If you see the lady turning clockwise you are using your right brain. If you see it the other way, you are using left brain.

Some people do see both ways, but most people see it only one way.

See if you can make her go one way and then the other by shifting the brain’s current.

BOTH DIRECTIONS CAN BE SEEN

Experimentation has shown that the two different sides, or hemispheres, of the brain are responsible for different manners of thinking. The following table illustrates the differences between left-brain and right-brain thinking: 

Most individuals have a distinct preference for one of these styles of thinking. Some, however, are more whole-brained and equally adept at both modes. In general, schools tend to favor left-brain modes of thinking, while downplaying the right-brain ones. Left-brain scholastic subjects focus on logical thinking, analysis, and accuracy. Right-brained subjects, on the other hand, focus on aesthetics, feeling, and creativity.

Interesting stuff huh?

Leave a reply so I and others can read your thoughts!!

Niko

It’s 100% Vegan, Mostly Organic, and High Raw. I recommend reading through the entire website about it (Check out the FAQ, too).

Great for weight loss – The Ultimate Meal is great for helping people lose weight, it will help you stay "full" up to 6-hours after drinking it. Many people enjoy it for breakfast and lunch or breakfast and dinner. Some have it for all of their meals on some days.

Great pre / post workout shake – Great for before or after a heavy duty workout. It’s filled with carbs from the fruit, protein, and nutrients – lots of fuel for your muscles!

Convenient and travel worthy – It’s fast and easy to make. I love that I can take this with me when I’m traveling. It’s important to make sure I’m still packing my body with nutrients when I’m not at home.

So, how does it taste? I’m totally down with it! It’s good.

I took some photos for you to see how I make mine on most days – 2/3 of a banana, 4 strawberries, a handful of blueberries, handful of assorted nuts, soy milk or almond milk, one scoop of The Ultimate Meal – then I blend it…

You can purchase it from Amazon at the best price you will find on the internet!

INGREDIENTS & BENEFITS IN 1 SCOOP (40 G)
(MINIMUM SUGGESTED DAILY USAGE – 80 GRAMS)

1 & 2 THE ULTIMATE QUINOA® & THE ULTIMATE MILLET®:
Pronounced "keenwa," these are THE ultimate superseed/grains on Earth. Ultimate Life developed them over two and five years (respectively) exclusively for THE ULTIMATE MEAL®. They are the first and only PROPERLY sprouted seed/grains to offer ALL of the following, using NO heat from beginning to end:
CERTIFIED ORGANIC: Grown and processed without pesticides or chemicals.
PROPERLY SPROUTED: Greatly improves the amino-acid profile and substantially increases enzymatic activity, thus the assimilation of nutrients.
COLD-PASTEURIZED (not irradiated): Prevents high bacteria counts.
FRESH FREEZE-DRIED: The ONLY DEFINITIVE method to retain enzymes.
COLD-MILLED: To retain enzymes and increase assimilation of nutrients.
THE ULTIMATE QUINOA® & MILLET® are superb sources of complete protein, lysine, complex carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc.

3 BROWN RICE PROTEIN 70% CONCENTRATE (Belgium):
One of the most potent sources of easily digestible complete protein. Very low in fat and allergenicity. Good source of tryptophan, methionine, magnesium, potassium, pantothenic acid, vitamins E and B complex.

4 YELLOW PEA PROTEIN 84% ISOLATE (GMO-FREE) (Canada):
This legume (superior alternative to soy protein) is the perfect partner to the rice protein for an improved amino acid profile. Contains all eight essential amino acids and is especially high in lysine.

5 CERTIFIED ORGANIC RAW FLAX SEED MEAL (Canada):
The ultimate, because the long cool days in North Canada increase the level of essential Omega fatty acids and lignans (the most potent source on Earth – period!). It is cold-milled directly into light-proof vacuum-packed pouches to preserve freshness and prevent rancidity. Also a great source of gentle, natural fiber and protein.

