.

Yet, tons of money continue to be recklessly pumped into cosmetic surgery/economies across the globe chasing the "fountain of youth" as though it can be hogtied, bought, manipulated and controlled with a bank account.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Health, vitality and longevity are rewards, not gifts or tokens that can be bought, displayed or given away. At least not permanently.

It is naturally built, healthy, vital, strong muscle tissue that gives us a younger, more pleasing shape, one that is tighter and firmer and more resistant to disease, if we do the work.

And the work involves proper exercise; routines that include strength training. Strength training or resistance training is the answer to renewed energy and vitality and without question; no other activity has more of a positive impact on our overall health, simultaneously working to improve our physical, mental and emotional well-being.

The right exercises are not only empowered to build and maintain muscle and bone and make our hearts work better, but they can change the way our gene's function making it less likely that cancer gets hold, that our arteries harden or that we suffer from depression. They help us heal and recover better and quicker and provide us an edge over all kinds of disease and injury.

Proper exercise is, without a doubt, nature's best medicine. And not just as a preventive measure. It offers a vast range of healing influences on the body that help reverse negative biochemical trends while improving our resiliency and immunity at virtually every level of our physiology.

A proper program of muscle strengthening exercise performed just 2-3 times weekly can-do fantastic things on the inside of our body right down at the cellular level as well as making us look younger. It improves circulation, neurological activity and a variety of biochemical influences that promote healing.

Bone and muscle health get a healthy boost - If we want to enjoy our full vitality and mobility for the long haul, building and rebuilding strong bones and muscles with exercise is mandatory.

Proper exercise helps to strengthen bone in addition to muscle because working out and using our muscles makes tendons pull on bone. When a tendon pulls on its bony insertion, it causes a chain reaction of events that increases bone remodeling.

Cardiovascular/heart and lung function is improved, and blood pressure gets lowered - Heart disease is the number one killer in the developed world and now accounts for 40 percent of all deaths.

The best protection we can give ourselves is to strengthen our whole body which includes the heart.

After all, this mother of all muscles responds to proper exercise the same as every other muscle in our body - it thrives on it, growing stronger and more efficient.

Inflammation is reduced - Inflammation is one of the body's natural protective mechanisms, but when it becomes chronic it can turn destructive.

As human movement has continued to decrease chronic inflammation has become rampant and now contributes to all the major killer diseases, illnesses and conditions.

Your body may already be under fire from inflammation caused by stress, poor diet and a sedentary, couch-potato lifestyle. Inflammation can operate in stealth mode for years.

When symptoms do finally become apparent, it's usually in the form of one of the "big three" heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or any one of hundreds (even thousands) of other inflammation-related diseases.

Helps Hormones - The granddaddy of all our hormones is our very own growth hormone (HGH) often called the "youth or fitness hormone". When it falls below a certain level required to keep our body in good running order signs of aging appear.

The good news is, we can keep our body producing this special hormone so it can keep rejuvenating us, offering us a better quality of life short-term and healthy longevity long-term.

The one chance we have of increasing this hormone naturally is to work our muscles regularly with proper strength training exercise because it is intense muscle movement that stimulates this and other youth hormones when the brain receives signals that strength is needed.

Strengthening exercises at a certain high intensity automatically boosts our energy, enthusiasm and zest for life and living because our body gets a constant trickle of important "youth" or growth factor hormones that otherwise decline with age.

Moods are elevated - When we exercise (with some effort of course) a cocktail of "happy" positive hormones get released that stay in our system for some time after we finish exercising, lifting our mood and banishing any trace of negative feelings.

Add to this list, a reduction in body fat (maintaining healthy body weight is easier), stress, anxiety, depression and disease.

As a bonus, a body properly sculpted and attained through personal determination, hard work and strength training is delighted when seeing its own reflection in the mirror because strength training creates muscles that are taught against the body as opposed to fat and flab, which hangs and sags, adding years to our looks and appearance, while threatening our good
health.

