How to Improve Your Concentration?

 

Many people suffer from an inability to focus on a single task and follow it through to completion. Productivity increases if we concentrate well. If our concentration improves, our memory also improves.Often we forget names and it can be quite embarrassing. We increase chances of being successful in life, if we remember things well. We need to exercise our minds for good concentration. We need to make efforts to improve upon it.

What is Concentration?

Simply put, concentration is a person's ability to focus his thoughts in a particular direction for a considerable time without getting distracted by other things. Everyone has the ability to concentrate. Some people are quite good with concentrating. There are people though who find it quite difficult to focus their attention in one particular thing without their thoughts wandering. This can be quite frustrating. If you find difficulty concentrating, you need to practice and develop your concentration skills.

Your ability to concentrate may depend on a lot of factors. It can depend on your commitment to your work. It can also depend on your enthusiasm for a project, an assignment, or a work. If you don't know how to go about doing the job, you might be quite disinterested and end up losing your concentration. If you have problems and you are tired and stressed out, you'd have problems concentrating. If the place is not conducive to concentrating, you might not be able to concentrate on your work at all.

If you want to improve your concentration skills, here are some tips that you can follow:

• Strengthen concentration: Twice a day, practice holding a specific object in mind steadily for 5 to 10 minutes. The item should have some detail that you can imagine, but it should also be simple to "see" it in your mind. Some good examples: an apple, a pencil, the face of your child or pet, your house as it looks from the outside, and so on. Choose something you won't have trouble picturing, but something that requires you to focus in order to see it clearly. Call up a strong mental image of it, and then try to keep your focus on the object for a full 5 or 10 minutes without losing your focus.
  
• Empty your mind: Another focus-killer is a head full of scattered thoughts. You know those days when you've got a million things going on and you're trying to remember them all at once and you keep forgetting things anyway? Emptying your mind can do wonders for scattered thoughts! Before you do this exercise, first make a list of everything you can think of that you need to remember. This will help you feel more comfortable about releasing your scattered thoughts.
  
• Clarify Objectives: Know what your goal is clearly before you start. If you aren't sure what the end result is, the confusion will make it impossible to focus. Unclear objectives often result in having to redo sections of work.
  
• Visualize for practice: If you've got an important goal or task coming up and you're feeling unsure about your ability to do it, visualize it first! Many studies have been done on the power of visualization, and the general consensus is that performing tasks and activities mentally over and over again is equally as effective as performing them physically! That means that visualization can serve as a powerful practice session that helps you master anything including better time management!
  
• Do one thing at a time, set aside specific time period: It helps concentration if you just do one thing at a time giving it your complete undivided attention. Multitasking (doing many things simultaneously) will make you distracted and it is an ineffective way of doing things contrary to what many people believe. Do one thing at a time in order to develop concentration. If you are trying to think of giving presentation at office, or studying for your exam, for the next 30 minutes or so, just think of that alone. Focus your mind on the details of the job and how you plan to do it. Let not your attention wander to other things during this time.
  
• Use the "Two More" Motivation: When you feel your concentration begin to wane, tell yourself that you'll work for two more minutes or complete two more tasks. Once those are completed, settle on two more. When you break up a task into tiny sections, you'll find that you improve your concentration. It allows your mind to focus on smaller portions of tasks, thereby seemingly decreasing the amount of work that needs to be done. You can use Two More or Five More or Ten More or whatever works for you, but make sure that it's a number you can work with. If Ten More sounds daunting, go for five, and so on.
  
• Break task into smaller parts: Breaking a task into smaller parts will make it seem less daunting and help you approach it with more positivity. If you are trying to study a textbook for exam, then you can make a goal of finishing one chapter at a time.
  
• Do a thing wholeheartedly: If you approach something half-heartedly, it can show in the quality of the work. In order to do things better, do them with interest. Whatever you are doing, try to find some aspect of it that interests you. If you can find something interesting in each thing you do, you can enjoy even the most mundane and boring tasks.
  
• Check your diet: Research has shown that diets high in saturated fat and sugar help reduce your ability to concentrate. Monitoring your diet and reducing your intake of foods in these areas can certainly help to improve your concentration. In addition, keeping your body hydrated with plenty of water will help in this area as well. Your brain needs water to perform at an optimal level so give it what it needs and it will reward you with increased focus and concentration.
  
• Give Meditation a try: If you have never tried meditation before, perhaps now is the time. Many definitions of the word meditation include the words focus and concentration as the prime goal of this exercise. Taking time to yourself and clearing everything from your mind and working to focus on one specific thing can help bring a sense of relaxation to your body and help to de-stress yourself which will in turn allow your body to become more focused on whatever goals that you set for it.
  
