Hey there, Clark here from Self Help Books. Today, let’s talk about one of the most known types of meditation – transcendental. Let me first give you an introduction, then allow me to share with you transcendental meditation instructions.

What is Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental meditation is “a technique for detaching oneself from anxiety and promoting harmony and self-realization by meditation, repetition of a mantra, and other yogic practices, promulgated by an international organization founded by the Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.”

Research verifies that transcendental meditation brings forth benefits such as, among others, better cardiovascular health and increased creativity.

It is said that when we have a thought, we are conditioned to have either one of two reactions, or a combination of the two:

1) The thought triggers some kind of emotion. For example, you think of your upcoming date, and experience anticipation.

2) The thought triggers an action or planned action. For instance, you think that you’re hungry, and thus you get something to eat or make a plan to get something to eat. ‘Action’ can also mean internal physiological responses, such as elevated blood pressure, sweating, increased heart rate and so on.

Transcendental meditation conditions your mind to have a new response to thought.

HOW to Do It

Transcendental meditation is relatively simple to do:

1) Sit comfortably with your feet on the floor and your spine straight. Close your eyes and relax your entire body. Take a deep breath in, and breathe out.

2) Repeat a mantra in Sanskrit in your mind without moving your lips or making a sound (mantras are more powerful when they are thought rather than chanted) for around 20 minutes, two times a day.

And that’s it. The crucial thing to remember is not to force anything. Allow thoughts to come and go, and if you realize that you’ve stopped repeating the mantra in your head – just gently come back to it.

This takes time and repetition, but after a while you’ll find that you’ve reconditioned your previous programmed response.

If done correctly, when a thought that spikes blood pressure comes along, your reconditioned, non-reactive response would follow, therefore averting the emotion or action that would normally take place.

In the case of creativity, thoughts such as “Would people like this?” would not interrupt the creative process when you’re trying to write, paint or play music.

It is said that it is important to receive the mantra from a fully-trained transcendental meditation teacher, because they have been given a selection of mantras which have been passed down through a long line of teachers over thousands of years. However, this method of learning can be a bit expensive – so below is an alternative you should consider.

FREE Level 1 audios

Regular and advanced meditation in general leads to dozens of health and brain power benefits, including heightened imagination and intuitive insight.

Now there is a brilliant audio meditation program – called Zen12 – that “meditates for you”. You get the benefits of an hour’s advanced meditation just by listening to an audio for 12 minutes. Check it out here (follow the links to get the free Level 1 audio MP3s).

That’s all from me. Share this if you think it’d benefit others! If you have any questions or comments in regards to this subject matter let me know in the comment box below and I’ll get back to you ASAP. Thank you!

 

Welcome, Clark here from Self Help Books. Losing weight seems to be THE trend now wherever I go. And since you’re here, there’s a good chance that you’re on some kind of diet right now, isn’t it? You might also be exercising really hard. Some have even gone down dangerous roads like pills or surgery. However, always the best way to lose weight quickly is from the inside, by tapping into the wisdom of your subconscious.

Subliminal Technology

 

Subliminals have worked incredibly well for me and a lot of other people.

First, the definition of subliminals. These are affirmations (auditory or visual) presented below the normal limits of perception. For instance, a sound that is inaudible to the conscious mind but ‘audible’ subconsciously; or an image transmitted briefly and unobserved by the conscious mind but perceived subconsciously.

Say you record the phrase “I’m getting into great shape!!” then embed that phrase inside a piece of music. By using special audio techniques, you can ensure that the conscious mind can barely hear the affirmation while the subconscious mind ‘hears’ it clearly.

You then play the record over and over, effectively delivering thousands of positive affirmations to the subconscious mind.

This process can rewire long-standing thinking patterns. Studies have shown conclusively that subliminals can produce measurable and lasting effects, from improving memory to breaking bad habits to losing weight. One of the reasons that this technology is so successful is because it is able to sneak new thought patterns directly into your susceptible subconscious mind, under the radar of your logical conscious brain.

