Interesting Relaxation Techniques for Better Sleep

According to the National Institute of Health, we need between seven to eight hours of sleep. In today’s fast-paced life, many people find it difficult to wind down before bedtime, which can result in difficulty falling asleep and insomnia. Fortunately, there are a number of effective relaxation techniques to help us achieve both physical and mental relaxation at bedtime. They work by reducing the physical tension of our muscles and block the flow of our thoughts that can prevent us from falling asleep. In fact, studies show that people who use relaxation techniques before sleep end up falling asleep faster and sleep longer. Sleep research studies have revealed that using the following techniques that take only 15-20 minutes of your time and can help you fall asleep faster and get more restful sleep:

1.    Imagery (Visualization Techniques)

One of the most common and effective relaxation techniques for going to sleep is visualization of peaceful imagery. This technique involves visualizing (imagining) peaceful scenes, such as calm ocean waves or mountain meadows. As you deeply inhale and exhale, use your imagination to focus your mind on the scenes of tranquility you have come up with. It is important to focus on different sensory aspects of the peaceful imagery you have conceived in your mind. For example, if you are imagining a sunset at a beach, it is recommended to also imagine what the waves would sound like, and what the warm feeling of the sunset would be like. Imagery techniques help the mind relax and focus on pleasant and peaceful sensations, helping us drift off to sleep. If you are having trouble coming up with your own imagery, there are plenty of free scripts and audio programs available online.

2.    Focus on Your Breathing

Focusing on your breathing while producing deep and slow breaths is an effective and simple way to achieve the state of tranquility necessary to go to sleep. Deep breathing helps to eliminate muscle tension, slow the heart rate and lower the blood pressure. In addition, focusing on your breath helps to clear your mind and to focus it on the sensation of your body becoming more and more relaxed. A breathing relaxation technique involves assuming a comfortable position and taking a series of deep and slow breaths while having the eyes closed. In addition to relaxing the body, deep breathing relaxation methods mimic the breathing rhythms of deep sleep and therefore prepare your body and mind to rest and fall asleep.

3.    Autogenic Training

Autogenic training is a technique originally developed by the German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich, and has been shown to be clinically effective in reducing stress and treating sleep disorders. The technique is based on the findings that simple auto-suggestive messages (or statements) can influence our bodily perceptions and help us achieve deep relaxation.  Autogenic training involves a series of several standard exercises which are aimed to make the body feel relaxed, warm and heavy. Specifically, each exercise requires you to get into a simple posture, such as sitting in a comfortable chair, and to use several visual or verbal cues to relax specific parts of the body. You can learn each exercise by reading about it or by taking a course in autogenic training. The techniques are fairly straightforward, and after a few brief courses, you can learn to do them on your own.

4.    Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation, also often referred to as Jacobson’s or deep muscle relaxation, is a technique which involves systematically contracting and then relaxing groups of muscles all over the body. The technique is a two-step process: first you need to tense specific muscle groups in your body, such as your neck and shoulders. Then, you need to relax them and release the tension you applied, and take note of how your muscles feel when you relax them. By practicing deep muscle relaxation techniques, you can learn the difference in the feeling of tense muscle and completely relaxed muscles, and you will be able to recognize if your body gets tense throughout the day. These exercises can help lower the overall muscle tension in the body, help to fight stress and anxiety, and get better sleep. It is easy to learn progressive muscle relaxation techniques by attending a course, reading about it or by listening to an audio guide. Mastering the methods of progressive muscle relaxation will allow you to both monitor and control the state of muscle tension in your body and learn to achieve the state of deep relaxation.

