Personal growth through yoga is better in the fresh air!

March 27th, 2013 by Phil
Practicing yoga outside can boost personal growth

Have you been looking for ways to enhance your personal growth through beneficial exercise techniques? Then you might want to consider practicing yoga outside. This can be a nice way to infuse more outdoor activity into your life while also reducing stress and anxiety levels. Here are three reasons outdoor yoga is great for your personal growth goals.

Peace and relaxation
If you've ever tried working out at home or in a crowded gym, you know how easy it is to get distracted from the task at hand. To escape the noisy interruptions indoors, heading outside to a peaceful patch of grass in your backyard or a local park can provide you with a moment of quiet.

Fresh air
Instead of dealing with stuffy, hot air inside a yoga studio, consider taking a breath of fresh air outside during your yoga practice. This is a great way to enhance your controlled breathing techniques used during meditation and stretching.

Great scenery
A yoga session should be more than just hard work, it should also be about having fun and relaxing. To maximize your enjoyment during your exercises, consider going to a scenic spot on a nearby beach, park or garden.

How to find the right yoga studio for personal growth

February 19th, 2013 by Phil
How to find the right yoga studio for personal growth

Have you been searching for a more enjoyable and beneficial workout routine? Looking for an activity that will boost your personal growth? Consider signing up for a yoga class in your area. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind for finding the ideal studio for your health needs.

Consider your commute
You're much more likely to stick with a yoga routine if it's convenient for your schedule. Because of this, consider looking for a studio that's located near your place of work or home. This will make it easy to get to class as you commute.

Talk to a friend
Do you have a friend, relative, neighbor or coworker who loves yoga? Then this is the perfect person to talk to about joining a class. This yoga enthusiast can teach you what to look for and avoid when looking for a yoga studio.

Shop around
While talking to friends and reading personal growth books about yoga will provide you with some background info, there's no substitute for experience. Consider trying out a variety of beginner's yoga classes to find out first hand what's involved.

Better eating habits can help you achieve personal growth

January 24th, 2013 by Phil
Better eating habits can help you achieve personal growth

If you’ve been feeling sluggish and a little blue lately, you might want to rethink what you’re doing in your everyday life to keep up with your health needs. Not surprisingly, improving your eating habits can help you achieve personal growth through a happier, healthier self. Here are a few dietary tips to keep in mind for personal success.

Eat small and often
There’s more benefit to eating five small meals a day than you might think. Instead of eating three larger meals spaced out by several hours, eating less food more frequently actually helps you feel more satisfied while also boosting your metabolism’s ability to burn calories.

Change your snack foods
Snacking is a part of life, and denying yourself the occasional treat is likely to send you back to your old eating habits before you know it. Instead of banning snack foods in your home, consider purchasing healthier options like veggie sticks, fruit slices, yogurt, smoothies and nuts.

Record your eating habits
If you really want to reduce your overall calorie consumption and put yourself on a path to a healthier diet, you should consider using a calorie counting program. This will allow you to input dietary information about your favorite foods so you can better manage your meal choices.

Tips for personal success during the holidays

December 14th, 2012 by Phil

Trying to figure out how you'll make time to get everything done this holiday season? Worried that the pressure and stress might begin to weigh you down? Personal success during the holidays involves some time and effort, but you'll be ready to take on anything with these simple tips.

Limit your engagements
It can seem like everybody you know is having a holiday party during this time of year, which can make it difficult for you to balance these engagements with the rest of your life. While it might be fun to go to each and every event, limit yourself to a handful so you don't get too burnt out.

Keep exercising
It's easy to indulge in holiday desserts and dinners but hard to work off those extra calories. Instead of waiting until New Year's Eve to make a resolution to work out, set aside a half hour or hour every day to exercise. Yoga, running and cycling are all great for a healthy personal success plan.

Plan early
With all the shopping, decorating, traveling and cooking you'll likely be doing during the holidays, it helps to plan out most of it in advance. Try to get as much done early in the season as possible to eliminate last-minute stress.

Three benefits of practicing martial arts

October 31st, 2012 by Phil

Have you been looking for a new hobby to get into lately? Something that can help you make a positive change in your life? Well, you might want to think about signing up for a martial arts class in your area. Whether you're interested in mixed martial arts, karate, tae kwon do or any other martial arts styles, these activities come with numerous personal benefits. Here are a few of the advantages of making martial arts a part of your life.

Physical fitness
If you're looking to tone your body, work off a few pounds and increase physical strength, practicing martial arts is a great way to do it. You'll also be working toward mastering specific techniques and moves, instead of just aimlessly lifting weights and running to get in shape.

Self discipline
When it comes to improving your body, mind and spirit, martial arts can teach you a level of self discipline that can be applied to various aspects of your life. Not only will you have greater control and motivation to become physically active, but you can apply that drive to your personal life and professional goals as well.

Self defense
Last but not least, it doesn't hurt that martial arts can teach you how to properly defend yourself should the need ever arise. While you certainly shouldn't go looking for trouble, the skills and strength you develop can help you get away unscathed if you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation.

