4 Best Foods to Eat to Fight Stress

There are many ways to combat stress, but one of the best ways is to consume stress-fighting foods. Most of us live in a hectic, crazy, busy world where stress is almost inevitable. While a little stress can be good for you, when you are constantly feeling stressed out, overwhelmed and anxious, it can cause huge damage to your health, your productivity, your mood, and even your relationships. Too much or prolonged stress can even lead to short-term and long-term physical problems, such as high blood pressure, impaired memory, osteoporosis, coronary heart disease and a weak immune system. Eating stress-fighting foods, exercising on a regular basis and practicing yoga can help you reduce your stress levels and improve your moodwithout any medications. Today we’re on a journey to discovering the best foods that can help us fight stress and live a more peaceful life. Read on…

1. Brown rice

Brown rice is an excellent source of B-vitamins, which are essential for the proper function of all tissues, cells, and organs. B-vitamins promote heart, immune, brain health as well as healthy mood. Eating brown rice can help you combat stress and prevent different types of mood disorders. If you often experience moodiness, try including brown rice into your healthy diet and enjoy a stress-free life.

2. Spinach

Spinach is packed with Vitamins A, C and B-vitamins and is rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, which help decrease stress hormones in your body, stabilize your mood and make you feel better. One cup of spinach will be enough to help your body combat stress. You can use spinach in your salad, smoothie, omelet, and sandwiches.

3. Salmon

Salmon is a super-nutritious food that can work miracles on your body. It’s high in omega-3 fatty acids that increase happy brain chemicals such as serotonin and help regulate stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Moreover, omega-3 fatty acids help improve your brain function. Try eating 2 to 3 servings of salmon per week to reduce your stress levels. If you don’t like salmon, opt for another oily fish like sardines, tuna and mackerel.

7 Efficient Ways to Reduce Back Pain and Improve Your Posture

From birth our body is constructed almost perfectly. Its main function is movement. When you are healthy there are no restrictions for your body and you can walk, run, jump, climb, bend and do all physical exercises easily. But when you feel pain and discomfort in certain parts of your body, it becomes practically impossible. Nowadays a lot of people suffer from back pain and due to that fact they can’t enjoy all the benefits of modern life. The reasons of your back pain may be absolutely different. Our lifestyle is one of the crucial things that influences our overall health and our back in particular. Today most of us spend hours sitting in front of computers, TV sets and in public transport. As a result, our spine is compressed and we have bad posture and this can cause pain in your back and neck. To avoid this you should move regularly and pay much attention to your posture. If you want to relieve back pain and have good posture, consider the following tips.

1. Try to Control Your Posture

It is important to hold your body properly throughout the day since every movement and position has a great impact on your posture. We should constantly think about how to align our body while standing, sitting, walking and even sleeping. Posture plays a significant role in our health and it can change the way we look. That’s why you need to control it by all means. If you have good posture, you’ll be able to improve your respiratory capacity and stimulate the work of your circulatory and digestive systems.

2. Develop Your Sense of Balance

I should say that sense of balance is not so easy to develop as it takes much time and requires your persistence. You have to do certain exercises that involve your core muscles, making them strong and toned. This way, you will provide enduring connection between your brain and body. Every time when your body needs to use particular muscles for core stabilization, the brain will send the signal to that group of muscles immediately. I recommend you to practice various activities that can be helpful in developing your balance. For example, yoga and pilates will be the right choice for this goal.

Read also – 7 Health Benefits of Yoga

3. Maintain Your Posture When You Sit

Sitting is the most frequent posture for all people. In this position we usually do numerous things without realizing that it can lead to different health problems. When you sit for a long time, your core (the muscles that embrace the front of your stomach area and the low back) performs protective function stabilizing the vertebra. If these muscles are used very often, they will finally become exhausted and you’ll find yourself slumping that may have a ruinous effect on other parts of your body. No matter what you do, it will be nice if you take a comfortable position. Make sure you place your feet and knees at 90 degree angles and your chair props up your low back. It is also necessary to control the distance between your body and your workplace so that it shouldn’t bring tension.

