Simple Secret to Clear Your Mind & Boost Your Energy & Brain Function (By Kevin Schoeninger)

How often do you feel mentally foggy, emotionally stressed, and/or physically lethargic? In this article, you'll learn how to instantly clear your mind, while boosting your energy and brain function.

I went downstairs to my teenage son's lair the other day and found him intently slouched in front of the Xbox. He had been down there for a couple hours. When I asked him how he was doing, he returned a lethargic mumble. Xbox is one of his favorite activities, and I love that he can play online with his friends, strategize, problem solve, and have fun.

However, too much time sitting and playing Xbox makes his brain dull and his body lethargic.

We have a deal with him that he can play Xbox as long as he goes to Kung Fu at least 3 times a week. Fortunately, on this day, Kung Fu was just minutes away. I asked him to get his uniform on, so we could get going.

A remarkable thing happened at Kung Fu. After about 10 minutes of warm-ups, stretching, and forms, he was laughing and talking. His energy was brighter. By the end of class, he was talking up a storm in the car on the way home. The physical activity had transformed his energy, attitude, and mental clarity.

And this happens without fail pretty much every time he goes to Kung Fu.

In the same week, my wife was struggling with some old mental-emotional patterns. She was very self-critical on her looks and lacking confidence in what she is doing for work. From my perspective, this is crazy, because, for one, she is absolutely beautiful, and two, she is wonderfully good at her work doing Intuitive Readings and Reiki.

Nevertheless, there was no pumping her up or talking her into a better mood.

Then, she went to her Ninja training workout. This workout really tests her on obstacles, strength, mental focus, and endurance. She was a gymnast growing up, yet the balance, power, agility, and strength asked for by that class really pushes her to the edge.

She called me on the way home from her class-and she was gushing with enthusiasm. She had just made it up the "Warped Wall," and completed a preliminary "Salmon Ladder" that she had been working on for months. She was physically tired, but, at the same time, emotionally energized and happy.

The self-criticism and self-doubt were gone.

As a Personal Trainer, I've seen this happen again and again with my clients for over 35 years.

They come in tired, stressed, frazzled, frustrated, or worried-and they leave relaxed, energized, mentally clear, and feeling good. And, research back this up.

Physical training gets blood flowing, bringing more oxygen to all your cells-including your brain. It pumps lymphatic fluid, which clears toxins from your cells. It stimulates good-feeling neuro-chemicals called "endorphins." And, it even stimulates new neural connections, boosting your mental clarity, brain function, and creativity.

I've proven this time and time again with my own workouts. Whenever I am in a mental funk, feeling lethargic, or frustrated with a problem, I workout-and not only does it boost my energy and clear my frustration, the solutions to what I am working on seem to magically appear. Because of that, I often keep a pen and paper handy when I workout.

Now, over the years, I've discovered that there is one key to shifting your energy, clearing your mind, and boosting your brain function using physical activity. That key is to push up to your limits to some degree. That is what stimulates more oxygen delivery, new neural connections, and those endorphins.

You can do this using cardio, strength, stretching, or mind-body training-or ideally some combination of all of the above.

Using cardio training, which is any continuous rhythmic movement that elevates your heart-rate and respiration, you need to go at an intensity that makes you breathe heavily and rapidly, at least for a short period of time. It's best if you do this alternating harder and easier intervals.

Using strength training, with body weight or external resistance, you need to push your muscles until they feel somewhat challenged. Take a break and do it again.

Using flexibility training, you need to stretch to the limit of your flexibility and then work at that edge by imagining that you are breathing into and out of the muscles you are stretching. In this way, you gradually, mindfully, increase your range of motion.

Using mind-body training, you need to challenge your body with tasks that ask for your full attention, such as balancing, practicing a skillful activity, or focusing on the sensations inside your body while moving.

In these ways, you engage your mind and body, challenge yourself at least slightly, and come away feeling mentally clear and refreshed as well as physically relaxed and energized.

So, the next time you feel mentally foggy, emotionally stressed, and/or physically lethargic, take a break for physical activity. Engage your mind with your body by challenging yourself in some way and paying attention to the feeling of what you are doing. Then, notice how you feel afterwards.

