Meditation has so many amazing benefits (that you can read all about here) to help improve your mind and body. Though many meditation beginners get frustrated with the difficulty of completing a practice without their mind constantly wandering - which is actually entirely normal!
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Here are 8 tips that will help you begin and improve your practice:

1. Get Comfortable
Feeling uncomfortable throughout your practice will distract you and pull your attention towards it. Try using pillows and others props to help support an upright and attentive posture.


2. Relax your body
For your mind to be able to effectively concentrate on your practice, you need to begin by relaxing the body. Try taking several deep breaths prior to beginning your practice. This will help release the tension in your body.


3. Prepare your surroundings
It is important to find a meditation location that is free from external interruptions (think phones, tv's, etc.). Find a private space where you know that you won't be disrupted. Using headphones is a great way to minimize distractions.


4. Watch your breath
Focus on the inhalation and exhalation of each breath. By doing this, you'll be less likely to have your mind wander. You can also count in your ahead with each inhale, then count back down with each exhale.


5. Re-center your focus
Your mind inevitably will wander during your practice, this happens to even long time meditation practitioners. Simply let your thoughts and emotions come into presence, observe that they are there (that's all they really want!) and then let them go. Try and refrain from identifying and holding onto them.


6. Keep a half-smile
Adopt a simple half-smile throughout your practice. A ton of stress and tension is actually held in our facial muscles - a subtle smile can help relieve this.


7. Bring attention to your heart beat
Following your heart beat will not only help you from wandering your mind, but also brings an aliveness as our heart pumps blood throughout our entire body. Be grateful for the power of the heart.


8. Don't judge your practice
​You are never doing it "wrong". Meditation beginners often get turned off because they feel they aren't doing it right. Remember, there is really no wrong way to meditate - it is simply just you being at one with your own self.



Note: The great thing is that you can meditate for as little as 5 minutes per day and still receive many of these amazing benefits meditation offers. Try MeditateBot[free] for Messenger today and start benefiting from a daily meditation practice!


About us: At The Mindful Tech Lab, we develop and market apps that are easily ingrained into your daily routine to deliver positive results. We are most known for our Facebook Messenger chatbots that help you live your best life, you can check them each out by clicking on their links:

MotivateBot - Motivation
MeditateBot - Meditation
Daily FitBot - Fitness
HealthyBot - General Health
Eat Clean Bot - Healthy Recipes
StoicBot - Stoic Philosophy

Who doesn’t love brunch? Just because you are eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to skip your weekly brunch with friends! It’s all about making the right choices so that you can enjoy a meal outside of your kitchen once and a while.
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Here are the best choices for brunch that you should be able to find one or more of on any brunch menu:


Appetizer

Bowl of fruit - Go for the melon and/or berries which have the lowest sugar. Fruits with the greatest amount of sugar include tropical fruits such as banana, pineapple, mango - go easy on these tropical fruits.


Main Course

Eggs benedict - Request for some greens to serve as the “bun” for the eggs and skip the english muffin. Also ask for hollandaise on the side - restaurants typically smother your eggs in so much hollandaise that you can't even taste the rest of the meal. Take back the control and ask for this on the side.

Egg omelette - With lots of veggies. Again skip the breakfast potatoes or toast. If you are extra hungry then add some more fat in the form of avocado, guacamole, or cheese, or consider adding another protein like ground turkey if this is an option.

Egg white omelette - If you are not feeling egg yolks, this is also a great option. Ask to have it made with lots of veggies and hold the breakfast potatoes. Egg whites have zero fat so consider bulking them up with healthy fat such as avocado, guacamole, or cheese (if you can tolerate).

Scrambled eggs - With lots of veggies. Depending how hungry you are, you could consider adding avocado, guacamole, or cheese for some extra fat or another serving of protein such as turkey. Note: be weary of sausage or bacon which are processed meats and may also have had sugar added to them.

Eggs - When in doubt, order a side of 3-4 eggs. Poached is best because the eggs are cooked in water without any added oil.

