10 Ways to Become Your Most Badass Self

By Stefani Beckerman

When we lose touch with our true selves, we experience anxiety, stress, fear, loneliness, boredom, insecurity, or unhappiness. Fortunately, the more we focus on being the most authentic version of ourselves, the more we can transcend these states. 

 

I call this connection "The Spiritus Link." 

Spiritus is Latin for spirit, breath, soul, courage, and vigor. It’s the balanced center between our inner and outer worlds. It is the truest expression of who we are. It’s the place inside us where we cut through the noise of the ego. It’s our home, it’s our core, it’s our anchor, it’s our intuition, it’s our light, and it’s our guru. 

When you feel uninspired, sad, confused, tighten the S-Link and you will empower yourself.

We are conditioned to react to discomfort. Sometimes we will feel disparity, hopelessness, anxiety, fear, and sadness. But, if we continue to apply these concepts to our everyday life, that practice eventually leads to living peacefully, happy, and free.

I have found some tools, in the order listed below, to develop and improve this awareness of our Spiritus. Practicing them eliminates confusion at divergent paths, and teaches us to integrate effective practices for healthy living. Give them a try, and let me know what you think! 

1. Figure out who you are. 

Peel back the layers and let yourself be seen. Love who you are and let that be so powerful that you don’t seek any validation from others. Part of this process is to stop judging people and situations; it will unconsciously help you drop your guard. Behind the body, behind the spiral of thoughts from your overactive mind, deep inside where you feel your breath, that’s where your find yourself. 

2. Go slow and steady. 

Go with the flow. Observe your surroundings, ask the right questions to yourself and others, and then just listen.

3. Trust your path. 

First, commit to yourself. Know that your process is perfect for you. There is no one right way. Cultivate an unshakeable trust in your instincts and belief in yourself. Maintain the faith that an energy greater than you realize has your back.

4. Be fearless. 

Fear blocks success. It’s the language of the ego that leads you directly away from where you want to go. Tear down the walls that fear built inside you which clog your passageways to reach The Spiritus. Let what scares you surface, and then pass through.

5. Tell your truth. 

Your truth is what is. Who you are, what body you’ve been given, what gifts you have. Forget about imperfections, we all have them, embrace what is yours. Your truth is also what you need in this moment, what you feel, what you see. Let it out, it’s the only way to accept yourself and let people in.

6. Move and sweat. 

Acceptance, forgiveness, letting go. These are the goals. We try to control our life and it creates tension. Hold the space for what you want to accomplish, drop expectations of the order it’s supposed to happen, and welcome how it IS happening. Don’t hold onto anything negative. Exercise and making food choices that keep your mind, body, and soul feeling good is a key way to master these principles. 

7. Look with love. 

Love everyone, every stage, and every thing happening because it’s all part of your process that’s taking you where you want to go. If you’re in a funk, just think of it as a higher education. Learn something from it. We live this life, and we’re lucky to have it. Savor it and be grateful for it by using an optimistic lens.

8. Practice patience. 

If you continue to return to the S-link and vibrate on that level, you will accomplish many versions of all your dreams. Patience is about holding onto the unshakeable knowingness that you will get there, even if you don’t know where you’re going. No doubts.

9. Remain in the moment. 

We’re constantly in transition. Every moment is fleeting; instead of clinging to it, move seamlessly into the next. Intend to be present in everything you’re doing, every conversation you’re having. Don’t let the mind overwhelm you with things to stress about. Meditation and yoga help a lot.

10. Gratitude. 

Keep it flowing. Love, care, compassion, and gratitude – read some studies - it’s the heart’s proven optimal state, and operating from this place is how you attract more of that beautiful state.

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Ahem - Thinking when Eating

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The Major Rule for Eating Fruit

Yes, we should eat it BEFORE meals!! Else it wouldn't be absorbed fully into the body....also, it's a much easier food to digest so do eat it before meals!

By Ella Leché

There's no doubt that eating fruit is important to our overall health and wellbeing. Fruit is healthy for you, we all know that, but, it's good to know that eating it should follow some general guidelines to fully benefit our health. It's just not as simple as putting it into our mouths whenever we feel like it. Learn about the proper ways to eat fruit and your whole body will thank you with less digestive problems and tons more energy.

Incorporating fruit into our diet, the proper way, gives our digestive system more powerful benefits through vitamin intake and improved digestion. Looking at the nutrition of fruit, most fruits are a great source of fiber, potassium, vitamin C and folate and so much more. Their nutrients help guard against disease, lower rates of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. However, eating fruit carelessly without any nutritional knowledge could bring on more problems to our health than benefits. Here is the major rule about eating fruit:

Fruit should be eaten alone or with other fruit on an empty stomach.

