By now, the world has warmed to the idea of meditation. People no longer roll their eyes and mutter under their breath when they hear that so-and-so has started up guided meditation. The facts leave no doubt: meditation really works.
And in today’s world of fast-paced corporate life, social jet-setting and tech gadget infatuations, we can no longer deny that meditation has a certain charm. Our lives are becoming increasingly stressful, to the point where our adrenals are exhausted. Our bodies are beset with anxiety and fatigue. Meditation provides calm in the eye of the storm, and everyone can benefit from a little of that every now and then.
Meditation’s most obvious benefit is stress relief. Guided meditation forces the mind to release its hold on nagging everyday worries and focus on a single point. That point allows the mind to finally relax. It releases all that tension and constant planning to focus on the now.
Meditation’s effect on the body is almost instantaneous. With the brain no longer sending fight or flight signals to your adrenal glands, they discontinue producing adrenaline and cortisol. Finally, after constant hours slaving away over a hot stove, producing the hormones they think the body needs to stay alive, they can take a much-needed nap.
As the adrenaline gradually exits from your veins, you find yourself almost miraculously free of stress, feeling calmer, more relaxed and more focused. Your body is no longer in stress-response mode. You finally feel like yourself again.
The scientific community agrees. A study from Texas Tech University quantitatively demonstrated that mindfulness meditation significantly lowered anxiety in test subjects. Another meta-analysis examined a range of different mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) techniques and found much the same thing. The study concluded that “these results suggest that MBSR may help a broad range of individuals to cope with their clinical and nonclinical problems.”
Sounds pretty good, right? Happily, it doesn’t stop there. Meditation can provide an impressive array of benefits, both to your mind and your body. Many of these benefits may even come as a surprise, or at least have you muttering “huh!” and raising your eyebrows. Here are 11 such benefits, and what they mean for your health and wellness.
Let’s kick things off with a bit of a strange one. It turns out that sitting around breathing deeply and looking inward may not just be a workout for the mind. When we’re stressed, our adrenals produce an excess of cortisol. Chronically high cortisol levels contribute to accumulation of fat around the stomach and other areas over time. Meditation helps to lower cortisol levels, thereby decreasing your risk of putting on hormone-related belly fat.
Not only that, studies show that mindfulness meditation can reduce your risk of binge eating. People who are stressed often have a strong tendency to overeat or turn to “emotional eating” as a way of cheering themselves up. If you’re in the process of dieting and trying to address this issue, meditation may be the answer.
Daily meditation can help you sleep better. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback examined the effects of Kriya yoga (a form of meditative exercise) on people suffering from chronic insomnia. The study found that total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep quality and depression all improved in patients who used meditation. And with better sleep, comes better health, faster weight loss and improved brain function.
The human mind has a tendency to dwell on past events or frantically plan for the future. With your mind always elsewhere, you may find yourself growing further and further away from those you love. It can be frustrating and difficult trying to part with your ever-present regrets and worries for just a moment so that you can pay attention to your family and friends.
Daily guided meditation can help you to live in the present moment. It can als help you focus more on the people and places around you. You’ll find a greater connection with those you love. You’ll also develop more wholesome relationships with the people in your life.
Meditation can help you work better and get more productivity out of your day. A study which examined the relationship between “Transcendental Meditation®” and productivity at work found that meditation made a huge difference. Study participants who used meditation reported increased job satisfaction, better performance and better relationships with supervisors and co-workers.
So next time you’ve got a tight deadline and are struggling to find the motivation, consider popping down to the park for 10 minutes for some guided meditation!
If you’re naturally skeptical about the quantitative benefits of meditation on the mind and body, this one’s for you. Researchers at Harvard Medical School examined the impact of meditation on the brain. They used MRI scans over the course of eight weeks. The results showed that while the control group experienced no changes in brain activity, the group subjected to regular meditation had a dramatic increase in their brain’s gray matter.
Gray matter is a major component of the central nervous system. It is found in areas of the brain which control muscle function, sight, hearing, memory, emotion and speech. So yeah, it’s kind of a big deal! Not only that, the study found that “brain analyses identified increases in the posterior cingulate cortex, the temporoparietal junction, and the cerebellum in the MBSR group compared with the controls.” In plain English, meditation literally makes your brain bigger.
If you’re like me and positively loathe getting up early in the morning, it may be a good idea to take up meditation. Meditating for just a few minutes when you first wake up can help clear your mind and get you energized for the day ahead. It can help you to focus your mind on the tasks ahead, relax any anxieties you might have about the day, and shake off that sleepiness which never seems to go away.
Researchers have documented the positive effects of meditation on depression and anxiety many times. Experts think that this positive effect on mood comes from meditation’s ability of help people think of more creative solutions to problems, rather than feeling stuck or helpless. For example, a 2012 study demonstrated that those who practice Buddhist meditation have far greater mental flexibility than those who don’t. This enables them to maintain a more positive outlook on life and more effective at solving problems.
Perhaps the most surprising benefit of all is that meditation can dramatically improve your sex life! Firstly, meditation alleviates stress, which as we know lowers cortisol. Because elevated cortisol is associated with lowered libido and propensity for orgasm, the more you meditate, the more you’ll enjoy sex!
Next, meditation gives you more energy. And that energy doesn’t just have to be used up going for a run or working more productively; it can also be applied between the sheets! Finally, it improves your focus and ability to live in the present moment. This is absolutely essential for relating to your partner and really getting into your next bout of intercourse.
Shadow(s), by MwsR
In the dark lurks a shadow
It is not cordial to say the least.
It will rob you of your peace and mind
And slowly on them it will feast.