4. Do Regular Exercises

People who train regularly and keep their muscles toned do not often deal with issues like back and neck pain. The more you move, the healthier and happier you are – that is one of the most fundamental rules you must stick to in your life. You can choose from a great variety of sports and activities that will be pleasurable and useful for you. For instance, hiking, jogging, yoga, walking, volleyball and others are the best things to do for developing your muscles. Make it a rule to exercise daily and that will become a part of your routine. The benefits of physical exercises are incredible. By doing sports, you’ll be able to breathe evenly and stimulate your cardiovascular system. If you are a beginner, I would suggest you to consult a personal trainer who will create a special program for you.

5. Pay Attention to Your Clothes and Accessories

It’s not a secret that every woman spares no efforts to look beautiful and stylish. When you are satisfied with your appearance and style, you feel more confident. Unfortunately, there are some clothes and accessories that are hurtful to the body. We can hardly find a woman who never wears high heels, even though they load our spine with extra work causing its curvature. Handbag is also an indispensable part of our style and we can’t leave our home without it. Nevertheless, we rarely think that a heavy handbag or a rucksack, which we wear on our shoulders may be a reason for our back pain. Ultimately, you will have difficulties with your tendons, ligaments and joints. If you’ve decided to buy a new hand bag, try to choose the one of a medium size. While wearing this accessory don’t forget to change its placement from one arm to another.

6. Stretch Every Day

Switch to some exercises that develop your flexibility. This way, you will manage to keep fit and strengthen your muscles as well. Those who are acquainted with back and neck pain will find stretching an effective way to get rid of this problem. A few minutes every day will be enough for you to stretch your body and relax muscles. Stand or sit on a plane surface and stretch one group of muscles at a time. Be careful while doing these exercises and don’t be quick.

Read also – 7 Ways to Exercise without Exercising

7. Avoid Stressful Situations

Without a doubt, our physical health is highly dependent on our emotional state. We face plenty of stressful situations every time and everywhere. It’s rather difficult to keep our feelings and emotions under control, so we often get upset, angry and nervous. Whenever you are under stress, your brain and body respond quickly preparing to fight. Eventually, your muscles become strained and your blood pressure goes up. Such reaction is detrimental to your muscular skeletal system. To overcome stress and its negative consequences you should move a bit and take a deep breath. It will be an excellent way to relax your body and boost your brain’s activity.

If you tend to lead a sedentary life, you should be ready for annoying back and neck pain. I hope that these tips will help you to cope with discomfort caused by pain in your back. Just make it a habit to move regularly and always monitor your posture. Do you use any other ways to decrease back pain?

10 Most Haunted Places in the World!

The Whaley House, California

According to the Travel Channel’s America’s Most Haunted, the Whaley House is the number one most haunted house in the United States. Built by Thomas Whaley in 1857, this house is crowded with ghosts. The house has a spot where Yankee Jim Robinson was publicly hanged in 1852 for attempted grand larceny. The suicide of Violet Whaley in 1885 and other Whaley family deaths over the last century adds up to the list. Many visitors to the house have reported encountering spirits of Jim and members of Whaley family. (Link)

The Schooner Hotel, UK

Receiver of “The Most Haunted Hotel in Great Britain” Schooner Hotel is believed to be haunted by many ghosts. There have been over 3,000 sightings in the past few years and visitors often hear loud screams, faint whispers, unexplained sounds and knocks. Many individuals have even experienced physical complications. The hotel is still open for overnight guests today but if you do decide to stay there, you might want to avoid rooms 17 and 28. They are known for more prominent spirit presence. (Link)

