What is meditation?

First of all, drop the idea that sitting down with legs crossed, closed eyes, and reciting OM is meditation. No, it is not. Secondly,  meditation is not related to any religion.

The real meaning of  meditation is to be just aware of whatever is happening outside you and inside you. Something bad happens and you are sad, something good happens and you feel amazing and the cycle goes on.

Meditation means to be just aware of what has happened, how your body is acting at the moment, what thoughts are coming in your mind and what are the emotions those thoughts are creating.

* Next time you are feeling good or sad:

1) See what has just happened. Just see and don't judge. Don't create the story but still your mind won't stop so;

2) See how your body is getting stifled and stiff. Maybe you will drop your shoulders or you will start making some unwanted gestures with your hands. Shift your focus on your body and make it relax and sit straightly;

3) See how your brain is producing multiple thoughts. Don't try to know why your brain is producing such thoughts but just see what is it doing;

4) See the emotions these thoughts are creating. You just have to see the effect those emotions are having on you.

After you followed this process, the pain will just disappear and your will be having immense peace.      

Here are your missing abs feat. Adam McDonald

Abs are made in kitchen. Okay, what else? Don't know?

If you are one of the those guys who take their health very seriously then this article is going to be beneficial for you.

I interviewed Adam McDonald who is a professional  body-builder and he has a special system to make you look attractive and that too with the help of a normal diet and simple workouts.

I asked Adam,"People know what is bad for them and they still eat it. What is the psychology behind it?"

Adam said,"We often don't act in line with what we know we should or ought to do, it’s irrational but that’s a common trait of human beings. Just because we know we should do something doesn't necessarily mean we will.

There are 3 levels of awareness

- Intellectual understanding 

- Emotional understanding

- Identity shift

Intellectual understanding doesn't change anything, we know we shouldn't smoke, we know we should study for the exam but we still act against what we know we should do. Emotional understanding is the next level where you don’t necessarily have any more information but you view it on an emotional level. You know overeating is bad for you (intellectual level) but you continue to do it; however, if the doctor told you that if you continue to eat this way you will die from a heart attack within the next 12 months you’re likely to change your habits based on the emotions this evokes.

The third and strongest level is identity shift.

“Identity is the strongest force in human personality. We all have a deep and abiding need to remain consistent with how we define ourselves. Any transformation you make within yourself will depend on your ability to expand this identity.” Tony Robbins

I see myself as someone who works out, eats well and wants to stay in great shape both mentally and physically. If I don’t remain consistent with this identity I get anxious, don’t feel right and feel “off”. This is the what I try to incorporate with my clients, rather than having them make goals for the sake of being “ripped” or 

“jacked” I get them to look at the intrinsic reasons which will help them remain consistent and on track. If your goal is only superficial you will find it a lot harder to reach and only disappointed or unfulfilled when you get there.

See yourself as a health conscious person rather than a just someone who is “trying to eat healthy” or “trying to go to the gym”. Your actions are always going to be in line with your identity, so make sure you have the right one."

I asked Adam,"People sometimes cheat meals and it's not a problem but it becomes a problem when they find themselves cheating everyday. Why do people focus on the taste and not on the results?"

Adam said,"I don’t personally like to have cheat meals as it leads to binges which in itself is an eating disorder, large binges can also undo a lot of hard work and results that you have done of the previous week. Instead, what I like to do is to try and fit foods that I enjoy into my daily macro nutrient guidelines. This prevents me from having any major cravings and wanting to sit and gorge in one sitting. When people limit themselves to certain foods that they don’t particularly like it makes them feel restricted and want to binge or “cheat”, following a flexible dieting approach allows me to still have the foods I enjoy (within reason) 

without feeling restricted.

If I was to just to eat the same bland foods everyday I too would have a difficult time following the plan. The problem is when people are so strict on themselves and have a small slip up they tend to feel as though the whole day of diet is ruined and then eat as much junk as they want because “..they've already ruined the 

diet today”. Focusing on the bigger picture of calories and macro nutrients rather than eating tasteless “healthy” foods will allow people to both enjoy their food and get results."

I asked Adam,"How should a healthy diet look like? (Talking about proteins, carbs, fats etc.)"

Adam said,"There is no official definition by any health Organizations of what a “healthy” food is but if I was to give some guidelines I would say.