Record that good feeling in your body, so you can remember it to motivate physical activity the next time you feel foggy, stressed, and lethargic.

If the memory of physical activity doesn't pull you out of your chair, consider putting a regular exercise class in your schedule, setting up a regular routine with a friend, and considering what physical activities you really enjoy-such as dancing or hiking in nature.

Physical activity that challenges you slightly and feels enjoyable is a surefire way to instantly clear your mind, while boosting energy and mental clarity.

So, what are you waiting for? Get up and move!

Your body and mind will thank you!

Too tired to exercise?

https://ezinearticles.com/?Simple-Secret-to-Clear-Your-Mind-and-Boost-Your-Energy-and-Brain-Function&id=9516955

Self Affirm And Problem Solve Better Under Stress

How well do you solve problems under stress? We all went through having to prepare for exams sometimes at the last minute. Perhaps you've had to come up with a business proposal on short notice. In general, it is well known that the effects of acute and chronic stress interfere with problem solving requiring flexibility and adaptation. Acute stress can help rote memory, which is probably why so many "crammers" for exams actually did satisfactorily. However, if the task involves more complex problem solving increased stress interferes.

Yet, in the last several years there is new research indicating that self-affirmation can lessen the interfering effects of stress on problem solving. What exactly is an affirmation? According to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, "self-affirmation is the process of identifying and focusing on your most important values". In my own work, I prefer the definition that an affirmation is a statement that describes your goal in its completed state. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, your self affirmation might be that "I am feeling lean and powerful at my perfect body weight of 170 pounds".

Using self-affirmation can improve your problem solving skills under pressure. The research team at Carnegie-Mellon University found that a brief self affirmation activity helped buffer the negative effects of chronic stress on task performance when stress levels were rated by questionnaire, heart rate, and blood pressure.

But you have to do it right. When working with clients, I start with the following guidelines:

1. Start with the words I am.

2. Use the present tense.

3. State it in the positive. Affirm what you want, not what you don't want.

4. Keep it brief.

5. Make it specific.

6. Include an action word ending with -ing.

7. Include at least one dynamic emotion or feeling word.

8. Make affirmations for yourself, not others.

Then it is important to create the affirmation for yourself using the following guidelines:

1. Visualize what you would like to create. See things just as you would like them to be.

2. Hear the sounds you would hear if you already had achieved your vision.

3. Feel the feeling you want to feel when you created what you want.

4. Describe what you are experiencing in a brief statement, including what you are feeling. Start the sentence with the words "I am so happy and grateful that I now... Make sure it is stated in the present.

5. Edit it as needed.

Self affirmations work best for you when you combine the above guidelines with visualizations of how things will be when your goal is achieved, whether it is a personal or business goal.

When you are under high stress, you will initiate better problem solving by taking a little time to create and/or reflect on a self affirmative statement that is important to you. For example, if faced with a business deadline and you are inclined to feel high levels of stress, create a self affirmation such as "I am happy that I am working well at creating cohesion among my team to complete our sales project".

This strategy is reasonably easy and you can use it before you enter a high pressure situation or start a self improvement project. Give it a try. If you start to do it regularly, you will be surprised at your successes.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Self-Affirm-And-Problem-Solve-Better-Under-Stress&id=9237818

Self Affirm And Problem Solve Better Under Stress

How well do you solve problems under stress? We all went through having to prepare for exams sometimes at the last minute. Perhaps you've had to come up with a business proposal on short notice. In general, it is well known that the effects of acute and chronic stress interfere with problem solving requiring flexibility and adaptation. Acute stress can help rote memory, which is probably why so many "crammers" for exams actually did satisfactorily. However, if the task involves more complex problem solving increased stress interferes.

Yet, in the last several years there is new research indicating that self-affirmation can lessen the interfering effects of stress on problem solving. What exactly is an affirmation? According to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, "self-affirmation is the process of identifying and focusing on your most important values". In my own work, I prefer the definition that an affirmation is a statement that describes your goal in its completed state. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, your self affirmation might be that "I am feeling lean and powerful at my perfect body weight of 170 pounds".