Oatmeal - PLAIN. No added raisins/maple syrup/brown sugar/honey/agave etc. Berries are ok. This is your choice only if you are really craving something carb heavy or sweet, and if you are between this and ordering the stack of pancakes. Add some cinnamon on top to blunt the blood sugar increase that comes with eating carbs.


Drink

Prosecco - Mimosas are over-rated. Why waste any of that tiny flute space on some high sugar syrupy, over-processed orange juice? Prosecco has enough sweetness in itself, but if you must, ask for just a splash of OJ.

Dry white wine - “dry” is code for low sugar. Under all circumstances go for the drier wines such as sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Stay away from riesling or white zinfandel tend to basically be grape juice.

Dry rose - Rose in general is pretty sweet. so a dry rose may be hard to find, but still worth asking if the restaurant has one available.


About the author: Sarah-Kate Rems is an Ivy-league trained Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner licensed in California and New York State with an expertise in preventative healthcare. She considers nutrition and exercise to be the basis of well-being and is a strong advocate for daily physical activity and maintaining a healthy diet. Sarah-Kate is also a co-founder of The Mindful Tech Lab

There are so many amazing benefits of meditation. Not only does it make you feel good in the moment while meditating, but it also actually changes the way your brain operates, and scientific research has proven it.
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You've probably heard about all of the elite athletes, business leaders, and other successful people talking about the power of meditation. Here are 7 benefits, backed by science, to help you better understand how a daily meditation practice can improve your life.

1. Lowers Stress
"Meditation has been proven to decrease mood disturbances and stress symptoms in both male and female patients..." Read the entire study here

2. Reduces pain
"After four-days of mindfulness meditation training, meditating in the presence of noxious stimulation significantly reduced pain-unpleasantness by 57% and pain-intensity ratings by 40% when compared to rest." Read the entire study here

3. Increases brain grey matter (which helps process information)
"Meditation practice has been shown not only to benefit higher-order cognitive functions but also to alter brain activity. " Read the entire study here

4. Improves happiness
"A short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function. These findings suggest that meditation may change brain and immune function in positive ways." Read the entire study here

5. Improves body awareness
"Results indicated a linear relationship in coherence, with meditators having highest levels... We conclude that the coherence between subjective and cardiac aspects of emotion is greater in those who have specialized training that promotes greater body awareness." Read entire study here

6. Enhanced focus and attention
"Brief mindfulness training significantly improved visuo-spatial processing, working memory, and executive functioning. Our findings suggest that 4 days of meditation training can enhance the ability to sustain attention; benefits that have previously been reported with long-term meditators." Read the entire study here

7. Improves handling of difficult emotions
​"Meditation may be associated with structural changes in areas of the brain that are important for sensory, cognitive and emotional processing. The data further suggest that meditation may impact aggregated declines in cortical structure." Read entire study here


Note: The great thing is that you can meditate for as little as 5 minutes per day and still receive many of these amazing benefits meditation offers. Try MeditateBot[free] for Messenger today and start benefiting from a daily meditation practice!


About us: At The Mindful Tech Lab, we develop and market apps that are easily ingrained into your daily routine to deliver positive results.

We are most known for our Facebook Messenger chatbots that help you live your best life, you can check them each out by clicking on their links:

MotivateBot - Motivation
MeditateBot - Meditation
Daily FitBot - Fitness
HealthyBot - General Health
Eat Clean Bot - Healthy Recipes
StoicBot - Stoic Philosophy

Have you ever heard of a ketogenic diet? A ketogenic diet means your body is using ketones for energy production rather than sugar. Ketones are an alternative fuel source for the body, and are produced when eating a high fat and low carbohydrate diet. This type of diet is called "ketogenic" because your body is in a state of "ketosis" meaning fueled by ketones rather than sugar (aka glucose).

Here are 9 reasons why you want your body to be fueled by ketones instead of sugar:

1. You literally burn your own fat for energy
Your body can run on either glucose or ketones. Which would you choose? Well, when you look at what this actually means: Glucose is produced from the breakdown of glycogen (strings of glucose), this means you are burning glycogen to produce fuel for your body. Ketones on the other hand are produced from the breakdown of fat (fatty acids), this means you are literally burning your own fat stores to produce energy. You can make ketones from eating very low carb (sub 50 net carbs), fasting, or consuming a product that can induce or supply the production of ketones (such as MCT oil).


