7 Strategies To Stop Eating Junk Food !

FACT: Obesity accounts for 300,000 deaths in the U.S. alone.
Research into junk food and fast food restaurants have found that there is a direct relationship between the number of fast food restaurants located within your local area and obesity rates.
The way in which we eat, and what we eat, is of vital importance to our state of health. The convenience and habitual nature of the problem mean that fast food consumption is so in-grained, that healthy eating is near impossible.
There are no easy ways to fix junk food habits and make them into healthy habits, but I do have 7 quick strategies that you can easily put into place to start into motion your new lifestyle without junk food. I recommend implementing these one at a time, to ensure that you don't overload and burn yourself out.
1. Do your shopping every week. Make it a regular habit to do your groceries every single week on the same day.
2. Make a shopping list on the computer with all the regular foods that you buy, to ensure that you aren't going to run out of food at the end of the week, tempting you to reach for the fast food pamphlet, running out for take-away or buying unnecessary food items.
3. Don't starve yourself !!!!!!! Eat 6 small meals instead of 3 large ones, snacking on healthy foods such as a fat burning apple, protein packed, metabolism raising light salad with boiled eggs and flaxseed oil dressing.
4. Make food your hobby. Join a cookery class. There are often many community classes that you can enrol in inexpensively to learn how to prepare interesting food.
5. Unplug the TV at the point. You will be less likely to sit there and watch it aimlessly if you have to make a conscious effort to turn it on. Particularly around 6-8 pm, the junk food restaurants will advertise, watch a DVD during these times. A recent review of childhood obesity research, has, not surprisingly found that the amount of time you spend watching TV has a direct affect on being overweight.
6. Try this recipe when you are feeling peckish to curb your need to buy junk food, or feeling the urge to have a smoke. 2 eggs beaten 1 Chopped lean bacon rasher - no fat. 1 chopped canned tomato 1/4 cup soy milk/low fat milk 1 finely chopped leaf spinach/frozen spinach Sprinkling of low fat cheese
Mix ingredients together in mixing bowl. Transfer into a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 2 minutes or until eggs have solidified. Eat with a low GI bread. You'll find that depending on the quantity eaten, it can be a filling snack or light dinner.
7. When eating out. Avoid the restaurants with the all-you-can-eat option. These restaurants unfortunately encourage people to eat until they are bloated. Researchers found that 20% of weight gain among freshman University students could be attributed to their eating in the all-you-can-eat student dining halls.
References:
Caroli M, Argentieri L, Cardone M, Masi A. Role of television in childhood obesity prevention. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Nov;28 Suppl 3:S104-8.
Levitsky DA, Halbmaier CA, Mrdjenovic G. The freshman weight gain: a model for the study of the epidemic of obesity. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Nov;28(11):1435-42.
Maddock J. The relationship between obesity and the prevalence of fast food restaurants: state-level analysis. Am J Health Promot. 2004 Nov-Dec;19(2):137-43.

Arthritis and Aromatherapy

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints and is characterized by pain, stiffness, swelling, decreased range of movement and at a more serious stage deformity.
Aromatherapy is a holistic approach to health and wellness by means of aromatic, plant derived scents. It is very much a traditonal method as well as a science that encompasses the intuitive and creative aspects of preparing special purpose blends.
Aromatherapy blends for the treatment of arthritis are usually made from pure essential oils, but also from hydrosols and -- more recently -- phytols. For application to the skin they have to be mixed with vegetable oil, a cream base or a carrier lotion. Essential Oils must always be used diluted when applied to the skin. A dilution of 3% essential oils in 97% base is generally regarded as very effective and safe.
Since the reasons for the occurance of arthritis are still not completely established, it is difficult to find a cure for the disease. Arthritis could be genetic, it could have to do with bone density loss, it could also be a type of infection caused by toxins released in the body. Even more likely it is a combination of several factors. It is -- at this stage -- only possible to treat the pain and symptoms caused by arthritis but not it's underlying cause.
Aromatherapy is one form of arthritis treatment, using a variety of essential oils. They can be added to the bath, massaged into the skin, inhaled or applied as compresses. The right mixture of essential oils will help to relax, promote pain relief and alleviate fatigue. Essential oils can also provide psychological benefits like improving the mood and reducing anxiety.
Some of the more suitable arthritis oils are Lavender, Juniper, Thyme, Rosemary, Benzoe, Eucalyptus, Camomile, Pine Scotch, Camphor, Angelica Root, Ginger, Origanum, Black Pepper and Lemon.
One of the most effective ways to use aromatherapy for relieving pain and reducing inflammation are hot compresses: Fill a medium size bowl with hot, but not scalding water. Add 3 to 6 drops of essential oil. Fold a piece of sterile cotton cloth and dip it into the bowl. Squeeze out excess water, but not too much. Place the wet, hot cloth onto the affected area until it has cooled down to body temperature. Repeat steps 3 through 5 at least two to three times. Wrap the treated area in a dry and warm towel or blanket and leave the patient to rest for a while.
Another good way to use aromatherapy for arthritis relieve is to rub diluted essential oils (see above for dilution) onto pulse points and affected areas during the day. Applying essential oils throughout the day can help to alleviate pain and tension. The essential oils on the skin are quickly absorbed and enter the bloodstream. This is an excellent form of arthritis relief and works also well as a preventative measure.
Aromatherapy is a natural, safe and economical option to deal with the pain and symptoms of arthritis. And above all, it has no negative side effects as so many of the conventional treatments do. In mild cases of arthritis, aromatherapy is often all that is needed to make a person comfortable.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is presented for information purposes only. The material is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. It cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment.

How to keep the New Year's Resolution to exercise

New Year's Resolutions motivate many to make commitments to exercise. Fitness centers will be flooded with great intentions during the first week of January. Sadly, within a few short weeks after New Year's Day, fitness center visits begin to decline.
Want an easy way to stay off the fitness commitment dropout rolls? Here's a simple tip that could double your workouts this year.
Fitness Strategy for the Long-Haul
The key to long-term fitness training is to be aware that motivation levels come and go.
The one day that you decide to miss could be the last workout for a year. Long-term training is not a physical issue, it is a mental one.
I have a mental practice that I use to help me through the tough days when I do not feel like training. It's simple - I don't make the decision to miss a workout until I first change into my training clothes.
If I decide to miss a workout, that's okay (sometimes it's unavoidable), but I always make the effort to change clothes first.
Most of the time, just changing into training clothes is enough to get me started. Once started, this typically becomes the best workout of the week!
Why People Stop Exercising
Never have I met anyone who made a conscious decision to stop exercising. Everyone who has stopped exercising began by "missing once."
That one miss led to another, then another.
The key to long-term training is to understand the mental risk associated with missing "one workout."
I can't overemphasize the importance of mentally making an issue of missing "one workout."
Missing one workout will not hurt you physically. Mentally, however, missing a workout permanently breaks the habit of training - until you make the next workout.
The Take Home
When deciding to miss a workout, make a mental note that you just decided to "stop training permanently". . . until you have completed the next workout.
Have a great day!
Phil Campbell, M.S., M.A.,
Author of Ready, Set, GO! Synergy Fitness

