10 Steps to Living a Successful Life

1. Surround yourself with only those that uplift and think like you. 

Friendship needs to be directly proportional to the right personal growth from that friendship. Limit your exposure to those that pull you down or are not aligned with your goals and way of thinking.

2. Avoid allowing a crisis to become a ruin. 

We all make mistakes. The difference lies in how we handle them. Don’t spend time regretting the past, but rather learn from your mistakes and invest your time wisely by preparing for a better future. Stay focused on your vision with purpose, passion and persistence. Remember, God gave you two eyes in front of your head for a reason. Look ahead, not behind.

3. Smile at adversity, welcome it and then act quickly to eliminate it.

 

4. Stay efficient and productive. 

Don’t waste time; avoid interruptions and those that want to steal your time. Do all that you can do today, the very best that you can do it and leave the rest until tomorrow.

5. Learn to say “no” more than “yes.”

 

6. Expand your learning. 

Read voraciously, listen to educational/positive audio programs and attend seminars.

7. Exercise regularly, eat right, embrace laughter and stay proactive as it relates to your health.

 

8. Make financial fitness a priority in life.

• Evaluate every decision you make thoroughly
• Seek wise counsel
• Invest in only those businesses you understand
• Never bet the house
• Learn from your failures and duplicate successes
• Purchase only assets (those things that put money into your
• pocket) and eliminate liabilities/debt (those things that take
• money out of your pocket)
• Pay yourself first
• Always ask before investing or spending the question, “Would a
• rich person do this?” Allow the answer to guide you. Remember,
• if you are going to accumulate any form of wealth in your life,
• you must start thinking differently. 

 

9. Keep relationships the most important area of your life. 

God first, family second and all else after that. Share the most intimate moments and quality time with your spouse and those you love.

 

10. Help yourself first so you can help others effectively.

 The reason the flight attendant tells you to put your oxygen mask on first is because you must help yourself first if you are to help others. What good is a mother or father who is worn out and broke from helping everyone else and neglecting their selves?

There is a Chinese proverb that says more in a paragraph in term happiness:

If you want happiness for an hour – take a nap

If you want happiness for a day – go fishing

If you want happiness for a month – get married

If you want happiness for a year – inherit a fortune

If you want happiness for a lifetime – help others

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WANT TO LOOSE UR WEIGHT?

EAT M SMART 

Have you resolved to lose weight? Do you think thin = healthy = not eating? Get real! Eating right can help you knock off those extra pounds.

So have you taken care of your annual donation to the gym knowing that you’re never going to step into it? Paying that gym membership makes you think “I’ll make it some day”.  But let’s face it; mostof us can barely make the time to draw a deep breath, let alone find a couple of hours, that includes fighting traffic and finding parking space, to work out.  Also many have a mental block about the gym and your body will never respond to anything you force it into.  So what do you do? You learn to compensate.  By eating; only this time correctly.

Frequency

Do you wake up sluggish to a large cup of coffee/tea? Do you have a couple of bites for breakfast and then wake up ravenous late in the afternoon to bite into whatever you see? That’s because you probably eat your big meal at sunset.  Now its impossible to change habits overnight, so start slow.  An easy trick is to break your three main meals into eight – or may be six initially.  Wake up to the heaviest platter and get through the day in descending order.

Go “figure”

First, study your body; structure, metabolism, hunger pangs, thirst, eating patterns.  It’s very important to know when you feel hungry, how much and when not; note down the time and contents of your meal for a week so that you realize what you’re chomping and what you’re missing in terms of essential nutrients. Create a basket that includes all food groups; carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and even fat.  Keeping track of all that you eat is also a foolproof system to put an end to bingeing; once you actually see how much you’re putting into your body, it’ll automatically put your meals into perspective.  

One simple rule: your body burns most calories as soon as you wake and then goes into slow mode thereafter.  So eat your chocolates, fried food, mithai, cakes when you wake up and make the later mouthfuls healthier as the sun goes down.

Eat with your mind

It’s essential to finish with supper at sundown because your fat burning ability vanishes with the sunlight.  And since you’ve had your dinner early, you’re guaranteed to wake up with an appetite.  If you cannot stomach the idea of poha/eggs/thepla that early, start with a fruit.  High carbs like banana or apple are ideal to kickstart that metabolism and also acts as a buffer to that cup you’ll sip on.  Never, I mean Never, begin your day with caffine as your body will automatically go into slump mode.  Water constitutes 70 per cent of Human body so when we gulp some down as much as possible through the day to eliminate toxins.

THE GOLDE CYCLE

 

Every time hunger pangs strike, replace every one out of three meals with water and watch the fat melt away.  If you ever want to lose weight eat!! The 3 W’s are the deal breakers-what, when and where you eat, for e.g eating dal chawal at a restaurant at midnight can do more damage than a big piece of ladoo in the morning.  Simply because one, your ability to burn fat at midnight is almost zilch and two even dal may have unhealthy ingredients when made outside whereas the bhaji you fry in good oil at home is absorbed into your system pronto because you’re burning most fat in the morning.

10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication

 By making these 10 lifestyle changes, you can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. 

 If you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure (a systolic pressure — the top number — of 140 or above or a diastolic pressure — the bottom number — of 90 or above), you might be worried about taking medication to bring your numbers down.

Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you may avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication.

Here are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it down.

1. Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline

Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. Losing just 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) can help reduce your blood pressure. In general, the more weight you lose, the lower your blood pressure. Losing weight also makes any blood pressure medications you're taking more effective. You and your doctor can determine your target weight and the best way to achieve it.