Is subliminals the same as hypnosis? Well no, although there are similarities.

Hypnosis takes you down into a trance state, then uses a mixture of exercises and affirmations to help rewrite your patterns of belief. Subliminals exposes the mind to many hundreds of positive affirmations and commands, unnoticeable by the conscious mind. Subliminal recordings aren’t intended to directly interact with the conscious mind at all.

More about the Mind

 

The mind has a conscious and subconscious element. If your mind is an iceberg, then the conscious element is the part of the iceberg that you can see, which is about 10% of the total mass, while the rest is your subconscious.

Your conscious mind only works when you are awake. It has the ability to think logically and filters the information that reaches your subconscious.

In contrast, the subconscious is always switched on, and it doesn’t filter what you expose it to. Feed it enough positive stimuli and it has no choice but to incorporate those stimuli and makes them part of your very being.

You may have tried long and hard to lose weight thus far, but the reason you have not succeeded is because you have been trying to do it on the conscious, or physical, plane. Or, you may have lost some weight, but as soon as you release your grip on the strict diet or exercise regime – back you go to square one.

A Couple of REALLY Cool Subliminal Tools

 

The subliminal technologies I presently use are Subliminal Guru and Subliminal360.

Just to give you a brief introduction, Subliminal Guru is audio subliminal. Each Subliminal Guru album comes with a set of MP3 audios with different music – Acoustic, Relaxation, Stream, Workout, etc. – though each contains the same set of affirmations. The music keeps the conscious mind busy, allowing the subconscious mind to tune in and focus on the subliminal messages hidden within.

For example, the Lose Weight Fast album comes with the following 12 affirmations:

1) Losing weight is easy for me

2) I eat balanced and nourishing meals

3) I feel the pounds dropping off

4) I can resist junk food

5) I avoid eating between meals

6) I take regular exercise

7) My body easily sheds excess weight

8) I’m getting into great shape

9) Losing weight fills me with confidence

10) I’m proud of my new body

11) I can lose all the weight I want

12) I’m getting slimmer every day

Stick to Your Diet, Drop a Dress Size and Think Yourself Thin are some of the other albums related to this discussion.

You can play a Subliminal Guru MP3 (a non-brainwave entrainment version) in the background as you carry out your daily activities. For greater effect, play it (a non-brainwave entrainment version) on repeat while you sleep.

Subliminal360, meanwhile, is visual subliminal. It flashes brief (for just a millisecond), positive affirmations on your PC screen while you play games, check email, surf the web, etc. Over 4,000 affirmations are flashed per hour, so if you’re a heavy laptop user like me, imagine how many tens of thousands of subliminals are working to change your subconscious beliefs every day.

You can try them out and decide for yourself whether it works. These subliminal tools are backed by a no-questions-asked guarantee. If you’re not 100% happy with your investment you can request a full refund within a given period of time.

You can read my review of Subliminal Guru and Subliminal360 (Be sure to read the important notes about when NOT to listen to brainwave entrainment audios). Even if you eventually decide not to buy any album, follow the links on my Subliminal Guru review post to receive two free subliminal MP3s.

Your Ideal Weight is Waiting!!!

 

A gentle reminder that if you’re already at your ideal weight, just keep it that way. There’s no point in trying to lose more weight as it doesn’t make you more attractive.

But if you’re currently not at your ideal weight and trying very hard to get there, then subliminals is something that I would very strongly recommend.

Here are the links again: Subliminal Guru; Subliminal360

And that is all from me. Please share this with others if you’ve found it useful, and if you have any questions or comments in regards to this topic just let me know in the comment box below and I will get back to you ASAP. See you around!

 

Hey everyone, Clark here from Self Help Books. Today I would like to introduce you to the 5-minute Donna Eden Daily Energy Routine. It is a set of exercises that can be done in 5 minutes and if done every day would establish healthy energy habits in all the body’s energy systems. This may well lead to NATURAL healing (by energy).  

So without further ado, let’s get right into the first procedure below.

