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9 Reasons You Need to Eat Flaxseed

June 30, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Indeed, flaxseed has been around for centuries. The seed was believed to be cultivated somewhere east of the Mediterranean around 3000 BC. Initially, flax (or linum usitatissimum), was used to make linen because of the plant’s robust and flexible fiber within its stem. The consumption of flax seed is a relatively new concept, catching on in the United States in the late 1990’s.

An exciting piece of history: around the 8^th century, King Charlemagne passed a law that required people to consume flaxseed. That may be a bit excessive, but the sovereign King did have an altruistic reason for doing so, in that he wanted to pass the tremendous health benefits of flaxseed to his people.

Flaxseed is considered a “superfood,” or food so densely packed with nutrients that it should be consumed daily. The seed is tasty, small, and can be included with several foods: oatmeal, rice, yogurt, cereal, potatoes, smoothies…the list is practically endless.

Here Are 9 Reasons You Need To Eat Flaxseed Every Day:

1. It’s an excellent source of nutrients

As mentioned prior, flaxseed is a superfood because of its sheer amount of packed nutrients. Flaxseed contains omega-3 fatty acids for heart and brain health, lignans with antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties, and soluble fiber for digestive and gastrointestinal health. In addition, flaxseed is a rich source of macronutrients, manganese, and vitamin B. Flaxseed also contains good protein. Nutrition gurus deem it a powerful addition to one’s diet.

2. It reduces hypertension

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that approximately 68 million Americans (one-third of the population) have hypertension or high blood pressure. Flaxseed is shown to be a promising remedy for this epidemic. Those that include flaxseed oil in their daily diets tend to sustain regular blood pressure readings and lower the blood pressure of those with hypertension. (For reference, normal blood pressure is around 120/80.)

3. It may help fight skin cancer

We all love to be out in the sun; perhaps the only concern is the rising numbers of skin cancer.

As it turns out, according to The US National Library of Medicine, dietary flaxseed supplementation enhanced the cancer-fighting properties of mice by as much as 63% while reducing the number of cancerous tumors discovered.

4. It may help ward off depression

Depression is a complicated illness to understand.

Those afflicted with the condition often desperately need some help. According to one Japanese study, flaxseed may help balance the complex network of neurotransmitters within the brain, providing much-needed relief. In addition, depressed people are more likely to have lower levels of omegas in their body, which flaxseed may also help to correct.

5. Helps to lower cholesterol

Having high cholesterol levels is not only unhealthy, but it’s also dangerous. Those with high cholesterol are more likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke. According to an Iowa State University study, flaxseed effectively lowers cholesterol levels. Flaxseed may also help serve as great preventative food for warding off high cholesterol.

6. Promotes healthy hair and skin

The good fats and B vitamins within flax help reduce dryness of the hair and skin. It is also believed that these properties effectively improve the symptoms of acne, eczema, and rosacea. In addition, flaxseed may help alleviate dry eyes.

7. Promotes weight loss

In an article published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers discovered that flaxseeds (along with walnuts) might help fight obesity and promote weight loss. The reason is that flaxseed is packed with fiber and healthy fats, which helps increase feelings of fullness (or satiety). Further, healthy fats contained within flaxseeds may also reduce inflammation.

8. Contains important antioxidants

Consuming flaxseed is one of the best ways to get all-important antioxidants. Flax contains potent polyphenols, which provide terrific benefits such as anti-aging and cellular health. Flaxseed may also help correct hormonal imbalances. Polyphenols also help stimulate the growth of probiotics in the gut, which plays an essential role in eliminating harmful bacteria in the body.
9. Contains anti-viral and antibacterial properties

Everybody despises cold and flu season, and nothing (regardless of what some commercials may tell you) is a surefire preventative solution. That said, flaxseed contains some of the most potent anti-viral and antibacterial properties of any food on the market. Simply including a small amount in your morning oatmeal, smoothie, or cereal may be the edge needed to get through another dreadful cold and flu season.

