5 Foundations Every Successful Relationship Needs

Having a happy and successful relationship can be a struggle.It seems that all too often, our relationships go downhill over time, and we are left to wonder “why can’t things just be the way they used to be?”.

Foundations are the key to maintaining all the goodness in your relationship. They will determine the quality and success of your relationships years down the track.

“A house must be built on solid foundations if it is to last. The same principle applies to man” - Sai Baba.If you use the following foundations in your relationship, you will have an incredibly long-lasting, happy and successful relationship.

1.   Laugh together

Laughter is a very powerful thing! Did you know that laughter is even used as a form of therapy? This is because it has such a positive effect on us. When you laugh with your partner, it shows that you enjoy each others company, feel positive towards one another and actually “like” each other.

“It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time. Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive and you have the power to choose either”. - Wayne Dyer

That’s right, laughter is a choice! And it involves choosing to feel happy towards each other, and not angry or negative. All too often you see couples who are never happy when they are together. They have become frustrated and are used to each other. And sadly, they lose the excitement and the appreciation they once shared for each other.

If you can relate to this, and would like to bring life and joy back into your relationship, then chose laughter.

Choose to make your partner laugh at least once a day. If you want to, you can even think of it as relationship therapy, since laughing is a real form of therapy!

2.   Know each others love language

Did you know that we all have different love languages?

Love languages are the different ways that we all communicate and understand love.

Your love language and that of your partner can be as different as Chinese and English!

So it is absolutely essential that you learn your partners love language.

“We must be willing to learn our spouses love language if we are to be effective communicators of love” - Dr Gary Chapman

Here are the 5 different love languages:

• Words of affirmation
• Quality time
• Receiving gifts
• Acts of service
• Physical touch

We all have one or two major love languages.

Here is an example of the importance of understanding your partners love language:

• If your love language is physical touch, a kiss will speak louder than 1000 words – but,

• If your love language is words of affirmation, one kind or affirming word will speak louder than 1000 kisses

You might be showing love to your partner in every way that you know how and still, they might be telling you that you don’t love them enough. Well, it’s no secret anymore! You need to learn their love language.

3.   Understand love as an action

As you can probably tell from the above point, love is an action. Love is understanding how your partner feels loved, and then doing it. People often think that love is a feeling, and that once the feeling disappears – there is little hope for their relationship. Well it’s absolutely not true!

“Love is a verb. Love – the feeling – is a fruit of love, the verb” – Stephen Covey

This quote shows us that “feeling in love” is just as much of a choice as “Loving as an action”.

When you choose to love your partner (even if they didn’t do anything to deserve it), you are showing them real love. Love, that is unconditional and that does not rely on them loving you first.

If you view “love as a feeling”, you will both be waiting and waiting – and you still won’t “feel it”.

So understand love as an action and a choice, and then do it! You will have an incredibly happy and fulfilling relationship because of it.

4.    Don’t cross the line

This is one of the most important things to remember for a happy and successful relationship.

There are certain things that we never want to say or do to our partner. These are things that you would consider “crossing the line”.

Maybe for you “crossing the line” means:

• Losing your temper
• Yelling or screaming at your partner
• Saying I hate you
• Saying something unkind to your partner
• Using manipulation to get what you want
• Going to sleep while being angry at your partner
• Not saying sorry when you know you should have
• Getting aggressive towards your partner
• Bringing your partner down because you were angry

These are all damaging things for a relationship, but if you ask any child “Do your parents do any of these things” most of them would probably say yes to a number of them.

My theory is – that once you “cross the line”, it becomes easier and easier to do it again and again.

You might not like to do those things but in the heat of an argument – if you have already said “I hate you” once before, it becomes a LOT easier to say it again.

If you want a happy and successful relationship, try really hard to not “cross the line”.

Your relationship will be so much better off for it and you will stand a better chance at actually “liking each other” years down the track.

5.   Apologize often

We all make mistakes. We all say and do damaging things to our relationship. We are simply human.

Successful relationships rely on us admitting when we are wrong and then moving past it.

Apologizing makes the process of moving on 1000% times faster and easier. When we don’t apologize when we know we should, we are being proud. Love is not prideful.

