A lesson I’ve learned is that people make time for what is important to them.
Too many people lie to themselves when they say, “I don’t have time to work toward my real purpose in life.” Then they make choices every day on what seems important for them to focus on.
For example, the average person spends two hours a day on social media. Adding those two hours up means that person spends 60 hours on social media sites monthly. Now multiply 60 hours by 12 months and you have 720 hours, which equals 30 full days. This means the average person spends 30 days a year watching other people’s lives on social media.
Those 30 days a year would do a lot toward you reaching your dream goal. With those two hours a day, you could learn a new language, start work on that nonprofit you’ve been talking about or find funding to launch your dream business. There is so much you could achieve if you prioritized your time.
You don’t spend time on social media — how about watching sports?
Now I’m a big-time Alabama football fan (Roll Tide) but consider each game is four hours long. That means each month during football season, I’ve spent a minimum of 16 hours watching two teams living out their dreams. Well, what if I spent 16 hours working on my own dreams? What if I chose instead to spend 16 hours reading, studying or practicing my speeches, etc. How much closer to my dream would I be?
Do you see what I’m saying? When you look at your life and you aren’t where you want to be or you feel trapped, don’t look at your environment. Look in the mirror. You are the problem, and you are the solution.
You must make the decision that you are going to prioritize your goals, make a plan and then work that plan.
You have more than enough time to achieve the life you want, more than enough time to get on a path toward greatness. But you have to prioritize yourself and do the work.
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This article was written by Duncan Kirkwood, a bestselling author, veteran and global resilience advocate. He served in the Army National Guard as a master resilience trainer and now trains everyday people to become more resilient, present and purpose-driven. The article was originally published on The Virginian-Pilot.
Det er proppfullt av antioksidanter og gunstige næringsstoffer som kan forbedre helsen din.
Studiene viser at kaffedrikkere har en mye lavere risiko for flere alvorlige sykdommer.
Her er de 9 beste helsemessige fordelene av kaffe, som har blitt bekreftet i vitenskapelige menneskelige studier.
1. Kaffe kan forbedre energinivåene og gjøre deg smartere
Kaffe kan hjelpe folk til å føle seg mindre slitne og øke energinivået.
Dette skyldes at det inneholder en stimulant som kalles koffein, som faktisk er den vanligste konsumerte psykoaktive substansen i verden.
Etter at du drikker kaffe, blir koffein absorbert i blodet. Derfra reiser den inn i hjernen.
I hjernen blokkerer koffein en hemmende neurotransmitter kalt adenosin.
Når det skjer, øker mengden av andre nevrotransmittere som norepinefrin og dopamin, noe som fører til økt utslipp av nevroner.
Mange kontrollerte studier hos mennesker viser at kaffe forbedrer ulike aspekter av hjernefunksjonen. Dette inkluderer minne, sinnsstemning, årvåkenhet, energinivå, reaksjonstid og generell kognitiv funksjon.
2. Kaffe kan hjelpe til med fettforbrenningen
Visste du at koffein er funnet i nesten alle kommersielle kosttilskudd for fettforbrenning?
Dette er det en god grunn til – koffein er nemlig en av de få naturlige stoffene som faktisk har vist seg å hjelpe til med fettforbrenningen.
Flere studier viser at koffein kan øke stoffskiftet med 3-11%.
Det foreligger imidlertid en mulighet for at disse effektene vil redusere for langsiktige kaffedrikkere.
3. Koffein kan forbedre fysisk ytelse
Koffein stimulerer nervesystemet, som fører til at det sender signaler til fettcellene for å bryte ned kroppsfett.
Men koffein øker også epinefrin (adrenalin) i blodet.
Dette er “fight or flight” hormonet, som er designet for å gjøre kroppen vår klar for intens fysisk anstrengelse.
Koffein gjør at fettcellene bryter ned kroppsfett, frigjør dem i blodet som frie fettsyrer og gjør dem tilgjengelige som drivstoff.
Gitt disse effektene, er det ikke overraskende å se at koffein kan forbedre fysisk ytelse med 11-12%, i gjennomsnitt.
På grunn av dette kan det være en god idé å innta en sterk kopp kaffe en halv time før du går på trening.
4. Kaffe inneholder essensielle næringsstoffer
Kaffe er veldig mye mer enn bare svart vann. Mange av næringsstoffene man finner i kaffebønner blir også med videre i den ferdige drikken.
