Time for a Personal Mid-Year Review: This Is How! (What We Can Learn From Business)

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." -- Søren Kierkegaard

This week, the first companies announced their half-year results for 2013. Referring to the goals they had set themselves at the beginning of the year, they took a moment to reflect on their performance to date, in order to make adjustments where necessary, for the rest of the year.

Although this mid-year review in business is mainly driven by the capitalist system we live in, it is a very wise thing to do because growth can only come from understanding, and understanding always comes from reflecting on what has happened; it can indeed, like Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard said: "only be understood backwards."

So, if we wish to keep growing and developing in the right direction ourselves, and if we wish to achieve the goals we had set ourselves in our New Year's resolutions, writing a personal mid-year review is a great tool to do so!

This is how!

1. Write down the goals you had set yourself at the beginning of the year.
It is good to "categorize" your goals. For example: health, family/social life, work, the balance between the both, personal development and living sustainable.

2. Write down how you have "performed" in these categories.
Next to each goal, simply write down whether you have already succeeded or if you still need to work on it.

3. For each category, write down one or two of the biggest "challenges" you have had as well as one or two things that helped you to do really well.
This helps you to determine what "qualities" you can deploy to achieve the goals that are still on the "to do" list.

4. Are there any new goals you would like to set for yourself?
In the category "health" and "family life" I have added for example: "Making more home-cooked meals." In the category "personal development," I have added: "Being more patient" and "enroll in a course." And in the category "living sustainable," "don't keep the water running when I don't use it."

5. Write down in maximum two sentences how you wish to achieve the goals that are "open" on your list.
Limiting yourself to maximum two sentences will help you to get right to the point!

6. Write yourself and others a wish to succeed!
It is so very important to send yourself and others the strength to accomplish what you and they have wished for; it opens your heart to yourself and others, and this is in the end the key to whatever growth you wish for.

Having said that, there is also no other way for me to end this blog then by sending a wish myself: "May I, and all of you, be able to find the strength, wisdom and determination to overcome all challenges and to reach the goals that have been set!" Cheers to "live life forward!"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/merel-bakker/mid-year-review_b_3354601.html

Ten Top Personal Development Tips

Personal development is a very broad topic and can encompass anything that involves your growth as a person. It means following a course of continual growth and striving to reach your full potential. When you become a little better in some way than you were the day prior, your life and your circumstances will continuously improve. Personal development is typically achieved by first looking within oneself, altering your thinking, and ultimately changing your behavior as a result.

Since each of us is a unique individual our paths will vary. That having been said, below you will find 10 of the most helpful suggestions for improving one's self. Enjoy the journey!

1. Don't Let Anything Stop You
Never quit, never give up. Throughout your journey, there will be ups and downs. It is a given that there will be slow points and setbacks. These things will occur. In those moments of doubt or despair, DO NOT GIVE UP. Know in your heart that no matter how difficult things may become, no matter how low you may feel, ultimately there is nothing that will stop you. Life can throw whatever it wants at you and you will not quit, you will not falter until you win.

Keep in mind that personal development is a lifelong journey. There is no ending. It's all about the experiences and lessons learned.

So since there really is no finish line, make sure you enjoy the ride!

2. Follow Your Passion
Do what makes you happy. This is something that we have very, very backwards. Most of us chase money. While money is certainly not a bad thing, money by itself does not bring joy. Money can buy stuff. Stuff can provide temporary fun. But stuff doesn't bring true joy.

Follow your heart. Do what you love. The amazing thing about this is that when you do something that you're passionate about, you'll be successful at it. You'll put it tons of hard work and many, many extra hours and it will never feel like "work" because you're having fun. And as a result, the money will follow.


3. Challenge Yourself

Your goals should be just out of reach. Always challenge yourself. Growth comes as a result of adversity. If everything were easy, we would never change or grow. Your goals should not be impossible, but they should be challenging. Push yourself beyond what you perceive to be your current limitations. Explore new territory. Try out different things that you've never done before. Do something that you're afraid of.

Greatness comes as a result of having to dig deep and discover something that you didn't realize you already had inside of you.


4. Conquer Yourself

The only true obstacles in life are self-imposed. We will always have unforeseen things occur. Roadblocks will come up from time to time. You'll be right on the verge of accomplishing something only to have the rug yanked out from under you at the last moment. Murphy's Law strikes again.

