Saturday, June 30, 2007

Simple Steps to Effective Weight Loss

2 Simple Steps to Effective Weight Loss
Copyright 2005 Ryan Cote

It's agreed that if you raise the amount of calories you
burn and watch what you eat, both the food and the
portions, you'll eventually start losing weight. Don't make
it more complicated than this.

Step 1 is exercise. You have to. Do cardio and this doesn't
mean you have to run. There are plenty of cardio exercises
that will give you results and this even includes walking
at a good pace. And add weight training to the mix because
the muscle you'll build will help you burn more calories.
Aim to workout 3-5 days per week.

Step 2 is watch what you eat. You have to. Nutrition is
very important and until you realize this, it's going to
constantly be an uphill battle. If you feel guilty eating
something, that's your intuition telling you not to eat it.
Avoid the foods that you know you should avoid, like heavy
creams and fried & fast food, and limit how much sugar you
take in. Foods that you should eat more of, however,
include olive oil, peanut butter, chicken, fish, greens,
fruit, vegetables, oatmeal and nuts.

There are also supplements you can take like CLA, Green Tea
extract and thermogenic products. Supplements aren't the
magic solution but adding them to a program that consists
of exercise and good nutrition can be very effective.

A leading health magazine I read also recommends:

1. Drink protein shakes throughout the day (yes, females
too) because it will help prevent overeating. Plus, protein
is important. Two shakes is good.
2. Get 7-9 hours of sleep to keep your body in top
condition.
3. Add whole grains to your diet, like oatmeal and brown
rice, because of the fiber they provide.

Lastly, you'll notice that once you start to lose weight,
your motivation will sky rocket. Take this motivation and
run with it! The same goes for your will power- as you
continue to watch what you eat, you'll start to notice that
the bad foods don't look so good anymore. You can do it! Ryan Cote is the author of
http://www.4DaysToBetterHealth.com, a free 4 day healthy
living e-course that includes more detailed information on
exercise and nutrition

Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com

Friday, June 29, 2007

Deep Muscle Soreness And Body-Shock Fatigue

In my experience there are two distinct types of muscular fatigue associated with intense progressive resistance training (only intense training is sufficient to trigger muscle hypertrophy) and these two types should be recognized and understood. The first type of fatigue is direct muscle soreness and is the result of a particular exercise targeting a specific muscle. Scientists are at odds as to the exact cause of muscle soreness but most believe that it is associated with some sort of cellular micro-trauma. Direct muscle soreness is usually the type of pain and discomfort that most folks experience when they begin serious progressive resistance training program.

There are varying degrees of muscle soreness and sometime the intensity of soreness can become so severe as to be debilitating. The muscles are actually sore to the touch. I have self-induced this type of soreness to every degree on every muscle – once, as a 14-year old novice, I found a 10-pound solid dumbbell and proceeded to do 50-repetitions in the one-arm curl for each arm every hour on the hour for 10-straight hours. It seemed like a cool idea to my young and dumb mind but that went out the window the next day when both arms locked up to such a degree that I could not straighten my arms. Both biceps were so traumatized that they remained involuntarily contracted for the next 36-hours. My hands were held at my face and any attempt to straighten my arms resulted in excruciating pain. I had to ride it out until the biceps relaxed. This was an extreme example of muscle fatigue but extremely illustrative of this 1st type of muscle soreness/fatigue.

The second type of muscular fatigue is what I would describe as overall fatigue, I call it body shock. The body is a holistic unit and hard intense training done for long time periods has a cumulative effect. After a while a uniform sense of overall fatigue is experienced manifested by an overwhelming sensation of tiredness. This tiredness envelops the whole body. When in the throes of body shock it seems as if you are moving through water. In my experience this type of fatigue is a direct result of an accumulation of intense workouts. Fatigue and soreness come with the territory and if you never experience either version, likely you’ll not make any significant physical progress.

In my experience, if I don’t feel some degree of muscle soreness in the target muscle after a workout I become suspect that I didn’t work hard enough or the exercise I selected was technically deficient and spread the muscular effect over too wide an area. In this respect I use controlled soreness (no too much, not too little) as a workout report card. When it comes to body-shock fatigue, to my way of thinking a much more serious type of fatigue, I will cut back on my training and kick up my calories, particularly my protein intake. When body-shock descends training through it is a bad idea: first, training poundage plummets (so what’s the point?) and secondly there is a very real danger of fatigue-induced injury.

