Photo credit: sjr60

Exercising on a regular basis is important because it provides several short-term and long-term benefits. Some of those benefits are staying in shape, losing weight, and reducing health risks such as heart attacks and strokes. Studies have found that one of the top reasons that people often quit exercising is that they become bored. There are, however, several ways to keep you on the right track of exercising regularly. Here are some ways to inspire your mind to alleviate boredom during exercise.

Change Up Your Exercise Routine

Continuing to do the same exercise routine day after day is a good way to become bored during exercising. You should try to change up your exercise routine on a regular basis to prevent getting bored. For example, if you mostly walk for exercise, try to alternate between walking and jogging every 20 minutes if possible to change it up. Not only does changing up your exercise routine help with boredom but it can also help your body lose more weight by burning more calories. Read the rest of this article →

photo credit: Ingrid Sørensen

Have you ever had a chronic injury or illness that caused you a lot of pain no matter what you tried? It can be quite horrible. But did you know that science is now finding that meditation can help reduce pain just as much as pain killers? Fascinating isn’t it?

In this article we’ll take a look at some of the things science is discovering about meditation and pain and then look at some different resources you can tap in to if you want to give it a shot for yourself.

My background with pain and meditation

Although I have been lucky enough to meet quite a few meditation teachers, I have never really capitalized on my fortune. I am not someone who can speak about meditation from experience because I simply don’t do it enough.

But last year I got quite sick with a strange problem; a giant stone was stuck in my saliva gland and causing me more pain than I had ever experienced. And in my agony and despair I tried to do a bit of meditation and mind training in order to find some relief as well as to make the experience perhaps a little bit more meaningful.

And it worked. The most stress and pain free moments of that month were when I managed to calm down and focus on my breath for a little while. At that time I realized how much better off I might have been if I had trained in mediation prior to getting sick. It is no wonder Tibetan Buddhist Lamas are able to endure great hardships and illness without showing any pain at all. They have done years and years of isolated meditation.

Science and meditation for pain relief

So what exactly has science been finding out about meditation and pain relief? Actually, quite a lot. Since the early 1970′s American researchers and scientists have been working with Buddhist meditation experts because they discovered that meditation actually changes the way the brain works.

Realizing that they understood very little about all this, the scientists began taking MRIs and CAT scans whilst the yogis or lamas were meditating. The results were very interesting. Here is an excerpt from a recent article in the Sacremento Bee:

Researchers have found that people who meditate on a regular basis actually develop thicker brains – they increase the connections between their brain cells, and they also increase the network of blood vessels in the brain, especially in those areas that help us to focus and pay attention, as well as areas of the brain involved with self-awareness and empathy.

Meditation can also lead to a reduction in the area of the brain that is associated with pain and stress. In other words, we can literally change our brain by what we focus on. And you don’t have to be an expert at this in order to benefit.

This falls in to a new area of neuroscience called Neuro Plasticity. Basically, what this means is that the brain is constantly changing and can be changed by what we think and do. A decade ago scientists didn’t think this was possible but are now discovering that we can literally change the shape and function of our brain by our thoughts.

But it gets better. The study also showed:

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photo credit: uonottingham

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – the Dalai Lama

Sometimes all it takes is a small gesture to totally change someone’s day. When you sense that someone cares for you or is putting your concerns ahead of their own you often have your outlook totally transformed to something more positive and warm. Here are some small ways to make someone’s day.

1. Smile
2. Open doors
3. Offer a seat at your table in a busy cafe
4. Make eye contact
5. Shout a workmate a coffee for no reason
6. Start a conversation with someone who looks lonely
7. Listen
8. Share a tip that has helped you out in your life recently
9. Give money to beggars without conditions attached
10. Don’t complain about politics or recent news
11. Try and put a positive spin on a bad situation
12. Invite someone to go jogging
13. Cook for your wife
14. Meditate so you are calmer for your family
15. Volunteer for someone who really needs it

Normally I like to rant on and write long and in depth posts about things but sometimes it is just the simplest things that help the most. There is a wonderful quote by Plato that says, “Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” It is a wonderful thing to remember when you go about your daily business because it reminds you that other people are going through similar pains and hardships.

It also can help you deal with situations where you can’t quite understand why a person is behaving so badly – it is because they too are fighting a hard battle of their own.

I would really like to hear some comments about some small little thing that someone did that changed your day and made you feel happy and more optimistic. I don’t care how trivial or strange it might seem – please leave a comment so others can hear it and maybe use it to help someone else.

photo credit: jfdervin

For over ten years now I have suffered from a painful chest injury. It happened during martial arts training; a stray elbow landed right on my sternum. I tried everything to diagnose and fix it – X-rays, scans, acupuncture, physiotherapy, Chinese herbs – and nothing worked. Until a friend told me to see a sports massage expert. After two sessions the damn thing was feeling good again!

It turns out my sternum was being stretched by a lopsided spine and collar bone which caused me to pinch some nerves. By working with the cause of the problem as opposed to the symptom I was able to get some pretty amazing relief.

And that really got me thinking about all the other health secrets we have discovered over the years. This post is all about them.

What health secrets am I talking about?

What I would really like to hear about is anything that you tried that finally gave you some relief from pain, new levels of energy, etc. The thing is, a lot of these methods are not accepted by Western Medicine due to the lack of intensive double-blind studies. But that is not the point. Some of them still work.

Meditation, for example, has been helping people achieve happiness, good health and peace of mind for thousands of years but it is only in the last decade or so that modern medicine has really accepted its benefits. Does that mean it didn’t work for people before that? Nope.

Your story
What I would really like to hear about is stories from people that have tried something new and got amazing results. Please share the details about what was going wrong and then about how you found out about the new treatment. It could be something to do with:

• depression
• anxiety
• insomnia
• a niggling sport injury
• lack of energy
• etc.

Obviously we do not need personal details or anything like that. This idea of this post is to learn about some new methods that people might be able to research as possibly alternatives or compliments to their current unsuccessful efforts.

Be the friend who suggests the treatment idea
I would never have seen that sports therapist unless a friend suggested it to me. Luckily for me I am mates with a lot of martial artists and as such they are in touch with the best people to treat their injuries. But not everyone has that friend around to make those types of suggestions. The idea behind this post is to share any health secrets that we have heard about or come across in the hope that we can be that friend that suggests the idea.

We are NOT giving anyone medical advice here; we are just suggesting some methods that worked for us that someone else might want to investigate further.

Not a replacement for a doctor’s advice

photo credit: Defence Images

Please be very clear on this. These health secrets that we occasionally encounter are not a replacement for a doctor’s advice. You should never try anything or change anything to do with your health unless you consult your GP first. It is far too dangerous.

Sure, if you are getting some physio for a bad back and want to try some acupuncture instead that is perfectly okay. But never ever change any medication or medical prescription because of something you found on the internet.

What is your health secret?

So have you tried anything that has really helped change your life? Something that you might not have tried unless a friend suggested it? Please leave a comment about it here. I am hoping that we might be able to use this post as the catalyst for some people to meet with a helpful new remedy and maybe finally be done with an old injury.

Stress has become a literal killer in the current economic environment. Even if you have managed to keep your job as millions have been laid-off, there’s no Easy Street in sight. Office workers are doing more with less and dealing with constant uncertainty and fear of job loss. To stay relevant in boss’ eyes, professionals are working longer hours and taking on more high-pressure projects.

All of this adds up to a high stress lifestyle. Unchecked, stress can cause insomnia; eating disorders, including anorexia and binge eating; ulcers; hypertension and high blood pressure. In some extreme cases, stress has been known to trigger cardiac arrest and strokes. Read the rest of this article →