The Tower of London

During the 900 years of her existence, the Tower of London has developed a reputation as being one of the most haunted places in Britain. This former prison of some of England’s most notorious figures has seen many executions and deaths. One of the most notable deaths in this Bloody Tower is of Anne Boleyn, wife of King Henry VIII, who was beheaded as she was unable to produce a male heir. Her headless apparition has been seen by many visitors. One area, known as the Salt Tower, is so scary that dogs refuse to enter its premises. In 1864, a soldier passed out from fear after trying to fight with a ghostly apparition. There are more spirits of different people that have been seen in the tower. (Link)

Diplomat Hotel, Baguio City, Philippines

The Diplomat Hotel sits on a hill overlooking Baguio City in the Philippines. Originally a monastery, the clergy there were executed by the Japanese during WWII and the building was used as a Sanatorium. After the war, it was converted into a hotel. People who live nearby claim that at times they hear the banging of doors, windows, clattering of dishes, voices of people screaming in the middle of the night and many have seen ‘black figures’ or a ‘white lady’. The hotel is quite overgrown and apparently not in current use by anyone. (Link)

The White House

This world’s most famous residence is also one of the most haunted places. The spirits of the first president John Adams and his wife Abagail continue to make stay (or visit) in the White House. Andrew Jackson, Dolly Madison, and, of course, the Lincolns, have made their presence known; numerous sightings of Old Abe have been noted over the years, and Winston Churchill refused to spend the night after one ghostly encounter. First Lady Michelle Obama has confirmed the haunting mystery and Sasha Obama also has reported seeing the ‘Bush Twins’. (Link1)(Link2)

Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Kentucky

With a total of “63000 deaths” in the Sanatorium, as claimed by some urban legends, it becomes a little convincing that the place is haunted. The tunnel at Waverly Hills was constructed to bring supplies to and from the building but was also used to transport the dead patients. With the ghost stories getting popular, this tunnel got the name of ‘the death tunnel’. It is also believed that satanic rituals have taken place in the sanatorium. People have reported seeing spirit of a little girl playing hide and seek with trespassers on the third floor, of a little boy named Bobby playing with his leather ball, of rooms lighting up though there was no power in the building, of doors slamming, disembodied voices, a hearse driving up and dropping off coffins, and an old woman running from the front door with her wrists bleeding screaming: “Help me. Somebody save me!” (Link)

112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville USA

Amityville is the house on which the movie ‘The Amityville Horror’ is based. It all started on November 13, 1974 Ronald Defeo Jr. (claiming to have been possessed) is said to have shot and killed his mother, father, two brothers and two sisters. The actual reasons for the massacre are still unknown.

On December 23rd, 1975 George and Kathy Lutz move into 112 Ocean Avenue with their 3 children. Father Ray who came to bless the house told them about the uneasy feeling he got there. The next 28 days were an ordeal for the family. On the last night, they heard loud sounds coming from the basement and main floor, doors would open and slam close all over the house, the kids’ beds were dragged across their rooms, levitated in the air and then dropped and the parents couldn’t move from their beds at all. As soon as they were released, they fled the house never to return. (Link)

LaLaurie House, New Orleans

Madame Lalaurie, a popular figure in town, owned slaves like many of the wealthiest members of society. But behind that fame, she was a cruel woman who tortured her slaves. Out of rage, one of her servants set the house on fire. When people rescued the slaves from the house, they found some severely maltreated and malnourished slaves in horrific state. It was found that some slaves had even died because of the mistreatment. The Lalaurie family fled from Louisiana, but the house became popular for being haunted. Nowadays, it has been converted to high-end apartments. (Link)

Bhangarh Fort, India

Visitors at Bhangarh Fort have reported experiencing a sense of restlessness and unease in the air. This ancient Indian fortress is so haunted even the Government restricts entrance in the fort at night. There are signs put up by the Archaeological Survey of India, strictly forbidding visitors from sunset to sunrise. As the legend goes, it all started when the beautiful princess of the place spurned an evil magician, who in turn cursed the palace with the death of all who dwelt in it. War and famine followed suit, and the fort was abandoned in the 1700s. (Link)

