How Awareness And Compassion Can Change You... And The World

What does a blissful life look like? Is it fulfillment and satisfaction in everything we do? How about confidence, healthy relationships with our friends and loved ones, a nurturing environment for growth and happiness? All of this is available to us beyond our circumstances, environment or opportunities. So, how do we achieve this? By returning to the simplest elements of who we are - by simply weaving awareness and compassion into our life.

Awareness and compassion has the potential to blossom out of a culmination of experiences in our life. These experiences can produce a life changing realization - that everything is interconnected; that in a very simple way we are the same and the way we choose to see the world guides us in how we live it. It seems like such a natural concept but have you ever really asked yourself, "Am I living an aware and compassionate life?"

It's not too often we reflect on our level of awareness, so here are a few questions that can help reveal how aware we actually are:

Does your mind wander off and get easily distracted?
Can you constructively express in words how you're feeling?
Do you tend to do several things at once rather than focusing on one thing at a time?
Are you aware of physical sensations such as muscle tension or simply the air on your skin?

We can boost our level of awareness by being mindful. Mindfulness is a hot-topic in some of the top academic institutions worldwide and is one of the most powerful practices in self-awareness that we can do. It provides us with the ability to respond skillfully rather than react, express ourselves effectively, and to keep ourselves focused on what we're doing and where we are without placing judgment on what is happening.

Compassion consists of many aspects as well, like love, affection, kindness, gentleness and generosity towards both ourselves and others:

Do you genuinely accept and appreciate who you are?
Do you notice thoughts of judgment or expectation towards yourself? How about your loved ones?
When you've been angered, can you let go of the tension and anxiety that you feel towards that person?

Compassion takes practice by viewing others with the understanding that "this person is just like me, striving to be happy and free of stress or pain", then going deeper and visualizing that they find happiness and success in what they do, that their emotional and physical pain is eased, and that they live in peace. This along with other acts of openness, generosity and kindness to others and ourselves provide the conditions for a deep acceptance and appreciation of each and every present moment and a shift from a stressful self-focused view of "what can I get" to a relaxed and selfless one of "What can I do?"

We all have the ability to embody this way of being, which leads us to a happy and emotionally successful life. What is very exciting is that this dream is quickly becoming a reality. Research supporting the benefits of cultivating awareness and compassion in our workplaces and schools is on the rise, showing the ability to create healthy work environments, building effective teams, increasing attention and cultivating healthy relationships. In our personal lives awareness and compassion provide the skills needed to effectively deal with life's hardships and joys.

So, if you care to, let's take a few moments to pause, take a few breaths and ask ourselves now "What can I do to bring awareness and compassion into my life and the community that surrounds me?" Whatever arises for you, no matter how small, has the capacity to spark an experience that will create a shift within you and ultimately, the world.

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Too Much of a Good Thing: Check Those Portions

Every week I meet at least a few new clients who are having trouble losing weight, despite making healthy food choices. When it comes to those food choices, you can get too much of a good thing.

Being able to recognize what makes a normal portion is essential if want you to maintain your health and your weight. Some people are just eating too much, or at least, enough food to keep their weight right where it is... not budging at all!

It really is about how much you eat of any food.

One quick and easy way to determine portion size is to use what is known as the "plate method".

This method has received a lot of attention recently and it is one of my favorite ways to show clients how to zero in on those portions.

My Plate is the new guide for healthy eating. To use the plate method:

Start by dividing your plate in half. Fill half of the plate with vegetables or fruit. Divide the remainder of your plate into two quarters.

One quarter of the plate is used for a protein food (meat, fish, beans, etc.) and the other quarter is used for a whole grain or starchy food (potato or rice).

Visualizing the plate in this way makes it easy to learn about healthy portion sizes, especially for those who don't want to measure their food.

One thing you must consider, however, is how big are your plates? It is not unusual for standard size dinner plates to come in sizes of 10 inches or more. A nine inch plate used to be the standard. Unfortunately, if you start with a larger plate, the tendency will be to fill it up. Portioned food on a large plate looks like you aren't getting enough food! So if you have large plates, think about scaling down to a 9 inch size.

