Weight Loss During The First Trimester

Weight Loss During the First Trimester

If you are in your first trimester of pregnancy, you may be experiencing symptoms, including nausea, vomiting or appetite loss, which could lead to weight loss. Though a small amount of weight loss during the first trimester of pregnancy may be nothing to be alarmed about, you should speak to your doctor if you are losing a great deal of weight or are unable to keep any food down at all. He may be able to provide you with medications to help lessen the severity of your nausea, and he may wish to perform tests to see if the weight loss is related to illness.

Nausea

Roughly half of all pregnant women develop nausea during their first trimester of pregnancy. Caused by fluctuating hormone levels in your body, "morning sickness" can occur at any time of the day or night and may be severe enough to cause vomiting, dizziness and a complete loss of your normal appetite. Up to 2 percent of pregnant women develop a condition called "hyperemesis gravidarum" during their first trimester, which causes constant vomiting, extreme weight loss, dehydration and a change in their metabolic rate. The condition is more prevalent in women carrying multiples, and once a woman has experienced the disorder in one pregnancy, she is more likely to have it again in subsequent pregnancies. Because the condition can lead to electrolyte imbalances, nutritional deficiencies in the fetus and liver damage and jaundice in the mother, it should be addressed by a medical professional immediately.

Effects

During the first trimester of pregnancy, the nutritional needs of the developing fetus are less than during later weeks of pregnancy, so if you are experiencing slight weight loss due to nausea or lack of appetite, chances are that your baby will not be negatively affected. The quality of your diet is much more important at this stage than the quantity of foods that you eat. Because your fetus is experiencing tremendous cell splitting and synthesis during the first trimester, you should eat a diet of whole foods that provides the best building blocks for your child's development. Stay away from overly processed, sweetened or junk foods, and drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated.

Treatment

If you are experiencing weight loss due to nausea, try to eat six to eight small meals throughout the day, rather than large meals three times a day. Keep some crackers near your bed so you can eat before getting out of bed in the morning and late at night, when an empty stomach may lead to excess acids and nausea. Eat only food that you like, and give yourself the freedom to say, "no" to even healthy food if it makes you feel sick to think about it. Suck on dried ginger drops, or drink ginger ale to help reduce your nausea symptoms. Try taking your prenatal vitamin in the evening, just before bed, instead of in the morning. The high iron content in prenatal vitamins may contribute to nausea. Take a prenatal yoga class, or visit an acupuncturist for holistic relief from your nausea.

Overall Weight Gain

If none of the treatments for nausea and appetite loss work for you, and you continue to lose weight instead of gaining it during your first trimester, don't allow yourself to get too stressed about it. The average weight gain is only 3 1/3 lbs. during the first trimester, with a gain of about a pound a week after that, so just be sure to eat as well as you can when you feel up to it, and you'll probably make the weight up during your second or third trimester. Overall, an average weight woman should gain between 28 and 32 lbs. throughout the pregnancy. Women that are overweight before they become pregnant should gain only 2 lbs. during the first trimester of pregnancy, with a total of 15 to 25 lbs. during the entire pregnancy. Women who are under weight may gain about 5 lbs. during the first trimester, and they may gain up to 40 lbs. by the time they deliver. Eat two to four servings of fruits, three to five servings of vegetables, six to 11 servings of whole grains, two to three servings of white meat and two servings of dairy products a day. To determine a "serving" size, use the palm of your hand as a guide for proteins, fruits, grains and vegetables. A serving of dairy is 1/2 cup.

Considerations

If you smoke during your pregnancy, you may not only have trouble gaining weight, your fetus may not receive all the nutrients it needs to develop healthy cells. According to the American Pregnancy Association, smoking during pregnancy is the cause of 20 to 30 percent of babies born with low birth weight each year. Eliminating or cutting back on the smoking habit during your pregnancy will help you and your developing fetus to gain the weight you need for a healthy pregnancy.

