How to Achieve Your Dreams (and Keep Going When It's Hard!)

This is SO important, such great advise from Brendon Burchard. It'll always get hard with whatever you are doing, just keep going, keep learning, keep growing.

The Brain-Gut Connection

By Jahiel Yasha Kamhi 

You've probably heard about the brain-body connection, but have you heard about the connection between your brain and your gut?

My hope is that this article will provide you with some interesting information on this subject.

The brain-gut connection is a scientific principle that serves as a link between neurology, the branch of medicine studying disorders of the nervous system, and nutrition, the science of consuming foods that are necessary for our health.

I have a question for you. What does food mean to you? Do you see it as fuel for energy? Is it a means of nutrition for maintaining a healthy body? Or maybe you think of food in terms of just the pleasure you get from consuming it?

Whatever your answer is, the food you choose to take into your body affects both your physical and mental health. You could even view it as a piece of information that tells your body how to maintain your health.

Most people don't think of food as a source of disease... or, conversely, as a source of healing.

For instance, neuroscience tells us that cognitive problems could be related to a poor diet.

Is a gut really an important factor for mental health? Yes, it is. The gut has another name: "the second human brain." Why do you think science has chosen to call a part of the digestion system by that name?

Here's why: Ninety percent of serotonin and dopamine, well known brain neurotransmitters, are produced in the gut-not in the brain. What's even more surprising is that 99% of human DNA (the carrier of genetic information) comes from the bacteria in your gut and has nothing to do with your parents.

One of the functions of the vagus nerve, which extends from the brain and passes through several organs all the way to the gut, is controlling food digestion.

The gut is the place in our body where inflammation starts. Inflammation is the cause of many diseases, including cognitive impairment (i.e., trouble remembering, learning, concentrating, and making decisions). Inflammation causes heart disease and cancer, as well.

We can say that whatever happens in the gut has a big impact on the brain. The food, and your food choices, are fundamentally important to your overall health.

The science is positive: 50% of all Alzheimer's disease cases are preventable simply by choosing the right foods. Think about this statement before buying your food at the supermarket or when ordering a meal in a restaurant.

You've just learned some important reasons to take your gut more seriously.

If you want to live a healthy life, learn more about your food intake, good/bad bacteria, pro- and pre-biotics, and other information about your gut.

Are you really paying attention to your food intake and to the brain-gut connection? If not, don't you think it's time that you do?

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How Triggers Impact Mental Health

By Donnisha Sambrano 

Most of the psychological triggers are caused by external events, circumstances and stimulus, such as sight, sound and smell. Some of these triggers can invoke the feeling of distress and flashbacks of traumatic events. Though most of the triggers are innocuous in nature, some of them can turn quite threatening. Because of their innate tendency to evoke traumatic memories and emotions, it can turn more challenging for people to wrestle with these triggers. More than a warning bell, it can turn into an obstacle capable of instilling fear and inhibitions.

Psychological triggers among individuals coping with addiction and psychiatric illnesses are more likely to induce the feelings of anxiety, panic, discouragement, or other uncomfortable states of emotion. Moreover, the exposure to these triggers increase the risk of re-engaging in unhealthy behaviors and negative thinking among people with mental disorders.

Therefore, it is essential to know the ins and outs of these triggers. By developing the ability to identify triggers and implementing measures to reduce their impact on life, a person can significantly dissuade the aggravation of the symptoms of psychiatric diseases in the long run. In fact, triggers can influence moods and behaviors even among individuals not affected by mental disorders.

Although a person cannot predict, identify and avoid all triggers, building effective coping mechanisms can prevent negative effects by strengthening a person's ability to exercise control over them.

Though reacting to triggers is a normal thing, one should keep this point in mind that most reactions are built subconsciously over a long period of time. Some forms of coping are very maladaptive in nature that can cause a person to be in a constant state of anxiety and distress. This not only worsens his or her mental health symptoms, but also prevent him or her from exploring more adaptive ways to deal with their triggers.

Understanding how triggers work

As such, a person's reaction to triggers is not understood well. However, it is believed to emanate from the sensory memories and the formation of habits. When a person perceives patterns that resemble his or her traumatic experiences, it is very likely that he or she is probably already responding to a trigger. After certain time of the traumatic event, the person's efforts to cope with the incident coerces him or her to form certain habits.

Most of the times, these habits are not beneficial to the person and over time it can become deeply ingrained or his or her second nature. Such individuals are unlikely to be aware of the psychological impact of their natural reaction and the habits they demonstrate, especially when the trauma is fresh in their mind. Therefore, it is essential to keep a check on one's potential triggers to avoid serious consequences, particularly on mental health.

Among various types of mental disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a large number of psychological triggers. Some of the negative life experiences, such as death, injury, sexual assault or other debilitating incidents, can lead to the onset of PTSD in people. When the brain links certain sight, sound, smell, circumstances and places to the sensory memories of the traumatic event, it could potentially trigger his or her memories of that incident and coerce him or her to relive it again.

Triggers also play a crucial role in dictating the chances of a relapse among individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). People with mental health problems and SUD aware of their unique triggers for relapse should plan their day to avoid some places or people that can reignite distress and cravings.

Correspondingly, they could find ways to controlling their thought so that their mind and body does not give in to the pressure of a trigger. It is unlikely that a person will be able to stay away from his or her triggers at all times, but it could significantly reduce the hardwiring of their negative automatic responses.

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Where To Begin On Your Fitness and Health Journey

By CA Flemming

Going back and forth with where to start on your new healthy adventure can be very frustrating and confusing to the point where a lot of people give up after a week of trying new and different things. My best advice while starting this new adventure is to get in the mind set that everything works differently for everyone! Not every diet will work the same for each person. For example my best friend can only have half the carbohydrates a day than I can because my body can process them faster and distribute it evenly throughout my body. So don't get frustrated from the beginning because everyone starts out in the same place you are now.

Here I have listed a checklist of things you should consider while starting off on your new adventure of being fit healthy and happy!

Throw out more than half of the junk food in your house, if not all of it. 

They are only temptations that we don't need. Yes you can eat them occasionally but having them linger around gives us more incentive to give into the temptations.

Write a list of your fitness goals. 

Start off with writing down your morning weight and date it. Then write down where you want to see yourselves and the time frame you are giving yourself.

Start thinking about meal prep. 

Meal prep is all about making meals for your week to get you started on a healthy week because the moment you open that fridge you can grab anything but if you know you already have meals that you prepared you are more willing to go for those and that is always the healthier option.

Go shopping for healthy food options. 

You can check out anywhere on the internet for recipes and grocery lists for healthy food options.

Get a gym membership 

I know not all of us have a lot of money to spend on expensive over the top gym memberships but there are some gyms like XSport or Planet Fitness that offer $10 memberships and the moment you know you are paying for something you will tend to use it way more often. If this really isn't a viable option then do at home workouts, take daily walks, start up running or biking riding as a new hobby. It is all about starting off with small changes.

Drink more water. 

Your daily water intake should be at least 8 glasses of water a day. This will help with your skin, hair, and overall hunger that we tend to get when we start a diet.

Think of this as a lifestyle change for the better. 

The moment we stop calling it a diet is the moment we keep trying for this end goal and we keep up with what we started off doing in the first place.

HAVE FUN!

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