This is because when fruit is eaten, the digestive process works very quickly and our body uses different enzymes to digest the fruit. The simple sugars contained in fruit need time to be completely absorbed by your body. When fruits are eaten alone, your stomach can more easily process all of the nutrients, fibre and the simple sugars contained in the fruit. This is the optimal 'proper way' to benefit from the fruit you eat. If you eat fruit close to a meal, especially right after a larger meal and combine with other foods, it's held in the stomach too long along with other foods and will rot and ferment in the gut. If you experience indigestion, heartburn, burping and and other digestive discomforts and you blame on the meal - it could be the combination of the food, the fermentation with fruit that causes your upset stomach. If left uncontrolled it could lead to other health problems that stem from the digestive tract.

Applying this rule is very simple. We eat approximately 3 large meals a day, so space out your fruit servings in between. If this means you need to glance at the clock occasionally and calculate when you could eat the apple you brought along with you, then you do that. And aim to have it about 1 hour before a meal, or 2 hours after your meal. For heavier meals, like pasta or burgers, you need to let that food digest for even longer before you add fruit with all its acid into your stomach, about 3-4 hours. If you've just had a mixed green salad for lunch, same rules apply but for a much shorter time, about 1.5 hours.

The best time to eat a bounty of fruit is either first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, or as a mid-morning snack (which I prefer) - in between breakfast and lunch. It's a good idea, to just eat more fruit at one time, whether it's fruit salad, an apple or a fruit smoothie. (3-4 servings of fruit is a proper daily requirement, that's 2 1/2 - 2 cups of fruit). If you feel very hungry after your fruit servings, pay attention to what you've had for breakfast and maybe your meal planning needs to be adjusted. You should be able to wait it out about 1-2 hours with success. That will ensure all the fruit is processed and gone into your body to do what it's supposed to do.

Definitely avoid eating fruit close to bedtime as there's plenty of sugar in fruit to spike up your energy and keep you up when you need your sleep.

Smoothie lovers! It is fine to consume nut milk or coconut milk with fruit, but in small amounts and not every time. Therefore, nut butters, nut milk, or non-dairy yogourt (such as soy) will not strain the digestive system too much. And adding a single serving of a low-glycemic fruit, such as an apple to your green smoothie will be fine and will not create a lot of problems for you as long as you keep the fruit serving to a minimum and it too is consumed apart from a larger meal. However, ideally it is best to stick with eating raw fruit alone - or leave alone!

Dried fruit holds the same recommendations. Keep in mind it's also too sweet and too addictive. Limiting portions of the dried fruit you eat is essential - think of a date as a special occasion ;)

If you do eat fruit on an empty stomach, you will gain the proper nutrients that fruit - nature's perfect gift - will offer to your health and wellbeing. You will avoid most digestive problems, feel energized, promote weight loss and you'll look and feel fantastic because your body will be fully absorbing all the vitamins, fiber and healthy carbohydrates that it needs to function in good health.

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Hilarious and Heartwarming Animals on 500px

Happy Monday :)

Courtesy from: My Modern Met



In dreams I can fly

I thought we'd close out the week with something a little lighthearted. As many of you already know, 500px is a great website to not only share your latest photos, but to also get inspired. For us, it's a place to discover talented photographers. We've found some of our very favorite animal photographers from this site including ones we've shared with your right here at My Modern Met. Who could forget Japan-based Ben Torode and his adorably cute kitten, Daisy, or Russia-based Nikolai Zinovievand his incredibly awesome photos of bears?

Today, we decided to bring together some of our very favorite animal photos from 500px. In continuing our series of the hilarious and the heartwarming (see snow dogs and dog portraits), we bring you these sweet storytelling shots. While some, like the one above, only come with simple captions, others are accompanied with a great backstory.

For What, no butter OR salt (immediately below), photographer Barb D'Arpino writes on her 500px page, "We had fastened a cob of corn on a snag for the birds to enjoy. We sat down to dinner and out of the corner of my eye I noticed movement on the corn. Imagine my surprise when I saw Eleanor stuffing her cheeks with kernels until she looked ready to explode. It didn't take her long to strip the cob. Grabbed my camera, snapped a few pictures and the rest is history :+)"

Above Photo credit: Manuela Kulpa

What, no butter OR salt?

Photo by Barb D'Arpino

[Miss You]

Photo by Tragedienne [Rustle]

Kitten Observes Transit of Bubble

Photo by Ben Torode

Anyone Home?

Photo by Andy Rouse

I like to move it!

Photo by Nikolai Zinoviev

Hungry

Photo by Anita Meezen

Who's Got The Baddest Daddy Of Them All?

Photo by Laurie Rubin

He went that way...

Photo by Austin Thomas

Curiosity or wariness?

Photo by Alexander Dragunov

Sheltered

Photo by Romain Mattei Photography

and in today's news...

Photo by Michael Higgins

Wildscape

Photo by Marina Cano

Oh no, it's a ghost!

