6 Ways To Beat Your Post-Christmas Sugar And Junk Food Cravings

Hands up who has binged on every sweet treat, calorific pud and tin chocolate going?
Roughly over half of Brits would have piled on around half a stone due to our festive scoffing. But despite the main event being over, you might find that your body is still craving its sugar kicks and highs that it’s become accustomed to over the festive period.

Take a look at the author of Constant Cravings, Doreen Virtue's tips on how to beat the sugar cravings:

1. Stave Off Chocolate Pangs With...
"Ginger ale and soy milk are high in tyramine, which can help relieve chocolate cravings. Pekoe tea is high in chocolate's other stimulating ingredient. theobromine."

2. Eat A Satifying Sugar-Alternative
"One reason we shun fruit during our sweet cravings is that fruit seems like a deprivation alternative. We've got to dress fruit up! Put a little flavoured, fat-free yoghurt on top. Puree the fruit with an ice cube and some ginger ale. Microwave sliced apple for two minutes at high temperature with a little bit of cinnamon and you've got a quick, low calorie apple-pie type treat."

3. Understand The Reasons Behind Your Cravings
"If, after analysing your cravings, you discover any anger, frustration or stress, ask yourself how you might take even one step toward alleviating the source of these emotions. Is there someone you can talk to, or some changes that you can make in your life? If you reduce the source of your uncomfortable emotions, you won't need to crave sweet things anymore."

4. Beware Of 'All Or Nothing' Thinking
If we tell our bodies that this chocolate bar or hamburger will be our last treat ever, we're more likely to binge.
"It's like we're seeing a beloved person for the last time, so of course we want to spend as much time as possible with that object of affection." The key is eat all treats in moderation and if the craving gets too much seek healthier alternatives.

5. Fight Off Salty Cravings
"Crunch on crisp vegetables dipped in low calorie, fat-free salad dressing. Instead of potato chips and french fries, go for carrot and celery sticks. Broccoli and cauliflower florets are also tasty replacements. They may not seem as appealing as the fatty versions, but the crunch and flavour will soothe your craving."

6. Treat Yourself With Non-Food Rewards
"Sweet treats usually equal reward. We all need pats on the back and kudos for hard work. But instead of stopping at the cookie shop or take-out, why not treat yourself to a new book, item of clothing or shoes? This will feel just as satisfying and is much healthier than a fat-laden treat."

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/27/6-ways-to-beat-post-christmas-sugar-cravings_n_1174045.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-diet-and-fitness

How To Do Comfort Food The Easier Way

Comfort food is the ultimate antidote to longer nights and frankly miserable weather. Add in some very good telly, and we're helpless against the tide of sinking into the sofa with something hot and deliciously fatty.

But just as much as we love a good bowl of food (preferably with some form of potato), we also hate the panic that precedes the gamut of festive parties, where you then have to shoehorn your comfort food belly into a pair of Spanx.

So, is it time for a rethink?

We asked some of the top nutritionists for their advice and suggestions.



Sweet potatoes
"Fancy a warming mash? Then use sweet potatoes," says nutritionist Karen Poole."They will reduce the overall cooking time and have a lower glycemic load so they are a good slow release energy source to help keep blood glucose levels balanced throughout the day."

Expert Emily Maguire adds: "Sweet potatoes have a much lower GI and GL content meaning they will not spike your blood sugar which can result in hunger and cravings for foods high in sugar."


Dark chocolate
If you do end up craving chocolate, go for a 70% dark chocolate, melt it in the microwave and pour it over strawberries, says Emily. "These two ingredients are packed full of natural antioxidants that help protect the body from substances called free radicals which can attack healthy cells resulting in many conditions and also contribute to ageing."

The full English breakfast
How, you ask, is this healthy? Emily reveals that it's all in the ingredients. "The English breakfast has gotten a fair whack for being unhealthy, but choosing the correct quality ingredients (e.g. proper meat sausages) and method of cooking, makes this an ideal comfort breakfast."

Healthy meat alternatives
"Turkey is a great lean protein choice," says Karen, "and if you use it to make spag bol, will lower the fat content of the dish. It is a source of tryptophan to aid serotonin production the feel-good hormone to help us face the cold gray days of winter."

Similarly, she advises making a shepherd’s pie with a mixture of green lentils, tomato and dried wild mushrooms instead of minced lamb. "It can help you regulate your cortisol levels and reduce the overall impact of stress while also aiding liver function."



Go brown
"When you are making a risotto," says Karen, "choose brown risotto rice now available from most major supermarkets. This will increase the fibre content promoting gut function and efficiency to keep your bowel movements regular and aid digestion."

Use raw oats
"A comforting after dinner fruit crumble can work to lower your cholesterol level by simply adding raw oats into the crumble mix," says Karen, "as the beta glucan bind with cholesterol and carry it out of your body.
Breakfast time
Go for Greek yogurt, says Emily, as it's packed full of essential fatty acids needed for optimal health as well as being much lower in sugar than the fruit flavoured counter parts.

"At breakfast spread organic almond butter onto your brown toast instead of jam or honey," continues Karen. "This is a natural source of essential fats needed to boost positive mood and improve concentration."



When cooking a roast...
Karen says: "When you are cooking a Sunday dinner increase the vitamin, mineral and fibre content by roasting a mix of winter vegetables instead of just regular potatoes. Including squash, pumpkin, turnip and parsnip will provide a great mix of polyphenols to aid cardio vascular health, energy production and weight management.

"Make roasted vegetables more healthy by adding fresh lemon juice to the mix before they go into the oven. This will provide a liquid to aid cooking and means you can use less oil so reducing the overall fat and calorie intake."

Don't shy away from fresh herbs
"Fresh herbs will provide flavour and texture to most dishes and means you won't need to use as much salt therefore reducing the risk of high blood pressure and bloating," advises Karen.

"They are also a good source of antioxidants that can help combat the ravages of free radicals produced by everyday living. Growing your own is easy and will keep down the cost."

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/10/25/healthy-comfort-food-diet-winter-warmers_n_4163191.html?ir=UK+Lifestyle

Fat, Sugar Or Carbs: Which Is the Bad Guy?

You're in a supermarket holding a cereal packet. It says 'low-fat' and the traffic light label is green showing that there's very little saturated fat. So far so good - for your waistline and your heart, right?