 

Three tips on personal growth after college

October 30th, 2012 by Phil

OK, so you've made it through four years of college and come out the other side (relatively) unscathed. While you might think of graduation as an end, it's really more of a beginning – the rest of your adult life awaits! However, you're going to need to prepare for life in the real world. Here are three tips on personal growth to consider as a post-graduate.

College loans
Like it or not, those past four years of fun come with a price tag. Keeping up with your college loans is an important part of being a responsible adult, managing your finances and reducing your overall debt. Make sure you make payments on time to pay off your loans as quickly as possible.

Health and wellness
College undergraduates aren't the healthiest group overall, and you probably spent the past several years eating greasy dining hall food, drinking plenty of beer and not exercising. However, as you get older, keeping up with you health and wellness becomes much more important. Considering adjusting your diet and joining a gym or yoga class.

Professional goals
Hopefully, finding a good entry-level job has been a part of your personal growth plan since before graduation. However, even if you were lucky enough to land a great opportunity, there's no excuse for resting on your laurels at this early stage. You should be looking for ways you can continue to learn and grow in your professional life so you can earn a raise or promotion that will open up new doors for you.

Looking for an exercise routine? Consider martial arts

September 10th, 2012 by Phil

If you've been struggling to adopt a workout or fitness routine that really gets you going, you might want to consider signing up for a martial arts class. Not only is this type of exercise extremely beneficial, but it can be fun as well. Here are a few martial arts styles to keep in mind.

Karate
Originally developed by the Japanese, this ancient martial art form is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. Recognizable by it's multi-colored belt leveling system, karate uses a variety of techniques like open-hand chops, kicks, punches and grapples. There are also a variety of competitive styles of karate to choose from.

Tai chi
Depending on your personal goals, tai chi can be as peaceful as yoga or as intensive as the most serious forms of martial arts. Based around a series of controlled movements, tai chi has a heavy focus on spiritual growth and tapping into a person's internal energy – often referred to as "chi."

Judo
A more modern style of martial arts, judo differs from more aggressive forms by using an opponent's movements against him or her. Judo techniques involve a variety of grabs, grapples, twists and throws that effectively disarm an attacker in a form of self defense.

Personal growth plan should include basic UV safety measures

July 27th, 2012 by Phil

Do you enjoy meditating outdoors? Doing yoga in the sun? Perhaps you prefer to recharge your healing crystals by setting them (and yourself) in direct sunlight for a few hours, like they often say to in crystal healing articles. Well, if you do, consider employing a few techniques for protecting your skin.

That's because July is UV Safety Month, an observance sponsored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. This doesn't mean it's a time to avoid the sun entirely, but instead a month to be aware that skin and eye protection are essential, especially during the long, hot summer months.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has several suggestions for anyone who is implementing their personal growth plan outdoors:

- If you're yearning to meditate al fresco, consider doing so early in the morning or late in the evening. The HHS notes that UV rays are at their strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

- Wear sunscreen. The SPF should be at least 15. Reapply often.

- Put on loose, long-sleeved, organic-fiber outfits. These will help circulate air around your limbs and draw off sweat, keeping you cooler.

- Wear a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

- Try meditating in a shady place, like under a tree or beneath a soaring rock formation.

Men’s health week inspires individuals to make positive changes

June 15th, 2012 by Phil

Men's health week, which runs through June 17, provides an excellent opportunity for individuals to assess their lifestyles and determine if what they are doing is part of their personal growth plan. If a person's lifestyle does not contribute to positive development, it may be time for change.

Health is one of the most fundamental elements of life. Without good health, it is difficult to find any kind of happiness or spiritual development. However, when people are healthy, other factors, such as income or relationship status, do not necessarily matter so much.

Dr. Stuart Katz, a cardiologist at the New York University Langone Cardiac and Vascular Institute, said that men should seek regular cholesterol and blood pressure testing and pay attention to their body mass index. These are among the most important considerations when it comes to determining heart health.

In order to improve these areas of wellness, men should make positive lifestyle changes, like eating a healthy diet or getting plenty of exercise, Katz said.

In order to ensure proper wellness and support personal growth, men should live healthy lifestyles. Men's Health Week is the perfect opportunity to make positive changes.

Your personal success plan to lower blood pressure need not be complicated

May 18th, 2012 by Phil

 

High blood pressure – also known as hypertension – can potentially lead to kidney disease, severe cardiovascular events, stroke and vision problems if left untreated. While it's always important to talk to your doctor about any medications, it's equally necessary to inquire about lifestyle changes and holistic remedies that may alleviate high blood pressure.

Think about your journey toward better cardiovascular health as just one part of your personal success plan. After all, efforts that may bring blood pressure back to normal may also help you lose weight and improve your cognition.

Diet and exercise are key to maintaining and improving overall health. Ditch the idea that these efforts are reserved for occasions where you need to drop 10 pounds quickly, as daily balanced meals and vigorous physical activity are necessary components of everyday living.

Practicing yoga and meditation may also lead to a personal success story. These mind-body exercises have been shown to calm the mind, which has benefits for several areas of well-being, including the mental, physical and spiritual.