5.    Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a technique which can help us to become more aware of how our bodies react to tensing and relaxing. Basically, it is a mind-body technique that uses our body’s signals to teach us to modify our own physiological states in order to improve our physical, mental and emotional health, as well as our quality of sleep. Traditionally, this method used electrodes placed on the body to take measurements of muscle tension, breathing, body temperature and pulse. Following these measurements and their changes, helps us to understand how they are influenced by muscle relaxation techniques or by particular thought patterns. Recently, a variety of gadgets has become available to help us track and measure these physical functions, and thereby to track our emotions, including stress and anxiety levels, throughout the day. Tracking our body’s signs of tensing and relaxing can help us learn to implement voluntary self-awareness strategies to help us ease the tension, calm our bodies and minds and become relaxed and at ease.

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Five Bad Habits That Could Be Wrecking Your Sleep

Never underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. In fact, poor sleep quality and sleep disorders are among the most common, yet most frequently overlooked and readily treatable health problems today. Recent research shows that poor quality of sleep and chronic sleep deprivation can lead to problems such as daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and weight loss or weight gain. Scientific research studies have demonstrated that in addition to negatively affecting our health, sleep deprivation also causes cognitive performance and memory impairments. The good news is: it is possible to reboot bad sleeping habits and get the good night’s sleep you need. Here are some sleep-disrupting habits to avoid if you would like maximize your sleep quality:

1.    Eating too close to bedtime

It is hard to resist the temptation of finishing that leftover pizza right before going to bed. However, eating too close to your bedtime will disrupt the quality of your sleep because it increases the risk of acid reflux and overloads your stomach during a period when it should be resting. In addition, the feeling of being bloated after a big meal can interfere with your ability to fall asleep. Experts suggest avoiding calorie-rich foods, such as ice cream or potato chips before going to bed, since they put a heavy workload on our digestive systems and can lead to weight gain. If you feel really hungry and need to eat something before going to sleep, try having a light but filling snack, such as a small fruit salad or a cup of fiber-rich cereal.

2.    Using technology at bedtime

Many of us have taken on the habit of casually browsing the newsfeeds of our social media accounts in bed before going to sleep. According to sleep researchers, this is a terrible habit and interferes with our ability to fall asleep. First of all, using technology devices before bedtime stimulates mental activity and promotes the state of wakefulness. In addition, artificial light sources, such as the screens of our phones, interfere with sleep by interrupting our body’s natural circadian rhythms by producing “blue” light. The circadian rhythm is the body’s 24 hour sleep/wake cycle, and interfering with it can result in health problems such as depression, obesity, cardiovascular disease and insomnia. Blue light suppresses melatonin, which is a hormone that is needed to promote sleep and regulate circadian rhythms. To break the bad habit of using your smartphone before going to sleep, don’t keep it near where you sleep. In addition, you can avoid other artificial light sources by turning off your television long before you get ready for sleep, and by facing the screen of your alarm clock away from you.

3.    Drinking alcohol close to bedtime

Think twice before pouring yourself that nightcap. While it’s true that having a drink before going to sleep will make you fall asleep faster, alcohol actually has detrimental effects on the quality of your sleep. According to a recent study by sleep scientists at the University of Melbourne, having just one drink before going to bed alters our sleeping brainwave patterns, disrupting our sleep and interfering with the restorative efforts of our brain cells. Consequently, the disruption of our brainwave patterns during sleep can lead to daytime drowsiness, headaches and irritability. Sleep scientists suggest avoiding all alcohol before going to sleep, and opting for herbal teas, such as chamomile instead. Herbal teas provide a calming and sedative effect before going to sleep without interfering with our sleep’s quality.

4.    Consuming caffeine-containing drinks or snacks close to bedtime

When considering your choice of late afternoon or evening beverages and snacks, keep in mind that caffeine-containing foods and drinks will interfere with your ability to fall asleep for many hours after consuming them. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine has demonstrated that caffeine consumed even as far in advance as six hours before bedtime disrupts the quality of sleep. It is also important to remember that caffeine is not only found in coffee, but is also contained in soft drinks such as soda, ice tea, and in certain foods, such as chocolate. Although caffeine does not affect everyone in the same way, with some people being more sensitive to it than others, researchers agree that it is a good idea to avoid all caffeine around dinnertime.