But then you notice that the sugar content is pretty high. So is a low-fat label really that healthy? The question has been going round in my head since reading an editorial in the BMJ this week that claims that saturated fat may not be the enemy it's been made out to be.

The editorial has stirred up one of the hottest topics about dietary advice this year. It asserts the opinion that saturated fat hasn't shown a risk to heart disease in several studies and may even be protective against some conditions. But recommendations about the amount of fat we should have in our diets haven't come out of thin air. The science behind them comes from a landmark study published in 1970. Researchers found that diets high in saturated fat were linked to higher levels of 'bad' cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein), which is a key risk factor for heart disease.

So, when it comes to protecting our health, which foods do we need to cut out or even eliminate? If saturated fat isn't the villain in our diets, what is? The editorial goes on to suggest that sugar and carbohydrates could be the key suspects.

The debate surrounding fats and sugars is fascinating and certainly food for thought. And it's sugar I want to focus on. It's been linked to weight gain, tooth decay and poor nutrition. That's nothing new. But in the last few years alone, evidence has been emerging to suggest sugar consumption is a key contributor to one of the biggest disease burdens of our modern world - type two diabetes.

In particular, there is mounting evidence to suggest that sugary drinks significantly increase the risk of this condition. The problem with a spoonful of sugar (or several in most fizzy drinks) is that it adds up to a lot of empty calories that can lead to weight gain. Furthermore, there's evidence to suggest that excessive amounts of sugar causes insulin resistance, which leads to type two diabetes.

To pull a few key stats, in a recent study, researchers found that drinking a can of sugar-sweetened soft drink increased the risk of type two diabetes in European men and women by 22%. Another piece of research found a 26% increased risk when people drank one or more sugary drinks per day compared with those who drank none or less than one a month. It seems sugary drinks have a lot to answer for.

Returning to the issue of weight loss, this leads me on to another key component of diet - carbohydrates. This energy-rich source of fuel has also been regarded as a culprit for weight gain in recent years. You only need to google 'low-carb diets' to be presented with over 17,000 results for ways you can jump start weight loss, curb cravings and burn more fat.

But thousands of results can't be wrong, can they? The effect of low carbs in your diet means that once your body uses up your stored glucose it then starts to burn stored fat instead. The concept of using fat for fuel has made these types of diets so appealing for people wanting to shift a few pounds.

The diet has divided opinion across the board, but for me there is definitely something in this sugary hypothesis. However, it isn't sustainable or healthy in the long term to substantially reduce carbs. Carbohydrates are vital for energy - they prevent protein being used for energy (as it's needed elsewhere), and helps keep your blood sugar levels on an even keel. These are the 'good' carbs.

So perhaps it's more to do with a re-education about carbohydrates - because some carbs can be bad for you. Refined, processed carbs, such as white bread, fast food burgers and white pasta contain sugars that are easy to digest and strip away beneficial fibre. And it's these 'sugar' carbs that can lead to weight gain. Found in thousands of food products - it's no wonder they've been touted as 'fat foods'.

So where does this leave us? The food fight against long-term conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes is an absolutely crucial one - one we are currently losing.

When it comes to reducing the risk of these conditions, the food we put into our bodies is something each and every one of us is responsible for. Yet individual responsibility is not enough: indeed there is some evidence that obesity is partly mediated through an addictive process. It's therefore imperative that scientists, policy makers and governments also empower individuals to make behavioural changes happen on a large scale. The advice we give about food and diet is as powerful as any medicine - it can do significant harm if we don't get it right.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dr-paul-zollingerread/sugar-fat-carbs_b_4161529.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-diet-and-fitness

 

11 Must-Try Moves To Get Started With Tabata

Illustrations by Printable Workouts for Greatist


After 10 seconds, I was gasping for breath, sweaty, and definitely convinced that four minutes of Tabata intervals counts as a real workout. Greatist’s Chief Research Officer David Tao was helping me “research” Tabata protocol, and after a round each of burpees, medicine ball clean and presses, and squats, I was feeling the burn (and then some, given how sore I was for the next three days).

TA-BAT-ER UP — THE NEED-TO-KNOW
Tabata Protocol is a system of short, high-intensity intervals developed by Japanese professor Dr. Izumi Tabata to train Olympic speed skaters. Grab a stopwatch, because this workout method is all about timing. The basic formula for Tabata training is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated between six and eight times (between three and four minutes, total). No cheating — the 20/10 ratio has been shown to work both aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways harder and more effectively than longer bouts of exercise.

TABATA BING, TABATA BOOM! — YOUR ACTION PLAN
Because this exercise strategy is more of a formula than a specific workout, the possibilities for Tabata are pretty darn flexible. Love bodyweight exercises? Do a set of push-ups. Feeling a dip in the pool? Pull on that swim cap and do some freestyle intervals. As with any workout regimen (and especially a high-intensity one like Tabata intervals), consult with a trainer beforehand to learn the correct technique. When going all-out, proper form can be the difference between a ticket to the gun show and a ticket to the physical therapist’s office.

Greatist Experts Ilen Bell and Kelvin Gary each picked one or two of the best moves for each area of the body, with added weights and using bodyweight alone. Each of these four-minute wonders packs a serious punch (just ask my quads after a round of squats), so start with just one or two exercises per workout. Feel free to rest for a few minutes in between the 4-minute bouts, or go back-to-back for an added challenge.

THE MOVESFull Body

1. Burpee: Start standing, then crouch to a low squat position with the hands on the floor. Then, kick feet back to a plank, then down into the bottom of a push-up. Push off the ground and quickly return to the squat position. Last step? Jump up as high as possible before squatting down again and jumping back into the next push-up.


Lower Body
2. Jump squat: Stand with the feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward. Sit back into a squat (hips below parallel, please!) then drive the whole body up through the heels, shifting weight onto the balls of the feet as you lift off. Be sure to land on the balls of the feet and immediately bend the knees into a full squat. Make sure the knees aren’t wobbling side to side while squatting or landing from a jump.

3. Lunge jump: Start standing with the feet together and lunge the right foot forward, bending the knee about 90-degrees and keeping the torso vertical. Then,jump straight up, and while in the air, switch legs and land in a lunge with the left foot forward.