The Crossover Shoulder Pull

 

BACKGROUND: Energy crosses over from the left hemisphere of the brain to the right side of the body and from the right hemisphere of the brain to the left side of the body. Such figure-8 crossover patterns can, in fact, be found throughout the body, with the prototype being the double helix of the DNA molecule. While these crossover patterns are natural and spontaneous, with the activities and stresses of daily life, energies sometimes start to flow in a “homolateral” pattern, that is, same side, same side.  

When the energies do not cross over properly, you lose some of your vitality as well as your ability to heal or prevent illness. The simplest technique Donna has for keeping the body’s energies crossing over is called the “crossover shoulder pull”.

INSTRUCTIONS: Place one hand on its opposite shoulder. Dig your fingers into the back of the shoulder, drag it over the top, and pull firmly down and across your body diagonally to your opposite hip – when you get to your chest just smooth your hand over to the opposite hip. Do this about 5 times and then repeat on the other side. Breathe deep as you do it.

The Four Thumps

 

“Energy hot spots” can be found on your skin all over your body. Simply massaging or tapping on these points stimulates, balances, or unblocks specific energy pathways or centers. Here are the four that are part of the Daily Energy Routine.

 

The Grounding Thump

BACKGROUND: Your Stomach meridian begins at the top of your cheekbone and goes straight down your body and into the ground. Stomach meridian is one of the 14 energy pathways, and it is named as such since it flows through the stomach. Stomach meridian is very different from stomach the organ.

If the Stomach meridian is not flowing properly, your energy doesn’t get down to your feet and into the ground. When that happens, you literally feel ungrounded. You also can’t think as clearly or operate as well.

INSTRUCTIONS: To get the Stomach meridian’s energy flowing, simply tap your cheekbones under each eye vigorously with 2 or 3 fingers. Tap firmly, but never so hard as to hurt yourself.

The K27 Thump

BACKGROUND: The 27th and last acupuncture point on the Kidney meridian is called K27. It is a juncture point that ensures that all the body’s 14 major meridians are flowing in the proper direction, a pattern that can, again, become disturbed with our daily activities and stresses. Stimulating the paired (left and right) K27 points reestablishes a better flow throughout the entire meridian system.

You might want to experiment with tapping your K27 points in particular when you:

• Feel drowsy and lack energy
  
• Have trouble concentrating or staying focused
  
• Tire easily as you move through your day
• Forget what you just read

Stimulating the K27 points also bolsters the immune system.

INSTRUCTIONS: To locate your K27 points, place your fingers on your collarbone and move them toward the center until you come to the corners of the collarbone just below the throat. Move your fingers down about an inch. For most people there is an indent there. This is the location of the paired K27 points. To stimulate the right and left K27 points, tap them with some force, but never tap so hard as to risk bruising.

The Thymus/Tarzan Thump

BACKGROUND: Your thymus gland supports your immune system. It makes T-cells and helps your body fight disease. The Thymus Thump enhances immune function, supports your body as it “metabolizes” threats to your health, and helps your body handle stress and shock.

You might want to experiment with the Thymus Thump in particular when you:

• Want to give your immune system a boost, for whatever reasons
  
• Feel tired and want to restore your strength and vitality
  
• Want to relieve stress
  
• Have just received shocking news

INSTRUCTIONS: To do the Thymus Thump, simply thump on the center of your chest (on your sternum in the area over your thymus) with your fingers or knuckles. Tap vigorously for fifteen to twenty seconds.

The Spleen Thump

BACKGROUND: Your Spleen meridian governs metabolism and blood flow, and it also supports immune functioning. It supports the body’s ability to metabolize energies, substances, and even thoughts.

You might want to experiment with the Spleen Thump in particular when you:

• Suffer from a blood chemistry imbalance (e.g., hypoglycemia or diabetes)
• Suffer from an autoimmune disease
• Need to metabolize toxins
• Need an energy lift
• Suffer from chronic fatigue
• Feel faint

INSTRUCTIONS: The last acupuncture points on Spleen meridian are located on the side of the ribcage at the base of the ribs. To do the Spleen Thump, tap these points vigorously for about fifteen seconds.