While we cannot always control what happens to us, the one thing we can control is how we react to it. The only true obstacles we have in life are self-imposed. Our true obstacles lie within. If you can conquer yourself, nothing can stop you. As the saying goes, whether you think you can or you can't--you're right


5. Visualize Your Goals
Picture yourself where you want to be. As author Rhonda Byrne taught us in the best selling book "The Secret", what you intend will come to be.

Discover your true intention and make certain your goals are in alignment. Picture yourself achieving this goal. Close your eyes and imagine how it feels to accomplish this goal. Truly allow yourself to experience the emotions associated with the experience. Feel as though it has already happened.

Go through this visualization process daily until your goal has been achieved. Many successful people believe in the power of visualization and have used it throughout their lives to achieve great things.


6. Personal Responsibility
Avoid the blame game. This may seem counter-intuitive, but accept fault for everything that goes wrong in your life. No, that's not a typo. As hard as this may be to face, the reality is YOU are responsible for where you currently are in life. You have created your circumstances. Your choices and actions have gotten you to where you are today.

There is a great freedom that comes as a result of accepting personal responsibility. As soon as you stop blaming others, you are no longer a victim. You're free to change things in your life for the better. Once you come to the realization that you are where you are as a result of your decisions, this puts you in the driver's seat for the future.


7. Be a Student of Change
Embrace change. 

Our world is constantly evolving and today at a much more rapid pace than in the past. Change is difficult. It's easier to find a comfort zone and stay there. The problem with this, however, is that the world is going to keep moving forward without you.

Things are changing, regardless of how you feel about it. By becoming a student of change, you'll be able to adapt and stay ahead of the curve. Besides, change is good. If it weren't for change, I'd be sitting in a cave right now. So learn to welcome change. In today's fast paced world, it's the only constant.


8. Read, Read, Read
Learn from others. You know the best way to become successful? Do what successful people do. While making mistakes is not something to be avoided (this is how we learn), you can certainly speed up your self development process by reading about the mistakes others have made and learn the lessons therein.

Make it your personal goal to read at least a book per month. I recommend reading anything written by Seth Godin or Robert Kiyosaki. For a list of further recommended reading books to help open your mind, click here:


9. Make It Manageable
Break big tasks down into small steps. Sometimes large goals or projects can seem unattainable. For example, "repair my credit" may seem like a daunting task. Where would you even begin?

Take large items on your to do list and break them down into small, manageable steps. Using the example above, on Monday take out your credit report and highlight all errors that need to be addressed. On Tuesday contact each creditor and ask that the item be fixed/removed. On Wednesday set up automated payments for your bills so that you develop prompt payment history. And the list goes on.

Take it one step at a time and suddenly that giant mountain doesn't seem so imposing.


10. Sense of Urgency - Avoid Procrastination at All Costs!

Start TODAY! There is no such thing as the perfect time. The amazing thing is that 100% of people that begin something NOW all get started. Those that wait until tomorrow? Not so much.

For whatever reason, the longer we wait the less likely we will take action. It's just human nature. As time passes, things tend to lose importance in our minds. Sense of urgency will help you get things accomplished, and get them accomplished in a timely fashion.

If it's important, do it now. While the first step is always the most difficult, every step afterwards becomes progressively easier.

http://www.squidoo.com/personal-and-professional-development

How Optimism Moves The World Forward

Life is not simple. However, we are often told that it is. Modern consumerism offers a quick solution for every inconvenience. An increasing stream of gurus have profited from the claim that life can be, and should be, an effortless affair.

The misconception that life is simple seems to have made us less of a match for life. Our ancestors trekked across the steppes and savannas. They knew they were constantly in danger.They didn’t know life could be anything but challenging. 



Optimism turns out to be the most promising and fulfilling strategy, because the optimist accepts reality and then does something about it.Powerlessness is the root of pessimism. We are all born optimists. Who has ever met a pessimistic 4-year-old? A child who fell on the playground and, after having her tears dried and the scratch on her knee bandaged, decided never to run again? Those children don’t exist. Children get up, try again and keep laughing, even through their tears. Every child has the instinctive intelligence to keep trying. Young children don’t feel powerless.But for adults, optimism and persistence go hand in hand. You can’t find answers or solutions if you aren’t prepared to keep searching and digging. At the same time, you can’t find them if you don’t first accept the truth at the deepest level. That’s often a painful process. Optimism isn’t always fun and happy, and it has nothing to do with rose-colored glasses. 