4. Dumbbell front squat: Hold a dumbbell at the sternum (the center of the chest) and do a basic front squat. Place feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, hips stacked over knees, knees over ankles. Inhale and unlock the hips, bringing them back as the knees begin to bend. Keep the chest and shoulders upright, and continue until the hips are slightly less than 90 degrees from the ground. On the way back up, engage the core and drive through the heels to return to standing.




5. Kettlebell swing: Stand up straight, with feet a bit wider than hip-distance apart. Grab hold of the kettlebell with both hands, keeping the palms face down and arms in front of the body. Keep the knees slightly bent and drive the hips and bell back (it’s not a squat, so the knees shouldn’t have to bend that much), lowering the body just a bit to an athletic stance. In one fluid motion, explosively drive the hips forward while swinging the kettlebell, engaging the glutes and core. 

Upper Body
6. Push-up: Get into a plank position with hands planted a little bit wider than shoulder width apart. Keep the elbows close to the body throughout the movement. Ground the toes into the floor and engage the abs and back so the body is neutral.Lower the body in one straight line until the chest touches the floor. Keeping the core engaged, exhale, and push back to the start position.

7. Overhead neutral grip press: Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart core tight. Raise the dumbbell, kettlebell, or barbell up to the shoulders with palms facing each other and the elbows below the wrists. Press the weights upward until the arms are fully extended overhead, and then lower back to the shoulders.
Cardio

8. Sprints: To get extra speedy, make sure form fits function. Hold the correct posture, with eyes up, chest tall, shoulders relaxed, and arms swinging up and down with the elbows at 45-degree angles.

9. Stationary bike or rower: Hopping on the bike for a quick spin is pretty self-explanatory, but the indoor rower is a bit trickier. First, strap feet into the foot stretchers, sit up tall, and grab the handle. Roll forward until legs are completely bent and arms are reaching forward. From this starting position (called the “catch”), explosively drive the legs back. When the legs are nearly extended, swing the torso back and pull the arms in so the handle is almost touching the rib cage. From here (aka the “finish”) recover by stretching the arms straight out, returning the upper body to a straight, vertical position, and bending the legs back to the catch.Core




10. Russian twist: Sit on the floor with the knees bent and feet together and lifted a few inches off the floor. With the back at a 45-degree angle from the ground, move the arms from one side to another in a twisting motion. Go super slow, twisting the shoulders completely from side to side.

11. Ski abs: Start in pushup position with hands under the shoulders and core engaged. Jump the feet to the left side of the body, as close to the upper torso as possible. Jump the legs back to a straight plank position and repeat on the right side.


With the exception of the weighted movements, most of these can be performed anywhere, any time. All you need is a set of comfy clothes and a serious work ethic. To make keeping track of the time easier, consider downloading a Tabata timer app. Again, consider meeting with a trainer to go over correct form (even if you’ve previously done these moves) before starting a Tabata fitness regimen to prevent injury. 
http://greatist.com/fitness/best-tabata-moves

The 6 Weight-Loss Tips That Science Actually Knows Work

When it comes down to it, the things we know to be true about weight loss are relatively simple, and certainly few. They’re also extremely effective when actually carried out. So, from the researchers who have studied this stuff for decades, here’s pretty much everything we know about weight loss today, whittled down to six points about how the body actually gains, loses, and maintains its weight.


1. Dieting trumps exercising
We hear a lot that a little exercise is the key to weight loss – that taking the stairs instead of the elevator will make a difference, for instance. But in fact it’s much more efficient to cut calories, says Samuel Klein, MD at Washington University’s School of Medicine. “Decreasing food intake is much more effective than increasing physical activity to achieve weight loss. If you want to achieve a 300 kcal energy deficit you can run in the park for 3 miles or not eat 2 ounces of potato chips.” It’s as simple as that. Of course, both together would be even better.

The problem is that when you rely on exercise alone, it often backfires, for a couple of reasons. This is partly because of exercise’s effects on the hunger and appetite hormones, which make you feel noticeably hungrier after exercise.

The other problem with exercise-without-dieting is that it’s simply tiring, and again, the body will compensate. Some of the calories we burn come from our basic movements throughout the day – so if you’re wiped out after exercise, and more likely to sit on the couch afterwards, you’ve lost the energy deficit you gained from your jog.


2. Exercise can help fix a “broken” metabolism, especially during maintenanceWhile exercise may not be as important for weigh loss as calorie restriction, it’s important in another way: It begins to repair a broken metabolism. Within a couple of days of non-activity, the metabolism becomes inflexible. You start moving again, and it does start to change.” Your metabolism may not ever go back to “normal” (more on this below), but theevidence indicates that it can indeed pick up again, in large part through moving your body every day.

This is a large part of why exercise is critical in the maintenance phase, which is well known to be more difficult than the weight loss phase. We think it’s partly because in the extra calories burned from physical activity, you have a bit more flexibility in food intake, so you’re not so much relying on ridged changes in eating habits; it makes it more tolerable.”


3. You’re going to have to work harder than other people – possibly forever
Though exercise can help correct a metabolism that’s been out of whack for a long time, the grisly reality is that it may not ever go back to what it was before gained weight. So if you’ve been overweight or obese and you lose weight, maintaining that loss means you’re probably going to have to work harder than other people, maybe for good. Building muscle can help your body burn a few more calories throughout the day, but it’s also likely that you’ll have to work harder aerobically in the long run.


4. There’s no magical combination of foods
There are low-fat diets, low-carb diets, low glycemic diets, Paleo diets, and a lot of iterations of all of these. There doesn’t seem to be any “right” diet, and there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that one particular diet will work better with an individual’s specific metabolism. We know pretty much that any diet will help you lose weight if you follow it. There’s no magic diet. The truth is that ALL Diets will work if you follow them.”


5. A calorie IS a calorie!
And for energy balance, it’s the number of calories that matters. You can gain weight eating too much healthy food as well as unhealthy. From the standpoint of health, it’s better to eat your veggies…. It’s just a lot easier to overeat calories from junk food than healthy food. But the source of calories obviously matters for other reasons. First of all, no one overeats veggies, so on a practical level, that’s a non-issue. In fact, the food industry has carved out a whole new area of food science to study the “bliss point,” in which foods are created to increase the amount it takes to feel satiated and full.

