Why are there so many people that are suffering with health issues today?
There is one thing that causes people to have more health issues, and it is STRESS. There has been a lot written on stress, and I do believe there will be a time when medical science has proven that the majority of diseases are caused by stress. Stress actually prevents the absorption vitamin D which is actually a hormone.
Vitamin D is very important for strong bones. Calcium and phosphorus are essential for developing the structure and strength of your bones, and you need vitamin D to absorb these minerals. Even if you eat foods that contain a lot of calcium and phosphorus, without enough vitamin D, you can’t absorb them into your body. Vitamin D is important for general good health, and researchers now are discovering that vitamin D may be important for many other reasons outside of good bone health. Some of the functions of the body that vitamin D helps with include:
- Immune system, which helps you to fight infection
- Muscle function
- Cardiovascular function, for a healthy heart and circulation
- Respiratory system –for healthy lungs and airways
- Brain development
- Anti-cancer effects
Doctors are still working to fully understand how vitamin D works within your body and how it affects your overall health.
How does Vitamin D work?
Vitamin D manages calcium in your blood, bones and gut and helps cells all over your body to communicate properly.
Vitamin D mainly comes from your skin when it is exposed to sunlight. After that, your body goes through a number of chemical processes to change it so that your body can use it.
When your skin is exposed to the sun, it produces vitamin D and sends it to your liver. If you take supplements or eat foods that contain vitamin D, your gut also sends the vitamin D to your liver. From here, your liver changes it to a substance called 25(OH)D. When your doctor talks about your vitamin D levels, he means the amount of 25(OH)D you have in your blood.
This chemical is sent all over your body where different tissues, including your kidney, turn it into activated vitamin D. This activated vitamin D is now ready to perform its duties. From here, it gets a little complicated, but you can think of activated vitamin D working in two ways:
- Manages calcium in your blood, bones and gut
- Helps cells all over your body to communicate properly
As you can see, vitamin D goes a long way from its original form from the skin, supplement or food. But without vitamin D, your body can’t perform at its best.
See our ‘How to get the vitamin D your body needs’ page to learn more about getting enough vitamin D.
So if stress is causing all of these issues what can be done?
Learning meditation is one of the most powerful ways to reduce stress they have been so many studies on meditation. An easy way to start is to repeat a word over for 20 minutes. If there are any thoughts that come up as you do this you simply bring your mind back to the present moment and continue to state your mantra. I do a lot of Journaling 🙂
Once you have awareness and you make a choice to feel differently then what do you do?
You do a simple exercise. You think back to a time in your life when you had high energy. When you really felt you were crushing it. Then you replay the best parts of that over and over in your mind you do this until you begin to feel better. As you consistently do this over a 30 day period you begin to shift what I call your emotional thermostat. Make sure to make the colors, size and speed, brighter, bigger and play the memory faster in your mind. Brendon Burchard always says the power plant doesn’t have energy it generates it. This truly has the power to change your life. If you can shift how you feel you change how you think and what you do. All is rooted in emotion even your overall health and wellbeing.
10 things you can do to improve your energy and vitality
1. Be in the moment.
Being in the moment can be life changing and can really bring so much joy into your life. If you are in the past or the future, who is here in the present? If you are not present who or what is running the show in your absence? If you are not in the now, you are being controlled by your conditioning of the past. Have you ever been driving down a road and noticed that you do not remember the last 5-10 minutes of driving? If you have ever experienced this then you know what I am talking about. How is it that you made the correct turn signals you made all the stops and did what you needed to do? You were able to do all of that because of conditioning. Because of the habits that you have created before this event took place. If you have cultivated great habits then you are headed towards a better future. Whether you have cultivated great habits or not, it is always a good idea to be in the here and now where choice exists. You have greatness within you but that greatness is simply a seed or a sleeping giant. It is waiting for your intentional mind to bring it to life.
