Google Earth Reveals Ancient 1,000 Years Old Fish Trap

For a millennium it has lain undisturbed beneath the waves a stone's throw from one of Britain's best-loved beaches.But now modern technology has revealed this ancient fish trap, used at the time of the Norman Conquest.

In Photo : The giant fish trap, built during the Norman Conquest and designed to trap fish behind rock walls, was spotted on Google Earth.

Stretching more than 280 yards along the sea bed, the V-shaped structure was used to catch fish without the need for a boat or rod. Scientists believe it is one of the biggest of its kind.

The trap close to Poppit Sands on the Teifi Estuary in Dyfed was discovered by archaeologists studying aerial photographs of the West Wales coast.

In Photo : This image shows the coastline curving round with the trap visible out at sea. It is in water just 12ft deep, and the wall is around three feet wide.
It was designed to act like a rock pool, trapping fish behind its stone walls as the tide flowed out.
At its point is a gap where fisherman would have placed nets to catch fish. They could also have blocked up the gap, and then scooped up fish trapped in the shallows.Now, however, it is submerged even at low tide and fish are no longer trapped as the water recedes. Researchers believe it has sunk into the sand over the centuries.

Dr Ziggy Otto, a diver and lecturer in the coastal environment at Pembrokeshire College, believes the trap is around 1,000 years old.'It is an amazing structure,' he said. 'It looks well defined on the photographs, but when you are in the water it looks just like a natural reef.'

In Photo : The trap, made of stones, is located on the Teifi Estuary in Dyfed, Wales.Although it was only recently spotted on aerial photographs, an armchair archaeologist could have discovered the trap on Google Earth.Google said the V-shaped structure has been visible on its collection of satellite and aerial photos since at least December 2006.

Fish traps, or fish weirs, were common and controversial in Britain 1,000 years ago.They were so effective at removing fish from rivers that they were banned in the Magna Carta, and were allowed only on the coast.

Terrorism' The Existence Of Dark World In Humanity !!

"No turning of the seasons can diminish the pain and the loss of that day," This was uttered by Mr Obama at a memorial to victims who perished when a hijacked airliner crashed into the Pentagon military headquarters eight years ago.

Well, this is (9/11) really a black day for America or it is better to say that a BLACK day for humanity, mankind.We can forfeit the material loss of that day but we can't forfeit..the loss of those people who lost their life in that incident.And the the loss of their family...!

"No passage of time, no dark skies can ever dull the meaning of this moment." - Mr. Barack Obama;
Terrorism has no face or any identity on which we find them and destroy them for the Global peace..It has several name in several country but they has only one identity to recognize themselves, that is- TERRORISM...

We can easily kill a terrorist, if we try to do so but it is impossible for us to finish the terrorism ...why? That is the million dollar question which still needs to be answered !!

We haven't forgotten any thing, but It seems that World has forgotten many things which still leave a impact in the pages of History...

Still History can remember the horrible day of Hiroshima (6 th August) and Nagasaki (9 th August)
A victim of the attack on Hiroshima with an Atomic Bomb...Does any one tell me the reason of his death ? What we call this..War or Terrorism ??

It is a great view of Hiroshima's 'Ground Zero'. It is also a nude image of terrorism..!

I don't say that this is a beginning, but it certainly has some role to evokes the fire of terrorism. I don't know whether you agree with me or not..! But it is true my friends.

Now the whole World is shivering in the pandemic wave of terrorism...

..people have to pay a big price for it !

We can remember them, we can convey our heartiest feeling for them..but we can't do anything better than that..
Man and mankind has to think again in this issue..from where the problem arise and the exact reason behind that. By this process we can actually solve the problem of terrorism..!
This is very symbolic but still there are some patches on the white pigeon..Lot more ways to come and lot more ways...Still to go ! Are we ready for that ?

6 Reasons to Slow Down while Eating

1. Portion control & Overeating prevention. When you eat slowly it is definitely hard to overeat. Slow eating little by little decreases the desire to eat, so you can stop eating before your plate is empty. It is suggested that it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to produce the hormones telling your brain that you are full.


2. Weight control benefits. Slowly eating habit reduces the risk of becoming overweight. Recently Japanese researches found strong positive correlation between higher eating speed and obesity.


3. It can't hurt you. Slow eating doesn't have any negative effects on your health, but can bring you a number of benefits without extra costs.


4. Taste and enjoy your food. When you eat slowly, you end up tasting your food more. You will experience more of the flavors, textures and smells of the food you eat. At the same time this may become a small step to a more healthy diet. If you won't like what you eat when you eat it slowly, probably the next time you will choose something of a better quality.


5. Digestion. Eating slowly and chewing properly improves your digestion. It is well known that digestion begins in the mouth. The more we chew our foods, the easier it is to digest them.


6. Heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux). Eating food quickly may cause a type of indigestion called gastroesophageal reflux.

And a tip for those who have difficulty maintaining slow eating pace. Take a forced pause shortly before your plate is empty. Switch over from your meal to some other activity for a short time (10-15min), e.g. make a phone call, or look through a newspaper. When you return to your dish, probably you won't continue eating or at least the chances you will empty the plate are very small.

10 Smartest Ways to Live Beneath Your Means

1. Whenever possible, buy store brands. Nearly half the cost for name brands goes to advertising. Usually their quality isn't any better than store brands, which frequently carry a money back guarantee. This is true not only with food, but also cleaning supplies and paper products. Even if the savings are small on an individual item, using this strategy every time you shop makes a big difference. Remember, this is a long-term plan.
   


2. Avoid prepared foods.We're all pressed for time, but buying prepared foods can be expensive. You pay extra for the convenience and get a meal full of chemicals and preservatives too. Instead, put your main course in a Crock Pot before you leave for work, or put frozen meat in the refrigerator to thaw before you go to bed. Once you learn to plan ahead, you'll be surprised how much you'll save.
   


3. Shop at "you-bag-it" supermarkets. Stores like Aldi and Save-a-Lot can cut your grocery bill substantially. When you're not subsidizing a store's deli section, flower shop, or bakery, you'll find the rest of the food cheaper. No-frills supermarkets cut overhead by having fewer employees, smaller buildings to heat and cool, and primarily store brands. You'll quickly notice the savings.
   


4. Brown bag your lunch.Brown bagging has three benefits: You'll avoid greasy, high-calorie fast food; you'll save money; and you'll be more satisfied on your job, since lunch with coworkers often turns into gripe sessions.
   


5. Don't buy clothes or shoes with designer labels. Who do you want to make rich, some fashion designer, or you? That trendy label will cost you at least 50% extra. Instead of impressing your friends, impress yourself by adding that savings to your bank account.
   


6. Use coupons, but be smart about it. When a name brand product still costs more than a store brand, even after the deduction for a coupon, it's no bargain. Most coupons are for new products companies want you to try, so be selective. You can get coupons online at sites like Coupons.com or Couponcabin.com, or search under "coupons."
   


7. Buy used books instead of new.
8. Keep your car as long as you can. A shiny new car may impress your family and friends, but it simply costs too much. Today's cars, with electronic ignition, fuel injectors and superb rust protection, can last well past 150,000 miles if taken care of.
   


9. Severely restrict your credit card spending. Credit cards make money unreal. They take the thought process and discipline out of your buying. Before you know it, you're deep in debt and getting further behind because you can't make even the minimum monthly payment. When you pay in cash and watch those bills disappear from your wallet, you become much more careful. You relearn the value of money. You question every purchase, and that's when you become smart.
   


10. Reward yourself for your efforts. Your goal is to be frugal, not a miser. Small rewards--within your budget--are a wise way to keep fun in your life. Living beneath your means takes self-control, but the emotional and financial benefits are tremendous. An occasional treat energizes you to keep up the good work.
    

