Improving your concentration

I always hear about how to increase your concentration, so what type of fuel do we need.
I do some research and this what I found. What are the "smart" foods or drinks that can help us?
Caffeine can help you get energize and help you concentrate during that day. This substance is found in coffee, chocolate, and other areas. You can get a get fix on caffeine but it is only a short-one, plus don't overdo this substance because a person can become nervous and uncomfortable.

Sugar is your brain's preferred fuel source -- not table sugar, but glucose, which your body processes from the sugars and carbs you eat. That's why a glass of something sweet to drink can offer a short-term boost to memory, thinking, and mental ability.

Have too much, though, and memory can be impaired -- along with the rest of you. Go easy on the sugar so it can enhance memory without packing on the pounds.

If a person wants to have a better brain, eat breakfast. There was a test on students that ate breakfast and the ones that ate breakfast did better then the one who didn't.

Foods at the top of researchers' brain-fuel list include high-fiber whole grains, dairy, and fruits. Just don't overeat; researchers also found high-calorie breakfasts appear to hinder concentration.

Another great source for the brain is fish. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acid that are key for the health of the brain. A diet of omega-3 can lower dementia and stroke risk and slower mental decline; to add on this, may help in increasing memory as we get older. So if you will for the brain and heart health, eat two servings of fish weekly.

Nuts and seeds are good sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which has been linked in some studies to less cognitive decline as you age. Dark chocolate also has other powerful antioxidant properties, and it contains natural stimulants like caffeine, which can enhance focus.

Enjoy up to an ounce a day of nuts and dark chocolate to get all the benefits you need with a minimum of excess calories, fat, or sugar.

Every organ in the body depends on blood flow, especially the heart and brain. A diet high in whole grains and fruits like avocados can cut the risk of heart disease and lower bad cholesterol. This reduces your risk of plaque buildup and enhances blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells.

Whole grains, like popcorn and whole wheat, also contribute dietary fiber and vitamin E. Though avocados have fat, it's the good-for-you, monounsaturated fat that helps with healthy blood flow.

Research in animals shows that blueberries may help protect the brain from the damage caused by free radicals and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Studies also show that diets rich in blueberries improved both the learning and muscle function of aging rats, making them mentally equal to much younger rats.

It may sound trite but it's true: If your diet lacks essential nutrients, it can hurt your ability to concentrate. Eating too much or too little can also interfere with your focus. A heavy meal may make you feel tired, while too few calories can result in distracting hunger pangs.

Benefit your brain: Strive for a well-balanced diet full of a wide variety of healthy foods.

Store shelves groan with supplements claiming to boost health. Although many of the reports on the brain-boosting power of supplements like vitamins B, C, E, beta-carotene, and magnesium are promising, a supplement is only useful to people whose diets are lacking in that specific nutrient.

Some researchers are cautiously optimistic about ginseng, ginkgo, and vitamin, mineral, and herb combinations and their impact on the brain, but more proof is still needed.

Check with your doctor.

Want to power up your ability to concentrate? Start with a meal of 100% fruit juice, a whole-grain bagel with salmon, and a cup of coffee. In addition to eating a well-balanced meal, experts also offer this advice:

• Get a good night's sleep.
• Stay hydrated.
• Exercise to help sharpen thinking.
• Meditate on the Bible to clear thinking and relax.

The promise to Jacob

Jacob had blessings promised both as to this world and that which is to come; yet goes out to a hard service. This corrected him for the fraud on his father. The blessing shall be conferred on him, yet he shall smart for the indirect course taken to obtain it. Jacob is dismissed by his father with a solemn charge. He must not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan: those who profess religion, should not marry with those that care not for religion. Also with a solemn blessing. Isaac had before blessed him unwittingly; now he does it designedly. This blessing is more full than the former; it is a gospel blessing. This promise looks as high as heaven, of which Canaan was a type. That was the better country which Jacob and the other patriarchs had in view.

Genesis 28:1-5

So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. ² Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. ³ May God Almightybless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. ⁴ May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.” ⁵ Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

The truth about stretching

I think stretching is good for everyone  because The American College of Sports Medicine recommends stretching each of the major muscles groups at least twice a week for 60 seconds per exercise.
My grandma always says that everyone should be stretching because the aging process is rough.
And it will help you move better as you age. It will hips and hamstrings to be more youthful as you get older.
If your posture or activities are a problem, make it a habit to stretch those muscles regularly. If you have back pain from sitting at a desk all day, stretches that reverse that posture could help.
Exercise physiologist Mike Bracko recommends doing the "Standing Cat-Camel" as a work-related back stretch. Here's how:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent slightly.
• Lean forward, placing your hands just above your knees.
• Round your back so that your chest is closed and your shoulders are curved forward.
• Then arch your back so that your chest opens and your shoulders roll back.
• Repeat several times.

If your job keeps you in the same position all day, Bracko suggests doing 2-minute stretch breaks to reverse that posture at least every hour.

Do You Need to Hold a Stretch to Get the Benefit?

Not necessarily.
Stretching a muscle to the full extent of your ability and holding it for 15 to 30 seconds is what's called a static stretch, and there's no harm in stretching that way as long you don't stretch until it hurts.
But studies suggest a dynamic stretch is just as effective, and sometimes better, especially before your workout.
A dynamic stretch, like the Standing Cat-Camel, moves a muscle group fluidly through an entire range of motion.