Tags: first trimester, first trimester pregnancy, trimester pregnancy, during first, during your, first trimester, weight loss

Weight Loss Challenges

Weight Loss Challenges

There are always new weight loss diets on the horizon. You can do low calorie, low carb, low protein or even liquid diets. Staying on the diet is the biggest challenge you face when attempting to shed pounds. It is important to have realistic goals, and be aware that in order to keep your weight off it is a life time affair with careful food selections. According to the National Institute of Health approximately 1/3 of Americans are over-weight.

Short Term Goals

Perhaps you wish to lose just a few pounds, or maybe you have gained a lot of weight during a long period of time. You may feel you cannot do it alone; and you can take advantage of many organized weight groups where you can meet and share with other people. Very often we look to lose some weight when the clothes no longer fit, summer is coming and bathing suits are in order or we have a health condition that requires losing weight. Keep your short term goals realistic with how many pounds you wish to lose each week.

Shopping, Cooking and Family

One of biggest challenges in the weight loss process is the food shopping. If you are the shopper in the family you have to plan a careful list and stick with it. Choosing most foods from the produce department, selecting the low fat version of dairy products and keeping focus on low fat proteins will be a good start. Healthy eating is good for the entire family regardless of age. If you are not the grocery shopper make sure you put together a food plan that works for all in the family.

Best Diet for you

It is important to go on a diet that supplies you with foods you enjoy in the healthy food arena. Pick out favorite vegetables and fruit. Go for high fiber carbs that offer healthy alternatives to refined carb. If you decide on a low carb diet make sure you get enough fiber in your diet with large salads. The best diet is one that offers you a wide selection of foods that will work long term.

Restaurant challenges

Going out to dinner can be very challenging. Choose restaurants wisely that have a wide variety of healthy selections. Stay away from fatty meats, fried foods and tempting desserts. When the bread comes and everyone is grabbing their piece, remember the urge will pass. It is helpful to have a glass of tomato juice or hot broth before you go out to stave off your hunger. Don't be shy about asking your server how foods are prepared, and opt for oil and vinegar salad dressing. Eat your food slowly, and if you love wine treat yourself to a glass.

Temptation

Temptation is everywhere. You might work at a place where tempting sweets and snacks are everywhere. You are invited out to a friend's house for dinner, and everything served is unsuitable for your diet. Eat small portions and drink an extra glass of water. Learn to make substitutes, and have a special treat on occasion.

Long Term Goals

Eating nutritious food to keep your weight steady takes lots of discipline and commitment.You want to stay healthy and develop good eating habits as well as pare down the abdomen, hips or thighs. Keep your house full of low calorie snacks. Every time you look in the mirror and see improvement in your body, give yourself a pat on the back.

Exercise challenge

Exercise is a major part of a healthy lifestyle, and a great calorie burner for dieters. There are many forms of exercise to choose from. If you are a gym buff you will have a wide choice of equipment and classes. Perhaps you are comfortable working out at home, and you can purchase a treadmill for aerobics, free weights and exercise balls. There are also many exercise videos to choose from. The most important thing is to find exercises that you will do on a regular basis. Remember walking and bicycle riding are fun, aerobic and burn calories.

Tags: choose from, diet that, have wide, keep your weight, Loss Challenges, make sure

Weight Loss Camps For Adults

Weight Loss Camps For Adults

We have all either seen or heard about the weight loss reality show, "The Biggest Loser." While it raises the bar of adult weight loss camps by throwing in a competitive edge, it encompasses the basic concepts of real life adult weight loss camps. It shows the camaraderie of the contestants as they support each other, rejoicing in their teammate's weight loss. It displays the nutritional and fitness guidance the contestants receive from the personal trainers. Most importantly, it demonstrates how important weight loss is for optimum health.

History

Although summer camps have existed since 1860, the concept of weight loss camps did not evolve until 1963, when Camp Naponoch became the first weight loss camp to open its doors. Although it closed down only three years later, its concept lingered amidst a population whose obesity rates were on the rise. Through the sixties and seventies, weight loss camps for women began to pop up around California, and were an imitation spa whose focus was on rapid weight loss using a severely restricted caloric intake (400-900 a day). It wasn't until 1973 that the concept of adult weight loss camps changed, when Green Mountain Fox Run was founded. The theory of this adult weight loss camp was, and still is, that diets themselves cause obesity. It was a weight loss camp alternative for women who wanted to become healthier through weight loss, rather than desiring to lose weight as a means of improving their waist size.

