How to be Active and Live a Successful Life.... Stop Procrastination

A Japanese technique to overcome laziness. From time to time, all of us set ourselves a new goal or challenge and just as often, in the end we fail, to achieve them. You end up telling yourself that you are not ready yet: that you will do it next week next month or even next year. 

Why do we give up so easily! The answer is fairly obvious. We try to achieve our goals too much and too fast. We get sick of the new responsibilities and it's tough to change old habits and try something new. As a result you, get tired and bored very quickly.

How to stop procrastinating?  This is a great solution to overcome laziness and achieve anything you wish. This method takes less than a minute and results are quite impressive. The technique is called Kaizen or the 1-minute principle. Kaizen originated in Japan and it is something that anyone can attempt in any sphere of their life.  In Japan, for instance, it's often applied to improve management techniques. The word itself contains two routes, “KAI” (change) and “ZEN” (wisdom).

It means you shouldn't change your life spontaneously but slowly and wisely. The new habit should occur as a result of your reflection and life experience. This method was invented by “Masaaki Imai” who believes this philosophy can be applied just as successfully to the world of business as it can be to one's personal life.

How does this method work? In Japanese culture, the practice of Kaizen includes the concepts of the 1-minute principle for self-improvement. At the heart of this method, is the idea that you should practice doing something for a single minute every day at the same time. Just for a minute, no more. It shouldn't be any trouble for absolutely anyone.  Even the laziest person can carry out a given task for such a small amount of  time. We usually find an excuse not to do something when faced with carrying the task out for thirty minutes or an hour a day.  However, you should be able to do it for at least 60 seconds without any misgivings. Why does the method work? At first glance, this practice might seem doubtful and ineffective for people who have grown up in Western culture, that claims the idea that you can only achieve your goals by undertaking enormous efforts. However, it's not true at all. Challenging programs of self-improvement that deprive you of vast amounts of energy can end up exhausting you and leave no tangible results.  Whether it's doing push-ups or studying a foreign language, the task won't seem like something unpleasant that you have to get through.  Instead, it will become an activity that brings you joy and satisfaction. Take one little step at a time and you will move on the path of self perfection.

The one minute principle lets you see the progress you're making and it's a critical part of forming new habits. It's important to overcome that lack of confidence you might have in your abilities as well as free yourself from guilt and helplessness. You need to experience a sense of victory and success to move forward. The moment those feelings inspire you, you will gradually begin to increase the amount of time you spend on the goal that you have set for yourself.  Maybe, at first, just for five minutes more but this will soon turn into half an hour and then even longer. All you have to do is understand what it is you want to achieve and start doing it for just a minute, every single day.

This will help you stop procrastinating, have good health and life long success. 

Fasting Kills Cancer...

A woman came to Dr. Darren Schmidt and asked “what do you think about fasting” and he was like “I don't know I guess it’s good for some people not good for others”. He didn't really have a good answer and this is what she told him she said she was 400 pounds and she had cancer all over her body. She didn't know what to do about it so she prayed about it and she was told to fast. Do she didn't eat any food for a month and then after that she only ate on weekends. So she fasted for five days in a row and during that time she lost all that weight and the cancer came out of her. She said she would go to the bathroom sit on the toilet and tumors would come out of her. So Darren never forgot that story.

 He was curious to find how this works. So here's what you do when you're fasting. You are depleting your body of sugar and getting the sugar out of the blood and out of the liver. Then there's no more sugar left. “Cancer needs sugar”.  So when you deplete the body of sugar, all you have left is fat, the only other fuel and then ketones which is the form of fat that the body burns. Ketones kill cancer. Ketones actually kill cancer cells. This is the way that traditional tribes got healthy. They would fast occasionally, maybe a day a week or a couple days a month or sometimes three weeks in the late winters because there was no food (they were forced to fast).  At first they would get really tired because they would have hypoglycemia but then after a while all the sugar is gone and their body starts burning fat and they perk right up. That's called fat adaptation. 

So here's how you do it. 

Step one: 
You eat low carb low carb that means around 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. This means you have to write down your food, you got to count your grams of carbohydrates and this is a medical therapy. I'm recommending that you find somebody who knows what they're doing and follow this.  This is not step three this is step one. Do this first. 

