I sit in my apartment in Milan, looking out of the window on a street, light with sunlight and cannot stop smiling! A long, cold winter is officially over! And everything looks and feels different. The air is fresher. The snow has melted  and beautiful greens of every hue begin to shine in the sun. People look happier.

Everywhere you look, you see a transformation: days are getting longer, flowers are blooming and trees are getting new tiny leaves.

No wonder spring is considered the season of growth, renewal and love!
Spring is also the perfect time of the year to revitalize your senses and refresh your mind.

Here are tips that will help you to do just that:

1. Get rid of clutter. During the winter our homes tend to become filled with lots of bulk and piles of different things. It is both physically and emotionally healthy to simplify and de-clutter your work and living space once in a while. Right now is the perfect time to do that! Organize your desk, sort out old photos, make room in your closets by throwing or giving away anything that is unwanted, outdated, unused for 2 years or no longer fits. Let the energy flow freely.

2. Captivate your senses with aromatherapy. For thousands of years essential oils have been used by different cultures because of their health-promoting benefits. Use chamomile, bergamot, cedarwood, lavender, rose, or sandalwood to calm down your mind, ease anxiety and stress and soothe tensed muscles. Or choose citrus, peppermint, rosemary and thyme scents to energize your body and uplift your mood.

3. Take a few moments to meditate. Meditation is a great way to calm your mind, increase concentration, release negative feelings and regain your emotional strength.

4. Do nothing for a half an hour. As it turns out there are many physical benefits of doing nothing and just being lazy. Research shows that people who would rather relax in a hammock and read a book instead of working on their laptop or doing their house chores have a better chance of living into old age. Give yourself some rest!

5. Take mini-vacations during the day. You do not have to wait for a two-week vacation to feel rejuvenated and energetic. Instead you can take 15-minute mini-vacations every hour or so to regain your strengths and put some space between you and your hectic work schedule.

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Bzzzz… Bzzzz…
The annoying sound of an alarm clock pulls you out of your dream. You open your eyes, make an enormous mental effort and take one hand out of the covers and hit “snooze” to happily drift back to sleep. A few moments later you hear the same familiar sound. Have 15 minutes already passed? You calculate that you can afford another 15 minutes of lolling about and hit snooze again.

By the time you drag yourself out of bed you have just enough time left to take a quick shower, get dressed, gulp down orange juice and grab something “eatable” on your way to the door. You spend the rest of the day feeling somehow annoyed and frustrated, because it seems that all you are doing is trying to catch up with your busy schedule! Does it sound familiar?

If yes, than the morning is probably not your favorite time of the day. Just like it was not for me. Although, I have learned that it does not have to be this way!

Here is how to make your mornings enjoyable and start your day on the right foot:

1. End the previous day right. Never go to bed in a bad mood. Settle any arguments, let go of frustration and make a conscious effort to relax your whole body. Calm down your racing mind. Stop thinking about work or going over all the stuff that needs to be done. Night time is meant for rest so make the most of it.

2. Get enough sleep. Being a night person myself I know how tempting it may be to stay up late chatting with your friends or just watching your favorite movie at home. It is fun, but you need to be smart about it. If you are robbing yourself of two extra hours of sleep, you are doing yourself a great disservice. 7 hours of sleep is an absolute must for most people in order to feel refreshed and energized the next day.

3. Do not close your blinds all the way. Our body has a built-in biological clock that is synchronized with natural light. When we find ourselves in darkness, our brain starts to produce “the hormone of darkness” – melatonin that signals to our body that it is time to sleep. Melatonin production is inhibited by light and this is how our body knows that it is time to get up. If you sleep in complete darkness, you will wake up in the morning feeling light-headed and tired.

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Health problems are usually explained by such factors as genetic heritage, stress, bad habits (smoking, drinking), lifestyle (nutrition, amount of exercise and sleep) and environmental factors (smog, pesticides, air or water pollution). However, there is another very important, but often overlooked factor that can noticeably impact our well-being. It is our belief system.

Our beliefs and expectations are very powerful. They not only guide our life choices and direct our actions, but they also serve as a filter through which we define ourselves and our reality. Our beliefs can either improve our health or damage it.