The Hook Up

 

BACKGROUND: The “hook up” is a deceptively simple yet deeply important energy intervention. It involves creating a connection between the Central and Governing meridians. Central meridian travels from your pubic bone, up the center of your body, and ends deep in your throat at the level of your bottom lip. Governing meridian travels from your tailbone up your spine, and over your head, ending at the back of your throat in line with your top lip.  

These two energy streams act as an “energetic spine”, connecting mind and body, maintaining the body’s deep habits. The “hook up” strengthens this “energetic spine” and creates a strong energy field around the body to help you feel whole and connected.

INSTRUCTIONS: Place the middle finger of one hand on the “third eye” (between the eyebrows above the bridge of the nose) and the middle finger of the other hand in the navel. Gently press each finger into the skin and pull it upwards. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds.

Energy medicine is at the cutting edge of scientific understanding of how to better support health and healing. Do the “crossover shoulder pull”, the “four thumps” and the “hook up” every day, and you would establish healthy energy habits in all of your body’s energy systems, and natural healing for whatever is troubling you.

P.S. I learnt this from Jean Houston’s Unlock Your Quantum Powers program. You can learn more about Jean’s work here.

That would be all from me today. If you have enjoyed or found this post to be useful please share it with others, and should you have any questions or comments in regards to this topic just let me know in the comment box below and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks so much for reading!

 

Hey everyone, Clark here from Self Help Books. Today I would like to discuss with you on the topic of “how to overcome lack of energy”. In this fast-paced modern world, life can sometimes take everything out of us, and we’re left feeling spent with nothing more to give. But the truth is, we have this ability to tap into a deep reservoir of energy that is provided by the Cosmos or Universe that will refresh and light us up again, no matter how drained we were before.

Once you understand this and make it a living principle in your life, you will find that you almost always have an excess of energy to draw upon.

I used to be what is termed “healthy”, but the reality is – I felt exhausted at the end of each work day, and I would get my fair share of the latest illnesses going around.

Imagine having optimal levels of energy throughout the day and no longer experiencing the diminishing returns that happen over time. That is really how life’s supposed to be. And just imagine what could be possible for you if you have this power at the ready in your daily life.

Belief, Joy and Laughter – That’s What You Need

 

I could tell you to exercise, drink plenty of water, go to bed early, and those may well be good practices that could energize you in the short-term. But they are all based on the belief that to stop feeling so tired all the time is something that is achieved from the OUTSIDE, thus they are not long-term solutions. The thing is, having an endless supply of energy ultimately begins from the INSIDE – in the mind.  

When you come home from a long day at school or work, and a family member asked you for help in washing the dishes or fixing something – how do you feel? You don’t feel like you have the energy. Then, say that you get a phone call from one of your friends suggesting that you guys watch a movie or play pool. Suddenly, you feel motivated and energized!

Having an endless supply of energy is more mental than physical.

One way to change your inner psyche is through the use of subliminals. They are auditory or visual affirmations presented below the normal limits of perception. Hence, it could be a sound that is inaudible to the conscious mind but audible to the subconscious, or an image transmitted briefly and unobserved by the conscious mind but “observed” subconsciously.

Subliminals have been researched for over 50 years and have been proven over many scientific studies. All you need to do is have a strong desire. If you really want to – lose weight, stop smoking, rocket your self-confidence, let go of fears and phobias, enjoy optimum levels of energy – then subliminal technology can assist you in getting there.

There are two subliminal tools that I use myself when I want to make some kind of change in my psyche or subconscious. One of them flashes thousands of subliminal affirmations on my PC screen while I use it. The other is a set of MP3 audios that I play in the background while I go about my daily activities, or even while I’m asleep. So if either of these sounds good to you, just click on the relevant link above to read my review.

 

Else, that would be all from me today. If you have enjoyed or found this post to be useful please share it with others, and should you have any questions or comments in regards to this topic just let me know in the comment box below and I WILL get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks so much for reading!

