Drink Water for Better Health

"Drinking water is like washing out your insides. The water will cleanse the system, fill you up, decrease your caloric load and improve the function of all your tissues." - Kevin R. Stone

Life originated deep beneath the surface of the ocean. Life came out of the water, and water is necessary for all life. At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant's body weight. Roughly 70 percent of an adult's body is made up of water. The human brain comprises about 85 percent water and even your bones are not as hard as you think, as they are between 10 and 15 percent water.

Water plays such an important role in your life and is a major contributor to your health. Almost everyone has heard the advice: "Drink at least eight glasses of water a day". There are at least ten reasons why you need to drink plenty of water and make this an essential part of your daily routine.

1. For healthy, glowing skin.
Nothing improves the appearance of your complexion more than drinking water, as it moisturises the skin from inside out, and is much more effective than any expensive cream you can buy. It prevents your skin from drying out, thus reducing winkles and leaving it supple and elastic, with a beautiful shine.

2. To flush excess water and toxins from your body.
Without sufficient water, your body will go into survival mode and store excess water. When the body is supplied with a sufficient amount of water, it begins to release stores from your hips, thighs and ankles.  Water helps remove these stores but also helps flush out waste products from your body by stimulating your kidneys and assisting your liver function. Without enough water, the kidneys are unable to perform their function, which is filtering the blood and getting rid of toxins through urine. In the absence of sufficient water, the kidneys will turn to the liver for assistance. 

The liver, which is  like a major rubbish removal system, is then unable to perform some of its normal duties which include burning fat and calories. This results in the body depositing more fat. Water and fat stores going up means more weight on your body and on the scale. An early sign of dehydration is headache, due to an accumulation of toxins in the blood. You take Aspirin or Panadol, but it's actually the glass of water that you have with your medicine that gets rid of the headache!

3. Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. 
If your body lacks water, your heart will need to work harder in order to pump oxygenated blood towards your body cells, and there is a greater chance of fatigue and exhaustion, as well as damaging strain on your heart muscle.

4. Water cushions and lubricates your joints and muscles, thus enhancing performance during physical activity. It also prevents muscle fatigue and pain, as well as cramps. It can also help with restless legs and contribute towards a good night's sleep, as it is a natural muscle relaxant.

5. Water gives you energy and helps you stay fit and alert with a positive frame of mind. 
You can face challenges a lot more effectively when you drink water. Even minor levels of dehydration can cause headaches, drowsiness, moodiness, lack of concentration and lack of enthusiasm. The brain is for the most part made of water, so it is only logical that it will work better with it!

6. For optimal digestive function. 
Water dilutes digestive juices in your stomach and prevents you fro developing ulcers. It also stimulates bowel movements and softens the stool, thus making it easier to establish a regular bowel pattern.

7. Water Strengthens the immune system.
It reduces the risk of contracting infectious and degenerative diseases. It even hampers the growth of abnormal and cancerous cells. Water has an overall protective effect on your health.

8. It regulates your body temperature, so you don't overheat. 
When you have an elevated temperature, make sure you drink enough water to replace lost fluids. Water also assists sweating, which helps you cool down and conserve your energy.

9. Water stimulates your metabolism, thus assisting weight loss.
It activates protein synthesis and muscle formation. It assists weight loss by encouraging the body to burn more calories, especially during exercise.

10. Water has healing properties.
When you're sick, it helps you recover quicker. It activates tissue regeneration and reestablishes a balance within all your systems. It helps alleviate vomiting and diarrhea by replenishing humidity stores and preventing dehydration.

Water is a fountain of youth. It is the substance of life, and life cannot exist without it. Water is a miracle cure for a lot of common ailments such as headache, heartburn, constipation, fatigue, muscle aches and pains and even insomnia and depression. Alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and prescription drugs strip fluids away from your body, but water replaces them and allows your marvellous machine to work to perfection!

So go and have a glass of water now...

With love,

Bella

Painting: 'Taste of Summer' by Lora Garcelon

The Power of Powerlessness

"Incredible changes happen in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't." - Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free.

By recognising that you're powerless over other people and their behaviour, you regain power over your own life. You might not be able to change others, but you can change your life - by changing your thoughts, emotions and actions. I explain how to do this in my book "The Magic of Willpower". 