If you experience severe muscular soreness of the 1st type, avoid training that particular body part until the soreness reduces to tolerable levels. If body-shock envelops you cease and desist progressive resistance training and kick up the food intake. I have found that light to moderate cardio actually helps to dissipate muscle soreness. Accelerating circulation within a sore muscle stimulates recovery, assuming the resistance used is light, easy and not taxing. Use your common sense and be aware that even purposeful primitives paid heed to fatigue. Marty Gallagher is a former Strength columnist for washingtonpost.com. Marty's articles have been featured in Muscle Media, Muscle

Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com

SCHOOL SHOPPING: Less is better for your wallet and your kids

Attention parents: It's back-to-school shopping time. This year, do
your kids a favor by NOT buying them everything they claim they need.
Of course, you will probably purchase some clothes, shoes, and school
supplies.



But when it comes to expensive name brands, sports logos,
celebrity-licensed items and electronic equipment, it's better to set
limits -- not only for the sake of your wallet, but also because it is
psychologically healthier for your children. Here's why:



- Kids who get everything they want develop expectations that this
will always be the case. This leaves them ill prepared to deal with
the world later, as adults.



- Kids who get everything they want develop a sense of entitlement,
with the assumption that things should come easily and on demand. Not
only is this unrealistic, but such a sense of entitlement fosters a
very self-centered view of life, which can lead to relationship
problems as adults.



- Kids who don't have to work for things are deprived of the
opportunity to develop self-esteem. Self-esteem doesn't come from the
brand of sneakers they wear. Nor does it come from merely being told
that they're a good person. It comes from a sense of competence, which
develops through sustained effort toward a goal (e.g., saving up for
those special sneakers.)



- Research shows that kids who don't learn to postpone gratification
may not develop the "emotional intelligence" that is important for
long-term success in life. Emotional intelligence includes skills such
as self-control, confidence, empathy and communication.





So, to help both your wallet and your kids, here are some tips for
setting limits on back-to-school expenditures:



1. Decide in advance how much you plan to spend. Divide your list into
two categories: Necessities and Want-to-haves. Concentrate on the former.



2. If your children are of middle-school age or older, involve them in
the planning. Give them a budget and show them the sale flyers. See
what they can come up with. When kids are involved in all stages of a
decision-making process, they are more cooperative.



3. For younger children who demand a cartoon logo on every article of
clothing, tell them how many such items you will allow, and let them
pick the specific items. For example, if you allow two, they might
pick a sweatshirt and a backpack, or a jacket and a notebook. You can
also set a dollar limit on items with licensed characters. Allowing
some degree of choice helps younger children feel a sense of mastery
and control.



4. When you go on the shopping trip, don't rush through it. Allow time
for lunch or videogame breaks. In this way, the shopping trip becomes
a shared family experience, not just a mad rush to acquire things.



5. Set limits not just on the dollar amount you'll be spending, but
also on what is acceptable. Your teenager may insist on certain
clothing styles that you don't approve of. If she starts arguing with
you at the store, calmly tell her it's time to go home. If she
continues arguing in the car, don't try to reason with her; she's too
angry to listen to logic at that time. However, you can offer to take
her shopping on another day when she has settled down.



6. If your child insists that he absolutely needs something that is
not in your budget, make a deal with him to allow him to earn money
toward it by doing extra chores. However, don't buy the item until he
has earned the money. This is very important, because it helps your
child learn to plan and to work toward a goal. He will also appreciate
more an item that he had to work for.



7. If you're like many parents, you try to set limits or to say "No",
but the kids whine and complain so much that you eventually give in.
Try your best not to succumb. If you give in, you are inadvertently
teaching your children that if they whine long enough, they will
eventually get their way.Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in Camp Hill, and
author of "Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming
Self-defeating Behavior" (Wildcat Canyon Press, 2004)

Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com

Make Money At Home Online

Need an idea to make money from home online? Here is a list to provide you with a good place to start!

1. Try looking for a telecommute job. You may be uncomfortable with a home business, try instead bringing your job home to you. You could try asking your boss but if that doesn’t work, search online for telecommute jobs.

2. eBay is hot! Try selling some of those items you’ve collected over the years and sell them at auction and get top dollar for your products. It’s quick and easy.

3. Make a website with chat rooms. Chat rooms are popular. Niche them to make a concentrated gathering. If it’s a music chat room, you can put up affiliate programs from Amazon.com.

4. Take flour and eggs and make dog biscuits! These are a hit online as well as offline too. You could sell them wholesale to pet stores.

5. Start an online directory. People will want to leave their links with you and link back to be included. People will save your website as a resource if you niche it out. Put up advertising too.

6. Google Adsense offers a great way to earn some money. Write an article, put it on a website and put the ads in the page. People will come, read your article and click on the matching ads.

7. Take $2 and turn it into $20. Buy wholesale and sell retail online. Sometimes you don’t even need to carry the products. Drop shippers will be happy to do all the hard work, you just make the website and sell.

8. Do you know things most other people don’t? Do you know how to take a new author and help him sell his first novel? Offer your services for a fee as a consultant or a coach.