En enkelt kopp kaffe inneholder:
Riboflavin (vitamin B2): 11% av RDA.
Pantotensyre (Vitamin B5): 6% av RDA.
Mangan og kalium: 3% av RDA.
Magnesium og Niacin (B3): 2% av RDA.
Selv om dette ikke virker som særlig mye, drikker de fleste mennesker mer enn en kopp per dag. Hvis du drikker 3-4 kopper med kaffe om dagen, blir det fort en del mer.
5. Kaffe kan bekjempe depresjon og gjøre deg lykkeligere
Depresjon er en alvorlig psykisk lidelse som gir en betydelig redusert livskvalitet.
Det er utrolig vanlig, og ca. 4,1% av befolkningen i USA oppfyller for øyeblikket kriteriene for klinisk depresjon.
I en Harvard-studie publisert i 2011 hadde kvinner som drakk 4 eller flere kopper per dag en 20% lavere risiko for å bli deprimert.
Samtidig fant en annen studie, med 208.424 individer, ut at de som drakk 4 eller flere kopper per dag, var 53% mindre tilbøyelige til å begå selvmord.
6. Kaffe kan minske risikoen for å utvikle diabetes type 2
Diabetes type 2 er et gigantisk helseproblem, som for øyeblikket rammer rundt 300 millioner mennesker verden over.
Den er preget av forhøyede blodsukkernivåer i sammenheng med insulinresistens eller manglende evne til å utskille insulin.
Av en eller annen grunn har kaffedrikkere en betydelig redusert risiko for å utvikle type 2 diabetes.
Studier viser at de som drikker mest kaffe har en 23-50% lavere risiko for å utvikle denne sykdommen, hvorav en studie som viser en reduksjon på så høy som 67%.
Ifølge en massiv gjennomgang som så på data fra 18 studier med totalt 457 922 individer, var hver daglige kopp kaffe forbundet med en 7% redusert risiko for å utvikle type 2 diabetes.
7. Kaffedrikkere har lavere risiko for å utvikle visse typer kreft
Kreft er en av verdens ledende dødsårsaker og er preget av ukontrollert vekst av celler i kroppen.
Kaffe ser ut til å være beskyttende mot to typer kreft – nemlig leverkreft og kolorektal kreft, altså kreft i tykk- og endetarm.
Leverkreft er den tredje ledende årsaken til kreftdød i verden, mens kolorektal kreft ligger som nummer fire.
Studier viser at kaffedrikker har opptil 40% lavere risiko for leverkreft.
En studie av 489.706 individer fant ut at de som drakk 4-5 kopper kaffe per dag, hadde en 15% lavere risiko for å utvikle kolorektal kreft.
8. Kaffe kan gi deg et lengre liv
Gitt at kaffedrikkere har mindre risiko for å utvikle mange mange ulike sykdommer, er det fornuftig at kaffe også kan hjelpe deg med å leve lenger.
Det er faktisk flere observasjonsstudier som viser at kaffedrikker har lavere risiko for død.
I to svært store studier var kaffedrikking forbundet med en 20% lavere dødsrisiko hos menn og en 26% lavere dødsrisiko hos kvinner over en periode på 18-24 år.
Denne effekten ser ut til å være særlig sterk hos type 2 diabetikere. I en studie hadde diabetikere som drakk kaffe, en 30% lavere dødsrisiko i løpet av en 20-års studieperiode.
9. Kaffe er for mange den største kilden til antioksidanter
For folk som spiser en vanlig vestlig diett, kan kaffe faktisk være det sunneste aspektet ved dietten.
Det er fordi kaffe inneholder en massiv mengde antioksidanter.
Studier viser faktisk at folk flest får mer antioksidanter fra kaffe enn de får fra både frukt og grønnsaker kombinert.
Det er altså ingen tvil – kaffe er en av de sunneste drikkene på planeten.
Innlegget er skrevet av flinkeste Sunniva. Du kan lese mer om temaet og bloggen hennes her
In life and work, success begins with a goal. It could be losing weight, asking for a raise, quitting smoking or starting your own business. Big or small, goals give us purpose and, like a compass, keep us headed in the right direction. Of course, it then takes lots of hard work and determination to reach your destination.