“In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes” - John Ruskin

To have a successful relationship, apologize often – so that you don’t make the mistake of being proud. Well, that’s it for the 5 foundations every relationship needs to have. If you use these foundations, the chances of having an incredibly happy, long-lasting and successful relationship will increase astronomically. Good luck!

Featured photo credit: @Depositphotos.com/gpointstudio via depositphotos.com

7 Ways to Increase Your Water Intake

Drinking water is essential to your health because the human body is made up of over 60% water. When your water intake isn’t equal to your output, you can become dehydrated and it can cause numerous health issues. Drinking enough water daily ensures that your body functions properly. The water flushes out toxins and helps energize the muscles of your body. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to drink enough water each day. We often get bored with water and crave sodas. Check out seven ways you need to increase your water intake.

1. Add fresh fruit

Drinking plain water can be a little boring, so why not spice it up? Add your favorite fresh fruit to the water and enjoy your drink. Its taste is very refreshing and exquisite and, of course, fresh fruit infused water has many health benefits. You can add a slice of lime, orange, lemon or cucumber to a glass of water. The good news is that you don’t have to go to spa or restaurants to enjoy the taste and health benefits of fresh fruit infused water. Make it at home and save your money.

2. Make water accessible

The main thing you should do is to get all harmful items out of sight. I mean a pitcher of juice or a bottle of Coke. These drinks are full of Aspartame, artificial dyes and unnatural sweeteners. Make clean water more accessible. You can buy water purifying system or bottled water. Moreover, if you are going to be out and about all day or sitting at a desk, don’t forget to take along a bottle of water. 

3. Don’t gulp water at once

Sip water, don’t gulp! It is better to drink it partially all day long. Also, don’t wait until you get thirsty. Begin sipping early in the morning and sip all day long. It is harmful to gulp water at once, that’s why you should drink slowly and enjoy the taste of water.

4. Use reusable water bottles

I’ve got an idea how to increase the intake of water and I’d like to share it with you! If you don’t like running to the kitchen to fill your cup with water, try to do the following thing. Fill up 4-5 reusable water bottles with water and ice and place them in different rooms. You will have an opportunity to drink water more often than usual.

5. Keep water-to-go ready in your fridge

Unfortunately, my busy days don’t give me an opportunity to keep the level of water in my body in order. I don’t know about you, but I often forget to drink water. That’s why I always have water-to-go ready in the fridge. It takes a minute to grab a bottle and throw it in your bag. Thus, you can sip water almost everywhere.

6. Drink water before each meal

A glass of water 30 minutes before meal has a positive effect on your health. Firstly, it can reduce calorie intake. Secondly, it helps prevent overeating. But you shouldn’t drink more than one glass before each meal, because too much water can lead to serious health problems.

7. Eat water-enriched food

One of the easiest ways to increase your water intake is to consume more water-enriched foods. Fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon, cucumbers, strawberries and tomatoes, are high in water, so use them in your salads, smoothies or eat them raw. This way, you will increase your water intake and improve your overall health.

Water is a major constituent part of the body. It helps keep you hydrated as well as healthy. Do you drink enough water every day? What do you do to increase your water intake? 

8 Foods to Eat Every Day for Perfect Skin

Are you tired of using different expensive and ineffective beauty products? It’s time to throw away all those ineffective products and start eating foods for perfect skin. I went from terrible acne five months ago to not having acne now. It was hard, but it was possible, and less expensive than turning to pricey products. While some foods can aggravate your skin, others can enhance it. Check out a list of 10 foods to eat every day for perfect skin.

 1. Red bell peppers

Red bell peppers are a tasty vegetable that can be enjoyed either cooked or raw. One red bell pepper contains more than 100% of your daily vitamin C needs. It also contains significant amounts of dietary fiber and vitamin B6. Moreover, it is rich in carotenoids that can help prevent wrinkles and increase blood circulation to your skin, helping it look more youthful. Due to their carotenoids, red bell peppers are also great to fight acne.

