Living the stressful life we all live it is inevitable to hit a wall at one point and realize things need to change. Unfortunately, not all of us can sell our Ferraris (The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari) and hit the Tibet mountains, soul-searching our way into the better, brighter and more fulfilling future. Still, that doesn’t mean we won’t give the best of ourselves to change the present as we know it. Obsessed with work, recognition and in a constant chase for acclaim and improvement, we often forget to take a step back and take a look into ourselves, nurture our souls and feed our spirit. Good life is the little things – a smile of the person you love, your favorite TV show, a hug, a talk and a glass of wine with your significant other, waking up to someone’s smile, your kid’s first drawing… but, in order to notice all the good things and recognize them as treasure, you first need to be in peace with yourself. Going back to yourself is not a short, neither an easy journey. After all, it took you so and so to become distant to the spiritual person you used to be. So, now – you’ll have to build yourself up again. But once you are there, at the point where you actually do appreciate life for everything that it is – you’ll know you’ve found peace. Here are some of the ways to help you get there. Remember, no rushing – it’s a process. Accept who you are Often, we live our personal projections of who we think we are without even realizing it. We tend to create an idea of who we believe we should be and completely neglect who we are indeed. If you gave your real self a chance, you’d be surprised to find a completely new person underneath all the society-imposed shoulds and shouldn’ts. The key to being happy is truly knowing yourself. Don’t apologize for who you are Even though we were all raised to believe a certain personality type is right and the other one wrong, the truth is – every single person is an individual and there is no person with the same qualities anywhere else in the world. Cherish your uniqueness and love it. Don’t ever apologize for everything that you are. If anything – celebrate it! Believe in yourself No matter how tacky this may sound but believing you are capable of achieving things is one of the first steps to happiness. Yes, it is amazing if you’ve got the support of your loved ones but the first and ultimate support you need to achieve greatness is the one you give yourself. Believe you can attain it, and you will. Meditate This ancient technique of achieving inner balance has for a reason endured for so long. Meditation will help you take a step back from yourself and see the problem in its real light, as objectively as possible. It will help you get a whole new perspective on things that seemed difficult and hard. Meditating for a few days a week in your yard or at the local park will do wonders for your mind. Find a few minutes at the start of your day to collect your thoughts, appreciate life and organize your day calm and stress-free. Every day can be like going to a spiritual retreat, if you make it so. Care for others
Self-centeredness is the quality of the vain, shallow and unhappy. Let yourself think of others for a change. Treat them like you would want to be treated, in every aspect of life. Remember how much your best friend wanted that book? Buy it for him and enjoy the joy you’ve given him. You know how your mum always complains about you never making it for Sunday lunch? Make it. In giving, we are finding happiness. Reward yourself Remember when you were a kid and you were only allowed to get a candy if the homework was done? Well, grownups are no different than kids. Our brains are wired on the principle of action and reward. So, set goals for yourself, achieve them and reward yourself. It will feel amazing! Or, if you’ve been overall satisfied with your recent actions, business achievements, or anything else – reward yourself in a way you know you’ll enjoy. Author BIO: Sophia Smith is a freelance writer from Brisbane, Australia with huge interest in fashion, beauty, graphic design and well-being. She could be described as beauty addict and life lover. She writes in mostly beauty related topics, mainly through blogs and articles. Sophia is regular contributor at High Style Life on topics related to beauty and lifestyle. Find her on: Google +
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New initiative uncovers misconceptions about the healthiness of pre-ordered food Australia’s top nutritionist says consumers have been left in the dark with the lack of nutritional information available for takeaway. With our busy lifestyles leaving us little time to analyse our food choices, is it any wonder we’re unsure as to whether or not we’re eating healthily when ordering in? Dr Joanna, internationally known for her wholefood, low GI approach to eating and developed the Dr Joanna Plate – a healthy guide to meals that has helped thousands of Australians – says, “It is compulsory for restaurants with more than 20 outlets to release nutritional analyses of their menus to the public, and much of our packaged food comes with nutritional analyses. When it comes to ordering in from small restaurants, however, there is nothing available to us.” To help solve the challenge in takeaway, Menulog has launched Healthy+ on its web platform to help Aussies choose the healthier options on takeaway