2. Drink more water.
This may sound simplistic but I cannot tell you how many people are walking around dehydrated. A dear friend of mind I will call her. Jeanne to protect her identity was breast feeding and she was really active was living off of one cup of water a day! She very quickly developed a painful kidney stones. If you do not think that water is important just try to go without it for a few days. Having clean and pure water is essential to living the life of a High Performer!
3. Breathe Deeply.
Just breathe, so often people breathe so shallowly. They yawn constantly not because they are tired but because their bodies are screaming for oxygen! Just take a moment and fill your lungs with 3 deep breaths. What would happen to your energy if you breathed more fully and openly more consistently? There have been many studies done on breathing and breathing deeply, smoothly and fully is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get the mind and body out of the fight or flight mode and into a zen like state.
4. Walk more often.
Walking for 30 minutes a day can greatly increase your overall sense of well being. Our bodies were made for movement. Sitting is the new smoking. We know that as we move our bodies the water within us is purified and our vitality goes up. Water that is still stagnates and so it is with the mind and body and soul.
5. A Gratitude Attitude.
If there is one thing that can change your life faster than anything else it is gratitude. Gratitude is a great force for good. Virtually every good quality comes only after gratitude. Abundance can and will come into your life if gratitude is shown. Gratitude is a light. Imagine a room that is in darkness. Now imagine a room where there is light. No imagine those two rooms are side by side and they are connected with a hole in the wall. Now notice that the room that has light the light can travel into the room where there is darkness but the darkness cannot travel into the room where there is light. Try this for example. State all the things that you are truly grateful for, do not stop until you feel the energy of gratitude. Once you feel the energy of gratitude the next step is to try and feel negative feelings. You will find it very difficult if not impossible to do.
6. Show love and praise others more often.
Recently I heard of a 5 year old girl that passed away. She was stuck by a truck. When I heard this story my mind went to my own family. There are so many people in this world that are craving love. We all need to fill loved and appreciated. And how does it make you feel when you show sincere love and appreciation to others? More love and appreciation comes back to you. Loving yourself and loving and serving others is the key to all the riches life holds for each of us. To get to the better life we must learn to love and serve others more.
7. Service to others.
If you want to find yourself lose yourself in the service of others. We will find the connection that we have to others and the universe as we learn to love and serve others. Service can be something small a compliment a hug kind words and kind deeds are small and simple things yet they can make a huge difference in your life and the lives of those you reach. If you want energy and strength beyond your own serving and loving others is the way to get there. But let your love be pure.
8. Connect with God.
God is good. God is love. God is understanding. We all have challenges in our lives we all have our own personal struggles that have the tendency to create great heartache but as we focus on the fact that we have a heavenly Father that loves us beyond our ability to understand. If we believed this wouldn’t we all be a little more kind to ourselves and also others.
The best coaches that I know have very strong spiritual beliefs about who they are and what their purpose is. The illusion is that you have to do something to be connected with God. The reality is you always are connected to God. Just by being who you are. One of the best pieces of advice that a friend of mine ever gave me is when you wake up in the morning have a chair for you and a chair for God and interview God. Ask him what he would have you do and say today. As I have strived to do this every day it is amazing the thoughts and inspiration that comes through me.
9. Live your life with love.
Pure love will always succeed. If we always act out of love our lives will unfold in amazing ways.
Think of one friend or family member that you could write a kind note to and let them know that you love them.
10. Trust that there is a plan and a mission for your life.
Life does have a purpose. I do believe that to be true. We each have a plan. Some strive to find their plan and once they find it live it. Others shrink at the task before them or deny that there life has meaning. Our lives have meaning and purpose, if we listen in those quite moments of inspiration we will hear and feel what we need to do to fulfill our life mission and plan. As I have found my life purpose and plan and have helped other people find theirs I have yet to find someone whose life plan and mission does not involve loving and serving others.