Much of living beneath your means requires seeing through the false promises of prestige and fulfillment found in advertising. You're too smart to fall for that. And, it takes discipline to resist peer pressure, but whenever you're doing something worthwhile, you have to stand up for your convictions. Living beneath your means is a proven way to avoid debt and the stress that goes with it.

High-Calorie Beverages

Burger King Chocolate Ice Cream Shake
950 calories, 29 grams fat (19 saturated), 640 milligrams sodium, 146 grams sugar

Hmmm … a milkshake, or an entire meal? You could have a burger (290 calories), small fries (230 calories), and a small soda (140 calories) for fewer calories (660) than this drink. I’d rather chew.

A better bet: Small chocolate milk.

Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino:
410 calories, 16 grams fat (10 saturated), 270 milligrams sodium, 54 grams sugar

Is it a coffee, or is it a milkshake? Although the CEO of Starbucks recently made the decision to stop selling sandwiches in their stores, I’m guessing they’ll keep selling these espresso-flavored milkshakes as long as we keep buying them. Darn, they’re good.

A better bet: Iced skim milk latte.

Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo’d Shake Original Size
840 calories, 21 grams fat ( 4.5 saturated), 122 grams sugar, 15 milligrams cholesterol

Jamba Juice’s logo contains a lot of colorful fruit, but there’s little of it in this shake. Instead, it has frozen yogurt, chocolate moo’d base (what is that?), soy milk, bananas, and peanut butter. With 122 grams of sugar (very few of them from the banana), it’s the equivalent of drinking five Cokes (a can has about 40 grams of sugar). Even their less obviously bad Strawberries Wild has 83 grams of sugar.

A better bet: 16-ounce Bright Eyed and Blueberry shake; it has 220 calories, and 38 grams sugar

Orange Julius’ Strawberry Banana Shake (32-ounce)
600 calories, 14 grams fat (11 saturated), 87 grams sugar, 130 milligrams sodium

It must be a first: a shake made with lowfat frozen yogurt, bananas, and strawberries that contains 11 grams of saturated fat. Truly amazing. I’d rather eat a Snicker’s bar, which has half the calories (280), less saturated fat (5 grams), and less sugar (30 grams).

A better bet: A 20-ounce Orange Julius has only 160 calories and 5 grams fat, none of them saturated

7-Eleven Double Gulp Soda
600 calories

I drank sixty-four ounces of soda on a cross-country road trip once, and it was a bad scene. My stomach didn’t feel quite right for at least a day, and my friend, who also imbibed, was so hopped up on caffeine she started giving lip to the Texas highway patrol who pulled her over for doing ninety in a fifty zone. I think there’s still a warrant out for her arrest.

Soda isn’t that bad every once in a while; unfortunately, it’s hard to find anything smaller than a 16-ouncer and really easy to get things much larger. Cans of soda seem to be obsolete. The Food and Drug Administration’s official serving size is 8 ounces (100 calories), not eight times that amount. Bigger isn’t better.

A better bet: Can of soda (150 calories) or a diet soda.

Bottled Juice
300–400 calories for 20 ounces

True, juice isn’t inherently bad for you, and can sometimes provide vitamins and nutrients. However, you’d be much better off eating the fruit from which it came rather than drinking mostly empty calories. Many store-bought juices have added sugars, and most come in a 2.5 serving or larger container, making that breakfast accompaniment as many calories as the meal itself.

A better bet: Stick to 8-ounce containers or kid’s containers; look for 100 percent juices; juice your own.

Pina Colada:

644 calories (approximately)

If you really like Pina Coladas, you may not only get caught in the rain, but in the fat farm. At around seven hundred calories, this drink, made with rum, coconut milk, and pineapples has more calories than a Big Mac. Other calorically heavy-hitting cocktails are Long Island Iced Teas, Margaritas, and White Russians. Damn, I love those.

A better bet: Vodka and soda with lime; glass of red wine; a beer

7 Simple Ways To Burst Out of Bed Each Morning

Way before the sun peeks over the horizon, a few chosen people awaken from their slumber and dive head first into their day. These chosen few accomplish a ton before the rest of us would ever consider rising from our nice warm beds.

Who are these juggernauts that have command over the morning hours?

In theory, your productivity level shouldn't differ if you rise at 4am or 11am. What matters is the quality of sleep that's giving your mind and body sufficient time to recover.

These early rising juggernauts, these unstoppable agents of productivity, they see things differently. They see these early hours as their chance to lay claim to their share of the day. They rise with purpose, act with determination, and achieve ruthlessly.

The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years. - Thomas Jefferson

The world is in awe of these special people, so let's take a look at what pops them out of bed like a toaster strudel and what gets them up, sometimes before the alarm!

1. Appointment With Waking: The harsh truth about the human body is that we're creatures of habit. In some ways this can be extremely inconvenient when trying to take on new things. However, if we allow ourselves to live within the rules of our body's natural cycle, which is a 24-hour circadian rhythm, we will be pleased with the body's functionality.
   
   This means that when you find a waking hour that will work best for you each day of the week, you should stick to it. This will allow your body to want to support you in your endeavor of waking up, and rise you out of bed feeling fresh as a daisy.
   


2. The King and The Pauper Way Of Eating: The way our bodies function optimally is if we eat like a king in the morning and a pauper in the evening. This means that it's best to eat heavier, bigger portions in the morning because these meals will give us high energy throughout the day and then burn off.
   
   Eating like a pauper, meaning small light meals, in the evening allows us to go to sleep on an empty stomach. If your body is functioning normally, and you don't have stomach ulcers, going to sleep on a mostly empty stomach will allow you to sleep better. This nightly fast allows your body to take it's focus away from digestion and put it towards repair and rejuvenation of the body's cells.
   


3. Living With Purpose: Young children will do anything to avoid going to sleep at night. These same children are also the ones that can't wait to get out of bed first thing in the world. The simple reason for this non-lazy behavior is that they don't want to miss a thing.
   
   As adults we may need more persuasion than 'not wanting to miss a thing'. This is why we take extra steps in creating fun, life changing goals, and scheduling specific ways of how we'll get a step closer to these goals during this coming day. What we all need is not necessary a cause we're willing to die for, but at least a cause we're willing to LIVE for.


4. Plan Your Day: We can say we're going to live with purpose, but unless we plan, we can tell ourselves that we'll start living with purpose next week, or the week after that. Planning is one of the fundamental ways to maximize your mind to achieve your goals, and as such it plays a critical role in allowing us to have an awesome day, everyday. We need not do more than take 15 minutes the night before to succinctly organize the next days schedule.
   
   A schedule complete with waking time, most important things of the day, eating and recreational allowances. Having a tight schedule allows me to live out my day with definitive purpose, while getting more done, having more fun, and not wasting precious moments of my life.
   
   

   “Happy people plan actions, they don't plan results” - Dennis Wholey
   

   
   
5. The Water Hack: A bit of water before bed and half a liter as soon as you get up. The water before bed will serve in the rejuvenation process we mentioned above. While you sleep all your cells will fill up with this fresh water and create an over all well being within your body.
   
   The water in the morning does two things. One is it provides your first dose of water to get your mind and body going. Another function, as told to me by my endocrinology teacher (a very qualified person to say this), is that a dose of water in the morning triggers a cascade of physiological functions that engages your digestive system and causes you to excrete feces. You'll feel nice and light first thing in the morning!


6. Work That Body: In number 1 above I mentioned that our bodies adapt around a 24-hour circadian rhythm. This works for sleep, eating, exercise, and many other bodily functions. We're a pretty efficient physiological machine when you think about it. This is why getting a dose of exercise is optimal in the morning. It gets the blood flowing and stimulates you to function on a higher level.
   
   

   "Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness." - Edward Stanley

   
   Once you're used to this routine, your body will prepare by providing you with high energy before you start to work out. As you can see, if you wake up with this high energy, you're going to just pop out of bed.
   