Function

Today's adult weight loss camps focus on the treatment of the whole person rather than emphasizing the number on the scale. Their goal for the guests is finding a long term solution for a lifelong problem. They accomplish this through nutrition education, physical activity and self awareness. They offer their guests healthy food choices with a more reasonable daily caloric restriction, provide them with a variety of physical activities such as yoga, strength training, kayaking, and swimming, and help them determine what behavioral and/or emotional problems may be the underlying cause of their obesity. Many adult weight loss camps also offer an "after care program," which provides ongoing support for the guest once they have completed their stay.

Features

Adult weight loss camps offer many services to their guests, all of which are based on the guests' individual needs. Once checked in, the guest will complete a personal assesment with a nutrition counselor. This aids them in developing meal plans tailored to their specific needs, and will also develop an exercise plan with a fitness specialist. The weight loss camp professionals will then provide them with a schedule of meals and workouts, and set them up for one-on-one counseling to help them determine their long term goals and the problems that have stood in the way of those goals. Due to the busy lives that many guests lead, health specialists will assist them in developing a nutrition and exercise plan that will work for them once they have left the camp. In addition, there are group meetings which help provide support from people who are experiencing the same problems they are. This serves as a means of peer support for the guest while they are at the facility. Most importantly, the facility emphasizes having fun while becoming fit, and making lifestyle changes that will last them a lifetime.

Time Frame

Adult weight loss camps are open year round, and allow the guests to stay from one week to one month. There are some weight loss camps that state their guests lose, on average, four pounds a week. There are others who will tell you that for a two week stay, the average weight loss is seven to fourteen pounds, and for a three or four week stay, they can anticipate losing fifteen to thirty pounds. The length of the stay is dependent upon the individual and their personal obligations and finances.

Considerations

Before making your reservation at an adult weight loss camp, you should ask the staff questions about their services so you will know which one is better suited to your needs. You need to know whether or not they employ a full staff of licensed healthcare professionals to guide you along the way, how they view weight loss, and whether or not they provide an after care program to help you once you have returned home. You will also need to take into consideration the cost of your stay. On average, one week at an adult weight loss camp will cost you thirty eight hundred dollars, while a full month costs about twelve thousand dollars. There are some group health plans that will cover these costs, and once you have chosen a camp to attend, the admissions representative will help you determine if your plan is accepted. In addition, you can claim your stay as a health deduction on your taxes.

Tags: weight loss, weight loss, adult weight, loss camp, loss camps

Weight Loss After Mirena Removal

Mirena is a type of birth control that is over 99% effective. Although weight gain is not listed by the makers of Mirena as one of the side effects, some women report on blogs and message boards online that they've gained weight since getting the Mirena, and lost weight when it was removed.

Women considering Mirena should talk to their OB/GYN.

What Is Mirena?

Mirena is a non-copper form of intrauterine contraceptive device, or an IUD. Once inserted it secretes a small amount of the hormone levonorgestrel, a synthetic progestogen, directly into the uterus. When inserted correctly, the makers of Mirena claim it stays effective for up to five years. It can be taken out at any time before the five years is up. Once Mirena is out, a woman can become pregnant.

Like the birth control pill, Mirena is also used to treat heavy periods.

How Mirena Works

Mirena works in two primary ways: it blocks sperm from reaching an egg, and it prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.

Because the hormone is released directly into the uterus, very little of it enters the bloodstream. Therefore, unlike the birth control pill, Mirena does not significantly alter a woman's hormone levels.

Mirena does not protect against HIV or other STDs.

Side Effects

The U.S. website for Mirena indicates that the most common side effects after insertion include pain, bleeding or dizziness during and/or after insertion; explusion; missed menstrual periods after one year of use; spotting or bleeding during the first three to six months of insertion; or an ovarian cyst. More serious side effects can include pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID; long-lasting or heavy bleeding or unusual vaginal discharge; abdominal pain; a life-threatening infection; embedment; or perforation of the uterus.