Human Weaknesses and Strengths

The meanness of humanity does not loosen up with a sporadic show of love and works of charity. These activities merely reinforce the point that humanity has failed badly in its drive to spread universal love and family-hood. They are activities that are prompted by those who, perhaps, think that the rigidity of the society is on shaky ground; and they are also activities that warn about the rapacious tendencies of the few, the kind of rapacity that is leading to the degeneration of the many.
Of course, we can see people doing voluntary work, giving donations, establishing foundations, all with the hope of attaining fame or helping the needy, or both. Whether these activities are intensified, stay still, or recede, they point out the failure of humanity in dealing effectively with the important questions of peace, charity, love and happiness for all. Above all, these activities should not arise from the tactical or strategic plans of policy or decision makers. They simply should be at the core of a society's mores, culture; and if they are not, then a society or the society in question is not anchored on fundamental principles of egalitarianism so important for fostering moral and social responsibility.
We are not here talking about humanity in general but certain sections of humanity lodged in given physical spaces, or sections of humanity outside these physical spaces that claim an indivisible connection to such spaces. Quite often, the reflective person's conscience is awakened to the misdeeds of a society whose group psyche fails to yield the kind of peace that can stabilize a world already in chaos. The whole process looks like a drama, but it is a reality.
Group psyche is not a natural outcome; it develops largely from an ideological framework constructed from the sources of power. While the collective personality is a consequence of culture, group psyche is a far more complex thing. Group psyche arises more from the manipulations of certain aspects of culture, largely from invented ideas formalized as cultural truths by the sources of power; and this constitutes the ideological framework. For fear of being readily exposed as immoral doers, the sources of power subscribe to a basic misinformation and, thereafter, strive to universalize it – at all cost. Such propaganda ought to alarm us, for it creates potential or actual danger, brings misery, torments innocent lives, and ultimately promotes havoc at a time global cooperation and equitable respect for cultural variations are most desirable.
Are we blind to ideological constructions that are paraded as absolute truths, as unavoidable in the spirit of democracy, when, in fact, all they can provide are nothing but cultural falsehoods spun from an imperial culture? The propagandists are particularly skillful in letting their falsehoods to permeate many corners of the world. They style such falsehoods "liberty", "democracy", "civilization", "development", "progress", and so on; and underneath their machinations are the inexorable quest to dominate other cultures without realizing – or better – understanding that what we claim to be culture is not in agreement with their cultural falsehoods. Time and again, we have failed to recognize the natural character of culture in so far as it takes shape from the continual engagement of people with the exclusive environmental space in which they find themselves. Think about this.
One environmental space, say p, is different from another one, say q, in all attributes that are judged natural. In terms of their respective different-ness, issues about climate, flora and fauna readily come to mind. In reality, we call p and q societies because they have inhabitants who have constructively engaged the environment from their respective antiquarian pasts up to the present. What, moreover, makes them modern societies, depending on what we judge, subjectively, as modern, is the fact that they have respectively fashioned - out of sheer need - political, religious, economic, and social systems in order to meet the challenges of their respective environments. The whole course of action is a human need, pressed into service by whatever conditions the environment presents at any given time. Nonetheless, we can discern imperfections, human misdeeds in different environmental spaces. That is the enigma in humans, which the balancing acts of the environment and group psyche will ultimately redress as an internal mechanism.
Since environmental spaces are different, cultural forms are also different, and we ought not to tamper with this natural arrangement. When we see such environmentally determined cultural forms as a given, as some kind of godly arrangement, then we are apt to discredit the endeavours of imperial agents who insist on changing the structure of another or other cultures to conform to theirs. If such changes occur, then the natural direction of culture gets dislocated, and a new direction, entirely messy, confronts the given environmental space without the usual symbiosis.
But this kind of disorder is not only between the new humanity and the environmental space; it also brings a web of chaos to the individual and collective psyche. Absolutist judgment of other cultures based on the indicators of another culture is not only a palpable failure but a miscalculation in the first place. The psychopathological feelings and views of a social group should not decide the fate of other peoples and cultures. Unless this anomaly is purged, we can see the proliferation of human depravities and a distortion of cultural forms. But this is what is misleadingly construed as progress, civilization, freedom, democracy, among others.
Superpower economics and politics have brought new psychological impulses to its backers, its unreflective social group or uninformed admirers. And the question of truth is forsaken and replaced with the collective conscience of guilt projected by its architect as the true spirit of civilization. The guilty conscience of a social group inverted and presented as a liberating conscience for others to emulate is a menace to humanness, and it is also unsustainable within morally upright cultures. Such guilty conscience is a product of a culture that thrives on principles of individualism often separated from a group or cooperative relationship with the natural environment. Humans tend to be mechanized, eliminated from pious assimilation with an environment that they seek to subdue instead of living in, with. Yet this is mistakenly, widely visualized as the new authentic human being, the real reflection of personal identity.
Personal identity should not be seen as a philosophical, abstract notion. Our identities – yours and mine – are also, in large measure, cultural identities. The sum of my internal and external reflexes can be captured from the point that I grew up in a certain environmental space different from yours and from which the distinctive characteristics that I portray are different from yours. This is the essence of culture. Despite such differences, we are united in the realm of humanity because we understand that cultures happen to be different, not absolute. But if we view personal identity as an abstract, purely philosophical notion, then we could fall into the trap of overruling cultural identity as central to personal identity. Imperialist practices tend to subscribe to the abstract notion of personal identity – or so it seems.