55 Reasons to Be Optimistic

Optimists live longer. * In fact, we’re all living longer. * Optimists experience more and more fully. * Optimists travel more often and more widely. * The world keeps getting richer. * More and more children are attending school. * We’re getting smarter. * Optimists do better in school. * Optimists are better at sports. * Optimists more often make the right decisions. * Optimists are better at business. * There’s more democracy. * There’s less slavery. * There’s less racism. * There’s less gender discrimination. * Optimists are healthier. * They have better immune systems. * They’re less likely to catch colds. * They suffer less from depression. * They have a lower risk of heart disease. * They breathe more easily. * Sick optimists get better faster. * Optimism has a positive effect on overall health. * For that matter, we’re all becoming healthier, all around the world. * We’re growing more and more food on less and less land. * We have more food at our disposal than ever before. * And our food is healthier, too. * Optimists bring out the best in themselves. * And the best in others. * Optimists are more social. * Optimists maintain better relationships. * Optimists make other people feel worthwhile. * Optimists inspire others. * The number of optimists on our planet keeps growing. * Optimists are less fearful. * Optimists are open to new experiences. * Optimists are more stress-resistant. * Optimists are more resilient. * Optimists are more successful. * Optimists have an awesome favorite magazine. * Innovation keeps growing. * We have more access to information. * We’re giving more to charitable causes. * Housing keeps getting cheaper. * And more spacious. * Cars keep getting cleaner. * We have more free time. * There’s less crime. * And less war. * And less violence. * Optimists are surrounded by happy people more often. * Optimists enjoy life more. * Optimists are happier. * Optimism moves you forward. * Optimism moves the world forward.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-optimism-moves-the-world-forward.html

Unexpected Health Benefits Of Blueberries

We are blessed to live in a world rich with a variety of delicious fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. Each plant-based food has its own unique flavor, scent and nutritional profile — made of health giving vitamins and phytochemicals (many of which act as antioxidants).

A well-known super food, and one of my favorite fruits, is the antioxidant powerhouse: the Blueberry. This fruit is a classic option for topping off your fruit bowl, sweetening muffins and filling perfect pies. (Check out this raw pie recipe!)

While they might be a bit pricy to find fresh at the market or grocer, blueberries are truly a worthwhile treat, especially when they are in season.



Blueberries are extremely high in health giving phytochemicals. And why is that so important? Because they’re good, good, good for you!

Many of the phytochemicals listed below provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits:
Anthocyanins (malvidins, delphinidins, pelargonidins, cyanidins, peonidins) 
Flavonols (kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin)
Resveratrol
Pterostilbene
Hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic acids, ferulic acids, coumaric acids)
Hydroxybenzoic acids (coumaric acids)
Hydroxybenzoic acids (gallic acids, procatchuic acids)
And these are only some of the phytochemicals we’ve studied so far!

Along with all of these beautiful nutrients, blueberries are also a good source of vitamins including: 
Manganese
Vitamin K
Vitamin C


All of these vitamins and phytonutrients gives blueberries their wonderful smell, color, flavor AND health benefits!





Health benefits of blueberries:

- Eye health: Anthocyanin (one of the phytochemicals in blueberries) has been shown to protect the retina from damage.

- Cardiovascular health: Blueberries have been shown to improve blood fat balance (including reducing total overall cholesterol while raising HDL cholesterol (the good kind), and lowering triglycerides. In addition, they protect the blood vessels and certain blood components from oxygen damage.

- Blood Sugar Balance: Blueberries (along with many other berries) have been shown to have a favorable impact on blood sugar regulation.

- Cognitive Benefits: Studies have demonstrated (especially in elderly patients) that regular consumption of blueberries can improve cognitive function including memory, as well as potentially postponing other cognitive problems often associated with aging.

- Anti-Cancer Properties: Studies are beginning to suggest that blueberries may have many anti-cancer benefits, particularly breast cancer, colon cancer, esophageal cancer and cancer of the small intestine.

- Full body antioxidant protection and support: Blueberries not only benefit your eyes, cardiovascular system and cognitive abilities, they’re pretty much good for every system in the body! Every system that they have studied thus far in relation to blueberry consumption has benefited. This includes reducing damage to muscles after exercise, protection of the entire nervous system from oxygen damage, reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases and protecting the digestive tract from oxygen damage.

And that’s just some of what we’ve learned so far.

So along with all the other wonderful and delicious plant nutrients you enjoy on a daily basis, pick up some blueberries too!

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/health-benefits-of-blueberries.html?page=1

Focus More On Your Brain And Less On Your Diet To Lose Weight

Weight loss is tricky business. Obviously what you eat has a huge impact on your health and body weight. But anyone who has ever tried to modify their diet for the sake of losing weight knows it isn't so simple.