Photo by Zoran Milutinovic

Thai Massage

Photo by Romain Mattei Photography

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Foods That Look Like Body Parts They're Good For Read more: Food Nutrition Facts - Healthy Living Tips at WomansDay.com - Woman's Day

This is so cool! Something easy to pick up and remember :)

Every child has heard the healthy-eating mantra "You are what you eat." But there may be a closer resemblance between good-for-you grub and your body than you thought. We found 10 foods that mirror the body parts they provide nutrients for—for example, brain-boosting walnuts actually look like a brain. Coincidence? Maybe. Though these healthy foods are beneficial to the whole body, the list below is a fun reminder of what to eat to target specific areas.

1. Carrot: Eye

Slice a carrot in half crosswise and it's easy to see that the veggie resembles an eye—look closely and you'll even notice a pattern of radiating lines that mimic the pupil and iris. And the old wives’ tale is true: Munching on carrots will actually promote healthy eyes. "Carrots are filled with vitamins and antioxidants, like beta-carotene, that decrease the chance of macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in older people," says Sasson Moulavi, MD, medical director of Smart for Life Weight Management Centers in Boca Raton, Florida. Photos by iStockphoto

2. Walnut: Brain

The folds and wrinkles of a walnut bring to mind another human organ: the brain. The shape of the nut even approximates the body part, looking like it has left and right hemispheres. And it's no surprise walnuts are nicknamed "brain food"—according to Lisa Avellino, dietitian for Focus28 Diet, "they have a very high content of omega-3 fatty acids, which help support brain function."Photos by iStockphoto

3. Celery: Bone

Long, lean stalks of celery look just like bones—and they're good for them, too. "Celery is a great source of silicon, which is part of the molecular structure that gives bones their strength," says Dr. Moulavi. Another funny bone coincidence: "Bones are 23 percent sodium, and so is celery," reports Avellino. Photos by iStockphoto

4. Avocados: Uterus

The lightbulb shape of an avocado looks like a uterus, and it supports reproductive health as well. "Avocados are a good source of folic acid," says Elizabeth Somer, registered dietician and author of Eat Your Way to Happiness. "Folate has been found to reduce the risk for cervical dysplasia, which is a precancerous condition." Photos by iStockphoto and Shutterstock

5. Clams: Testicles

Studies have offered evidence that clams, which bear a resemblance to testicles, are actually good for the male sex organs. "Research from the Netherlands has suggested that supplementing your diet with folic acid and zinc—both of which clams are high in––can have a significant effect on improving semen quality in men," says Dr. Moulavi. Photos by Shutterstock and 3D Clinic

6. Grapefruit: Breast

The similarity between round citrus fruits––like lemons and grapefruit––and breasts may be more than coincidental. "Grapefruit contains substances called limonoids, which have been shown to inhibit the development of cancer in lab animals and in human breast cells," says Dr. Moulavi. Photos by iStockphoto and 3D4Medical.com

7. Tomato: Heart

Slice open a tomato and you'll notice the red veggie has multiple chambers that resemble the structure of a heart. "Studies have found that because of the lycopene in tomatoes, there is a reduced risk for heart disease in men and women who eat them," says Somer. And, she adds, if you mix them with a little fat, like olive oil or avocado, it will boost your body's lycopene absorption nearly tenfold. Photos by iStockphoto and 3D Clinic

8. Red Wine: Blood

Red wine, which is rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, including powerful resveratrol, looks like blood. "When you drink it, you're really loading up on the healthy stuff that protects against destructive things in the blood, like LDL cholesterol, which can cause heart disease," says Somer. "There's also a blood-thinning compound in red wine, so it reduces blood clots, which are associated with stroke and heart disease." Photos by iStockphoto

9. Ginger: Stomach

Anyone who's ever reached for a glass of ginger ale when they’ve had a stomachache knows about the antinausea effects of ginger. So it's fitting that the herb somewhat resembles the digestive organ. According to Dr. Moulavi, "gingerol, which is the ingredient responsible for ginger's pungent scent and taste, is listed in the USDA database of phytochemicals as having the ability to prevent nausea and vomiting." Photos by iStockphoto

10. Sweet Potatoes: Pancreas

The oblong sweet potato bears a strong resemblance to the pancreas, and also promotes healthy function in the organ. "Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene, which is a potent antioxidant that protects all tissues of the body, including the pancreas, from damage associated with cancer or aging," says Somer. Photos by Shutterstock

Read more: Food Nutrition Facts - Healthy Living Tips at WomansDay.com - Woman's Day 

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The Nature of Ambition

Hmm, quite related ;)

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Visual: HiiT

Defining High Intensity Interval Training visually...

Did you know it only takes 30mins, but your body continuously burns after the workout for the next 9 hours (at least)??

I love it!

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