5.    Hitting the snooze button

Paradoxically, hitting the snooze button and trying to get those extra precious minutes of sleep will make you more tired during the day and will do you more harm than good. According to sleep researchers, we often make the mistake of thinking that those extra five minutes of sleep will give us an energy boost during the day. It turns out that the “snooze time” between the beeps of your alarm is not enough for your body to fall back into deep sleep, and will also confuse your brain about the meaning of the alarm sound, making it harder to get out of bed. As a result, the fragmented sleep will result in daytime drowsiness and fatigue. Sleep experts’ advice? Set your alarm exactly for the time you will need to get up.

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8 Brain Hacks That Can Make You Smarter

Brain Hacking, or the practice of taking the brain and its capacity to a higher level has nothing to do with arcane rituals, spiritual prowess or the institutions of higher learning. Basically it all comes down to exercising the most basic self control techniques that can allow you to unlock some impressive potential that exist in us all.

One way to look at this is “mind over matter”by changing the way your brain approaches its challenges it can be optimized for peak performance. Following is a collection of 8 such important techniques that can assist in improving brain processes and actually make you a smarter human being.

1. Nourish your brain

This is the most important thing you can do for your brain. Have you ever heard that your mind is a muscle? The first thing to address when increasing the strength of your muscles — or power of the mind — is to improve the nourishment you are providing for the required process.

Muscles need protein and carbs to operate at top performance; the brain needs those upgraded fatty acids, especially Omega 3’s to improve cognitive function. Make sure you are getting a good supply of these acids by increasing the quantities of healthy foods like almond butter, grass-fed beef and fish of all types. This is how you can provide your brain with the fuel for success.

2. Reset your Circadian Clock

No one is sleeping enough these days, it's all the artificial light and energy-induced beverages that allow us to goof around with our highly developed body clocks. But our circadian clocks — that internal mechanism that regulates sleeping patterns and such — can be reset by increasing the time you spend in the sun and cutting caffeine and sugar from your diet.

By realigning your natural clock to the Sun’s cycle you can enjoy a fresh start in the morning without the grog and then fall into a blissful sleep at the end of the day without the tossing and turning of an insomniac. There are even apps that can be downloaded for this purpose. Sleep Cycle will monitor your sleep cycles (of course) and help you figure out when you dose off in the cycle and get up. Information can be used to adjust your sleeping habits for better rest.

Remember to shut down TV's, bright lights and mobile devices at least an hour before falling to sleep.

3. Practice Awareness

An easy way to gain a level of cranial capacity for memory retention is to practice the ancient art of mindfulness. This is very simple and quite the opposite of the popular multi-tasking ability so many people are flaunting these days. Mindfulness is focusing all you attention and mental function on a single task at a time. This could be listening to your boyfriend describing a discussion with his boss and not running through your to-do list for the next day at the same time or even completing a flower arrangement with no other thought on you mind.

Taking the time to increase the focus you provide to an action, project or conversation is what makes the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary. You will feel it,your results will be imbued with it and your brain empowered as you do it more.

4. Do Yoga

When I was doing my stint of desk work I felt tired and unmotivated no matter how much I accomplished, or how many different diet plans I adopted. I would down coffee like a madman and I felt even more groggy as time went by.

Then I tried Yoga. This ancient routine of fitness and coordination of the mind and body through breathing and stretching exercises has a profound effect on the individual’s sense of time and awareness of the present moment. These exercises have a cumulative effect after performed consistently which can actually be beneficial to feelings of increased focus and feelings of wellness.

5. Learn to Speed Read

Knowledge is power and there is enough information at your fingertips today to make you a god among other gods and goddesses just like yourself. How can you consume all this high-quality brain food? Speed reading is the way to go. This technique is easy enough to learn and allows you to retain information being gleaned at high speeds. The more you practice the better the smallest details will adhere to your memory for application when needed. For the average person, speed reading is the best first step to better brain function.