 

 

Hey everyone, Clark here from Self Help Books. Insomnia was something that I seriously struggled with for a couple of years, and if you’re reading this chances are you are suffering from insomnia on some level yourself. Here I would like to discuss some natural insomnia cures that work, and also my personal journey to be cured of insomnia. These days I could finally look forward to bedtime.

Prolonged Insomnia is Terrible. It Really is.

 

You are utterly exhausted but unable to sleep. You become frustrated (maybe even lose your temper), which made it even harder to fall asleep. Everyone may have trouble sleeping now and then, but what about most nights for weeks on end?

It may be caused by a major negative occurrence in your life. A stressful family conflict. Feeling guilty about something. A bad break-up. Whatever the reason, you can’t sleep, or at least not long enough to keep your body and mind functioning close to 100%.

The worst thing could be that people do not understand what it is like to feel tired and wish to sleep – but can’t. And then there are the effects of sleep deprivation during the day. It has detrimental effects on your mood and ability to focus. It slows down your ability to process information, solve problems, and kills your creativity. It increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes and obesity. It wreaks havoc on your immune system and for men, not sleeping enough reduces testosterone levels and sperm count. And I have mentioned this before in some of my previous posts – people who are drunk can outperform those lacking sleep!!! 

Being sleep-deprived also takes a heavy toll socially. You may feel worn out and too tired to do things like go out to dinner with friends, because you just can’t deal with socializing and putting out the extra effort. Also, you may argue or get irritated about very trivial issues.

My Personal Journey to be Free of Insomnia

 

I started experiencing insomnia about four years ago. It was on-and-off for three years. I tried everything really – establishing a consistent bedtime routine, reducing my intake of caffeine, avoiding short-wavelength blue light from laptops, tablets, mobile phones and televisions at night, and essential oils. I tried recommended foods and herbs, like warm milk and SOD Tea. I even tried Xanax and prescribed medication. None of them gave me permanent or long-lasting results.  

What finally cured me was meditation. About a year ago I stumbled upon an “audio meditation program” that claims to give you an hour’s advanced meditation benefits just by listening to an audio (in MP3 format) for 12 minutes. To be honest, I did not get started on meditation to cure my insomnia, but it did. And after a couple of months of using the audios, I suddenly realized that I no longer have trouble falling asleep, no matter how stressful my day was. If you’re interested, you can read my review of the Zen12 meditation audios.

Later on I discovered one other tool I wished I had known about when I was suffering from insomnia, for I believe that it would have been a GREAT complement to meditation. It is an audio recording that uses special sounds to influence your brainwave patterns. By exposing your brain to an audio recording containing a specific encrypted frequency, your brain will copy that frequency and bring about that state of mind. So for instance, expose your brain to a frequency of 3 Hz, and over time, you will be lulled into a deep and peaceful sleep. You can learn more about it right here.

 

Well, that is all from me today. If you find this useful please share it with others, and if you have any questions or comments on this topic just let me know in the comment box below and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!

 

Hey everyone, Clark here from Self Help Books. And today, I would like to discuss with you the mental and health benefits of meditation. I touched a little bit on that in How to Meditate for Beginners but I would like to expand on it here.

Let me begin by saying the benefits of meditation are astonishing. Over 3000 scientific studies have been performed at independent universities and research institutions since the 1970s, and they have found meditation to be a very powerful tool.

Experience Less Stress And Greater Relaxation

 

The most obvious benefit of meditation is the release of stress, anxiety and worry that it brings. Allowing a period of time to quieten the mind enables you to let go of those states of mind.

Meditation also lets you enter a DEEP state of relaxation in both mind and body. This could lead to a really GREAT night’s sleep and you waking up refreshed.

A regular meditator can expect the benefits of meditation to continue for many hours following the session. The calm and focused state of mind achieved during meditation will often last for the remainder of the day.

Serotonin, the “happiness hormone”, levels increase during meditation. This helps to elevate mood levels INSTANTLY. And, well, isn’t happiness ultimately the reason we want health and success and wealth?