Besides shedding pounds, you should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure. In general:

• Men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters, or cm).
• Women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (89 cm).
• Asian men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 36 inches (91 cm).
• Asian women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 32 inches (81 cm).

2. Exercise regularly

Regular physical activity — at least 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week — can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). And it doesn't take long to see a difference. If you haven't been active, increasing your exercise level can lower your blood pressure within just a few weeks.

If you have prehypertension — systolic pressure between 120 and 139 or diastolic pressure between 80 and 89 — exercise can help you avoid developing full-blown hypertension. If you already have hypertension, regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure down to safer levels.

Talk to your doctor about developing an exercise program. Your doctor can help determine whether you need any exercise restrictions. Even moderate activity for 10 minutes at a time, such as walking and light strength training, can help.

But avoid being a "weekend warrior." Trying to squeeze all your exercise in on the weekends to make up for weekday inactivity isn't a good strategy. Those sudden bursts of activity could actually be risky.

3. Eat a healthy diet

Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

It isn't easy to change your eating habits, but with these tips, you can adopt a healthy diet:

• Keep a food diary. Writing down what you eat, even for just a week, can shed surprising light on your true eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how much, when and why.
• Consider boosting potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements. Talk to your doctor about the potassium level that's best for you.
• Be a smart shopper. Make a shopping list before heading to the supermarket to avoid picking up junk food. Read food labels when you shop and stick to your healthy-eating plan when you're dining out, too.
• Cut yourself some slack. Although the DASH diet is a lifelong eating guide, it doesn't mean you have to cut out all of the foods you love. It's OK to treat yourself occasionally to foods you wouldn't find on a DASH diet menu, such as a candy bar or mashed potatoes with gravy.

4. Reduce sodium in your diet

Even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg. The recommendations for reducing sodium are:

• Limit sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less.
• A lower sodium level — 1,500 mg a day or less — is appropriate for people 51 years of age or older, and individuals of any age who are African-American or who have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

To decrease sodium in your diet, consider these tips:

• Track how much salt is in your diet. Keep a food diary to estimate how much sodium is in what you eat and drink each day.
• Read food labels. If possible, choose low-sodium alternatives of the foods and beverages you normally buy.
• Eat fewer processed foods. Potato chips, frozen dinners, bacon and processed lunch meats are high in sodium.
• Don't add salt. Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Use herbs or spices, rather than salt, to add more flavor to your foods.
• Ease into it. If you don't feel like you can drastically reduce the sodium in your diet suddenly, cut back gradually. Your palate will adjust over time.

5. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink

Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg. But that protective effect is lost if you drink too much alcohol — generally more than one drink a day for women and men older than age 65, or more than two a day for men age 65 and younger. Also, if you don't normally drink alcohol, you shouldn't start drinking as a way to lower your blood pressure. There's more potential harm than benefit to drinking alcohol.

If you drink more than moderate amounts of it, alcohol can actually raise blood pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of high blood pressure medications.

• Track your drinking patterns. Along with your food diary, keep an alcohol diary to track your true drinking patterns. One drink equals 12 ounces (355 milliliters, or mL) of beer, 5 ounces of wine (148 mL) or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor (45 mL). If you're drinking more than the suggested amounts, cut back.
• Consider tapering off. If you're a heavy drinker, suddenly eliminating all alcohol can actually trigger severe high blood pressure for several days. So when you stop drinking, do it with the supervision of your doctor or taper off slowly, over one to two weeks.
• Don't binge. Binge drinking — having four or more drinks in a row — can cause large and sudden increases in blood pressure, in addition to other health problems.

6. Avoid tobacco products and secondhand smoke

On top of all the other dangers of smoking, the nicotine in tobacco products can raise your blood pressure by 10 mm Hg or more for up to an hour after you smoke. Smoking throughout the day means your blood pressure may remain constantly high.

You should also avoid secondhand smoke. Inhaling smoke from others also puts you at risk of health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.

7. Cut back on caffeine

The role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still debatable. Drinking caffeinated beverages can temporarily cause a spike in your blood pressure, but it's unclear whether the effect is temporary or long lasting.

To see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee or another caffeinated beverage you regularly drink. If your blood pressure increases by five to 10 points, you may be sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine.

8. Reduce your stress

Stress or anxiety can temporarily increase blood pressure. Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know what's causing your stress, consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress.

If you can't eliminate all of your stressors, you can at least cope with them in a healthier way. Take breaks for deep-breathing exercises. Get a massage or take up yoga or meditation. If self-help doesn't work, seek out a professional for counseling.

9. Monitor your blood pressure at home and make regular doctor's appointments

If you have high blood pressure, you may need to monitor your blood pressure at home. Learning to self-monitor your blood pressure with an upper arm monitor can help motivate you. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring before getting started.

Regular visits to your doctor are also likely to become a part of your normal routine. These visits will help keep tabs on your blood pressure.

·         Have a primary care doctor. People who don't have a primary care doctor find it harder to control their blood pressure. If you can, visit the same health care facility or professional for all of your health care needs.

·         Visit your doctor regularly. If your blood pressure isn't well controlled, or if you have other medical problems, you might need to visit your doctor every month to review your treatment and make adjustments. If your blood pressure is under control, you might need to visit your doctor only every six to 12 months, depending on other conditions you might have.

10. Get support from family and friends

Supportive family and friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take care of yourself, drive you to the doctor's office or embark on an exercise program with you to keep your blood pressure low. Talk to your family and friends about the dangers of high blood pressure.
If you find you need support beyond your family and friends, consider joining a support group. This may put you in touch with people who can give you an emotional or morale boost and who can offer practical tips to cope with your condition.