• Reward yourself: Decide before starting your work how you would like to reward yourself when you finish. The reward can be anything that makes you happy and relaxed like having your favorite food, going out for a walk, meeting your best friend etc. It doesn't have to be something big, any activity that gives you pleasure and takes your mind off work for some time will do. This system of rewarding yourself will increase motivation for doing things.
  

Concentration is essential to be successful in one's career. An alert mind is an asset. We need to exercise our brain to improve upon our concentration. Both physical and mental alertness are essential for success in our ventures.

Nutrition for Healthy Eyes

We all know that if we intend to keep our body in good shape we have to do some form of physical exercise regularly as well as be careful with what we eat. If we only would eat junk food our bodies, and our health, would seriously suffer. What we tend to forget is that this goes for our eyes as well.

Every aspect of the human body relies on certain nutrients to function properly and maintain good health, and the eyes are no exception. Good Eye nutrition begins with understanding the vitamins that keep the health of our eyes. Vitamin A, C, and E are the primary contributors for healthy eyes. All three assist in the prevention of macular degeneration. Vitamin A prevents night blindness, while Vitamin C acts as the protector of eye health and Vitamin E has been associated with the prevention of cataracts and the delaying of cataract growth. The good news is that all of these wonderful vitamins can be found in food. The following are good sources of healthy vitamins for the eyes:

Carrots (gajar): Carrots contain a carotenoid called beta-carotene. Your body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A which is an antioxidant. Antioxidants such as vitamin A are essential to eye health.

Sweet Potato (shakarkand): Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin A which is essential for healthy eyes.

Salmon: It contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Spinach (palak): It is a real eye-protecting stuff. It has a rich source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. All these ingredients are very good for healthy eyes and eyesight.

Broccoli (hari phoolgobhi): Broccoli is rich in Vitamin C which is an important antioxidant for the treatment of cataract and macular degeneration.

Almonds (badam): They contain vitamin E, which helps slow the progress of age-related eye disease and helps prevent cataracts.

Yogurt (dahi): It contains zinc, which helps the body absorb antioxidants such as vitamin A.

Eggs: They contain vitamin A, which helps the retina function properly and lessens the risk of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

Garlic (lehsun) & onions: They are rich in sulphur, which is necessary for the production of glutathione, an important antioxidant for the lens of the eye.

Raspberries (rasbhari), Blueberries (falsa) and Grapes: They contain vitamin C, which reduces the risk of cataract formation.

Wine: It is known to have a cardio-protective effect, has many important nutrients, which protect vision, heart and blood flow. Needless to say, moderation is always important.

Flaxseed oil: It contains Omega 3 fatty acids are of high importance for healthy vision.

So if you are concerned about maintaining good eye health, think orange and green. By simply adding some color to your diet, you can greatly enhance your sight.

Diet for High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is the most common cardiovascular disease. Blood pressure refers to the force of blood pushing against artery walls as it courses through the body. Each time heart beats, it pumps out blood into the arteries. Blood pressure is highest when the heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest, between beats, the blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure.

Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms. Although a few people with early-stage high blood pressure may have dull headaches, dizzy spells or a few more nosebleeds than normal, these signs and symptoms typically don't occur until high blood pressure has reached an advanced - even life-threatening - stage.

Normal blood pressure is 120/80, where 120 is the systolic (maximum) blood pressure and 80 is the diastolic (minimum) blood pressure. When systolic blood pressure is above 140mm Hg or when diastolic blood pressure is above 90mm Hg, blood pressure is considered high. Hypertension may be caused by a variety of reasons such as: heredity, your genes, high salt in your diet, not being active, obesity, excessive alcohol intake and/or low potassium in your diet.

Hypertension is an all too common condition in today's hectic society. With many people being overweight, eating a poor diet, and experiencing high stress levels, blood pressure problems will likely remain a reality. Although some people are genetically predisposed to hypertension, there's plenty of evidence that a healthy life style and good nutrition can help during hypertension. Here are a few tips to get you started:

* Vegetarians, in general, have lower blood pressure levels and a lower incidence of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Experts postulate that a typical vegetarian's diet contains more potassium, complex carbohydrates, polyunsaturated fat, fiber, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin A, all of which may have a favorable influence on blood pressure.
* Eat plenty of fresh and frozen vegetables instead of canned vegetables. If canned vegetables are used, rinse them under running water for two to three minutes prior to cooking. Rinsing canned vegetables will decrease the sodium content by approximately 40 percent.
* A high-fiber diet has been shown to be effective in preventing and treating many forms of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension.
* Read the "Nutrition Facts" information on the label to find the sodium content of a packaged food. You will find the sodium content in milligrams for a single serving. The "% Daily Value" (sometimes shown as "% DV") for sodium is also given. The amount is based on 2,400 milligrams of sodium for the day.
* Choose low-sodium products. Read the label and look for words such as, "unsalted," "no-salt-added," "reduced sodium," "sodium-free" or "low in sodium."
* When eating out, taste your food before you add salt. Better yet, request that foods be prepared without added salt.
* Weight reduction will help lower blood pressure. To help decrease calories from fat, consume low-fat or fat-free products.
* Take a diet that is rich in high potassium foods (vegetables and fruits) and essential fatty acids. Daily intake of potassium should total 7 grams per day. The diet should be low in saturated fat, sugar and salt. In general, a whole food diet emphasizing vegetables and members of the garlic/onion family should be consumed.
* Consume adequate calcium by including low-fat dairy products in your diet three times per day.

Beneficial Vegetables and Spices for Hypertension

A number of common vegetables and spices have beneficial effects in controlling hypertension. Incorporate these into your cooking:

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Celery (ajmud): Oriental Medicine practitioners have long used celery for lowering high blood pressure. There are some experimental evidence that shows that celery is useful for this. In one animal study, laboratory animals injected with celery extract showed lowered blood pressure. Eating as few as four celery stalks a day was found to be beneficial in lowering blood pressure in human beings. However, celery does contain sodium and other compounds that can have negative effects when large amounts are ingested.
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Garlic (lahsun): Garlic is a wonder drug for heart. It has beneficial effects in all cardiovascular system including blood pressure. In a study, when people with high blood pressure were given one clove of garlic a day for 12 weeks, their diastolic blood pressure and cholesterol levels were significantly reduced. Eating quantities as small as one clove of garlic a day was found to have beneficial effects on managing hypertension. Use garlic in your cooking, salad, soup, pickles, etc. It is very versatile.
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Onion: Onions are useful in hypertension. Two to three tablespoons of onion essential oil a day was found to lower the systolic levels by an average of 25 points and the diastolic levels by 15 points in hypertension subjects. This should not be surprising because onion is a cousin of garlic.
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Tomato: Tomatoes are high in gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), a compound that can help bring down blood pressure.
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Broccoli (hari phoolgobhi): Glucoraphanin, also known as sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS), a naturally-occurring compound found in broccoli sprouts and broccoli, help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
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Carrot: Carrots are high in potassium, which can help prevent and control high blood pressure. They are also high in beta-carotene, which studies show can reduce the risk of heart disease leading to high blood pressure. Carrot juice helps to maintain normal blood pressure by regulating heart and kidney functions. A recommended dose is a 240 ml blend of one part celery juice, one part carrot juice and one part water, taken at least once a day.
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Saffron (kesar): Saffron contains a chemical called crocetin that lowers the blood pressure. You can use saffron in your cooking. (It is a very popular spice in Arabic cooking.) You can also make a tea with it. Many Indians add a pinch of saffron in the brewed tea to give a heavenly flavor. Unfortunately, it is very expensive.
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Assorted spices: Spices such as fennel (saunf), oregano (ajwain), black pepper (kali mirch) and basil (tulsi) have active ingredients that are beneficial in hypertension. Use them in your cooking.

The link between hypertension and diet is irrefutable. Generally speaking, making small changes to one's diet is one of the best ways of dealing with something as unspecified in origin as hypertension, and natural treatment of the condition addresses that which contributes to hypertension.

Teenage Troubles

Teen-time is a mixed bag, there are hundreds of new aspects of life and living which are to be discovered in this period. Teens are often energetic, thoughtful, and idealistic, with a deep interest in what's fair and right. It is a phase when physical and psychological modulations are underway at a very rapid pace. The biggest advantage of this phase is that at this time one can modulate the mind and body as one wants, because the growth is still on; but it also means that any errors or neglect can lead to a permanent damage.

Teenagers require a healthy, balanced diet in order to continue to grow. It should consist of all food groups as well as vitamins and minerals. They need a lot of nutrients to get them through all the schoolwork, dances, football games, hanging out with friends, heartbreak and everything else that is part of being a teenager. However, Teenagers have a reputation for bad eating habits. They go overboard with junk foods and fast foods, follow fad diets, skip meals, and don't get enough of the nutrient-rich foods that their growing bodies need. Such extreme eating habits aggravate acne, constipation, oily skin etc. So here are some tips to tackle regular teen problems:
Acne

The most common problem that a teenager faces is acne. This is because of fluctuating hormone levels and inherited genes. Certain foods may also aggravate acne. So what to do?

* Drink lots of water.
* Have karela as a vegetable (stuffed karela with sweet and sour filling is delicious).
* Avoid too much caffeine and sugary products.
* Avoid white flour products like bread, pizza etc.