Besides using the plate method, weigh or measure your food portions from time to time. Big portions are everywhere, and we get used to seeing too much food on the plate no matter where we go. It's easy to lose sight of reasonable portions. I recommend getting a food scale or using measuring cups every few months to "revisit" portion control.

Here are some basic guidelines for correct portion sizes:

• Protein foods: (such as lean meat, fish or poultry): 3-4 ounces
• Vegetables: 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked (try to eat at least 4-5 portions daily!)
• Fresh fruit: 1 piece is one serving. Berries or Melon: 1 cup.
• Juices or canned fruit: 1/2 cup.
• Starchy foods or whole grains: 1 portion is usually 1/2 cup or 1 oz. if a bread
• Non-fat milk or yogurt: 1 cup
• Fats: (oil, butter, mayonnaise): 1 tsp.

Maintaining reasonable food portions, and "checking in" on the amount you put on your plate from time to time is one of the most effective ways to get back on track with weight loss. If you eat healthy but your weight is stuck, check to see whether you are getting too much of a good thing!

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The Benefits of Keeping A Healthy Diet

The significance of keeping a balanced, healthy diet can never be overstated. Preparing balanced meals everyday will not just prompt proper sleep and weight control but will also help prevent diseases naturally. Many people, especially women, resort to food deprivation as a means of losing weight. Little do they know that this gravely affects women's health and can even lead to various health issues such as anorexia. Make sure that you meet your nutritional needs in order to fully enjoy a quality life.

Meeting Dietary Needs

Food intake must include fruits, grain, vegetables, oils, beans, protein, and milk or other dairies. Eating at least six grain servings, two fruit servings, and three vegetable servings; also two dairy or protein servings is rendered most beneficial for the health. Oils and fats must be avoided or eaten rarely.

Eating healthy foods that contain minerals and vitamins will help boost the immune system. This also naturally protects the body from common illnesses.

Disease Prevention

We all know how expensive it is to be sick these days. So you can protect your body from getting diseases such as heart ailments, diabetes and those associated with aging, make sure to take in balanced meals everyday. It is a bad idea to excessively eat products of one food group. Eating only vegetables which are considered healthy food items can still leave you unprotected from diseases.

Your body highly needs minerals and vitamins that are found in other food groupings for it to remain healthy. Eating balanced meals will ensure proper body function as well as boost your body's energy level.

Weight Control

Overweight individuals will benefit so much from maintaining a healthy diet as this is the basic step to weight loss. Taking part of popular fad diets will not really guarantee you long-term loss of weight. You will eventually find yourself gaining back what you worked so hard to lose once you return to your original eating habits.

The main point of keeping a healthy diet is to continue providing your body with its nutritional needs. It may take you a longer time to achieve the lighter weight you desire but remember that this approach is for long-term. It is guaranteed safe and much more effective than starving yourself, which can cause certain ailments and bad eating habits in the long run. Know that diets are not solely for overweight people, nonetheless. These can also bring benefits to underweight individuals.

Proper Sleep

Excessive eating of particular food products can prevent people from sleeping comfortably. Foods that are high on sugar content, like candies, are among what should be avoided. Eating heavy and oily foods will make waking up during early mornings difficult as well. Balanced diets will not just help you sleep easier without the need of sleeping pills, they will also help you feel well rested after waking up.

Appearance

Other than achieving an ideal body weight, eating healthy will also bring out the glow in people. Proper sleep can reduce eye puffiness and vegetable intake can help improve eye vision. Vitamins and minerals will also contribute to maintaining the vibrancy and youthfulness of skin. In addition, skin dryness and sensitivity can be reduced by eating lots of fruits.

Quality of Life

The benefits a balanced diet can bring goes beyond just positive effects on women's health. It will also bring you an enjoyable life. Because you will feel less stressed and more energized, you can accomplish more things in lesser time. You can also save on costs as fewer illnesses can mean lesser medical bills. Keeping a healthy diet is the key to attaining good well-being and great health.

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