Most of us understand intuitively that broccoli is healthier than cookies. We can talk about sugar, fat, gluten, and antioxidants all day, but that doesn't change the fact that cookies taste good and you still want to eat them. Any weight loss plan that simply tells you what to eat and neglects why you make the choices you make is unlikely to help you in the long run.

Nutrition knowledge is important, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. The real secret is understanding your behaviors and motivations at their roots, and using this information to have a meaningful impact on your health. In this sense, good health starts in your brain, not on your plate. 

Willpower is a Limited Resource

The first thing you need to understand is that we don’t have as much control over our food decisions as most of us assume. We tend to believe that we can call on willpower anytime we wish and use it to order a salad instead of a burger, and if we fail to do so it is our own fault. However, self-control is not something we can simply turn on or off, and as a result the process of decision making––particularly when it comes to food––is much more complex.

Approximately 20 percent of the calories we expend daily are used by our brains. Because brain activity is so costly, things like self-control and decision making cannot be relied on indefinitely. As a result, willpower is a limited resource. Like a muscle, willpower becomes fatigued when exercised too frequently. All the decisions you make throughout the day deplete your willpower, and when you start running out of steam your ability to choose healthy food over more convenient food rapidly diminishes. Ironically, increasing your blood sugar can help restore willpower to some extent. But finding a healthy way to raise blood sugar in a state of depleted willpower can pose quite the dilemma. Tired brains find it much easier to just grab a cookie.

The way our brains cope with the willpower conundrum is to automate as much of our decision making as possible. It does this by creating habits. Habits are specific behaviors that occur in response to a trigger or cue. They are also always associated with some kind of reward, which in turn reinforces and strengthens the trigger. For example, a buzz in your pocket is a cue to reach down, grab your phone, pull it out, and glance at the screen. The information you see causes a bit of dopamine to be released in the reward center of your brain. We humans love novelty, which is why most of us have a reflexive response to checking our mobile devices when we receive a notification. This is how habits are born.

Once established, habits occur automatically without expending any willpower or mental effort. Scientists have estimated that up to 90 percent of our daily food decisions occur as a result of habits. This saves our brain energy for more difficult decisions where habits cannot be used. 

How Can this Knowledge Help Us Lose Weight?

For one thing, it shows that willpower is not particularly reliable as a means to achieve lasting weight loss, and we’re better off spending our efforts creating healthy habits.

It also teaches us that any habit we wish to develop needs to impart a meaningful reward in order for it to stick. You can probably guess that some vague promise of future thinness is not sufficient––the reward for any habit needs to be immediate and tangible. This means that in order to achieve long-term weight control you need to find healthy foods you actually enjoy eating, physical activities you like doing, and spend your time making these as convenient and accessible as possible.

Fabulous news, right? Using willpower for restrictive dieting is difficult and incredibly unpleasant. We can all let out a collective sigh of relief that it doesn't actually work. To achieve true success in health and weight loss, we’re better off quitting diets altogether and focusing on building healthy habits we enjoy. Try starting with something as simple as breakfast. Warm muesli with a splash of almond milk and cinnamon only takes two minutes to prepare and is absolutely delicious. Invest in a pedometer and challenge yourself to reach 10,000 steps a day. Setting and achieving an attainable goal is a very powerful reward, and is one of the reasons so many people love video games.

Since our brains are easily overwhelmed, don’t try to develop too many habits at once. Work on just two or three habits at a time, and build from there. Habits take anywhere from two weeks to six months to take root, but on average about two months. Start with the easiest ones and work your way up. Once you've built enough good habits, your health will take care of itself.

http://lifehacker.com/focus-more-on-your-brain-and-less-on-your-diet-to-lose-507545694

What Does Your Fridge Say About You?

To some, it is a food shrine, packed with nutritional and tasty goodies.

To others, however, the fridge is to be opened only as a last resort if no takeaway shop or restaurant is within reach.

Our choice of contents says a lot about our personalities, according to researchers, and can even give clues to what jobs we do.They pinpointed five main groups of users based on what was chilling on the shelves.

Nutrition nerdsAt one extreme is the nutrition nerd while at the other is the fast-food fanatic. In between, there are the food faddy, martyr mum and restaurant regular. Nutrition nerds care passionately about what they eat and tend to buy organic food. Prominent in their chillers are bio-yoghurt, free range eggs, mangetout, aubergines and bottled water. These fridge users are highly organised and tend to be in accountancy or law. They are also mostly single.
'If they coupled up, it would be with someone equally nutritionally nerd-like,' said businessman Reuben Isbitsky, who commissioned the study as a marketing exercise.