11 Signs Your Partner Has Lost Interest

June 30, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Your relationship has been a bit rocky lately, but it’s not like your partner has lost interest in you…or have you just missed the warning signs? Worrying about the stability and security of your relationship is not something that people in healthy relationships deal with.

If you have concerns, your fears may or may not be founded in reality. Although we have the 11 signs that your partner has lost interest below, you may need to have a heart to heart with your partner about your feelings to really be sure about their plans to continue in the relationship.

11 Signs Your Partner Has Lost Interest

“How will I know if he really loves me?” – Whitney Houston

1. Your partner has been a little selfish lately

You always seem to be eating your partner’s favorite meals and watching their favorite shows, but where is the consideration for what you love? If your partner has lost interest, you will start to notice this sign, feeling like your needs and desires are second place to those of your partner.

Researchers studying relationship breakups found that imbalances in power in the relationship, for example, where one partner controls all of the activities, are connected to relationship conflict, unhappiness, psychological distress, and breakup.

2. You feel like you’ve done something wrong

You can feel like apologizing when your partner has lost interest, but you’ve done nothing wrong. Maybe it’s the silent treatment your partner is giving you, or the disapproving looks that you’ve seen them send your way, but you feel like you did something wrong.

Loss of interest can be like an infected wound that grows into something worse; contempt. When we no longer care for the well-being of the people in our daily life, we can grow angry and resentful in their presence, which expresses itself as a negative emotion toward the unwanted person.

3. You used to be included in your partner’s social activities

Your partner has stopped including you in the fun things they do with friends when they are away. For that matter, you aren’t being included in family get-togethers either. Whatever your partner is doing without you, it’s clear that they have lost interest in doing it with you.

4. They don’t have time for you

If your partner has ever told you that they don’t have time for you, it might have made you feel like the lowest person on Earth. This is definitely an unfeeling way to treat the person that they supposedly love.

5. You have been disrespected by your partner

Your partner used a vulgar gesture or language toward you, belittled you in front of others or even in private. Their words are hurtful, angry, and anything but kind and loving.

6. You argue more often

You rarely used to fight, but now it seems like your partner has lost interest in everything with you except for arguing.

7. You have asked them to change their negative behavior, but they have not done anything different

It would be nice if your partner would treat you the way you have asked them to treat you, but clearly they have no interest in changing their behavior for you at this point in your relationship.

8. You’ve lost that loving feeling

Not you toward your partner, but your partner sure isn’t giving you love that is meaningful to you. You can’t remember the last time you were held and comforted, cuddled, or treated with loving kindness.

For that matter, your partner is not supporting you when you need them.

9. You suspect that they are keeping things from you

Emotional cheating, withholding information, or outright lying and physical cheating; you suspect that something has been going on behind your back.

10. There have been no signs of making a commitment

They’ve never asked you to be a monogamous partner, expressed a desire to take the relationship to the next level or proposed to you. The fact that you aren’t getting signals of wanting to stay in a committed relationship from your partner is not a good sign of continued interest in you as a romantic partner.

Researchers studying the factors that predicted breakups found that the more ‘commitment and love individuals experienced toward their relationship partner, the less likely they were to end the relationship.’ Commitment is a good sign that your partner has not lost interest, but there may be a reason to worry when your partner has failed to show a commitment to you.

11. There are no future plans that include you

You know about at least one event in the future that your partner is planning for and that does not include you. Your partner should want to include you in their future, unless they’ve lost interest, which this sign might indicate.

(C)Power of Positivity, LLC. All rights reserved

Completely Relieve Stress In 10 Minutes With This Guided Meditation

June 29, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Guided meditation is an easy way to relieve stress and you can do it in as little as a 10-minute session to help you feel less tension in your body. Relax your tight muscles with this guided meditation and completely relieve stress.

Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique to relieve stress by focusing on the sensations of relaxation in the body. By tensing and then relaxing groups of muscles, we can release any stored tension.

For example, many people carry muscle tension in their neck and shoulders. By simply tightening these muscles and holding the tension for a few seconds before relaxing, we can notice that although we were unaware of it, our shoulder muscles were not fully relaxed before.