Strength training offers anti-aging certainly, with reverse-aging potential. It's a good thing!

If you have enjoyed this post and would like more inspiring free resources visit my website: https://selfimprovement.gifts. There may be something there that will resonate with you and help you live your best life.

Self Improvement Gifts If you're looking to transform yourself, change old habits, improve your health and well-being, or set yourself new goals we may have just what you need!

Use It or Lose It!: Protect Your Most Valuable Possession

Our ancestors never had the luxuries and comforts of modern living that most of us enjoy today, so, we can say without hesitation, that "technological progress has made our lives easier." And, that is a good thing. Or is it?

Truth is, easier is not always better. As hunter-gatherers, our ancestors never thought twice about using their muscles and bones the way they were created to be used because actively using them was built into "surviving."

Physical activity was not something they had to consciously think about or incorporate into their day.

So, while the technological progress of modern society has eliminated the need for us to actively "catch our dinner," and allotted us more down-time/leisure-time/sitting-time, like everything else in life, it is a trade-off and comes with a price-tag.

Unfortunately, the price we pay for leading a sedentary, inactive lifestyle is directly connected to our health in very detrimental ways. We have become physically lazy and mentally slothful (and forgetful) and we seem to have forgotten some especially important "facts/rules of life."

The reality is, it matters not what we believe philosophically or what our religious bend may be or who we surround ourselves with, there is one thing that all of us share and have in common and that is "as human beings, we are all part of the animal kingdom."

We may be the "pinnacle" of our creator's hand, but that does not change who we are. As part of the animal kingdom we are subject to birth and death and all laws of the animal kingdom.

We navigate through life, blessed with love, joy, and happiness but just as other animals are subject to illness and disease, injury, and pain, we are as well. The sad fact is many current diseases and illnesses have been brought on and are a direct result of our modern sedentary lifestyles.

"Use it or lose it." Our skeletons, muscles and bones were created with a purpose - so that we can actively move - walk, run, jump, lift, push and carry etc. In other words, live life to the fullest.

Since we no longer need the type of mandatory activities that drove our ancestors to survive, we must consciously take the initiative and create ways of mimicking their active behaviour if our health and mobility is important to us.

It means taking the initiative to consciously exercise our muscles and strengthen our bones by being physically active and exercising.

Unfortunately, just hearing the word "exercise" elicits painful,
uncomfortable memories for many. In their minds, abandoned exercise equipment and unused gym memberships immediately identify and label exercise as something to be avoided.

If negative thoughts attack when exercise comes up, just think back to that old car you saw sitting idle in the field rusting and wasting away because of lack of activity. Or how about that house that sat empty with no one to love or look after it? Without activity, it too goes into disrepair.

Those images provide an accurate picture of what happens to our body when put into a sedentary state. When our bodies are consistently in "inactive mode," our muscles and bones get a clear message that they are no longer needed and begin the process of decomposing. Joints tighten up, bone density shrinks, muscles atrophy and strength wastes away.

Sadly, our modern sedentary lifestyles have more people in "lose it" than "use it" mode and most are not even aware of the silent but deadly carnage being done to their once strong, healthy body.

If you currently fall into "lose it" mode, and endurance, strength, balance, and mobility are important to you going forward, it is time to take stock of your life and make serious changes.

Rather than sit for hours in front of the TV, computer, tablet, or cell phone lost in "virtual reality" it is time to actively live and use this amazing body as it was intended.

Everyone has different motivating factors for wanting to be healthy and in good shape physically and we need them to get us going and keep us moving.

The key is to tap into what motivates us personally. Some people respond to positive reinforcement -

I exercise because:

It makes me feel good

It provides a strong healthy body that I can use to play - run, swim, hike, bike, snow ski, travel the world, play with my kids and grandkids

It helps me to avoid injuries due to weakness such as back strain

It gives me mobility and freedom

It provides healthy longevity

Others respond quicker to negative messages/images:

A glance in the mirror or a picture that does not lie

A doctor's visit revealing something is amiss and health is struggling

Loss of the ability to perform normal daily chores

Loss of freedom and mobility (seeing a friend or relative in a wheel chair)

While our modern lifestyles may have cheated us out of being physically active, it has also provided us with unlimited ways to stay in shape physically - there is something for everyone.