It’s true that types of foods you eat may, over time, affect your metabolic profile, so they may also matter in this way, but when it boils down, sticking to any reduced-calorie diet will create the energy deficit needed to lose weight.


6. It’s all about the brain As my colleagues have reported, it’s not the body or the metabolism that are actually creating overweight or obesity – it’s the brain. We all know intuitively that poor decisions are what make you gain weight and better ones are what make you lose it. The problem is that over time, the poor decisions lead to significant changes in how the brain governs – and, amazingly, responds to – the hunger and satiation processes. 

While there may be some degree of “damage” to the brain, particularly in how hunger and satiety hormones function, it can correct itself to a large degree over time. The key is that the process does take time, and like any other behavior change, is ultimately a practice.


So boiling it down even further: reduce calories, eat better, exercise, and most of all, remember it is a practice that has to be repeated over time – months or years. The fact that you’ll have to work harder at maintenance than your never-overweight best friend is depressing, but it’s worth coming to terms with. And, most important to remember, your brain (the organ behind all this, after all) is plastic, and it will respond to the changes you make – better than you think. And so will your body.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2013/09/04/the-6-weight-loss-tips-that-science-actually-knows-work/

The Exercise Secrets Trainers Won't Tell You

YOU might be under the impression that losing weight requires you to spend hours slogging away in the gym. But according to scientists, just one extra minute of brisk activity every day can help burn off unwanted kilograms.

Researchers monitored the activity of 4,500 adults, and discovered that how often you exercise your heart and lungs matters more than the duration of the workout. They found that several short bursts of exertion had the same effect as longer, but less frequent spells of exercise. Those short bursts could include taking the stairs instead of the lift, parking further away from the shops and walking, or getting off the bus one stop early.

Lead researcher Dr Jessie Fan, from the University of Utah, said: "What we learned is that for preventing weight gain, the intensity of the activity matters more than duration. "Knowing that even short bouts of brisk activity can add up to a positive effect is really an encouraging message for promoting better health."

In the study, volunteers wore accelerometers - devices which can accurately measure movement and activity.

Participants also had their body mass index (BMI) recorded. This measures weight in relation to height. Researchers found that, for women, every minute spent in higher-intensity short bouts of activity each day was associated with a BMI reduction of 0.07. The results showed that one minute of brisk activity each day offset the calorie equivalent of 0.41pounds in weight.

The scientists explained that this means if a 5ft 5in woman regularly took the stairs at work, she would weight nearly half a pound less than a woman of the same height who took the lift. The results were similar for men, with each daily minute of higher-intensity activity lowering the likelihood of being obese by 2 per cent for men and 5 per cent for women.

But the study found that, on average, the women who were having their movements monitored were less physically active than the men.

The report, which was published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, said: "Taking the stairs, walking to the store or between errands are choices that can add up and can end up making a positive health difference.

"The message is: a little more effort can have an important health payback."

In a separate study published last year, an academic at Aberdeen University suggested that short, sharp bursts of exercise were better at warding off heart disease than longer, less strenuous sessions.

That's because they helped speed up the rate at which fat left the blood. Fat lingering in the blood is known to trigger the first in a series of steps that can lead to clogging of the arteries and heart disease.

The study found that walking cut fat levels by 11 per cent, compared with not doing any exercise. But short bursts of sprints on a bike cut it by 33 per cent - the sort of effect expected from a 90-minute run.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/the-exercise-secret-trainers-won8217t-tell-you/story-fni0dgzm-1226708972620

Diet vs. Exercise: Which Is Better?

Diet or exercise...which one is more important is an age-old debate that just keeps going on and on and on.



If you're trying to get healthy, tackling both diet and exercise is better than trying to improve one lifestyle habit at a time, new research suggests. 

But...the researchers did add that if you need to start with just one lifestyle change, choose exercise. They found that changing your diet first may interfere with attempts to establish a regular exercise routine.

The study included 200 people, aged 45 and older, who were inactive and had poor diets. They were split into four groups: new diet and exercise habits at the same time; diet changes first and starting exercise a few months later; starting exercise first and making diet changes a few months later; and no diet or exercise changes.

The groups received telephone coaching and were tracked for a year. Those who made diet and exercise changes at the same time were most likely to meet U.S. guidelines for exercise (150 minutes per week) and nutrition (5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day), and to keep calories from saturated fat at less than 10 percent of their total intake of calories.

The people who started with exercise first and diet changes a few months later also did a good job of meeting both the exercise and diet goals, but not quite as good as those who made exercise and diet changes at the same time, the Stanford University School of Medicine researchers said in a news release from Stanford.

The participants who made diet changes first and started exercise later did a good job of meeting the dietary goals but didn't meet their exercise targets. This may be because each type of change has unique characteristics, explained study author Abby King, a professor of health research and policy and of medicine.

"With dietary habits, you have no choice; you have to eat. You don't have to find extra time to eat because it's already in your schedule. So the focus is more on substituting the right kinds of food to eat," she said in the news release.

However, people with busy schedules may have difficulty finding time for exercise. King noted that even the people in the most successful group (diet and exercise changes at the same time) initially had trouble meeting their exercise goal, but did achieve it by the end of the study.

The study was published online April 21 in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

http://www.chicagodefender.com/index.php/health/23719-diet-exercise-better

How To Really Work Out Your Brain -- And Why You'll Want To

You know (if you even read one out of every 10 of our columns) that we believe daily exercise is next to tooth brushing and flossing for keeping you looking good and keeping your body fit and working right. But it is even more important for the one part of your body where size matters: your brain. Powering through a Zumba class or hiking for an afternoon does as much good for your noodle as for your muscles and blood vessels. But that's not the only kind of workout that will beef up your brain.

A group of scientists from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago published a study in the July 2013 issue of the journal Neurology showing that greater cognitive activity in childhood, middle age and in old age makes your brain better later.

So what does that mean for you? If you want to be “all there” for your children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, there's plenty you can do right now to prepare. And just because it has to do with challenging your brain cells doesn't mean it has to feel like homework.