Fast-food fanaticsFast-food fanatics, however, shun their fridges except as a place to keep left-over takeaways, particularly pizza, with perhaps some bottles of alcopop or white wine. They may also store mayonnaise, tomato sauce and cans of fizzy drink, but just to complement takeaways. Not surprisingly, this group is dominated by the young, with many being university students. Food faddies tend to work in the media or the fashion world. They know all the latest trends and keep plenty of vitamin-enriched juices and diet supplements handy in their fridges. Other goodies inside could include soya milk, goats' cheese, vegetarian sausages and organic chocolate.

Martyr mumsMartyr mums, meanwhile, want to please everyone by buying the best brands for their families. 'They have everything in their fridge,' said Mr Isbitsky. 'They are just trying to keep everyone happy.' The typical contents of a martyr mum's fridge include fish fingers, rump steaks and veggie burgers. Cans of cola and packs of processed cheese could also be squeezed in. The martyr mother could also keep cans of beer and lots of leftovers from meals such as chicken tikka masala and sweet and sour chicken in case anyone fancied a snack.

Restaurant regularsThose defined as restaurant regulars tend to be older professionals or celebrities. Aside from the contents of their fridges - bottled water and ready-made salads for evenings in - the thing they share is being successful. Some 400 people were surveyed for the study this month for marketing firm Timestrip. The company carried out a similar survey in the U.S. but found that Americans were less easy to cate-gorise than Britons. Researchers did, however, find one defining feature of fridges across the Atlantic: they are mostly very big.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-259135/What-does-fridge-say-you.html

Phone App Aids Weight Loss By Promoting Attentive Eating

Smartphone apps could help people to lose weight by encouraging them to notice and record the amount of food they consume as they eat, according to a new feasibility study presented here at the ECO2013, the 20th European Congress on Obesity.

The research by Eric Robinson, PhD, from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, and colleagues builds on their previous work on attentive eating, which concluded that distractions, such as radio, television, and computers, increased food intake by up to 50%, both during a meal and later in the day.

On the basis that paying attention to what is eaten and remembering it clearly help reduce energy intake, Dr. Robinson and colleagues designed a smartphone application that would help promote food memory in overweight or obese people.

The 1.5-kg average weight loss observed in their 4-week study "is similar to a recent more intensive 2-month trial that investigated the impact of dietary/exercise advice and habit formation," said Dr. Robinson. This suggests that "raising awareness of eating and weight loss achieved" could be a fruitful approach, he observed.

Approached by Medscape Medical News for comment, Allan Geliebter, PhD, from the New York Obesity Research Center at Columbia University, New York City, said that heightening awareness of food intake is an important factor in combating excessive food consumption. And the use of a phone app is particularly exciting, because of its practicality and the intrinsic attractiveness of such technology, he noted.

Promising Findings, but Longer-Term Trials Needed

The app consists of 3 main parts. Before eating or drinking, users photograph the food/drink about to be consumed under a "snap" function; they are reminded by text to complete a "most-recent" photograph when they have finished.

Second, users focus on the on-screen “most-recent” image after the meal and answer questions on quantity eaten and feelings of satiety.

The final part opens a chronological slide show of the consumption episodes recorded during that day. A short text message instructs users to remember what they have eaten and reminds them to eat attentively and to snap their next meal.

Twelve overweight (n = 5) and obese (n = 7) participants took part in the trial. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 32.1, mean weight was 96.3 kg, and mean age was 42 years. They were compensated with £30 ($45) for their time.

Mean weight loss was -1.5 kg over the 4 weeks. Half the participants (6/12) lost 1 kg or more, 4 lost between 0 and 1 kg, and the remaining 2 gained between 0.1 and 0.4 kg. The individuals accessed the application on average 5.7 times a day, and the mean number of eating and drinking episodes recorded daily was 2.7.

"Our study introduces a new attentive eating approach aimed at reducing dietary intake and promoting weight loss, supported by theoretical models of the role of memory on energy intake regulation," said Dr. Robinson.

"Results suggest that a simple smartphone…intervention based on these principles is feasible and could promote healthier dietary practices. Maybe you can't imagine people using this app for the rest of their lives, but it might help them to develop better eating habits.

"Given that our trial was a very brief intervention with little contact time and no nutritional advice or support, this is a promising finding," he added.

However, he stressed that a larger, randomized controlled trial "testing proof of principle for an attentive eating intervention on weight loss is now warranted," because long-term maintenance of changes to the diet and weight loss are hard to achieve.