How to Avoid the Flu this Holiday Season

No flu shot for you this year? Can you keep yourself safe? Yes!
Even though flu viruses may be lurking at the next holiday party you attend, you can take simple steps to avoid the bugs. Prevention can mean the difference between a joyous holiday season and a miserable week in bed coughing and sneezing.
The holiday season is a social time, and many of the things Miss Manners tells us to do to be part of civilized society contribute to the spread of the flu: shaking hands, talking in close groups of people, sharing food.
I invite you to challenge the boundaries of conventional etiquette to stay healthy.
At parties
Think before you eat. The flu germs are spread by hand-to-mouth transmission. So when someone with the flu sneezes, the germs land on the doorknob, where they can live for a few hours. You open the door, transfer germs to your hand and then grab a carrot at the snack table. Wash before you eat, especially finger food.
Is that my wine? Identify your glass. A nice hostess gift is decorative wine glass jewelry that gets placed on the stem. If you're using paper cups write your name on it. Or keep your glass in your hand at all times. Set it down on a table, and you're inviting a mixup.
Rethink hand shaking Have you ever wondered what to do if someone sneezes on his right hand, and then extends it in a hand shake? You could say, *Nice to meet you,* without extending your hand or, *Nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand except I'm coming down with something, and I don't want to pass it along to you.* Or you can shake hands and then go directly to the bathroom and wash.
You may elect simply not to shake hands by saying, *It's flu season, let's just smile and nod and keep our own germs.* Others may appreciate your thoughtfulness. Passengers on board cruise ships infected with viruses these past few seasons found themselves creating their own sort of handshake: an elbow touch.
At home
Have a family meeting and ask, *What can we do to stay healthy this season? How can we remember to wash our hands?* Write down all ideas from all family members, including the wee ones. Then develop a plan. Notice when your kids and partner do things to which you agreed. Remember, kids get great delight in mastery. They're wired to please you.
Develop your family non-touch greeting to replace kisses. Maybe a Spock Vulcan hand gesture with *May the force be with you.* You can have a family contest and give a prize for the winner.
Have soap (non-antibacterial) and disposable towels for drying in the kitchen and bathrooms and hand-sanitizers in your purse, briefcase or backpack. Keep a bottle in your car to use after punching numbers into the ATM or handling money at the drive- through windows. Always squirt a little into everyone's hands after shopping and touching grocery carts.
If someone is sick at your house, call your invited guests and let them know. You can say, *We've been looking forward to having you over. Just want to let you know that Lee came home early with a fever. It doesn't look serious and I think the risk to your family is low. Just want to give you the option of rescheduling.*
When you're invited as a guest you can say, *We didn't get flu vaccine this year, and I'm taking health seriously. Would it work for you if I called the day of the event and we could exchange a health report with the option to reschedule if someone's sick?*
Elsewhere
Cough and sneeze into the crook of your elbow or upper sleeve. You don't generally touch things with that part of your body.
Be proactive about health at work. Approach your team leader or HR department and say, *We're not vaccinated this year. One sick employee could get many of us sick. How about if we develop a policy that goes in writing that states we'll stay home if we're sick. That way we'll have a productive work force.*
Use caution at the gym. Clip a little hand sanitizer bottle to your belt for use after touching weight equipment or any hard surface.
Be proactive with your relatives. Write an email that says, *We look forward to our family holiday gathering. Nellie is going through chemotherapy and we want to make sure she stays healthy. What do we do if someone gets sick? Will we stay home? Have a special place for sick kids?*
Be sure all health care providers wash before they examine you. If you don't see them wash, ask politely if they will do so again in your presence.
Your goal is to keep you, your family and co-workers healthy this holiday season. Protect yourself with good hand washing and common sense. Be considerate, so you don't pass your cold or flu germs if, despite all your prevention techniques, one happens to make you sick.
And remember, health is your home. Even though you are in the same room as germs, your immune system does a brilliant job of keeping you healthy.
It's more important than ever to take an active role in healthcare. The best way to get top-quality, safe and effective healthcare is to actively and knowledgably participate. Visit http://www.MedicalBridges.com for the tools to get you there.

Definitve Proof - Supplements Heal

No Money in Prevention
I have been recommending a wide variety of dietary supplements to my patients for the past 18 years. Needless to say, this is not the norm for physicians. The medical establishment as a whole is treatment driven rather the prevention driven. There is much more profit in treating illness and disease rather than preventing it. As a matter of fact, the healthcare industry, including the American Medical Association (AMA), medical schools, hospitals, research institutions and drug manufacturers, have made a concerted effort to obfuscate the truth about health supplements and their intrinsic value. What little legitimate research and data, detailing the benefits of supplementation, that actually reaches the general public is quickly dismissed by the medical community as being "unsubstantiated" or "preliminary." Whenever I relate to a colleague a patient's recovery from a chronic condition by simply adjusting their diet and prescribing the appropriate health supplements, I often become the recipient of an incredulous laugh or sarcastic comment. At best, I am summarily dismissed with any one of a number of explanations to contradict what I know to be empirical evidence of successful treatment. Supplements can neither treat nor prevent any serious illness or disease according to the vast majority of healthcare providers.
"Only highly trained medical professionals are able to successfully treat chronic illnesses." This is the mantra of the traditional medical community. The most disturbing aspect of this attitude is that medical students receive little or no education regarding nutrition, dietary supplements or any alternative treatments. There is no curriculum that includes preventative medicine. Similarly, physicians do not augment their education with post-doctoral fellowships in nutrition or alternative treatment research. Additional education or training in this area is non-existent. Again, the primary motivating factor is not the patient's health and well being, it is treatment. The healthcare system is reactive, not proactive, to such an extent that physicians do not recognize they are, in part, responsible for their patients' poor health. Physicians wait for symptoms, diagnose the symptoms and then attempt to treat the condition. A more pragmatic and cost-effective approach would be to administer healthcare systemically and organically. Ignoring the importance of preventative medicine contributes to the astronomical cost of healthcare in this country, along with Medicaid/Medicare, frivolous lawsuits and unlimited tort awards. For all these reasons, the average person is woefully misinformed about the benefits that proper nutrition and quality health supplements offer.
Quantifiable Results
Proper nutrition and regular exercise is the cornerstone of any effective health maintenance program. Again, most people do not appreciate the tremendous impact their diet has on their overall health and longevity. There are countless illnesses and diseases that are directly attributable to vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies. It is crucial for you to learn about the nutrients contained in the foods you eat (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, etc.). The only way to accomplish this is to read. There is far too much data to impart to be sufficiently addressed in this article. The Internet is probably the best and easiest venue for obtaining this type of material.
For a nutritionally sound-eating plan, refer to my "Eating for Health, Happiness and Successful Weight Control" (http://www.healthproductsusa.net/free_diet_health.htm) or, for a more structured diet, consider WebMD's weight loss program ("https://diet.webmd.com/webmddiet/default_main.aspx?referrer=1111_006_0000_0013&secure=1"), which I highly recommend.
Unfortunately, even the healthiest of diets will be somewhat nutritionally deficient due to processing, cooking, and mineral deficient soil. Many food-processing methods, such as pasteurization, destroy essential nutrients necessary for good health. Cooking food also removes many nutritional elements. For decades, our farming soil has been virtually devoid of the 74 minerals necessary to sustain life (see http://www.healthproductsusa.net/govreports_health.htm). Consequently, no matter how much healthful food we eat, without supplementation we are still "starving" for nutrients. Therefore, as part of a comprehensive health maintenance regimen, I recommend that all my patients take a high-quality multivitamin (ingredients will differ for men and women), an absorbable mineral complex (either colloidal or an above-sea coral mineral), CoEnzyme Q10, an omega EFA group, methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM), chondroitin, colostrum and an immune system support supplement (as such beta-1,3D glucan). It is important to note, however, supplements do not replace healthful food. Their function is exactly as their name, "dietary supplements." Patients that have incorporated a varied, healthful diet coupled with a consistent supplementation program report notably fewer ailments, with the exception of pre-existing conditions.
For patients with pre-existing conditions or new patients with previously undiagnosed conditions, I will, in many cases, prescribe additional supplements based on: dietary deficiency that may be causing the condition, case history, medical profile, symptomology and test results.
I consider pharmaceuticals a second tier modality and surgery and/or hospitalization a final option unless otherwise indicated. Connective tissue and bone ailments are most easily treated with supplements and have the most dramatic results. Vitamin K1, silica, chrondoitin, MSM, minerals, collagen and elastin are all elements that will facilitate connective tissue and bone (joint) ailment recovery. I could cite a litany of conditions that were markedly improved. Suffice to say, there have been very few patients, whether their condition(s) were minor or chronic, who did not realize at least some relief after taking the recommended supplements for an appropriate period of time. To their pleasant surprise, many patients also experience unexpected ancillary health improvements beyond that of the targeted condition.
Although I have not methodically tracked the recovery success rate, I feel confident in reporting that a significant percentage of my patients have responded well to a nutrition modality. To the extent that the use of more traditional modalities were not required.
For the defintive proof that supplements can heal, read the remainder of Dr. Parsons' article which can be found at Health Products USA (http://healthproductsusa.net).