One of the REAL Keys to Personal Growth

 

Meditation quiets the mind, thereby allowing us to gain control over our thoughts. Any negative conditions in your life are the result of past negative thoughts, so this is one of the most important benefits of meditation. Most self-help practitioners practice DAILY meditation. It is the best way to gain control over our thoughts.

Lots of self-help books tell you to visualize your desire in DETAIL in order to manifest it into reality. The problem is when you close your eyes to visualize you may find your mind wandering everywhere, as what happened to me! Meditation is a great way to clear the mind and sharpen your concentration, perhaps even to the point where you are able to manifest your desires VERY quickly!!!

Increased Brain Power and Better Health

 

Few people are aware that an experienced meditator could access deeper states of mind, and unlock dozens of BRAIN POWER and HEALTH benefits.

Faster learning, better memory, creative problem-solving, heightened imagination, intuitive insight, greater energy levels and improved physical health. These are some advanced meditation gains.

You would also feel a sense of inner peace within yourself, and be a master of your emotions.

So what are you waiting for? Start meditating TODAY, and set yourself up for a day of enhanced focus, heightened creativity and greater happiness!

If you are really interested in meditation, then I have a few techniques for you: Some techniques are DIY and free. The last technique isn’t free, but it lets you ‘cheat’ at meditation.

  

That is all from me today. Please share if you find this useful, and if you have any questions or comments on this topic please let me know in the comment box below and I WILL get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you for reading!

 

 

Hey everyone, today I want to introduce you to the ‘free’ brainwave entrainment downloads from Brain Hacker. They are audio recordings that use SPECIAL sounds to sync your brainwaves to particular frequencies. Keep reading and I will get to the part on how you can get them all for ‘free’.

Your brain is like a tuning fork. If you tap a tuning fork and hold it next to another, the second fork will start vibrating at the same frequency as the first. Your brain works in exactly the same way. By exposing it to an audio recording containing a specific encrypted frequency, the brain copies that frequency, and brings about that state of mind. Expose the brain to a frequency of 3 Hz, for instance, and over time, you will be lulled into a deep and peaceful sleep.

Important Note: These audios employ brainwave entrainment technology. DO NOT listen to them while driving or operating dangerous machinery, as it may induce a very relaxed state that may endanger you in situations that require your direct attention. Do not listen if you are:

1) Driving a car or operating dangerous machinery

2) Epileptic, have a serious mental disorder, or have brain injuries. Although rare, there is a small risk of seizure associated with individuals who are epileptic

3) Photosensitive

4) Under the influence of medication or drugs

5) Wearing a pacemaker

6) Pregnant

7) Under 18 years of age

My personal favorites are the Healing Relaxation, Deep Sleep and Deep Meditation sessions. The Healing Relaxation session, for instance, gently sync your brainwaves to 7 Hz, making it possible to restore your body’s equilibrium quickly and naturally without the need for drugs or stimulants. These audios are said to be completely safe, non-invasive and non-addictive. After using them for months and feeling the benefits and no side effects, I agree with that statement.

Other interesting titles include Big Night Out, Goodnight Insomnia, IQ Booster, 15-minute Recharge, Creativity + Brainstorming, and many more. If you currently have trouble sleeping, I would strongly recommend you to get the Goodnight Insomnia, Healing Relaxation, and Deep Sleep session. Trust me, they really do work.

 

It Comes Free If You Purchase Subliminal360

 

Now, how do we get them for free? There are a few ways you can obtain these audios. Option 1 is of course to head off to their website at http://www.brainhacker.net. The price of an audio recording is $13.48. You may apply for a 30-day free trial but predictably you would need to enter a card and they will start charging you after the free trial is over.

If you ARE interested in some (or all!) of the Brain Hacker audios, then my recommended course of action is to get them free by purchasing the Subliminal360 software. You’ll be getting 2 wonderful products for the price of one.