Researchers studying the effects of a guided meditation that included progressive muscle relaxation found that people who experienced the meditation reported lower levels of mental confusion, depression, fatigue, and tension.

Completely Relieve Stress in 10 Minutes With This Guided Meditation

What follows is a script for a guided meditation. However, it should take less than ten minutes to complete. As you read the meditation, you can follow along and do the exercises rather than closing your eyes for the session.

You can read the steps for the guided meditation below, ask someone to read it for you, and guide you as you sit with your eyes closed. Alternatively, you may listen to a meditation video via the link below.

Guided meditation to completely relieve stress

Before you begin, find a comfortable place to sit, either in a chair or on the floor. Try to find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed or distracted for 10 minutes.

Sit in an upright but comfortable position.
Rest your hands in your lap.
Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.
Inhale and exhale through your nose and allow 4-5 slow, full breaths to pass as you notice the feeling of your lungs filling with air.
On the next breath, inhale, tighten, and tense all the muscles in your feet, and as you exhale, release all of the muscles of the feet. Repeat for another inhale and exhale.
On the next breath, squeeze the muscles of your lower legs and calves. As you exhale, release all of the muscles of the lower legs. Repeat for a second breath.
On the next breath, inhale and tighten your thigh muscles. Exhale, and relax the muscles of the thighs. Repeat tightening your thigh muscles for another in and out breathe through the nose.
With your next breath, squeeze the muscles of your abdomen and your pelvic muscles. As you exhale, release all of the abdominal and pelvic muscles muscles. Repeat for a second inhale and exhale.
On the next breath, tighten the muscles of your buttocks. Exhale, and release the muscles of the buttocks–then repeat.
On the next inhale, squeeze the muscles of your hands and make fists. As you exhale, relax your hands back into your lap–repeat
With the next breath, squeeze the muscles of your arms. Flex your arms and squeeze your biceps, triceps, and forearms. As you exhale, release all of the muscles of the arms–repeat
On the next breath, inhale and squeeze the muscles of your shoulders. Tense these muscles by raising the shoulders up to the ears. Exhale and release the shoulders. Repeat for another breath.
On the next breath, squeeze your upper back muscles together by squeezing your shoulder blades. As you exhale, release all of the muscles of the upper back. Repeat for a second inhale and exhale.
On the next breath, inhale and tighten the muscles of your neck. Exhale, and release all of the neck muscles–repeat.
This time when you breathe in, squeeze the muscles of your face. Clench the jaw muscles and smile big, squint your eyes and squeeze your eyebrows together. As you exhale, release all of the muscles of the face. Repeat.
Focus your attention on the tingling in your body now that you have squeezed them and released tension from your muscles. Keep your attention focused on your breathing and your body’s relaxation.
Use a keyword to bring your focus back if your mind wanders. For example, you can use the word ‘Om’ or ‘One’ or ‘Calm,’ any one-syllable word that is positive and meaningful to you and will help you refocus on simply relaxing and breathing.
Continue breathing and focusing on your one word. If you can, continue focused, mindful breathing for 5 minutes to relieve stress in your body completely.

A modified guided meditation

On the other hand, you can use a muscle relaxation guided meditation that only focuses on relaxation without tensing muscles. This can be helpful if you have an injury or cannot tense muscles without pain.

Researchers studying relaxation-only meditation, without using muscle tension exercises to relieve stress, guided participants to notice sensations of tension in their right and left hands and arms, allowing these muscles to relax completely. Repeat this with the other muscle groups mentioned above until you achieve complete muscle relaxation.

These Things Happen To Your Body When You Drink A Gallon Of Water Every Day

June 29, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Water sustains life, and we need much more of it than we think. We are composed of 50-75% water, and this element carries out vital processes in the body, such as regulating body temperature, carrying oxygen and nutrients to the cells, dissolving minerals and nutrients, aiding digestion, protecting body organs and tissues, lubricating joints, among others.

Not to mention, drinking at least a gallon of water per day can accelerate weight loss.

According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, drinking 17 ounces of water increases metabolic rate by 30% in healthy men and women. Their metabolism peaked 30-40 minutes after the subjects drank.

