Category: Lifestyle
Your Lifestyle influence your body and soul every each day.
Reality or Fantasy?
What makes us happy? A very good question to which there are certainly many answers.
A thousand things can make us happy, from a cup of good coffee in the morning to a hug from a loved one.
One thing seems certain: only things that really exist or really happen have real emotional value for us.
On the other hand, we consider the world of dreams or fantasies to be a waste of time and a disappointment if it does not correspond to reality.
But – Is that really the case?
The fact is – our brain cannot clearly distinguish between reality and fantasy.
It experiences ideas just as intensely as real events. An example: imagine a lemon that you would like to bite into. You immediately feel the fragrant peel and the sour taste of the juice on your lips. Your saliva starts flowing. You enjoy the whole process, assuming you’ve had this experience before.
As a result, you are also able to really experience certain experiences and emotions with the help of your imagination. This phenomenon was discovered scientifically a long time ago and is used in psychology. There are mental training programs that help athletes or patients feel better.
Everyone can use the power of imagination.
Are you not 25 years old anymore?
Then close your eyes, take a deep breath and imagine for a moment that it is you! What would happen? How would you feel? Your back straightens. You take one deep breath after another, you would feel energy and drive.
Have you always wanted to be a king or queen?
Then put on your most beautiful suit or dress, walk a few steps like a king or queen, greet your imaginary subjects with dignity. How does that feel? Are you king or queen for this moment?
Does that sound stupid? You would never do that?
Are dreams of no use? Just the sole acceptance of reality?
It would be a shame to give up dreams! This would result in the loss of a very useful resource – the healing power of our imagination. Because with your imagination you can imagine and live through anything, almost like in reality. Because needs that are not fulfilled eat away at our soul.
Here are my 5 tips for successful dreaming:
– Allow yourself to dream!
– Accept that some things remain just a dream and that’s a good thing!
– Perform personal, regular dream rituals by finding a quiet place or starting one after wakingup.
– Imagine your desired constellations as precisely as possible: what you want to feel, see or smell and how you feel.
– Enjoy the moment, know that this is good for your body and your soul, regardless of whether the dream comes true or not!
Voilà!
The Power of Hormones
We are full of energy, our mood is great, we are well rested, balanced and can cope with our everyday lives effortlessly.
A fantastic scenario that we wish for the rest of our lives. The score for this is based on good physical condition.
Our hormones play the music: Adrenaline, Cortisol, Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphins and numerous other great substances.
Not to forget the powerful sex hormone trio of Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone. The source of hormones bubbles up at a young age. However, as we get older it starts to fade.
Can we do something about it to keep it bubbling forever?
Lifestyle definitely plays a big role here. Anyone who does sports, about 2.5 hours a week with endurance and strength training, ensures a regular endorphin shot.
The king of excitement and adventure is adrenaline. Small challenges every now and then play in his cards.
Cortisol is an unpopular hormone because it is mainly involved in stress. However, in small doses it is useful because it curbs an overly aggressive immune system.
Dopamine is a relationship hormone. Every compliment we can receive ensures its output.
A true solar hormone is serotonin. It ensures a good mood and a bright mind. We get it when we experience a sunrise, are outside a lot and look at the sun. In the evening, melatonin is formed from serotonin. It allows us to fall asleep and stay asleep easily.
What about the important sex hormones – the most sensitive divas of the hormone landscape: Estrogen, Progesteron, Testoseron?
Here nature is not squeamish and simply wants to take it away from us when time seems to have run out. This hits women particularly hard.
First, the corpus luteum hormone progesterone withdraws when the eggs run out. After that, estrogen becomes rare. At some point, testosterone levels out at a low level in both cases women and men.
Many women then experience unpleasant side effects of deficiency, even though they are in the prime of their life. Some more, others less. This is very unfortunate because women’s ability to have sexual experiences remains unchanged throughout their lives. Live out your sexuality
This is where human intelligence comes into play!
What research and pharmaceutical production has achieved here in the last few decades is phenomenal, with the aim of helping women in their time of need. Like the extraction of hormones from the urine of pregnant mares, which after 50 years is now fortunately a thing of the past.