Think that you're too old to spend time playing games? Nonsense! Just think of it as doing a mental workout. Doing word puzzles, playing card games and reading your favourite trashy novels all count as ways to keep your mind active. Yoga engages your core and a riveting whodunit engages your grey matter. In fact, there are any number of fun, natural activities that might seem frivolous, but give you the lasting benefits of psychological circuit training. Write in your journal or email with an old friend. Turn off the TV for a while and have a chat with your next-door neighbour. Simple social interaction might not seem like a mental workout, but spending time with your social network is associated with better health and happiness and less dementia later in life. The same is true of taking part in your favourite hobbies. Not a bad way to work out, huh?

Just like any good exercise regimen, you have to target different areas of the body for the full effect. Physical activity is among the other good habits that support mental acuity and stave off cognitive decline as you get older. Yes, exercising your body enlarges your brain, not just your biceps. As does eating right, including getting enough omega-3s from fish. Here's another easy one to check off the better-brain to-do list: Get plenty of sleep.

When you look back with your crystal clear memory decades from now, you’ll be glad you did.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/17/brain-games-_n_3756854.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

5 Easy Ways To Get Happy

Pursuing your dreams can have its challenges and sometimes be very emotional. However, it's important to stay focused on your goals and put your mind on the positive to fuel your drive to achieve. Guard your thoughts and emotions by intentionally taking action to keep your spirits high. In my office, we have a saying, "If anything can go well, it will!" Expect good things to happen for you and you'll see that more good will come your way! Below are five quick ways to help you the next time you're feeling down and out. Dig yourself out of the dumps with these proven strategies to a happier life.

1. Meditate 15 to 20 minutes every day. 

Meditation can be a life-changing force in your life. The act of solitude can solve many problems. For example, when I was going through a rough divorce in my 20s, I would rise early and escape to my sweet spot where I just cleanse my mind of negative thoughts and visualize a happy future.

2. Guard what you listen to. 

Surround yourself with positive people, have positive conversations and take a break from negative news. To protect your positive mind and atmosphere, refuse to say, hear or agree with any negative words, especially about your life, day or personal economy.

Instead, flip the switch and replace all negative expressions with positive ones. Say statements that create joy in your life. I challenged my clients to take a positivity challenge. For 30 days, speak positive about every situation. They used my personal positivity calendar to chart their progress. You can create your own by recording at least one positive thing that happens each day for 30 days. This challenge will shift your perspective and help you keep a watch on your words while charting a path to a much happier life.


3. Use goal cards.

If you focus on what's possible, your passion to accomplish goals will increase dramatically. Goal cards make this process very simple. Studies show people who review and visualize their written goals are more apt to manifest what they see. There's no better feeling of happiness than to achieve something that you really desire in your life.

4. Eat energy-producing foods. 

Eat lots of proteins and greens and drink water daily. When you feel healthy and alert, your confidence level goes up and makes you a much happier person.

Unhealthy eating and a sedentary lifestyle can have a negative affect on your mood. When you upgrade your body image by eating better and working out, you will immediately begin to upgrade your outlook and feel better about yourself.


5. Surround yourself with things that give you a happy outlook. 

Pictures of fond family memories, artwork, quotes, a happy screensaver on your computer or even fresh flowers. Often, I have my clients create happiness sticky notes where they write messages to affirm their goals, or simple words of encouragement like, "You can do it!" "You're loved!" "You're beautiful!" I tell them to post it to their computer, stick it on a desk or vision board so they can see it often.

Hold on to happiness
Take 10 minutes each morning to see yourself in a happy situation.Be grateful
Look for something to be happy about
Keep a happiness journal

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stacia-pierce/happiness-tips_b_3750932.html

Effective Leaders Build Success-Driven Teams: Lead With Three C's

Recently, I asked myself a serious question about my career: "Is it professionally healthy to remain a boss, or is it time to stand up and be leader?"

After a deep discussion with some coworkers, a colleague gave me a chart which described the traits of a boss versus a leader. It was a brief diagram, and yet its impact on me was strong. It led me to the conclusion that personally, I had experienced my fair share of good bosses; however, my interactions with great leaders were far and few between. Therefore, I decided it was time for me to stand up and position myself as a leader.

Leaders noticeably emit an attitude which allows them to build success-driven teams. They coach, demonstrate, develop and give credit. Most importantly, they lead with the understanding that there is no "I" in "team." As a result, professional women climbing the ladder of success must distinctly decide to strive with guidance in mind in order to gain the best results.

Under the governance of the few true leaders I worked with, I had a greater opportunity to flourish professionally. So, to start your journey on ditching the "boss" mentally and adopting a leadership attitude, apply the "Three C's" to build success driven teams:Collaborate, Cooperate and Coordinate.

Collaborate -- Don't Dictate
Leaders, personally and professionally, gain more by the applying the method of collaboration. Leaders coach and develop success-driven teams by creating a space where individuals can collaborate collectively to share ideas. Collaboration fosters engagement. It is important to allow others to feel they are an integral part of a process. When they do, a greater sense of value within the organization achieved. Essentially, everyone has the ability to add value to an organization, but the strategy rests in the hands of the "leader" to foster collaboration that builds success-driven teams.

Cooperate -- Don't Rely on Authority
Leaders must understand success is not gained with an "I" attitude. Instead, true success is multiplied when a "we" is engaged. When the team is collaborating in idea sharing, cooperate, and don't let your position go to your head. Again, your team is a reflection of you. Everyone has a voice and regardless of title, everyone deserves to be heard.

Coordinate - Don't Confuse
As a leader, it is important to share your vision clearly. Communicate your ideas with direction openly and at all levels to ensure full comprehension. Additionally, confirm your message is consistent and clarify the "gray areas" that may throw your team off track. Your team cannot garner success if they are confused.

In Level Three Leadership: Getting Below the Surface, author J.G. Clawson indicated effective leaders understand the necessity of connecting with individuals at all levels within an organization. Therefore, ask yourself...

• Am I commanding outcomes without gaining results?
• Do I take credit for all achievements?
• Do I exert leadership qualities with authority?

If you answered "yes" or raised an eyebrow and sighed "maybe," then take some time to reexamine some of your results and consider restocking your methods with more leadership directives.