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6. Rewire your emotions

Some of the smartest people I know can’t help but get in their own way. If it weren’t for this enormous amount of emotional baggage they insist on carrying around with them they’d have mental power to spare. Gaining control over where the mind goes when it is left in neutral for even a second is a good way to gain a grasp on the present moment and increase your mental effectiveness.

What better way to begin interfacing with the mind then the practice that has yielded some of the greatest scientific and philosophical concepts known to humanity. I’m speaking, friends, of meditation. This useful form of mind control — personal mind control, which is — can help to disconnect the negative associations with the past or future worries. Dumping excess baggage is like removing the training weights that held back a champion swimmer — you can fly!

7. Better a short pencil…

The cure for cancer, the solutions to faster-than-light travel and even world peace has all been lost for lack of a pencil, presumably. The problem is some of the best ideas are lost under the assumption “I’ll remember this when I get back.” But Star Wars, Microsoft and some of the greatest revolutions in the art world were perfected because George Lucas, Bill Gates and Pablo Picasso were so intent on catching every brainchild they birthed.And you should too.

8. Never stop being young...

What was the biggest difference between our mind as a bright and eager child and the dusty old muck we have now? Perspective! When we were children we looked at everything as if it were new. With time and monotony we tend to settle into comfortable ruts and they run deep sapping our creativity and killing our zest for life.

But they can’t call you an old dog if you’re still learning new tricks. So take up a hobby, study Russian, play or sing in a jazz or learn to appreciate classical music or foreign cuisines. Anything you can do to treat your brain to new sensations and experiences will exercise the brain and revitalize your cognitive functions over time. 

5 Signs You’re Stuck in a Rut

Ruts are the kind of thing that tends to just creep up on you without much warning. As it can take a while for a rut to set in, you may well not notice it happening until a few of the symptoms start to manifest. Generally, emotional discomfort is the biggest indicator that you've become stuck in a rut; I'm not talking about the occasional low mood – what you need to watch for is a consistent lack of mental energy and a tendency to view your life through a negative filter.

Most people who become stuck in a rut can't pinpoint exactly when or how it happened, which may be why it's hard to recognize. Several less-than-satisfying aspects of your life may have amalgamated, making the whole picture seem a little depressing. The thing is that even when you do recognize a rut, the rut can feel so familiar that it seems more comfortable to languish in it than to pull yourself out of it. How do you know when you're stuck in a rut?

1. Your mood is barely better than neutral

Where you once bounced out of bed looking forward to the day ahead, you now cringe at the alarm clock and always seem to need ‘just another hour.’ Naturally spritely moods based on a general appreciation of your life now seem glaringly absent. That's not to say that you're depressed, or even in a particularly bad mood each day. It's just that your days seem to have lost their sparkle somehow, and you're simply not ingratitude mode anymore.

It doesn't occur to you to count your blessings, probably because you have forgotten about them. You’ve got that ‘Groundhog Day’ feeling more or less every day, and not much about life excites you any more. As a result your mood rarely lifts above ‘neutral’. You’re stagnating, and it doesn’t feel good.

2. Your creativity went down the drain

You used to free-flow with ideas… synapses firing like fireworks, productivity high. Now you can barely be bothered to choose a new kind of tea for your kitchen cupboard. You may not notice this lack of creativity unless you're usually a particularly ‘right-brained’ type of person, or somebody whose job depends on creative output.

Creativity doesn't only apply to the realm of artistic talents. It also applies to problem-solving and general expression. When you're stuck in a rut, you tend to become somewhat apathetic, and apathy is a killer of creativity. You simply can't be bothered to think about cooking a delicious but elaborate meal, or about the best ways of doing things, never mind indulging your innate artistic expression. On the occasions when you do try to ‘gee yourself up’, you find no inspiration there anyway, like a variation of writer’s block.

3. The grass always seems greener

Everything else seems ‘better than this’ and you find yourself daydreaming about all kinds of other possibilities; in other words, a different life. But you rarely go further than the idle speculation phase. The next thing you know, you’ve been distracted by something and are back to feeling generally despondent. The course doesn’t get booked… the trip never happens.That's because you've become so familiar with your rut that it's like an old pair of slippers.

