There is phobia that is linked to the experience of panic attacks, and that is agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places such as shopping markets. It is a fear associated with leaving a safe zone, such as the home.
Because of a feeling of being vulnerable, people who experience this fear often suffer from panic attacks in these “open” situations. It is true to say many people who have regular panic attacks experience different degrees of agoraphobia.
Some have a lingering background anxiety about being away from home should they experience a panic attack. Other people are so immobilized by this fear that they find it very difficult to leave their home for even a short period.
The thinking behind agoraphobia usually follows the line that were a panic attack to occur, who would look after the person, how would he or she get the assistance and reassurance they needed?
The vulnerability grows from the feeling that once victims of agoraphobia are caught in the anxiety, they are suddenly unable to look after themselves and are therefore at the mercy of the place they find themselves in and the strangers around them. In its extreme form, agoraphobia and panic attacks can lead to a situation where people become housebound for numerous years.
Please note, this is by no means a hopeless situation, and I always need to reinforce the fact that something only becomes hopeless once the person really believes that to be the case.
To begin with, the primary issue that needs to be addressed is the belief in the safe zone. To clarify, when I talk about safe zone, I am referring to the zone where the person believes panic attacks do not occur, or at least occur infrequently. As comfort is found there, it is where the person tends to spend more and more time.
The safe zone of anxiety is a myth sustained by the mind. The mind has developed a habit of thinking that dictates that being inside the safe zone is the only place to feel secure and avoid agoraphobia and panic attacks.
If agoraphobia is an issue for you, watch as your mind comes up with reasons why it believes only a certain area is safe and another is not. Those reasons range from being near the phone or people you trust to having familiar physical surroundings to reassure you.
The reality of anxiety is that there is no such thing as a safe zone. There is nothing life threatening about a panic attack, and therefore sitting at home is the same as sitting under the stars on a desert island. Of course, your mind will immediately rush to tell you that a desert island is a ridiculous place to be as there are no hospitals, no tranquillisers, no doctors, NO SAFETY.
You need to review your previous experiences of panic attacks. Aren’t you still here, alive and well, after all those attacks during which you were convinced you were going to die?
It may be that on occasions you have been driven to the hospital where they did medicate you to calm you down, but do you really believe that you would not have survived were it not for the drugs? You would have. If the same bout of anxiety had occurred on this desert island, it too would have passed, even if you were all alone.
Yes, when it comes to conditions that need medical attention such as asthma, diabetes, and a whole litany or other conditions, then having medical aid nearby is a big asset, but no doctor in the world would tell someone with anxiety that there are only specific safe zones in which she or he can move.
As I know more than anyone how terrifying it can feel to move out of your safe zone as the feeling of fear is welling up inside, I do not wish to sound harsh.
This course is not about chastising people for their behaviours. It is a way of looking together at solutions and seeing through the myths that form prison walls. The goal is to enable you to return to a richer and more meaningful life and ultimately defeat your agoraphobia and panic attacks.
I also realize that people around you cannot understand why a trip to shops would cause you such discomfort. You will have to forgive them and try not to be upset by their lack of understanding of your problem.
If an individual such as a partner or family member has not had a similar anxiety issue, that person may often find it hard to understand and empathize with what you are going through. I am sure you have been dragged out of the house numerous times against your will, kicking and screaming. This can then lead to tensions and arguments and is upsetting as it can make you feel less understood by those around you.
People around agoraphobics are often simply trying what they feel is best. If you can see that their intentions are well meaning (although often misguided), then you will be able to relate to them better and help sooth any potential conflicts.
There is one thing I am sure you will agree with, and that is that the only person who will get you out of agoraphobic thinking is yourself. These are your thoughts, and only you can begin to change that pattern.
Dealing with long term agoraphobia and panic attacks is a slow process to begin with, but once the results start happening, it moves faster and faster until you reach a point where you will find it hard to believe that going out was such a difficult task.