Using self-affirmation can improve your problem solving skills under pressure. The research team at Carnegie-Mellon University found that a brief self affirmation activity helped buffer the negative effects of chronic stress on task performance when stress levels were rated by questionnaire, heart rate, and blood pressure.

But you have to do it right. When working with clients, I start with the following guidelines:

1. Start with the words I am. 

2. Use the present tense. 

3. State it in the positive. Affirm what you want, not what you don't want. 

4. Keep it brief. 

5. Make it specific. 

6. Include an action word ending with -ing. 

7. Include at least one dynamic emotion or feeling word. 

8. Make affirmations for yourself, not others.

Then it is important to create the affirmation for yourself using the following guidelines:

1. Visualize what you would like to create. See things just as you would like them to be. 

2. Hear the sounds you would hear if you already had achieved your vision. 

3. Feel the feeling you want to feel when you created what you want. 

4. Describe what you are experiencing in a brief statement, including what you are feeling. Start the sentence with the words "I am so happy and grateful that I now... Make sure it is stated in the present. 

5. Edit it as needed.

Self affirmations work best for you when you combine the above guidelines with visualizations of how things will be when your goal is achieved, whether it is a personal or business goal.

When you are under high stress, you will initiate better problem solving by taking a little time to create and/or reflect on a self affirmative statement that is important to you. For example, if faced with a business deadline and you are inclined to feel high levels of stress, create a self affirmation such as "I am happy that I am working well at creating cohesion among my team to complete our sales project".

This strategy is reasonably easy and you can use it before you enter a high pressure situation or start a self improvement project. Give it a try. If you start to do it regularly, you will be surprised at your successes.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Self-Affirm-And-Problem-Solve-Better-Under-Stress&id=9237818

7 Tips to Help You Finish Projects Fast

Got a project you are aching to complete? Here are 7 ways you can speed your way to the finish.

Some projects start out easy but somewhere in the middle they get bogged down. Soon you are slogging away with a weekend ahead, wondering how you will ever get done. Of course you don't want to rush through and get sloppy. You need some sort of method or energy boost to finish fast without sacrificing the quality of the work.

Getting stuck is normal. No need to let obstacles and complexity discourage you. Here are 7 ways to break through the muck and get to the finish line with a result that makes you proud.

1. Set micro goals.

Take the project and divide it into smaller parts. Create a quality check-list for each goal so you don't miss a beat. Then set clear time-frames and race the clock.

2. Eliminate distractions.

Isolate yourself from non-essential people and electronics. Crank up the music and power through in long focused time periods. Set them at 90 minutes and don't take a break in between.

3. Call in the troops.

Sometimes you just can't do it alone. There is little glory in a solo failure, so swallow that pride and ask for some help. Sure you might have to return the favour some day, but that's what friends and colleagues are for. It also helps to bring in someone who hasn't been staring at the project for weeks. They may have ideas on how to complete the project better and faster.

4. Keep moving past the flaws.

Slowing down every time you hit a small snag can add a lot of extra time to the project. Move through initially as best you can marking problem spots as you go. Better to come back and clean up small messes at the end. That way you can keep the rhythm going. Of course, if a big crucial problem hits, solve it now so it doesn't send you way off course.

5. Get rid of your judgment.

Second guessing yourself at every step can cause anxiety and delays. Self-judgment is crippling when trying to problem solve. Try stream-of-consciousness writing or brainstorming to loosen stuck gears. Express all your ideas and solutions judgment free. Then go back and decide what actions really help the project.

6. Pause and review.

If you keep pushing forward and feel like you are spinning wheels, maybe you are straying unnecessarily. Take a break and get some distance. Then go back and review the work done so far from the very beginning. Revisiting already-made progress can help remind you of what your intentions were in the beginning. Did you make a plan before you started? Read it.

7. Keep your eye on the prize.

When my brain has already left for the weekend it's hard to keep focus. I can find lots of procrastination techniques to keep me from reaching the finish line. That's when I take a few minutes to visualize what it means to be finished with the project. Then I go push hard to power through and get it done.

http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/7-tips-to-help-you-finish-projects-fast.html