The Subliminal360 program subtly flashes thousands of positive affirmations (per hour) on your PC/laptop/notebook screen while you use it. You just need to decide what goals you want to achieve, then select the affirmations (from 350 sets of affirmations) you want flashed and let this application reprogram your subconscious – while you play games, check your email or surf the web. Purchase this and you’ll also get the ENTIRE library of brainwave entrainment sessions from Brain Hacker.

Read my review of Subliminal360.

 

And that is all from me today. Please share if you find this useful, and if you have any questions or comments in regards to this topic please let me know in the comment box below and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!

 

 

Good morning everyone, today I want to share with you a few tips on how to lose weight naturally and quickly. By naturally I mean losing weight through subliminals, exercising or healthy eating, WITHOUT pills or surgery. Those are potentially dangerous things that can backfire and cause serious, maybe even life-threatening, health problems and in my opinion you should avoid them at all cost.

First of All, Should You Be Losing Weight?

 

If you’re ALREADY at your ideal body weight, then I suggest that you do not go on trying to lose more weight. Nowadays there are so much emphasis on looking thin, for girls especially. Honestly though, I think this is a serious DISEASE that is making its rounds on the planet. I mean, who do you think is more attractive?

But on the positive side, curves are starting to be back in fashion🙂. 

Some health professionals believe that Body Mass Index (BMI) is the best measure of your ideal body weight. Your BMI is your weight in relation to your height – your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters, or your weight in pounds times 703 divided by the square of your height in inches.

Most health authorities around the world agree that a BMI of 18.5 to 25 is ideal. People with a BMI less than that are considered underweight. Somebody with a BMI between 25 and 30 is classed as overweight, while someone with a BMI of over 30 is obese.

It is said that your ideal body weight could also be measured by your Waist-Hip Ratio, Waist-Height Ratio and Body Fat Percentage. To learn more about them, go to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/obesity/how-much-should-i-weigh.php (copy and paste this link into your browser). Some health professionals say that BMI is faulty as it does not account for muscle mass and that waist-hip ratio is better.

If You Insist Though, Here Are Some Pointers

 

Cinnamon tea, green tea with ginger, low-fat yogurt, apples, asparagus, dark CHOCOLATE. These are just some of the foods that are said to aid weight loss. Other recommendations include staying hydrated, exercising and getting enough sleep.

OR You Could Try Subliminals

 

Special diets, exercise routines, weight loss pills, risky surgery. They are all based on the belief that weight loss is something that has to be accomplished from the OUTSIDE. But the thing is, weight loss ultimately begins in the brain or mind. 

Subliminals are affirmations (either auditory or visual) presented below the normal limits of perception. Thus, it might be a sound that is inaudible to the conscious mind but audible to the subconscious mind, or an image transmitted briefly and unobserved by the conscious mind but “observed” by the subconscious.

Subliminals have been researched for more than 50 years, and have been proven over MANY scientific studies. They can help you lose weight, stop smoking, release fears and phobias, rocket your self-confidence, attract good luck, think like a millionaire, etc.

There are even rumors about how companies and advertisers use subliminals to persuade customers to act in certain ways. The truth is, subliminal messages will not make you do or feel anything that you DO NOT want to do or feel.

There are two subliminal instruments that I use when I want to change a particular area of my life. One of them works by flashing thousands of positive affirmations on the screen while I use my laptop, while the other is a set of MP3 audios that I play in the background while I go about my daily activities, or while I’m sleeping. So if this sounds like something that you would be interested in, then click on the two links above to learn more.

 

That is all from me today. Please share if you find this useful, and if you have any questions or comments regarding this subject matter please let me know in the comment box below and I WILL get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!

 

A few weeks back I wrote about the Career and Health Risks of Sleep Deprivation, in which I mentioned that people who are drunk can actually OUTPERFORM those lacking sleep! Since sleep is very important for our health and career, today I would like to write a follow-up to that post – on how to get better quality sleep.

It is not just how much you sleep

 

Don’t get me wrong, it is (very) important to get a sufficient amount of sleep each night. Being sleep-deprived slows down your ability to process information and solve problems, and kills your creativity. You have difficulty controlling your emotions, you get irritated easily, and you would have a hard time paying attention. On the other hand, when you get enough sleep it helps your brain learn new things and develop new habits.