6 CERTIFIED ORGANIC EARTHRISETM & SPIRULINA PACIFICATM: 2,000 mg
The original ultimate superfood. Very efficiently assimilated. The most potent source of complete protein, lysine, beta-carotene and chlorophyll on Earth. Rich in B complex (including human-active B-12), potassium, DNA, GLA (gamma linolenic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), phosphorus, copper, chromium and trace elements. (Earthrise from USA; Pacifica from Hawaii)

7 DE-OILED LECITHIN (GMO-FREE) (USA): 1,500 mg
Guaranteed to contain 97% phospholipids. Our vegetarian lecithin is derived from soy, yet due to the absence of its fiber and protein, it rarely causes allergies. Rich in choline, inositol, phosphorus and linoleic acid.

8 THE ULTIMATE BROCCOLI® (USA): 500 MG
The ultimate cruciferous vegetable created exactly as THE ULTIMATE QUINOA®. High in enzymes, beta-carotene, chlorophyll, sulphurophane, and sulfur indoles (including MSM), calcium and potasium.

9 VITAMIN ESTER C® (BUFFERED W/CAL. & MAG.) (USA): 500 mg
Human studies have shown that this anti-oxidant is far more potent, acts much faster and remains in the bloodstream far longer without acidity or stomach upset than any other form of vitamin C.

10 CALCIUM MALATE & CITRATE (22%) (USA): 250 mg
Calcium is the most predominant mineral in the human body. It helps prevent osteoporosis, heart disease and menopause problems. Calcium malate is produced exclusively for THE ULTIMATE LIFE®.

11 WILDCRAFTED FRESH FREEZE-DRIED HORSETAIL (USA): 400 mg
This herb, unrelated to horses (except in appearance), is 10 times more potent than the fresh plant. Harvested in the spring and produced exclusively for THE ULTIMATE LIFE® by Eclectic InstituteTM, it is the most potent consumable source of silica, which is a primary constituent in bones, hair, skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, hair, nails, and collagen.

12 NATURAL VITAMIN E SUCCINATE (NON-GMO) (Germany): 300 i.u.
At 1210 i.u./gm , this is one of the best anti-oxidants in its most potent form. Derived from soy, yet due to the absence of its fiber and protein, it rarely causes allergies. It has at least 36% higher biological activity than synthetic vitamin E.

13 CITRUS BIOFLAVONOID COMPLEX (50%) (USA): 200 mg
Derived from citrus fruits, these are highly water soluble natural anti-oxidants which increase the absorption of vitamin C and help keep collagen in healthy condition. Good source of rutin, hesperidin, etc.

14 MAGNESIUM CITRATE (15.5%) (USA): 115 mg
The other major mineral essential for strong, healthy bones and teeth. It also helps regulate the body’s energy levels, as well as maintain normal heart function and nerve transmission. The ideal catalyst for calcium.

15 WILDCRAFTED FRESH FREEZE-DRIED NETTLES (USA): 100 mg
This herb, also harvested in the spring by Eclectic InstituteTM, is 10 times more potent than the fresh plant and is one of the best sources of natural iron, silicon, chlorophyll and acetylcholine. Excellent catalyst for Horsetail.

16 OPTI-PURETM GINKGO BILOBA EXTRACT (Japan): 20 mg
This is the purest and most potent ginkgo extract with a minimum of 24% flavone glycosides and 6% terpene lactones (active ingredients). It is one of the finest anti-oxidants available.

17 OPTI-PURETM CO-ENZYME Q10 (Japan): 20 mg
Derived from raw cane or beet sugar, this pure and potent organic compound anti-oxidant is known to benefit the heart and the body’s cellular energy production WITHOUT being a stimulant.

18 OPTI-PURETM GRAPE SEED EXTRACT (Japan): 20 mg
This is one of our ultimate anti-oxidants, extracted with water and ethyl alcohol instead of solvents. Studies have shown that it is FAR more potent than vitamins C, E and beta-carotene.

19 OPTI-PURETM ALPHA LIPOIC ACID (95%) (Japan): 20 mg
This unique anti-oxidant has an essential role in cellular energy production and helps the body recycle and renew Co-Q10 and vitamins C and E.

