Pre Workout Intakes

Almonds: Don’t misjudge them as fattening because the fats that almonds contain are monounsaturated fats. The kind of fats you should completely avoid before workout would include butter or cheese products as they will make you lazy and tired. Almonds also contain omega 3s that instantly energise your mind.

Banana: Banana contains carbohydrates that can be easily digested. Banana also contains potassium which improves the nerve functions. Potassium also helps you during your workout by keeping your muscles strong during your weight trainings. You can also eat any other fruit that contains natural sugar and will not add calories but at the same time provide you with enough energy to keep you going through your workout.

Chocolate: When you need an instant energy boost, chocolates can come in really handy. Chocolates contain compounds that help you gain energy. But watch it and eat only a little, as a bar of chocolate abounds in sugar, fat and calories. Opt for dark chocolate as it contains lesser calories than all the other chocolates.

Lentils: Lentils contain Vitamin B, fibre, carbs, magnesium, zinc, potassium and calcium. Lentils contain all the contents that we told you individually in the above ingredients. Apart from this, it is very low on calories. Eat a small bowl of sprouted lentils and add a pinch of rock salt for taste. But don’t overdo it as you might end up getting an upset stomach.

Easily digestible fruit: Fruit is nature’s answer to a healthy sugar high, and it provides carbohydrates to boost your energy levels. Fresh fruit such as bananas and apples are loaded with vitamin C, antioxidants, and fibre, making this a fantastic way to give you a natural boost of energy before your workout. Make sure you opt for easily digestible fruit as those that are hard to digest - such as those from the citrus family - could hinder your exercise by causing stomach cramps.Bowl of fruit.

Greek yoghurt: Greek yoghurt is a great pre-workout treat as it contains twice the protein than normal yoghurt and provides you with good carbs, which are beneficial for exercise energy requirements. The combination of protein and carbohydrates in yoghurt are also great for muscle growth. Add in a few of your favourite tasty berries for extra nutrition and a natural energy boost.

Bran cereals: Bran cereals are a winning choice when it comes to enhancing physical performance. They are high in fibre and the betaine chemical found in bran foods enhances your physical performance and boosts your metabolic rate. Bran also helps with cell function and prevents dehydration during exercise. For a healthy, pre-exercise breakfast, fuel your body with bran flakes topped with fruit to get half your recommended daily serving of fruit and whole grain before you’ve even had chance to change out of your pyjamas.

Chicken: For up to one hour after exercise, your body will be craving the nutrients it has lost, so this is the most important time to replenish your body and re-build your depleted muscles. Eating protein such as chicken, eggs or fish will provide your muscles with amino acids that help them to grow back stronger and bigger, so it’s essential that you’re consuming protein-rich foods to enhance the effects of your workout.

Liquid meals: Liquid meals such as smoothies and nutrient-rich shakes allow you to get all the essential post-exercise nutrients in just a few gulps, making this the perfect way to provide your body with essential nutrients in the one hour post-exercise recovery period. Most people find the thought of a big meal daunting after exercise, so topping up on essential muscle-repairing nutrients in liquid form is a quick and easy way for your body to access these useful nutrients. Plus, the faster these nutrients enter your body the more successful you will be in building muscle and recovering from your workout.

Oatmeal: Oats are your best friend when it comes to prepping your muscles for a workout, as they provide glucose to fuel your muscles. Oats are also a great choice for losing weight, as they encourage the body to burn fat quicker in order to fuel your muscles. Try oatmeal pancakes around three hours before exercise for a tasty treat that is sure to enhance the effects of your workout by slowly releasing sugar, ultimately keeping energy levels on an even keel during your workout.

Trail mix: Nibbling on trail mix is an excellent way to top up on the minerals lost during exercise. Indeed, a well-prepared trail mix includes a well-rounded mix of nutrients that are essential for maintaining optimum energy levels throughout your workout. Trail mix provides protein too, which is essential for building muscles and prolonging optimum energy levels so this is the perfect go-to snack before, during, and after your exercise.

The Goodness in Drinking

Alcohol has often been addressed as the ‘Wet Devil’ and deemed dangerous for health.

But little do people know that alcohol consumption can have some surprising health benefits as well. The following article will illustrate the benefits of drinking.

Wine

1. Recent research has proved that drinking red wine helps in sleeping properly. Red wine essentially helps in producing melatonin. It is an antioxidant that not only helps regulate the sleep cycle, but also prevents cancer and aging.

2. Resveratrol, an essential component in red wine, helps in building immunity against diseases and helps one live longer. Not only that, it also helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It is also known to reduce inflammation, lower LDL cholesterol and improve overall physical health.

3. A glass of red wine has enough resveratol and antioxidants to reduce the risk of heart ailments.

4. Red wine is known to reduce chances of lung cancer by 13%; prostate cancer by 50% and breast cancer in women by 12%.

5. The chances of catching a cold are reduced by 44% with the moderate daily consumption of red wine.

Beer

1. Beer aids in proper bone health with its high silicon contents. Studies have shown that daily consumption of beer helps develop good bone density.

