Drink Water & Mind Your Business

As silly as this mantra may be, it is something I practice on the daily. Don’t understand the importance of this phrase? Let me break it down for you.

Drinking water is something we must do to survive. Your body needs an adequate amount of water in order to function properly. 6-8 glasses a day is recommended but lately I’ve been pushing for a healthy cleanse where I encourage myself to get to a gallon a day and can honestly say this has been the best thing for my skin, metabolism, and life. Stay Hydrated Y’all.

Minding your business will definitely encourage growth and change your mentality. If it has nothing to do with you leave it alone. Meddling and inputing your opinion where it’s not necessary can definitely send out negative vibes. There is not always an issue with being in the know but keep in mind that your 2cents is not always needed. Ultimately, it’s time to focus solely on you and respect other peoples privacy.

Staying in your own lane and committing to what’s pertinent to help you create a better healthier life, such as drinking water, will take you to higher places.

- Nikki Abraham 

Benefits Of Controlled Breathing

Did you know every time you breath in every cell in your body inhales oxygen and exhales carbon dioxide? This is known as respiration. Breathing is important because our cells constantly need a new supply of oxygen so they can produce energy. Without this vital oxygen, cellular function is impaired, and damage or cell death is possible.

What does deep breathing mean to you? Often, when we are angry, sad, or confronted with pain, it is our nature to hold our breath. Studies show that breathing through our pain is what will help us the most. Have you ever tried a challenging exercise and noticed you held your breath the entire time making you more tense? Once you realized you weren't breathing properly you tried it again, improved your breath and noticed a big difference when you focused on inhaling and exhaling. When we breathe deeply, we oxygenate the blood, which causes our brain to release endorphins. It is these endorphins that help reduce stress in the body and decrease levels of pain. By doing breath exercises you can reduce anxiety, decrease stress levels, improve sleep, and lower blood pressure. Take a few minutes today and focus on deep breathing.

-Shayma S. Sulaiman

Meditate For YOUR Well Being

Do you know what meditation can do for your well being? Meditation training has the ability to improve your impulse, self-control, focus, stress management, and self awareness. Long term practice can increase the part of your brain known as the gray matter which is a region known for emotion regulation. I've Included a short 5 minute mediation video for you to practice with today. If you're in your office go to a quiet space and put in earphones. If you're still in bed close your eyes and remain in bed. Remember this isn't a time for you to go through your check list for the day. Try to keep your mind clear and free of thoughts. Let us know how it goes for you! We absolutely love feedback.

https://youtu.be/utfw-rJUvy4

-Shayma S. Sulaiman

Your Nerves Are Vital

Communication with the outside world and many mechanisms in our body are controlled by our nervous system. There are two parts to the nervous system. The central nervous system is comprised of the nerves in the brain (neurons) and spinal cord. All of the other nerves in the body are part of the peripheral nervous system. The involuntary nervous system is constantly active and we have no conscious control over it regulating breathing, metabolic processes, and heartbeat. Those are all processes you don’t have to think about, they naturally occur. When is the last time you thought about your body breaking down an apple you ate for lunch…never! The voluntary nervous system has a control over all of the things we are aware of and can consciously influence such as moving your body parts. Since your nervous system plays such an essential role in how your body operates it’s important to make sure you are taking steps to strengthen it. Listed below are ways in which you can strengthen your nervous system.

-Essential Fatty Acids are Necessary: Try incorporating avocados, salmon, broccoli and brussel sprouts into your diet.
-Leafy Greens, eat more spinach, kale, and chard.
-Yoga, meditation, and exercise assist with strengthening your nervous system.
-Manage your stress.
-Almonds and walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids.

-Shayma S. Sulaiman

New Year, Better You

Happy Friday Subscribers!

As the new year commences, we realize that it’s about time to start making those game time resolutions. We want to help you make commitments that you can stick to. See below for a few small resolutions that will help you kick off the year in a major way! 

Increase Positivity
We know staying positive is something that’s more easily said than done but it will most definitely benefit you in the long run. A positive attitude will lead to success and happiness and ultimately lead to you accomplishing your bigger resolutions. Keep a positive outlook on life and you will always win.