7. Have 'Me' Time: No morning is completely satisfying unless you've scheduled in some 'Me' time. Whether you enjoy meditating to clear you mind and give you laser sharp focus, or reading to gain some new knowledge about the world, make sure you schedule in this time.
   
   There may very a variety of things you enjoy doing, so this will be custom tailored to the individual. The point is that when you have something you REALLY enjoy doing right when you get up, you won't be able to wait until that alarm goes off till you jump out of bed and get to it!

20 Qualities for a Successful Life

1. Sincerity. Be sincere in your actions. Don’t try to deceive or impress others. Be yourself, and do what you feel is right based on your values and beliefs. You will be surprised at how people accept you when you stop trying to be someone you aren’t.


2. Unfeigned. Be genuine in what you do; your actions speak louder than your words. Don’t falsify or embellish events that may have happened. Don’t say one thing and do the other.


3. Wholehearted. Be enthusiastic about what you do. Show it. Be committed to life and everything that you set out to accomplish in life. Devote yourself to your family, friends, and community and commit yourself to being the best father, husband, wife, mother, friend, and neighbor you can be.


4. Honest. Be honest in your dealings with yourself and with others. When others interact with you, let them see someone who is reputable, respectable and genuine. Do what you say you will do and never use fraud or deception to get ahead in life. Let ethics, morals, and honor be your compass.


5. Heartfelt. When you do something for someone, or they do something for you, let your thanks and emotion be openly and outwardly expressed towards them.


6. Hearty. Be someone who displays an honest, warm, and exuberant personality to those around them. Let your feelings show and let them be genuine when they do.


7. Humility. Don’t lead a life thinking you are better than others or are superior to those around you. Modesty and humbleness will leave a far more ever lasting impact on people than trying to show off.


8. Personal integrity. Always follow your heartfelt values, and never let a situation or anyone steer you away from doing what you know is right. Be someone that people can look up to and respect and not someone who trades his or her moral values for material gains in life.


9. Incorruptibility. Let it be known that you stand firm for what you believe in and that your morals, values and actions are not for sale. Don’t let outside forces corrupt the person you are.


10. Sound. Show good judgment and sense in life. Don’t let prejudices or emotions cloud your judgment.


11. Whole. Be focused on what you want to achieve in life. Give everyone you interact with your complete and undivided attention.


12. Courtesy. Practice good manners even though others around you may not.


13. Civility. Graciousness and respect go a long way in life. What is more, they are viral – when people see you doing it they are more apt to practice civility themselves. Be kind to others and extend courtesy towards them. Don’t interrupt people when they speak and don’t dominate the conversation.


14. Wisdom. Gain from the wisdom that is inside you. Understand the inner qualities of people and learn how to understand situations that might be different than we are used to.


15. Charity. Practice kind, gentle, and compassionate treatment of others – especially those who may be undeserving. Learn to extend a hand to help others, even though they themselves may not have helped you.


16. Empathy. Be aware that each person is different and may have different values and beliefs than those that you hold. Be understanding of the feelings and thoughts of others without having to be told or reminded of them.


17. Sympathy. Share your feelings with others and understand the emotional situations that people go through. Put yourself in their shoes.


18. Compassion. When someone is in distress, reach out with a genuine interest in helping alleviate their suffering.


19. Altruism. Think of others without thinking of yourself. Do good things for people without expecting something in return for yourself.


20. Magnanimous. Be generous in life. Give of your time, money and wisdom. Share with others so they can see the true joy and adventures of life themselves.

Spiritual Giant’s 10 Fundamentals for Changing the World

Mahatma Gandhi needs no introduction. Everyone knows about the man and his legacy. Here is some advice he gave worth noting:

1. Change yourself

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

If you change yourself you will change your world. If you change how you think, then you will change how you feel and what actions you take. And so the world around you will change.

2. You are in control

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

What you feel and how you react to something is always up to you. You can choose your own thoughts, reactions and emotions.

3. Forgive and let it go

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

Fighting evil with evil won’t help anyone. Forgiving and letting go of the past will do you and the people in your world a great service.

4. Without action you aren’t going anywhere

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

Without taking action very little will be done. However, taking action can be hard. And so you may resort to preaching, or reading and studying endlessly. But you have to take action and translate that knowledge into results and understanding.

5. Take care of this moment

“I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”

Stay in the present as much as possible, and be accepting. When you are in the present moment you don’t worry about the next moment. And the resistance to action comes from imagining negative future consequences or reflecting on past failures.

6. Everyone is human

“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

When you start to make myths out of people, you run the risk of becoming disconnected from them. Keep in mind that everyone is just a human being no matter who they are.

7. Persist

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Be persistent. In time the opposition around you will fade and fall away.

8. See the good in people and help them

“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”

If you want improvement then focusing on the good in people is a useful choice. It also makes life easier for you as your world and relationships become more pleasant and positive.

9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self

“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

When words and thoughts are aligned then that shows through in your communication. People tend to really listen to what you’re saying. You are communicating without incongruence, mixed messages or phoniness.

10. Continue to grow and evolve

”Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”

You can pretty much always improve your skills and habits, or re-evaluate your evaluations. You can gain deeper understanding of yourself and the world.

Top 20 Ways to Overcome Shyness

Can you remember the last time you stepped into a room full of strangers and felt that self-conscious and awkward feeling rush over you? Or that heart thumping moment when you wanted to ask someone on a date, but were too shy to do so? Or wanting to approach someone for business, but was too hesitant to actually do it? That anxiety in the pit of your stomach in social situations? Does it always feel like something is holding you back?

Regardless of whether you are introverted or extraverted, we can all relate to that feeling of shyness at some point in our lives. Socially, we tend to have the misconception that only introverts experience shyness, but that is not true. Shyness has more to do with being uncomfortable with one’s self, especially around other people.

The Three Components of Shyness

• Excessive Self-Consciousness – you are overly aware of yourself, particularly in social situations.
• Excessive Negative Self-Evaluation – you tend to see yourself negatively.
• Excessive Negative Self-Preoccupation – you tend to pay too much attention to all the things you are doing wrong when you are around other people.

How to Overcome Shyness

1. Understand Your Shyness

Seek to understand your unique brand of shyness and how that manifests in your life. Understand what situation triggers this feeling? And what are you concerned with at that point?

2. Turning Self Consciousness into Self Awareness

Recognize that the world is not looking at you. Besides, most people are too busy looking at themselves. Instead of watching yourself as if you are other people, bring your awareness inwards. Armed with your understanding of what makes you shy, seek within yourself and become the observing presence of your thoughts. Self awareness is the first step towards any change or life improvement.

3. Find Your Strengths

We all have unique qualities and different ways of expressing ourselves. It’s important to know and fully accept the things we do well, even if they differ from the norm. If everyone was the same, the world would be a pretty boring place.

• Find something you are good at and focus on doing it. An identifiable strength will boost your natural self esteem and your ego, helping you better identify with yourself. It is a short term fix, but will give you the confidence you need to break your self-imposed barrier of fear.
• See how your unique strength gives you an advantage.

4. Learn to Like Yourself

Practice appreciating yourself and liking the unique expression that is you.

5. Not Conforming

Trying to fit in like everyone else is exhausting and not very much fun. Understand that it is okay to be different.

6. Focus on Other People

Rather than focusing on your awkwardness in social situations, focus on other people and what they have to say.

7. Releasing Anxiety through Breath

Anxiety and fear can feel overwhelming if you are practicing to become more assertive in order to overcome this fear.

• One simple technique to calm this anxiety into manageable bites is taking deep breaths with your eyes closed, while concentrating on just your breaths. Inhale and exhale slowly while clearing out all thoughts.

• Another technique is from yoga: counting as you inhale and then as you exhale. Slowly leveling out your inhale and exhale duration. Example, 4 count for in and 4 for out. Once your breaths are leveled, add an extra count during your exhale. This means slowing down your exhale by just a tad as compared to your inhale. Continue for a few minutes until you are comfortable, than add another count to your exhale. You can easily do this in the bathroom, or in a spare room of when you need it.