- Do not eat an excess of calories unless your goal is to gain weight, a lot health problems stem from being overweight and eating an excess of calories.

- Eat at least 2-3 servings of fruit and 2-3 servings of vegetables a day

- Don’t avoid any particular food (perhaps be wary of trans fats). Foods don’t have morals, there are no bad foods only bad portions.

- Focus on Overall calories and macro nutrients then focus on food quality (micro nutrient dense foods). The proof is in the name “Macro” and “Micro”!

- 80% of the time try to eat whole, unprocessed foods and 20% of the time enjoy the foods you would consider “unhealthy” but remember calories are king and you want to keep your diet goals in mind.

- I try not to advocate exact meal plans as people feel like they are restricted and it can lead to binging on restricted foods.

If someone is over-consuming on a daily basis, the following questions should be addressed

-Is the diet too restrictive in terms of food choice?

-Is the diet too fast, too harsh i.e. are you cutting too much calories?

-What are the real reasons you are making these changes, do they have a higher purpose or is it for some superficial reason? You’re more likely to stick to a plan that is preventing you from getting type II diabetes versus one that’s going to give you abs for the beach."

ENDING NOTE:

Adam motivates us by saying,"In terms of diet and training adherence is always going to triumph. Don’t try go from zero to hero at the speed of light. Make some small changes that you are going to be able to stick to. When I am giving clients workout programs and diet nutrition guidelines I make sure that I don’t make too big of a jump from what they currently are doing, this is why so many people cannot stick to a diet or workout regime. If you don’t work out at all go to the gym maybe 2 or 3 times a week, don’t try and do 6. The same goes for diet, if you don’t have a clue about nutrition don’t try and follow some restrictive fad diet, try something small like taking a picture of each meal you eat and reviewing them all at the end of the week to see what your diet is comprised off and go from there."

5 Things I Have Learnt From Successful and Rich People.

I have been observing really successful and rich people and their behaviours all around the world and some things that I have learnt are:

(a) PROBLEM: Don't do anything to just get some good reactions from anyone (Girlfriend, Boyfriend, Friends etc.)

(b) TECHNIQUE: Anything you are doing, just do it to offer fun and positive emotions.

(c) TRUTH: Even your best friends will never want you to get aligned with your best version but you will always have a choice. Either go for what you want or don't go for your dreams and listen to what every one thinks.

(d) BELIEF: I am the master of my destiny. I can do whatever I want. I don't want anyone to show me up or show me down because I know myself better than anyone else and that simply means I Am Enough for everything this world and the people in it have to offer. 

(e) PRINCIPLE: Sometimes I might be feeling bad but in those times, I don't need anyone because I know myself better than anyone in this world and only and only I can change whatever I am feeling.



SAY THIS TO YOURSELF EVERY TIME YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING:

I am the source of all my emotions. Nothing and no one can change how I feel except me. If I find myself in reaction to anything, I can change it in a moment. 

How to not give a damn about anything

I get this question a lot that people feel offended whenever someone says negative stuff about them. They don't know what to do, how to react so, they go on performing the default behaviour programmed into them and that is, defending themselves.

Suppose you are coming back to home from your work and a beggar approaches you and asks for money. You tell him that you don't have the change and in return, he abuses you.
How those words from that beggar are going to affect you?
He don't know you so his abusive words won't even matter. Why would those words even affect you?

If you are at work and someone is showing you down, teasing and taunting you. Now, you might think that this scenario is a bit different but it's not. Everyone is hungry for attention and sometimes they need it at any cost. Even if they have to show people down, they will do that. Beggars of attention are everywhere.  

If someone says bad to you then that's their problem and not yours. They did their work by saying bad but now your work is, if you want to take it on heart or not. Most people start defending themselves and it puts them on the survival mode so that they can just survive this situation at any cost.

This all is because of the ego. People attach their ego with others, and when others say bad stuff about those people, they go through a great ego clash.

The three best ways to tackle such situations are:

1) Embrace that they are trying to make fun of you, exaggerate the situation and laugh on it.

2) Identify this feeling inside you and see how much discomfort it is causing. See how much pressure it is exerting on you. Accept the feeling and surrender to it. Accepting something does not mean liking it. Accepting something means that you are aware of that thing.

3) Don't reply and change the topic.

* ENDING NOTE:

Realize that the more you are going to defend yourself, the more you are going to fuel your's and others ego. So, be at peace.