20 OPTI-PURETM CAFFEINE-FREE GREEN TEA EXTRACT (Japan): 20 mg
This anti-oxidant is the most potent (1200:1) source of catechins at 95%, 50% of which are comprised of EGCg (Epi-Gallo-Catechin gallate) the most beneficial member in the catechin family.

21 OPTI-PURETM MILK THISTLE EXTRACT (80%) (China): 20 mg
A relative of the artichoke, this anti-oxidant herb extract, standardized at minimum 80% potency, helps significantly in detoxifying the liver.

22P STEVIOSIDE (China): 20 mg
This dietary supplement is extracted from the Stevia leaf (without aftertaste) which is completely safe for ALL sugar-related problems.

23 L-OPTIZINC® (USA): 5 mg
Also known as zinc monomethionine. Proven in human studies to be the most potent and bioavailable NATURAL anti-oxidant zinc on earth.

24 CHROMEMATE® (USA): 100 mcg
Also known as chromium polynicotinate (not picolinate), this anti-oxidant trace mineral is the most potent source of biologically active chromium. It helps with insulin production and protein synthesis.

25 NATURAL SELENIUM (USA): 100 mcg
Also known as L-selenomethionine. This yeast-free, natural trace mineral is one of the most powerful anti-oxidants available.

NO GIMMICKS . . . JUST THE ULTIMATE INGREDIENTS

BASIC BREAKDOWN  

MORE INFORMATION ON CAN LABEL

CERTIFIED ORGANIC INGREDIENTS GROWN & PROCESSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CALIFORNIA ORGANIC FOODS ACT OF 1

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For me, it’s love.

Please share your thoughts here in my blog. I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say!

Niko

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:   

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
   

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
   

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
   

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
   

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
   

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
   

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
    

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
    

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
    

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
    

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
    

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
    

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
    

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
    

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
    

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
    

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
    

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
    

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
    

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
    

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
    

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
    

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
    

27. Always choose life.
    

28. Forgive everyone of everything.
    

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
    

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
    

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
    

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
    

33. Believe in miracles.
    

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
    

35. Don’t audit life.. Show up and make the most of it now.
    

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
    

37. Your children get only one childhood.
    

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
    

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
    

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
    

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
    

42. The best is yet to come…
    

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
    

44. Yield.
    

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”

I always felt a connection with Patrick Swayze, perhaps part of it was that he was from Houston (very close to where I grew up). He died thsi week and I feel very sad. I won’t even begin to try to express all the thoughts and feelings I’m having. But I will say… May we enjoy each day for as special as it really is. May we live with no regrets. May we love, feel and give with all of our hearts. And may we be true to who we are and why we are here. Patrick, we will miss you, thank you for all that you gave to us, we will never forget you. Rest in peace.

I invite you to share your thoughts in honor of Patrick.

Niko

Other thoughts on this subject…

We live in a world where touch has become more and more rare. We’re afraid of people, germs, dirt, etc. It’s a world we’ve created for ourselves. 

I was thinking, my grandfather and I have had hours and hours of talks (more in the last 10 years than before) but the amount of time we have touched is very limited…maybe 10 minutes worth of touching in the last 10 years if I total up all the hugs that occur when we meet up and all the moments when we get close for a photo. That’s absurd! It should not be like this! Even if it’s 30 minutes or if it’s one hour, one hour of touching across 10 years of time?? What lie did we buy into on that one?!?

What if when we are together with our families we held hands more? What if we kissed each other on the cheek more often and not just out of habit but actually with feeling and meaning? What if we held each other in a hug for 1 minute solid instead of the usual quick 3 seconds? I think the reason we don’t is because of pride – fear (what they will think of us) and judgment (what we think of them).

Me and my sister Angela

Today a friend told me “A few weeks ago I was at a friend’s house and we were working out. We were both sweaty and her daughter woke up and came in a saw me and ran up and gave me a huge hug. She did not even pay any attention to the sweat, she did what she felt in that moment. When and why do we lose that!?” We have become so afraid of what people think, it controls our actions. And we have all these cultural codes. All of this makes life more and more sterile and as a result we feel less and less alive, we slowly die inside, our once warm beating hearts become like dry cold stones. 