8. Releasing Anxiety through Movement

One way of viewing anxiety is that it is blocked energy that needs to be released. We can release this energy through physical movement.

• Exercises like jogging or walking will help to re-channel some of the blocked energies, but also helps by pulling you out of the situation and shifts your state of mind. This refreshed state of mind will help by adding perspectives to things.
• Another effective technique is a simple muscle meditation/exercise. Sit down or lie down. Bring awareness to every part of your body, starting from your toes and moving up your body to the top of your head. At every part of your body, tighten the muscles at the center of awareness for 3-5 seconds, and then relax. Repeat this until you get to the top of your head. Remember to breathe.

9. Visualization

Visualizing yourself in the situation as a confident and happy person helps to shape your perception of yourself when you are actually in the situation. Close your eyes, sit back somewhere relaxing, listen to some relaxing music, imagine yourself in a scene or situation and see yourself the way you would like to be. In this scene, how do you feel? What do you hear? Do you smell anything? Are you moving? What do you see? Get all your senses involved to make it real.

10. Affirmation

Words can carry incredible energy. What we repeatedly tell ourselves, gets heard by our unconscious mind, and it acts accordingly. If we repeatedly tell ourselves that we are incapable, and too shy to do anything, we will become increasingly aware of evidence to back up this ‘fact’, and our actions will always match what we tell ourselves. Similarly, if we repeatedly tell ourselves that we are capable, confident, and wonderful human beings, our unconscious mind will likely surface the awareness that gives evidence to this new ‘fact’. While, we can’t lie to ourselves, positive visualization and affirmation are helpful in placing us along the road of positive thought patterns.

11. Do Not Leave an Uncomfortable Situation

When we leave shy situations, what we are really doing is reinforcing our shyness. Instead, face the situation square in the face. Turn the fearful situation into a place of introspection and personal growth. Become the observer and dig into yourself, answer the questions: why do I feel this way? What caused me to feel this way? Can there be an alternative explanation to what is happening?

12. Accept Rejection

Accept the possibility that we can be rejected and learning to not take it personally. Remember, you are not alone and we all experience rejections. It is part of life and part of the learning process. The key lies in how you handle rejections when they come. It helps to be mentally prepared before they happen:

• Never take it personally. It was not your fault. It just wasn’t meant to be. The scenario was not the best fit for you.
• Find the lesson – what did you learn? There is a lesson ingrained in every situation. And through these life lessons lies the potential for you to become a better person, a stronger person. Nothing is lost if you can find the lesson. See these as the blessings in disguise.
• Move on. Recognize that when you fall into self-pity, you are not moving forward. Nothing will be changed from your self-pity. When you start to recognize this, it becomes clear that only energy is wasted while we feed to our problem-seeking ego. Pick yourself up, dust off the dirt and move on to the next thing. Try again, try again, try again. It will pay off!

13. Relinquish Perfectionism

When we compare ourselves, we tend to compare ourselves with the most popular person in the room or we compare ourselves with celebrities we see on TV. We set excessive expectations by comparing ourselves unreasonably to people unlike ourselves and wonder “why can’t I be that?” We carry with us a vision of another’s perfection and expect ourselves to fit that exact mold. And when we don’t fit, we beat ourselves up for it, wondering why we are such failures. You see, the problem lies in our emphasis on fitting into a vision we have created in our minds, which is not us. Let go of this perfect image, create visions of yourself out of the Being from who you are, naturally; and let that expression flow, naturally.

14. Stop Labeling Yourself

Stop labeling yourself as a shy person. You are you, you are unique, and you are beautiful. Can’t we just leave it at that?

15. Practice Social Skills

Like any other skill, social skills can be cultivated through practice and experience. The more you put yourself out there, the easier it becomes next time. If you have a hard time knowing what to say, you can practice what to say ahead of time.

16. Practice Being in Uncomfortable Situations

Sometimes, it is not the social skills we lack, but rather the lack of self confidence that we may succeed, and a heightened fear that we will fail. Placing yourself in these uncomfortable situations will help to desensitize your fear towards the situation. The more you force yourself to face it, and to experience it completely, you will realize that it is not that bad after all. It may be hard for your ego to accept at first, but quickly you will find that you can just laugh and enjoy it.

17. The Three Questions

During social settings where you may experience nervousness, periodically ask yourself the following three questions. Doing so will distract yourself from more self-destructive thoughts. Make it your mantra:

1. Am I breathing?
2. Am I relaxed?
3. Am I moving with grace?

18. What is Comfortable for You?

Going to bars and clubs isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. Understand what feels comfortable for you, and find people, communities and activities which bring out the best in you. You can be just as equally social in settings that you connect with on a personal level, than the popular social settings. You don’t have to be doing what “everyone” else is doing. Besides, everyone else isn’t necessarily happy, despite your perception as such.

19. Focus on the Moment

Becoming mindful of what you’re doing, regardless of what you’re doing, will take focus away from the self. When you are having a conversation, forget about how you look, focus on the words, fall into the words, become absorbed in the words. The tones. The expression. Appreciate it and give gratitude for it.

20. Seek and Record Your Successes

As you overcome this condition we’ve been labeling as shyness, you will have many wins and realizations about yourself. You will gain insights into the truth behind social scenarios. You will start to view yourself differently and come to recognize that you can become comfortable and confident. When these wins and realizations happen, make sure to keep a notebook and write them down. Keeping a journal of your successes will not only boost self confidence, but also shift your focus towards something that can benefit you.

How Sugar Can Ruin Your Life

If you think it’s an exaggeration to say that something as common as sugar or refined carbohydrates can ruin your life, perhaps you should give more consideration to the excessive amounts of it that many people are consuming and the harmful effects that it can have on one’s health.

It only takes a quick look through most major grocery stores to notice the overwhelming selection of processed and packaged foods and the much smaller selection of natural whole foods such as unrefined meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Much of this processed food contains unhealthy amounts of sugar and refined carbohydrates as well as unnatural additives that are potentially harmful. Because processed foods are cheap to produce, have a long shelf life, and are specifically designed to taste good, they’re favored by both the food industry and the general public. The overwhelming abundance and availability of these foods is a clear indication that they’re a staple of the modern diet, and this is very likely to be a major factor in the prevalence of many life altering health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, depression, heart disease, and cancer.

Some Bitter Facts About Sugar

In the early 1800s, the average American consumed about 12 pounds of sugar per year. According to USDA statistics, the average consumption of sugar, including corn sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup, increased to more than 150 pounds per person by the year 2000. As such, sugar represents a considerable portion of the calories that many people consume.

Statistics indicate that for every person who consumes 5 pounds of sugar per year, there’s another person who consumes 295 pounds.Someone who follows a truly healthy diet based mostly on natural whole foods can easily consume as little as 5 pounds of sugar in a year, even including occasional indulgences. For each person following such a diet, there are people who eat more sugar in a single week than they eat in an entire year. That’s scary!

Refined Carbohydrates: A Hidden Source of Sugar

In most cases, refined carbohydrates are derived from processed grains and are deficient in nutrients as a result of the bran and germ of the original grain being removed. In general, the amount of nutrient loss is proportional to the amount of refinement, and this is especially the case with B vitamins. Based on this, refined carbohydrates are often referred to as “empty calories,” and because they often replace more nutritious foods in the diet, consuming them on a regular basis can result in a deficient intake of vitamins and minerals.This can leave the body without the materials it needs to maintain proper function and may contribute to the gradual onset of chronic diseae.

In addition to promoting an inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals, the frequent consumption of refined carbohydrates can even deplete the body’s reserve of some nutrients. For example, the B vitamins naturally found in most grains are required for the energy production that supports our daily activities.Therefore, when sugar or refined carbohydrates are consumed and metabolized for energy production, the B vitamins that are required for this process must be obtained from other sources which can potentially accelerate the progression of a deficiency.