Carbon Monoxide Levels - How Much is too Much?

What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide or CO is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. Due to this fact, it is very hard to detect the presence of CO in your environment. It is, however, imperative that the CO levels in your home are carefully monitored. Even at relatively low levels, CO is poisonous because it rapidly accumulates in the blood thereby depleting its ability to carry oxygen. Extreme cases of CO poisoning result in death.
Where does carbon monoxide come from?
CO is a common by product of the combustion of fossil fuels. When properly installed and maintained, most fuel burning equipment (natural gas, propane or oil) will produce insignificant amounts of CO.
At what level does carbon monoxide become toxic?
For healthy adults, CO becomes toxic when it reaches a level higher than 50 ppm (parts per million) with continuous exposure over an eight hour period.. When the level of CO becomes higher than that, a person will suffer from symptoms of exposure. Mild exposure over a few hours (a CO level between 70 ppm and 100 ppm) include flu-like symptoms such as headaches, sore eyes and a runny nose. Medium exposure (a CO level between 150 ppm to 300 ppm) will produce dizziness, drowsiness and vomiting. Extreme exposure (a CO level of 400 ppm and higher) will result in unconsciousness, brain damage and death.
How to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning have a qualified technician install and regularly inspect all fuel burning appliances regularly inspect fireplaces and chimneys to insure proper ventilation never use a gas or charcoal barbeque indoors never start a car or gas run lawnmower or snow blower in a closed garage. install a carbon monoxide detector in your home.

Holiday Dieting: A Sweet Way To Cheat

If your diet is making you a humbug this season, there's some good news. Turns out dark chocolate, that decadent confection, may actually be good for you!
Yes, recently conducted studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have shown that a dose of dark chocolate will heed all sorts of healthy results. And with holiday-time upon us, this news couldn't have come at a better time.
So just for fun, I thought I'd conduct a mini-research project of my own and get the "skinny" on our friend dark chocolate. Here's some of the interesting factoids I came up with:
Cocoa—the precursor to chocolate--has been around a long time. A few thousand years, in fact. It has been thought that cocoa beans were brought to Europe in the 1500's by Christopher Columbus.
Cocoa, later made into chocolate, was given to American Soldiers in WWII. According to historical data, each solider was given a three chocolate bar per day ration, due to it being such a great source of high-energy.
Researchers got involved when studies showed that in addition to being a high energy food, chocolate also stimulates elevated moods. Researchers found truth to this, showing that dark chocolate does, in fact, increase levels of mood-altering chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins.
Some researchers have also gone on to conduct major studies to prove the correlation between chocolate and a true physiological craving. (Check out "Why Women Need Chocolate," written by Debra Waterhouse, Registered Dietician in 1999).
And, the best news yet. Upon further study, it has been found that the "flavonoids" in dark chocolate are scientifically proven to act as antioxidants, preventing "bad" cholesterol (LDL) in the blood from oxidizing and clogging arteries.
So, if you are looking for a healthy way to "cheat" this holiday season, dark chocolate may not be all together a bad option. Facts aside, however, and before you run out to fill your shopping cart full, keep these guidelines in mind:
Heed the advice of Aristotle: "Everything in moderation." Refrain from taking the "chocolate factory tour." Keep your chocolate fix to a minimum. Enjoy it, but please don't over do.
When you are shopping for chocolate, try to find "dark" varieties with at least 70% cocoa.
Also, make sure "sugar" or "butter fat" are not the first items listed.
If you'd like to skip the treat but not the fun, send a virtual chocolate postcard from this fun chocolate website (no calories included) : http://www.virtualchocolate.com/index.cfm
To summarize my findings; it appears that dark chocolate is in fact our friend (and we will just leave its aphrodisiac qualities to your own private discussion groups, thanks).
As for the cravings... Well, do we really need chocolate?
Survey says: Dunno. But, with the holidays upon us, a Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate once in a while—now available in the *sugar free" variety, mind you--sounds sweet enough to me.

Dr. Rai is Certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support

Dr. Rai, a board certified ASPS Texas plastic surgeon (http://www.dallas-cosmetic-surgery.com), received certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in October 2004. Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is designed for health care providers who require extensive training in the treatment of cardiopulmonary emergencies. Safety is always the top priority at the Cosmetic Surgical Center (http://www.dallas-cosmetic-surgery.com). To ensure the utmost safety for his cosmetic surgery patients, Dr. Rai completed the rigorous eight-hour course with specific training in patient safety in outpatient surgery settings.
The course, which is co-sponsored by ASPS and AAAASF, educated Dr. Rai and other surgeons in 10 different ACLS cases including stroke, respiratory emergency, four types of cardiac arrest, and four types of pre-arrest emergencies. After completing the comprehensive course Dr. Rai received his certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support.
At the Cosmetic Surgical Center in Dallas, Texas (http://www.dallas-cosmetic-surgery.com), safety always takes precedence. Dr. Rai's certification further demonstrates his utmost concern for patient safety.
Congratulations Dr. Rai!

Got a Headache? Painkillers Are NOT the Solution!

Say you had a stressful day at work, didn't get enough sleep the night before and as a result you've got a bad headache. What do you do? It's easy! You take good old Tylenol or other over-the-counter medicine. And it helps! No more headache, the world is bright again.
The next day you wake up with the headache again. This time your headache is tolerable but dull and constant. It's a good thing you bought that medicine yesterday. Better take it before headache gets more painful. If you take two pills instead of one it might even work faster. Sounds like a logical thing to do, right?
Wrong. All you did is blocked pain receptors that are involved in transmitting signals between brain cells. That means the headache is still there, your brain just stopped getting signals about it. Instead of treating the cause you are treating the symptoms.
In addition wildly known over-the-counter medicine like Tylenol and Advil can be really harmful if misused. I was shocked to find out that only 16% of people read the label completely. Forty four percent of people (and that's hundreds of millions) read the label and knowingly exceed the recommended dose. Are you one of those people?
If you experience headache more than two times a day, you've got a problem. Popping painkillers like M&M's may only lead to rebound headaches. When you take the same medicine for the long period of time your body becomes addicted to it. What happens when medicine wears off? You get an even stronger headache, which forces you to take more medicine...and more medicine...and more medicine...It's a vicious circle.
I'm not trying to tell you never to use painkillers again. They can be really helpful sometimes, but they should not become a part of your daily ration. One more thing. ALWAYS read a label and pay close attention. Some over-the counter medicine even if prescribed for different things can contain the same active ingredients simultaneously. In that case you will exceed maximum daily dose and do your body more harm than good.
For example, Tylenol used for reducing headaches contains acetaminophen. So does Maximum Strength TheraFlu, used for fighting cold. If you combine those two medicines, you will most likely overdose acetaminophen. Combined with bad diet, irregular eating and drinking alcohol it will gradually destroy your liver. The worst thing is that signs of liver failure on the early stage are very similar to the common flu. Not knowing that most people increase doses of flu medicine, killing their liver completely. And it all starts with something as little as a tension headache and weakened immune system.
So if you are suffering already from rebound headaches the only thing you can do is to stop taking any painkillers at all. Replace them with natural remedies.
Do you know that natural solutions often work faster and are more effective than painkillers?
There are so many ways to choose from! Hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, acupressure, massage, yoga and so on. Most of these methods people have been using for centuries. If they worked for millions of people before, they are guaranteed to work for you. Treat your headache before it even starts and you will save tons of money on the painkillers.

Another Dangerous Drug . when will it end?

"Risks found with another pain killer" – This is the headline of an article from the New York Times.
Surprise! Once again another dangerous "pain killer" Drug is found to cause heart attacks, stroke and death in unsuspecting users.
This time it is Celebrex™. Remember that this drug was named by David Graham, an employee of the fda's office of drug safety, as one of the top five dangerous drugs which would be the next problem.
A five-year study by the National Cancer Institute which explored whether Celebrex™ prevented colon polyps and colorectal cancer, has found that those taking the drug had at least a 2.5 times higher risk of cardiac events even at the lower dose.
Those taking a higher dose during the study had as much as a 3.4 times higher risk for heart attacks and stroke. The National Cancer Institute ended the trial early.
Remarkably, neither the drug maker nor the fda have taken action to pull this killer drug from the market.
Drug companies and the fda are already under fire for their unsafe and unethical practices of bringing a new drug to market. Under fire from the public and The United States Congress who is holding hearings about these practices.
Here is one of the root causes of the problem – The fda looks the other way as they allow drug companies to conduct as many trials and studies as they want.
The trials and studies which produce dangerous findings and results are allowed to be swept under the rug while only reporting the few "good" results to the fda.
Hence, the drug is "proven safe" to the fda for public Consumption.
How many more people have to die before we take action and hold the fda and drug companies responsible?
How many more people have to die before we demand the fda really look out for the health of the public, instead of the health of their pocketbook?
How many more people have to die before the fda stops banning safe, natural supplements and herbs which proved themselves to be effective centuries ago.
Fortunately, effective and more importantly safe solutions exist to rid your body of chronic pain and inflammation.
Safe, Natural, Proven solutions to Your chronic aches and Pains are available from Mother Nature.
Are you aware that solving the root causes of pain are the most effective to help you avoid most pain in the first place?
I will share with you some safe, natural and proven Strategies, so You can evaluate them and decide what is right for You.
Foods, supplements and herbs which you can easily incorporate into your diet to help reduce your pain and inflammation:
Ginger
Garlic
Hot Pepper
Turmeric
Rosemary
Oregano
Green Tea – contains 51 inflammation inhibiting
Compounds like salicylic acid and polyphenols.
Fresh cold water fish like salmon and sardines, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids which are a natural oil for your joints and help reduce inflammation.
Grass fed beef which is also high in omega-3 fats
Other foods which are high in omega-3 fats:
Nuts - Brazil, walnuts, almonds, pecans and hazelnuts.
As well as seeds – like sunflower seeds and flaxseed.
Mother natures supplements to ease joint pain and inflammation:
Glucosamine – an amino sugar and key component of cartilage. Must be combined with the next 2 for best results.
Boswellin – an Indian herb which reduces inflammation causing complex carbs
Msm – Methyl-sulfonylmethane – an organic source of the mineral sulfur.
The above 3 are best used together for optimum results.
Vitamins C and D – both have been clinically proven to reduce osteoarthritis and joint stiffness and inflammation.
Fish oil tablets - also high in omega-3 fats.
You can even swim and exercise in water to go easy on your joints.
Foods to avoid which inflame your joints:
Refined carbohydrates – these are the biggest offenders and actually generate cox-2s. These are the enzymes which drugs like Vioxx™ and Celebrex™ are designed to inhibit.
Food allergies are also a part of joint pain and arthritis. You will have to keep track of foods which seem to increase joint pain and swelling.
All of these foods, supplements and herbs supplied by mother nature can easily be incorporated into your cooking and diet to help ease joint pain and swelling.

A Powerful Year-End Meditation

At the close of the year, we often find ourselves thinking ahead to the next year. We think about all the things we didn't accomplish this year, and vow to accomplish them next year. Few of us take the time to reflect on the past year and look at our successes and the experiences that we have learned from.
Before you start thinking about New Year's Resolutions, take some time to meditate on the year that's gone by. Doing so will allow you to reflect on what's important to you, and to create a meaningful plan for the New Year. Set aside some time to think about, write about, or talk about your answers to the following questions.
Looking back on 2004...
What were my successes?
What did I do that I haven't given myself credit for?
What unrealistic expectations did I hold myself to?
What would I do over, if given the opportunity? What lesson did I learn from this experience?
Looking forward to 2005...
What did I want to accomplish in 2004 that I wasn't able to?
Why was this important to me?
What held me back?
What am I willing to do differently?
End your meditation with...
Who are the people I am most grateful for?
What are the strengths and skills I am most grateful for?
What is my best quality? How will I share this quality with more people?
Happy New Year!

Medical Assistant: Distance Education for the Medical Assistant

Medical Assistant distance education is emerging to meet the demands of a new generation of students in the twenty first century. St. Augustine Medical Assistant School distance education program for medical assistant presents a good model for this integration of technology with medical assistant education. Distance education, particularly in its most recent form, online education, is being integrated into even the most cautious and conservative of educational institutions. Yet the impact of these alternative forms of teaching and learning on students, faculty, and institutions has yet to be broadly or deeply studied. New models such as that at St. Augustine Medical Assistant School are immerging. St. Augustine Medical Assistant School is available at: www.medassistant.org
Distance education is not new, and can be traced as far back as the first century. The Apostle Paul wrote to the early Christian churches, instructing them from a distance (even when he was under 'house arrest' in Rome). This was probably the first type of 'correspondence course', which was the only method of learning at a distance until the advent of the telephone. Today, distance education and in particular online medical assistant instruction calls upon an impressive range of technologies to enable medical assistant instructor and the medical assistant student who are separated by distance to communicate with each other either in real time (synchronous) or delayed time (asynchronous). Currently and asynchronous model used at St. Augustine Medical Assistant School to instruct medical assistant students. This has proven to be a very effective model however the medical assistant program is currently investigating the benefits of synchronous online medical assistant instruction and the benefits it may have for the medical assistant student.
Medical Assistant distance learning epitomizes the move away from institute based learning to a more direct, student centered approach. As a concept, distance learning has existed for over a century, notably in the form of paper based correspondence courses including the less formal correspondence education for medical assistants. Now however, distance education is depending increasingly upon technology for its success and technological innovations ensure that distance learning for the medical assistant continues to evolve and grow as a valid and potent force in all forms of education for the medical assistant.
The task of the medical assistant distance educator is therefore to obviate these problems as much as possible by mixing and matching techniques, creating and maintaining a stimulating environment, and offering opportunities for medical assistant students to communicate with each other and with the medical assistant teaching staff on a regular basis. The medical assistant educators will also need to change their traditional role as well. Many remote medical assistant students need a great deal of social support, and medical assistant distance educators may find themselves spending more time offering one-to-one tutorials and less time lecturing. St. Augustine Medical Assistant School at www.medassistant.org or www.MedicalAssistant.us is leading today's technology in medical assistant education.
When designing medical assistant educational systems and materials for medical assistant distance in delivery the medical assistant teacher must consider not only learning outcomes, but also centered requirements and technical constraints for the medical assistant. Also to be considered are the needs, characteristics, and individual differences of both the students, the teachers and future medical assistants.
Medical assistant distance education for the medical assistant then, should not be viewed as a means of reducing costs, but as an opportunity to raise standards. It is also about providing quality medical assistant learning opportunities for those who, for one reason or another, have previously been excluded from this basic human right. Medical Assistant distance education will quickly become the norm and not the exception for the twenty first century medical assistant. St. Augustine Medical Assistant School distance education program for medical assistant presents a good model for this integration of technology with medical assistant education. The St. Augustine Medical Assistant model can be reviewed at: http://www.medassistant.org and http://www.medicalassistant.us
By Dr. Mark Stout
Dean of Education St. Augustine Medical Assistant School
Distance Education and Informatics Specialist

Understand the Science of Obesity And You're On Your Way To Conquer It

Many people think obesity means that a person is overweight, but that's not exactly true. An overweight person has a surplus amount of weight that includes muscle, bone, fat and water. An obese person has a surplus of body fat. Body Mass Index (BMI) is commonly used to determine if a person is obese or not. A person with a BMI over 30 is considered to be obese, and a BMI over 40 is considered to be severely obese.
Factors such as poor diet, lack of physical activity, genetics and certain medical disorders cause obesity, but it can be conquered.
Eating Disorder
Obesity itself is not an eating disorder, but people who are obese or who fear becoming obese may develop one. There are three type of eating disorder:-
Binge eating - binge eaters eat uncontrollably and quickly eating an unusually large amount of food at one sitting. They eat mostly sugar and fat. As a result, they may lack certain vitamins and nutrients.
Bulimia nervosa - bulimics binge eat, usually in secret, then purge to get rid of the calories just eaten. They may also exercise intensely for long periods of time to burn off the extra calories, or they may go for long periods of time without eating.
Anorexia nervosa - anorexics literally starve themselves due to an intense fear of being fat. Their bodies are severely depleted of nutrients. As a result, they develop muscular atrophy, dehydration, low blood pressure and organ damage to name a few. Because anorexia is so life threatening, the first stage of treatment is getting body weight back to normal. Treatments for eating disorder include therapy and medications.
Fat & Cholesterol
For years we heard that a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet would keep us healthy and help us lose weight. And many of us jumped on the bandwagon, eliminating fat and high-cholesterol foods from our diets. Well, unfortunately, we were doing it all wrong.
Instead of eliminating fat completely, we should have been eliminating the "bad fats," the fats associated with obesity and heart disease and eating the "good fats," the fats that actually help improve blood cholesterol levels.
Dietary Treatments
Americans spends millions of dollars each year on diet books, products, and weight-loss plans. But, why aren't they working? Because people are doing the wrong things! These popular diets often offer promises of quick weight-loss with no hunger, and the majority of those dieters who do succeed end up gaining the weight back within a year.
It's important to remember that your weight should be lost gradually. When you first start dieting, you will probably lose more water weight, therefore you may be losing more pounds initially. But, if you're doing it right, your weight loss will slow down to an average of one to two pounds per week. You can only lose three pounds of fat per week, anything over that is water loss or muscle loss.
Medical Treatments
In some instances health professionals will perform weight-loss surgery. As with any surgery, it comes with many risks, and it's not a solution for everyone. In order to qualify for surgery, most people must be severely obese or obese with serious medical conditions.
Drug therapy is available for people with a BMI 30 or over with no medical conditions or for people with a BMI of over 27 with two or more obesity-related conditions.
Natural Alternatives
Many prefer to utilize natural alternatives rather than resorting to appetite suppressants and surgical procedures, it's often more healthy. The alternatives include detoxification and live-food diet, low-carb high protein diet and ayurveda. All natural alternatives require some form of exercise.
Exercise
Exercise is vital to shedding excess weight and keeping it off. Any regular exercise that raise the heart rate for at least a half hour straight, will do wonders for your body. Simply taking a walk, starting slow, then working your way up to power walking, is an excellent method of exercise.
Behavioral Changes
Changing your behavior is a key component to conquering obesity. Crash diets that cause people to lose weight drastically almost always backfire because there is no change in behavior and habits. Obesity is a lifestyle, and conquering obesity is a lifestyle also. Losing focus is a common problem with those who are trying to lose weight and keep it off.

11 Top Secrets for Dieting Success

If dieting were easy, I suppose we’d all be thin. As we are not, here are 11 tips that successful people use to lose weight. They can help you succeed too.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 1: DRINK 8-10 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY
Okay, for many people this is a big problem. Water doesn’t taste all that great generally because water doesn’t really “taste” like anything. Drinking water 8 to 10 times each day gets easier the more you actually do it. It is simply a matter of conditioning your taste buds, and yourself, so that it becomes easier to do. Once you get started, you will begin to crave water.
To begin with, you should drink a glass of water in the morning first thing, before you eat. This is probably the easiest glass you will drink all day and it will help you remember to drink water all day long. Better yet, why not drink two glasses?
If you really cannot bear the taste of water, try using a water purifying pitcher or filter. You can also add a few drops of lemon or lime to your water – but no sugar or sweetener! Ice also helps.
Check out flavored waters on the market, too. Just keep an eye out for additives.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 2: EAT BREAKFAST
Do not skip breakfast. If you need to go to bed a little earlier so that you can get up 20 minutes earlier each morning – do it! Breakfast is so important to your good health and to weight control. According to Dr. Barbara Rolls a professor of nutrition at Penn State University, "Your metabolism slows while you sleep, and it doesn't rev back up until you eat again."
Eating breakfast is not only good for overall weight loss, it will help you stay on track with your diet the rest of the day. You are more likely to binge on something sweet and in the “bread” group if you skip breakfast.
You can always keep a couple of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge or some high-fiber, low starch fruit around. If you plan to eat fruit at all during the day, breakfast is the perfect time to do it.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 3: EAT AT LEAST 3 MEALS AND 2 SNACKS EACH DAY
This can be one of the hardest adjustments to make. After all, you are busy! You already have a “full-plate”. When do you have time to worry about filling your plate with more frequent meals?
Just like eating breakfast will increase your metabolism, so will eating more often. This will also help you curb your bad-carb intake by making sure that your snacks are planned and occur regularly throughout the day.
Really, it will just take a minimal investment of planning time at the grocery store and at home each morning before you head out for the day to make some healthy food choices and prepare a few healthy snacks and meals. For suggestions, just see the handy list of snacks and appetizers listed later.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 4: AVOID WHITE FOODS
This is one easy way to remember what not to eat. If it is made from sugar, flour, potatoes, rice or corn - just say no. Remembering this rule of thumb will make it easier to recognize those rice cakes as an unhealthy high-carb snack.
Always look for colorful fruits and veggies to substitute for the white ones. Buy broccoli, lettuce, bell peppers, green beans and peas, brown rice in moderation, leafy greens like kale and spinach, apples, melons, oranges and grapes.
These foods are not only colorful they are also high in fiber, nutrients and important antioxidants. Eating colorful fruits and vegetables will give your diet variety as well as give you added health benefits.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 5: EAT YOUR VEGETABLES
It is so easy to use a low-carb diet as an excuse for poor nutrition. Resist this temptation. If the only vegetable you have eaten in the last 5 years has been the potato, now is a good time to begin experimenting with other vegetables. This is important for your overall health and to avoid some nasty side effects of not getting enough fiber in your diet.
If you try hard enough, you will find vegetables that you enjoy eating. Experiment with grilling vegetables and cooking with real butter to add flavor.
You can also search for new recipes on the Internet or in cookbooks.
Remember, if you are only eating 40 grams of carb a day or less, two cups of plain salad greens contain only about 5 grams of carbohydrate. You have no excuse not to eat your vegetables.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 6: PREPARE YOUR OWN FOOD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
While more and more restaurants are offering low-carb friendly menu items, many of them are still not ideal low-carb fare. There are many recipes for quick and easy meals that you can prepare yourself at home. Try to do this as often as possible.
If you cook your own foods, you know exactly what the contents are and you will be able to better control for hidden sugar and otherwise processed foods.
Another benefit is the cost savings over the long run. Even if you must go to the grocery store more often, you will save a significant amount per meal as opposed to eating at restaurants and fast food establishments.
It will also be easier to maintain your diet with your own favorite fresh food selections on hand.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 7: INVEST IN A GOOD SET OF FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS
Having food storage containers of various sizes on hand will make it so much easier for you to plan your meals and snacks. When you buy nuts, fruits and vegetables in bulk you can simply prepare, separate and store them for easy use later.
For instance, you can pre-slice your apples and snack on them over several days. Simply cut them, rinse them in pineapple or lemon juice and store. This will make a quick and easy snack for later.
Fix your lunch and take it with you to work. Better yet, fix your lunch and 2 snacks for work.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 8: EAT SOME PROTIEN AT EACH MEAL & AS A SNACK
In addition to everything that’s been discussed before, eating protein helps you burn more calories. Protein is made up mainly of amino acids, which are harder for your body to breakdown, so you burn more calories getting rid of them.
Just think – eating a protein rich snack can help you lose weight. How about a few slices of turkey or ham or some string cheese?
Eating protein will also help you feel full so that you are less likely to crave unhealthy snacks.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 9: DRINK A GLASS OF WATER AFTER EACH SNACK
This will help you get in your 8 to 10 glasses of water each day but it can also have other benefits. Ever feel hungry after eating a handful or standard serving of nuts? Try drinking water afterwards. The water will help you feel full and prevent overindulgence.
Drinking water after a snack will also help remove the aftertaste from your mouth and can help curb your desire for more.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 10: EAT SLOWLY & ENJOY YOUR FOOD
You will feel full and more satisfied if you take the time to savor your food and chew it slower. Don’t get in the habit of eating while standing or eating quickly. Sit down and chew.
Eating slower will help you enjoy your food more, pay attention to what it is you are actually eating and get a better sense of when you are actually full.
SUCCESS TIP NO. 11: EAT YOUR LARGER MEALS EARLY AND SMALLER MEALS LATER
You will feel better and lose weight quicker if you eat a large breakfast and eat a smaller dinner. You may also want to eat the majority of your carbs earlier in the day, saving a salad and lean meat protein for dinner.
Eating larger meals during the part of the day when you are most active will help you to feel satisfied throughout the day and curb cravings for unhealthy snacks.

Five Ways to Reduce Environmental Stress

Life is stressful enough without allowing the physical environment - air quality, lighting, noise, and other controllable factors - to intensify day-to-day stress. Especially in the Fall and Winter is where you experience less daylight and more mood swings.
The great thing about environmental stress is that in most cases we can control what is in our environment that is causing the stress. Take these five steps to eliminate environmental stressors that might cause stress and tension in your work and home life.
1. Increase your activities during natural light. Natural light elevates the mood and helps maintain a regular internal body "clock". Especially during the fall and winter we experience a substantial decrease in natural daylight. If you're indoors, try working next to a window and allow as much sunlight as possible to enter your space. If you work in an office without windows try buying a natural sunlight lamp ( http://www.wackyplanet.com/natsunlam.html). These lamps can help with Seasonal Affective Disorders as they provide a natural sunlight spectrum for health and well being. Prolonged exposure to artificial lighting in any setting can be an environmental stressor.
2. Ban tobacco smoke. Constant exposure to tobacco smoke and its toxins can be a persistent environmental stressor and lead to respiratory problems and other symptoms.
3. Evaluate your furniture arrangement. Arrange your furniture so that you don't feel cramped. Remember you are more productive in a relaxed environment. Also, is your furniture arranged so that you inviting constant interruptions from visitors? If you can, move your furniture from the line of sight of potential visitors so that you can focus better, accomplish your goals, and decrease stress.
4. Frequently Change Your Ventilation or Air Filters. Your office or home is full of ingredients found in cleaning supplies, upholstery, carpeting, adhesives, and in chemicals. Devices such as copy machines, printers and computers all contribute to poor air quality. Combine that with working in an office building where you can't open windows it makes the situation ten times worst for the occupants. In extreme cases, individuals may become physically ill from these pollutants, and even moderate doses can cause coughing, a scratchy, burning throat, and other symptoms.
If you are concerned about poor air quality in the office speak with the building maintenance crew and see how often they change the air filters. In most cases, if you explain in a friendly way why you are concerned they will make an extra effort to change at least the filter in your area. Also you can buy a personal air filtration kit at any appliance store to make your life easier. Open windows At home to allow air circulation. Also frequently change your home air filter.
5. "Bring the Green In." This is a term my wife, Joy Fisher- Sykes, uses to say that natural colors make us more relaxed. Color has effect on your mood and energy level. It is generally agreed that blue and green are very relaxing colors. On a personal basis these might not be the colors that relax you. You decide on the amount of color you're comfortable with and the shades that most appeal to you. For example, bright yellow would tend to irritate me it may work just fine for others because of its brightness. Experiment with colors that will work to minimize stress for you.
Remember, these are all environmental factor that you can change to work for you. Just recognize what works for you and take the first steps to decrease stress.
Copyright © 2004 Ed Sykes. All rights reserved
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Set Yourself Stress-Free

Stress in our personal and professional lives is ever changing and constantly on the rise. Everyday we're expected to do more and more with less and less - less resources, less energy and less time. In order to master the ability to manage stress, it's important to first remove one of the biggest obstacles that stands between chaos and calm - SELF. Often we are one of the biggest contributors to the calamity and chaos we experience in our lives. Stress management is the recognition that life is all about the choices we make. Starting today, choose to take control and follow these simple tips to help you lead a stress-less lifestyle.
* Choose To Be Short on Complaints, Long on Praise Far too often, we are quick as a whip to complain when we feel we have been wronged, yet we are not as quick to lavish praise. Complaining about every little thing is very stressful and draining. Instead of complaining, why not contribute. Starting today, make a point to praise those who have had a positive impact on your life – from the cashier who didn't pack your bread on the bottom of the bag, to the mechanic who didn't scare you into an unnecessary repair, to the neighbor who is willing to baby sit on ten minutes notice. Doing so will not only make you feel good, but will make a difference in a positive way and make someone else feel great.
* Choose To Love The Skin You're In Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, known for her acting talents and physical beauty, recently took a bold step many of us would shutter at the thought of – she posed for a magazine minus make-up in a crop top and shorts. She posed for all the world to see the "real" beauty she is – a confident women who doesn't definite herself by other people's standards.
Chasing after beauty defined by others (media, family, friends, spouse, co-workers and others) is detrimental to your peace of mind. Be bold and love the skin you're in right now – crooked nose, warts, corns, receding hairline, wrinkles, sags, bulges and all. Appreciate your natural beauty and love yourself just the way you are.
* Choose To Pass On Perfection Think of how many things don't get done because someone is waiting for the perfect time, place and circumstance. Working with perfection as your standard is both a mental and physical drain. Lose the need to get everything done "perfect." Know that it's far better to accomplish a task at 85% perfection than to procrastinate and wait for 100% perfection.
Remember that a stress-less life is all about choice – what are you going to choose today?
Copyright © 2004 Joy Fisher-Sykes. All rights reserved
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Print and Internet publication rights are granted, free of charge, for this article, provided the credit paragraph and copyright remain intact.
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Please send the URL of any place where the article is posted.
Please snail mail copy of any printed publication using this article to:
The Sykes Group
2133-126 Upton Drive #234
Virginia Beach, VA 23454-1193

3 Amazing ways to Shape up in Less than 7 days!

Imagine you need to look great to get all the attention at the biggest party of the year. The cloak has already started ticking and you have got 7 days to fix yourself for the D-Day. If you can take out 15 to 30 minutes in the next few days, you can be ready for action.
Step 1:
>> Exercise: Start with skipping and jogging and chin-ups by hanging from a rod for warming up.
>> Two steps of crunches or sit-ups for strengthening and toning your abdominal muscles.
>> Then go for Flat bench press and dumbbell flyers for the entire chest area, focusing mainly on the inner chest and followed by 2 sets of push-ups.
>> Work on your trapezium for the collar muscle and shoulder pressing.
>> For biceps the exercise to be followed is standing barbell curl.
>> Next you can work out on your Triceps with Single dumbbell or French press and fore forearms.
>> Skipping will have an effect on your legs, other wise you can go for Squats and back with lat pull down.
Step 2:
Diets are just as important as exercise, because it is the most important part of getting the body you want. You have to eat good to look good. You need protein, and you don't need fat. Stay away from junk and fatty foods. Not all fat is bad; there is a healthy fat. This fat can be found in fish, Nuts and some oils. Have Lots of fibers such as leafy vegetables, salads and daily products.
Step 3: The results though wont come easily and they wont come very fast either, So Stay dedicated, motivated and consistent, and do all 3 steps correctly to get the desired result.