Sharpen The Brain for....Focus

Sharpen The Brain for....Focus

Moringa leaf powder for...general wellbeing

Moringa leaf powder has a whole range of benefits for humans, with boundless energy, increased focus and improved digestion just being a handful of them.
On top of those, it will also help you relax, aid your eyesight, teeth and skin, as well as aid you in detoxing – particularly useful after a big party!

It's not surprising that there are so many advantages when you look at how the vitamins and minerals measure up against alternative sources.

Take oranges – you get plenty of vitamin C in them, but with Moringa leaf powder, you get seven times as much.


On top of that, you get 17-times the calcium you get in milk, 25-times the iron found in spinach and five-times  as much dietary fibre as vegetables.

- See more at:  http://www.ankhrah.com/wpsite/health-and-nutrition-videos/

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 10 Keys to Success

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 10 Keys to Success

Arnold Schwarzenegger: bodybuilding legend, Hollywood movie star and Governor of California. Most people would have stopped after just one of these achievements, but Arnold managed to fit all three into an incredibly successful career.

In the autobiography Total Recall, Arnold outlines his 10 principles which he lives by that have helped him on his path to such momentous achievements. Here’s a quick summary of his key points, although we recommend in investing in the full book as it’s a great read.

1. Never let pride get in your way

Arnold met with Muhammed Ali on a number of talk shows and once Ali challenged Arnold to shove him up against the wall if he could. Arnold thought that it was a setup, but went ahead and was able to push him against the wall despite Ali’s efforts to stop him. Ali’s response wasn’t negative and he didn’t make excuses. Instead he said “Wow, this weight-lifting stuff really works. Cool. That’s really cool.” Ali didn’t care about losing the macho pushing match, he just wanted to see if resistance training really worked and if it could help him.

2. Don’t overthink

If you are constantly thinking and stressing about things, it will eventually wear you down and cripple you. It can prevent you from making important decisions when the time comes.

Instead by letting the mind relax and thinking instinctively, when the time comes to make a critical decision you can do so with all of your energy. Knowledge is very important here, as if you have a good knowledge of an area you can safely make decisions quickly. A lack of knowledge will prevent you from making these quick decisions and can mean you miss an opportunity as a result.

3. Forget Plan B

Sometimes you have to take risks and operate without a safety net. Most people worry themselves sick about failing, and continually make fallback plans as a result.

Instead of making fallback plans, think about what is the worst that can happen if you do fail? Usually it is extremely minor, perhaps some humiliation for a day or so, but people forget and move on very quickly.

Arnold sets a standard for what real misery is. He visited the diamond mines in South Africa in the 1960s. The miners had to work in the dark 1,400 feet underground in 45 degree (110 F) heat, and were only paid a dollar a day. To top it off they were only allowed to go home to their families once a year! Think of this next time you think you have it bad.

4. You can use outrageous humour to settle a score

In 2009 at a large fund raising conference, Arnold, as Governor of California, dropped in and gave the host a big hug and smooch in front of everybody. This caused a huge stir, with half of the audience freaking out and half laughing. Then an assemblyman, Tom Ammiano stood up and yelled “Kiss my gay ass!”

A few weeks later Arnold received a bill in his inbox that Ammiano wanted to pass. Arnold instructed his team put together a nice veto message with a hidden message. The first letter of each line read downwards spelled out F**k You! Nobody noticed until a suggestion was leaked to the press, but when the press asked if it was intentional Arnold’s team said they had no idea.

A reporter claimed they gave the message to a mathematician who found the odds of the message being accidental were more than two billion to one. Arnold’s answer to that was, “Go back to the same expert and ask what the odds are for an Austrian farm boy to come to America and become the greatest bodybuilding champion of all time, to get in the movie business, marry a Kennedy, and then get elected governor of the biggest state of the United States.”

5. The day has twenty-four hours

When Arnold was giving a talk at a Californian University, a student complained saying, “since the budget crisis hit us, my tuition has gone up twice. Now it’s too high. I need more financial aid.” The student then followed on by saying “now I have to work part-time” and it was a problem as he had to study.