Refined grain products such as high fructose corn syrup are processed to the point of containing a very high concentration of sugar. Other grain derivatives such as wheat flour are not quite as refined as corn syrup, but are still highly processed and are notorious for causing the same health problems. Most people know that table sugar is unhealthy and make at least some effort to avoid it. However, not nearly as many people realize that highly refined grains are potentially just as harmful or that they’re the primary ingredients in a large majority of frequently consumed foods such as most types of bread, bagels, cereal, and pasta. As such, the many people who eat these processed foods on a regular basis probably don’t realize that they may very well be consuming an excessive amount of refined carbohydrates, and if they don’t realize this, then they most certainly don’t realize that it may be harming their health and reducing their quality of life.

How Sugar and Refined Carbohydrates Can Harm Your Health

If you consider how much sugar and processed food many people are eating on a regular basis, the prevalence of obesity and poor health shouldn’t be all that surprising. Sugar and refined carbohydrates are major ingredients in nearly all modern foods and they’re being consumed in record proportions. Many people are unaware of the associated risks and some people even believe that highly refined foods such as bread and pasta are healthy choices!

The following are some of the significant risks that are commonly associated with frequent consumption of sugar or refined carbohydrates.

Impaired Blood Sugar Regulation

Foods that are high in sugar or refined carbohydrates are digested into large amounts of glucose that quickly enter the bloodstream. This causes a rapid rise in blood sugar and often provokes an exaggerated release of the hormone insulin to lower it.When this occurs frequently, the persistent strain put on the pancreas to produce additional insulin can impair the body’s ability to maintain consistent blood sugar levels which can lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.Left unaddressed, chronically elevated blood sugar, commonly referred to as hyperglycemia, can damage the kidneys,nervous system,cardiovascular system, and retinas all of which is commonly associated with diabetes.

For some people, the exaggerated insulin release that can be caused by the consumption of sugar or refined carbohydrates removes too much glocose from the blood and results in low blood sugar. This is referred to as reactive hypoglycemia and is associated with a number of unpleasant symptoms including anxiety, irritability, fatigue, and difficulty thinking. In fact, reactive hypoglycemia has even been associated with criminal and antisocial behavior. Another symptom of hypoglycemia is hunger which can cause cravings that provoke even more consumption of sugar and carbohydrate and lead to another bout of low blood sugar. This vicious cycle of blood sugar fluctuation can lead to a variety of symptoms and conditions and is one of the primary reasons why sugar and refined carbohydrates are so unhealthy.

Obesity and Weight Gain

Sugar is our primary source of energy, and when consumed, it can be converted to glycogen and stored in muscle or the liver for future use. However, many people consume an excessive amount of carbohydrates that significantly exceeds their storage capacity for glycogen, and when this happens, the sugar resulting from carbohydrate digestion is converted to body fat.This is especially the case with fructose which is a significant component of the high fructose corn syrup that is found in many sweetened beverages and processed foods. Because of this potential for sugar and refined carbohydrates to cause weight gain, many of the people who consistently consume the processed foods that contain them are significantly overweight. In addition, these foods have been shown to encourage overeating which further increases their potential to cause weight gain.

Minimizing the consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates is truly one of the easiest ways to lose weight, but many people are unwilling to give up the convenience and pleasure of eating processed foods or simply don’t realize how much of a problem they are. Instead, they often choose to sacrifice their health even more by overexercising or excessively restricting their calorie intake.

Sugar Addiction

Most people have experienced the brief elevation in mood and energy that can occur shortly after the consumption of sugar or refined carbohydrates. Likewise, most people are also familiar with the subsequent feeling of sluggishness that often follows. As such, it’s pretty obvious that sugar consumption can have a direct impact on mood. It has been shown that people tend to have stronger cravings for sugar and refined carbohydrates than other foods and that these cravings are often associated with feelings of fatigue, anxiety, or depression.In fact, a strong association has been shown to exist between increased sugar consumption and an increased prevalence of major depression.

Extensive research on rats has provided scientific evidence that there is indeed potential for sugar to be addictive. Similar to recreational drug use, sugar has been shown to increase brain concentrations of dopamine and opiates which have a significant influence on mood. In addition, when sugar is consistently consumed in excess, it has been shown to delay the release of acetylcholine which can prolong appetite and encourage binge eating. Frequent sugar consumption has also been shown to reduce sensitivity to dopamine and opiates and produce withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety and depression, all of which is consistent with the characteristics of drug addiction. In fact, one study has shown sugar to be even more addictive than cocaine.

Poor Digestion and Dysbiosis

The intestines contain hundreds of different species of bacteria and fungi that play an important role in human health by producing vitamins, supporting the immune system, and facilitating the digestion and absorption of essential nutrients. However, when the intricate balance of these microorganisms is disrupted, leading to a condition referred to as intestinal dysbiosis, it can result in symptoms of compromised health and even serious disease. Because sugar and refined carbohydrates fuel the proliferation of bacteria and fungi, consuming these foods in excess can cause dysbiosis and lead to a variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms including fatigue, depression, and vitamin deficiencies.More importantly, it can also cause much more serious conditions such as colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

The overgrowth of a particular genus of fungi named Candida is often associated with dysbiosis and an excessive intake of sugar or refined carbohydrates. Candida overgrowth can cause many common symptoms of compromised health including fatigue, anxiety, depression, and impaired memory and concentration, and is also believed to play a role in the development of much more serious conditions such as mental disorders, autoimmune disease, and intolerance to a wide variety foods and chemicals.Candida overgrowth can also cause hormonal and menstrual dysfunction, suppress immunity, cause damage to the intestinal lining which allows antigenic substances to enter the blood, and has also been associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Heart Disease and Cancer

Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death in America by a large margin, and both conditions have been repeatedly associated with the intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates. In regard to heart disease, an association with the consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates has been shown for heart attacks,atherosclerosis,and heart disease in general.One of the primary factors that these associations have been attributed to is the potential for sugar and refined carbohydrates to elevate blood sugar, and in turn, provoke tissue damage and inflammation in the lining of arteries.

Sugar and refined carbohydrate consumption has also been associated with a number of different forms of cancer including lung cancer,gastric cancer,pancreatic cancer,prostate cancer, colon cancer and breast cancer. This is mostly attributed to the potential for sugar to suppress the immune system which can increase the risk of cancer by as much as 10,000 times.

Suppressed Immunity

It’s well known that vitamin C plays an important role in the function of the immune system. However, glucose and vitamin C are transported into cells through a common mechanism which means that the increased concentration of blood glucose resulting from the consumption of sugar or refined carbohydrates reduces the amount of vitamin C that can be absorbed by immune cells. Because vitamin C is needed for phagocytosis, which is an important aspect of immune function, consuming sugar or refined carbohydrates can therefore suppress the immune system.

As mentioned earlier, the exaggerated insulin response that often follows the consumption of sugar or refined carbohydrates can cause an excessive drop in blood sugar and result in a state of hypoglycemia. When this happens, glucocorticoid hormones such as cortisol are released to elevate blood sugar levels back to a normal level. Under normal circumstances, glucocorticoid hormones suppress the immune system to prevent it from overreacting and causing tissue damage which is why they’re often prescribed to reduce inflammation and autoimmune activity.Based on this, consuming sugar or refined carbohydrates can invoke the release of glucocorticoid hormones and is yet another possible way in which eating these foods can suppress immunity. If this occurs on a frequent basis, it can also contribute to the development of adrenal fatigue by putting additional burden on the adrenal glands to produce more glucocorticoid hormones.

Suppressed immune function is a significant problem in its own right, but in regard to sugar, it’s even more of a problem. Some of the conditions that sugar can contribute to, such as intestinal dysbiosis and the development of cancer, can only be kept under control by a strong immune system. Because sugar also suppresses immune function, it increases the potential for these problems to progress at a faster rate.