Have you ever heard of a Placebo Effect? It describes how a substance with no medical properties causes a patient to improve, just because they believe in its efficacy. Numerous clinical trials have demonstrated that a little bit of sugar can eliminate skin problems, reduce pain, noticeably improve physical performance, recover from mental trauma, and even cure cancer! The same “sugar pill” can make a person feel sick, cause anxiety and anger, make them feel drunk, cause a headache or a stomach ache, and even lead to such serious consequences as death.

Scientific research suggests that the Placebo Effect accounts for about 40% of all health improvements! It means that in 40 percent of cases our health improves ONLY because of our strong belief that the treatment will benefit us and not because of the qualities of an actual pill or therapeutic procedure or surgery.

For example, if you were told by your doctor and other medical authorities that reading this article will make you feel better, and be more energized and optimistic, there is a high chance that you will really notice positive health changes. Amazing, isn’t it?

What you believe about yourself and your well-being is immediately translated into a physiological response and affects the function of your body. The bottom line is, if you trick your mind into thinking that you are sick, you will actually become sick and vice versa. If you convince yourself that you are feeling better, your health will improve.

The most common destructive beliefs that have a negative impact on our health are:

1. Exaggeration of the real situation. (“I can’t handle it!”, “It is just intolerable!”, “The idea of doing it makes me sick!”)
2. Focusing on how unfair life is (“Why is it happening to me?!”, “It’s not fair!”, “It’s probably a punishment for…!”)
3. Blaming everyone and everything (“I hate my job! How can I quit smoking, when I feel stressed all the time?”).
4. Underestimating your own abilities (“I can’t do it!”, “I feel so helpless…”, “Why even trying…?”)
5. Putting oneself down (“I’m worthless.”, “I don’t deserve to be healthy or happy”, “How can anyone care about me?”)
6. Using your bad health to get some sympathy or as a manipulation tool (“You will give me a heart attack…”, “Why are you doing this, when you know I can’t worry/have a high blood pressure…”)

Our beliefs are also greatly influenced by the information that we receive from outside sources. Everyday we are exposed to ill-health messages. We are bombarded with news about different incurable diseases, traumas, and food poisonings. We watch TV programs and shows about accidents, viruses, hospitals and doctors. We read articles about particular diseases in the newspapers and magazines. Our friends, family members, co-workers and even people that we see for the first time give their opinions, suggestions and negative beliefs about ill-health.

If you are still skeptical about the influence of negative messages from outside sources on our health, try reading the symptoms of any common health problem, like depression or anxiety disorders. Chances are that you will find that you are experiencing half of the symptoms even though you can be the most optimistic and upbeat person on the Planet. The explanation is simple – most of us occasionally feel down, tired, and irritated. We can experience lack of appetite or have difficulty falling asleep. Does it mean that we all are suffering from severe depression or anxiety disorders? Of course not! But if we convince ourselves that we are, it will immediately affect our mood and well-being.

Each individual negative message by itself can do very little harm, but the endless stream of messages makes them hard to ignore. It also keeps our mind constantly focused on health problems and possible hazards. If you want to stay healthy and feel well:

• Become aware of the messages that you are sending to your subconscious mind.
• Use positive affirmations to improve your health.
• Reinforce your positive beliefs with health-enhancing actions (sign up for the gym, start making healthy food choices, incorporate relaxation and meditation into your routine, get more sleep).
• Limit your exposure to negative messages that you receive from outside sources.
• Develop a critical attitude towards ill-health that you hear on TV or from other people. For example, if your friend tells you that there is a new virulent form of common cold affecting the whole city, it does not necessarily mean that you will get sick too.

And remember, you have the ability to choose your own beliefs, attitudes and actions. If you want to take control of your life, you should not let others chose your beliefs for you!

More and more people nowadays choose as their main goal – to lose extra weight. However, anyone who has ever tried to lose weight will tell you that it is not as easy as it seems. New weight loss products and “magical” solutions appear on the market every day. We torture ourselves with new fad diets that promise us stunning results in no time, buy expensive home exercise machines, sign up for the gym, read books on healthy eating and pop diet pills. Some of us go as far as ordering weight loss pants that you put on before going to bed and “comfortably” sleep all night long, while our extra pounds just magically “melt away” with absolutely no effort on our part.

In the U.S. alone $33 billion are annually spent on various weight-loss products and services. And yet the number of overweight and obese people is steadily increasing every day. Research conducted by the International Obesity task force report that 58 million Americans are overweight, 40 million are obese and more than 3 million morbidly obese. It means that practically 8 out of 10 Americans over the age of 25 are classified as overweight or obese.