2. No more “Hangry”
You know that feeling when are so starving that every little thing is irritating, and you need to eat right. NOW? Terrible feeling right? Blame the carbs! After a blood sugar spike from eating carbs, this will trigger insulin whose job is to get that sugar out of your blood as fast as it can (because sugar in your blood is toxic and inflammatory), resulting in an even lower blood sugar than you started with. Low blood sugar (aka hypoglycemia) is that terrible anxiousness you are feeling. No bueno! And how do you make that feeling go away the fastest? Eating sugar. And the vicious cycle continues.

Fat is the only macronutrient that won't raise blood sugar, and therefore won't spike insulin. Yes, that means protein can also raise blood sugar when eaten in excess. That is why a ketogenic diet favors a higher fat and moderate protein intake.


3. Ketones favor less mental stress
The presence of ketones increases the production of the primary calm inducing neurotransmitter, GABA, while at the same time decreasing the primary stress inducing neurotransmitter, Glutamate. Ketones do this by assisting in the conversion of glutamate to GABA in the brain, thereby favoring a more calming state. Increasing the activity of GABA is essentially what most anti-anxiety medications aim to do as well - pretty cool you can get the same effects by just changing your diet!


4. Ketones favor a more focused state
For the same reason ketones favor calmed brain activity, they also favor a more alert and focused state. As stated above, more GABA compared to glutamate in the brain favors a less stressed state, meaning there is less “noise” in the brain, allowing for greater focus and mental clarity.  This is why medium chain triglycerides (MCT) are marketed as a product that can increase focus and cognition - because they give the body ketones that can be used for fuel without having to be in actual ketosis from eating low carb.


5. Ketones are a more efficient source of energy
Ketones and glucose are both used as fuel by mitochondria to produce energy (aka ATP) - mitochondria are the part of a cell that takes fuel (either glucose or ketones) and manufactures energy from it. When comparing the output of energy produced from the use of ketones vs. glucose, more energy is produced when using ketones, thereby making it a more efficient fuel source. The presence of ketones also up-regulates the amount of mitochondria in cells, so more mitochondria means more energy produced. This is another reason for the improved focus and mental clarity seen with a ketogenic diet. 


6. Ketones act as antioxidants
Research has found that ketones act as antioxidants because they protect against oxidative damage from free radicals. When ketones are used to produce energy (by mitochondria) this process does not cause the release of free radicals, as does glucose when it is used to produce energy. Free radicals aka oxidative damage cause damage to cells and aid in the development of chronic disease, cancer, cognitive decline and other brain diseases, and aging. 


7. Ketones may prevent cancer growth
Compared to normal cells, cancer cells metabolize a much greater amount of glucose meaning they need more glucose to thrive. Cancer cells may preferentially use sugar to fuel their growth and proliferation, and research has shown that they may not be able to use ketones as fuel. Research has also shown greater response to chemotherapy when in a fasting state inducing ketosis. There is more research needed in this area, but ketones as a preventative measure for cancer is looking very promising! 


8. Greater absorption of nutrients
Major vitamin, antioxidants, and other nutrients need to be taken with fat to be able to be absorbed. This includes Vitamin D, Vitamin E, lycopene and beta-carotene such as in tomatoes, and the B vitamins.  Making sure you are taking in plenty of fats will ensure you are getting the most out of your food and supplements.  

9. Ketones are neuro-protective
Fueling the brain with ketones has shown to help with brain disorders such as seizures, brain cancer, Parkinson's Disease,  traumatic brain injury (TBI), and Alzheimer's Disease. There is a widely cited case of a physician who put her husband on a ketogenic diet as treatment of Alzheimer's disease and he improved within a couple of months. More research is needed on the direct effect of ketones for the prevention of diseases that affect the brain, but so far its looking very optimistic!