By Barry McDonagh, who is an international panic disorder coach. He created the Panic Away program to help people around the world deal with their anxiety and avoid panic attacks – a subject that he is personally attuned to because he himself found that he was prone to these issues since he was young. His hatred of his powerless lead him down the path of finding natural ways to treat himself without having to depend on expensive medications.
But could it be something much simpler, something that looked completely unrelated at first glance?
Yes, says a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association—and it’s connected to snoring.
The study used the data of 789 African-American men and women from the Jackson Heart Study, the largest study of cardiovascular disease in African-Americans.
The average age was 63 years old. Of the participants, 581 were women, 198 had diabetes, and 158 were taking diabetesmedication.
The study gave the participants an actigraph wrist watch to monitor their sleep quality, including long and short sleep duration, sleep disruptions, night-to-night sleep variability, and sleep efficiency.
The study also monitored the subject’s blood oxygen levels to test for sleep apnea severity, grouping them into those with no sleep apnea and mild, moderate, and severe sleep apnea.
The participant’s blood glucose levels were monitored continually throughout the study.
The subjects who suffered from severe sleep apnea had a 14 percent higher fasting glucose score than those without sleep apnea. They also had higher HbA1c levels, which is a measure of long-term blood sugar.
The first step in addressing type 2 diabetes therefore may be as simple as addressing snoring. Almost everyone who snores has some level of sleep apnea.
This Simple, Old Practice Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Easily and Naturally
Recently, West Virginia University and University of Virginia scientists decided to find out if an ancient exercise is genuinely beneficial for type 2 diabetics or if it is just a re-emerging fad.
They identified 159 of the best previously performed studies on alternative methods with a total of 2,178 participants. They published their literature review in the Journal of Diabetes Research.
They found that the majority of these studies supported the effectiveness of yoga for multiple aspects of diabetes, including improvement of glycemic control and reduction of insulin resistance, body fat, and blood pressure.
They also discovered that yoga reduced the amount of fat people carried around their waists, which has often been found to be the most harmful type of body fat.
While there were fewer studies on the other aspects of diabetes, they did seem to be positive that yoga could lower oxidative stress and improve nervous system function, sleep, mood, and quality of life.
Yoga seems able to do this through several mechanisms:
– Relaxes practitioners and thereby limits the negative effects of stress on all systems of the body.
– Shifts nervous system activity from sympathetic to parasympathetic, eliminating stress.
– Activates brain structures responsible for positive mood, anti-inflammatory processes, effective use of glucose, etc.
– Increases strength, fitness, and physical function that, in turn, improves your body’s ability to use glucose effectively, reduces cholesterol, and lowers blood pressure.
Find your nearest credible and affordable yoga teacher and sign up to classes that will teach you enough of this traditional practice so you can continue to pursue it at home later.
Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Easily and Naturally – Permanent, Natural Type 2 Diabetes Strategy – Finally Proven
Many researchers believe that lifestyle modification programs addressing type 2 diabetes suffer from the serious defect of poor long-term compliance.
They believe that people adhere to the new lifestyle changes only at the beginning, but later lapse back into their old ways because of a lack of self-discipline, commitment, time, energy, or whatever other obstacles real life puts in their way.
A recent study, however, suggests that this view may be unnecessarily pessimistic.
The American Journal of Preventive Medicine has just published a study by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh debunking the assumption that natural solutions to cure type 2 diabetes are only temporary fixes.
The scientists looked at physical activity levels of people who participated in the Diabetes Prevention Program in 2002, finding that even over a decade later, they were still physically up to twice as active as the general population..
– reduce their fat intake to less than 25% of calories they consumed
– engage in 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week.
What they found was that people who lost a modest amount of weight together with physical exercise were 58% more likely toavoid diabetes than those who didn’t, and were almost twice as likely to avoid diabetes as those taking metformin.
This post is from the 3 Steps Diabetes Strategy Program. It was created by Jodi Knapp from Blue Heron health news that has been recognized as one of the top-quality national health information websites.