Arnold’s response was that there are twenty four hours, which you only spend 6 a day studying and commuting to and from your place of work. That leaves 17 hours free. Arnold even asked if the student had thought of taking more classes or working more!

The point here is that there is plenty of time to do everything you want to do, but only if you plan it out effectively and don’t waste it. If you sleep for 6 hours, and spend 6-8 hours working a day, then you still have 10-12 hours spare for dating, dancing, drinking and going out.

6. Reps, reps, reps

Arnold puts much of his success down to practice, or as he puts it, reps or mileage.

When he was training in Graz, Austria, in his teenage years he used to write out his workouts on the gym wall, putting marks for every set he was to perform. When he completed the set he would cross out the mark until all the sets were done.

This had a big impact on his motivation, giving the visual feedback he needed to mark an accomplishment. He transferred this to other areas of his life, writing out his goals so that they were set in stone and they could be ticked off when they were accomplished.

7. Don’t blame your parents

Arnold had a tough upbringing. His father had endured WWII and as a result was extremely strict, and regularly served out beatings as punishment. However, Arnold does not blame his father for this brutal upbringing as he believes it was the fault of the war, and even puts his success down to it. If his father was warmer would he have even left Austria?

Whatever your upbringing, your parents have probably done their best for you, but if they’ve left you with problems they’re now yours to solve. Instead of letting the problems get you down, turn the problems into motivation. Use them as fuel for success and rather than wasting time complaining, as complaining will not help the situation.

8. Change takes big balls

Mikhail Gorbachev, an ex-Russian leader, dismantled the USSR political system. Arnold admires Gorbachev’s courage to dismantle the flawed political system which he grew up under, despite being indoctrinated that communism was the solution to everything in his childhood. Gorbachev was working to perfect his country’s political system, and had to be open minded as he quickly realised the way they were going was unsustainable. He had to introduce revolutionary change and buck the trend of all the former leaders for the good of his country, despite fierce opposition. Arnold put Gorbachev’s success on the same level as Mandela’s, finishing by saying, “When given the power to shake the world, both of them chose to build rather than destroy.”

9. Take care of your body and your mind

The key point here is that in order to be successful and content you need to stimulate both your mind and body. If you are fit and strong, you should still expand your knowledge. Conversely, if you are naturally intelligent you cannot neglect your body.

Arnold though back to when he met world leaders and celebrities: Clint Eastwood, Dmitry Medvedev and the Pope. They all had one thing in common – they all worked out every day. It seems that there is a correlation between great achievement and stimulation of both the mind and body, so try to do both if you want to be successful.

10. Stay hungry

This is not in the literal sense of the term. What he means is that you must be hungry for success, hungry to make your mark and hungry to be seen, heard and to make a difference. In addition to this, as you become more successful you should also be hungry for helping others.

One of the key reasons Arnold has been so successful in so many different walks of life is because he has always stayed hungry. Once one goal has been achieved he sets new goals so he can keep moving forward. So many accomplished people just coast along riding the wave of success but do not strive to progress further. He finishes with a good point:

“You have plenty of time to rest when you’re in the grave. Live a risky life and a spicy life and like Eleanor Roosevelt said, every day do something that scares you.”

http://traineatgain.com/arnold-schwarzeneggers-10-keys-to-success/

Mindfulness for Athletes: The Secret to Better Game?

by Christine Yu on 6/10/2014

They say that in sports, 90 percent of performance is mental. Yet, we spend the majority of our time, effort and money on physical and technical training — including everything from gear and coaches to gym memberships and sports massages. All that leaves little time to focus on our mental game.

“There are only so many ways we can continue to get bigger, faster and stronger,” says Trevor Moawad, Vice President of Pro and Elite Sports at EXOS. Moawad is a leading Mental Conditioning Coach and has worked with top collegiate football programs like University of Alabama and Florida State as well as pro football teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars. “If you change the overall mental mindset, you can see results faster,” says Moawad.