You may love the idea of disappearing off to the Bahamas to get away from this ‘boring life’ of yours, but you lack the will to do anything about it. You'll come up with any number of excuses for why you can't fulfill your daydream, but the truth is… you're stuck in a rut.

5. You’ve got no motivation

It would be easy to think that being stuck in a rut would in itself be motivation for change; it is indeed fuel for daydreams but tends to be accompanied by a lack of motivation. The next thing you know, inertia has set in. You’re turning down invites you’d to have jumped at a few months ago. Your zest for life and inspiration has gone and everything seems like a chore. You can't even be bothered to iron your work shirt or choose a nice outfit for that important meeting, and procrastination has become familiar.

You don’t feel good about this despondency, so as a result you become indecisive, trying to talk yourself into things you know you should be doing but can’t bring yourself to care about. You’re now living in a kind of limbo state in which you endlessly toy with the idea of doing things; things that never materialize because you can’t muster up the motivation or energy. So the question is…

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How are you going to get out of it?

They're usually comes a time when a rut becomes unbearable. The boredom gets too much and you miss the feeling of excitement and appreciation for life. ‘Groundhog Day’ becomes exasperating and you long for the creative spark to return. You can’t eat baked beans for one more day on the trot, you’re losing friends through lack of attention and you know you’re on a slippery slope toward depression if you don’t make some changes. If that’s where you are… what are you going to do?

Congratulations on your honesty: you’re officially in a rut. First, assess what’s leaving you cold about your life. Is it the lack of opportunity for promotion at work? Does your relationship simply not do it for you anymore? Have you let your hobbies fall by the wayside? It might be time to make some changes to your diet, or actually start using that expensive gym membership you’re coughing-up hard-earned funds for each month. If you’re genuinely tired, you might need a kick in the form of some kind of nootropic, or you might need to boost your metabolism with adaily morning walk in nature to reset the gratitude factor. Only you know what you need to do, and you’re the only one who can do it. Good luck! 

5 Reasons Your Weight Loss Efforts Are Not As Effective As They Could Be

Even if you are sticking to the best regimen for healthy eating and living, you may see that your weight is not dropping as you think “it ought to be”. While the benefits of healthy eating and living stretch far beyond a decreased body weight, this one aspect can be disheartening.

But it is no reason to quit, here are some of the most common reasons for weight loss frustration and some practical ways to address each one.

1.    Too Much Emphasis on the Scale

It’s common to feel that results aren’t happening fast enough. Or they aren’t coming as fast as when you first began your plan for better fitness. But you should remember that the scale is only measuring weight and this is nowhere near synonymous with overall progress, quite the opposite.

Weight can be affected by a number of circumstances, including undigested food and retained fluid levels. The fact is your body’s weight can change dramatically, even by as much as 4 pounds in a day. This depends on your typical eating and hydration habits.

Furthermore, women are also affected by the levels of estrogen and other hormones regulated during their monthly cycles. These can also affect your weight as they regulate how much of your fluids are retained.

Finally, if you are accompanying your weight loss goals with plenty of exercise, it is quite likely you are swapping body fat for muscle, which is considerably heavier. The takeaway here is that your weight can be a deceptive way to track progress and can distract you from your long term goals. So don’t place too much emphasis here.

Instead break out the tape measure and take monthly snapshots of yourself in the same pair of jeans you started out in, soon you will notice how loosely it fits.

2. Too Many or Too Few Calories

Calories must be carefully balanced in weight loss efforts. The ideal situation is to create a calorie deficit, meaning you will burn more calories than you are consuming. Typically, a decrease of 3500 cal. In a week was equivalent to a 1 pound loss. But things aren’t that simple, the calorie deficit must be done to the specific needs of the individual

It can be tricky to measure the exact amount of calories being consumed and it is quite possible that you are getting too many calories for your specific needs. Many healthy foods are also extra high in healthy energy and keeping an accurate account of your calorie intake will help you maximize your efforts.