2. Beer accounts for a 31% reduction in cardiovascular risks. Daily consumption helps reduce LDL cholesterol levels and keep the arteries clean.

3. A man drinking beer has 40% less chances of developing kidney stones than non-beer drinkers. It is presumed that the high water content in beer keeps the risk of kidney dehydration away and prevents stone formation.

4. The risk of developing diabetes with a moderate but regular consumption of beer is reduced by 25% mostly because beer increases insulin sensitivity and regulates blood sugar levels.

Vodka

1. It acts as a sleep inducer and helps in relaxing the mind and reducing stress levels.

2. It is the most effective household disinfectant and was often administered to clean wounds. Its antiseptic properties remove toxins from the skin and help kill germs.

3.The alcohol content in vodka is effective enough to take latent heat off the body when externally administered during fevers.

4. It aids in proper heart health, reducing harmful cholesterol levels, and reducing hypertension and keeping cardiovascular troubles at bay.

5. Regular but moderate consumption calms the brain and reduces the risk of dementia, neural troubles and Alzheimer’s.

6. It is an excellent anti-inflammatory agent and has proven results in curing osteoporosis and arthritis.

Alcohol consumption does have its health benefits, but these only reflect when the consumption is moderate. Over-consumption and drinking with no holds barred is capable of causing more harm than good. So alcohol connoisseurs are advised to exercise caution.

The art of negotiation

Regardless of the state of the job market you should always negotiate a salary when heading into a new job, even though it can be an uncomfortable process.

Negotiating a salary can be an uncomfortable process. You want to get what you're worth, but you also don't want to scare off your future employer.

Few things to keep in mind before your next talk:

Know your worth: It is the easiest thing to let others decide your worth or the price of the product you’re negotiating. It is also the most foolish thing. Always know the exact market price of your goods and services. People will always try to pay the least amount possible so cover their profit-books. Agreeing blindly to whatever offer is made to you is cheating yourself and your business.

Find your worth: The amount of places you can look for to get a correct handle on your goods and services is bewildering. You need to go in with a strategy that will help you find what you need in the shortest amount of time possible. Whether it is interacting with a professional in the field or tracking the latest news for a quote on prices, your organisational skills need to be put in use. Also, it is a good idea to double check the price you find. You will be surprised how many times you get disparate prices for the same job or product.

Do research: Information is power. Reach out to friends or colleagues who can tell you what the employer might typically pay for the role.

Be honest: When a recruiter asks if you have salary requirements, be upfront. The employer needs to know your expectations so they don't waste their time or yours.

Find leverage: Not all negotiations will go exactly how you imagine it should. In fact, most of them will be failures. Learning to find leverage in what is offered to you and being able to decide whether it works in your favour or not in as little time as possible is the greatest skill you can master when it comes to getting a decision in your favour. Of course, achieving this requires a lot of time and effort. Start negotiating on smaller topics before moving on to bigger ones, keeping leverage in mind in all your dealings.

Take initiative: As soon you realize that the interview is not going your way, stay alert for the earliest opportunity to wrest back the initiative. If you begin to lose interest once the conversation shifts focus to the opposite person, be sure that you will lose the negotiation rights as well. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each argument and learn to grab attention to yourself when you have an opening. 

Offer Solutions: A salary talk is a negotiation - two parties trying to reach a solution that works for both sides. If the initial number is lower than your reasonable expectation, propose something that will meet the needs of both you and the employer."

Be prepared to fail: Always assume the worst before you go into a negotiation. You may not have anywhere to go but it is important to show that if you don’t get what you want, there are other places you can go to. The ability to walk away from a meeting that is not going your way is one of the biggest advantages you can carry with you. Of course, the flip side of this is that you must be willing to negotiate rather than pick a stand and sulk till you get your candy. Find the right balance and you’re on your way to a successful negotiation.

R.I.P Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R. Covey, author of the best-selling book, 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People', died on July 16, 2012. He was an inspiring writer driving a sense of motivation, positivism towards life and respect for righteousness.

Here are the key principles, or 'habits' he propagated in his book:

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Habit 4: Think Win/Win

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Habit 6: Synergize

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Some of his favorite quotes:

We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.

Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.

I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.

We see the world, not as it is, but as we are--or, as we are conditioned to see it.

Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.

To know and not to do is really not to know.

The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

Without involvement, there is no commitment. Mark it down, asterisk it, circle it, underline it. No involvement, no commitment.

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.

As long as you think the problem is out there, that very thought is the problem.

Words are like eggs dropped from great heights. You could no more call them back then ignore the mess they left when they fell.

It's not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us.

If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control - myself.

To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.

Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change.

It is one thing to make a mistake, and quite another thing not to admit it. People will forgive mistakes, because mistakes are usually of the mind, mistakes of judgment. But people will not easily forgive the mistakes of the heart, the ill intention, the bad motives, the prideful justifying cover-up of the first mistake.