So, all this is to say, as professional women climbing the ladder of success, make sure you stand out in comparison to the rest. It is acceptable to be a boss, but admirable to be a leader. For some, we already are in the leadership role in which this may prove beneficial for continued success.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shanna-b-van-ness/effective-leaders-build-success-driven-teams_b_3606374.html

How Yoga Can Help Cure Thyroid Imbalance

Hypothyroidism is a condition that can impact anything from your weight to your fertility. What’s unfortunate is that a large chunk of the population has been diagnosed with under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism) and yet there’s few options out there for treatment aside for taking medication. What many people don’t know is that yoga can have quite the impact on the way your thyroid performs. Here’s how yoga can help to improve thyroid imbalance.


Shoulder stand

Also known as Sarvangasana pose, this is the most recommended posture for hypothyroidism. Not only does this position stimulate the thyroid gland to function properly due to the pressure effect, but it also helps stimulate a variety of other glands in the head region, such as pituitary and pineal glands, which also have an additional way of controlling the functioning of the thyroid gland.
Bow pose

This pose is known to stimulate the glands in your neck and throat and it’s also a great movement for strengthening and stretching your thighs, groin, belly, chest, spine and shoulders. To perform the bow pose, lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides. Bend your legs and grab your ankles with your hands. Then inhale and lift you feet away from your hips while also bringing your thighs off the mat. By doing this pose, you should have your head and upper torso pulled off the floor for 20 to 30 seconds.
Fish pose

The fish pose requires you to lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. As you inhale, lift your pelvis slightly off the floor and slide your hands underneath your butt. Then tuck your elbows and forearms close against your body and place your elbows on the mat. Inhale and arch your back to lift your torso off the floor. This pose helps to stretch and stimulate the glands in the neck and throat.
Camel pose

This stretch works the entire front of your body, including the important areas for your thyroid including your neck and throat. A backbend like pose, this is known to help stimulate the glands in your neck especially. To do this stretch, kneel on your mat so your knees are directly under your hips. Then arch your back and plant your hands on your feet. Push your tailbone a little more forward and let your head fall back with no strain.
Child pose

The pose known as child pose is a great position for relaxation and increased energy. The pose itself stretches your knees and lower back, and is a great pose to help blood flow to the brain. To do this pose, kneel down and rest your butt on your heels. Stretch your arms over and reach them forward.

http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/how-yoga-can-help-cure-thyroid-imbalance/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-yoga-can-help-cure-thyroid-imbalance&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

The Worst Weight Loss Mistakes

Weight loss may seem like a simple formula of eating less and working out more; however, you may be unintentionally making mistakes that will hinder your weight loss success. To avoid common slip-ups and makeover your diet, check out these seven worst weight loss mistakes.

Relying on exercise
While exercise is essential for a healthy lifestyle and for keeping off those extra pounds, research has found that, when not combined with any dietary changes, exercise does very little in respect to losing weight. Experts believe that many new exercisers even gain weight by overcompensating for their workouts. This is because many of us overestimate the calories burned through exercise and overly increase our calorie intake to fuel or reward our workouts. For maximum weight loss benefits, try to incorporate both exercise and dietary changes into your day.

Going fat-free
Many of us are in the habit of obsessively checking the fat content of products and looking out for 'low fat' labels before deciding if a food is diet friendly. However, opting for low fat products can be a huge dieting mistake as many low fat meals are packed with sugar to compensate. Also, 'reduced fat' labels only indicate that the food is lower in fat than the original product, which may not mean it is low fat at all. It is important to also remember that not all fats are bad for you. Rather than avoiding fat, try to lower your intake of saturated fats and eat more monounsaturated fats (found in avocados, olive oil and nuts) as studies have found that this can help to promote weight loss.

Switching to diet drinks
Just as low fat foods are not always the best choice for weight loss, switching to diet drinks can also inhibit weight loss, or even cause you to gain weight. Research by the Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found that those who consumed diet drinks daily experienced a 70 per cent greater increase in waist circumference than those who drank none, while a previous study showed that obesity risk increased by 41 per cent for each diet drink consumed. It is thought this may be because artificial sweeteners trigger appetite, and they may also inhibit the brain cells that make you feel full.

Getting hung up on your body weight
Many dieters become fixated on the number on the scales; however, this can actually be counterproductive. Not only is your body weight not an accurate reflection of how well you are doing (after all, how do you know how much of that weight is muscle, water or undigested food and how much is fat?), failing to see the results you want can also affect your motivation, lead to emotional eating, or cause you stress which can lead to weight gain. Rather than getting hung up on your weight, learn to relax and enjoy your healthy eating plan, and look out for other positive effects of your diet such as glowing skin, increased energy levels and your clothes starting to fit better.

Being too restrictive
While eating too much food will inevitably cause you to gain weight, eating too little can also be a big dieting mistake. Firstly, not giving your body an adequate amount of food will make it go into starvation mode, causing the metabolism to slow down and the body to hoard fat and calories. Furthermore, making your diet too restrictive and cutting out all the foods you like is unrealistic and will mean you are more likely to give in. It is also pointless to give up these foods unless you plan on giving them up forever, as the pounds will just pile on again once your reintroduce them into your diet.

Giving up at the first hurdle
Many of us take an all or nothing approach to dieting, meaning one small wobble can lead to us ruining our diets and giving up entirely. After all, if you've already broken your diet and eaten a cookie, you may as well eat the whole packet, right? Wrong! If you're serious about losing weight, it's important not to let lapses (big or small) get you down. So, you caved in and ate your body weight in chocolate? Don't dwell on it. Just because you have given into temptation once it doesn't mean that you will again, and it doesn't mean that you have failed. Simply put the past behind you, pick yourself up and carry on.

Overestimating your self controlAlthough it is great to embark on your diet with a positive and determined mindset, being too confident - and failing to prepare for those moments of weakness - could be your biggest mistake. Don't rely on being too disciplined to fail; instead accept that we all lack willpower at times and try removing temptation to prepare for those weak moments. Clear the cupboards of chocolate, ignore the urge to purchase your favourite treats (even if you claim they are for guests and you are sure you will be able to resist them) and stay away from places and situations that will tempt you to indulge. Make it as difficult for yourself to break your diet as you can.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/realbuzzcom/the-worst-weight-loss-mistakes_b_3639434.html

5 Ways To Use Your Smartphone For Better Fitness

Smartphones bring the world to your fingertips. You can send and receive emails on the road, pay bills as you walk down the street, and play Angry Birds as you stand in line at the grocery store. But does being able to take these activities with you help your level of physical activity?