Dr. Geliebter told Medscape Medical News: "This has huge potential for taking action on obesity on a population basis, particularly since it is an app — which makes it intrinsically attractive." However, one of the important factors determining whether it will ultimately prove successful when it is rolled out will be "whether [or not] the app is free," he observed.

Research was funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research National School for Primary Care Research. Neither Dr. Robinson nor Dr. Geliebter has reported relevant financial relationships

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/804098

Listening To Your Inner Voice Makes You A Better Manager

Some of the best advice we have all got — be it while making big personal decisions or making critical business decisions — is the same: Follow your inner voice. Most of us have heeded that counsel, yet if we were asked to list the elements that enable better decision-making, we would cite experience, research, data, even polls — but never our inner voices.

Logic precedes sixth sense because the known outnumber the unknown. When the reverse was true, people counted on extra-sensory cues to lead their lives. As our world enters an age of uncertainty, with economics, politics, and society all undergoing upheavals, the unknowns are beginning to increase in velocity and volume.

I wonder if we should try to re-ignite, particularly at work, the extra-sensory cues that once helped govern our lives. Managers struggle to make the right decisions today as they execute complex projects in short time frames, choosing from a vast number of possibilities, some of which they have never before encountered. No wonder only one in two managerial decisions is estimated to be useful!

Recent data suggests that intuition provides extra sensory artillery that helps integrate thoughts, thereby enabling better decision-making. For instance, Tel Aviv University's Marius Usher found that when people made choices based only on instinct, they made the right call up to 90% of the time. Other researchers have estimated that 80% of successful CEOs have an intuitive decision-making style.

The question isn't whether rational reasoning is better than intuitive decision-making; it's how both can be combined for optimal results. The process of integrating intuition into our work lives starts by asking three questions:

Do you acknowledge your gut feelings? When you look at a situation, the inner voice you hear is your mind's Big Data-based response. Do you heed it? Or do you brush it away? As Carl Jung argued, intuition isn't the opposite of rationality, but instead, a sophisticated way of chunking data or connecting dots subconsciously based on experiences or sixth sense. Keep it aside, ruminate on it, and use it only when data leads you to a dead end.

Do you encourage intuitive thinking? At a sales review, I once saw a territory rep say: "I have a feeling this vertical is about to take off..." His manager immediately cut him off with an embarrassed: "No one wants to hear about your feelings. Where is your Excel file?" However, feelings-based statements can provide a wealth of information that spreadsheets won't, so managers need to be open. They should regularly ask for off the data, off-the-record views, and integrate those inputs into decision-making.

Are you open to the messages that your mind sends out randomly? The unstructured sporadic thoughts that your mind broadcasts can hold useful cues, so you should practice the art of acknowledging them.

In a recent post, Purnendo Ghosh, a professor of science and religion, made the case for intuition eloquently: "When you consider that we human beings have a history extending 80,000 years, and our present form of rationality and intellect may be only about 2,000 years old, we need to recognize that non-rational elements have also guided our development and destiny."

I'm curious. Does anyone disagree?

http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/nayar/2013/05/listening-to-your-inner-voice.html

Exercise Is Protective Against Breast Cancer By Affecting Estrogen Metabolism

Exercise may lower a woman's risk of breast cancer by affecting the way her body breaks down estrogen, according to a new study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.






Researchers from the University of Minnesota said that observational studies have long shown associations between lowered breast cancer risk and increased exercise, but we had little information as to why this may be the case. 

"Ours is the first study to show that aerobic exercise influences the way our bodies break down estrogens to produce more of the 'good' metabolites that lower breast cancer risk," study researcher Mindy S. Kurzer, Ph.D., a professor in the university's food science and nutrition department, said in a statement.

The study included 391 healthy premenopausal women who led sedentary lifestyles; 179 of them were put in a control group where they just kept living a sedentary lifestyle, while 212 were placed in an exercise group where they did 30 minutes of aerobic exercises (moderate to vigorous level, such as running on a treadmill or using the elliptical machine) five days a week for four months. Of all the women in the study, 78 percent of those from the exercise group and 86 percent of those from the control group completed the study.

Researchers took urine samples of the women for three days before the study began, in order to measure three estrogens and their metabolites (the product that remains after the estrogens are broken down). Researchers knew beforehand that a particular ratio of one kind of estrogen metabolite with another is linked with having a lower risk of breast cancer.

Indeed, researchers found that the women who were assigned to the exercise group experienced an increase in this protective estrogen metabolite ratio, while the ratio didn't change at all for those who remained sedentary.