Once you're aware of your feelings, and know how to control them, you will begin to change your circumstances, step by step. You will do this by modifying your outlook on everything that happens to you, and taking action accordingly. These choices belong entirely to you - no matter what anyone says or does. For instance, when someone is rude to you, you can choose to retaliate, or you can choose to ignore it. Practice paying attention to the things you like instead of focusing on the things you dislike.

Improvement begins once you stop attempting to control the uncontrollable. Then your real power emerges. You have the power to change your life. These options are in your hands - at any time, and in any situation. It is true that decisions are never perfect and always involve some risk, but this is the nature of life itself. if you knew for sure that your decisions were 100 % correct, it would take away the excitement of the unknown, wouldn't it? Change brings with it hope and positive expectations.

Don't look back, go forward. Follow your gut feeling. Decisions aren't made overnight - they often take time to grow and develop. But you'll know within yourself, in your heart and soul when you're ready to take the plunge. This is your life, so make the most of it... Whatever you're longing to do, do it today - do it now.

With all my love, 

Bella

Painting: "A Birch Grove" by Arkhip Kuindzhi, 1879, Russia (Wikipaintings)

Your Divine Light Within Creates Miracles!

"I have come to recognize the Divine Light within my own heart." - Sri Guru Granth Sahib

The Light is out there, but it's also within you.  All you need to do is to look inside and feel it; allow it to bathe your body and soul. Allow it to seep into your organs, your brain, your mind, your emotions. The light accompanies you at all times... It never leaves you, it never lets you down. It's not just an invention, an illusion to make you feel better. It really works, as long as you allow it to do its job, without interfering.

A miracle is a manifestation of Divine Love. It can be as simple as a smile; as simple as patting someone one the shoulder or taking someone's hand, giving comfort and reassurance. It can be as simple as forgiving, when you thought you could never do it. It can be as simple as persisting instead of giving up, in spite of difficulties, when times are hard and everything seems to be going against you. Divine Light is watching over you, is guiding and protecting you. You won't be asked to do things you can't carry out. God doesn't expect you to be superhuman; He understands - he knows your weaknesses and turns them into assets, into strength. 

True acceptance is to fully surrender to your circumstances, without fighting them. Every moment is an inspiration, when you're grateful for what you've got and make the most out of it. As you rejoice in your current situation and see the good in what is, instead of longing for something different, you're in touch with your inner Light, the essence of the Divine.

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence", but is it really? Isn't it an illusion to believe that others are better off than you are, or that life could be a lot better, if only you were born into a different family, in a different country, if you were married to a different person... Once you're on the other side of the fence, you might want to look at a different kind of grass again! It's a never-ending search... But if you understand that what you're looking for is already here right now, inside of you, then you allow yourself to be at peace - and the Light will take over your whole being.

Why look for love? You are love. Why get a life? You are life. Why look for a purpose in life? You are here, and you are right on purpose. Why look for God? The Kingdom of God is already within you! Let's stop looking for things, and let's start living. Let's do it now.

with love,

from Bella

Painting: "Corfu: Lights and Shadows" by John Singer Sargent, 1909 (Wikipaintings)

The Power of Kindness

"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." -Author Unknown.

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." - Dalai Lama

How do you change the world? By practicing one act of kindness at a time. Smiling, opening doors, helping with chores, assisting a friend or a stranger in need, giving money to charity, spending quality time with a child or a pet, giving your undivided attention to others and listening to them with empathy... All these deeds are priceless and add up, contributing to making this planet a better place to live. Recycling rubbish and rescuing animals, as well as encouraging peace, tolerance and understanding between different nations and religions are other examples of compassion. 

Kindness begins with everyone of us. Awareness of others (putting ourselves in their shoes), without being judgmental or critical, is the first step towards changing our attitude. Analyzing our responses is another important step. Just because people don't behave according to our expectations doesn't mean we must react to them with annoyance or irritation... 

Taking a deep breath and thinking before speaking can often defuse an argument. Others have their own reasons to be grumpy, unhelpful, unreasonable or irrational in your my eyes. You don't need to take it to heart. In an awkward situation, you always have a choice - whether to react or to respond in a polite manner, or not to respond at all. In the worst case scenario, it might be better to walk away and leave a troublesome individual to his or her devices. Angry people like to transfer their negative feelings onto others, but you don't have to be the target of their bad temper if you choose not to be. Give them understanding instead of fighting back, and their anger will soon evaporate. 

