How the meaning you give to your words can make you sick

The meaning you give to the words, events and experiences unfolding in your life will decide whether you will feel miserable and defeated or stronger and more confident than ever, after anything and everything you encounter in life.

And that event can be related to your weight, a cold or flu, stress, anxiety or anything else.

What we tell ourselves and what we tell those around us will influence the outcomes of that particular experience you are going through right now.

Whether we talk about stress, depression, illness, job loss, overweight, all consequences come as a results of our interpretation of the world around us.

In terms of illness “Science has proven, beyond doubt, that the content of our thoughts and emotions directly and immediately influence our biochemistry” Kelly Howell (Sound Healer, Meditation Guide, Consciousness Researcher)

This does not mean that if you are ill you can suddenly come off your medication, but you can use this knowledge in parallel to it.

The meaning you give to the words you speak

I’ve experienced cold and flues many times, like everyone else. A cold is a cold, although I think I never actually had a flu.

And we generally see the common cold as coughing, sneezing, runny nose, lethargy, feeling lifeless and miserable.

But how I see (or interpret) the common cold as opposed to how many others see it makes the difference between how I feel and how most other people feel.

~ when I catch a cold I feel energetic, while they feel lifeless.

~ when I go running in shorts in the middle of winter they sit in the kitchen thinking about how bad they feel.

~ while I am more enthusiastic, and stronger at all levels they lie on the couch with pills and tea in front of them thinking “I feel like crap (pardon my French – no offence French people, this is just how the saying goes)

So, in the rare occasions I catch a cold, I feel more energetic, more enthusiastic, more confident and literally stronger than many other times when I am under the common cold, while you probably feel lifeless, lethargic and miserable.

And I will give you MY SECRET,

the ONE thing I do to feel awesome even when I’m ill

In high school I was sick and tired of telling everyone I caught a cold (or it caught me!) all the time. It made me feel worse actually.

The mere mentioning of the sentence “I caught a cold” made my mind associate it with being sick.

So one day I began doing something different. And since then I never changed it. I began telling everyone this:

“You are WRONG, I am not sick, I did not catch a cold.

I am creating anti-bodies…”

And I kept telling this to literally everyone who asked me if I was sick or who didn’t ask for that matter. And the more I repeated this the stronger my belief was that that’s what was actually happening.

Everyone was surprised to witness how well I was training (as part of Romania’s National Karate Shotokan Squad), how focused I was in class, how much energy and vitality I had.

To be honest I was amazed as well.

So for me now the

COMMON COLD = ANTIBODIES PRODUCTION PROCESS

The meaning of “Stress”

Based on the same principles. We learnt and now associate the word stress with bad things (weight gain, depression, anxiety, lack of productivity etc all the bad stuff).

So when we tell ourselves “I am stressed”, your body immediately reacts to bring forth those results.

If we were to replace the word “stress” with the word “apple” (I know it’s stupid but bear with me).

So if apple was not a fruit but its definition would be that of ” a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.” (the definition of stress) then every time we would use the word apple we would automatically go into that state of emotional tension.

The meaning you give to the words you use will determine how you feel

mentally, physically, emotionally and socially, whatever those words may be.

Again I associate stress with success, and so every time I am under “stress” or stressed I work harder and I am more focused. And that’s how it works for me.

And how I did that is simply telling everyone that stress makes me better at what I do. While they were telling me the opposite in their case.

The same principles can be applied to weight loss and many other events and experiences you go through over the course of your life.

This is where I come into play. I help women overcomes stress and depression through The Merisoiu Technique, enabling them to push boundaries for their physical, mental and spiritual development.

So if you are looking for guidance with something that’s going on in your life right now and you can’t shift it alone, book a free call with me and I will give you the tools you need. Yes! I give you stuff for free on the free call.

January 7, 2015May 17, 2015

16 benefits of practicing deep breathing

1. Improves your cardiovascular system. Your heart is a muscle and, like any other muscle in your body, it can be developed through practice.

2. Removes stale air from your lungs.

3. Helps you heal faster by directing the breathe into areas of the body where there are injuries and illnesses.

4. Reduces your cardiovascular warm up at the start of your workout.

5. Reducing your recovery period after a workout.

6. Helps detoxify your body.

7. Helps you let go of tension in your body when you are tense, angry, scared or stressed, when your body constricts.

8. Relaxes the mind and brings clarity, focus, allows room for more creativity and productivity.

9. Relieves emotional struggles, calms you down in moments of panic and anxiety.

10. Strengthens the immune system. Oxygen travels through your bloodstream enriching your body to metabolise nutrients and vitamins.

11. Encourages good posture. When you slouch notice how your body closes up and your breathing becomes shallow. Then you take a deep breath, your chest comes out and your body naturally straightens.