In this program, Jodi Knapp shares practical tips and advice on how you can prevent and cure diabetes naturally. She also dispels myths commonly associated with diabetes, like for example, diabetes being a lifelong condition. There are also lots of information going around that is simply not true and she’s here to correct it.
Diabetes is a disease, and it can be cured. This is just one of the important tips Jodi reveals in her program. Also, she included several ways in preventing the onset of disease, choosing the right food to eat, recommended vitamin supplements, the right time of the day to take the blood sugar and many more.
But the most amazing thing would have to be her program which only takes 3 simple steps to help you to control & treat type 2 diabetes. What it does is cure diabetes without having to rely on expensive drugs, diets that make sufferers crave for even more food they are not supposed to eat, and exercise programs that make people feel tired and depressed.
“I recognize the most happiness comes not from material things or status, etc. but from doing good for others (people and animals).”
Name: Paul Kerton Occupation: Personal Trainer / YouTuber Location: Norwich, England Age: 42 Height: 6’0″ Weight: 252 lb. Type of Training: Bodybuilding, Martial Arts
Q: Tell us the story behind #veGAINism and Hench Herbivore.
Vegainism was a typo! I thought it looked good and conveyed the message that I’m trying to bring to the world, that animals need not suffer for us to excel in the gym.
Similar message with Hench Herbivore. Someone accused me of looking like a hench herbivore one day, and again, I liked the sound of it! Because of the modern vernacular “hench,” I feel like it helps bring veganism up to date too!
Q: What were the steps you took to transition to plant-based nutrition?
After reading “The China Study” and watching many videos on NutritionFacts.org, I went mostly plant-based, save for three servings of wild salmon and two of organic beef per week. About five months later, after learning more about plant-based nutrition, I decided to go after it 100 percent.
Q: What did you eat today?
8 a.m.: Smoothie consisting of 1 Lt filtered water, 400g bananas, 220g dates, 150g raspberries, 66g spinach, 7g chia seeds, 7g flaxseeds, and 30g brown rice protein powder.
12 p.m.: Smoothie (same ingredients)
4 p.m.: Smoothie (same ingredients)
8 p.m.: Snack of 200g steamed kale with nutritional yeast.
9 p.m.: Homemade curry consisting of 1 can chickpeas, 1 can tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 green pepper, 1 carrot, 1 stick celery, spices, coriander, and mint. Served with 200g (pre-cooked weight) brown rice.
I nearly always have a smoothie as outlined above; however, if I feel like a change, occasionally I may have 200g porridge oats cooked in soya or almond milk with a scoop of brown rice protein mixed in, plus 150g mixed berries, 15g milled chia or flaxseeds, and 220g chopped dates.
Q: What does your training look like these days? How much weight are you pushing these days?
Four-day split currently:
quads/hams
chest/calves/bis
back/rear delts/traps
front+side delts/tris/abs/obliques
Been doing HIIT for a while but about to transition into more volume.
My best lifts are leg press 835 lb. x 10, bench press 250 lb. x 10, and pull-down 200 lb. x 12.
Side lateral raise: for shoulder width and the way it burns!
Pec dec: really love the feeling in the pecs when you give them a hard contraction at the apex of the rep and the speed you can transition into drop sets to really finish off a chest session.
Q: Who’s your favorite bodybuilder and athlete?
2014 Mr. Universe Barny du Plesses: he decided to go vegan after a chat we had one day. Spent six months training with him, so we formed a deep friendship.
Watching him speak of his veganism live on stage at the 2015 Pro Universe show is about the bravest thing I ever saw!
Tim Shieff: he’s really mastered his body, is deeply spiritual, vegan, and a force for good!
Q: Tell me a story of the mentor who played a key role in building confidence in yourself.
The person I owe most of my confidence to is my old karate sensei, Ken Bailey. I came to him as a small nervous child, and he gave me the skills/mental abilities to become a successful doorman and later personal trainer.