Writing over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle described the process this way: “First, have a definite, clear, practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends: wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end.”
Unfortunately, many of us remain stuck at the goal stage. We start out with good intentions and perhaps a plan, but then we can’t seem to make it happen.
There are countless reasons that this occurs — busyness, impatience, fear and negative social pressures are some of the usual culprits — so how do we respond to these challenges and move in the direction of our goal?
Seeing Is Believing
Before we can believe in a goal, we first must have an idea of what it looks like. To paraphrase the old adage: we must see it before we can believe it.
This is where visualization comes in, which is simply a technique for creating a mental image of a future event. When we visualize our desired outcome, we begin to “see” the possibility of achieving it. Through visualization, we catch a glimpse of what is, in the words of one writer, our “preferred future.” When this happens, we are motivated and prepared to pursue our goal.
Visualization should not be confused with the “think it and you will be it” advice peddled by popular self-help gurus. It is not a gimmick, nor does it involve dreaming or hoping for a better future. Rather, visualization is a well-developed method of performance improvement supported by substantial scientific evidence and used by successful people across a range of fields.
Take athletes, for example. Studies show that visualization increases athletic performance by improving motivation, coordination and concentration. It also aids in relaxation and helps reduce fear and anxiety. In the words of one researcher, “visualization helps the athlete just do it and do it with confidence, poise, and perfection.”
Former NBA great Jerry West is a great example of how this works. Known for hitting shots at the buzzer, he acquired the nickname “Mr. Clutch.” When asked what accounted for his ability to make the big shots, West explained that he had rehearsed making those same shots countless times in his mind. Other sports legends like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Tiger Woods and pitcher Roy Halladay have also used visualization to improve their performance and achieve their personal best.
Why Visualization Works
According to research using brain imagery, visualization works because neurons in our brains, those electrically excitable cells that transmit information, interpret imagery as equivalent to a real-life action. When we visualize an act, the brain generates an impulse that tells our neurons to “perform” the movement. This creates a new neural pathway — clusters of cells in our brain that work together to create memories or learned behaviors — that primes our body to act in a way consistent to what we imagined. All of this occurs without actually performing the physical activity, yet it achieves a similar result.
Putting It All Together
Remember, you don’t have to be an elite athlete to benefit from visualization. Whether you’re a student, businessperson, parent or spouse, visualization will keep you tethered to your goal and increase your chances of achieving it. The power of visualization is available to all people.
There are two types of visualization, each of which serves a distinct purpose, but for greatest effect, they should be used together. The first method is outcome visualization and involves envisioning yourself achieving your goal. To do this, create a detailed mental image of the desired outcome using all of your senses.
For example, if your goal is to run your first marathon, visualize yourself crossing the finish line in the time you desire. Hold that mental image as long as possible. What does it feel like to pass under the finishing banner, looking at your watch, the cool air on your overheated body? Who is there to greet you as you finish? Your family? Friends? Other runners? Imagine the excitement, satisfaction, and thrill you will experience as you walk off the lactic acid and fall exhausted into their arms.
Some people find it useful to write their goal down, and then, in as much detail as possible, translate it into a visual representation. It could be a hand-drawn picture, a photograph or a diagram. The media doesn’t matter, just as long as it helps you create a vivid mental image and stay motivated.
The second type of visualization is process visualization. It involves envisioning each of the actions necessary to achieve the outcome you want. Focus on completing each of the steps you need to achieve your goal, but not on the overall goal itself.
Back to the marathon example: Before the race, visualize yourself running well — legs pumping like pistons, arms relaxed, breathing controlled. In your mind, break the course into sections and visualize how you will run each part, thinking about your pace, gait and split time. Imagine what it will feel like when you hit “the wall,” that point in the race where your body wants to stop, and more importantly, what you must do to break through it.
You may never run a marathon. However, you can use the same principles to achieve any goal — create a vivid mental picture of yourself succeeding, envision what you must do during each step of the process and, like a runner pushing through “the wall,” use positive mental imagery to stay focused and motivated when you experience obstacles or setbacks.
Visualization does not guarantee success. It also does not replace hard work and practice. But when combined with diligent effort (and, I would add, a strong support network), it is a powerful way to achieve positive, behavioral change and create the life you desire.
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This article was written by Frank Niles, Ph.D., social scientist, adventure athlete, life and business strategist.