Kindness is important because your attitude towards life and others can have a significant effect on what happens to you day after day. If you expect good things, then these will come to you. If you expect people to treat you well, with love, respect and empathy, just like you treat them, then this is what you will receive in return. What you give out will come back to you. If you focus on kindness, this is what you will experience: the circumstances of your life will change accordingly. Maybe not right away - but sooner or later you will reap the fruits of your actions. You will see the results in the way other people respond to you, and in the way your daily needs are being met. Your own kindness and compassion will be reflected in everything that takes place in your life!

with love,

Bella

Painting: "Sara in a Large Flowered Hat Looking Right Holding Her Dog" by Mary Cassatt, 1902 (Wikipaintings)

The Power of Humility

"Humility is the foundation of all other virtues, hence in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance." - Saint Augustine

"True humility is contentment." - Henri Frederic Amiel

Humility is the opposite of pride, but you've been told to take pride in yourself and what you do. So where does this contradiction come from? Your ego wants you to believe that you're always right. It's opinionated, full of self-importance, wanting to save face at all cost or to bully others into doing things your way. This is when you need to stop and think, and put yourself in other people's shoes.

It's okay to be proud of your achievements, but a healthy dose of self-esteem is not the same as arrogance. Arrogance stems from fear: fear of not being good enough, of being rejected, of not being taken seriously. Therefore arrogance comes from a feeling of insecurity that the individual covers up with a false sense of pride. This leads to a rigid attitude towards others, and towards anything that doesn't comply with a fixed image of the way things should be.

To be humble is to be open-minded. It's to be able to admit that you may be wrong, that you don't know everything. No one has the key to ultimate knowledge. There is always room for improvement, and for learning new things. Every day, you gather new experiences, and have the opportunity to change your perspective on people and circumstances. What was valid yesterday might not be that way today or tomorrow. To be humble is to be adaptable, flexible and able to go with the flow.

You need to have a realistic view of yourself, of your assets as well as your shortcomings, your strengths as well as your weaknesses. You need to embrace yourself for who you are, and love others for who they are, instead of trying to change them. Humility is contentment, because it brings with it peace, tolerance and acceptance. Humility opens the door to all things...

"If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

With love,

Bella

Photo by Bella Tindale

Give up your New Year's Resolutions!

"May the New Year bring you courage to break your resolutions early! My own plan is to swear off every kind of virtue, so that I triumph even when I fall!" - Aleister Crowley, Moonchild

Forget those New Year's resolutions when you decide on the last day of December how you're going to lead your life in June, six months later. Any resolution that involves making decisions about your long-term behavior reinforces the self-defeating idea of living in the future instead of the present moment. You can keep making resolutions until the cows come home, but you'll still have to live your life in the only way that it  can be done: ONE DAY AT A TIME. Rather than making long-term plans about your lifestyle choices, ask yourself: "How will I use my present moments this year?" Will you waste them in assessing your past behavior, and how you would like to behave in the future, instead of deciding to live each day of the year to the fullest?

Set up daily goals for yourself, and resolve to live with this present moment awareness for the rest of your life. Instead of giving up sugar for a year, go one day without sugar. Anyone can do anything for a day only. When you go for a day without eating sugar, you are a different person at the end of the day. And that different person can decide whether you want to do it again on the second day and so on. Don't let the old person convince you that it will be too hard anyway, and that you'll be back to eating sugar in no time at all. Don't allow the "old you" to make decisions. Only the "new you" has this privilege!

You may think that your past failures to stick to New Year's resolutions are due to a character flaw on your behalf, a lack of persistence of willpower. This is not true. You give up on your resolutions because your mind resists the notion of doing something for a long period of time, with no end in sight. It's impossible to do this, because you can't think that far ahead. Instead of trying to achieve the impossible, ask yourself every morning, "How do I want to conduct my life today? What choices will I make to enhance my health and growth as an individual?" Carry out your goals for this day only. Once you become an expert at living in the present and living a day at a time, you'll see yourself changing to your own surprise and delight.

Give up your New Year's resolutions: give up your self-defeating thinking habits, and begin to savor each day of this brand new year.

With my best wishes and love,

Bella

Photo: "Pelican" by Bella Tindale