** By following these suggestions I know your energy will improve greatly. I challenge you to do these simple things consistently over the next 30 days! Good Luck! http://www.achievetoday.com/
Reduce Stress By Being Humble
HELPING. The boss asks you, ‘Did you help Mary with her presentation?’ Do you reply, “I helped her tweak it a little’ or do you say, ‘I practically did the whole thing. I decided on the content, made the outline and edited it for her.’ The first response is modest and humble rather than boastful like the second. Humble people are comfortable working behind the scenes and do not seek or need praise, admiration or commendation for any of their acts. The boastful response causes this person to feel more stress because it is all about trying to get recognition and building up their own self worth and self esteem.
Stress levels increase when a person can only get their own needs met when they are praised or rewarded for good deeds or in some cases, putting another person down. Can you think of times when you responded either of these ways? How will you respond the next time?
UNDERSTANDING. You are an experienced employee orienting someone to a job and notice they are using a different method to complete a procedure. Do you continue to watch and see if they are successful or do you immediately interrupt and say, ‘I developed a procedure and everyone here does it my way, don’t make that mistake again? Do it the way I told you.’
A humble person does not need others to conform to their preferred method of doing things or remind others of their past accomplishments. If you are rigid, conceited and approach others with arrogance, it is stressful for you because you are constantly in fear of losing control or someone else taking the spot light off of you. Do you know anyone like this? Are you like this? Is there anything you would like to change about yourself?
MODEL HUMBLENESS. Jane was hired as a gofer to work on a project with a group of young people, many of whom were new graduates. Jane’s duties included typing, answering the phone, arranging appointments and yes, even getting coffee for the group.
After five months, a group member said, ‘You sure know a lot about this project. You always seem to be able to organize our reports and research so effectively. You have always been so kind and obliging. We all just love you. Did you work in this field before?’ Jane replied, ‘Yes, I did.’ The group member asked, ‘Do you have any education in this field?’ Jane replied, ‘Yes, I have a Masters’ Degree.’ The group member responded, ‘Wow, I can’t believe you never told us! I would have been bragging about it every day!’
Even when a humble person has more education and experience in a particular area, they do not feel the need to ‘flash it.’ Does this type of situation sound familiar to you? Do you know anyone who is quiet about their skills? If yes, do they tend to be relaxed? Do you know someone who is always bragging about their skills? If yes, do they appear relaxed or stressed?
BETTER COPING. Studies report that humble leaders and employees are more effective, efficient and liked more than those whose approach is arrogant. Humble employers and employees incorporate more honesty into their work life and know their own limits. They do not try to ‘fake it until they make it.’
Studies identify a willingness of leaders and employees to openly share their own mistakes, openly share their own limitations and weaknesses, a willingness to ask for assistance when needed, modeling behaviors that show respect, encourages others and promote openness as key elements of humbleness that reduce stress.
Humble leaders and employees experience less stress because they do not try to do everything themselves, hesitate to ask for help or blame others when things go wrong. Honesty in the work place prevents stress and is another important element of humbleness. This type of approach promotes job satisfaction, job retention, job effectiveness and efficiency and reduces stress among all team members.
LIVE PEACEFULLY. Humble people experience more peace and less stress in their life because they have more self control. They know life is not just about them. They are less self centered and less selfish. Focusing on others takes the focus and stress off of themselves. They tend to be more in control of their emotions and behaviors because their expectations are more realistic and they are not always trying to be a star. They tend to recognize their limits and do not waste time and energy on fruitful tasks. This does not mean they apathetically accept the status quo. They experience less stress because they know what and when something needs to be challenged and have the wisdom to choose their challenges carefully.
EMBRACE DIFFERENCES. Humble people embrace differences. They accept others for who they are and therefore, tend to have better relationships with family, friends, co-workers and community partners because they are not always trying to change them which can cause a lot of stress. Humble people are not prejudiced, are tolerant of others’ beliefs and values, accept others’ differences even when different from their own and they do not place a lesser value on any human being simply because they are different. They do not believe they are entitled to be treated better or valued more by society than anyone else. They believe everyone is equal no matter what their differences.