The good news is that we have the power to change things in our life and if we are breathing then we have the gift of touch. I plan to use that gift more often than ever before.

Please share your thoughts here in my blog, I always enjoy reading them! Also, feel free to copy, forward or quote anything I have written.

Niko

What makes you feel dissatisfied, unhappy, irritated, annoyed or off-track if you are not doing it?

What do I hate NOT doing? These were some of my personal answers… 

I hate not working out / exercising.

To say I don’t have time to exercise is just stupid because the honest truth is that I don’t NOT have time to exercise. I say that because exercising is TOO important. If I lose my health then what good are so many other things? What good is a great job, a profitable company, a beautiful family – what good are these things to me if I am unhealthy and sick and if I die young simply because I did not take good care of myself. Exercise has so many benefits – energy, longevity, physical appearance, etc.

I hate not working on music.

When I get too busy with working and with “things” and do not work on music, it saddens my soul, it grieves my being. Conclusion? Don’t work on music and slowly become a miserable human being. Or, work on music and be a happy human being. Simple as that. Why is it so black and white for me? Because music is not just something I do, it’s who I am. That’s why. It is not a thing, it’s alive. For me, ignoring music is the equivalent of a man ignoring his wife that he loves with his blood. Why would a man ever do that? It can only be because he has believed a lie, he has somehow become terribly jaded. So, I have to protect myself from all the distractions/lies that take me away from my music that I love with my blood.

I hate not travelling.

When I don’t travel I feel like I’m missing out on one of the most important things in my life. Why? I feel the world in my being and have a need to be in the world. I’m not talking about taking a vacation. I’m talking about being in a place and really BEING THERE. Feeling the people, taking in the landscape, eating the food, listening to the music and  language, watching the way people drive and interact and think and speak and act. Soaking up the culture as a whole. I’m the kind of person who will visit one place and stay there for weeks and absorb everything I can. It’s a deep and intense experience for me. It always changes me. It’s broadens my perspective. It reveals mysteries to me. It inspires me – to write, to compose, to travel more, to open up my mind… to live, to love.

I hate not living closer to the people I love – family and friends.

The solution? I suppose it was mentioned in the previous paragraph, I need to travel more! : ) I need to go and see them all more often, meet up more often, create more memories with them, show them how much I love them, let them love me back.

I hate not living closer to water / being closer to water more often.

I live in mountainous area. And it’s beautiful but there is nothing to me like being near the ocean. It does something for me that I should not even try to explain. The solution? Well, I could move, sure, but I don’t feel that that is what I am suppose to do at this particular time in my life, so that means I need to…. you guessed it TRAVEL! : ) Boy, it seems that NOT travelling can  have a serious negative domino effect on my life. I better keep a very close on this or else I will one day find myself filled with regret. Nope, I’m not gonna let that happen, I bet you that!

I hate not writing. 

For this answer, I’m going to quote the man who asked me this question to start with, Derek Sivers, “There are so many things I’ve learned that I think would help other people. Things I wish someone had told me sooner. Things that have made my life better, brighter, or wiser. I want to tell everyone these things before I die, in a well-explained way so they’re not misunderstood, and easy to pass on to others. And more new ones are added every week. So I have to keep writing to get them all out. Any day I’m not writing, I’m falling further behind in this goal, which I makes me feel worse.”

The good news…

I’m working on changing all these things in my life. What good would it do me to think about them in such detail and write about them and then not have a plan in motion to change them? I have a plan and am carrying it out RIGHT NOW, not tomorrow, TODAY. Today is what I have, THIS moment.

Asking the double-negative seems to be a better indicator of what I really love doing, than asking it in the positive.

Now, I’m curious, tell me some of the things you hate not doing. Share your thoughts here in my blog, I always enjoy reading them!
 