Socializing and exercising or taking classes at the gym is the ideal situation for many while others enjoy more quiet, private workouts at home or weather permitting outside running, biking, hiking or taking a brisk walk in the fresh air.

Whatever your cup of tea when it comes to staying in shape, being physically active and honouring the health of your mind and your body, it's time to stop thinking and talking about it and take action and "just do it."

If you have enjoyed this post and would like more inspiring free resources visit my website: https://selfimprovement.gifts There may be something there that will resonate with you and help you live your best life.

Building Healthy Habits: Say Goodbye To The All-Or-Nothing Approach

Many people, once they have decided to shift their lives for the better and adopt exercise and healthy eating errantly take an "all or nothing at all" approach to both. What exactly does this mean?

It means they want everything to be perfect. Every meal must be perfect and they must stick religiously to their eating plan.

Their exercise routine must be done religiously without excuse. This might work for a few days...possibly even a few weeks to the "die-hards" but in the end, this "strict" approach will eventually sink any valiant efforts.

This "all or nothing at all" approach to both exercise and nutrition
eventually leads to failure and a repetitive vicious cycle of starting again with the best of intentions - "I will start again and this time I will succeed and follow things perfectly" - only to stop again a short while later because of "broken rules."

Once again, life gets in the way...maybe it's a birthday party, or a special night out with friends or the holidays have hit and the temptations were just too great. You end up eating or drinking something that was way out of bounds and off-limits to your "plan."

You have broken your own rigid rules. And, since there is no flexibility you've opened the door for your negative voice to chime in. "Oh well, I screwed up again."

Now, you rationalize your actions. What was an innocent human slip-up that should be instantly forgiven, ends up leading to an entire day of "bad eating."

Once you have broken your own agreement, defeat sets in and the "why not eat “whatever now" attitude takes over and the vicious "start again, stop again" cycle continues.

In truth, life is not black and white and neither is sticking to your diet and exercise routine. What happens to rigid stiff items when they are bent? They break. There is no flexibility to allow
movement. Humans operate the same way. Remain rigid and stiff with your intentions and they will break you.

Adopt flexibility with your health and fitness routine and when something comes up or you "have that moment" of weakness (and you will at some point) this flexible attitude allows you to bend to accommodate and adapt to your new conditions or circumstances.

This kind of flexibility is especially important when beginning a new exercise routine or adopting a new healthy eating plan.

It's way too easy to forget that lifestyle changes are not a single
"quick-fix" process. Huge changes do not happen overnight no matter how rigid and stiff you are with yourself. Success is the result of hundreds of tiny steps day after day, workout after workout and healthy meal after healthy meal.

The truth is, the road leading to health and fitness is a life-long journey, not a "quick fix." They must fit into your life because you must "live" life as it happens...rather than demanding your life revolves around them.

Pressure yourself to be perfect and life will soon "get in the way" with defeat not far behind. There will be times when you miss a workout or days that you don't eat well.

It's at this point that you must practice compassion...self compassion. Accept your short-comings, embrace your humanity, and move onto positive actions whenever possible.

Maybe you have to work late one day and you miss your exercise routine. It does not mean that you have blown your whole regimen or that you are a weak person...it simply means that you are human. As a member of humanity, you are not perfect now, nor will you ever be.

Rather than turn "faltering moments" into defeat, when you do falter, allow your supposed "missteps" to help you create an even better plan that is more suitable to your life. Something that takes you forward.

If you truly want to succeed and have great results with your health and fitness plans, then the "all in or all or nothing at all" approach must be ditched. Pouring yourself into extreme change and demanding perfection only undermines your potential for long-term success.