Light does not come close to touching it
It will sneak and hide away,
It always returns,
Especially at the end of the day.
No circumstance will help you
No help you will find
When in the shadows it waits
One day or another time.
You need to come to terms with it
Deal with it in your own way
Don’t try to ignore it
It will never go away.
WE all have those shadows
In real life that manifest
If left undealt with they will grow
Slowly your hope they will ingest.
Sadly, this is the world we all live in. On the news, in our cars on the radios. watched on our televisions, and streamed on our devices, this is what we see and hear.
I was curious at the statistics of the shootings for this year, so I looked them up.
I converted them to an Excel document, click on the link to see…
Here is what I found, 55 times a mass shooting has occurred
trea·cle[ˈtrēk(ə)l]NOUN
treacles (plural noun) BRITISHa
thick, sticky dark syrup made from partly refined sugar; molasses. cloying sentimentality or flattery.” enough of this treacle—let’s get back to business
“ORIGIN”
Middle English (originally denoting an antidote against venom): from Old French triacle, via Latin from Greek thēriakē ‘antidote against venom’, feminine of thēriakos (adjective), from thērion ‘wild beast British
Current senses date from the late 17th century.
As obesity rates continue to rise, so do trendy diets. Often targeting your metabolism, these diets can be anything but beneficial. More often than not, they’re actually a waste of money and if anything, frustrate people to the point that they give up.
As you alter your lifestyle, learn to work with your metabolism. Trust me, it will be your biggest supporter — and even act as your own personal trainer.
What’s up with my metabolism?
You likely know at least one person who can literally eat whatever they want and never gain a pound. What’s that all about? Why is that some people struggle with their weight for decades, while others never have to worry about their waistline?
Although there are a number of environmental and genetic variables involved, a core contributing factor is one’s metabolism. More specifically, your metabolic rate. It is not fully understood why metabolism varies between people, but some potential explanations include a person’s gender, age and genetics. The amount of lean muscle mass you have on your body is also believed to play a key role.
Involving many chemical processes, your metabolism is much more than a mechanism you can tweak. It is required to sustain life, as these processes occur in each and every call. Helping you turn the food you eat into usable fuel, your resting metabolism is what accounts for most of the energy you burn.
In terms of your weight, the faster your resting metabolism, the more calories you’ll burn. Although your resting metabolic rate will vary in comparison to others, for most people, their resting or “basal” metabolic rate accounts for around 60 to 80 percent of total energy expenditure.
How to optimize your metabolism to maintain a healthy weight
Many experts agree that it’s challenging to “boost” your metabolism. However, it’s certainly not impossible. Before we get into what you should do, let’s touch on something you should definitely, 100 percent not do: crash diet. When you begin a drastic diet plan, specifically a crash diet, you significantly impact your resting metabolism.
As stated in a recent study, published in Eating Behaviors, after studying 4,900 participants (between the ages of 24 and 34), regular eating and a history of no dieting was associated with successful weight management. It was concluded that dieting can actually lead to more weight gain as you get older.
So, starving your body of food is out. Instead, here’s what you should do.
1. Build more lean muscle mass and switch things up
It’s well understood that muscle cells require more energy than fat cells. That is why people who have more muscle tend to have a faster working metabolism. Although you should focus on resistance training, experts agree that the most beneficial workouts are those that mix things up with intervals.
If you are aiming to lose weight, start to incorporate sprints into your routine. One study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, found that women who incorporated sprints into their cardio workout lost three times as much body fat compared to those who kept a steady pace. This included core and thigh fat. It is believed that bursts of speed (which is easy to accomplish on a stationary bike) can stimulate a greater fat-burning response.
To help maintain lean muscle mass, you should also consume more nutrient-dense protein sources.
2. Drink more water
Some studies suggest that as many as 75 percent of Americans do not drink enough water — yikes!
Researchers from the University of Utah found that when people drank eight to 12 eight-ounce glasses of water daily, they showcased higher metabolic rates than those who drank four. They reported that “When you dehydrate three percent of your body weight, this results in a two-percent decline in your ability to burn calories.
Once you feel thirsty, your body has already lost two to three percent of your weight due to a lack of hydration. It is also important to note that those who drank more water also experienced more energy and higher levels of concentration.
3. Drink green tea
Green tea can help you meet your hydration needs while boosting your metabolism. It is ECGC, an active plant compound that promotes the burning of fat. Not only can this tasty drink boost your metabolism, but researchers found that drinking four cups of green tea daily led to a significant reduction in weight and systolic blood pressure.
4. Don’t skimp on sleep
A lack of sleep will not only affect your mood and ability to focus but will also negatively impact your metabolism. Poor sleep patterns can result in an imbalance of key hormones, including ghrelin and leptin. Since these hormones regulate your appetite and energy use, be sure to get a minimum of 7.5 hours of rest each night. Those who sleep less have also been shown to have a higher body mass index.
5. Choose organic
Giving you another reason to ditch pesticides, researchers found that dieters who showcased the highest levels of organochloride pesticides experienced impaired mitochondrial and thyroid function. This would directly impact your metabolism. If you want to take your metabolism-boosting diet even further, consume more chili peppers, lentils, dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds and cinnamon.
When it comes to your metabolism, there is no overnight solution. If you are aiming to achieve a healthier weight, there’s no substitute for a balanced, active lifestyle. To guide you along your journey, please feel to read: Proven Lifestyle Changes To Effectively Lose Weight And Keep It Off.
https://www.thealternativedaily.com/how-to-speed-up-your-metabolism-naturally/— Krista Hillis
Mws R Writings 