Niko

P.S. Feel free to copy, forward or quote anything I have written. : )

   I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today,

   life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

   I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he / 

   she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and

   tangled Christmas tree lights.

   I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents,

   you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.

   I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as ‘making a life.

   I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

   I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on

   both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.

   I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart,

   I usually make the right decision.

   I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.

   I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.

   People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

   I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.

   I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will

   forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them

   feel.

I am going to write down everything that I don’t like about my life.

I am then going to make a list of all the things that are within my power to change.

I am then going to put them into one of five columns:
Today  |  3 months  |  6 months  |  12 months  |  Beyond

The goal is to take all the many things floating around in my soul and put them into a clear and concise document so that I can look at it all in one glance. Then I will put my plan into motion. I will begin making all the changes. And I will not stop until they are all done which of course means it will be a life long journey. But most of the things will probably fall into the Today to 12 months columns which means that by this time next year I will be quite a different man sitting in this chair. And the key is to keep it up, anytime I find something enter my life that I do not like, if it’s something I have the power to change then I will take immediate action to change it.

I would like to invite you to do the same. Sit down and make your list. Life is too short and too precious to live it with a bunch of unnecessary things weighing us down and holding us back. It’s up to us, we are our own best friend or our own worst enemy. So let’s not focus another second on negative feelings about the things in our life we don’t like, let’s focus on CHANGE starting RIGHT NOW.

This is about taking control. It’s about not letting circumstance dictate to us who and what we are going to be and do. It’s about defying that which defies us. It’s about being wise. It’s about being a person of action.

I will close this thought with something we have probably all read at some point, it’s simple but so true…
 
The Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Here is a template I have put together for filling in details about things you want to change in your life. You will need Microsoft Word or Word Pad (which comes with every computer that has Windows) to open this file.

RIGHT CLICK and choose Save Target As CHANGE.dot

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

3. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

4. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

5. When you say, "I’m sorry," look the person in the eye.

6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

7. Believe in love at first sight.

8. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.

10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

11. Don’t judge people by their relatives.

12. Talk slowly but think quickly.

13. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

15. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

16. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

17. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

18. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

19. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

21. Spend some time alone.

40 Ways To Stay Fit

WEIGHT TRAINING:

1)     Lift Weights: Adding muscle to your frame enables your body to speed up its metabolism. You will burn an additional 35-50 calories per day from every pound of new muscle you develop.

2)     Limit Rest Periods: Limit rest periods to 59 seconds to add a calorie-burning element to your weight training. This has been shown to increase calorie burn by 50%.

3)     Mix It Up: Try to make incremental increases to your weights, try new exercises, shorten rest periods, switch from barbells to dumbbells… anything to keep your body guessing. After just a few weeks, your muscles will have adapted to your exercises and will crave something new.

4)     Train Heavy: Pushing your muscles beyond what they’re currently trained to overcome forces them to adapt and regenerate themselves so they’re ready for the next workout. This will also help rev your metabolism.

5)     Rest and Recovery: The real gains occur during rest. Try to get eight hours of sleep each night to allow your muscles to recover, which ups your calorie-burning potential.

6)     Don’t Over Train: Allow a few days before working the same muscle groups again. This will prevent overtraining which can cause your muscles to be dissolved.

7)     Add Weights For Your Abs: Use weights that allow you to get 15 reps per set, and allow only 30 seconds between sets. You should also slow the pace down to 3 seconds per rep.

8)      Keep A Training Log: Record your workouts, sets and reps each session, then refer to the data to assess your progress and set new goals.

9)     Supersets: To help amp up your calorie burn between sets- and accomplish more in less time- incorporate supersets or drop sets to your workout.  (Superset: When one exercise immediately follows another without any rest in between)                                                                                                                                              

10)   Compound Movements: Build your workout around multi-joint movements like presses, rows and squats to recruit the most muscle fiber and burn the most calories. Isolation movements, or single joint exercises, such as bicep curls, leg extensions, and triceps extensions, should be supplemental to the multi-joint movements.

