This is one of my personal favorite blogs and wanted to share this entry with you...

"How soon 'not now' becomes 'never'."

                           -Martin Luther

"A year from now you may wish you had started today."

                           -Karen Lamb

Procrastination is probably one of the most common problems people have in their day to day life. So find a procrastination solution that works for you.

Here are five of them. Try them out and see which one or ones that fit you the best.

1. Do the hardest thing first.

What this means is simply to do the hardest and most important task of the day first thing in the morning. A good start in the morning lifts your spirits and creates a positive momentum for the rest of the day. That often creates a pretty productive day.

2. How do you eat an elephant?

Don't try to take it all in one big bite. It becomes overwhelming which leads to procrastination. Split a task into small actionable steps. Then just focus on the first step and nothing else. Just do that one until it's done. Then move on to the next step.

3. Recognize that there is more pain in procrastinating than not.

If you have procrastinated a lot you might have discovered that you procrastinate to avoid doing something that is boring, hard etc. You want to avoid that pain. But after having some experience with procrastination you'll probably realise that procrastination itself causes your more pain than actually just doing what you were supposed to. Realising the true amount of pain in the two choices will make it easier to get things done.

4. Make a small deal with yourself.

Promise yourself that you'll work on something for just 5 minutes. After those 5 minutes you can do something else if you want to. But make a note in your schedule for when you will come back to the task and work another 5 minutes on it. No matter how unpleasant a task may be, you can often talk yourself into working 5 minutes on it.

I've found this one to be effective to make a dent in those tasks you have put off for a longer while. Because many times you will just continue working after those 5 minutes have passed. It is the first few minutes of getting started that is the hardest part.

5. Use my three step method for doing something even when you don't feel like it.

Mundane or routine tasks can be a bit boring. Maybe you have a lot or emails to reply to or phone calls to make. Batch them - do them all in row - to get them done quicker.

If you feel inner resistance and just can't get started try this three step method to be able to reduce that resistance, up your motivation and get going.

Step 1: Accept it.

When you feel resistance within towards doing something the natural instinct may be to try to push that feeling away. To brush it off. I have found that doing the opposite and just accepting that it is there can do wonders.

Tell yourself: "This is how I feel right now and I accept it".

This sounds counterintuitive and perhaps like you're giving up. However by accepting how you feel instead of resisting it you reduce the emotional energy that you are feeding into this problem. It then tends to just kinda lose speed like a car that runs out of fuel. And oftentimes it becomes so weak after while that it moves out of your inner focus and disappears.

This step may be all you need to reduce the negative feelings enough to be able to start taking action. If not, move on to the next step.

Step 2: List the positives.

After you have accepted how you feel list the positives of getting this thing done. Do it on paper, on your computer or just in your head.

When you don't feel like doing something it's very easy to get stuck and just focus on the negative aspects such as it being hard work or the risk of pain or failure.

So you need to change what you are focusing on to motivate yourself to take action. Making a list of positives like benefits and possible opportunities can be very effective for turning your focus around.

If you have problems getting started ask yourself questions that will empower you. Questions like:

- What is awesome about this situation?

- What is the hidden opportunity in this situation?

You can pretty much always find positives about anything. There are lessons to be learned about yourself and your world and opportunities to be found if you look at things the right way.

Step 3: Just do it.

You should now have reduced much of the resistance within and feel more motivated to start taking action and getting your thing done

 It is at this point tempting to start thinking again. To reconsider and ponder. But I have found that if you do that then it easy to fall back into the same place where you began. You start to question doing this. Your focus starts to turn back to the negative aspects again.

So when I am at this point I usually just stop thinking and get my butt out of the chair. I get moving and I just do it.

I hope you'll find something here that helps you to decrease your procrastinating habit,

Henrik (The Postitivity Blog)

The typical North American derives 40-50% of their total caloric intake from carbohydrates. Approximately half of those come from simple (refined) sugars that have been added to food—many in the form of high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, honey, molasses, or refined sugars. Even though there has been much negative press associating sugar intake with heart disease, diabetes, hyperactivity, and obesity, the only condition showing a direct cause-and-effect relationship with sugar consumption is cavities. Due to sugar’s bad reputation, many Americans have switched from the more refined sugars (common table sugar) to the less refined sweeteners (honey and molasses). But what are the differences in these “nutritive” sweeteners and is one form of sweetener healthier than another?

Types of Sweeteners

We are all born with the capacity to sense sweetness. To what extent, along with the types and amounts of sweeteners we consume, vary from individual to individual. There are several ways dietary sweeteners can be classified or grouped. One way is to classify them as either nutritive or nonnutritive. The nutritive sweeteners provide a sweet taste and calories whereas the nonnutritive sweeteners are sweet tasting without the calories. Examples of nutritive sweeteners include refined table sugar, syrup, molasses, and brown sugar. Saccharin and aspartame are two popular types of nonnutritive sweeteners. On a larger scale, nutritive sweeteners are part of the carbohydrate family. All carbohydrates are made up of single sugar molecules called monosaccharides. The three most important monosaccharides in the diet are glucose, fructose, and galactose. When two sugar molecules combine this is called a disaccharide. Two common disaccharides are sucrose (glucose + fructose), which is common table sugar and lactose (glucose + galactose), the sugar found in milk. Monosaccharides and disaccharides are referred to as simple sugars whereas carbohydrates containing more sugar units linked together (oligosaccharides) are called complex carbohydrates (e.g. starch and fiber). One of the distinctions between simple sugars and complex carbohydrates is that the simple sugars are sweet to the taste. Simple sugars can be ranked as to their level of sweetness.