These types of activities — emailing, keeping up with friends on social media, and playing games — are typically thought of as sedentary behaviors. A recent Kent State University study of college students aimed to determine the relationship between mobile phone use and the level of activity and fitness of those with these devices.

Turns out that high-frequency cellphone users were more likely than other users to report forgoing opportunities for physical activity in order to use their cellphones for sedentary behaviors. It also appears that high levels of phone use indicated a broader pattern of sedentary behavior in addition to cellphone use, like watching TV. Researchers concluded that cellphones, despite being easy to use while on the move, may disrupt physical activities and reduce fitness.

Like many people, I’m guilty of zoning out and surfing the internet on my phone instead of, say, vacuuming. But the cell phone doesn’t have to be a fitness and activity killer. Indeed, you can use it to your advantage to be more fit! 

Here are a few ways to do just that!

Mobile Motivator
There really is an app for everything, whether you want a stopwatch, a Tabata timer, a virtual trainer, or somewhere to log your workouts. Use your screen time to remind you of your fitness goals, not as time to step away from them.

Count Your Steps
Pedometers are great at letting you know how much you move daily, so get a pedometer app and start logging your movement. Set a goal to get up to 10,000 steps a day.

Set An Hourly AlarmIf your job is sedentary, use your phone to set an hourly reminder to get up and move around the office and stretch your limbs. Just make sure to put it on vibrate so you don't annoy your coworkers every hour. 

Move It
If you do want to mindlessly surf the web or check Facebook, make it a point to move when you do. Whether you’re walking around the house, doing calf raises or a few squats, linking exercise to your cell phone use will have you exercising more and mindlessly checking your phone less.

Connect With Workout Friends
Use your phone to check in with a workout buddy. Whether you’re planning to meet up for a workout or you’re seeking a push to get to the gym, workout buddies can work wonders in keeping you accountable, and social media is a great way to keep in touch.

http://www.babble.com/body-mind/5-ways-to-use-your-phone-for-better-fitness/mobile-motivator/

Best Food For Weight Loss

For a healthy and balanced diet include in your meals foods listed below, which also contain little fat and are relatively low in calories.

Apples and pears
Medium-sized pear contains about 6 grams (0.2 oz) of fiber, a medium-sized apple contains about 3 grams (0.1 oz) of fiber. Both contain pectin, which reduces blood sugar levels and thus helping you avoid snacks between meals.

Grapes
Instead of eating sweets, try grapes. Grapes contain a lot of sugar, so don’t eat it too much, but it does not contain fats. 100 g (3.5 oz) of grapes contains only 70 calories. Eating grapes will help you with your weight loss and will clean your body as this fruit is one of the most powerful antioxidants!

Salad
Control your appetite and eat a big salad bowl prior to meal (but don’t use creamy dressings as they are very caloric). Make a salad with carrot, cabbage, tomato, beetroot, lettuce or cucumber – all these kinds of vegetables are low in calories. For dressing you can use lemon juice or oil-based dressings. 

Potato
You might be surprised but potato itself is no problem, the problem is just how it is prepared. Fried potato is bad as it has a lot of calories and trans fat. Boiled or baked potato in the oven without adding any fat is actually very good for your diet. Potato only contain 97 calories per 100 grams.

Cereals
Grains contain fiber which will help make you feel full. Choose oats, barley, rye, roasted corn, rice, whole grain cereal with less sugar. Add them into your daily menu as such food will make you feel full for longer period of time.

Beans
You may have never heard of cholecystokinin, but for weight loss cholecystokinin is very important. This digestive hormone is a natural appetite suppressant. So enjoy beans often! Beans maintain blood sugar levels at normal level and help you to stay away from food for a longer period of time. Eating beans will also lower your level of cholesterol.

Curd
Cottage cheese made from skimmed cow’s milk contains only 56 calories and is low in fat (light). It is a good source of protein, calcium and vitamins. If you mix cottage cheese with fruits such as banana or strawberry you get a tasty dessert!

Green tea
Hidden ingredient that boosts up the metabolism and body fat loss in green tea is an antioxidant called catechin. Drink two cups of green tea a day to boosts your metabolism. Faster metabolism means faster weight loss. Read about metabolism here: Metabolism By drinking green tea you also lower your cholesterol level.

Dark chocolate
If you feel like your sugar is low have a bar of dark chocolate. Always chose dark chocolate that contains a high proportion of cocoa (at least 70%). Such chocolate contains many antioxidants, has beneficial effect against stress and has an overall positive impact on our health.

Water
And last but not least – not exactly food, but still. Studies have shown that you normally consume more food if you drink too little water. Water has no calories, but will fill your stomach. You can add lemon for taste, but you can also drink beverages with fewer calories, which consist mainly of water such as coconut water, watermelon juice or buttermilk. You can also enjoy vegetable soup (with no oil).

The rule of thumb is to drink 3 liters (12 US cups) of water per day for men and 2 liters (8 US cups) per day for women. Remember that you don’t actually need to drink that much water as water is also found in vegetables and fruits that you eat trough out the day. Drink water only when you’re thirsty.

http://healthiack.com/weight-loss/best-foods-for-weight-loss

How To Eat Less Without Feeling Deprived

Who says you have to deprive yourself in order to eat less? Follow these simple tricks to eat less without feeling hungry:





1. Serve food in smaller portions
Limit food intake by serving less food and serving on smaller plates or containers. Stash away leftovers for later and keep food away from sight especially sweets and junk foods.

2. Drink more water
Whenever you feel hungry or bored, drink a glass of water. Water will fill your stomach and curb your hunger pangs. Drinking more water is also laced with health benefits. Water helps bodily functions such as digestion, absorption, and creation of saliva. It also helps the kidneys and hydrates the skin for a healthy radiant glow.

3. Eat a salad
Eat a salad before lunch or dinner to help you curb your appetite and limit your fat intake. Toss lots of veggies in your salad and use oil-based dressing to make a healthier and more filling salad.

4. Learn to eat slowly
By eating fast, you are taking in too many calories before feeling full. Slow down and take the time to enjoy the taste of every meal and snack you eat. Mindful eating will not only help you eat less, importantly it will enhance your experience of eating.

5. Don’t deprive yourself
Depriving yourself to eat something you really liked can lead to overeating. You can take anything you like (dessert, anyone?) but you can only have a few bites.

