Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. 

Abraham Lincoln

Quotes of the week

Monday:

•It's Monday morning and I have ZERO WORRIES, none whatsoever! No worries just blessings and happiness.


Tuesday:

•The possibilities are endless. Don't limit yourself, think out the box. Do things differently and MAKE IT HAPPEN. 

Wednesday:

•Wake up with passion and drive in your heart. Go to bed satisfied knowing you did everything you had to do, you did your best and you made a difference.

Thursday: 

•Fear free zone. No fear allowed. 

Friday:

•Make your own opportunities - open your own doors. You are responsible for your own success.

Have an amazing and productive week everyone! 

Peace. Happiness. Success. 

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Too much sitting without adequate movement is bad for you: 17 lifesaving stretches you can do wherever you are.

Hello Giants

For some, waking up and going to work is a struggle. Sad as it is, many people hate their jobs. They dread going to work, sitting long hours on end, hour after hour, meeting after meeting, by the end of the day they are exhausted and their bodies ache – have you wondered why? Some people don’t sit correctly or they don’t stretch or move their bodies to get some circulation into their tissues. Sitting at the office for long hours on end shouldn’t affect your health negatively, here are a few stretches you can do at the comfort of your own office. And the best thing about these stretches is that they can be done anywhere, not only in the office but at home, at school, if you’re a cashier it can be done right there while waiting for a customer, if you’re a security guard you can do them while you work, if you’re the president you can do it while you run the country any time and any day. All this in the comfort of wherever you are. As a student I know about sitting hours on end in the lecture hall, well guess what? In the 15 minute break between each lecture, you too can do these stretches.

So why all the fuss? Sitting decreases processes which increases health risks thus your blood pressure and blood sugar levels increase, excess body fat around waist and abnormal cholesterol levels. This may increase risk of cardiovascular disease. Your metabolism essentially slows down which also plays a role in weight gain. The main issue with sitting for long periods of time is the absence of movement rather than time spent sitting.

Solution:

1.   Stay hydrated – Set an alarm every hour to fetch water/fill your water bottle. This way you stay hydrated and you move more and also drinking lots of water will hydrate you which is always good and water also causes you to use the bathroom more which means standing up and moving.
2. Take regular breaks – The human brain can concentrate at optimum performance for an average of 40 to 50 mins therefore after 40 to 50 mins of you focusing on your work and sitting down then take a 10 to 20 mins break, which then during the break you should – walk around the office, go to the bathroom, fetch some water/files or you can do the below stretches. Impact of movement whether subtle or short can make a huge difference not only does it burn calories but it increases your energy levels. As stated above, muscle activity triggers breakdown of fats and sugars with the body.                SIT LESS, MOVE MORE
3. Watch less TV – People spend a lot of time watching television – not only do they sit for hours on end doing nothing but a lot of these people eat/binge while doing so. There’s nothing wrong with eating or watching some television. However when you eat and don’t exercise it causes weight gain especially when eating the wrong foods. So watch what you eat while sitting in front of the telly, drink lots of water especially when you’re craving snacks. Instead of watching television why not go for a walk/run, walk/play with your dog/kids, clean the house or do the garden, go for a swim, play soccer – trust me there’s a lot you can do rather than sitting at home and watching television. If you enjoy reading books then opt to read but remember to take your regular breaks, stretch and move around. And if you really have to watch television then take regular breaks for some movement.
4. Stand up more – Stand in meetings or walk around while you speak or present if it’s possible.
5.  Stretch – Stretching will increase blood flow to muscles and therefore processes start up again. Increasing metabolism, using the glucose in your blood and tissues. Reboots your energy levels and increases your flexibility and also feels great.

Below is an example of the amount of calories I would burn - Sitting vs Standing (Use the app Calorielab.com to see you calorie difference.)

(Image source: lifehack.org)
(Article source: 

• www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005
• www.moneycrashers.com/why-sitting-bad-health/
• www.huffingtonpost.com/nilofer-merchant/sitting-is-the-smoking-of-our-generation_b_2506748.html )

Peace. Happiness. Success.

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"Screw it, Let's do it" - Lessons in Life by Richard Branson Review

Hello Giants

Taking the time to read more and learn more was probably one of the best things I’ve decided to do this year. Looking back I ask myself “why it took so long for me to make this decision.” But better late than never I say.

In this post I will be reviewing Screw it, Let’s do it – Lessons in Life by Richard Branson.

What is the book about?