On the other hand, many have found a 3500 cal. In a week to be a too much to drop in a week and left them famished without the energy to perform their exercise routines. Even worse, when the body feels threatened with starvation — because in a sense that it what‘s happening here— it will typically go into survival mode, dropping metabolic rates and greedily clinging to every ounce of energy reserves, or stored fat.

To get the best results from your diet and exercise program you will need to fine-tune your calorie intake, it is important to be burning off a good amount, but you also need enough food to fuel your routines, so aim for those happy mediums.

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3. Irregular Exercise Habits

During your weight you can expect to see some muscle mass and fat to be lost or gained depending on several factors.

If you don’t exercise, you can expect to lose some of that muscle mass, and because it weighs more than fat, some weight will go too. Inactivity also lowers the metabolic rate and weight from stored energy can increase too.

On the other hand, when you begin exercising you will also retain lean muscle mass and this will also raise the metabolic rate. The more you raise your lean mass levels and metabolic rate the easier it will be to lose weight and keep it lost.

By the same measure, you don’t want to overdo it. Too much exercise can be just as detrimental. Studies have shown that excessively ambitious exercise routines can be impossible to continue and can lead to feelings of frustration that thwart the most determined efforts.

You will want to make sure you begin with an actionable plan that doesn’t demand too much but also keeps you from falling to the effects of lethargy. Begin with routines that you can complete consistently for the foreseeable future to get the most from your weight loss goals.

4. Not Eating Enough Protein

Proteins will be an essential part of your weight loss success. This important nutrient can have a tremendous effect of your weight loss goals.

Proteins can make you feel more full, reduce cravings, increase metabolism and help to preserve vital muscle mass that can suffer during weight loss. According to one study on a group of participants on a diet of 30% calories from proteins, the final result was a reduction of calorie intake by 575 cal. Compared with a 15% calorie from protein diet.

This is another point where the exact ratios between personal requirements and precision protein intake will make all the difference in the world. If you have doubts, speak to a qualified nutritionist to see what would be the best choice for you.

5. Unrealistic Expectations

Without goals you will wandering about wondering if you are getting any closer to your ideal weight, so they are important to your overall success. However, it is essential that you keep goals that are easily attained.

According to extensive study in the fields of medicine, fitness and psychology, it is attainable goals that keep the individual challenged, inspired and progressing. Studies have shown that those who set the highest goals for themselves will be the first to drop out when they see they are only capable of a fraction of these results.

Set goals you can hit and hit consistently. Think baby steps, because we all got a crawl before we learn to fly. By setting a goal to something like a 10% weight loss in the first year you will understand what is required of you for that mere 10%.

By this time next year you will know exactly how to interface with yourself and make precise goals for yourself.

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In Conclusion

As you can see from many of these point, the feel for balance is the key to successful weight loss efforts. While the dynamics of weight loss are relatively simple to comprehend, all efforts must be tailored to your needs personally. This is where an intuitive approach and respect for the greater picture can bring you closer to your goals. 

4 Effective Ways to Motivate Yourself into Working out Regularly

Are you looking to take your fitness routines to the next level by making them a part of your regular life and schedule? Very often a casual exercise routine will spark the desire for regular sweating sessions. Nevertheless, desire alone can only take you so far on your journey to greater health and fitness. It can be a daunting task to make your fitness routine an important part of a regular schedule.

Conventional logic is only helpful to a certain point. But becoming the kind of person who skips out on lunch with the friends because it would mean sacrificing their weight training is not as simple as it sounds.

You will typically hear helpful trainers and even your own self-criticism telling you it’s all about willpower. Others say that after you have continued your training for a full 21 days; it is all downhill from there. Yeah right! Tell yourself that 24 days later when it’s freezing outside and every inch of your sore aching body is begging you to lie in bed, even just a few more minutes.