12. Strengthens the lungs, they become healthy and powerful, a good tool to prevent respiratory problems.

13. Assists in weight control. More oxygen to your tissues burns up the excess fat more efficiently.

14. Boosts energy levels and improves stamina.

15. Improves cellular regeneration.

16. For runners, it helps you run faster, stronger and for longer

Here are 2 breathing exercises to get you started

Step 1. Make sure you breathe correctly, that means when you breathe in you make your stomach big, when you breathe out you pull your stomach in.

Step 2. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth

Step 3. The exercise. Let’s take 4 seconds as count for breathing in, out and holds. You can adjust them to fit your level:

Linear breathing technique

I use this as a warm up for the others.

– BREATHE IN through your nose on a count of 4
– BREATHE OUT through your nose on a count of 4.
– Repeat

Triangle breathing technique

Imagine an equilateral triangle. It has 3 equal sides

– BREATHE IN through your nose on a count of 4.
– HOLD on a count of 4.
– BREATHE OUT through your nose on a count of 4.
– No hold after this one. Repeat

Adjust the in breathe, out breathe and holds according to your level.

More advances breathing techniques are square, rectangle, therapeutic breathing.

If you’d like to learn more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body” or book a free consultation with me.

January 2, 2015May 17, 2015

10 awesome things about training outdoors

1. It’s the best way to warm up when you’re cold. You will walk around in a t-shirt while others have coats.

2. When you’re bored of one place you have the option to move in a totally different place 2km away

3. Research shows that people who spend more time outdoor are happier.

4. There’s no one standing in your way. There’s more room to do more things.

5. Raises your vitamin D level

6. Harvard Health Publications say that it improves concentration

7. May help you heal faster

8. Researchers found a link between connecting with the Earth and Mental Health – depression, anxiety, emotional stress, panic, fear, headaches, cardiac palpitations, and dizziness

9. It is never boring

10. There is loads of clean, fresh air and no or few viruses to come in contact with

If you’d like to learn more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body” orbook a free consultation with me.

December 12, 2014March 13, 2015

What does Earthing have to do with Mental Health

What does Earthing have to do with mental health?

Earlier this year I went through more than 14 research papers and studies on Earthing. I have seen a shift in my wellbeing over the years.

From good to bad and good again. I was not aware however why that happened and exclusively blamed it on sport performance, nutrition, sleep deprivation or simply growing up.

What is Earthing?

Earthing (grounding or Electron Transfer Technology) is defined as placing one’s skin on the ground (especially when humid or wet), whether it be dirt, grass, sand, or concrete.

Earthing can be done in direct skin contact to earth or through patches attached to the human feet and/or palms of hands and an earthing cord leading to the outdoors to a rod driven into the earth.

There are different technologies which try to imitate the effects of Earthing. Nikken for example is a Japanese company which created insoles, mattresses, pendants and more which mimic de electromagnetic field of the Earth to help healing and better functioning of the body as a whole. It is however better to send as much time outdoor barefoot.

Earthing and health and well-being

Many research papers ask us to allow for the possibility that human beings have been and always will be connected to the Earth and any attempt to change this universal law may disturb the natural and healthy processes in the human body.

Until a few generations ago, most humans walked and slept in direct contact with the surface of the Earth. Our modern lifestyle involves wearing insulating shoes and sleeping in buildings that electrically isolate the body from the ground plane.

Furthermore, although the internet and mobile phones are a blessing to many of us, all the waves and frequencies go through and around us and so disconnect us from the Earth’s electromagnetic field.

The science of Earthing

Emerging scientific research has revealed a surprisingly positive and overlooked environmental factor on health: direct physical contact with the vast supply of electrons on the surface of the Earth.

In our fight to achieve a more comfortable lifestyle we have separated ourselves from such contact or connection. The research suggests that this disconnect may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and general unwellness.

Reconnection with the Earth’s electrons has been proved to promote intriguing physiological changes and subjective reports of well-being.

Earthing (or grounding) refers to the discovery of benefits—including better sleep and reduced pain—from walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the Earth’s electrons from the ground into the body.

While some people intuitively sense that they feel better when they walk or even sleep directly on the earth (as on a camping trip), most of the population is more or less permanently isolated from the earth’s electrical influences.

Living in direct contact with the earth grounds the body, inducing favorable physiological and electrophysiological changes that promote optimum health.

Earthing and stress, anxiety or depression

Earthing is the oldest and most basic form of natural bioelectric potential that supports physiological and electrophysiological changes in the body.

The many unpredictable sociological, economic, and political events of the 21st century have increased the stress of modern living as compared to earlier and simpler times.

Since the ANS (autonomic nervous system) is linked to the stress response, previous investigations have demonstrated that grounded subjects experience a reduction in stress and a normalization of the ANS.