Let’s look at another study that proves the amazing things that can happen to your body after drinking a gallon of water daily. Researchers from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom conducted a 12-week experiment in which they gave 84 obese adults weight loss advice and put them in one of two groups. The first group drank 16 ounces of water 30 minutes before their meals, while the second group imagined feeling full after their meal. The result? The first group ended up losing three pounds more than the second.

Benefits of Drinking Water Every Day

In addition to losing weight, here’s what else can happen if you drink a gallon of water per day:

Helps keep us alert
Prevents headaches
Boosts cognitive abilities
Protects our heart

Drinking a gallon of water daily might seem like a lot to some people, but you can have very drastic results after just 30 days. In fact, a woman from the UK tried out this experiment for herself, and the results were shocking. Read on to find out more about what happened!

These Things Happen To Your Body When You Drink A Gallon Of Water Every Day

When it comes to water, unfortunately, a shocking 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration, according to a report by CBS.

In the UK, 1 in 5 people suffer from dehydration, but one woman decided to do something about this growing problem. Sarah Smith, a mother of two from the UK, realized that she wasn’t drinking nearly enough water every day. She had health problems as a result, such as poor digestion, headaches, and overall fatigue. After meeting with several doctors, they all told her the same thing: drink more water. So, she tried an experiment where she would document her journey of drinking more water. Every day for 30 days, she decided to drink a gallon of water and take a before and after photo to see if she noticed any physical changes or internal benefits.

When she began this experiment, she noticed that “I am 42, but have to admit I look more like 52 in this picture, which is shocking. There are dark shadows under and around my eyes, which make me look exhausted, a profusion of wrinkles and strange reddish blotches, and my skin lacks any lustre. It looks dead….even my lips look shrivelled.”

So, to combat these issues, she drank water in jugs in the morning, afternoon, and evening. She felt better, leaner, and fitter, and looked noticeably different from the beginning of the experiment. Here are her before and after photos:

WARRENSMITH2013

WEEK ONE:

At the end of the first week, she had already noticed that her digestion improved and her urine had turned clear due to the flushing of toxins from her body. She also suffered breakouts, a positive sign since toxins get flushed from our bodies through our skin quite often. Her headaches also disappeared, and her joint stiffness, which always bothered her in the morning, had improved dramatically.

WEEK TWO:

The second week brought on a massive improvement in her skin tone and complexion. Though her eyes still appeared wrinkled, Sarah said, “they look less creepy and shadowy than before”. She also had a noticeably flatter stomach, and her cellulite had disappeared! Also, she still didn’t suffer from headaches.

WEEK THREE:

Sarah found that her eye wrinkles and dark circles had disappeared, and her skin looked healthier. She also ate less, as she mistook hunger signals for thirst signals in the past. Many people don’t recognize the difference between these signals unless they have had enough water for their weight and age.

So what about the end of WEEK FOUR? Sarah said, “I genuinely can’t believe the difference in my face. I look like a different woman. The dark shadows around my eyes have all but disappeared and the blotches have gone. My skin is almost as dewy as it was when I was a child. The transformation is nothing short of remarkable.”

5 Ways Millenials Are Changing The World

June 28, 2016 by Power of Positivity

In decades, Millenials will be known for many things, hopefully more positive than negative.

We have become a generation that does not conform to any conventional structure. As we all know, society focuses on what we lack, rather than what we provide to the world. We are savvy, tenacious, and ambitious. We have learned that there is nothing free in this world.

But, we have also been known to depend on technology, and depend less on human contact. We are used to wars, political corruptions, and disasters. Other generations see us as heartless and that we have truly forgotten what it is to stand up for humanity and have compassion.

The true stoWe are living in transcending and extreme times. We can create a new world, and it moves through empathy and love.

Here are 5 ways millenials are going to change the world…

1. Stop the desire for instant gratification.

We are not alone in this world. There are billions of us inhabiting this planet. Because of all the technological advances, everything is at our fingertips. Guess what? There is a whole world out there that is not on a computer. When we take our time to absorb that and bring ourselves back to all that IS, the world will see a shift in short time.