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Finding Motivation for Fitness Pursuits

The good news is that this problem has been investigated by the medical, psychological and even economical fields of research. Here are some of the strategies that the experts have been coming up with that can encourage the individual to stick to their habit despite reluctance:

1. Give Yourself a Real Treat

There are the Olympian heroes and pantheon of fitness gods whose only motivation is rippling pectorals, a sleek build, or even excellent health. But for the rest of us mere mortals, Charles Duhigg outlines another approach in his book “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business”.

According to Duhigg, tangible rewards and benefits will be far more effective motivators. Treating yourself to a double chocolate cake or episode of your favorite TV show can be a better motivator. Just be sure any tasty treats don’t offset your progress as an athlete.

The extrinsic reward is so effective because it give the mind a focal point on which to gain traction and add validity to the efforts and push them through to completion. The best way to do this, according to Charles Duhigg is by setting up a “habit loop”. A proper habit loop will begin with a cue to trigger the desired behavior (setting out your gym bag as a reminder), the action itself (complete weight training at the gym) and finally the reward (Game of Thrones! Yay!) The complete loop and commitment to it can make the routine a habit.

As more effort is added in a routine manner, the motivation moves from being extrinsic to a more intrinsic desire to complete the endorphin induced activity. Endorphins are those feel-good drugs released into the body during an especially active routine. Once you become “addicted to that rush” you won’t even need the reward at the end.

2. Sign a Commitment Contract

We spend a good portion of our lives making empty promises to ourselves. But according to research, we are far more likely to keep these promises if we make them to our friends or people whose esteem we highly value.

You can even take this idea a step further and make the deal a little interesting. What if you included a $20 payment for each time you skipped out on your commitment. It's a simple notion of paying an agreed upon price over a certain amount of time. Either the price will be paid in buckets of sweat and fruitful exertion or the equal amount of cold hard cash. This way you know you have a commitment whether paid to yourself in exertion, your friends in cash or in the chagrin of knowing you have failed yourself and your friends. What fun!

There are even sites that facilitate such arrangements. www.stickk.com is one such site, according to statistics held by the site’s administration, those who set down long term goals in longer contracts have been found to stick to their plans better and get more exercise in the end. It is important to get past the initial stage that can be especially uncomfortable to get to the part when long term goals are the objective. This takes the focus of momentary discomfort and onto greater rewards and dividends in the future.

3. Rethink Positive Thinking

Proponents of the “sunny side of the street” suggest there is great power in visualizing the rewards for your good/desirable behaviour. For example when you are sitting down tired at the end of your work day and considering just skipping this day's’ routine, consider how good you will if you head out anyway and get some late afternoon glow on your cheeks and the fresh smell of the leaves and grass in your lungs as you raise your heart rate. Even better, how awesome will you feel when you get back and enjoy that glorious after burn?

After you imagine the obstacle in your mind’s eye, you can invent whatever solution you need to counter it. The thing to remember is that when you use these “fantasies” to feel better and motivated you should always accompany them with realistic solutions to your situation.

For example, if you have identified your obstacle as being exhausted after the end of the day, you can’t simply imagine some extra energy, but you can make extra energy an option by moving your exercise routines to the morning or lunch hour as well as getting better nutrition or high quality sleep at night.

4. Get Paid

Finally, there is a trick that seems to work on everyone, getting paid. Money talks, and it can be a good reminder to begin pursuing these goals. Research into techniques like this have found them to be especially effective in keeping people motivated and increased the rate of completion considerably.

What? Get paid to work out? How? Those who lack billionaire dollar patronage can consider looking at the Pact app. This community of users literally pays each other to stay in shape and meet their goals. If you fail to meet your commitments you authorize the app to discount a penalty. Goals that you reached earn you a cash prize paid for by yourself and the pooled funds of others who failed to hit their goals.

In conclusion — No matter how you reach your goals, you will know you are there once the effort itself is your reward. Once you have made hitting your goals a part of your life you have gained a measure of self-control that will not be easily lost.