The modern substances are now produced from plants. They are rich in phytoestrogens and closely replicate human estrogen and progesterone. They are therefore referred to as bioidentical and compensate for hormone deficits, meaning they have almost no side effects
Worth mentioning is the wonderful book “Woman on Fire” by the German-American gynecologist and scientist Dr. Sheila de Liz. She has shed light on this topic and taken away the fear of HRT for many women. http://Wikipedia, Dr. Sheila de Liz
A widespread hormonal plague is hypothyroidism due to a deficiency in the thyroid hormone thyroxine, which is responsible for metabolism. Women over 50 are most commonly affected. Here too, treatment consists of increasing the missing amount of hormones.
The trio of estrogen, progesterone and thyroxine ultimately makes the music that keeps the female body healthy and beautiful – well into old age.
Here are my tips for optimal hormone balance:
1. Exercise to have endorphins (and other hormones) on a regular basis.
2. Spend at least 1 hour outside every day to have enough serotonin during the day and melatonin in the evening
3. Maintain good friendships and relationships with family, which provide dopamine
4. Take on challenges to give yourself a shot of adrenaline
5. Check the levels of thyroxine and sex hormones in order to adjust them with appropriate preparations, if there are deficiencies.
Voilà!
You can find everything you need within yourself
We want to be seen, loved and recognized, making a good impression.
Natural, understandable and honorable needs. Because we are social creatures, highly dependent on each other.
That’s how nature wants it. On the one hand, it encourages us to improve our personality and appearance. But on the other hand, pressure and doubt arise when the results do not meet expectations.
The word “expectations” contains the word “expect” for someone or something that could make us happy and content.
At the same time, nature has given us our own will and the freedom to make personal decisions. This not only affects actions, but also our feelings.
The expectations of other people are usually self-imposed chains. It’s up to us to get rid of them!
We can limit them and view our own possibilities as “unlimited”.
These options include:
- Strengthening self-love, in all its facets. The power of self-love
- To be present and completely with yourself in every moment without giving up control over your own feelings
- Planning individual experiences, independent of other people
- Creating retreats and visiting them regularly
- Respect and care for your own body
- Keep the inner dialogue positive
- Learning to let it go
Anyone who pays more attention to their inner self and seeks fulfillment and satisfaction there becomes more independent of external influences and other people and retains control over their own emotional world.
This helps you to cope better alone and gives you more calmness in everyday life.
Here are my 5 tips for more freedom and peace of mind:
1. Clearly define your main needs, preferably in writing
2. Ask yourself every day whether these needs can be met on your own
3. Build in beautiful self-love rituals every day: body care, styling, sexual experiences, Live out your sexuality , home-cooked food
4. Accept that you cannot be “everybody’s darling” and that this is a good thing
5. Write down 3 sentences why you can love yourself better than someone else, along the lines of “I can love me better than you can!”
Voilà.
True freedom comes from inner
Day in and day out we feel challenged, we are in demand and commited. We write to-do-lists, try to manage everything so as not to neglect this and that. Even recovery times are planned meticulously.
At the end of the day, we wonder if we really felt free, at least at times.
Free from challenges, desires and thoughts: this state of lightness and independence in absolute harmony with ourself and the moment. But something is always in the air. We never seem to get rid of it.
The good news is: we can keep it at a distance emotionally.
It’s not easy, but you can learn to face the circumstances of life with composure. Break free from your own desires and thoughts is a feat in comparison.
Our wishes and the thoughts associated with them are at the forefront. Desires ingenerel are not bad. If they advance us as a personality, expand our knowledge horizons or want to show someone our love, they are the lifeblood of our development.
On the other hand, there are wishes that should be questioned. Fears or the pursuit of fictitious values are often behind it, such as unnecessary possessions or wanting to impress someone.
What sets us free is our authenticity. It requires healthy self-love The power of self-love, it is also important to take our needs seriously, not always to be everybodys darling, to stand by our opinion, to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses. Because true freedom comes from inner!
Here’s my good 7-point plan to “break free”:
- Ask yourself the question every day: “Is this my life? Do I want it like this?”
