Archive for September, 2009

Lose Weight – Losing Twenty Pounds – Insider Truths

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
by Scott Edwards

Look at any Best Seller list in bookshops today, and it will be full of works about the rich and famous. We learn that it’s not that they didn’t experience tough times, but that they didn’t allow the tough times to dominate their thought processes. That’s how it is; life’s achievers allow positive reasons why ‘they can’ to fill their minds, and ignore negative reasons why they can’t.

And so for someone attempting to reduce their weight, a positive mind-set is fundamental. You can only do it if you think you can! An up-beat, affirmative viewpoint harnesses the right results. On the other hand, a negative outlook blocks us and numbs our ‘can-do’ receptors.

This is because we have a mechanism, called the Reticular Activation System. It tells the brain what to think about. We become familiar with many things over time that don’t continue to stay in the forefront of our minds – as we store all our previous experiences in the sub conscious bit, or the back so to speak.

When we attempt to do something, our RAS (Reticular Activation System) will search for anything of significance in the sub-conscious mind, and bring it to our attention. If we’re taking a walk for example, only the things that have meaning to us will be noticed.

Consequently, if we’ve been in the habit of generating positive thoughts and experiences that got fed into our sub conscious mind, those same vibes will be returned. But the sub-conscious can only return what it originally was given. So if it received negative information, it will send negative back.

It appears that we can influence the messages going through to our sub-conscious minds by deliberately programming our RAS, and selecting the exact messages the conscious mind transfers. So as the sub-conscious doesn’t know what’s actually real, the RAS can be a great tool for realising ambitions.

In other words, we need to build a very detailed picture of our goal in our conscious mind. Dutifully, our RAS will then store that image sub consciously, ready to assist us with our objectives. Because when we need to retrieve our old information on losing weight, the message is that it’s a done deal!

A positive mental attitude has long been understood. Abandon negative thinking and keep the focus on hitting the goal. On the other hand, if we set our mind on doubt and failure, we have very little chance of reaching our goals.

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The Atkins Grapefruit Diet.

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
by Frank Williams

The Atkins Grapefruit diet is a diet plan, not supported by the eponymous Dr. Atkins company, that plays on the popularity of the grapefruit diet and the Atkins diet name. However, a closer look at this diet shows that it may not be all it claims to be.

First of all, it’s pretty difficult to find information on the Atkins grapefruit diet plan. Clever people know that when someone is perpetrating a deception, or a con, they will often gloss over the facts. This is what the Atkins grapefruit diet seems to do in an attempt to get people to associate it with two supposedly effective diets.

Is the Atkins Grapefruit Diet part of the Atkins Diet or recommended by the estate of the late Dr. Atkins? The answer is no, not only is there no mention of the Atkins Grapefruit Diet on the Atkins web site, but there is no fruit of any kind mentioned in the list of allowed foods in the Atkins diet Induction phase either.

The induction phase allows the following foods: fish of all kinds; all fowl such as turkey and chicken; any shellfish; any meat such as beef or pork; eggs cooked in any style including fried; cheese; vegetables; herbs and spices; fats and oils; low carbohydrate beverages including diet soft drinks.

Please, notice one thing – that fruit does not feature on that list at all! Yes, later phases of the Atkins diet do allow limited amounts of fruits such as cantaloupe and strawberries, and the pre-maintenance and maintenance phases do even allow small quantities of grapefruit, but when judged in comparison with the amount of Grapefruit recommended on the Atkins Grapefruit Diet there is a massive difference.

The Atkins Grapefruit Diet recommends a cup of grapefruit juice or a cup of grapefruit sections, with 8 and 18 carbs respectively. Even the most liberal phases of the Atkins diet suggests limiting intake to less 8 carbs per day, with regard to grapefruit. That is a direct contradiction of one diet to the other.

Most reasonable people would look directly at the Atkins website the moment they heard of the Atkins Grapefruit Diet. When they found no mention of that diet on their site, a red light would go off and an alarmbell would ring.

In general, remember this: any diet that relies too heavily on one food, such as grapefruit on a grapefruit diet, is unhealthy for any but extremely short periods. The Atkins Grapefruit Diet is not associated with the Atkins diet, and may interfere with the results of the Atkins diet in its early phases.

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Home Schooling and its Effects.

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
by Owen Jones

Home schooling or homeschooling, if you want (in deed, you even see it hyphenated, as in home-schooling) has been about for about 30 years now, although, of course it was all people had before state involvement in education. Out of the way rural areas in large countries like the USA, Canada and Australia still have to rely on home schooling to a large extent, although it is less difficult now with the wide-spread use of radio, television and the Internet. Video packages also have an important role, as do books still.

Nevertheless, home schooling has become very popular in the cities as an alternative to urban public schools, which are often seen as hotbeds of upheaval, anger and narcotics, especially by the middle classes and not without some due reason, to be honest. Nonetheless, there are also other good reasons for deciding on home schooling, which we will go into at a later stage.

First, it must be pointed out that the decision to go for home schooling has to be a family one. This is because it will turn “normal family life” on its head and place an added monetary strain on the family purse. For instance, one parent will have to cease working. This cannot be allowed to be a cause of resentment, or both parents could take part-time employment and share the children’s educational time. Whichever way you decide, you will not have two full-time incomes any longer. Working from home on the Internet could be a partial solution here.

Home schooling will also upset everyone’s social life. So, the parents’ social life is restricted by not meeting work colleagues every day, but so is little Johnny’s, particularly if he has already spent some time in a normal classroom. He won’t see his friends from class as much and they may drift away from him or even resent him.