6. Keep busy
Occupy yourself you will have less time to think about food. Get out of the house, get a hobby, exercise. Doing something may exhaust you, but it will definitely benefit you and your weight loss plan to get moving.

7. Brush your teeth after every meal
The minty taste of toothpaste and the idea of ruining the cleanliness of your teeth should be enough to make you think twice about eating

http://bodybydesignweightloss.com/how-to-eat-less-without-feeling-deprived/

Start Building A Healthy Self-Esteem Today

Building a healthy self esteem can do wonders for your life. The way you deal with people on a personal and professional level are all affected by how you perceive yourself. Having a low level of self confidence may greatly affect your life; you end up having a harder time performing at work, maintaining healthy relationships, and enjoying life.

Your perception of yourself will dictate how you live life as a whole. You may feel unable to confidently face problems and make sound decisions. You may also begin to notice that the people around you are also losing confidence in you and your skills; the way you perceive yourself will dictate how people will see you and interact with you. Yes, your self esteem means so much more than you realise.

Having a healthy concept of yourself must come from within you and not from what others say about you or your physical appearance. Self-confidence is learning how to appreciate and accept yourself as you are. If your self esteem is only dependent on how people see you and what they think about you, then your confidence will be short-lived. You will have self doubts the moment people start saying negative things about you. You need to learn how to be happy and proud of yourself, your achievements, and experiences even if others are not there to cheer you on. Once you learn to do this, then you will have a healthy self esteem no matter what the situation is.

You never know what life will throw at you, but you need to start building your self-confidence to face life's toughest challenges. You need the self-assurance to make sound decisions and navigate through life on your way to success.

Here are a few simple tips to help build your self-esteem:

• Recognise your strengths, talents, and abilities and empower yourself with them. Learn to accept your weaknesses without allowing them to pull you down into a spiral of depression. Instead, work on developing and improving yourself.
• Conquer self-defeating thoughts. Stay positive and fill your mind with good things about yourself, people, and the situation you are in. Even if things seem really bad right now, focus on how things could be better and the small steps you need to take to make that happen.
• Be honest to yourself and others. Don't try to put up an image of yourself that's not real; don't project someone you're not. Allow people to accept you for who you are and not someone you just created to please others. No one is perfect, even if sometimes they appear to be. Perceptions of people can be deceiving as you only ever see a fragment of the whole person.
• Take responsibility for your actions and decisions. Empower yourself to make important decisions about life and your future. Stop allowing others to dictate the course of your life. Think about what it is that you really want to achieve. Even if that means you need to do something that would normally make you feel a little selfish. Remember that it's your life, not theirs. Who will suffer if things go wrong because you let others run your life? In all likelihood, you will suffer the most. The people who keep trying to control your life won't be directly affected by what happens to you.

Building self confidence isn't something that can be done over night. You need to work on it every day and the best way to do that is one step at a time, the smaller steps the better.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/paul-bailey/self-esteem-building_b_2971836.html

The Meditation Method That Might Save Your Memory

If someone told you that memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia could be reversed without drugs, in less than 15 minutes a day, would you believe them?
Although it sounds like the opening pitch of an annoying infomercial, research has been able to pinpoint a specific kind of meditation that seems to bestow special memory-boosting benefits on dutiful practitioners: Kirtan Kriya.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study that found that individuals with memory problems saw an improvement in their overall cognition after practicing Kirtan Kriya meditation once a day, for eight weeks.

The study was small (involving only 15 participants) but the findings were definitive—people with memory loss performed better on cognitive tests after incorporating Kirtan Kriya into their lives.

While the benefits of meditation are no secret to the millions of people who practice the ancient form of centering one’s thoughts, these results add further credibility to the ever-growing body of scientific evidence backing up what yogis have known about meditation for millennia.

According to the Mayo Clinic, some other advantages of adopting any form of meditation practice include: reduced stress levels, increased awareness and the ability to be able to concentrate more on the present. Science has also pointed to meditation as a way to manage or prevent certain health conditions including cancer, depression, high blood pressure, problems with sleep, asthma, anxiety and heart disease.

While the link between meditation and these conditions is far from definitive, it’s hard to deny that the practice has value that science is just beginning to understand.

A Kirtan Kriya sample practice
Kirtan Kriya meditation is a principle component of the Kundalini form of yoga. Kundalini yoga aims to enhance the physical energy and mental awareness of each practitioner by unleashing the power of the universal consciousness that resides within each person.


Here are the basic elements of a Kirtan Kriya meditation practice:

1. Take a seat: You can sit on the floor or in a chair, anywhere you feel most relaxed. Try to sit up as straight as you comfortably can. Place your hand on your knees, palms facing up.
2. Practice breathing: Practice slowly inhaling all the way down into your belly, and then, gradually exhaling fully.
3. Start to chant: Kirtan Kriya meditation incorporates a specific syllabic chant—sa (birth), ta (life), na (death), ma (rebirth). Together they form a mantra that proponents of Kundalini yoga say helps practitioners tap into their spiritual center. There are also hand movements that coordinate with each aspect of the Kirtan Kriya mantra. On “sa,” touch your index fingers to your thumbs. On “ta,” touch your middle fingers to your thumbs. On “na,” touch your ring fingers to your thumb. On “ma,” touch your pinky fingers to your thumbs. Each of these gestures is called a “mudra,” a symbolic movement meant to facilitate the flow of energy throughout the body.
4. Repeat: Kirtan Kriya meditation practices may last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. The typical practice is about 11-12 minutes long and involves cycling through several different ways of chanting the sa, ta, na, ma mantra; sometimes in a loud voice, sometimes in a whisper and sometimes silently, in your head. If you’re new to Kirtan Kriya, try this as a sample meditation: Chant aloud for two minutes, softly for two minutes, silently for three minutes, softly for two minutes and aloud for two minutes. You can play around with the times, but the important concept to keep consistent is the cycle—aloud, soft, silent, soft, aloud.
5. End with an affirmation: While it isn’t necessary, some practitioners suggest concluding a Kirtan Kriya meditation session by placing your palms together in front of your heart and proclaiming the mantra, “Sat nam,” as a verbal acknowledgement of the sacred truth that lies within you.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-meditation-method-that-might-save-your-memory.html