I didn’t see Ken for a number of years. When I caught up with him next, he was in his 60s. He was sporting a black eye. When I asked what had happened, he seemed a bit dejected, saying that two youths had assaulted him. Turns out he had sorted them both out but was just annoyed that they’d got one in on him!
Q: Fun fact most people don’t know about you?
“One night as a young child, I had a visit from a poltergeist.”
I did not see him, but a deep man’s voice was telling me that the beaker I had next to the bed would not be there in the morning. I remember over and over again calling him stupid. In the morning, I was in the living room playing with my toy cars, and my mum went through to make my bed.
She shouted, “Why have you put your beaker under your pillow?” When I told her it wasn’t me, she wouldn’t believe me and so I got really upset, and I remember crying a lot. I think that’s the only real reason it all stuck in my head, and I wonder if there were other times similar things may have happened.
Certainly, I have had several paranormal experiences during my adult life.
Q: What strange/weird things do you believe in?
The last couple of years, following on from my switch to veganism, I’ve had a deep spiritual awakening. Noticing amazing synchronicities led me to shunning mainstream fitness and marketing myself as a vegan PT.
“I’ve had great success with Law of Attraction, crystals, and seeing a clairvoyant, and I truly believe I am living my life’s purpose.”
Q: How do you wind down and relax at night?
YouTube
Podcasts
Reading
Q: What have you changed your mind about in past 10 years?
I now truly believe that anatomically, psychologically, and bio-chemically, humans are frugivores (a type of herbivore) and NOT obligate omnivores as some would have us believe. I used to think that the more meat and dairy I ate, the more I would excel in the gym.
“Until a few short years back, I feel I was coming from a place of ego (fear) where I wanted to portray this big tough guy image. Nowadays, I like to have an impressive physique, but for a positive reason, to promote the vegan diet in a good light.”
Also, rather than constantly seeking things to please myself, I now have a real attitude of paying it forward and being of service. I recognize the most happiness comes not from material things or status, etc. but from doing good for others (people and animals).
Q: What three pearls of wisdom would you tell your 18-year-old self?
GO VEGAN!
Your thoughts create your reality: get rid of negative self-talk and truly believe you have the power to create anything you wish in your life.
A lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising its progressiveness and efficiency.
The program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Instead of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to prove it.”
“My style for preparation is much different because of my vegetarian diet. I have to drink a half gallon of water more than other competitors because of the higher sodium in my diet due to being vegetarian and eating meat substitutes.”
Q: Tell us a story of the mentor who played a key role in building confidence in you.
My aunt Fern is somebody who was a role model for me and helped me gain self-confidence as a kid.
As many young women are self-conscious about their body, I was pale skinned, muscular from competitive ice skating, and was born with an auto immune disease.
“My aunt Fern always reminded me that I was beautiful, helped me find my voice to speak up for myself when people would put me down, and was a role model of what a strong woman is. My family lost her to breast cancer in 2005. I always think about her when I need these reminders about myself when my confidence is lacking.”
She was a successful business owner, mother, loyal sister, and daughter.
Q: Tell us the story of how and when you decided to go vegetarian?
My mom actually knew when I was a kid that I would someday be a vegetarian. I never cared for the taste and texture of meat. At barbecues, I was the kid who would trade a hot dog for another kid’s vegetables. About age 14, I cut out beef and pork completely, only eating chicken and turkey from time to time and never ate seafood.
“One day, while driving on the freeway — I was 19 years old at the time, in college — I saw a truck with chickens in cages, and my boyfriend at the time told me, ‘There goes lunch.’ Ever since that day, I have not eaten one piece of meat.”
I still eat eggs, and cheese in the off season, but no other animal products.
Q: Describe your experience of competing at the NPC National Level Bikini Competition. What is your trademark for preparing your style? What was the hardest part this last competition?
It was super exciting; I had such a fun time traveling to Las Vegas for a whole week with my coach and team. We rented a house for the week, we motivated each other to keep to our meal prep and going to the gym for two-a-day workouts. The event was held at UNLV, which was a great place to have it, it was a huge audience.