Side note: Ketones can supply up to 70% of the energy needed by the brain. It is true that your brain requires some glucose to function, but glucose can come from protein, it does not have to come from carbohydrates. It is a misconception that carbohydrates are necessary in your diet - they are not. Protein and fat are the two macronutrients your body definitely needs to manufacture all of the necessary components of the body.

All works cited can be found in the hyperlinks 

About the author: Sarah-Kate Rems is an Ivy-league trained Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner licensed in California and New York State with an expertise in preventative healthcare. She considers nutrition and exercise to be the basis of well-being and is a strong advocate for daily physical activity and maintaining a healthy diet. Sarah-Kate is also a co-founder of The Mindful Tech Lab

Looking for a healthy living cheat sheet? Our resident health expert serves up her 20 health and nutrition tips that everyone should know. Enjoy!
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1. Non-fat or “skim milk” has a surprisingly high amount of sugar. Most brands have about 12 grams per cup – this is almost half the amount of total sugar that is recommended you ingest each day!

2. When you eat protein, you lose 20-30% of those calories to digestion. This means if you eat 100 calories of protein, you only absorb about 70 of those calories.

3. Wheat raises your blood sugar higher and faster than any other carbohydrate including table sugar.

4. Matcha is an excellent source of antioxidants, or “polyphenols,” which protect the body from harmful free-radicals and cellular damage.

5. Cold pressed juice is considered to be more nutrient dense compared to traditional centrifuged juice. This is because centrifugal juicers generate heat which can destroy enzymes, and also force in air which can compromise nutrients.

6. Cooking tomatoes drastically increases its lycopene content. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that decreases risk of heart disease and cancer.

7. Cheeses with the lowest amount of lactose are those that have aged the longest. The lower the lactose, the lower the chance of stomach upset from intolerance to lactose.

8. Fiber slows down digestion and makes you feel fuller longer. Healthy adults should aim or 25 grams of fiber per day.

9. Tuna is an excellent source of Vitamin B12, selenium, Vitamin B3 (niacin), and protein - about 20 grams of protein per 3 oz serving.

10. Fish with lowest amounts of mercury include salmon, black sea bass, scallop, shrimp, skate, tilapia, cod, oyster, and crab.

11. Getting enough magnesium may help prevent migraine headaches. Good sources of magnesium include almonds, spinach, and avocado.

12. Foods that are an even greater source of potassium than bananas include sweet potatoes, white potatoes, beets, and butternut squash.

13. Vitamin C helps to boost your immune function and protects against free radical damage. Good sources of Vitamin C include oranges, red peppers, and broccoli.

14. If you are sensitive to dairy products but you love butter, try clarified butter which is pure butterfat with the milk solids removed.

15. Tropical fruits are high in sugar. These include bananas, mangoes, and pineapples. Stick to a ½ cup serving when eating this type of high sugar fruit.

16. The best source of Vitamin D comes from the sun. The second best source is a supplement, and the third and lowest source are foods such as fatty fish, egg yolks, and beef liver.

17. An 8 oz cup of coffee can have between 95-200mg of caffeine. It is recommended to not exceed 400mg of caffeine per day for most individuals.​

18. Studies have found that just short bursts of exercise during the day can help with attention and focus. Aim for a fifteen minute walk at lunch to increase your energy for the afternoon.

19. Clutter can trigger your stress response. Avoid clutter in key areas such as your desk, your car, and in your bedroom.

20. A negative emotional state can express itself on your face as breakouts, dullness, and wrinkles. Practice being in the present for a happier emotional state and a better complexion.

**At The Mindful Tech Lab, we develop and market apps that are easily ingrained into your daily routine to deliver positive results. We are most known for our Facebook Messenger chatbots that help you live your best life, you can check them each out by clicking on their links: MotivateBot, MeditateBot, Daily FitBot, HealthyBot, Eat Clean Bot, StoicBot**

When we think about mindfulness, the act of being mindful in our daily lives, we often refer to it as the state of being completely in the present moment. This means no mind wandering about the past or the future. It's difficult, but important if we want to reduce stress and start to build that inner power to resist future stressors - which really do carry a negative impact on our overall well-being.
Here are 15 quotes to help get you into that mindful state and living in the present moment. Really take some time to think about each and apply them to your day.