7 Tips for Mind-Body Balance
One of the guiding principles of mind-body medicine is the interconnection of all things, including the mind, the body, and the environment in which we live. Each of us is an inseparable part of an infinite field of intelligence, and in this very moment, with every breath, we are exchanging millions of atoms with the universe.
From this holistic perspective, health isn’t merely the absence of disease or symptoms; it is a state of optimal wellbeing, vitality, and wholeness. We are healthy when we’re able to fully digest everything we take in, extracting what is nourishing and eliminating whatever doesn’t serve us. This includes our food, our relationships, our jobs, and all our life experiences. Illness, in contrast, develops when there is a disruption ― a blockage in the flow of energy and information in our bodymind. Symptoms and sickness are the body’s signal that we need to restore balance, eliminate whatever is causing the blockages, and reestablish the healthy flow of intelligence.
The Mind-Body Connection
Since the body and mind are inextricably connected, every time we have a thought, we set off a cascade of cellular reactions in our nervous system that influence all the molecules in our body. Our cells are constantly observing our thoughts and being changed by them.
Each day at the Chopra Center, we see guests who reinforce our view that our thoughts and choices and experiences influence our tendency to be healthy or become ill. A man in a toxic work environment has incapacitating headaches that don’t respond to multiple medications. A woman decides she will no longer accept her boyfriend’s demeaning behavior, and her debilitating panic attacks “mysteriously” subside.
Of course, this is not to say that all illnesses are “caused” by our thoughts. The relationship between the mind and body is complex, and sometimes things happen at a physical level for which we don’t have a plausible explanation. We have to acknowledge that we may have an inherent tendency for health or imbalance, and in some cases, genetic inheritance is the major factor underlying an illness. At the same time, we have amazing potential to heal and transform ourselves through our thoughts, perceptions, and choices. The body is a magnificent network of intelligence, capable of far more than current medical science can explain.
Cultivating Balance
Establishing a healthy dialogue between our thoughts and our molecules helps us shift from imbalance to balance. And when we’re in an optimal state of dynamic balance, we naturally tend to listen to our body with love and reverence and make choices that support balance, happiness, and wellbeing. The following seven mind-body prescriptions will help you create this positive feedback loop:
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Take time each day to quiet your mind and meditate.
Meditation is one of the most powerful tools for restoring balance to our mind and body. In meditation, you experience a state of restful awareness in which your body is resting deeply while your mind is awake though quiet. In the silence of awareness, the mind lets go of old patterns of thinking and feeling and learns to heal itself. Scientific research on meditation is accelerating with the growing awareness of meditation’s numerous benefits, including a decrease in hypertension, heart disease, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and addictive behaviors.A groundbreaking study by Massachusetts General Hospital found that as little as eight weeks of meditation not only helped people feel calmer but also produced changes in various areas of the brain, including growth in the areas associated with memory, empathy, sense of self, and stress regulation.
Meditation brings us home to the peace of present moment awareness and gives us an experience of profound relaxation that dissolves fatigue and long-standing stresses. In our experience at the Chopra Center, the most powerful benefits of meditation come from having a regular, daily practice.
The Chopra Center offers instruction in Primordial Sound Meditation, a mantra-based meditation practice that is easy for anyone can learn. You can receive instruction in Primordial Sound Meditation and your personal mantra at any Chopra Center program – or click here to find a Chopra Center–certified meditation teacher in your area.
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Each day eat a healthy diet that includes the six Ayurvedic tastes and a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.
Next to breathing, eating is our most vital bodily function. To create a healthy body and mind, our food must be nourishing. Ideal nutrition comes from consuming a variety of foods that are appropriately prepared and eaten with awareness.
A simple way to make sure that you are getting a balanced diet is to include the six tastes (sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent) in each meal. The typical American diet tends to be dominated by the sweet, sour, and salty tastes (the main flavors of a hamburger). We do need these tastes, but they can lower metabolism especially if eaten in excess.
The pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes, on the other hand, are anti-inflammatory and increase metabolism. These tastes are found in food such as radishes, ginger, mustard, peppers, spinach, mushrooms, tea, lentils lettuce, and so on. You can find more information on the six tastes here.