While sports psychologists have been around for years, we’re talking about more than just game-like visualizations and positive affirmations. Increasingly, elite athletes and sports programs, from Super Bowl XLVIII champs, the Seattle Seahawks, to Olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, are incorporating mindfulness, meditation, yoga and other practices into their training regimen. By learning to stay focused on the present moment and strengthen the mind-body connection, these competitors aim to unlock a new edge on the competition — while feeling better in their own skin. But is mindfulness and mental training really the key to peak performance? 

The Mental Link

“When our brains get caught up in thoughts from the past…or thoughts of the future…it creates a stress response, and we can’t use the part of the brain that keeps us engaged in the moment,” says Dr. Kristen Race, Ph.D., founder of Mindful Life, author of Mindful Parenting, and expert on brain-based mindfulness solutions. This mental chatter can make it difficult to maintain perspective and focus. “If we’re too stressed about performance, we can’t make good decisions and solve problems and stay composed,” says Dr. Race.In any competitive situation, it’s only natural that your adrenaline starts to pump. Your heart beats faster. Your palms get sweaty. You feel butterflies in your stomach. But when you toe the line for a big race or you’re in the middle of a high-stakes game, are you able to stay connected with the present moment? Or, does your mind flood with thoughts of previous errors or jump ahead to future outcomes like a missed goal or a slow finish time?

Not only can our thoughts and internal dialogue create a stress response, it also impacts our behavior. “What we’re telling ourselves affects what we see, and what we see affects what we feel,” says Moawad. Recent studies by researchers at Coventry University and Staffordshire University found that increased stress and anxiety, including fear of failure, does affect athletic performance in competitive situations.

Photo: Pond5

Just Focus

“Mindfulness helps train the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that creates a calm and alert state of mind…and perform at our best.”

While some degree of stress is normal in athletics, we need a way to moderate that stress. We also need to be able to resist internal and external distractions —anxiety, fear, a loud crowd, or even a distracting teammate — so that we can make good decisions in the moment. While this field of research is still young, there have been some promising signs that mental training can help us short-circuit the body’s stress response and create a stronger mind-body connection.

One major study found that those who reported a greater sense of mindfulness were more likely to experience a higher state of flow (the feeling of being totally in the moment which has been linked to enhanced performance). These individuals also scored better in terms of control of attention and emotion, goal-setting and positive self-talk.

According to Dr. Race, “Mindfulness helps train the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that creates a calm and alert state of mind, which helps us stay focused, avoid distraction and perform at our best.” She says, “It’s one of the best ways to calm the stress response in the brain.” This allows us to notice our thoughts and emotions without getting attached to them. A recent study found that mindful meditation led to lower resting cortisol levels — the so-called “stress hormone.”

Through bringing out attention inward, we also activate the insular cortex of the brain. As a result, we experience a heightened sense of awareness of our body and improve the communication between the body and mind. According to Dr. Race, this helps us sense physiological changes, like a tense muscle or shallow breathing, and make split second adjustments even before we’re consciously aware of what’s going on (and before those factors have a chance to impact our performance).

While Dr. Race’s work looks at improving the mind-body connection and managing the thoughts and emotions that may arise during competition, Moawad makes sure that those negative thoughts don’t arise in the first place. He helps his athletes refine their internal communications and reduce the mental noise through powerful music, film and stories. He also employs specific exercises to develop the ability to tune out distractions, like a random number identification game where players have to find a specific number under different scenarios — with no noise, with someone watching, and with lots of crowd noise.

Photo: Pond5

Train Your Brain

There are a number of ways to train the mind to focus on the present moment and weed out distractions. “It’s like strengthening a muscle… The more we practice, the stronger we become,” says Dr. Race.

Whether you’re a big-time athlete, or just big on priming yourself for success, here are a few simple practices that can go a long way.

1. Mindful BreathingTake a few minutes a day (in the morning or before you engage in an athletic event or exercise) to pay attention to your breath, which can bring on a calm and clear state of mind. Physiologically, this can help to regulate your breathing if it becomes shallow. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and start to deepen your breath. Inhale fully and exhale completely. Focus on your breath entering and exiting your body. Start with five minutes and you can build up from there. 