When one grounds to the electron-enriched earth, an improved balance of the sympathetic (flight-or-fight response, which can lead to hypertension and cardiovascular disease) and parasympathetic nervous system occurs.

In patients who experience anxiety, emotional stress, panic, fear, and/or symptoms of autonomic dystonia, including headaches, cardiac palpitations, and dizziness, grounding could be a very realistic therapy. These patients may see positive effects most likely within 20 to 30 minutes and in almost all cases in 40 minutes.

Negative emotions such as panic, depression, anxiety, and hostility have all demonstrated reduced HRV (Heart Rate Variability).

Grounding has the potential to help support Heart Rate Variability, reduce excessive sympathetic overdrive, balance the ANS, and, thus, attenuate the stress response.

This is very important especially because an association between depression and increased risk of cardiovascular events has been repeatedly observed in both the healthy population and patients with established cardiovascular disease.

WARNING: It is important to follow your doctor’s instructions. You may use earthing in addition to your planned medical care but do not replace it.

My (personal) Earthing story

As a child my parents would send me in the country side to spend up to 3 months of summer holiday with my grandparents.

I used to spend those 3 months barefoot, day and night really. Through rivers and lakes, up on hills and through forests. Looking in retrospective, I was the happiest child, I was free from the city, I was wild.

With time I developed symptoms of depression, panic attacks and anxiety. I was a stressed out child form a very early age. Being outdoor kept my mental health stable, but who knew that then?

Growing up I stopped spending time at my grandparents’ and lived my days in school or university and in a busy city. Much like London just smaller but packed.

My depression, panic attacks and anxiety became more difficult to control and this lead to years of struggle for my parents who spent a lot of money to help me grow up … in a normal way. The pressure was especially on my mother’s shoulders.

Long story short, about 3 years ago (when my mental health was quite worrying), in a moment of clarity, I began connecting with the outdoors, to re-connect I should say. I don’t know how I made that decision but it happened.

And thus a new journey began. A journey of discovering another self, of understanding the cause of my mental and physical unbalances. At least from one point of view

Now, after going through this research, things start to make sense. At least I discovered one of the causes of my unbalanced health

This may not be the only cause but it is the only big thing that changed throughout my life, looking in retrospective.

Nowadays I start at least 5 days out of 7 outdoor and many times barefoot. Sometimes with my clients, other times with myself.

WARNING: It is important to follow your doctor’s instructions. You may use earthing in addition to your planned medical care but do not replace it.

Would you like to know more about what I do? Please book a 30 min free consultation and let’s just talk.

December 2, 2014March 13, 2015

How to let go of stress instantly

As women we wear multiple hats. We take upon us many responsibilities and a lot of stress. That builds up and before you know it, gets out of control. This in turn leads to anxiety, more stress and even depression.

It is important to learn simple and fast ways you can do instantly to relieve the stress, center yourself and regain focus. And here are 3 of them that I use most:

1. Focus on your Heart

Close your eyes, focus on your heart and breath 3 times (deeper than you normally would). Do this now…

Breathing straight into your heart helps you center, find quietness and inner peace. This is particularly important when you feel angry and you want to respond to the situation without regretting it later. This will help you respond rather than just react, throwing out whatever comes to you.

Photo Credit: martinak15 via Compfight cc

2. Relax your Muscles

Close your eyes and feel how your tensed muscles on your face, shoulders, back and arms just relax and drop. A deep breath or sigh can help with this.

Many times we hold our stress and frustration in our bodies. Actually most of the time and especially around the shoulders. When we close the outside world by closing our eyes, we allow ourselves to internalize the feeling, and just let go of the physical tension and with it goes the mental tension.

3. Fake the Smile

There has been scientific research done to prove that even a fake smile has the power to change your mood. Your brain does not make the difference between a fake and a real smile and it reacts the same, releasing hormones in the body which make you feel happier. Try this now…fake a smile.

All these elements are essential parts in my 6 step Outdoor Health and Wellness Program when I work with stressed out women to leave them feeling energized and transformed in as little as 12 weeks.

Please leave your feedback below, I would love to hear how all this has made a difference in how you feel while reading this.

If you’d like to know more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body”

July 2, 2014December 24, 2014

Stress, anxiety and depression

Stress, anxiety and depression

We tend to try and solve our health and energy drawbacks by changing our
external environment. We try and take pills, supplements in the form of shakes,
energy drinks or vitamins.

Yet, if we were to look within us we would notice that probably the #1 cause
for anxiety, irritable or low self esteem, depression or loss of temper is stress.

NHS UK associates stress with: muscle tension, headaches, muscle pain and dizziness.

Stress can also cause a surge of hormones in your body. These stress hormones
are released to enable you to deal with pressures or threats – the so-called “fight or flight”
response, according to NHS UK.