Free Radical Tissue Damage

The function of protein molecules can be changed by the addition of a sugar molecule. Although this happens in the body under normal circumstances through controlled enzyme reactions, it can also happen randomly without the action of enzymes and result in the creation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) which have been associated with aging and number of degenerative disorders.Much of this is due to the potential for AGEs to cause oxidative or free radical tissue damage.AGEs can originate from cooked food that contains both protein and sugar and they can also be created within the body from blood concentrations of glucose, fructose, or other simple sugars. In addition, elevated levels of blood glucose can cause oxidative tissue damage through means other than AGEs.As such, many of today’s popular foods that contain sugar or refined carbohydrates can contribute to degenerative tissue damage in a variety ways.

Because of their association with elevated blood sugar, AGEs are an important aspect of complications relating to diabetes including cataracts and heart disease. Even in non diabetics, AGEs have still been associated with retina damage and heart disease as well as strokes, sleep apnea, impaired muscle function, and accelerated aging in general.

Other Conditions Associated with Sugar and Refined Carbohydrates

In addition to the conditions already described, the consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates is also associated with osteoporosis, allergic nasal congestion, high blood pressure, kidney stones and kidney disease, gall stones, cataracts, liver disease, tooth decay,hyperactivity,and adverse food reactions including migraine headaches.

How Sugar Can Ruin Your Life

Consuming sugar or refined carbohydrates in moderation is unlikely to have a significant effect, but as we can see from the overwhelming number of people who are overweight, suffer from type 2 diabetes, or are unhealthy in general, it’s obvious that many people are consuming more than they should. While it may seem drastic to say that sugar and refined carbohydrates can ruin your life, it should be much easier to believe after considering the many symptoms, conditions, and diseases that they’ve been associated with, many of which are debilitating and can indeed ruin your life.

Many people who regard themselves as healthy are still likely to be experiencing fatigue, moodiness, or a wide variety of other undesirable symptoms. However, because such problems have become so common, these people are unlikely to perceive their symptoms as a sign of compromised health or realize that they’re missing out on the greatly improved quality of life that optimal health can provide. Those who fail to recognize this and continue to eat excessive amounts of sugar and refined carbohydrates will be more likely to succumb to poor health and disease. In fact, many of these people may already be gradually approaching the onset of major disease without knowing it, and this could eventually lead to significant discomfort and restriction. Although it’s true that some people are less susceptible to the negative effects of poor diet and other unhealthy habits, is it really worth the risk to assume that you’ll be one of the lucky ones? Even if you are less susceptible, it’s still likely that your quality of life will eventually be compromised in some way by such habits.

Because sugar and refined carbohydrates are such a large part of the modern diet, and because they have such a tremendous effect on our wellbeing, onsider them to be one of the most significant causes of poor health and disease. The work of Dr. Weston A. Price supports this and clearly shows how the excellent health of many native cultures rapidly declined once they were introduced to modern foods.

A Better Life Without Sugar

Because of the sweet taste and addictive nature of sugar and refined carbohydrates, many people have a difficult time eliminating them from their diet despite the damage they can cause. In fact, some diabetics end up losing their sight or having their feet amputated because they’re unable to control the very same cravings and eating habits that caused their illness.

Eggs Myths

Choosing eggs is not nearly as simple as it should be. After all, the average egg weighs about 2 ounces. How many decisions can you possibly have to make for something so small and seemingly simple? Well, let’s see: Brown or white? Large or small? Organic or not?

And those decisions are just the tip of the iceberg. Egg cartons can be stamped with any number of labels, some meaningful, others not so much.

It's not always easy to separate fact from fiction when it comes to eggs. Below are some of the most common misperceptions.



Myth: Brown eggs are different than white.

Fact: The only difference between a brown and white egg is the color of the shell, which is merely a reflection of the breed of the hen. In general, but not always, hens with white feathers and earlobes lay white eggs and those with dark feathers and red earlobes lay brown eggs.

One isn’t healthier, more “natural,” or more eco-friendly than the other. There aren’t any differences in nutritional quality, flavor, or cooking characteristics.



Myth: Free-range eggs come from hens that roam freely outdoors.

Fact: The claims are not regulated for eggs, according to Consumer Reports. So there is no guarantee that the hen that laid the eggs ever saw the light of day. Of course, it may have spent time outdoors, but the “free range” label doesn’t mean anything. The following labels are also meaningless when it comes to eggs: “free roaming,” “hormone free,” and “raised without antibiotics.”



Myth: Organic eggs are healthier.

Fact: They certainly can be, but it all depends on the chicken’s diet. Organic eggs come from hens that are fed a 100-percent organic diet. However, what really matters when it comes to nutrition is whether the hens were raised on pasture. Studies, such as those conducted at Penn State University and by Mother Earth News, found that eggs from chickens that ate grass and insects contained higher levels of omega-3 fat, and vitamins E, A, and in some cases D.

If you want eggs from hens that are raised on pasture or spend a lot of time outdoors, then you’ll have to find a farmer you trust at your local farmers’ market.



Myth: Egg substitutes are simply eggs (or egg whites) without the shells.

Fact: Most products have added stabilizers, thickeners, vitamins, carotenes, and, sometimes, spices, according to Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat. She also points out that they cost about twice as much as real eggs. (A pound of egg substitutes weighs slightly less than a dozen small eggs.)

Of course, if you can’t eat egg yolks for health reasons or have no use for them, egg substitutes are a good option, and most products only have a tiny percentage of additives. Just read the labels before buying.

Meditation & Mind Control Techniques for Weight Loss

Here are 50 tips to help you learn some tricks to get your mind ripe and ready for weight loss.

General

These general tips will help you learn to adapt your thoughts to healthy weight loss.

1. Be patient. Losing weight in any kind of healthy way is going to take time. Give yourself a break and relax, and the weight will come off.
2. Don't stress. Stressing about weight loss will likely only make it harder to lose.
3. Be realistic Setting unrealistic goals for your weight loss isn't healthy for your body or mind. Get your mind set on more realistic accomplishments and you'll be happier and healthier.
4. Create a routine. Success with any weight loss program requires creating a routine and sticking to it in what you eat, when you work out and how you think about your progress.
5. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you aren't eating enough, you're eating too much, or you're pushing yourself too hard.
6. Use your imagination. Our imaginations are powerful things and you can use yours to picture your body and your life the way you really want it to be.
7. Take it slow. You cannot expect to change your mindset or your body overnight. Take the process slow and steady for the best results.
8. Be honest with yourself. Being honest might be more difficult or more painful, but you cannot move forward in changing your body or how you think about it without facing some hard truths about yourself.
9. Find out what you truly want. The reality is that you might not be ready to lose weight or commit yourself to the work that it takes. Find out what you truly want in your life. Knowing that you really, really want to lose weight can be a huge factor in motivating you.

Mindset

Learn how to change your mindset with these tips.

10. Always be accountable. There is no one else who is responsible for you losing weight. You have to be accountable for what you eat and how often you work out.
11. Break the cycle of excuses. We all make excuses to try to justify our behavior, but these kinds of excuses aren't doing you any favors when it comes to weight loss. Force yourself to accept your failures and work to improve them.
12. Deal with your emotions. For many people, food is an emotional thing and a coping mechanism for other things that aren't right in their lives. If you want to change your mindset about your body, you'll first have to deal with these powerful emotions.
13. Make the decision to be thinner. Sometimes all it takes is a firm resolution to make a change in your life. If you want to lose weight, make the choice to do so and let your actions follow suit.
14. Take responsibility. No one is forcing food down your throat or keeping you from the gym. Once you realize that and can take responsibility for your own actions regarding your health and fitness, you'll be one step closer to meeting your goals.
15. Think clearly. Weight loss, body image and personal health can be emotionally charged issues. When you think about these things it it important to separate them as best you can from your emotions and make logical, thoughtful decisions about what is best. For instance, our emotions might tell us we need a piece of cake after a hard day, but our logical thinking would tell us it will only make you feel worse about yourself.
16. Change your programming. Many of us have programmed our brains to think we are fat, unhealthy and will never look or feel like we want to. Thinking this way is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, but by changing your mental programming, you'll change what you're capable of in weight loss.
17. Stay positive. There is no upside to negative thinking when it comes to losing weight. Staying positive will help you feel better about yourself, keep you motivated and reduce stress — all of which will help you lose more weight.
18. Train your mind to think in your best interest. If you want to lose weight, focus on replacing your unhealthy thoughts with healthy ones. After a while, you will think less unhealthy thoughts and be a step ahead in reaching your goals.