Step two: 

Eat less often. The average American eats 14 times a day. Dietitians tell us to eat snacks between meals, have a handful of nuts etc. Every time you eat, that's sugar. It could be vegetables, healthy vegetables and it could be even proteins digest like sugar. Some amino acids digest like sugar. You are increasing your insulin. Insulin causes inflammation. It deposits fat in a body so instead of eating six meals a day like the dietitians are telling us to. You got to make it down to just three square meals a day. One should be able to go six to eight hours between meals so you eat at 7:00 a.m. noon and then 6:00 p.m. or something like that. Now if you're retired and you're at home, then just eat two meals a day. 

Step number three:  

Restrict the hours in which you eat. So I'm just going to write the word restriction and this is the term that's being used now, because people get freaked out when you say the word “fast”. This is the same thing as fasting. As an example, you can eat lunch at noon, dinner at 6:00. You eat all your food in six hours. This is not low-calorie. Eating all your calories in the six hours, then you don't eat after 6 p.m. You have got all night when you're sleeping. You wake up the morning, skip breakfast and now it's 12 o'clock noon. You just went 18 hours with no food. You're not going to die from that, you’re actually going to get healthier from that. You are training your body and after 3-4 weeks your body gets used to it. You are training your body to your new dietary habits. So restriction means eating less.You are eating hours is less. 

Some of the top researchers in this field, they only eat up in four hours. They eat from like two until 6:00 or from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m and these guys are top athletes. They are endurance athletes. There is one guy named Dr. D'Agostino. He's got the world record for endurance powerlifting. He squatted 175,000 pounds in six hours. Dr. D'Agostino at one point said he eats all of his food in four hours and then another interview “he eats just breakfast and dinner”. So he's going 12 hours between meals. Either way it's a form of fasting. There's another guy named Dr. Thomas Seyfried, a runner, he eats all of his food in four hours. He's been doing that for 35 years.

 You got to really educate yourself. You are not going to feel good. Your body might go through what's called keto flu which means it's converting from sugar burning or to fat burning. You may feel crappy for a week or three weeks but you need to have determination and motivation. This does not only fights diseases but its going to build discipline as well. Just do it.. and share to cure cancer and help families of cancer patients.

14 foods that decrease the risk of heart attack

14 foods that decrease the risk of heart attack

Our heart is one of the most important organs but surprisingly we take care of it the least, loading it every day with stress and unhealthy diets and that's too bad because fatty food increases cholesterol levels which leads to vascular plaques that prevent the heart from working correctly. So do you want to clean your blood vessels? Are you ready to improve your overall well-being? What about decreasing the risk of heart attacks in the future?

Here we go...

1- Fatty fish:

Salmon, mackerel, herring, haddock and other fatty fish decreases the risk of arrhythmia and atherosclerosis. They also contain lots of vitamins as well as minerals. Vitamins B 2 and D together with riboflavin help the bones to absorb calcium.  Other minerals contained in fish are iron zinc and selenium; they boost our health and fight heart diseases. So fish can make a very healthy, tasty and nutritious meal. It's best to eat it two to three times a week.

2- Oatmeal:

Consumption of oatmeal dates back to 7,000 BC. Exactly oats where the cereals humans cultivated first.Ancient Chinese enjoyed this food and ancient Greeks invented porridge. More than 75% of the Americans eat oatmeal for breakfast and this fact is really good. Rich in fiber, porridge decreases the levels of bad cholesterol and improves digestion. Coarse oatmeal is the healthiest. 

3- Berries:

Blueberries and strawberries are very good at lowering blood pressure and dilating blood vessels. Strawberry lovers also get fiber, folate, antioxidants and potassium from their favorite berries. These red berries are full to the brim with vitamin C and they contain more than oranges. In all this goodness is very low in calories or sugar. As for blueberries, Native Americans use these berries for medicinal purposes. For example, treating bad coughs, improving the vision and containing vitamins C and E. Blueberries are the second most popular berries in the USA.

 4-Dark-chocolate:

Minimum of 60 to 70% cocoa. Such type of chocolate helps to normalize blood pressure and fight inflammation and blood clotting. What is more, it provides the anti-stress effect as it increases the production of serotonin which is known for its calming effects. Cocoa, the main component of dark chocolate also helps to prevent memory decline. Another reason to eat chocolate regularly is the fact that it is in fact good for your skin and protects it from ultraviolet rays.