Continued

Here's a static version of the Cat-Camel:

• Lace your fingers together and turn your palms to face outward in front of you.
• Reach your arms as far as you can, curving your back and shoulders forward.
• Hold for about 10 seconds.
• Now release your fingers, and grab your wrists or fingers behind your back.
• Raise your arms as high as you can behind your back without releasing your hands so your chest opens and your shoulders roll back.

With any stretch, static or dynamic, you should feel a stretch, but you shouldn't feel pain. So there is no need to stretch farther than the range of motion you typically need.

Should You Stretch Before Exercise?

Not necessarily. It's not proven to help prevent injury, curb muscle soreness after exercise, or improve your performance.
Static stretching before exercise can weaken performance, such as sprint speed, in studies. The most likely reason is that holding the stretch tires out your muscles.
You should warm up by doing dynamic stretches, which are like your workout but at a lower intensity. A good warm-up before a run could be a brisk walk, walking lunges, leg swings, high steps, or "butt kicks" (slowly jogging forward while kicking toward your rear end).
Start slowly, and gradually ramp up the intensity.

Should You Stretch After Exercise?

This is a great time to stretch.
"Everyone is more flexible after exercise, because you've increased the circulation to those muscles and joints and you've been moving them," Millar says.
If you do static stretches, you'll get the most benefit from them now.
"After you go for a run or weight-train, you walk around a little to cool down. Then you do some stretching. It's a nice way to end a workout," Bracko says.

Can You Stretch Anytime?

Yes. It is not a must that you stretch before or after your regular workout. It is simply important that you stretch sometime.
This can be when you wake up, before bed, or during breaks at work.
"Stretching or flexibility should be a part of a regular program," Millar says.

The grudge in the family

Esau bore malice to Jacob on account of the blessing he had obtained. Thus he went in the way of Cain, who slew his brother, because he gained that acceptance with God of which he had rendered himself unworthy. Esau aimed to prevent Jacob or his seed from having the dominion, by taking away his life. Men may fret at God's counsels, but cannot change them. To prevent mischief, Rebekah warned Jacob of his danger, and advised him to withdraw for his safety. We must not presume too far upon the wisdom and resolution, even of the most hopeful and promising children; but care must be taken to keep them out of the way of evil. When reading this chapter, we should not fail to observe, that we must not follow even the best of men further than they act according to the law of God. We must not do evil that good may come. And though God overruled the bad actions recorded in this chapter, to fulfill his purposes, yet we see his judgment of them, in the painful consequences to all the parties concerned. It was the peculiar privilege and advantage of Jacob to convey these spiritual blessings to all nations. The Christ, the Savior of the world, was to be born of some one family; and Jacob's was preferred to Esau's, out of the good pleasure of Almighty God, who is certainly the best judge of what is fit, and has an undoubted right to dispense his favors as he sees proper, Romans 9:12-15.

Genesis 27:41-46

⁴¹ Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

⁴² When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. ⁴³ Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. ⁴⁴ Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. ⁴⁵ When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”

The bad tongue

A wicked doer gives heed to false (evil) lips. A bad man delights in and hearkens to evil words; he takes pleasure in those who counsel wickedness, because they are after his own heart. Like mates with like. And a liar gives ear to a naughty (mischievous) tongue. One who is himself mendacious listens with avidity to any tale that may injure a neighbor. however monstrous and improbable it may be. Septuagint, "A wicked man listens to the tongue of transgressors; but a just man heeds not false lips."

Proverbs 17:4
A wicked doer gives heed to false lips; and a liar gives ear to a naughty tongue.

Jacob and Esau

When Esau understood that Jacob had got the blessing, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry. The day is coming, when those that now make light of the blessings of the covenant, and sell their title to spiritual blessings for that which is of no value, will, in vain, ask urgently for them. Isaac, when made sensible of the deceit practiced on him, trembled exceedingly. Those who follow the choice of their own affections, rather than the Divine will, get themselves into perplexity. But he soon recovers, and confirms the blessing he had given to Jacob, saying, I have blessed him, and he shall be blessed. Those who part with their wisdom and grace, their faith and a good conscience, for the honors, wealth, or pleasures of this world, however they feign a zeal for the blessing, have judged themselves unworthy of it, and their doom shall be accordingly. A common blessing was bestowed upon Esau. This he desired. Faint desires of happiness, without right choice of the end, and right use of the means, deceive many unto their own ruin. Multitudes go to hell with their mouths full of good wishes. The great difference is, that there is nothing in Esau's blessing which points at Christ; and without that, the fatness of the earth, and the plunder of the field, will stand in little stead. Thus Isaac, by faith, blessed both his sons, according as their lot should be.

Genesis 27:37-40

 

³⁷ Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”
³⁸ Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.
³⁹ His father Isaac answered him,

“Your dwelling will be
    away from the earth’s richness,
    away from the dew of heaven above.
⁴⁰ You will live by the sword
    and you will serve your brother.
But when you grow restless,
    you will throw his yoke
    from off your neck.”

The Tester of the heart

We all think that we are good and if someone checks our motivation then it would be silver and gold.
There are times when I think this way but then reality comes in.
The Lord checks the heart like any good doctor would. He will check my heart and your heart.
It is scary when the Holy Spirit searches my heart and all the impurity comes us. When the impure things comes up, we need to repent and ask the Lord for new desires.
Let's ask the Lord to test our hearts and allow him to move. The Holy Spirit can change the man in the mirror.

Proverbs 17:3

 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
    but the Lord tests the heart.