9. Kids are a great way to make money. Make a kid’s website and sell advertising space. Make sure that it is per click and companies that sell toys or candy will love the added exposure.

10. When in doubt, look at what you love and do what you love to do! If you like games, make a game website. If you like teddy bears, sell teddy bears. Stick with what you know and you will never be steered wrong.

Also, try asking around for more ideas. Look at business you admire and figure out how you can make it better. Sometimes the best ideas are ones that are adjusted from old ideas. This is how a lot of people get their start, why not you? Joel Teo is the owner of the Money Making Directory which boasts of money making tips, recommendations and resources to help ordinary people make money online. Signup for his free newsletter today at http://www.MakeThousandsToday.info and receive his complimentary “7 Insider Secrets to making money online” Course.


Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com

All the Spyware Security you Need: For Free

More and more internet users are understanding how important it is for them to find security software that allows them to remain invisible to possible intruders. Threats such as spyware, Trojans, viruses, worms and other malware are difficult to avoid because they have become so widespread. To partially prevent these malicious codes from sneaking in you must first secure you computer with a firewall that will notify you of any unauthorized intruders.



Even by setting up your security so that you remain invisible to most intruders, users will be exposed to spyware and viruses by visiting web sites and downloading freeware and shareware. If you computer is invaded by spyware or viruses you must download both anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Technology experts recommend using more than one spyware tool because its threats are so prevalent no one scanning tool can catch all infections. Utilizing two or more anti-spyware tools will help better protect your computer from the consequences of spyware build up.



Each of the security tools necessary to keep your internet surfing safe can be downloaded for free. Numerous anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall programs can be downloaded for free and most offer equivalent protection to those you purchase.



Because all the tools necessary for security are free, there is no reason users should not take advantage of the safety nets.



Once you have your security tools in place you can run a test through a trustworthy source to ensure that your computer is virtually invisible online and secure from intruders.Mitch Johnson is a successful freelance author that writes regularly for http://www.1st-in-remove-spyware.com/ , a site that focuses primarily on spyware detection software, as well as tips on how to avoid spyware from popping up on your computer. His articles have also been featured on related spyware sites such as,
http://www.best-in-spyware-detection.com/ as well as http://www.best-sypware-removal-reviews.com/

Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Playing the Hangman

Playing the Hangman

Copyright © 2005 George Meryll

Machiavelli Hangman

http://www.hangmanmovie.com







Like Napoleon Dynamite and Reservoir Dogs before it,

Machiavelli Hangman (http://www.hangmanmovie.com) is already

being hailed by many as a triumph in low-budget independent

filmmaking in American cinema. Shervin Youssefian who wrote

(http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1352346/) and directed the film is

a graduate of the University of Northridge. After completing the

fifth draft of Machiavelli Hangman which was his fifth feature

screenplay, he called up his producer friend Artin Nazarian to

take a look at the script.



"As soon as I turned the script, I knew right away that this was

going places. I called him back and I think he was excited to see

my reaction. I don't think even he had realized what great

material this was," explains Nazarian.



After several months of extensive rewrites and polishing, the

script was finally complete and the casting process began. "This

was like Selznick looking for the perfect Scarlett O'Hara," says

Youssefian. The amount of detail and requirements that were put

in the casting process could equal any major studios.



As the actors came in to audition, they were handed out two pages

of the script, to prepare for a cold reading. Many noticed just

from the few pages that this was not your everyday screenplay. "I

was at first surprised that a major studio hadn't picked it up

yet... the fluidity and the wit of the dialogue jumped out of the

page. It felt like auditioning for Pulp Fiction or something like

The Usual Suspects," says Brian Cumberland, an actor in Los

Angeles.



The team had such a strong confidence in its abilities that it

immediately attracted the attention of investors and other well-

positioned industry professionals. Word of mouth spread and

before the producers knew it Youssefian's screenplay was being

sent to the offices of some of the best known actors in the

industry.



"You find yourself in a whirlwind and things happen so fast that

one minute, you're sitting in your backyard thinking 'what if'

and the other, you're having lunch with the biggest stars in

Hollywood in their backyard!"



This comes to show that Hollywood is not as closed as many think

it is. Studios and distribution companies seek out good material

and when you have good material, they will come to you and make

things happen. An advice to young filmmakers is to find a script

and instead of submitting it to festivals, try to get as many

people as possible to get excited about the project. When you

have enough people on the team, it gets attention and just like

a Reservoir Dogs and Machiavelli Hangman, more people will jump

on the bandwagon.George Meryll is an entertainment columnist for various

newspapers. He has done his homework and is happy to

share with us what he has learned about the coming film,

Machiavelli Hangman

(http://www.hangmanmovie.com).

Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com