 Note: Free Weights VS Machines: Free weights force your body to recruit more total muscle because they call on stabilizing muscles to balance the weight, a superior advantage to the predetermined range of motion that machines have to offer.

CARDIO:

11)   Run For The Gold: Incorporate 3 to 4 sessions of cardio per week for 20 to 30 minutes each.

12)   Run Hungry: Perform cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Your body will burn fat as the first energy source because your glycogen stores are depleted.

13)   Start Strong-End Slow: Do your high-intensity cardio early in your workout and taper off to a slow finish to burn significantly more fat. After a 3 minute warm-up, immediately kick it into high gear for 15 to 20 minutes before slowing down for the last 10 minutes.

14)   Interval training: The best way to improve your aerobic fitness and burn fat is to alternate very intense periods of cardio with low-intensity sessions. Run at 80%-85% max heart rate for 1 to 2 minutes then slow it down to 50% – 60% MHR for 1 to 2 minutes and then back up again. Keep this cycle going for the entire session.

15)   No Smoking Please: Smoking deprives cells of the oxygen they need to maximize metabolism, keeps muscles from repairing themselves after exercise and makes cardio a lot tougher.

16)   Cardio Second: For the highest caloric burn possible, do your cardio after your workout. Since lifting depletes glycogen stores, your body will use fat as its first fuel source during cardio.

17)   Warm-Up With Cardio: Perform 5-10 minutes of cardio before you begin your weight training sessions. This helps to get your muscles warmed up for your workout without depleting your glycogen stores.

18)   Change it up: Whether you’re lifting weights or doing cardio, the key is to keep your body from adapting to what you’re doing. Regularly changing your cardio mode is the best way to keep your body responding.

 
NUTRITION:

19)   Eat More Frequently: Eating 5-6 small meals a day causes your metabolism to work constantly. Eating larger meals, however, slows your metabolism and forces leftover calories to be stored as fat.

20)   Cut Carbs: Keep your carbs low when trying to lose weight. Good, clean, fiber rich carbs include oats, sweet potato, brown rice, and whole grain bread.

21)   Eat Green: Spinach, romaine and broccoli is the best form of carbohydrates you can eat. Eat a salad before your meals to increase your fiber and consume less calories overall. Stay away from high-fat cream dressings.

22)   Protein Is King: Since muscle-building is the fastest way to lose fat, make sure your protein consumption is enough to keep up with your weight training. Get 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day.

23)   Cut Out Liquid Candy: Eliminate sodas and drink water instead. If you drink one soda per day, you’re adding 1750 calories per week to your diet.

24)   Not So-Happy Hour: Alcohol consumption can blunt testosterone levels, hindering muscle repair and growth and blunting sexual drive. Also, alcohol contains empty calories and the simplest form of sugar available in any drink.

25)   Slow Down: Fast eating and body fat go hand in hand because you tend to overeat. It takes up to 20 minutes for your brain to receive the signals that you’ve eaten enough.

26)   Dinning Out: When ordering at a restaurant, ask to have your meats grilled without oil or grease.  Order steamed vegetables with no butter. Request the doggy-bag to arrive with your meal so you can eat one serving size and take home the rest for tomorrow.

27)   Drink Water: You should try to consume at least one gallon per day to avoid becoming dehydrated. Well hydrated individuals burn more calories and become sick less often.

28)   Burn More Calories: The goal in any fat lose program is to burn more calories than you consume. Aim to reduce calorie consumption by about 250 calories per day. This will help you lose 1 to 2 pounds per week

29)   Avoid Simple Sugars: Sugar in your diet can wreak havoc on your metabolism by spiking your insulin response and promoting the accumulation of body fat.

30)   Timing Is Everything: When you eat is just as important as what you eat. Consume two-thirds of your daily calories before dinner to avoid overeating late at night.

31)   Eat More Fiber: Fiber, both soluble  and insoluble, is essential to health and helps decrease body fat. Consume large amounts of fibrous vegetables, such as broccoli, and spinach to attain your daily intake and promote satiety.