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

Edinburgh Castle in Scotland is said to be one of the spots most active for paranormal sightings. Visitors have reported shadowy figures, unseen presences, mysterious tugging of clothing, and spirits of headless drummers, pipers and even ghost dogs. There are also reports of French prisoners from the Seven Years War and colonial prisoners from the American Revolutionary War. (Link)

Woman Reclaims Her Life After Years of Joint Pain

What she hoped would be her golden years instead became an endless cycle of pain medication and doctors, all in the hopes of finding some relief. When the pain medication worked, she was too drowsy to enjoy the world around her. When she didn’t take it, she was in too much pain to do anything but sit around watching TV. She watched her grandchildren running around her backyard through a window in her living room, rather than being out there laughing and playing with them.When Rhonda Jenkins pictured retiring from her job as an accountant, she imagined spending time with her 3 grandchildren, working in her garden, playing tennis, and travelling with her husband. But by the time she reached retirement age, Rhonda spent most of her days suffering from horrible joint pain, and barely being able to get off the couch. Rhonda confesses: “There were days that the pain was so awful I didn’t want to get out of bed. Here I was - finally free to do whatever I pleased, and yet I couldn’t do much of anything at all.”

“The worst part was having to explain to Josiah - my youngest grandson - why grandma couldn’t come out and play with him. He’s only three years old, and he couldn’t really grasp what was going on. All he knew was that his Nana couldn’t come out and play.” Says Rhonda, while trying not to get choked up.

One day, while on the couch as usual, Rhonda happened upon an episode of “The Doctors”. Their guest that day was Dr. David Katz, who was discussing the results of a clinical study for a supplement called Instaflex. According the Dr. Katz, this supplement was supposed to significantly reduce joint pain.

Rhonda was skeptical, but desperate. She went online immediately and ordered a bottle of Instaflex, hoping against hope that it would give her some relief without any side effects. Within only two weeks, she felt significantly better. “It was as if a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders,” she says. “I could enjoy my grandchildren properly. I got back in the kitchen and taught myself how to bake. And after a couple of months, my husband and I finally took the trip to South America that we had been wanting to take for years.”

Now Rhonda takes Instaflex regularly, and is far less reliant on pain medication and other drugs. She feels better than she has in years. Instaflex is a compound of natural ingredients, proven to significantly reduce joint pain, increase mobility, and ease joint discomfort.

- See more at: http://clone.betterbythemin.com/health/woman-reclaims-her-life-after-years-joint-pain#sthash.ClTeyzZO.dpuf

Bringing Social Networking to the Trading Game

Even if you’re not a person that usually follows currency, commodity, or stock trading, you probably know a few basic things about it. If you’ve ever been curious, or considered entering the fray, you may have been turned off by the risk. It’s true - trading on your own is a risky endeavor. Statistically, only about 55% of manual trades are actually profitable. For the careful investor, that number is anything but ideal.

Of course, investing on your own is not only risky, but time consuming. Commodities, currencies, stocks… Who has the time to read up on all of these things and make intelligent choices?

A careful investor may be just put his or her money into a brokerage firm and sit back and let “the pros” handle things. But we all know that these days, “the pros” won’t necessarily work in your best interest. You end up taking the same exact risk as if you were doing it on your own, all while paying huge fees for the privilege.

One groundbreaking company has decided to stop this cycle and empower you take control of your investments, while minimizing your risk and having fun in the process. That company is called eToro, and they have created the world’s first social trading platform.

So what is social trading and how does it work? Well - imagine facebook, only instead of seeing updates about what your friends are doing - you can see updates about what they’re trading. You can use your social network as a resource for smart investing. But it doesn’t end there. With eToro - you can keep track of successful investors, and choose to COPY what they are doing.

Think about it - no more “secrets”. If you like what somebody does, you can choose to do the exact same thing. It’s been proven that this kind of trading actually can get profitability up to 85%, that's 30% more than with manual trading.  And with over 2.57 million users in more than 140 countries, you’re bound to find someone successful to copy in a way that’s right for you. You can choose to follow high risk or low risk traders, traders who deal exclusively with currencies, or stocks, or commodities, or any combination of these things.