• Mr. Branson shares with us lessons he has learnt so far in his life. From his childhood days to his days as a billionaire. He explains all these lessons and in a way urges you to learn from his experiences. He takes the time to give us an exclusive detailed look on the kind of person, businessman and billionaire he is by sharing the highlights in his life and the things he has had to do and overcome to be where he is today. What I find different about the book is his emphasis on working hard as well as having fun. There are many books although helpful in one way or another, that only focus on the work aspect of the topic, instead of also emphasizing the fact that in all things, you have to enjoy and love what you doing to make it all worth it. Richard Branson says “Have fun, work hard and money will come”, “Have a positive outlook on life” and “When it’s not fun, move on”. He couldn’t have said it any better.  I really love the fact that this book is more motivating than anything, not only does it make you want to get up and achieve your goals but it also explains the importance of doing certain things a certain way and most importantly to be yourself and keep to your word, a quality many have lost.

About the author

• Self-made and hardworking, Sir Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin group which comprises of more than 400 companies. He has a serious passion for adventure that has led him to break records and continue to set bars for others to try and achieve. He is a philanthropist and plays a major role in making a difference in the world. He has been awarded multiple awards and was knighted by Prince Charles for his “services to entrepreneurship”.  And for those of you who don’t know, he has a net worth of $5.3 Billion. Not bad for a man who is a firm believer of “Having Fun”.

Who is it for?

• I would recommend this book to each and every person. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing in life, whether you’re young or old, this book will relate to everybody. This book tackles every area of your life not just business but life in general. These are legit life lessons he talks about in his book.

My Rating

•         A solid 9/10 – I wasn’t lying when I said I loved this book. So far it’s one of my favourite.

A brief summary of the book by the man himself:

•          “Just do it.
•     Think yes, not no.
•     Challenge yourself.
•     Have goals.
•     Have fun.
•     Make a difference.
•     Stand on your own feet.
•     Be loyal.
•     Live life to the full.”

Source:  Screw it, Let’s do it by Richard Branson

More on the book

•         This is the kind of book you read without a break. All you want to do is get to the end – not because it’s boring but because you’re so excited and inspired to get your life going and successful. The moment I finished reading it, I was motivated. All my life as much as I was a go getter I had a lot of excuses of not doing certain things, mainly excuses justifying why I shouldn’t do something or why it would never work or what someone would say about it. But after this book, I have found a new outlook – JUST DO IT and YOU CAN DO IT. It’s amazing how the right book at the right time can change your whole mindset and fuel you to achieve all that you want. I’ve always been about FUN, a view not many people I knew agreed with. People have this twisted view of how ‘too much fun is bad for you or is a waste of time or is unnecessary.’ Reading about one of the wealthiest people in the world and how much fun he has and how important fun is to him made me realize that FUN is an important aspect of one’s life and when you are happy, everything seems to come naturally and everything you do no matter how difficult is worth it.

Few Quotes from his book:

 

Peace. Happiness. Success. 
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Quotes of the week

Monday:

•You are responsible for your own success. You create your future and fate. It's all YOU. So PAVE YOUR WAY.

Tuesday:

•What's your excuse? 

Wednesday:

•I'm grateful for all my mistakes, without them I wouldn't be where I am and who I am today. I've lived and I've learnt from all my mistakes. 

Thursday: 

•The destination remains the same. 

Friday:

•No regrets. None whatsoever. 

Have an amazing and productive week everyone! 

Peace. Happiness. Success. 

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Quotes of the Week

Monday:

• It's a new week. Time to renew your mind, thoughts and dreams. 

Tuesday:

• There are no limits to what you can do.    Anything and everything is possible. 

Wednesday:

• "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I'm possible." - Audrey Hepburn 

Thursday:

• Don't let fear dictate what you can and cannot do. You decide your fate. 

Friday:

• "The most pathetic person in the world is some one who has sight but no vision." - Hellen Keller 

Wishing you an amazing week ahead. 

Peace. Happiness. Success. 

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Welcome Back

Hello Giants

I am both happy and a bit disappointed on the fact that this is the first post of the year. However I have valuable reasons as to why I haven't been active on the blog. 

My biggest reason is mainly that I have been going through a lot of things. I've been dealing with depression. My depression was due to many things in my life, mostly because of my studies and my loss of passion and direction in life. I'll be doing a post on how I dealt with my depression soon because I think it's important to share this and to try and help as many people as I possibly can. 

The other reason I have been M.I.A is to read as many books as I can (on top of my medical studies), so I can do more book reviews on the blog. I took the time to educate myself even during my depression so I can share the amazing and educational books that are out there. Books that can and will help many of you move from strength to strength and from success to success. Look out for the book reviews... You'll thank me later.

The last thing I want to say is thank you for sticking with me. This year the blog will be doing big and amazing things you don't want to miss out on. I look forward to hearing from you and HAPPY 2016! ALL THE BEST AND WISHING YOU LOTS OF SUCCESS IN THE YEAR AHEAD. 

Peace. Happiness. Success.

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