ABC News previously reported on research published last year showing links between exercise and breast cancer risk; the news organization noted that the association may be because exercise decreases weight, and there is a lot of estrogen that arises from fat tissue. For more on that research, click over to ABC News.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/10/exercise-breast-cancer-estrogen-metabolism_n_3231134.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living#slide=806434

Impact Of Self-Concept And Self-Esteem On Life

The idea or concept one has about the self is related to one's self-esteem and one's outlook on the future.

The self-concept is a set of personal beliefs a person has about who they are as an individual. These include salient personal characteristics as well as ethnic or professional awareness and any other desires or future goals that resonate strongly within the individual.


The Effects of Self-Esteem on the Self and on Mental Health
In order to have a healthy and balanced self-concept, one needs to have positive self-esteem. Self-esteem does not only include one’s characteristics, strengths and flaws, but it makes a judgment on each of those by putting value on them. It is an evaluation one makes of oneself.

People with high self-esteem have not only a clear sense of their personal qualities, but also value them in a positive manner and use self-enhancing strategies; they think well of themselves, set appropriate goals about the future and feel confident about coping with different and difficult situations.

Low self-esteem may contribute to having unrealistic goals or shying away from potential opportunities due to a negative image of the self. They also tend to be pessimistic about the future, be oversensitive to criticism and any kind of negative feedback. In addition, they are also concerned about the social impression and impact they make and have upon others.


Theories about the Development of the Self
According to Erik Erikson, the self is developed through what he calls the stage theory of ego development. Forming an identity does not happen overnight, but it is rather a lifelong task, which passes through a critical phase during adolescence and young adulthood. After acquiring and forming a firm and clear sense of identity, the young adult can make plans about the future with a consistent sense of self and a belief in his or her personal skills and abilities.

Nonetheless, it is important to note that the sense of self does not start during adolescence but has its first stage in infancy with the recognition that one is a separate individual. Even very young children develop conceptions of their personal qualities and have their own equivalent self-concept and a notion of self-esteem. In fact, there is a possibility for changes of the self-concept during middle or late adulthood that may drastically challenge and adjust beliefs about who one is.

The definition and development of the self implies both personal beliefs as well as social influences. It is a continuous procedure that starts in infancy and is moderated and shaped throughout life in a dynamic fashion. Various events or experiences at any time may alter the concepts one has about the self.

Sources:
Taylor, Peplau & Sears. Social Psychology. Prentice Hall: New Jersey, 2000.

http://suite101.com/article/impact-of-selfconcept-and-selfesteem-on-life-a125628

Weight Gain Tied To Personality Changes, Impulsivity: Study

Your weight may be linked with your personality, according to a new study published in the journal Psychological Science.

Researchers from the Florida State University College of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health found that people who have experienced weight gain were more likely to be both impulsive and deliberate in their actions.

"If mind and body are intertwined, then if one changes the other should change too," study researcher Angelina Sutin, of the Florida State University College of Medicine, said in a statement. "That's what our findings suggest."

The study included data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area study, which together included more than 1,900 study participants. Researchers analyzed their body weight and personality traits at the beginning and end of a decade-long period.

They found an association between having a 10 percent weight increase and an increase in the personality trait of impulsiveness (meaning they are likely to give in to temptations), as well as an increase in the personality trait of deliberation (meaning they are likely to think about what they are doing before they do it).

Similarly, a 2011 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that Type A personalities are at greater risk of having a high BMI, while people who are impulsive shoppers are more likely to be weight cyclers (going through continual periods of weight gain and loss).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/weight-gain-personality-changes-impulsivity_n_3225331.html?ref=topbar

10 Tips For A Healthy Lifestyle

Sometimes it can feel as though eating a healthy diet, getting enough exercise and finding the time to find yourself is impossible. But learning to live a healthier lifestyle is easy when you change one small thing at a time. Follow Rosalind Ryan's advice and you'll soon be full of beans

1. Let it beet
It sounds bizarre, but beetroot could be a secret weapon against high blood pressure. The condition is a major cause of heart disease and stroke, but many people aren't aware they have it as it has no symptoms. Now, researchers from Barts and the London School of Medicine say drinking 500ml of beetroot juice could dramatically reduce blood pressure after just one hour. So drink up the pink stuff.

2. Think outside the box
Us lazy Brits will spend 17 years of our lives on the sofa, with seven years of that devoted to watching TV. Next time you hear yourself say, "I haven't got time to go to the gym" or you opt for ready meals because you're too busy to cook fresh food, think about switching off the box and doing something healthy instead.