2. Check your wishes for sustainability, discover “substitute wishes” and do without them
3. See what you can remove from your to-do-list forever
4. Create space for breathing and relaxation exercises. They help you see things from a different perspective.
Cold and Deep Breathing: 2 Keys to Staying Young
5. Your bed is the place for dreams and pleasures, not a planning and project center
6. Never neglect your true needs, look for ways to fulfill them
7. See yourself as a part of the universe that guides and protects you. It helps to let it go. Spirituality:Humbug or Hope?
Voila!
Spirituality – Humbug or Hope?
The term “spirituality” comes from the Latin word “spirit” – and means “spirituality” or “inner life”.
In our materialized life there is unfortunately little space for questions of spirituality, at most on days like before Christmas.
Nevertheless, it is expressed in different directions of belief: within a religion, a community of interests or in intellectual debates with the world and oneself.
The latter aspect is particularly interesting because it is about individual attitudes towards life and beliefs.
If the world around us is constantly changing and sometimes appears threatening to us, then it is high time for inner contemplation in order to find stability.
Believing in the higher meaning of creation and that we cannot control everything, we come to inner strength. It gives us strength to change things that we can change or to accept things that cannot be changed.
“You are what you think” – this is why “Mind Care” is so important to control of own thoughts! TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR THOUGHTS!
Spirituality brings inner serenity with it, which allows us to go through life more relaxed and joyful.
How does one come to an effective spirituality?
Here I’d like to share with you my 6 personal approaches to more spirituality in your life:;
- Connect yourself spiritually with something big – an idea, a movement, belief in a higher, protective power or in the eternal cycle of nature and so on …
2. Meditate regularly – ideally twice a day for 15 minutes, in order to be “in here and now” with yourself
3. Think “good” about yourself and other people, use positive thoughts like “I’m good enough” or “everyone tries their best”
4. Define difficult life situations as challenges, try to see opportunities and what you can learn from certain experiences
5. Find your own life vision and bring it to your mind as often as possible. This will help you to pursue specific goals and implement them.
6. Learn the gratitude – write every evening 3 things, you are thankful for.
I wish you much success!
Voilà!
Grow older – stay young!
“Forever young”—it’s a dream we all share.
Staying fit and healthy forever, moving painlessly, being mentally fit and capable of enjoying every aspect of life long into old age is what everyone wants.
But when it comes to aging, the question is whether we can influence the laws of nature—and if so, how much? And above all, how can we do it?
When I observe people over 70 from time to time, I notice some profound differences.
Some have plenty of energy and seem upbeat. For others, every step is a struggle against invisible obstacles.
When I speak with them, it’s obvious that they have very different attitudes about life.
The fit and healthy ones believe they have the power to influence the aging process. The skeptics say: “I’m too old for this and that, and I’ve just got to accept it. What can I do about it?” So they do nothing.
But there’s plenty of science to support those who refuse to resign themselves to the effects of aging, who want to attempt the impossible in order to achieve what’s possible.
Nowadays we have the opportunity to maximize our lifelong potential in ways that people couldn’t have imagined 40 or 50 years ago. Not to mention the improvements we can make to our quality of life along the way.
The magic word here is epigenetics, a term that describes how our lifestyles can affect our genes, including the ones that impact life expectancy.
There are plenty of examples of how older people can transform the challenges of aging into opportunities. Every year new methods and products come onto the market to help people optimize their health as they age. I’ve written a few posts on this topic, including How to stay young longer and How to lower your biological age.
In the meantime, here are 15 of my best tips for staying (biologically) young:
- Get 7 ½ to 9 hours of sleep per night (For hints on how to improve your sleep, see This is how to sleep well).
- For an energetic start to your day, do 10 minutes of movement/exercise after waking up in the morning.
- Take a 30-second cold shower every day.
- Try to leave a 16-hour interval between dinner and breakfast (See my post about the benefits of interval fasting).
- Do 5 minutes of movement per 1 hour of sitting.