In addition to including the six tastes in each meal, focus on eating a variety of fresh and freshly prepared foods, while eliminating or at least limiting items that are canned, frozen, microwaved, or highly processed. These are “dead” foods that weaken health and accelerate aging.
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Move your body: Engage in daily exercise.
Regular exercise offers incredible benefits for your body and mind. Drs. William Evans and Irwin Rosenberg from Tufts University have documented the powerful effect of exercise on many of the biomarkers of aging, including muscle mass, strength, aerobic capacity, bone density, and cholesterol.
Not only does exercise keep the body young, but it also keeps the mind vital and promotes emotional wellbeing. In his book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, Harvard University professor John Ratey, M.D. describes research showing that physical activity sparks biological changes that increase the brain’s ability to learn, adapt, and perform other cognitive tasks. Exercise can reverse the detrimental effects of stress and lift depression.
A complete fitness program includes exercises to develop flexibility, cardiovascular conditioning, and strength training. Find an aerobic activity that you enjoy and will be able to three to four times each week for twenty to thirty minutes. After your body is warmed up, spend five to ten minutes stretching. Be sure to include strength training in your program to systematically exercise the major muscle groups of your body. The key is to start off slowly, find physical activities you like, and do them regularly. You will be surprised how quickly you increase your endurance and enthusiasm for moving and breathing.
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Take time for restful sleep.
Restful sleep is essential key to having health and vital energy. When you’re well-rested, you can approach stressful situations more calmly, yet sleep is so often neglected or underemphasized. There is even a tendency for people to boast about how little sleep they can get by on. In reality, over time, inadequate sleep disrupts the body’s innate balance, weakens our immune system, contributes to weight gain and depression, and speeds up the aging process.
Human beings generally need between six and eight hours of restful sleep each night. Restful sleep means that you’re not using pharmaceuticals or alcohol to get to sleep but that you’re drifting off easily once you turn off the light and are sleeping soundly through the night. If you feel energetic and vibrant when you wake up, you had a night of restful sleep. If you feel tired and unenthusiastic, you haven’t had restful sleep.You can get the highest quality sleep by keeping your sleep cycles in tune with the rhythms of the universe, known as circadian rhythms. At the Chopra Center, we find that if people can commit to a consistent sleep ritual, they can usually retrain their mind to experience healthy sleep patterns. Find recommendations for a restful sleep routine here.
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Release emotional toxins.
Many of us harbor emotional toxicity in the form of unprocessed anger, hurt or disappointment. This unprocessed residue from the past contributes to toxicity in our body and needs to be eliminated. You can begin by asking yourself, “What am I holding onto from the past that is no longer serving me in the present?”
Once you have identified what you want to release, spend some time journaling about how your life will be different when you change. Then you can do a specific releasing ritual that declares to yourself and to the world that you are letting go of whatever it is you’ve been holding on to. If you need more help in this area, consider attending the Healing the Heart workshop at the Chopra Center. In a nurturing, supportive environment, you will be guided intensive, loving process to release emotional pain and then fill the newly created space in your heart with love and self-nurturing behaviors.
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Cultivate loving relationships.
Research shows that a good social support network has numerous physical and mental health benefits. It can keep you from feeling lonely, isolated or inadequate and if you feel good about yourself, you can deal with stress better. Friends and loved ones can be a good source of advice and suggest new ways of handling problems. But they can also be an excellent distraction from what’s bothering you. If your network of friends is small, think about volunteering, joining an outdoor activities group or trying an online meet-up group to make new friends.
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Enjoy a good belly-laugh at least once a day.
From the scientific perspective, laughter is an elegant mind-body phenomenon that reduces the production of stress hormones and boosts the immune system.
Researchers in Japan found that people with rheumatoid arthritis who watched “rakugo” or comic storytelling experienced a significant decrease in their pain and stress hormone levels as well as an increase in two immune-enhancing
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