It was an intense preparation leading up to it; I was kept on a similar diet and exercise plan but intensified for the next level. My suit and posing had to be modified because it is a higher caliber of competitors, different cut of suit bottoms, and different poses.
My style for preparation is much different because of my vegetarian diet. I have to drink a half gallon of water more than other competitors because of the higher sodium in my diet due to being vegetarianand eating meat substitutes. I eat egg whites every day, and the amount is increased during the last one to two weeks before the competition.
“Last year during qualifying competitions, I tried an all-vegan diet, but because I was eating carbs every meal, the results were not the same and my coach made the decision to stick with a vegetarian meal plan. My body didn’t respond to the normal carb up right before going on stage.”
He likes to call me an “eggitarian”!
The hardest part of my last competition was actually the texture of my food. After a couple of days eating similar foods over and over, I just wanted one bite of something crunchy to change it up.
Another challenge was which hair color to go with. For the last few years, I have been blonde, but I wanted to try my natural dark hair color. I noticed many of the winning competitors across the country had dark hair, and they looked more natural with the tanner and suit colors.
It’s your journey don’t let others try and change the way you do things. (Like trying to get you to eat meat or take supplements/drugs you are not comfortable with.)
It’s a whole package. You can have the best body up there but if you tan, hair and posing isn’t on point you still might not place. Practice posing a lot!!!
Don’t binge eat after a show. It’s hard since you have deprived yourself for so long. I made this mistake last year and got really sick. Try your best to live your off season clean. That way you won’t have to work as hard closer to the show.
Q: Tell us about your figure skating life.
I have been ice skating since I was six years old. I have always been a natural competitor; I get that from my dad, who was a competitive downhill skier.
I started competing not long after learning to skate.
I trained under a coach and skated six days a week; by junior high, this turned into two a day, five days a week, and once on Saturday.
I loved the competitions; my mom would make my competition dresses by hand at home.
As a kid, I was always a singles skater, but in college, I switched to skating pairs.
During college, I started assisting my coach teaching synchronized skating and really enjoyed it. After graduating with a bachelor’s of fine art and graphic design, I looked into getting a design job but found nothing that compared to how much I enjoyed teaching skating. So I committed myself to it and have been coaching full time since 2006.
I still continue to practice skating and now compete in the Adult Masters Division. I enjoy the continued challenge, cross training between skating and fitness competitions. It keeps me engaged, so I know what changes in skating rules and judging are so I can better prepare my students.
“My favorite part about skating is the interaction with my students and watching them improve toward their own goals. I think this experience makes me a better student to my fitness coach because I know that a coach has your best interests in mind and you have to trust them.”
Q: Tell us what it’s like to be a poultry farmer.
Well, I wouldn’t classify myself as a poultry farmer by trade, just a bird lover. I have loved birds my entire life and always wanted some as pets. I have about 15 chickens that are all free range; they have a very large coop that my husband built with large nesting boxes and perches, with all-day access to our 10 acres.
“They go in at night on their own, and we shut the gate to keep them safe from critters. They give lots of eggs, which help with my meal prep and enough for me to sell to friends for enough profit to provide healthy food to the chickens.”
I also have a couple of pet ducks that roam the property, along with a peacock and peahen. Last year, they won first place at the State Fair here in Washington. My husband and I take great care of our pets that live out their lives naturally; we even tell our dog Ollie that “birds are friends, not food!”
Q: Tell us what it’s like owning a vineyard.
A: We are still in the preparation phase of planting our first vines this spring! It has been a few years in the making, between going to school for viticulture at Washington State University for two years, purchasing property, and all of the land prep to make the soil conditions just right. We have had some incredible support from family and friends.
I will be planting just one acre this year and more next year. As a small business starting out, it is just me and my husband, so it was a lot of work just to get to this point.
Q: What did you eat yesterday?