2. Body Scan
Practice a body scan to help release tension, quiet the mind, and bring awareness to your body in a systematic way. Lie down on your back with your palms facing up and legs relaxed. Close your eyes. Start with your toes and notice how they feel. Are they tense? Are they warm or cold? Focus your attention here for a few breaths before moving on to the sole of your foot. Repeat the process as you travel from your foot to your ankle, calf, knee and thigh. Bring your attention to your right foot and repeat the process. Continue to move up your hips, lower back, stomach, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, neck and head — maintaining your focus on each body part and any sensations there. Breathe into any areas that are holding stress and try to release it. As you engage in this practice regularly, you will become more highly attuned to what’s happening in your body. You can spend a 10 minutes or longer doing a body scan. Guided body scans are also available.

3. Internal and External Messages
Pay attention to your internal dialogue as well as the stories you tell your family and friends, which can reflect — or even shape — your mental state more than you might think. That means no more, “I can’t run that far,” or “I hope I don’t miss the goal.” Notice your thoughts and emotions, but don’t judge them or become attached to them. “It’s OK to notice that the feelings are there, but it’s not OK to take that emotion with you into the next shot or next play,” says Dr. Race. Instead, let them go like a hot potato and speak in terms of what you want to achieve.

The research on the connection between mindfulness and mental training on athletic performance is still an emerging field, and there is plenty we don’t know about how the brain works. However, these practices can help lower stress levels, connect with the present moment, and create a more resilient mind. If that may lead to better performance, we’re game!

http://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/mindfulness-techniques-athletes/#.U6dM3vkxYWs.gmail

How Meditation Affects The Brain

May 16, 2014 | by Lisa Winter

photo credit: Nadir Hashmi

Humans have meditated for thousands of years, for religious purposes or just to quiet the mind. There are many meditation techniques but for the most part they can be lumped into two broad categories: non directive (mind wanders freely) and concentrative (suppresses random thoughts). Any differences in how the body responds to each type have not been well known prior to this study. A new study led by Svend Davanger from the University of Oslo has investigated what happens in the brain during meditation versus casual resting. The results were published in an open access format in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

Acem meditation came about in the 1960s in Norway as a non-religious technique that focuses on mentally repeating a word in order to relax the mind and body. Acem does not seek to reach any particular state of consciousness, but instead allows thoughts to come and go from the mind as they become absorbed by the mantra. 

The study used 14 participants who are experienced in Acem and they underwent functional MRI (fMRI) to measure brain activity during three different states: nondirective meditation, such as Acem which allows fleeting thoughts provided the mantra is repeated; open monitoring, which allows the person to experience whatever random thoughts come into their head; and focused attention, in which the person deliberately tries to prevent random thoughts and focuses solely on their breathing. 

The ability to reduce the number of times the mind wanders during focused attention exercise has been heralded as a benefit of long-term experience with meditation. That assertion typically comes from those who self-report the amount of time they are on task, and not from studies that have actually tracked the amount of time the person meditating is able to focus thoughts. This study found that when the participants were asked to push a button and track when they were no longer thinking about their breath, the more experienced meditators didn’t really have much of an advantage over those that were newer to it. During the 20 minutes it took to complete the fMRI, the participants pressed their buttons about once every 80 seconds.

The results found that activity was significantly increased in the areas of the brain associated with emotions and memories during the non directive meditation, compared to the focused meditation. This was an unexpected result, as the it was assumed that actively concentrating would have increased brain activity.

"I was surprised that the activity of the brain was greatest when the person's thoughts wandered freely on their own, rather than when the brain worked to be more strongly focused," said lead author Jian Xu in a press release. "When the subjects stopped doing a specific task and were not really doing anything special, there was an increase in activity in the area of the brain where we process thoughts and feelings. It is described as a kind of resting network. And it was this area that was most active during nondirective meditation.”

"Meditation is an activity that is practiced by millions of people. It is important that we find out how this really works,” Davanger said. “In recent years there has been a sharp increase in international research on meditation. Several universities in the US spend a great deal of money to research in the field. So I think it is important that we are also active.”