On the plus side is that the family will become much more solid as a unit through working together at home schooling. Both parents will have a complete understanding of what their child is learning and will be learning. While maintaining a broad-based education, you may nevertheless decide to focus on aspects of, say, history or science, that especially interest your child. It allows you the freedom to match your child’s education to his or her own interests, something that state education cannot do well with large classes. Your child will also be less under the influence of the rowdier elements in school and be able to concentrate more on studying.

A note of caution could be useful at this point. Do not be tempted to compel your child to progress too rapidly. It is tempting for a non-professional teacher-cum-proud parent in home schooling to push the child much harder than he can go. Don’t forget that most pupils are just average. You must be on look out for signs of burn-out and stress at all times.

Once you decide to opt for home schooling, you will have to choose a basic curriculum, run through it yourself to familiarize yourself with it, buy or locate in the library any supplementary books, videos and software, make a load of notes and stock up on pens and paper, folders, binders and filing cabinets and you’ll be ready for your first semester at home schooling.

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Home Schooling Information.

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
by Owen Jones

Home schooling or homeschooling, if you would rather (in deed, you even see it hyphenated, as in home-schooling) has been about for about 30 years now, although, of course it was all parents had before state intervention in education. Remote rural places in huge countries like the USA, Canada and Australia still have to rely on home schooling to a great degree, although it is easier now with the popularization of radio, television and the Internet. Video cassettes also have an important role, as do books still.

However, home schooling has become very popular in the cities as an alternative to inner city public schools, which are frequently seen as hotbeds of upheaval, violence and drugs, especially by the middle classes and not without some due reason, to be honest. Nonetheless, there are also other valid reasons for choosing home schooling, which we will go into later.

First, it should be stated that the decision to go for home schooling has to be a family one. This is because it will turn “normal family life” on its head and place an added monetary burden on the household budget. For example, one parent will need to cease work. This cannot be permitted to be a cause of resentment, or both parents could take part-time employment and share the children’s educational load. Whichever way you decide, you will not have two full-time salaries any longer. Working at home on the Internet could be a partial solution here.

Home schooling will also disrupt everyone’s social life. So, the parents’ social life is restricted by not seeing work colleagues every day, but so is little Johnny’s, particularly if he has already spent some time in a normal classroom. He won’t see his pals from class as much and they may drift away from him or even be angry with him.

On the positive side is that the family will become a lot stronger as a unit by working together at home schooling. Both parents will have a complete knowledge of what their child is learning and will be learning. While maintaining a broad-spectrum education, you might however decide to focus on points of, say, history or science, that particularly interest your child. It gives you the freedom to tailor your child’s education to his or her own interests, something that state education cannot do well with over-sized classes. Your child will also come less under the influence of the rowdier pupils in school and be able to concentrate more on studying.

A word of caution may be useful at this point. Do not be tempted to force your child to learn too quickly. It is tempting for a non-professional teacher-cum-proud parent in home schooling to push the child much harder than he can go. Don’t forget that most people are only average. You must be on look out for signs of burn-out and bad feeling at all times.

Once you decide to opt for home schooling, you will need to pick a basic programme, go through it yourself to familiarize yourself with it, buy or find in the library any supplementary books, videos and software, make a load of notes and stock up on pens and paper, folders, binders and filing cabinets and you’ll be ready for your first term at home schooling.

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Thought on Home Schooling.

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
by Owen Jones

Home schooling or homeschooling, if you want (in fact, you even see it hyphenated, as in home-schooling) has been popular for about 30 years now, although, of course it was all pupils had before state involvement in education. Out of the way rural places in huge countries like the USA, Canada and Australia still have to rely on home schooling to a large extent, although it is less difficult now with the popularization of radio, television and the Internet. Video packages also play an important role, as do books still.

Nevertheless, home schooling has become very popular in the cities as an alternative to urban public schools, which are often seen as hotbeds of upheaval, anger and narcotics, especially by the middle classes and not without some due reason, to be honest. Nonetheless, there are also other good reasons for deciding on home schooling, which we will go into at a later stage.

First, it should be stated that the decision to go for home schooling has to be a family one. This is because it will turn “normal family life” on its head and place an added monetary burden on the household budget. For example, one parent will need to cease work. This cannot be permitted to be a cause of resentment, or both parents could take part-time employment and share the children’s educational load. Whichever way you decide, you will not have two full-time salaries any longer. Working at home on the Internet could be a partial solution here.

Home schooling will also disrupt everyone’s social life. So, the parents’ social life is restricted by not seeing work mates every day, but so is little Johnny’s, especially if he has already spent some time in a conventional classroom. He won’t see his pals from class as often and they could drift away from him or even be angry with him.

On the positive side is that the family will become much more solid as a unit by studying together at home schooling. Both parents will have a thorough knowledge of what their child is learning and will be learning. While maintaining a broad-spectrum education, you may nonetheless decide to focus on aspects of, say, history or science, that especially interest your child. It gives you the freedom to tailor your child’s education to his or her own interests, something that state education cannot do well with over-sized classes. Your child will also come less under the influence of the bawdier elements in school and be able to concentrate more on studying.

A note of caution may be useful at this point. Do not be tempted to compel your child to learn too rapidly. It is tempting for a non-professional teacher-cum-proud parent in home schooling to push the child much harder than he can go. Remember that most people are only average. You must be on look out for signs of burn-out and bad feeling at all times.

Once you decide to opt for home schooling, you will need to pick a basic programme, go through it yourself to familiarize yourself with it, buy or find in the library any supplementary books, videos and software, make a load of notes and stock up on pens and paper, folders, binders and filing cabinets and you’ll be ready for your first term at home schooling.

About the Author: