Students Of Success

Thinking back on all the work I did with bodybuilders who went on to win
major titles, one thing becomes perfectly clear regarding why they reached the top. Through training their minds, they became as mentally tough as they were physically developed; this was the factor enabling them to ultimately take top honors.

They would also be the ones who were able to get more out of themselves
each workout. They were the ones who were able to push themselves to heroic
dimensions so that every fiber of every muscle trained was feverishly worked to the
max!

And through those I worked with winning Mr. International, Mr. America, Mr.
Universe, Grand Prix, and Mr. Olympia titles (Cahling, Christian, Platz, Coe, Haney), I
saw the need for a framework of mental training principles – a framework enabling
any serious bodybuilder to develop the mind/muscle link the way my clients who
became champions did.

So I set about developing easy to apply, yet powerful strategies so you can use
your mind to get the most, and best, out of yourself, and your workouts.

I’ve been training for almost 30 years now. And as the country’s foremost
sports and peak performance hypnotherapist, today I work with high profile pro
athletes in every sport. I help them go beyond their personal bests, and achieve
incredible performance levels. And my dedication to helping people by providing
them positive change strategies has been my hallmark.

So here now are the 12 principles to help you develop the Mind Of A
Champion. And I’ll tell you, this is serious stuff for serious bodybuilders.

Enjoy and prosper from applying every one. And as you do, you’ll readily
appreciate what’s involved in coming to stand victoriously atop muscle mountain’s
peak!

1.) Pre-Workout Mental/Emotional Priming

Here, you stimulate your nervous system with the kind and quality of effort you
want to generate while you train.

Before your workout, clearly 3-dimensionally visualize yourself performing one
set for each of the muscles you’ll be training. And experience yourself generating
super-human effort–pushing yourself, driving yourself, contracting to the max,
and blasting ever fiber to the bone. (Take your time here; each time you perform
this process, your visualizations will become more lifelike, and positively
emotionally activating.)

2.) Pure Mental Isolation And Focus–Cultivating And Applying Laser

Concentration

This type of concentration is not the traditional type where you try to block out
external distractions. No.

Laser concentration is entirely different. It entails mobilizing all of your
consciousness into a singular focus point that you then project into - and sustain
within - a particular task involvement (i.e., each rep of every set throughout your
entire workout).

This concentration form, once mobilized, is so powerful, you’re not even aware
of yourself. You just sense an extreme energy force lasered directly into the specific
muscle you’re training. And this is an essential part of producing full muscular
development—bringing a muscle to where its full size and shape potential
ultimately becomes actualized.

It takes determined practice and application to develop this laser
concentration. And here’s how you can it: with each set you perform, purposefully
bring your whole consciousness into the specific muscle you’re training. This
means you’re whole visual focus, all your emotions, your imaginative focus, your
willpower, and your exclusive action intent.

F-e-e-l this “all of you” then begin to work the muscle with each rep,
sustaining this same laser concentration during the positive and negative parts of
each rep.

If you sense you’re drifting, just gently bring this “all of you” back into the
wholly locked-in dimension (just the same as a cowboy would redirect a stray that
wandered off from the herd).

Keep applying this laser concentration principle, and in a short time you’ll find
it will become your natural mental inclination.

Performing this principle as outlined, you’ll almost feel like you’re filling the
specific muscle you’re training with a compelling power. And as you continue
applying this principle, you’ll be able to direct maximum mental intensity into the
muscle you train each rep of every set. (And imagine what kind of gains this will
provide you!)

3.) Cultivating And Applying The Pain Barrier Power Breakthrough

Mastering the pain barrier spells the difference between realizing your full
potential, and just being “good.”

Recall a decisive workout power memory — one where you were in the zone,
going beyond your max, or training with an almost animal like passion and intensity
—to a degree where it was as if nothing could or would deny you.

When you’ve isolated this memory, imaginatively step into it, and into your
body. And wholly f-e-e-l the exact feeling and sensations you did. And as you’re
feeling this, think of one word that, to you, represents you embodying this feeling.

Mentally exclaim it to yourself 5 consecutive times with passion, and
conviction.

Then, when you’re at your next pain barrier threshold during a set, forcefully
mentally exclaim this word so it’s as if, as you silently repeat it, it “explodes” to fill
all of you with its power. Then, go on to crank out 2 more reps!

4.) Developing Mind/Muscle Self Talk

Over the years, the champions have told me they felt as if they could control
every muscle in their body — as if they had a sort of individual relationship with
every single muscle group.

And so here, in the evening, lie comfortably upon your back, close your eyelids
down, and begin to focus upon a specific muscle. When you feel you’ve mentally
connected with it, then imaginatively “talk” to it.

Tell it what you’re going to do to it your next workout, and what you expect of
it in terms of exertion, performance, and growth.

Mentally go into “lagging” body parts, and do the same thing; talk to these
muscles like they’re your employee and you’re the boss.

Continue on with this process, and you’ll be surprised, even amazed at how
your muscles will begin to respond!

5.) Determine And Connect With Your Peak Performance Workout Emotion

Emotions are to performance what gas is to your car; the highest grade octane
enables your engine to perform at its peak.

And if you think about the best workouts you’ve had–when you literally felt
like a machine, and almost unconsciously blasted through set after set, coming to
feel a worked sensation that was the way you’d like to feel after every workout -
you’ll begin to realize an important fact.

The kind of emotion fueling these workouts produces the most demonstrable
results for you.

So recall the very last time you had a peak performance workout. Then
imaginatively step into the picture, and into your body. Then, think what you did
then, feel what you felt, say to yourself what you did, and breathe as you did.

When you’re replicating all the preceding, clench your right fist hard, and think
the word “Activate” 3 consecutive times. Then, very s-l-o-w-l-y unclench your fist.

Now you’ve formed a peak performance emotion anchor. And I want you to
use it in the following way:

• Before each set, clench your right fist hard, breathe as you did in your
peak performance workout, and mentally, passionately exclaim your key word
(”Activate”) 2 consecutive times.

You’ll feel your specific success fueling emotion filling you rapidly. Then,
unclench your fist, and go on to perform your set.

6.) Recite A.M. Personal Power Affirmations

Most “ordinary” people start their day as an extension of their yesterday. The
truly accomplished start each day with an empowering mental “breakfast”.

This “breakfast” consists of thoughts and ideas detailing what they’ll do, why
they can, and that they will!

I encourage you to tailor your own individualized personal power affirmations.
And as an illustration, here is a framework you can adopt:

“Today I exemplify power. I am strong in my thoughts; I think ‘Yes I can–I’m
supposed to triumph’.

I remain wholly confident in my beliefs; I can do what I set out to, and take
myself higher because I choose to.

I am disciplined, determined, and dedicated in my pursuit of excellence —
physical excellence when I work out in the gym, and life excellence as I go through
the various tasks and responsibilities of my day.

There are things I can do better than anyone else. And today…I shall!”

7.) Set Specific Outcomes For Every Set, And For Each Overall Workout

Do you honestly spend the overwhelming majority of your gym time involved
in productive growth and strength increasing efforts? Or, do you “sorta, kinda” just
go through the motions and feel “Ok; I did my workout today”?

Purposeful effort produces purposeful results. And here, I want you to
determine the following:

A.) What is the overall result you want to produce/experience from your workout
(in terms of feeling, sensation, workload to be accomplished, and degree of
performance generated)?

B.) What is each set to produce for you, or result in (what you’ll do, how you’ll do
it, and the degree to which you’ll do it)?

You must know where you’re going if you’re ever to get there. And so, have a
well detailed, specific result you’ll strive for always in mind. This way, you have a
progress stimulating reason to exert, and a personally advancing purpose to strive
toward.

No more “half-assed”, “idle”, “routine”, or “mindless” effort. From now on,
know your outcome, then set about achieving it.

8.) Deeply Embracing The “Push It To The Limit…And Beyond” Attitude

Here, you begin to internalize the same kind of overall training attitude the
champs instinctively embrace. And this revolves around the sentiment “Just good
enough…isn’t!”

The new attitude here is “If I’ve done what I’ve done, I’ve done it; now I dig in
and push myself beyond!”

The workout impact of this attitude actualized is a natural tendency to - ever
higher - push, strive, test, climb, and triumph.

Appropriately attempted heavier poundages, appropriately attempted
increased reps, appropriately attempted forced reps, appropriately attempted super
sets, tri-sets, quad sets…and giant sets!

Your heart is probably pounding just from reading this, isn’t it!

As an aid to developing this attitude, here’s a peak performance affirmation
you can begin internalizing about one hour before you leave for your gym:

“Today I strive for more. Today I push myself tougher and harder, striving to
bring more of myself into every rep of every set, and make my muscle’s exert more
feverishly than I ever have before.

I never rest on my laurels; I ignite the flames of conquest passion–and
today, push myself to the limit…and beyond!”

9.) Deep Mental/Emotional Relaxation To Promote Sound, Restful Sleep

The volts of intensity you generate during your workouts must be balanced
with emotional/neurological calmness so you can fully rest, and deeply sleep each
night.

As you know, your sleep period is essential for recuperation and growth. So
here, you now purposefully unwind before getting into bed to sleep–mentally and
physically.

First, lying comfortably, perform 6-8 release breaths. Inhale deeply through
your nostrils (letting your stomach expand and distend), and then slowly, easily
exhale through your mouth.

Next, calm and relax your mind by focusing upon your breathing. And with
each breath, imagine you’re expelling a white mist. And mentally, silently repeat the
word e-a-s-y with each exhalation, experiencing your thoughts calming down, and
the muscles in your head, cheeks and jaw slackening completely.

Next, just visualize and allow the deeply soothing looseness and comfort you
feel to easily flow into, and fill your entire body—all the way down to your toes.

You’ll quickly come to feel a pleasant “heaviness” and a comforting inner peace
enveloping you. Then, just spend a few moments enjoying the inner calm you’ve
produced.

Now, you’re ready to hop into bed and enjoy the deeply restful sleep that
supports your muscular growth.

10.) The Success Ideal Motivation Principle

If you’ve ever seen something you wanted, something you felt you really
wanted, every time you either saw it or it entered your mind, a feeling of drive to get
it also flow through you.

Whether it was a car, a suit of clothes, a certain female who caught your eye, a
job you wanted—the objective of your desire so captivated your “want power”, you
likely ultimately came to acquire or produce it, didn’t you?!

It’s very similar with physical development. When you’ve clearly formed an
impression of your overall desired physique, and you wholly believe in, and are
deeply excited by it, it naturally motivates you to expend the energy necessary to
ultimately achieve it.

So, as you get into bed to sleep, begin to mentally visualize and experience the
imaginative answer to the following question. “If I could have the kind of physique I
truly wanted, what would this look like, feel like…and be?”

Then, to the best of your ability, wholly sensory envision what this looks like
from the front, and the rear. And be sure to experience every cut, groove, peak,
and striation connected to this ideal you.

After 6 minutes or so of this success ideal visualization, then just let this
impression fade, and allow yourself to drift off to sleep.

Continue doing this every night, and you’ll find your motivation will stay
invincible, and your physical training drive will never waver.

11.) Embracing The Resolve Toward Completion

Are you an “Ok; I did enough” person? Or, are you an “I will do all I set out to”
personality?

Let me tell you that those who truly reach their muscular peak are the latter
type. They’ll fully complete what they set out to, and will not tolerate, or settle for
anything less.

And this applies to adding one full inch to their arms, or 50 pounds to their
max bench press, or carving a tight, cut, muscular etched waistline.

Goals are to be fully achieved. Workout plans and strategies are to be fully
completed and actualized. Self structured and determined standards of
performance are to be fully adhered to and honored…always.

So if you say you’ll do 10 reps, do all 10. If you say you’ll do 12 sets, do all 12.
Don’t compromise yourself…ever. The results you’ll achieve through applying this
principle will more than justify your effort.

12.) Independent Belief—Keep Your Own Counsel

This last principle is a very important part in you going as high as you can.

Here, you - you - determine how big, strong, developed, accomplished,
powerful, advanced, and physically evolved you can become.

No one knows you like you do. If you choose to consider and believe in
limitations, rest assured you’ll experience, at best, partial life and muscular
achievement.

But when you choose to say what’s possible for you, and really mean it, that’s
when all your power will be generated toward making what you believe…fact.

Hold your beliefs. Tightly embrace your vision of self and possibility. And
train fueled by these ideals…exclusively!

Now you have the 12 Mental Training Principles you can apply to significantly
bolster your training efforts and results. And I encourage you to use them as
outlined, so you keep developing yourself.

It’s up to you now. No one can - or will - do it for you, but you. And through
the 12 Mental Training Principles detailed, now you can bring your full power into
play — each rep of every set.

Go ahead; start applying these principles in your workouts, and your life.
Then, you’ll come to understand how to move yourself from ordinary…to
Extraordinary!

Author, clinician, and national TV therapist, Pete Siegel is America’s foremost peak
performance hypnotherapist. Go ahead now, and review his highly acclaimed
confidence building and Think & Grow BIG Muscle building programs at
http://www.incrediblechange.com

Picking out what you want for your very first guitar is a difficult and tricky choice. You probably do not know a lot about guitars to begin with, and with the thousands of selections available, it is easy to be confused.

The first decision involves choosing between either an electric or acoustic guitar. Once you have made that choice, the next thing you have to do is to determine the budget that you are comfortable with. If you are really serious about learning, it is recommended that you avoid buying a cheap and low-quality instrument, as such guitars tend to impede your learning. When it comes to upgrading, you will also find that getting a good price for your guitar will be difficult.

Typically, acoustic guitars have six strings, are hollow and have a sound hole. Electric guitars are not hollow, and require a guitar amplifier. However, electric guitars may be easier for beginners, because the strings are easier to press down, and do not cause your fingers to get sore as easily as compared to playing on an acoustic guitar.

One of the most important factors that you have to consider, when choosing between an acoustic or an electric, is what kind of music will you be playing. If you like to learn how to strum your favourite songs, an acoustic guitar may be better. If you are a great fan of rock music, then you might like to start off with an electric guitar. This is important, because if you start off with the wrong kind of guitar, you will find it much more difficult to find the motivation to play regularly.

Interested in learning how to play the guitar? Learn more about guitars and get links to free guitar lessons at LearnGuitarFree.com!

After rate of interest, if there is any thing that most people desire for in a personal loan, then it is instant approval. Instant approval of personal loans has different connotations for different people. While for some people, instant approval signifies approval within a day of application; for others, instant approval of personal loans indicates approval within the time promised. This article deals solely with the latter connotation of instant approvals.

At the time of application, many lenders would promise a time frame within which the loan will be approved. Nevertheless, the number of lenders who stick to this time frame is very less.

Approval is a multi-step process, and depending on the time that the lender takes to accomplish each step, the process will be timed. A majority of the steps are justified and are there in order to reveal the credibility of the borrower. Since a large amount of money is involved, personal loans cannot be given without conducting proper verifications and checks. The principal verifications that needs to be performed in a personal loans are as follows:

• Income verification is conducted by demanding the past two W-2 forms. In addition, the last 30 days pay stubs are to be presented to the lender. Self-employed people are required to present the last two years federal tax returns and the profit and loss statement for the last year.
• Assets are verified through two months statements.
• The borrower will also have to give a declaration that he does not owe anything and that all financial obligations have been made on time.

In the absence of such verifications or when the loan provider intentionally omits any of these vital processes, the lender is exposing itself to a greater degree of risk. The lender has a rightful demand thus to charge a higher rate of interest. This is what happens in bridging loans where loan is granted in a very short notice period. These carry a very high rate of interest.

Consequently, personal loan lenders must be allowed a minimal time within which they complete the necessary processes. A proper management of time on the part of the loan provider can save a lot of time involved in approval. The approval time differs with lenders. It also differs with the customs prevailing in a region or place, and with the financial product opted for.

The basic personal loan approval process constitutes the following steps:

• The individual selects the loan that will suit his purpose. There are a number of variations in personal loans and choosing one out of them will be a heady task. Though personal loans can be put equally well to all tasks, it will be better to discuss with experts if there are better financial products available.

• The borrower is sent an application form to be filled with the details of the borrower. Being brief but clear is generally preferred. Easy approval is facilitated if the application form gives unambiguous information. Unnecessary duplication of work is prevented and the offers searched for the borrower easily match the borrowers’ specifications.

• Application process is now completed online. The form duly filled in is submitted by clicking on the submit button on the website of the loan provider. On receiving the application, the lender gives an in-principle decision on the suitability of the candidate for a personal loan. This is just a preliminary approval and decision still needs to be made whether or not the borrower will actually get the personal loan. The in-principle decision is made within 24-48 hours of the application.

• Verifications and checks mentioned above are conducted after an in-principle decision. Property and asset valuation is needed when the personal loan is secured on property or certain assets.

• Once the reports of the verification are received in the affirmative, the personal loan must be deemed to be approved. A formal approval confirmation call is made to the borrower. Along with the solicitors, loan documents are prepared. This is then sent to the borrower to be filled in. The filled in loan documents are sent to the solicitors. This final step leads to settlement and final sanction of the personal loan.

There must be willingness on the part of the borrower to accelerate the process of approval. Many of the processes can be performed more than one at a time. There are another sets of processes that have become superfluous because of the changed circumstances. The lender must identify such processes that can be removed with relative ease. A part of the responsibility for instant approval of personal loan lies with the borrower. By being clear in what they need from the personal loan, and keeping a sufficient time gap between application and approval, they can lessen the perturbations that occur when loan is not approved in time.

James Taylor holds a Master’s degree in Commerce from JNU he is working as financial consultant for chance for loans.To find a personal loan,bad credit loans that best suits your needs visit
www.chanceforloans.co.uk

Do you need to make your Bench Press Explosive?

Use the exercise - push-ups.

In a lot of sports, athletes may require fast explosive bursts
of movement. For example –

When a sprinter runs, he doesn’t just run. Instead, he powers up
and tries to explode to the finish line as quickly as is humanly
possible. Another example is –

When a boxer throws punches, he just doesn’t extend his arm and
hit his opponent. Instead, he puts all his weight, power and
speed into his punches with such fierce explosive strength so as
to achieve the maximum effect that he can deliver.

If you are into any sport that requires explosive power and
speed, then you may need to add in the required speed and power
training.

Ever notice that when performing a bench press, you sometimes
come to a point when you find it extremely difficult to push the
weight back up?

This is usually at the point where you have lowered the bar and,
as you begin to push upwards, it just doesn’t go. Or at least
there is a ling pause at that point.

With explosive speed training you can push out of that situation
more quickly.

How do I achieve this type of power?

Using the ecercise Push-ups.

There are a number of ways to perform the push- ups exercise.
But I’ll go through the basic and perhaps more explosive
exericse. Push-up are easy enough to do. What’s not so easy
though is doing them without cheating.

When performing the exercise push-ups will not only build
explosive speed, they will also improve your bench press. So,
here’s how I suggest you go about this routine –

1. Warm up well before performing this exercise- push-ups
routine, as it will then be more effective.

2. Keep your hands just a bit wider then shoulder width, in
order to gain maximum effect from the exercise-push-ups routine.

3. Keep your elbows tucked in by your sides at about a 45 degree
angle from your torso. If your arms them come out to the sides
this will take away the emphasis on the chest and place it in
the arms instead.

4. Aim to build up to 8 reps of explosive exercise- push-ups at
first.

5. Then build into three sets of 8. If you feel you can do more,
that’s ok. But what I suggest is:

Continue doing this exercise. But, challenge yourself a little.
You can do this by introducing the clap hands push ups.

This is where you do exactly as above, but you push up so fast,
that you can clap your hands and come back down to the push-up
position again. That’s one rep. And that’s explosive speed.

Work this up to 3 sets of 8 reps. And do this maybe 2 - 3 times
a week, depending on time available.

In conclusion, if you need explosive speed then the exercise -
Push-ups are ideal. Start with the basic push-up and work up to
3 sets of 8 reps. Then challenge yourself more by adding in the
clap hands part when you push up as hard and fast as you can.
Again aim to build this up to 3 sets of 8 reps.

Is your hair not growing to its full potential? Is it unhealthy
and dull? Then you might find the solution on your fridge or
kitchen cabinet. Believe it or not your diet might have a lot to
do with your hair’s health.

Here is your guide of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that
are essential to you hairs health.

Biotin- peanuts, oat bran, eggs, liver, mushrooms, Bananas,
tomatoes, whole-grain cereals, lean beef

Zinc- wheat germ, lean meat, oatmeal, split peas, mozzarella
cheese, yogurt, cow milk, shrimp, parsley, liver

Methionine- dairy products, fish, meat, wheat

B-5 (Pantothenic) - sweet potatoes, yeast, eggs, fish, legumes,
avocado

Magnesium- bananas, vegetables, walnuts, died fruits, cocoa

Consult your doctor before making any changes on your diet.

There is no better place in the world to spend a holiday than Spain. Spain offers a myriad of recreational pursuits and you will have little or no problem finding splendid accommodation in Spain. In fact, when you plan a holiday in Spain you’ll have few worries in terms of arranging your itinerary: this will allow you to focus on other important things concerning your plans. Purchasing travel insurance is extremely important whenever you are travelling and you should not consider a holiday without it.

It is important to remember that you travel to relax and enjoy yourself. With that in mind, it is easy to understand why travel insurance for pensioners is so necessary. With travel insurance in place you can concentrate on enjoying your holiday and get on with visiting all of the fabulous sights in Spain.

Mark Santilli, a frequent traveller, warns about the dangers of not having travel insurance: “I never thought that travel insurance was important. I quickly found out how wrong I was when my wife and I went on a trip to Australia and my wife became seriously ill. Our regular insurance didn’t cover the emergency treatment she needed.”

It is in no way safe to conclude that the new European health insurance card offers enough cover to you and your family. In fact, travel insurance for over 70’s will cover many things that the new European health insurance card will not. In reality, travel insurance may cover unexpected cancellations, missed departures, lost travel documents, accidents, the loss or theft of baggage, travel delays and certain medical expenses that regular insurance just will not cover. For all intents and purposes then, if you are looking to completely relax and unwind while visiting Spain, or any part of the world, it is truly wise to make a small investment in travel insurance.

Spain is truly a fantastic place to visit and you’ll love travelling from one major city to the next, checking out all of the historical sites that Spain has to offer: cities like Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Granada, Ibiza, Madrid, Malaga, Marbella, Oviedo, Palma, Salamanca, San Sebastian, Santander, Seville, Valencia and Zaragoza. What draws tourists to Spain year after year is the incredible history embedded in each city. Such a history can be thoroughly explored by viewing the unique architecture in each city and by visiting the many cultural sites that hold historical significance: sites that are scattered throughout the country of Spain.

Madrid, the capital of Spain and one of the most popular tourist attractions, possesses fine accommodation and cuisine. The Adler Hotel, the Petit Palace Italia and the Aptos Eurobuilding 2 offer comfortable and affordable accommodation to the tourist. The Adler Hotel, erected in 1884, is located at Calle Velazquez 33, Goya 31 and is the site of a former palace which has been completely remodelled to meet the comfort and needs of today’s traveller. The Adler hotel has 6 floors and 45 rooms to choose from. You will find that the Adler Hotel offers every possible amenity including air conditioning, broadband internet access, satellite television, telephone access and an in-room mini-bar. Additionally, the Petit Palace Italia, erected in 1902, is located at Gran Via 32 and offers similar amenities as does the Aptos Eurobuilding 2, situated at Orense 69.

You find that there are restaurants of all styles everywhere—restaurants that provide the finest cuisine that Spain has to offer. For instance, when visiting Madrid you will discover that many of the restaurants are but a short distance from your chosen accommodation. If you are looking to get a taste of Spanish cuisine there is the Combarro Restaurant but if you are seeking contemporary cuisine, visit the Zalca?n. Likewise, breakfast and brunch are regularly served at the Chocolater?a San Gines and if you desire Indian Cuisine the Annapurna you will have no trouble satisfying your appetite.

Of course, you don’t merely visit Spain for its fine cuisine and comfortable accommodation. In fact, pensioners visit Spain so that they can partake in Spain’s magnificent history while they rest and relax on their holiday. There are well over 50 museums and galleries in Madrid alone. Be sure that you can spend all of your time in Spain enjoying the sights—get travel insurance for pensioners—feel safe about your trip and most of all enjoy the sun and the culture.

Diane Newsom writes for the UK search portal Usewho. Vist them for more information on pensioner travel insurance.

The ancient herb, Anethum graveolens or Fernleaf dill as it is commonly known, was mentioned some 5,000 years ago in early Egyptian writings. It is the most important culinary herb in Scandinavia, as popular as parsley is in other parts of the world. The word ‘dill’ stems from the Old Norse word dilla, meaning “to lull,” and can be grown indoors and out. The feathery leaves make dill a pretty foliage plant, which is lovely as a green foil for the flowers in your garden. The fragrance of dill on fingers evokes a ‘comfort smell’ for many people as the leaves smell of homemade dill pickles. Old-fashioned dill water or gripe water as it is commonly known (made by infusing crushed dill seeds in hot water), is still used as a remedy for indigestion in adults as well as children.

Dill is an annual but self-seeds so once planted you will have it forever in your garden as long as you allow some of the plants to go to seed. Dill has yellow flowers and grows 1 – 4 ft. (30 – 120 cm) tall outdoors. In pots indoors, dill will be less tall. Grow dill from seed and when thinning, use the seedlings you pull up, as they are tender and delicious. Dried dill leaves are known as ‘dill weed.’ If you need dill seed for your fall pickles, plant some dill in mid-July to ensure you have ripening seed.

Cultivation requirements: grows best in deep, well-drained, fertile, sandy loam, likes compost or manure. Dill must be grown in full sun and watered during dry periods. Dill is easily grown from seed and grows well indoors if grown under fluorescent lights. Hang the lights 6 inches (15 cm) from plants and leave on for 14 hours a day. Dill does not transplant well and it needs a deep pot for its long taproots. Pinch out the tops to prevent flowering and seed setting to keep plants growing longer.

In the garden, dill can be planted with cabbages but not near carrots. In the kitchen, use dill for pickles, cabbage, turnips, cauliflower, in butter on fried or grilled fish, sour cream, meats, stews, cream cheese, dips. Use fresh with green beans, potato dishes, cheese, soups, salads, seafood, sauces, and snipped on vegetable dishes. Sprinkle young dill on broiling lamb, pork chops, or steaks during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Seeds can be sprinkled on toast or crackers with salmon that has been mixed with mayonnaise. Seeds and leaves can be used in fish sauces. Zucchini can be sliced thin and sautéed in olive oil and fresh dill leaves for a nice side dish.

Fresh dill can be kept in the fridge for a few days by submersing the stems in a glass of water. Cover loosely with a plastic bag and make sure the leaves are above the water. Fresh leaves can be frozen in re-seal-able bags and used in dishes. Seeds can be stored in a closed container and used as needed. You can eat the leaves, seed heads, and seeds. Use seeds if cooking for a long time and dill weed if adding at the last minute. Dill can be dried or frozen.

Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace – Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul and the booklet Non-toxic Alternatives For Everyday Cleaning And Gardening Products. She owns the website Gwen’s Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the books and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit www.gwenshealinggarden.ca

Gwen Nyhus Stewart © 2004 – 2006. All rights reserved.