Healthy eating and fitness has never been about being "perfect." Your actions are over a long period of time is the only thing that counts.

If you really want to experience success, stick to proven methods of healthy eating and fitness that are sustainable. You will reduce your stress levels and break that vicious cycle caused by rigid thinking, dieting and workout routines.

And remember...when it comes to your health and fitness, "something" always trumps "nothing."

If you have enjoyed this post and would like more inspiring free resources visit my website: https://selfimprovement.gifts There may be something there that will resonate with you and help you live your best life.

Want To Get In Better Shape? Shape Your Mind First

If you want to get into better physical shape/or lose weight you have to treat yourself well, very well. You have to feed yourself the right types of food, eat the right quantities and you need to exercise.

But you can only treat your body as well as you feel about yourself on the inside. This means your thoughts, emotions and self-beliefs need to be a match.

Before you attempt your self-transformation you need to get this inner mind programming working with you and not against you and then your body will follow. Most of us do this backwards.

We tell ourselves that we will feel better about ourselves after we lose the weight but it doesn't work this way. You need to feel better about yourself so you CAN get a healthy feel-good body.

Becoming overweight can mean that you are not looking after yourself properly. Eating the wrong types of foods, too much of them and avoiding exercise is never going to serve you well and the outcome is you become stuck in a less then feel-good body.

So to reverse this we need to 'fix' up the inner mind programming first so it doesn't derail you time and time again no matter how many eating plans or exercise programs you begin.

Misinformation and negative thoughts about nutrition, dieting and exercise can combine with some plain old self-delusion to poison our learning opportunities.

If our thinking is clouded with unhelpful doubts and pessimism, just as junk food is unhealthy for our bodies, junk thoughts are unhealthy for our state of mind and if it is not changed you will continue to be 'stuck'.

When you harness the power of your mind/body connection it is a very powerful tool not only for helping you lose weight but keeping it off.

Before you can accomplish any major goal you must be able to see yourself doing it first in your mind's eye. You need to believe and keep on believing that the life and body changes you need to make to achieve it are worth doing for the long-term.

These are the lessons that need to be learnt and are key to successful body transformation without having to go on any type of restrictive diet and yet almost every single traditional weight loss system on the planet ignores this aspect. Little wonder 95 percent of them fail.

The key to getting your mind to assist you to reach your goals is to stay focused on the solution. Instead of focusing on the negative and the problem and what you have to give up for example, focus on what you are going to getnby getting into better physical shape - what it will mean to your life. All the good things, like fitting into your clothes better, feeling fantastic, being able to really play with the grandchildren and so on.

After all we tend to get more of what we put our attention on. When we are overweight attention is mainly focused on food, your weight, scales, calories, fat, diets, carbs and so on. You are focused on the problem and are negatively focused.

It is all about adding to your life rather than taking away, adding things like better food choices, proper exercise, getting enough sleep and doing things to nurture and take care of yourself

Your mind also has to be reprogrammed to start identifying more with a slimmer, healthier version of yourself rather than the heavier, less energetic and unhappier version.

Only then will you automatically start believing, thinking, acting and doing the things that will bring forth your slim vision.

It has been well proven that when your mind creates a positive expectation of success it also creates a powerful energy shift. The body and life actions (healthy eating and proper exercise) begin to align with your new intentions because they are laid down in the pathways of your brain. The old roadblocks have been removed and will no longer sabotage you at every turn and your goals will be realised without struggle.

As you embark on your journey as time goes by not only is your body transforming but your mind is too and things like self-discipline and motivation increase and it gets easier. The end result is it's no longer just something "you do" but someone "you become".

If you have enjoyed this post and would like more inspiring free resources visit my website: https://selfimprovement.gifts There may be something there that will resonate with you and help you live your best life.

Self Improvement Gifts If you're looking to transform yourself, change old habits, improve your health and well-being, or set yourself new goals we may have just what you need!