Be Confident

In yourself, in other people, in your work, in your life. Be confident in all aspects and believe in yourself. We promise boosting your confidence will lead to a healthier and happier life overall. 

Do Something that Scares You
Scares you in a way that will make you better. Don’t ever get too comfortable. Success won’t fall in your lap you have to go after what you want and doing that sometimes means taking risks. In 2018 get comfortable being uncomfortable by stepping out of your comfort zone.

- Nikki Abraham

If Not Now, When?

It's never going to be the right time, all of those things you said needed to be done first before you can do "that", may never come. So why not start now? 

Why not begin a new journey and take on a new challenge? If your answer to the question is that you might fail, you don’t want it enough. You have to be willing to fail over and over again trying to achieve something new

We are about to begin a new year and for some, that means a new start. But if we’re being honest, any day and every day can be a new start. Just make a decision to change and execute it to begin to take your life in a new direction. 

Take out the time to come up with one thing you want to accomplish today, two things to complete by the end of the year, and three things you want to accomplish next year. Write them out on a big piece of paper and place them somewhere you will see them often. Now, do not take them down until they are all done. 

This will be your accountability partner, make sure to take the time to read out all the things you said you would accomplish to remind your mind, body, and spirits of the goals you have set. Next thing you can do is share your goals with your friends and ask them to keep you accountable as well. 

Remember that these are your goals and nobody else’s if you need help, tell someone, if you get tired take a break, but NEVER give up on yourself.

- Jean Claude (J.C.) Louis-Charles III

Make Your Morning GREAT!

The way you start your day is just as important as how you end it. It may even be more impactful to start on an uplifting note. Are you tired of waking up on the wrong side of the bed? Learn to incorporate meaningful activities in the morning to put your best foot forward. Try waking up 15 minutes earlier tomorrow and adding one of the listed activities below to brighten and get your day stated on a productive path.

1. Drink Water: When you first wake up make sure to replenish your body with water. We can get dehydrated overnight when sleeping. Drinking water when you wake up gets your metabolism going. Throw in a slice of lemon, cucumber, or mint to jazz up your H2O.

 2. Meditate: Take a few minutes to quiet your brain and truly be at peace. If you’re having trouble tuning worries out try journaling in the morning. Write down your goals for the day and plan out how you can execute them.

3. Get Moving: I know, you would probably rather lay in bed scrolling down your timeline or checking in with what happened overnight in the world. Use your time wisely, even if that means using those 15 extra minutes to take a brisk walk down your block do it! Exercise releases endorphins and those chemicals give your brain a natural high and boost your energy.

4. Eat A Wholesome Breakfast: Life can get busy but remember to take the time to feed your body good nutritious food. It will not only give you energy for the day but it will also nourish your body.

5. Do Something For You: Do something that will make you happy! If that means using the extra 15 minutes to leave out earlier so you’re not rushing to work stressed do it! If you’ve been trying to incorporate reading get started today! This list is totally for you. Customize it so it works best for you!
 
I challenge you to wake up 15 minutes earlier tomorrow and incorporate something from this list. Feel free to modify anything! This is about you and your own personal journey.

-Shayma S. Sulaiman

Be Thankful Everyday

What are you thankful for?

Think about what has happened to you over the course of this year that you may have overlooked or forgotten? Remember, blessings come in all shapes and sizes so even if you think it's small go ahead and add it to the list.

Thanksgiving is an excellent holiday to marvel at all of the good things, people, and situations that have happened throughout the year. In fact, having a sense of gratefulness can actually boost your overall health. Every time you remind yourself of something good that has happened to you, your brain will slowly become fixated on positive things that have occurred in your life as opposed to negative ones. Over time, your mind will be able to point out and become more aware of positive experiences that you might have overlooked previously.

Once this becomes a habit, you will be amazed as to how much has been overlooked or even taken for granted.

Try This Out:

Every night before you go to bed try to revisit and remember all the good things and experiences that happened to you over the course of your day. Right them down if you must, but reminding yourself will reinforce your brain to filter out all of the irrelevant negative things that our human minds typically shine a light on. 

Continue to be thankful every day and watch how the universe responds to your new thoughts of gratefulness.