2. We’re learning to deeply connect with others again.

Online dating has become the norm for meeting anyone. We rarely pick up the phone to call. Texting is our favorite form of communicating with others. The sexual revolution has allowed for us to sleep around and move on. Attachment has become a thing of the past. We get hurt and lick our wounds quicker than others in the past. If this person doesn’t work for us, another will. We date for entertainment.

Taking time to connect with others on a personal level is something that Millenials come to recognize. We’re seeing what depersonalization does to our society and we know that it isn’t sustainable. Old fashioned morals and the value of time are coming back once again. This time, they’re here to stay.

3. We’re learning to let go of self-absorbtion.

Dr. Jean M. Twenge shares research done in the University of South Alabama showing that “the narcissistic traits are increasing even faster than we previously thought. From 2002 to 2007, college students’ scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory rose twice as fast as we’d found in an earlier study that covered changed between 1982 and 2006.”

Why the epidemic? The ability to have plastic surgeries and other cultural changes in behavior has led to superficial behaviors. Our entire value system has been jolted by the ability to have things instantly at our finger tips. We have grown to believe that perfection fixes everything and it is mental distortion.

Now however, Millenials see the clarity in acceptance. We fully accept things, events, the world around us, and most importantly ourselves, as is. We know that the only way to heal is through acceptance and stepping forward from where we are now.

4. We’re not getting too caught up in technology, but rather we’re learning to let technology become our laborer.

Social media and gadgets have given us an opportunity for complacency. Some live addicted to it, but it’s also an incredible tool to change our world, and we are the first generation to truly embrace this. We are learning to utilize this amazing venture of mass communication to our advantage. We are a generation that can accomplish more, faster, than other times in history.

As Millenials lay the path for the future, the world will see a coming together of ideas to help humanity, in every area imaginable.

5. We’re reinventing love

Love is evolving from how other generations loved. This generation is taking more chances and traveling farther. We are walking away from careers to just enjoy life. So in between all the negativity, we are loving ourselves more and therefore able to help others. We are experiencing the length of our lives now rather than waiting for later. We are thinking outside the box. Actually we’ve thrown the box away. We are learning to ask questions, rationalize and help others along the way.

This generation is more earth conscious and consists of tree-huggers, environmentalists and new hippies. We believe in “green therapy” instead of conventional psychotherapy. We are not restricted by time as we chose to make memories through our easy access to the world.

Millenials simply show new ways to love and expand knowledge out into the world. We are reforming our culture by our own experiences rather than that of our ancestors because we know that we must move with the times. Love is being readjusted and redefined. It’s not disappearing, it is merely modifying to this era. We are following our passions and expanding love while providing a new creative awareness in this world. We are transforming love and all that it entails in a way that might be seen as shallow, but it’s truly keeping up with our humanness in a new fast-changing world.

“Our Ancestors knew that healing comes in cycles and circles.
One generation carries the pain so that the next can live and heal.
One cannot live without the other, each is the other’s hope, meaning & strength.” ~ Gemma B. Benton

This Is What Happens To Your Body In A Stressful Relationship

June 28, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Most of us are well aware by now that distress (the “negative” kind of stress) is terrible for health. To make matters worse, we live in a world that makes it very difficult to maintain stress “equilibrium”.

To put it very simply, most of us are overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. We are often forced to juggle multiple priorities (after all, “multitasking” is the thing now, right?) and are even required, at times, to choose between our family, friends, work or something else.

Thankfully, we have the people who care for and love us waiting at home, right?

Well, most relationships are positive influences on our life. However, when the people we care for are constantly causing our internal “stress meter” to rise, there is a serious problem.

After all, loved ones are supposed to be a refuge to our frustrations, not a catalyst. On the worst day, we should be able to lean on someone who comforts us; not someone who judges. It is perhaps no surprise to learn that relationships, bonds that are supposed to bring joy, can also exacerbate stress depending on the person you’re dealing with.

This segues into our topic for this article: stressful relationships can be (literally) deadly. We are not referring to (tragic) death as a result of murder but from stress caused by people who are designated our support system.