5-Nuts:

Nuts contain protein fibers that are useful for the heart. They also have vitamin E as their ingredient, which helps to decrease the levels of bad cholesterol. Ancient Greeks were known to believe that hazelnuts could cure a cough and baldness.

Almonds are so rich in vitamin E that they can be stored in a refrigerator for as long as two years. Chestnuts contain a lot of vitamin C, about 20% of their weight. But if you have a dog don't give it macadamia nuts, they are poisonous to these animals.

6-Extra virgin olive oil:

Just a couple of spoons a day will lower the bad cholesterol levels and sugar in your blood. Olive oil is very high in oleic acid, which reduces blood pressure. It is interesting that when the olives are crashed, oil leaves them naturally, therefore beneficial ingredients and vitamins are not harmed by chemicals or preservatives. People also believe that this oil has an effect of protection from several types of cancers such as breast, digestive tract, and prostate.

7-Green tea:

Bioactive compounds contained in this drink improve health antioxidants and it have strong medicinal properties. Green tea makes the brain function better. It has a positive influence on the process of fat-burning boosting the rate of metabolism.

This drink may decrease the risk of different types of cancer such as prostate and breast cancer. It lowers the risk of developing Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Just one cup a day stops the formation of cholesterol plaques.

8-Broccoli and spinach:

These products contain lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They activate the heart and normalize blood pressure. They are also rich in fiber. Broccoli in particular has a lot of medicinal benefits, such as prevention of some kinds of cancer, digestive system improvement and detoxification of the body. It also resembles a vitamin injection, filling you with numerous vitamins and minerals. Skin protection, vision improvement and allergic reactions. Spinach in turn contains manganese, potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium. Other things like vitamins A, vitamin, vitamin C, vitamin b6 and others. It improves eyesight, keeps blood pressure stable, and even makes your muscles stronger.

 9-Avocado:

This incredibly nutritious fruit, yes it is a fruit, decreases the bad cholesterol levels and helps clear the arteries. It is rich in healthy fats also. It contains a long list of vitamins including vitamin C, b5, b6 vitamin E, and K folate and others. Avocados are packed with fiber, which can be useful for weight loss, blood sugar reduction and other health benefiting processes

10-Pomegranate:

Pomegranates contain antioxidants, lower blood pressure, normalized blood circulation and increased hemoglobin levels. Surprisingly, pomegranates also have certain antibacterial properties which can help you to reduce dental plaque and fight away different oral diseases.

11-Cinnamon:

This spice can protect you from heart diseases and atherosclerosis. It also boosts metabolism and it helps you to lose weight. It is full of antioxidants, winning in the competition of 26 spices antioxidant activity, leaving even garlic behind. It has a strong effect against diabetes lowering blood sugar.

12-watermelon:

This berry plays an important role in vascular health. It stabilizes the cholesterol levels and contains antioxidants. It provides hydration which is a great thing for your body. It has certain benefits for the health of skin and hair and if you are keen on intensive workouts drink watermelon juice before the training, you will be surprised to feel much less muscle soreness the next day.

13-Garlic:

Darlic dilates the vessels, lowers blood pressure, alleviates vasoconstriction and prevents atherosclerotic plaques from appearing. It improves digestion as well assisting in the functioning of the intestines. Being rich in selenium, vitamin C and quercetin, it helps your eyes, protecting them from infection and swelling.

What is more, it is frequently used to cure ear aches and finally it is a well-known fact that to survive a cold with minimal discomfort you need to eat garlic.

14: Apples and Pears:

These fruits are rich in fiber that helps your heart they normalize blood circulation and are cheaper and more readily available alternatives to pomegranates. Apples will help to maintain white and healthy teeth.

When you bite into an apple, saliva is produced which reduces the decay of your teeth and lowers the level of bacteria. They boost your immune system prevent osteoporosis take care of the health of your digestive system and increase your energy.

What are Kidney stones, How are they Formed and What are some Preventive Measures!