Sleep experts, though, know it is not just how much you sleep that matters, but also how well you sleep. The following identifies some of the killers of quality sleep and the strategies to clean up your sleep hygiene.

1) Keep away from sleeping pills and alcohol. Sleeping pills have their place for short-term relief of serious, persistent insomnia, but they (along with alcohol) greatly disrupt your brain’s natural sleep process, and anything that interferes with the brain’s natural sleep process has dire consequences for the quality of your sleep.

2) No caffeine after lunch. Caffeine takes a full 24 hours to work its way out of your system. Any caffeine in your bloodstream reduces REM sleep, which is the deep sleep stage when your body recuperates most.

3) Take naps. A short nap in the afternoon can give you the rest you need to get through the rest of the day, and you will sleep much better at night than if you take caffeine.

4) Avoid short-wavelength blue light at night. Laptops, tablets, mobile phones and televisions emit short-wavelength blue light, which impairs melatonin (the sleep-inducing hormone) production and hence your ability to fall asleep. It also interferes with the quality of your sleep once you do. If you MUST use one of these devices at night, you can limit your exposure with a filter or protective eye wear. Television is okay if you sit far enough from the set.

5) Stop working at least an hour before bedtime. Working in the evening puts you in an alert, stimulated state when you should be winding down and relaxing in preparation for sleep. Working on your laptop also exposes you to short-wavelength blue light (See no. 4).

6) Learn to meditate. Meditation has been proven to help us release stress, anxiety and worry, and achieve a state of deep relaxation in both mind and body, leading to a great night’s sleep or a day of enhanced energy levels, focus and creativity, or both. I’ve written a short piece on meditating here.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this post (share with your family and friends if you do!), and as always please do not hesitate to share with me any questions or comments that you may have regarding this topic below, and I’ll be more than happy to get back to you. See you around!

 

“The only thing worth catching up on at night is your sleep.”

– Travis Bradberry

 

 

A couple of days ago I stumbled upon an article about the productivity and health risks of sleep deprivation (something I’m guilty of myself, for quite some time already), and today I just want to share what I’ve learned in that article with you.

The (Very) Real Dangers of Sleep Deprivation

 

A study from the University of Rochester found that only when you’re asleep, your brain can adequately remove toxic proteins from its neurons that are the by-products of neural activities when you’re awake.

So when you don’t get enough sleep, the toxic proteins remain in your brain cells. Any short-term productivity gains from skipping sleep to work are canceled out, and then some, by the detrimental effects on your mood, ability to focus and access to higher-level brain functions. It slows down your ability to process information and solve problems, and kills your creativity. It also impairs your ability to control your emotions and remain calm under pressure.

The negative effects of sleep deprivation are so great that people who are DRUNK outperform those lacking sleep!!

Being sleep-deprived is also linked to a number of serious HEALTH problems such as heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes and obesity. The body produces excess cortisol – the stress hormone – when it’s sleep-deprived. Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream have been shown to cause higher blood pressure, decrease in muscle tissue, decreased bone density and blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia. It also wreaks havoc on your immune system and makes you look older, because it breaks down skin collagen – the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic.

Not sleeping enough also makes you overweight. When you sleep less you have more difficulty burning the calories you consume. Sleep deprivation also makes you hungrier by increasing the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin and makes it harder for you to get full by reducing the levels of the satiety-inducing hormone leptin. For men, not sleeping enough reduces testosterone levels and sperm count.

How Many Hours Should You Sleep?

 

As a rule of thumb, you would need SEVEN to NINE hours of sleep a night to feel sufficiently rested. Few people are at their best with less than seven hours of sleep, and few require more than nine without an underlying health condition. Age is also a factor, with children generally needing more sleep than adults. Of course it also depends on how you feel with a certain amount of sleep.

Read my follow-up piece: How to get Better Quality Sleep