1. "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." -Buddha​

2. "Every morning ask 'if today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" -Steve Jobs

3. "It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time." - Sir Winston Churchill

4.  "Time is a created thing. To say "I don't have time", is like saying, "I don't want to"." -Lao-Tzu

5. "Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." -Buddha

6. "How soon, not now, becomes never." -Martin Luther

7. "Nurture your minds with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes." -Benjamin Disraeli

8. "Often he who does too much does too little." -Italian Proverb 

9. "A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before we changed." -Earl Nightingale

10. "The shorter way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time." -Mozart

11. "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." -Buddha

12. "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." -Marcus Aurelius (get more great Stoic quotes on StoicBot)

13. "At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want." -Lao-Tzu

14. "What you focus on expands." - Buddha

15. "Meditation is exercise for the mind." -Chade-Meng Teng

Remember, you can meditate daily for free in MeditateBot, give it a try!

**At The Mindful Tech Lab, we develop and market apps that are easily ingrained into your daily routine to deliver positive results.

​We are most known for our Facebook Messenger chatbots that help you live your best life, you can check them each out by clicking on their links: MotivateBot, MeditateBot, Daily FitBot, HealthyBot, Eat Clean Bot, StoicBot**

Inspirational quotes just deliver so much great knowledge to think on without taking too much time out of our daily schedule (no offense to books)! But remember, quotes are just plain old words if they aren't acted upon - so really take some time to apply these quotes to your daily life this week. The results will come.

Here are 20 quotes to inspire you into an amazing week, enjoy!

1. "Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection." -Mark Twain

2. "In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first." -Harry S. Truman

3. "If you're proactive, you don't have to wait for circumstances or other people to create perspective expanding experiences. You can consciously create your own." -Stephen Covey

4. "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." -Michelangelo

5. "Nothing will work unless you do." -Maya Angelou

6. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." -Steve Jobs

7. "With self-discipline most anything is possible." -Theodore Roosevelt

8. "The best way to predict the future is to create it." -Abraham Lincoln

9. "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." -Eleanor Roosevelt

10. "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." -Confucius

11. "At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want." -Lao Tzu

12. "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." -Thomas Jefferson

13. "Your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing." -Abraham Lincoln

14. "Life without risks is not worth living." -Charles A. Lindbergh

15. "Nurture your minds with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes." -Benjamin Disraeli

16. "It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time." -Sir Winston Churchill​

17. "The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for." -Oscar Wilde

18. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi

19. "I am only one; but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." -Helen Keller

20. "Take a chance! All life is a chance. The person who goes the furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare." -Dale Carnegie


**At The Mindful Tech Lab, we develop and market apps that are easily ingrained into your daily routine to deliver positive results. We are most known for our Facebook Messenger chatbots that help you live your best life, you can check them each out by clicking on their links: MotivateBot, MeditateBot, Daily FitBot, HealthyBot, Eat Clean Bot, StoicBot**

Here at The Mindful Tech Lab we love quotes, if that wasn't already obvious ;), because they are such simple and quick ways to help improve our mindset. Below are 10 quotes handpicked to help motivate you today, enjoy!
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1. "Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right'. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." - Napoleon Hill

2. "An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life." - Jim Rohn

3. "First say to yourself what you would be, then do what you have to do." - Epictetus

4. "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." - Eleanor Roosevelt

5. "You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action." - Tony Robbins

6. "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." - Marcus Aurelius

7. "Your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing." - Abraham Lincoln

8. "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha

9. "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, It is because we do not dare that they are difficult." - Seneca

10. "A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before we changed." - Earl Nightingale​

**At The Mindful Tech Lab, we develop and market apps that are easily ingrained into your daily routine to deliver positive results. We are most known for our Facebook Messenger chatbots that help you live your best life, you can check them each out by clicking on their links: MotivateBot, MeditateBot, Daily FitBot, HealthyBot, Eat Clean Bot, StoicBot**