A red bell pepper is a perfect, low calorie snack that contains about 30 calories and has a really satisfying crunchy bite. Keep slices of red bell peppers in the fridge, so you will always have something healthy and tasty to reach for when you are having a snack attack. The fiber that a bell pepper contains will help you to feel full longer with very little calories. Plus, you will have a flawless skin!

 2. Dark chocolate

This is one of my favorite foods to eat every day for perfect skin! Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, fatty acids and flavanols that promote glowing skin. The antioxidants in dark chocolate will help reduce roughness in your skin and protect it against sun damage. Moreover, cocoa relaxes arteries, increasing blood circulation that leads to healthier skin.

I usually buy cocoa powder or raw cacao for less fat. And if you like dark chocolate, eat your ounce of dark chocolate every day and make sure you choose at least 80% cacao content in order to avoid milk and added sugars found in a traditional chocolate bar.

3. Salmon

Salmon is an excellent food to fight stress, anxiety, and depression. Salmon also provides most of your daily vitamin D needs. And as you may already know, Vitamin D is responsible for keeping your heart, bones, colon and brain healthy. It also helps prevent colon cancer, anxiety, depression, heart disease and bone disease.

Salmon is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids that are excellent for fighting inflammation, wrinkles and acne. Its high omega-3 content also helps hydrate your skin from the inside out. Moreover, eating salmon keeps your scalp hydrated and promotes strong, healthy hair.

 4. Coconut oil

Coconut oil is one of the richest sources of saturated fat with about 90 percent of calories as saturated fat. It contains lauric acid, a powerful antibacterial and antiviral agent that keeps away viruses, infections, inflammation and acne. Coconut oil is also rich in essential fatty acids and Vitamin E, which are perfect for keeping your skin moist, soft, and wrinkle-free.

I use coconut oil as a body cream and consume 1 tbsp. of raw coconut oil every day. Coconut oil is especially good for your thyroid. Plus, there’s considerable evidence that this oil can help lose weight. So many health benefits, don’t you think?

 

5. Green tea

Well, so I know green tea is actually a beverage, but tea leaves come from a plant! Even though I love black tea, I drink green tea every day because I know that it is a great source of antioxidants and a unique amino acid, L-theanine that helps relax your body and lower stress.

When the tea is hot, the bionic brew releases catechins, a kind of antioxidant with proven anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea may also reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure. Drink 3 or more cups of tea every day for better results.

  

6. Seeds

Chia seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds are all great for your skin. Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are both rich in selenium, Vitamin E, magnesium and protein. Selenium and protein keep all wrinkles away, Vitamin E enhances moisture in your skin and magnesium lowers your stress levels. The healthy Omega 3 fatty acids in flax, chia and hemp seeds are perfect for fighting wrinkles and acne. Plus, these seeds are rich in protein.

Just sprinkle seeds right on top of your salad or oatmeal and enjoy the great taste as well as perfect skin. I like to add seeds to a fruit yogurt, I think it tastes even better. I also add raw pumpkin seeds in my oh-so delicious smoothies. And what are your favorite seeds? How do you eat them?

  

7. Papaya

 Papaya is a wonderful fruit which has a rich history and numerous nutritional benefits. It is very low in calories (only 39 calories per 100 g!) and also contains no cholesterol. So if you are trying to lose weight, consider eating papaya every day to maximize its health benefits.

A great beauty food, papaya is low in fructose and is excellent for digestion! The antioxidant nutrients found in it, including Vitamins C and E and beta-carotene, are great at reducing inflammation and acne. Moreover, Vitamin C may also protect your skin against sun damage.

8. Carrots

Carrots are good not only for your eyes, but also for your skin. They are especially good for clearing up breakouts. Carrots are rich in vitamin A and they help prevent the overproduction of cells in the outer layer of the skin. That’s where excess sebum combines with dead cells and clogs pores.

Another great reason to snack on some carrots is because Vitamin A reduces the development of skin-cancer cells. So make sure you nibble on a half-cup of baby carrots every day for perfect skin. I love carrots and I think they make a great snack.

You don’t have to eat all these foods every day, but even some of them would be great! Be sure to avoid junk foods, too much sugar, trans fats and refined carbs for the best skin possible. Which of these foods do you eat every day? Share your thoughts, please, and thanks for reading!

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