- Nutrition: minimal amounts of sugar and simple carbs; lots of vegetables, fish, fowl, beans, and fruit in moderation. Red meat once a week. 2 to 2 ½ liters of water or unsweetened tea daily. My anti-aging recipes
- Allow 3-4 hours between meals—and avoid snacks! Eat dinner before 7pm.
- Take the nutritional supplements that are right for you. Nutritional supplements: a smart addition
- Walk for 30 minutes a day (at least); do your favorite sport/workout 2-3 times per week.
- Do 10 minutes of stretching or yoga every other day.
- Practice 15 minutes of meditation per day.
- Have sex regularly (at least twice a week). Live out your sexuality
- Maintain your social contacts.
- Before going to bed: read a book or listen to relaxing music. When watching TV, use blue light-blocking glasses.
- Go to bed before 11pm.
Set your sights on a long, healthy, fulfilling life!
Voilà!
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Our Inner Anchor
We’re living in an age where very few things last. Everything in our world seems to be in a constant state of flux, and it feels like we hardly have any influence over the way things keep changing.
By now, every one of us has had the experience of showing up at our favorite café only to discover that a casino (or something like it) has opened in its place.
The professional world has become more unpredictable, too. Not to mention our personal relationships: we make friends quickly, and we lose them just as quickly.
Even love has become interchangeable, thanks to so many online dating platforms where we can fulfill our every need. (If our partnerships are going through a rough patch, this can lead to more than a few surprises.)
On one hand, all of this fluidity is a sign of progress. On the other hand, it seems like most of the familiar and reliable things in our lives are disappearing.
In the face of so much change, it’s easy to lose our bearings and feel as vulnerable as a tiny boat in a stormy ocean. In this case, we either need nerves of steel or a “nothing really matters” attitude—or both.
However, there’s one constant that remains in the midst of this fragile scenario: you.
Ultimately, you’re the one who takes care of yourself over the course of your life. You’re the one who carries yourself through all of life’s twists and turns. Only you can take responsibility for the ups and downs in your life!
And no one can take this responsibility away from you. This is why it’s so important to create a stable, resilient psychological core, to build and maintain what I call an “inner anchor.”
When you have an inner anchor, the changes and upheavals you’ll inevitably face in your life don’t throw you off track.
What exactly is an inner anchor—and what does it consist of?
From my point of view, it consists of three key components:
- The ability to accept things as they are
- The ability to let things go
- A healthy amount of self-love
When you build these three attributes, you improve your ability to cope with your external circumstances, no matter how serious they seem. You adopt an “it-is-what-it-is” attitude: if you can’t change your circumstances, then you learn to face them with calm and acceptance.
So what can you do to strengthen your inner anchor? Here are some powerful tools and exercises that I use:
- Meditate at least 15 minutes a day—to create distance from your surface thoughts and connect with your true self.
- If you perceive a problem in your life, acknowledge its right to exist.
- Explore 3 possible solutions to this problem, and choose the one with the greatest long-term implications.
- If you can’t solve the problem, let it be, and observe what happens as though you’re a spectator at a play.
- Be conscious of your inner dialogue, taking care to focus on your freedom and independence. TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR THOUGHTS!
- Look at yourself and your life in the context of the larger universe. This helps bring your ideas and assumptions into perspective.
Voilà!
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Stay young longer — with biohacking!
People often ask me what biohacking actually is.
To put it simply, it’s a movement whose goals go way beyond the idea of leading a “healthy lifestyle.”
Biohacking started over ten years ago among groups of young scientists and students in California, who began to systematically evaluate their physical, spiritual, and emotional health, as well as analyze their living conditions and environment. Their goal? To maximize individual performance and increase overall well-being.
In a nutshell: biohacking is about self-optimization. Finding the best version of yourself!
It incorporates the latest scientific and technological advances in the fields of health and wellness, developing them further and applying them in a practical context.
In other words, biohacking is an effective and applicable set of science-based practices that generate real results—and are easily adaptable to each person’s needs and goals.
Given its effectiveness, the number of biohacking enthusiasts around the world is growing steadily. I’m one of them.
Maximilian Gotzler, the founder of FlowGrade, is the most well-known biohacking advocate in Germany.