If you’re constantly under stress, these hormones will remain in your body, leading to the symptoms of stress.

In the end stress is one of the weight gain triggers, or excessive, worrying weight loss
and is detrimental to our long-term health.

I think I made my point that stress is not good – I think we all know that – and, in time,
can lead to serious illnesses and addiction such as drinking, smoking, eating sugar to be able to cope with it.

What triggers the Stress?

Anything really and, as we are all different, the triggers are different as well.
However there are a few common stress triggers:

1. money problems
2. relationships
3. work – job you hate
4. time constraints
5. holiday pressures
6. overload – taking on too many tasks
7. not enough quality time for yourself with yourself
8. striving for perfection
9. lack of passion
10. disorganized clutter – messy home, messy desk, overflowing inbox just adds to the pile

So what can you do about it?

I read quite a bit about keeping a diary and make notes of stressful episodes for 2-4 weeks.

This will help detect what causes stress in your life.

You should write down information such as:

1. the date, time and place of a stressful episode
2. what you were doing
3. who you were with
4. how you felt emotionally
5. what you were thinking
6. what you started doing
7. how you felt physically
8. a stress rating (0-10 where 10 is the most stressed you could ever feel)

I used to be a very impatient child and now I am an impatient adult, of course.
I used to be very stressed and depressed since I was, maybe, 7-8 years old.

So I created my own stress coping mechanisms.

While the diary is a really good advice which you should definitely try I will give you
some of my own techniques I use to get rid of stress without drinking, smoking or overeating.

1. Breath, breathe and breathe some more.

Breathing exercises release muscle tension .
If you do them constantly you will feel great improvement on your stress levels,
patience and coping mechanisms.

Here is a basic breathing technique: Rectangular deep abdominal breathing.

1. In breathe & Out breathe the same length.

2. Then the holds are longer after the in breath and the out breath. i.e. 5 seconds in
breath, hold 10 seconds, out breath 5 seconds, hold 10 seconds.

3. If you want, make the rectangle as long as is needed to take your lungs, diaphragm,
and heart to the gym.

4. Make sure you are not doing it in a dusty, dirty or polluted location. So NOT in the
warehouse/storerooms, trains, busy roads. Not at work as you have lots of perfume
sprays/chemicals and air conditioning all around you.

5. You can do it before you go to bed or while you are in bed but after you leave
the window open for a while.

6. Breath through your nose, if needed breath out through your mouth

Even writing this article I find myself closing my eyes from time to time,
and take a deep breath to help me focus on the task.

This takes us to the next technique

2. Close your eyes and pay attention to just 1 inhalation 1 exhalation.

This is such a powerful and calming exercise which takes only 3 seconds.

Close your eyes and pay attention

3. Stretching.

We tend to “store” stress primarily in our abdomen and shoulders but
also in muscles throughout our body.

Mix stretching with breathing and closed eyes and stress and anxiety will
melt away.

4. None of these working? Take a nap.

Surprised?

My mother used to say that out of 4 hours of studying while exhausted, if I slept
(or just lay down with my eyes closed) for 30 min, I would be twice more productive
in the time left than if I just pushed through.

To this day I prove this to myself over and over again. And when I refuse to listen to
my body I prove that my mother was right all the time.

Arianna Huffington mentions sleep in her speech “The Third Metric” as well. It’s good
to listen to the whole speech.

Sleeping is not a waste of time. Take a 10 min, 20 min, or 1 hour nap, you may feel
tired right after it but in 5 min your mind will be fully energized.

If I have 2 hours time for a nap I am in paradise.

Follow your passion

5. Follow your passion

Many wise people talk about this and, as I found mine in the health and fitness
industry, I understand how powerful and life changing this is.

Sure, it can be really, really difficult, but it’s what you love to do and you will
never feel like you are working one day for the rest of your life.

Don’t let your passion orbit around your life, rather embrace it and build your future with it.

Meditation

6. Deep meditation

I used to do this as a child as part of Karate Shotokan classes every single day
without knowing what or why I was doing it.

Now a lot of people talk about it. It is not viewed as a religious practice or only
reserved for certain people.

There are many free meditation programs online. I personally use Mindvalley classes and courses.
They give a lot of quality classes for free and if you want more they have really good deals.
There are also great, inspiring people in the team.

Other things to try:

1. practice your favorite sport
2. try something new
3. eat real, nutritious foods
4. nutritious food
5. just be nice to yourself once in a while

I don’t want to make this article too long and boring. These are just a
few techniques you can start using and see if any of them work for you.

You just need to find your way.

So what action will you take when you lack energy, you start gaining
weight or frustrated? Will you reach for the pills or address the way you live your life?

Source: this article was written by Alexandra Merisoiu and syndicated from www.moosin.net