Following are some common simple sugars listed from most to least sweet:

• Fructose – most sweet
• Honey
• Molasses
• Sucrose (white refined sugar)
• Brown sugar
• Maple syrup
• Glucose
• Maltose
• Lactose – least sweet

Common Table Sugar vs. Other Less Refined Sugars

White sugar, honey, and molasses are all made up of varying levels of sucrose and its monomer units, fructose and glucose. When any of these sweeteners are consumed, all of the intact sucrose is broken down into fructose and glucose before being absorbed. Thus, by the time the sweetener is absorbed, our bodies cannot distinguish whether the fructose and glucose came from honey, molasses, or common table sugar. The main differences between these three sweeteners are the food source and amount of processing each product goes through. Even though these sweeteners all provide the same amount of energy (4 cal/g carbohydrate), the less refined sweeteners do provide more of the micronutrients than the more refined sugars.

Honey: Honey is derived from the sucrose-containing nectar of flowering plants. Bees convert much of the sucrose to fructose and glucose. This is why honey has a sweeter taste than white refined sugar. Honey provides only a trace of vitamins and minerals.

White refined sugar and brown sugar: White refined sugar (sucrose) is produced from either sugar cane or sugar beets. The refinement process removes the yellow-brown pigments leaving behind the crystallized sugar we know as common white sugar. Brown sugar is simply white sugar that has had molasses added at differing levels to give it its distinct color and flavor. The energy from white sugar is in the truest sense “empty calories” due to the fact it does not contribute any additional vitamins or minerals to the diet. Even though brown sugar contains a trace of potassium and minerals (due to the molasses in the product), it is still not a significant source of these micronutrients.

Molasses: Blackstrap molasses is the byproduct which remains in the refining process of cane sugar to white sugar. Further refining of blackstrap molasses produces medium and light molasses. Unlike refined white sugar, molasses does contain trace amounts of some vitamins and minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorous, and magnesium. Even so, molasses is not a significant source of these micronutrients.

Nutritionally, there does not appear to be significant differences between honey, refined white sugar, brown sugar, or molasses. The primary difference between these nutritive sweeteners is the distinct flavor each provides when added to foods. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that our carbohydrate intake be 55-60% of our total caloric intake with the majority of those carbohydrates being complex carbohydrates. Try to use refined sugars in moderation and be aware of the simple sugar content of processed foods. Choose food products that can make the claim “no sugar added,” “without added sugar,” “less sugar,” or “reduced sugar.” The products with no additional sugar are best, but the ones with less or reduced sugar still provide less sugar than the typical product (e.g. “reduced sugar” chocolate chip cookies vs. typical chocolate chip cookies). It is best to get the majority of the simple sugars in the diet from fruits, vegetables, and milk, because along with the simple sugars contained in these foods you also have the benefit of consuming a significant amount of other health-promoting nutrients.

-Adapted from an article by Michele M. Doucette, PhD

I hope this helps clear up any confusion,

Water is the elixir of life, but do we get enough of it? Many people think that substituting sodas, coffee and juice for water is enough to keep us hydrated and healthy, but nothing can beat the original and the best – water.

Our bodies are made up of 43-75% water, and it’s an essential component of our health. The wide range in percentages comes from measuring different populations ranging from newborns (~75%) to obese people (~45%), with normal adult hydration at about 57-60%.

We can survive a month without food, but we’ll die after a week without water. The body is able to absorb many nutrients and salts better thanks to water’s ability to transport these nutrients and oxygen to our body’s cells and organs. Detoxifying is vitally important to our health, since it cleans our bodies of impurities. The best way to excrete these impurities is through urine and sweat – both of which depend on our water intake. Upping your water intake may help to reduce the risk of kidney stone formation. The kidneys filter our waste products through the blood and out via urination. If the concentration of salt in our urine is high, and our water content low, this increases the risk of kidney stone formation. By drinking more water, this concentration of salts is reduced.

We are at risk of sunstroke if our bodies become dehydrated. When we sweat, this cools our body down. If dehydrated, the body cannot sweat and overheats, which can damage the body’s internal organs.

If you suffer from high blood pressure, maybe it’s your water intake that is the problem. When our bodies excrete and lose more than the optimal amount of liquid, our blood vessels constrict, which can cause our blood pressure to increase. If blood pressure is increased by a deficiency in water, this may also increase the risk of heart disease. Because the constricted blood vessels cause an increase in blood pressure, the heart works harder to compensate for the reduced volume of blood. Lower blood pressure and greater consumption of water help lower stress on the heart.

What’s more, drinking more water can help you stay younger looking. Drinking a lot of water helps keep the skin clean and fresh-looking by removing impurities through sweating. Water also helps to keep the skin hydrated, which means younger looking skin – sagging and wrinkled skin is usually a sign of dehydration. Drinking water also cuts hunger pangs and acts as a good filler. Water has zero calories, so consider trading in your sugary drinks and juices to help control your weight.

If increasing your water intake seems like a chore, why not add lemon or mint to your bottle to make it taste better? Eat more fruits rich in water such as watermelon, and try to drink water more regularly over the course of the day.  I find having a glass of water or water bottle near you during the day has been shown to increase water consumption without effort.

Drink up!

References Used

[1] http://www.jbc.org/content/203/1/359.full.pdf Accessed October 2011

[2] http://thetaoofgoodhealth.com/10-health-reasons-why-you-should-drink-more-water-4/ Accessed October 2011

[3] http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/generalhealth/ghea5288.html Accessed 2011