3. Don't take the biscuit
It may be a good idea to steer clear of the biscuit tin before you go shopping. A team from the University of Singapore recently discovered that the smell of chocolate chip cookies could make women splurge on unnecessary clothes when they hit the shops. The smell activates the part of your brain that wants instant gratification, although that's no excuse for maxing out your credit cards.

4 . Embracing good health
Giving your partner a hug doesn't just warm the heart, it can protect it too. A study by the University of North Carolina in 2005 found that hugging your other half for 20 seconds could lower blood pressure and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol have been linked to heart disease and other conditions such as diabetes.

5. Pouring salt on the wound
We eat around 9.5g of salt a day, but the Government wants us to cut this to no more than 6g, as high levels of salt can push up your blood pressure, raising your risk of cardiovascular conditions. Many food labels only list salt as sodium however, but you can do a simple sum to work out their real salt content; just multiply by 2.5. So 0.8g of sodium becomes 2g of salt.

6. Sunny side up
Get outside in the sunshine for a natural boost. The sun's rays on the skin help your body produce vitamin D, which has been shown to fight heart disease, depression, osteoporosis and even some types of cancer. There's not a lot of sun around at this time of year, so make the most of it when it does appear!

7. One is the magic number
One of the largest studies into diet and cancer – the Europe-wide EPIC study – found that eating just one extra portion of fruit and vegetables a day could cut your risk of dying early from any cause by 20 per cent.

8. Holding back the years
Add 14 years to your life by following four very easy principles; don't smoke, take regular exercise, drink sensibly and eat five portions of fruit and veg a day. These simple steps can have a huge impact on your life expectancy, say scientists from Cambridge University. If you only manage one thing, give up smoking as the study found this had the biggest impact on your health.

9. A step in the right direction
Previously, experts thought taking 10,000 steps a day was enough to control your weight, but a world-wide study has just established that women up to the age of 40 and men up to 50 need 12,000 steps a day to help shift that middle jiggle. Invest in a pedometer to make sure you're hitting your target.

10. Laughter is the best medicine
Become a glass-half-full person! Studies have found that those with a positive attitude suffer less from conditions such as heart disease. Find something to laugh at every day to give your feel-good hormones a boost.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/10-tips-for-a-healthy-lifestyle-783833.html

Want Your Memory To Stay Sharp In Old Age? Eat Less Red Meat And More Oily Fish

A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids can help preserve memory and thinking abilities. A Mediterranean diet low in red meat and dairy food and high in omega-3 fatty acids can help preserve memory and thinking abilities, say researchers.

Scientists in the U.S. studied the diets of 17,478 people with an average age of 64.Participants were given tests that measured mental ability over an average of four years. During the course of the study, seven per cent developed memory and thinking deficits. The study found people who more closely followed a Mediterranean diet had a 19 per cent reduced risk of mental impairment.
A key element of the Mediterranean diet is omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish, flax seed, walnuts and pulses, which are known to benefit the brain and nervous system. The diet typically also contains high levels of fresh fruit and vegetables and low levels of saturated fat.

The findings are published in the latest issue of the journal Neurology. Lead researcher Dr Georgios Tsivgoulis, from the universities of Alabama in the US and Athens in Greece, said: 'Since there are no definitive treatments for most dementing illnesses, modifiable activities, such as diet, that may delay the onset of symptoms of dementia are very important. 

'Diet is an important modifiable activity that could help in preserving cognitive functioning in late life. However, it is only one of several important lifestyle activities that might play a role in late-life mental functioning. Exercise, avoiding obesity, not smoking cigarettes and taking medications for conditions like diabetes and hypertension are also important.'

Other recent research found that eating a Mediterranean-style diet can cut heart attacks, strokes and death rates in people at high risk of heart disease by as much as a third.



Other recent research found that a Mediterranean diet could be as good as statins at cutting the risk of heart disease. Changing the balance of foods in a diet can lessen the risk even before heart-related illness strikes, according to a major clinical trial.

Previous studies have compared the effects of the diet on people after they have suffered a heart attack or stroke – with many showing improved heart health.

But this research, published online by the New England Journal of Medicine, was the first to rigorously test the effects on a high-risk group.

In fact, the study of around 7,500 people was halted early, after almost five years, because the results were so clear it would have been unethical not to recommend the diet to all those taking part.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2316733/Want-memory-stay-sharp-old-age-Eat-red-meat-oily-fish.html