32)   Prepare In Advance: It’s very difficult to find healthy foods at work or in restaurants. Before leaving the house, pack healthy foods for the day with plenty of bottled water. Make sure you bring enough for emergencies i.e. an extended meeting, a traffic jam, delayed flight, etc.

33)   No Yolk: Eating plenty of egg whites for breakfast was found to reduce hunger and food cravings for up to 24 hours after consuming.

34)   Salt Free: Excess sodium    consumption can make you look bloated and soft and can cause you to burn less fat. To help you look leaner and strip sodium from your diet, drink more water, cut back on processed foods and enjoy to true flavor of foods.

35)   Go Nuts: Eating a hand full of almonds each day helps test subjects lose 62% more weight, 56% more fat and 50% more from their waist-line after 24 weeks compared to those who followed the same diet without almonds.

36)   Drink Coffee: Drinking Coffee before doing cardio will help you burn fat. Subjects who consumed two cups of coffee (300 mg) two hours before exercising on a stationary bike for 30 minutes were able to burn more total calories and used a much greater percentage of body fat for fuel.

 
MOTIVATION:

37)   Discipline Yourself: If you’re tiered of how you look, then understand you’re the only one who can change it. Create a plan and stick to it, budgeting time for the gym, food preparation, and rest for the week.

38)   Set A Goal: Giving yourself a reason to get in shape is a great way to stay on track with your goals

39)   Cheat Meal: Allow yourself one cheat meal every 7 days. Small indulgences make dieting more tolerable, keeping you on track longer.

40)   Stay the Course: Consistency is key to losing fat. The first week may be tough, but by the third, you should be a creature of habit.

A woman by the name of Ammie wrote in response to this blog entry, “Don’t forget to breath! Slow down and go deeper into your soul! The most beautiful people is calm and warm person!” Thought I would share that with all of you. : ) ~ Niko

The writings I share with you are born out of my personal journey and experiences. My hope is that you will somehow find encouragement in what I share, that it will inspire you to… Pursue Your Dream! ~ Niko

Pursue Your Dream

I encourage you to pursue your dream. Each of us has a free will and the capacity and power to follow after our dream. Most don’t because it usually comes at such a high cost. For some, it has even cost them their lives. But what is life if one does not pursue their God given dream? That unquenchable thing that burns deep within you? I would rather die in pursuit of my passion than to exist in this life doing something that makes me feel miserable and incomplete.

Each Day
We are confronted with lies, fear, control and manipulation on a daily basis. That is why each day we must renew our hearts and minds of the truth – that we have a free will and that we can pursue our dream, that we are gifted and unique, and that we can walk in love and fulfill our destiny. It does not happen on its own though. It requires letting go – of pride, selfish desires, judgment, prejudice… It requires forgiving those who have done us wrong, a willingness to give, a willingness to be accountable for our actions, a willingness to seek the heart of God.

Giving
Your dream will always be linked to giving in some shape or form for giving is what life is all about. It is not money that makes the world go round, my friend, it is giving! Who paid for the sun to shine today? And for the oxygen in the air? These are gifts. Take giving out of the equation of life and everything would cease to exist. A mother gives to her newborn or else it could not survive, a father gives to his son by preparing him for manhood so that he will not become a fool and a thief, a friend gives to a friend to lift them up and bless them, a stranger gives to a beggar out of compassion because in their heart they know it could just as well be them on the cold street with no home or food. God gives us seasons and the laws of nature so that food will grow and so that everything can survive and flourish.

If Einstein would have listened to his teachers, he might have never discovered his genius. If the Wright Brothers would have listened to their critics, they would have never flown! If I would have taken over the family business like a good little boy then I would be managing restaurants right now instead of composing music that is being enjoyed and celebrated around the world! So, turn down the noise, get rid of all the distractions and unnecessary obligations in your life (that can be bad relationships, bad habits, etc.), find a quiet place all alone and look deep within yourself. Get face to face with the divine and it is there you will find the answer. (This writing is split into two blog entries, scroll down to read the rest of it!)

(continued in Part II below)

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