Although most people who practice biohacking are relatively young, the methods are particularly useful when it comes to anti-aging.
Anyone who commits to the principles of biohacking and adjusts their daily routine accordingly has a good chance of staying healthy and supple — i.e., young — for a longer period of time!
Fortunately, the practices are easy to integrate into everyday life and require just one thing: consistency!
What’s important to keep in mind: Movement, nutrition, and relaxation have an enormous influence on your health, performance, and biological age. Biohacking integrates specific recommendations in each of these key areas that significantly increase your likelihood of achieving successful results.
With that in mind, here are my 10 essential biohacks that everyone can start with:
- Take a cold shower for approximately 30 seconds every morning.
- Spend one hour a day outside, i.e. in natural sunlight.
- Work out to the point of sweating at least 3 times per week.
- Take 5 deep belly breaths at least three times a day. Meditate for 15 minutes a day, ideally before going to bed.
- Eat as little sugar and carbohydrates—like pasta, rice, and potatoes—as possible. Substitute them with vegetables and protein-rich foods. Drink 2.5 liters of water per day. Depending on your individual needs, take nutritional supplements.
- Wear blue light-blocking glasses in the evenings, and turn off all screens 1 hour before going to bed.
- Take 400mg of magnesium every evening. This relaxes the muscles and improves sleep quality.
- Practice interval fasting—allowing at least 16 hours between dinner and breakfast the next morning—at least 3 times per week.
- Have sex frequently.
- Get at least 7.5 hours of sleep every night – 9 hours are even better! Your bedroom should be absolutely dark (use sleep-mask), noiseless and have the temprerature about 16-18 degrees. (How to sleep better)
Voilà!
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Create the world you want!
Scientifically speaking, when it comes to our experience of the world, just 10% consists of actual events—the other 90% is our reactions to them.
This 90% varies as widely as people’s lifestyles in different parts of the world. The world is beautiful or terrible, depending on how we (want to) see it.
I’m not talking about extreme situations like war or natural disasters. I’m not talking about looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, either. What I’m talking about is focusing on the positive, and either accepting or working to change the negative. Instead of putting yourself at the mercy of a worldview, I’m talking about trying to shape your experience of the world as much as you can.
I’ll show you how to turn a half-empty glass into a half-full one.
Do you have an inner critic or partner who wakes up with you and serves up your worries for breakfast? Is your stress level so high that you have no idea how to bring it down? Are you unsure about how to deal with the fears that other people project onto you? What about all your “good intentions”—to exercise more often, eat healthier, and sleep better?
You’ll find answers to these questions in my posts on this site.
In the meantime, I’d like to share with you my 10 personal strategies for experiencing the world in a more positive way—and feeling better in the process:
- After waking up, take some time for your morning rituals. Give your worries and problems a break. You gave them some of your time yesterday. Celebrate each new day as if it’s a gift.
- Review your to-do list. Schedule a 10-15 minute break between each task to move and do some deep breathing.
- Be grateful that you can experience the world in the first place. Try to look at it without judgment.
- Once a day, do something that takes you out of your comfort zone. Try something new! It can be something small, like walking on an unfamiliar path or trying an unusual flavor of chocolate. In the meantime, check in with yourself: “How am I doing right now? What feelings are coming up—and why?”
- Celebrate every success, no matter how small it seems. The key here is not to set the bar too high. Reward yourself with things that bring you joy.
- Practice self-love and try not leave too much room for self-criticism. Choose to focus on your strengths and achievements.
- Set aside about an hour each day to reflect on worries and problems. Write down 3 solutions for each problem. Choose the solution that most appeals to you and break it down into small steps, with a deadline.
- If someone offends you, question their behavior. Why did they talk or act this way? What’s their motivation? Why did I react the way I did? Remember: most personal attacks are based on other people’s fears, lack of self-esteem, or projections of their own problems. Try not to take everything personally! Surround yourself with people who think positively. Avoid spoilsports and whiners.
- Forgive yourself for your mistakes—and learn from them.
- Forgive others for their mistakes—and learn from them.
Voilà.