A kidney stone can be as small as the head of a pin, almost invisible to the naked eye but as every stone former knows, the pain resulting from this tiny crystal structure can be enormous.

Kidney stones or renal calculi are aggregates of crystals enclosed in a matrix that develop within the kidneys. They are classified according to the specific types of crystals they contain and fall into five major categories. These are Calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, struvite, uric acid and cysteine. The most common is calcium oxalate.

How is a stone formed?  The first step is nucleation, ions such as calcium and oxalate that have been filtered into the urine by the kidney spontaneously joined together to form a solid crystal nidus, this is called nucleation.  There are two kinds of nucleation, in homogeneous nucleation crystals form around a nucleus with the same composition. Crystals of a different composition can also form around the nucleus. Organic materials, such as cell debris may be deposited between the crystals as a matrix. This is heterogeneous nucleation. The tiny crystal formations travel down the nephron and are usually deposited at the renal papilla where they undergo the next major phase “growth”.

Crystals that have already formed then begin to stick together forming large aggregates which can aggregate very quickly. New stones are retained in the kidney where they can continue to grow for an unspecified length of time until for reasons that are not well understood, they're displaced and travel through the kidney into the ureter.

Uncontroversial junctions 

If a stone continues to grow until it reaches a critical size, which can be as small as 4 to 5 millimeters in diameter, it may be too large to pass easily through the ureter. The edges of the stone may become wedged inside the ureter at the Ureteorpelvic junction (see picture), where the ureter crosses over the iliac atery or at the Ureterovesical junction. The result, pain and obstruction, until the stone slowly passes into the bladder and eventually passes out of the body in the urine stream.

In the U.S, it is estimated that 13 percent of men and 7 percent of women will develop a kidney stone during their lifetime. Fortunately, in about 78 percent of these patients, stones will be expelled spontaneously but stones that become lodged in the ureter may require lithotripsy, endoscopic removal or other treatments possible. It's important to note that nearly half of all first-time stone formers will have another stone episode within the next four years. Recurrent stone formers are at even greater risk and may form a new stone every two or three years. But what actually causes crystals to form? Why do some crystals develop into kidney stones and others do not?

One critical factor is super saturation of the urine with stone forming salts. Super saturation is the driving force for crystallization in under saturated urine, crystals cannot form.

The other important factor is a deficiency in substances called inhibitors. Inhibitors retard the nucleation, growth, and aggregation process by binding ions needed for crystal formation and growth. One of the most important inhibitors is citrate.

Urine saturation and inhibitor levels explain why in normal patients large crystals are not formed. Their urine is not as saturated and they have sufficient quantities of inhibitors present. But the urine of patients with kidney stones is more saturated it may also lack inhibitors that increase the propensity for crystallization of stone forming salts.

There are two reasons for this. First stone formers are known to suffer from a variety of metabolic disturbances that increase the amount of stone forming substances excreted in the urine and also decrease the excretion of inhibitors. Second, a number of common nutritional and environmental factors can cause abnormalities in the urine.

These factors may also exaggerate underlying abnormalities due to metabolic disturbances. Environmental stresses for example play a significant role in stone disease, especially factors that trigger excess water conservation in the kidney such as inadequate fluid intake. Dehydration is a major cause of kidney stones which is why people living in areas with high temperatures and humidity have a higher incidence of stone formation. A diet high in sodium is a double risk because it increases calcium excretion and reduces urinary levels of stone inhibiting citrate. Too much animal protein creates similar problems encouraging stone growth by increasing urinary uric acid and reducing urinary citrate. Certain medications are also known to encourage stone formation or growth in susceptible patients including common supplements such as vitamin C.

There is no cure for kidney stones but once an acute episode has been resolved, the key to therapy is simple, preventing recurrence. And fortunately, the most common stones calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate can be effectively managed with a combination of diet and lifestyle changes and medication. Compliance with proven management guidelines such as increasing fluid intake and avoiding stone promoting foods can significantly reduce stone recurrence. Medical therapies, such as thiazide diuretics and potassium citrate are also highly effective in appropriate patients and can reduce the need for expensive assisted stone removal procedures such as shock wave lithotripsy. The economic burden of kidney stones is significant with medical costs reaching billions of dollars annually.

Note: This article is not for any medico-legal purpose.