7:30 a.m. Meal One: ½ cup of red kidney beans (cooked measurement) with ½ cup of long grain brown rice (cooked measurement).
10:30 a.m. Meal Two: Eat three ounces of Beyond Beef (Beyond Meat) with ½ Cup of steamed green beans.
1:30 p.m. Meal Three: Eat three ounces of Beyond Beef (Beyond Meat) with ½ Cup of steamed green beans.
3:00 p.m. Pre-workout: Take one serving of BCAA capsules (NutraKey) with 1,000 mg of Vitamin C; add 500 mg of Calcium.
4:00 p.m. Pre-cardio (45 minutes of high intensity cardio): Take one serving of BCAA capsules (NutraKey) with 400 IUs of Vitamin E; add 500 mg of magnesium.
5:00 p.m. Post-Cardio Meal Four: ½ cup of red kidney beans (cooked measurement) with ½ cup of long grain brown rice (cooked measurement).
7:30 p.m. Meal Five: Eat six egg whites (hard boiled) with ½ cup of steamed green beans.
Drink 2½ gallons of water.
Take one serving of BCAA capsules between each meal.
*Please note this is two weeks out from competition day and is the initial cut down of weight. My normal diet consists of a much higher calorie count, filled with lots of fruit and vegetables and not as many supplements. The substitute meat on my meal plan is pea isolate protein; this is important because most other substitutes are soy and have high phytoestrogen levels.
Q: What does the first 60 minutes of your morning look like?
First thing in the morning is taking my vitamins and then doing 30 minutes of fasting cardio. I have a home gym, so I have a couple of options, either the elliptical or the treadmill. The last few weeks, it has been running three miles. After that is done, I eat my first meal of the day and look at what food and how much I will need to prepare based on that day’s schedule.
Q: Favorite three exercises and why?
Straight leg deadlifts: they are great for glutes!
One-leg tricep dips: that muscle for some reason is very hard for me to see the results I want, but these really work.
Cable kick-backs: not only does it work the glutes, but it strengthens my lower back for skating and lifting heavy bags of feed on the farm.
Q: Fun fact most people don’t know about you?
As a kid, I was known at school for ice skating and art. Actually, my best subject was math and I was on the math competition team for two years. We competed against other school in Washington. It was a military style course. If you got the math problem right you climbed a rope, ran tires, etc. Whichever team made it to the end first won.
Q: What three pearls of wisdom would you tell your 13-year-old self?
Concentrate on school, rather than worrying about your reputation.
Choose what path in life you want to do after high school. I was pushed toward art school but really wasn’t interested. I wanted to study agriculture but was talked out of pursuing that.
Don’t worry about what the scale says because I was muscular and always weighed more than the other girls. This is actually a good thing as an athlete, because you have a healthy body with the muscular strength to perform better at sports.
Q: What is the biggest personal challenge you have had to overcome in your life?
As a kid, my dad struggled with addiction to alcohol; he was verbally mean to my mom and me. It made my home life something that I didn’t want friends to know about. He never physically hurt us or anyone, but he would come home after work, already drinking, and make my mom and I very uncomfortable being around him.
He would say terrible things to us, and it was hard on my self-confidence. My mom and I would get in the car and leave, sometimes staying in a hotel. My mom knew this was a problem he needed help with; we didn’t want to leave him but instead help him, even though this went on for years.
Eventually, he did get help, and while he always maintained a job and provided a financially stable home, his addiction made many years of my childhood difficult.
“My family and I have come out of this experience with his alcoholism as stronger people. We really understand what being a family is, and that you don’t quit on somebody when they are down and need help.”
Q: How do you wind down and relax at night?
I like to relax while finishing my daily water intake and watch YouTube videos. It takes me all over the place, from videos and vlogs of other competitors, to helpful information about how to take care of my farm animals. My dog Ollie (she’s a six-year-old puggle) keeps me company and entertained while I wind down from a full day of training and work.
A lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising its progressiveness and efficiency.
The program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Instead of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to prove it.”