Scientists Explain How Stressful Relationships Affect Your Health

At Copenhagen University in Denmark, Rikke Lund, along with her colleagues, sought out to discover the impact of stressful relationships on our health. This simple question was asked to 10,000 people: “In your everyday life, do you experience conflicts with any of the following people?”

Children
Friends
Family members
Neighbors
Spouses

Participants between the ages of 36 and 52 answered: “always,” “often,” “sometimes,” “seldom,” or never for each relationship detailed above.

After 11 years, 422 died. Now, that number is nothing out of the ordinary – it’s a standard death rate for these age groups. However, what is intriguing is that those who answered “always” or “often” in the survey died at two to three times higher than other participants.

Fortunately, none of the people that passed had been a victim of violence. Causes of death were broad.However, they saw disproportionate numbers of people dying from liver cirrhosis (brought on by alcoholism), cancer, and heart disease. It has been discovered that distress plays a significant role in developing alcoholism and heart disease: another possible linkage discovered.

Additionally, mortality numbers were much higher for closer relationships (spouse, children) than for those of a more distant nature; this is another piece of information that provides credence to the notion that stressful relationships can contribute to death.

Lund and her colleagues posed a slightly different question this same group: “In your everyday life, do you feel that any of those people (in the prior question) demand too much of you or seriously worry you?” It turns out (sadly) that those faced with frequent demands or worries from a spouse or child had a 50 to 100 percent higher chance of dying during the 11 years.

So…what’s the answer?

Understanding that stress created by difficult relationships is particularly harmful is the first (perhaps most important) step. However, now it’s us to each one of us to work on two things: (1) Conflict management skills and (2) Decision-making ability.

Let us explain.

Conflict management is necessary for two reasons:

It helps avoid relationship-based stress
It helps to resolve relationship-based problems when they arise.

Our typical response is to stew in anger or ignore the problem altogether – neither of which are effective in the least. It’s important – especially for our health – to have commonsense skills that allow us to navigate tribulations in a relationship.

Decision-making ability, as it applies to a stressful relationship, is very simple. Do you stay stick with the relationship or not? Do you try to work things out or not? Or do you simply walk away?

It’d be nice to say that there is no right or wrong answer to either question, but there definitely is. It’s up to us to examine, weigh the pros and cons, and make the right decision for our health. There is nothing (nothing!) more important.

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Here Are 9 Reasons You Need To Eat Flaxseed Every Day:

1. It’s an excellent source of nutrients

2. It reduces hypertension

3. It may help fight skin cancer

4. It may help ward off depression

5. Helps to lower cholesterol

6. Promotes healthy hair and skin

7. Promotes weight loss

8. Contains important antioxidants

11 Signs Your Partner Has Lost Interest

1. Your partner has been a little selfish lately

2. You feel like you’ve done something wrong

3. You used to be included in your partner’s social activities

4. They don’t have time for you

5. You have been disrespected by your partner

6. You argue more often

7. You have asked them to change their negative behavior, but they have not done anything different

8. You’ve lost that loving feeling

9. You suspect that they are keeping things from you

10. There have been no signs of making a commitment

11. There are no future plans that include you

(C)Power of Positivity, LLC. All rights reserved

Completely Relieve Stress in 10 Minutes With This Guided Meditation

Guided meditation to completely relieve stress

A modified guided meditation

Benefits of Drinking Water Every Day

These Things Happen To Your Body When You Drink A Gallon Of Water Every Day

WEEK ONE:

WEEK TWO:

WEEK THREE:

Here are 5 ways millenials are going to change the world…

1. Stop the desire for instant gratification.

2. We’re learning to deeply connect with others again.

3. We’re learning to let go of self-absorbtion.

4. We’re not getting too caught up in technology, but rather we’re learning to let technology become our laborer.

5. We’re reinventing love

(C) Power of Positivity, LLC. All rights reserved

Thankfully, we have the people who care for and love us waiting at home, right?

Scientists Explain How Stressful Relationships Affect Your Health

So…what’s the answer?

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