Motivation

Give your mind some motivation with these ideas.

19. Pick out a motivational photograph. Whether you want to look more like you did 20 years ago or have the physique of someone else you admire, choose a photograph you can look at when you're struggling to help keep yourself motivated.
20. Set smaller daily goals. While your larger goals are important, focusing on smaller, individual goals will give you more of a sense of accomplishment and change your mindset on a daily basis.
21. Use support from friends. There are few things that can change how you feel about yourself and your progress like motivation from friends around you.
22. Reward yourself. When you've worked really hard for something it's only fair to reward yourself. Give yourself an indulgence, though not a food-related one, that you've really been wanting.
23. Tell yourself you can do it. Change your mindset about weight loss by constantly reminding yourself that no matter how hard it is that you can and will do it.
24. Never stop thinking about your goals. Keeping your goals in mind throughout the day will help motivate you and keep you on the right track.
25. Surround yourself with good role models. You won't do yourself any favors when you're trying to lose weight if you surround yourself with people who practice bad habits and influence you to do so as well. Spend time with friends who motivate you to be healthy instead.
26. Have a mantra. Finding your own personal weight loss mantra can be a great way to help keep yourself positive and focused on your goals.
27. Look at the bright side. Setbacks don't have to ruin your motivation for weight loss. Instead, think of them as a chance to work harder and prove your commitment to your goals.
28. Create a map to your health and happiness. Spending some time laying out your goals, collecting photos that motivate you, and planning out your steps along the way can help make process easier, more real and something you're more motivated to do every day.

Food

Change your relationship with food by changing your thoughts using this advice.

29. Think yourself out of bad habits. Bad habits with food don't have to take down your weight loss goals. Instead, use the power of your mind to fight these bad habits. It will take some doing but you can overcome them.
30. Look at food differently. Food isn't your enemy or your friend — it's neutral. Learn to look at food as a source of nourishment rather than a reward or a way to deal with emotions.
31. Picture what food is doing for your body. When you look at what you're eating, picture what that food can do for your body and how the nutrients will help you feel.
32. Allow yourself to eat when you're hungry. Losing weight should never mean starving yourself. Listen to your body and feed yourself when your body tells you it's hungry. Just make sure it's actually hunger and not boredom or thirst you're giving into. Likewise, stop eating when you are full.
33. Eat foods you crave. You can have foods you crave while you're trying to lose weight if you can do so in moderation. Keeping things totally off limits could cause you to binge.
34. Be conscious. Always be aware of what you're eating. Eating mindlessly while watching TV can lead to a lot of unwanted and unneeded calories.

Self-Image

How you see yourself can make a big impact in how much weight you lose. Try these solutions to feel good about yourself no matter how much you weigh.

35. Change how you think about your body. If you think you are a fat person, you'll likely stay that way. Train your mind to see yourself as attractive at any weight and you'll see more weight loss progress.
36. Get control over your thoughts. When your thoughts are out of control it's easy to think cruel things about yourself and put yourself down. When you start to feel your thoughts heading in that direction, take the wheel and steer them somewhere positive.
37. Stop looking at the numbers. Weight isn't everything when it comes to health. Some people look super skinny and feel healthy at one weight while another person might be totally different. We all have our own comfort zone, so listen to your body, not the scale.
38. Focus on how you feel. You might not have met your goal weight yet, but focusing on changes in how you feel can help keep you motivated and feeling good about yourself.
39. Stop berating yourself. Negative thoughts aren't going to help you lose weight. If you have a misstep or aren't progressing as fast as you'd like, never berate yourself. Simply get up the next day and start again from a positive standpoint.
40. Fill yourself with love. If you want to get the most out of your weight loss journey, make part of the process learning to truly love yourself. No one is perfect so get a handle on accepting and appreciating your faults.
41. Take pride in your appearance.It doesn't matter how much you weigh, you can look good and feel good about yourself. Shower, put on a fragrance, style your hair, and wear your favorite clothes. It will change how you see yourself and how others see you as well.

Meditation

Learn how to turn your meditation practice into a reflection on your personal weight loss goals with these tips.

42. Imagine yourself eating like you should be. The more you imagine it, the more likely it will become reality.
43. Picture yourself thin. If you believe that you can and will be thin, then you give yourself the motivation and drive to actually make it happen.
44. Think about activities you'll do when you're thin. If you're too overweight to do things you love right now, picture yourself doing those things as the new, thinner you.
45. Relax. You can't take control over your thoughts and your mind if you're stressed out and distracted. Simply relax and let go the problems of the day.
46. Picture yourself wearing something you've always wanted to wear. A big reason many people want to lose weight is to fit into the clothes and style that they love and admire. Get a mental picture of how you'll look sporting something you've always wanted to wear to give you some motivation.
47. Imagine that you love to exercise. Rely on the power of imagination to help give yourself the initiative you need to get fit and in shape.
48. Don't let negative thoughts interfere. It's easy to think negative thoughts about yourself when you're tackling a big and difficult obstacle like losing weight, but you have to make sure to keep these kinds of thoughts out during your meditation. Replace them with happy, supportive ones instead.
49. Kick all unhealthy habits and foods out of visualization. Don't let your mental fantasies include unhealthy foods and behaviors. You might really crave them but the purpose is to retrain your mind to let them go.
50. Breathe deeply and calm yourself. Once you're calm, relaxed, and in control of your mind and body, you'll be able to start thinking clearly about who and where you want to be.

Sugar Free Diet

It is essential to go for the sugar free diet if you wish to lose weight quickly. This article will give you more information on the benefits of a diet that is free of sugar. Read on.

We all love our desserts, chocolates and caramel custards. We also love candies, cookies and canned fruits juices. But do we even bother to have a look at the label to check the amount of sugar that we consume when we have a glass of canned fruit juice? We often tend to ignore sugar which is one of the major sources of calories in the body. There are approximately 4 calories present in 1 gram of sugar. Sugar is a source of energy in the body; however, it is also one of the major contributors in weight gain. Sugar that is naturally found in a fresh fruit is safer to consume than the sugar found in processed foods. Researches have proved that sugar is not actually necessary for our body and we tend to consume it in a large amount everyday, which only leads to obesity. So, if you wish to lose weight and have a healthy lifestyle, you need to follow the sugar free diet plan. So what are the foods to be consumed and foods to be avoided for eliminating sugar from diet? Let us take a look at it in detail.

Sugar Free Diet Menu

The aim of following a diet free of sugar is to avoid the excess intake of sugar. You may not be aware but there are several foodstuffs that contain ‘hidden sugar’. Sugar free diet for children and adults is also recommended to get rid of dental cavities and prevent obesity. Let us take a look at the foods that contain high amounts of sugar and need to be avoided in the sugar free diet.

Foods to be Avoided

The following are the foods that should be completely avoided when on a sugar free diet. You can look out for their substitutes or simply go for other options.