Whether you’re a novice or an old pro, you are bound to find like-minded people who will openly share their knowledge and success with you. That’s the beauty of eToro’s social trading system. Success is shared, not shrouded in mystery. So when you see something others are doing right, you can copy them and try it yourself.

Oh - and the best part? It’s completely free to join.

- See more at: http://clone.betterbythemin.com/finance/bringing-social-networking-trading-game#sthash.NHjA1Cdn.dpuf

How to Write a Great Resume

A resume  is the first thing that your prospective employer sees. It is very important for a candidate to have a good resume in order to attract the best prospects. In these tough economic times, competition over a particular job may be fierce, and any mistake in your resume can prove to be very costly. 

Here are some tips to make your resume stand out:

Length

Many of us make this mistake of thinking that having a long resume is the best way of attracting an employer. The truth is that you only have to put in the essential information that the employer may find useful. The number of pages doesn't make any impact whatsoever. In fact, in a lot of cases, it's better to limit the length to no more than a single page.

Keep Modifying

Each employer has his/her own needs and requirements and you must ensure that the resume you send to them is relevant to what the employer is looking for. Otherwise you won't be even called in for an interview. Make sure you make your resume as relevant to the job as possible. 

Things You Have to Include

There are certain things that are essential: Your contact details (an email address won't do here, so make sure to add your permanent address and phone number as well) and your education details starting from your high school education and ending with your latest degree are both essential. Of course, prior work experience is always a must.

Things You Shouldn't Include

There is no need for you to put in personal details like marital status, gender, and family details. This information adds nothing of any value to the employer and it only makes your resume unnecessarily long. 

Common Mistakes

Be careful with typos as it is one thing that really puts off employers. Stay away from using any fancy fonts. Use just one simple font throughout the resume and if needed underline or use bold letters. Lying of course, is a no-no. Finally, don't include your picture in the resume unless you are going for a modeling job. Most places don't really care about your selfie-taking skills! 

- See more at: http://clone.betterbythemin.com/business/how-write-great-resume#sthash.WRs1k3QW.dpuf

HOW TO SET UP AN ONLINE BUSINESS

These days you see a lot of people trying their luck in setting up an online business, but there are only a few who are able to keep it going for a long time and make it a successful venture. If you're tempted to do the same, there are certain things you should take into consideration before jumping in. Here are some tips for starting up your own online business:

• Having the right mindset: No matter what we do, having the right mindset is very important. You have to be thorough about each and every aspect of online business and must gather all the relevant facts and figures. If you are having any doubts about what you are doing you should probably reconsider your decision.
• Zero-in on a niche: If you are serious about your online business, you must find a niche, at least in the beginning, as you need to focus and channel your energy into one specific field before thinking of expanding it.
• Audience and competition: Without having the right knowledge about your prospective audience and competition you cannot move forward. You can easily find out the potential of your customer base and the competition that you might face by doing a few simple Google searches. If the parameters seem to be bright, you can go ahead to the next step.
• Domain name and hosting: Once you've decided your niche, the next step is to find a domain name and hosting account. After ensuring that the domain is available you need to register it. Make sure to register it for a long time, or even with automatic renewal, so you don't lose the domain by accident.
• Setting-up a website:Of course now you need to build your site. You can use ready made templates and platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, or Wx.
• Set-up an e-mail delivery service: Newsletters are a very effective way of promoting your business and keeping in touch with your customers.
• Generate traffic: This may seem very straightforward but in reality, you have to be careful about how you go about generating traffic and promoting your site. Online ads are only partially effective. Make sure that you target your niche as carefully as possible, and be careful about the mode of advertising you choose.

If you stick to these simple steps, they can really help you go a long way in making your online business a success.  

- See more at: http://clone.betterbythemin.com/business/how-set-online-business#sthash.VMl3tyhK.dpuf