menus. Guidelines developed by Dr Joanna and Menulog specifically for takeaway have been used to analyse the dishes, initially, of 18 restaurants across Australia. Surprisingly, 40 per cent of dishes normally perceived as unhealthy have made it into the program. Major food misconceptions uncovered Dr Joanna explains why: “The initial rollout of Healthy+ across restaurants has uncovered some surprising results, and will demystify many misconceptions Australians have about takeaway. The eight cuisines that have so far made the Healthy+ program among participating restaurants are Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, African, Modern Australian, Italian, Japanese and Thai. “Factors that have made particular dishes on menus stand out have been healthy cooking methods, inclusion of lean meats or seafood, plenty of vegetables or good oils. The abundant use of antioxidant-rich herbs and spices are also major brownie points for many cuisines,” Dr Joanna says. Dr Joanna says the guidelines are important, as a recent survey by Menulog found that takeaway is here to stay, with 47 per cent of Aussies likely to cook from home at least three times a week, but 55 per cent feel that ordering in has been more affordable. The research also showed 72 per cent of us like to order in at least once a week. Dr Joanna’s top 8 healthy dishes around Australia that people may perceive as unhealthy: Of the 133 dishes that have so far been certified as Healthy+, 55 that could normally be perceived as unhealthy by Aussies have made the cut. Menulog lists 8 of these dishes from around the country – Dr Joanna says to simply team the mains with a green salad or steamed veggies for a winning meal. Her thoughts on the following dishes may surprise you. Garlic prawns – Red Rock Noodle, Brisbane“Prawns are often thought to be high in cholesterol, dietary cholesterol has very little influence on blood cholesterol levels: if you eat more cholesterol your liver simply makes less. Prawns are in fact a terrific protein-rich food that provides anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, several nutrients including the antioxidant mineral selenium and iron. In Red Rock Noodle’s recipe, they are teamed with egg noodles, which tend to have a lower GI than rice, and plenty of veggies. Overall it’s one of the lowest kilojoule dishes on the menu with only 1705kJ per regular serve, is high in protein, and low in fat, while meeting the targets for both sugar and salt.” ![]() Pad Thai – Oriental Healthy, Sydney“Noodles tend to have a lower GI than most white rice, so combined with the protein-rich meat, prawns and eggs, all fried in my favourite oil, extra virgin olive oil, this dish is a Healthy+ winner.” Beef and black bean sauce – Red Rock Noodle, Brisbane“This dish contains lean beef so that the saturated fat content is only 1.2g per serve, plenty of veggies and with just under 2000kJ per serve it's a good choice. Black bean sauce is made from fermented black beans which have terrific benefits for the gut,” Dr Joanna says. Beef Masala – Saffron Indian, PerthLean ingredients and the cooking method are key to this dish. “This Beef Masala is slow-cooked on the stove, and it’s fairly lean with little oil used and no cream added, as with some curries. Onions are the base of the sauce and these contain a number of sulphur antioxidants that have particular benefits in protecting us from cancer,” Dr Joanna says. ![]() Rogan Josh from Indimex, Greenslopes, Brisbane“This dish makes the cut as it uses lean meat or seafood, delivering plenty of protein, has added veggies and the spices are antioxidant rich. They also use mustard oil, a high monounsaturated fat, instead of the more usual ghee, boosting the health profile of the dish.” ![]() Lamb Kofta – Dine In, Melbourne Fried meat? “This dish made the cut as the kofta are pan fried, not deep fried, and in extra virgin olive oil. It's a myth that you can't cook with this. The yoghurt based sauce accompaniment adds protein and calcium to the meal,” Dr Joanna says. ![]() Penne pasta dishes (Napoli and Pollo) – Pasta Fiesta, Perth.Pasta as an unhealthy choice is a common misconception. “Pasta is low GI and much higher in protein than rice, so provided you watch your portion size it's actually a great choice. These dishes are also tomato-based, use extra virgin olive oil with their antioxidants and also boost the uptake of lycopene from the tomatoes. ![]() Thai Fish Cakes – Oriental Healthy, Sydney “These fish cakes are an aromatic mix of minced fish with spices and although fried, the restaurant uses canola oil - an oil that is primarily healthy monounsaturated fats.” Menulog.com.au is Australia’s number one for online and mobile takeaway. With more than 5500 participating restaurants offering more than 130 different cuisines and over 16,000 special offers at any given time, Menulog also offers Australia’s most comprehensive range of meal options on a single platform. About Dr Joanna McMillan Dr Joanna is one of the best-known nutrition and wellbeing experts in Australia and director of Dr Joanna and Get Lean. She has authored a number of books including the internationally published The Low GI Diet, The Low GI Diet Cookbook (Hachette Livre) and Star Foods. In 2010 she won Best Health, Nutrition or Diet Related Book at the Food Media Awards for Inner Health Outer Beauty. |
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