Losing weight is not easy. If it was, we would all be slim and fit by now. And it is not due to our weak motivation, because the majority of people are ready to pay any price to lose extra weight and keep it off. It is not due to a lack of desire to change eating habits; otherwise the diets would not be so popular. Genetics plays only a minor role in excessive weight gain, as our DNA has not undergone any noticeable change in the last 30 years.

There can be only one explanation – such drastic growth rate of overweight and obesity is caused by environmental factors that most of us are unaware about.

1. Technological innovations. While technological changes certainly make our life easier, they are one of the main factors contributing to weight gain. Tasks that required expenditure of energy just a few decades ago nowadays require very little effort or no effort at all. When we want to change a TV channel, lower the volume of the stereo system, turn on the air conditioner, or open the garage doors, we do not need to get up any more. All we have to do is press a button on the remote control. If we invite friends for a party, we do not have to worry about cooking or washing dishes. We have microwaves and dishwashers to save us time and effort. Shopping has gotten easier than ever. You do not even have to leave your house any more. You can order anything from groceries to clothes and the latest gadgets online and your purchase will be delivered right to your door. No wonder that according to the latest research groups, the population that has had the greatest ability to take advantage of technological innovations has had the biggest increases in weight.
2. Processed food. Technological innovations have made it possible for food to be mass produced. Even though it takes just 5-10 minutes to prepare a meal, most of the pre-made food that we buy and consume is “empty calorie” food. It means that while it contains the same amount of energy (calories) as fresh food it lacks such micronutrients as minerals, vitamins, amino acids and fiber that are responsible for healthy body functioning. Generally “empty calories” are converted to fat and lead to weight gain.
3. Oversized meals. The portions that are served by fast food and other restaurants are far larger than the recommended portion size for most foods. Wherever you go you are offered “all-you-can-eat” platters, get a bigger size portion for just a few extra bucks, or add a desert for 0.99 cents. Such “deals” make us feel as we are getting more value for our money and we rarely say “no”. As a result we are becoming accustomed to oversized portions that we start to think of them as “normal”. In reality, however, a regular meal served to you in a restaurant usually contains more than 1000 calories.
4. Variety of food. Over the past few decades buffets have become very popular. Even though the concept of a buffet sounds appealing, research has shown that when we are given more choices we tend to eat more. Even if you decide to merely “taste” everything, this nibbling leads most of us to consume much more food than we would normally eat at a typical meal. Not to mention that eating lots of different products in one serving, weakens the digestive system and leads to such problems as indigestion, heartburn, stomach cramps and acid reflux.
5. Not having enough physical activity. If we gain weight, we either consume more calories than we need or expend fewer calories than we consume. With the number of hours we spend in front of the computer, TV or in our car, we expend very little physical energy. This is why it is really important not only to pay attention to what and how much you eat, but to incorporate more exercise into your daily activities. For example, to “burn” 150 calories (three Oreo cookies or one can of Pepsi) a regular person would have to walk for a mile and a half, otherwise those unneeded calories will be transformed to fat.
6. Snacks between meals. With our hectic lifestyle at times it can be difficult to find time for a proper lunch break. Most of us are either `eating on the move’ or skip lunch all together and substitute it with snacks. Snacking has become a part of our daily routine. We munch on popcorn while watching a movie at a movie theater, order a basket of chips or chicken wings whenever we go out to have a drink with friends, snack on chocolate while at work or eat some cookies while watching our favorite reality show on TV. Most of the snacks and pastries contain high amounts of refined sugars, trans fats, white flour, salt and numerous food additives, while having very little nutritional value. All of these little snacks add up to an excessive amount of calories over the weeks and months. On average, about 3,500 calories equal one pound. So if you are trying to eat healthy, but still gaining weight, pay close attention to snacks that you eat between meals.
7. Fad diets and “magical solutions”. Most of the fad diets are popular, because they promise that you will lose extra weight fast. There is a problem, however. Our bodies were designed to help us survive. When you start eating less food, your body enters “starvation mode” and tries to save energy by slowing down its metabolic rate. In this case the body gets rid of lean muscle mass and water. As soon as you start eating normally, your body will immediately store any incoming fat in fat cells to make sure that there is an energy reserve, in case you decide to go on starvation diet again. Therefore, the faster you lose weight, the faster you will gain it all back. And you will probably weight more than before you started a diet.