There are three constants in life... Change, Choice and Principles.

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do).
 

Wisdom is the child of integrity being integrated around principles. And integrity is the child of humility and courage. In fact, you could say that humility is the mother of all virtues because humility acknowledges that there are natural laws or principles that govern the universe. They are in charge. Pride teaches us that we are in charge. Humility teaches us to understand and live by principles, because they ultimately govern the consequences of our actions. If humility is the mother, courage is the father of wisdom. Because to truly live by these principles when they are contrary to social mores, norms and values takes enormous courage. 

Work Life balance

1. Be 100 percent where you are: It's easy to keep thinking about that project you're working on long after you've left the office. And we're all guilty of sneaking out our phones to check work email during dinner. But by doing so, we let work take up more space than it should in our lives. Make an effort to leave work in the office, physically and mentally. Decide when you are shutting off and then actually do it.

2. Be more organized at work: One major reason many of us bring work home is because we constantly close out the day in the middle of a project, which makes it difficult to mentally leave it behind. Set up tasks on your calendar to finish projects or get to a stopping point each day, and prioritize what's most important. That way, you leave the workday feeling complete and ready to relax.

3. Find hobbies: Many people simply don't know what to do with free time. If you haven't had hobbies since high school, it's time to find some. Explore sports, crafts, outdoor activities, or reading as a way to unwind. Take a class or attend a seminar about a topic that interests you. You might even learn something new.

 

4. Plan your week: Not allotting time to handle chores and cook can make for a rushed work week. Cook a batch of food for your lunches on Sunday, and designate a half-hour each day to work on chores. That way you're not overwhelmed with housework on the weekend, which frees you up for more leisurely pursuits.

 

5. Enjoy your family: When you're focused on work, it's easy to grow distant from your family. Small efforts--such as eating dinner as a family during the week--make a big difference.

 

 

 

6. Learn to say no: If you're feeling like you've over-committed to coaching soccer, singing in the choir, and volunteering at the library, then back off of a few things. Life is too short to commit to meaningless extracurricular activities that you'd rather avoid. Assess your activities and if anything starts to feel like a chore, decline politely.

 

 

 

7. Institute a digital free zone: It can be hard to turn off the computer, tablet, and smartphone, but doing so will help you clear your head and connect with others. Designate one room or small space in your home where you can't update your Facebook status, answer a work email, watch a YouTube video, or tune into the nightly news. 

8. Exercise: Keeping your body fit and healthy is key to being happy in work and at play. Find exercise that you enjoy, and fit it into your routine. Consider finding activities you can do with your family, such as taking a walk together. While fitting the time into your schedule may seem difficult, you'll find yourself with more energy to be productive at work and home with a regular exercise routine.

9. Be selective with your errands: Sometimes we can spend all of our free time running errands or doing chores. Perhaps you can hire a cleaner to come every few weeks to do the deep house cleaning or hire the kid down the street to mow the lawn. You can order almost anything online these days rather than spending your free time picking everything up in person. Even on a tight budget, you may find outsourcing some of these tasks worth the time you'll have for yourself. Maintaining a balance between work and life takes effort. It's a conscious choice you need to make.

A shepherd's encounter

A shepherd was herding his flock in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of the dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out the window and asked the shepherd, "If I tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?"

The shepherd looked at the man, obviously a yuppie , then looked at his peacefully-grazing flock and calmly answered, "Sure."

The yuppie parked his car, whipped out his notebook and connected it to a cell phone, then he surfed to a NASA page on the internet where he called up a GPS satellite navigation system, scanned the area, and then opened up a database and an Excel   
spreadsheet with complex formulas and MiniTab. He sent an email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, received a  response. Finally, he prints out a 150 page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized printer then turns to the  shepherd and says, "You have exactly 1586 sheep."

"That is correct; take one of the sheep." said the shepherd. He watches the young man select one of the animals and bundle it into his car.

Then the shepherd says: " If I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my sheep?"

"OK, why not." answered the young man.

"Clearly, you are a Six Sigma Black Belt." said the shepherd.

"That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required." answers the shepherd. "You turned up here although nobody called you. You want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked, and you don't know crap about my business.

 Now give me back my dog!!"

Your True Value

A well known started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill.

In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 Bill ?" Hands started going up.

He said," I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?" 

Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it

into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up ,now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learnt a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20."

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

You are special - Don`t ever forget it !

Shake it Off and Take a Step UP

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well.

The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then,to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Now........

Enough of that crap. The donkey later came back, and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him.the gash from the bite got infected and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

Moral from today's lesson: 

When you do something wrong, and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.
 

'Choice' - the recipe of Living Life

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it? 

Jerry replied, Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

Yeah, right, it’s not that easy, I protested.

Yes it is, Jerry said. Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. 

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?

I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door, Jerry replied. Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.

Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness? I asked. Jerry continued, The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ‘He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.

What did you do? I asked.

Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me, said Jerry. She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes,’ I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets!’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Woman - the God's handywork

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman" she told him.

"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said, "When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."