• Cakes, cookies, pastries, candies and all other desserts
• Ice cream, jams, jellies, chocolates, honey
• Syrups, canned fruits juices and sauces
• Soft drinks and caffeine containing drinks
• Raisins, dried fruits, artificially sweetened products
• Sugar cured products
• Sweet potatoes, potatoes, yams

Foods Safe to Consume

The following is a list of sugar free diet foods that are safer to consume as they contain no hidden sugar.

• Whole wheat bread, pasta, biscuits (without sugar), brown rice, oatmeal
• Omelet, sandwiches with vegetables, meat, cheese, etc.
• Salads and soups (freshly made, not canned)
• Meat, chicken, fish, lean meat, eggs
• Popcorn, beans, nuts, flaxseed
• Olive oil, mayonnaise, canola oil
• All fresh fruits and vegetables

Sugar Free Diet Plan

Here are some options for the sugar free diet breakfast:

• You can have oat porridge with almonds and rice syrup.
• Boiled egg, omelet, French toast, poached egg, etc. can be eaten for breakfast.
• Sandwiches with eggs, cheese, meat, etc. can be consumed.
• Whole wheat bread and biscuits with milk or less amounts of butter can also be consumed.
• Simply having cut fruit or a freshly made fruit juice (without sugar) can also be a healthy breakfast.

Here are some options for meals to be included when on a no sugar diet:

• Brown rice with vegetables and pasta without tomato sauce are good options for sugar free diet.
• Stir fried rice with vegetables and meat can also be included in this diet.
• Home made soup and salad are also a good option.
• Sandwiches with cheese and meats are tasty as well as healthy.

Apart from the above mentioned options, you can try out different combination using the list of foodstuffs that are safe to consume. You can go through some sugar free recipes that will be helpful if you are following the sugar free diet. As desserts, one can include fresh fruits as they contain less amounts of sugar as compared to other processed food desserts. However, it is advisable to have limited amount of fruits (1 - 2 slices) if one is on a weight loss diet regime. Many people may go for sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners in desserts and sweets. Itmay be a good option but one should be aware of the potential side effects that are observed due to prolonged and regular consumption of artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame and sucralose. It is advisable to check the labels of all packaged and canned foodstuffs for sugar content. As there are numerous sugar free diet benefits, it is recommended to people of all age groups.

This was brief information on the foods to avoid and foods safer to consume when on a sugar free diet. Lastly, one should note that having an occasional small serving of your favorite dessert is acceptable to keep down the food cravings. Take care!

Almond Milk vs Soy Milk

The topic 'almond milk vs soy milk' is fiercely debated over, as the popularity of these milks is increasing everyday. Many people who eat vegan or vegetarian diets along with lactose intolerant people, prefer almond milk and soy milk, as healthy alternatives to cow milk.

Almond milk or soy milk cannot be called 'true milks'. Almond milk is made from ground soaked almonds and water. Sometimes, a few dates are added to it to sweeten the milk. Soy milk is made from ground soaked soy and water. They are used as substitutes for real milk.

Almond Milk vs Soy Milk : Nutritional Value

Almond Milk: Basically, almonds are highly nutritious. One serving of unsweetened almond milk (1 cup or 8 fluid ounces) gives you around 90 calories. It contains around 3 gms of fat, 1 gm of fiber and 1 gm of protein. It is free of cholesterol and saturated fat. It is rich in vitamins and minerals and omega fatty acids. Level of manganese, selenium and vitamin E is quite high in almond milk. Almond milk does have 30% of your daily calcium.

Soy Milk: Soybean is one of the most prominent natural sources of proteins. The whole world is currently reaping the health benefits of soybean. Here is more on soybeans nutrition facts. The nutritional value of soy milk is almost the same as that of cow milk. One serving of soy milk gives you 110 calories. It contains 10 gm of proteins, 4 gm of fat, 14 gm of carbohydrates. Calcium, iron, sodium and riboflavin are also present. There is concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. The fat content is highly unsaturated. Soy milk is free of cholesterol. You get 80 mg of calcium from one serving of soy milk not making it a rich source of calcium. So, it is often fortified with extra calcium

Almond Milk vs Soy Milk : Benefits

Almond Milk

1. It helps in the growth as well as repair functions of the body.
2. Manganese in soy milk activates the body enzymes.
3. Magnesium breaks down the consumed food into energy. It helps the parathyroid gland to function well. So, you have healthy bones.
4. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and destroys the free radicals which cause damage to the cell membrane.
5. Selenium improves the reproductive and immune system and also helps the thyroid to function well.
6. As there is no cholesterol, the risk of heart diseases is reduced.
7. Potassium helps to maintain normal blood pressure.
8. The flavanoids from the crushed skin of almonds are good for cardiovascular health.
9. Being naturally flavored the need to add artificial flavors is nullified.
10. It can be easily prepared and stored.
11. There is no loss of vitamins and minerals and no boiling is involved in the making of almond milk. While, in case of soy milk, boiling of the mixture is required.
12. It is a good substitute for people who evince lactose intolerance symptoms.

These are the almond milk benefits.

Soy Milk

1. The isoflavones in soy milk resemble the hormone estrogen. They maintain our health. They reduce the chances of cancer and osteoporosis.
2. Cholesterol is absent. So there is less risk of heart diseases.
3. It enriches the body with high quality proteins and carbohydrates. Soy protein is as good as protein from milk, eggs or chicken.
4. It is preferred for a diabetic diet because of the variety of carbohydrates present in it.
5. It helps to reduce the fat which enters into our body when there is consumption of animal fat or oil.
6. It is best for people with milk allergy symptoms.
7. There is no lactose (milk sugar).
8. The isoflavones in soy milk help in lowering of cholesterol and also help women to reduce the side effects of menopause.
9. Soy milk does not contain the protein casein. Many people are allergic to casein.

These are the benefits of soy milk.

Almond Milk vs Soy Milk : Dangers

Almond Milk:

1. It is risky for those with low thyroid functions.
2. It is an inadequate option for an infant's diet to be replaced with breast milk.
3. Deficiency of Iodine results in goiter. Almonds are considered as goitrogens. The chemicals present in them inhibit thyroid function as they interfere with the iodine intake.

Soy Milk:

1. Excessive use of soy leads to breast cancer and also other cancers.
2. Many brands manufacturing soy milk contain more sugar and chemicals than required.
3. Isoflavones from soy milk are held responsible for thyroid disorder, leukemia and breast cancer.
4. Phytic acids in soy milk lead to low absorption of vitamins and minerals.
5. The high level of phytoestrogen decreases the testesterone in males. The production of sperms is affected.
6. Early onset of puberty as well as adolescence in males can be attributed to the phytoestrogen from soy milk.
7. In women, soy milk can produce abnormalities in the reproductive tract which can lead to infertility.
8. Estrogen in soy milk is harmful for babies.
9. Fatigue, fever and wheezing are some of the reactions to soy milk.
10. Consumption of soy milk sometimes leads to sudden skin problems like eczema, acne and swelling.
11. The toxic aluminum in soy milk affects the nervous system and kidneys.
12. Excessive consumption of soy milk generates stomach problems such as abdominal cancer.
13. Sometimes, it develops allergies like coughing, sneezing and congestion.

Difference Between Almond Milk and Soy Milk

Both milks have advantages and disadvantages. When you will try them, you will note the difference in both taste and flavor.

1. Soy milk has more proteins than almond milk.
2. Almond milk has less fats and sugar than any other type of non-dairy milk.
3. More varieties of soy milk are easily available as they are more popular than almond milk.
4. Almond milk can be used as a substitute for milk in sweet dishes. Soy milk may leave distasteful marks when used for such purposes.
5. Soy milk is the best for salad dressing, pasta sauce and mashed potatoes.
6. Soy milk has an acquired taste while almond milk has a natural nice light taste.

While discussing almond milk vs. soy milk, you have to take into consideration personal liking and also whether one is allergic to nuts like almonds or soy. Some people can not tolerate soy. But, once they get used to, they prefer it. However, it is safe to conclude by saying that both are healthy drinks.