Oily skin

Because of the hormonal shifts of adolescence, oily skin is common in teenagers. Also, in many cases the acid-base balance of the body tends to veer towards the acidic state resulting in oily skin. Can some thing be done? YES!

* Take a diet rich in proteins but restricted in sugar, fluids and salt.
* Take plenty of leafy green vegetables and fresh fruits.
* Drink plenty of quality water to keep the skin hydrated and to help your body flush out toxins.
* Reduce the amount of fat in your diet. Avoid fried and highly seasoned foods.
* Do not drink soft drinks or alcoholic beverages.
* Avoid sugar, chocolate, and junk food.

Dark circles under eyes

This is a problem which is basically genetic in nature but can also be caused because of dehydration or lack of sleep. In order to avoid it:

* Firstly, the person should detoxify oneself by eating a mix of amla, harar and behar herbs in warm water (also available as triphala).
* One day in a week, you should only have fruits, coconut water, raw vegetable juices and soups. This will also help in detoxifying the body.
* Be careful not to consume too much dietary salt.

Lethargy/sluggish disposition

Many teenagers, despite the young age, feel tired and lethargic most of the time. The reason is that they are eating foods which are too high in the glycemic index (the Glycemic index or GI is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels). As a result the insulin level in their bodies shoots which results in a very lethargic state. The best solution is to eat foods with low sugar index food like whole grain products, dals (pulses), paneer, chicken, fish and of course lots of vegetables and salads.
Constipation

Usually the girls are prone to constipation which results in a sallow skin, hair loss, and of course water retention. The best remedy is to have lot of water and fiber rich foods like whole wheat atta, prunes, apricots etc.
Indigestion/Acidity

It is a very common problem especially during exams because of stress. The best remedy for this is to drink white petha juice in the morning and also drinking lots of water the whole day to keep the body hydrated.

The world is a big place, full of opportunity and fun. And it's all there, waiting for you. But if you don't look after your mind and body, you won't get anywhere. Just remember that this is your growing age. The more you nurture your health now the better it will be for future. That's why eat well, take exercise and get plenty of rest.

Colors and Appetite

Ever notice how sad you feel when you walk into a dark room that doesn't have windows or bright colors, or how hungry you are when surrounded by red walls or red dishes? That's the psychology of color.

Color plays a vitally important role in the world in which we live. Color can sway thinking, change actions, and cause reactions. It can irritate or soothe your eyes, raise your blood pressure or suppress your appetite. Certain shades, tones & colors affect our moods and emotions. Some colors suppress our appetite (which makes them good for people who are counting calories), while other colors increase our breathing and heart rate.

Color and the appeal of foods are also closely related. There have been a number of studies performed on how the perception of taste is effected by color. The studies conclude that people learn and become familiar with specific combinations of colors and tastes. These learned associations may alter our perceptions and create expectations about how a food should smell and taste. The sight of food fires neurons in the hypothalamus. Thus making us convinced before a food is even tried.

So which colors can stimulate (or suppress) the appetite? Here is a list of colors and their effect:

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Red: Red is a very emotionally intense and energetic color. It increases respiration rate and raises blood pressure, while also stimulating appetite. Because of its appetite stimulating effect, it is often used in restaurants and is an excellent choice for dining rooms in the home.
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Orange: Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is a warm, welcoming color that makes people feel comfortable. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite.
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Blue: Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. Because blue is rarely found as a natural color, it's often used as an appetite suppressant. Therefore, avoid using blue when promoting food and cooking. Experts recommend putting a blue light in your fridge when you are dieting, as this will put you off eating. You can also try using blue plates, blue placemats, and a blue dining area.
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Yellow: Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. Yellow is also appetite stimulating, because it relates to happiness.
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Green: Green is associated with nature, health and abundance, and is often used to show a product's safety. Because of its connection to nature, Green is considered a calming and relaxing color. Green foods are interpreted to be healthy.
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Grey: It muffles appetite and even causes disgust for meal! Grey color does not cause irritation, but thus it calms and muffles anxiety, and together with it and appetite.
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Turquoise: It stimulates appetite. Orange and turquoise shades, and also their combinations concern to "tasty" colors. If you even will hang up a picture of these colors on kitchen and will look at it during meal you quickly will get rid of excessive leanness.

Green, brown, and red are the most popular food colors. Red and yellow are often used in restaurant decorating schemes because they are appetite stimulant. In order to lose weight, you should eat your food on a black or dark plate. These dark colors subconsciously diminish your appetite. Furthermore, dinner should be eaten on the dark plates but breakfast should be eaten on bright plates.