The left images show the brain during concentrative meditation, while images to the right show the brain during nondirective meditation. Credit: Norwegian University of

Read more at http://www.iflscience.com/brain/how-meditation-affects-brain#VtOX8gKOpmqFmjeK.99

Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity

You know exercise is good for you, but do you know how good? From boosting your mood to improving your sex life, find out how exercise can improve your life.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. And the benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to exercise? Check out these seven ways exercise can improve your life.

No. 1: Exercise controls weight

Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. You don't need to set aside large chunks of time for exercise to reap weight-loss benefits. If you can't do an actual workout, get more active throughout the day in simple ways — by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or revving up your household chores.

No. 2: Exercise combats health conditions and diseases

Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent high blood pressure? No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls.

No. 3: Exercise improves mood

Need an emotional lift? Or need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.

No. 4: Exercise boosts energy

Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores.

No. 5: Exercise promotes better sleep

Struggling to fall asleep? Or to stay asleep? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. Just don't exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energized to fall asleep.

No. 6: Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life

Do you feel too tired or too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. But there's more to it than that. Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women. And men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise.

No. 7: Exercise can be fun

Exercise and physical activity can be a fun way to spend some time. It gives you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply engage in activities that make you happy. Physical activity can also help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting. So, take a dance class, hit the hiking trails or join a soccer team. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. If you get bored, try something new.

The bottom line on exercise

Exercise and physical activity are a great way to feel better, gain health benefits and have fun. As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you haven't exercised for a long time, have chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes or arthritis, or you have any concerns.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389

Focus Better With These Simple Tips

Focus Better With These Simple Tips

by Sammy Nickalls 

Do you want to focus better throughout your day?

If so, you’re not alone. It’s common to struggle with keeping alert and concentrated. In such a fast-paced world, it can be hard to focus on the task at hand when you have a million things running through your mind. Being productive can be difficult when your concentration is continuously broken.

However, there are tips you can try to focus better and make yourself the most productive you can be.

Focus Better With These 5 Tips

1. Turn off your phone

Are you really going to be focused on your work if your phone is constantly making noise?

Even if you’re completely concentrated on the task at hand, text notifications and tweets will break that concentration. Turn off or silence your phone when you’re working on a task so you can focus on what’s in front of you—and if you’re really worried about missing something important, allow yourself to have a brief phone break every half hour or so.

2. Figure out your ideal environment

Many people think that being alone in a completely silent room will help everyone focus, but that’s not necessarily true. Maybe that works for some, but you may focus better when you are surrounded by people, or if you have the right music playing.

Silence can be more distracting than loud noise, depending on who you are and how you work. Figure out what environment works best for you.

3. Avoid multitasking

Have a lot of tasks to do? Don’t try to focus on them all at once.

According to one study, the brain can only handle two complex tasks at a time—try to add a third, and performance will deteriorate. You might have a million things on your plate, so it might be tempting to try juggling them all.

Instead, try writing down all of your tasks in one cohesive to-do list, organized by priority—and only focus on one at a time. Besides, crossing something off a list is just so satisfying!

4. Have some coffee—but not too much

Feeling a bit weary? It’s hard to keep focused

on the task at hand if you are falling asleep! Try drinking a bit of coffee for a boost. Just be sure to drink it in moderation; having a whole pot may backfire, but a cup of coffee can give you a little jump start and help you focus better, all while giving you something tasty to sip on.

5. Don’t skip breakfast

       

You might be really busy in the morning, and it might be tempting to skip breakfast—especially if you don’t feel terribly hungry after waking up. However, it will hurt you in the long run.

One study found that skipping breakfast may interfere with cognition. If you want to focus better and be at the top of your game, make sure to eat a hearty breakfast full of fibre & protein.

Find yourself continually running late, which prevents you from eating breakfast? Keep a stash of fruit or nuts in your car, or make some easy on-the-go breakfast the night before.

The Takeaway

When there are a million things to think about, it can be hard to stay concentrated and alert. However, there are simple ways for you to focus better than you have been. By turning off your phone (and allowing yourself phone breaks, if necessary), figuring out your ideal environment, completing one task at a time, having (some) coffee, and eating a hearty breakfast, you can keep your focus razor sharp and be the most productive you can be.

***************************

Sammy Nickalls

http://inspiyr.com/focus-better/