Women who think they have become pregnant while using Mirena should call their doctor right away because of the increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy, or pregnancy that is developing outside the uterus.

Weight Gain as a Side Effect

The makers of Mirena do not list weight gain as a possible side effect. However, because Mirena does release hormones, health-related blogs and message boards are full of women mentioning unusual or sudden weight gain shortly after insertion of Mirena.

Posters on DoctorsLounge.com, SteadyHealth.com and Medications.com mention weight gain once they went on Mirena. However, these reports are all anecdotal. As of 2009, neither the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have officially indicated any link between Mirena and weight gain.

Weight Loss After Removal

Because there is no official study connecting Mirena with weight gain, it is inconclusive whether removal of Mirena stimulates weight loss. Since Mirena is marketed particularly to women who have already had at least one child, theories on the same message boards include regular post-partum changes in a woman's physiology as explanations for weight gain, such as decreased thyroid activity and normal post-partum weight.

Tags: weight gain, after insertion, birth control, makers Mirena, message boards

Weight Limits For Running Boards

Running boards are not just for older, vintage cars.

With the emergence of larger, sport utility vehicles, entrance into the car has become more difficult due to the loftier heights. Running boards are a functional option to aid passenger entrances and exits for these types of vehicles.

Function

Running boards are bracketed supports that run along the bottom portion of both sides of a vehicle. They protrude outward from the bottom to allow a foot step into the vehicle.

Features

A typical running board can carry approximately 300 pounds of weight. Optional heavy duty running boards boast up to 500 pounds of carrying weight. Keep in mind that proper installation must be observed to adhere to these specifications.

Considerations

Running boards are commonly made of aluminum or stainless steel to support the weight of a typical person. They can also be customized with non-slip pads to prevent slips in wet weather. Another option for running boards is paint customization, allowing the board to match the paint color of the vehicle.

Tags: Running boards

Weight Lifting Fat Loss Diet

Weights

The best way to shed extra pounds is to combine exercise with a healthy diet. Cardiovascular workouts are good for burning calories, but you should also focus on strength training to burn fat and build muscle. Lean muscle boosts your metabolism and burns off more calories. All that work in the gym should be accompanied by a solid diet. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less junk food. There are also some other healthy food alternatives that will enhance the effects of your workout.

Carbohydrates

Cutting carbohydrates is a popular fad diet, but it is not the best approach for burning fat while using a weight-lifting program. Eliminating simple carbohydrates is essential. This means no more pasta, potato chips, white bread, cookies, bagels or soda. However, your body relies on carbohydrates as a primary source of fuel, especially when you are strength training. Complex carbohydrates give you hours of energy. They are also less likely to be converted into fat deposits. Eat foods such as oatmeal for breakfast, whole-grain bread for lunch and brown rice for dinner.

Protein

Protein is essential for muscle building when you are weight lifting, but all-protein diets, those that ban all foods except for those high in protein, are not the answer. Eating bacon and sausage all day is not the healthiest option, and that certainly will not give you all the nutrients you need for a good workout. When you are trying to lose weight with a strength-training program, it is important to eat protein regularly along with complex carbs and other food groups. The amino acids in protein are the essential building blocks for muscle tissue, and they give you an energy boost, but certain foods are better than others for your body. Stay away from red meat. Eat hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, turkey or chicken breast for lunch, and snack on cashews or almonds before dinner.

Fat

Generally speaking, a low-fat diet is conducive to weight loss. Avoiding fatty foods should be a top priority. However, not all fats are bad. Omega-3 fatty acids play a key role in boosting metabolism and reducing the risk of heart disease. Eat salmon for dinner as an excellent source of omega-3. Other seafoods as well as soybeans and walnuts are also good sources of healthy fat. Eat a single serving of healthy fat with each meal or as a snack throughout the day for maximum performance in the gym and optimum weight loss.

Tags: strength training, weight loss, your body

Weight Lifting Diet For Women

Weight lifting is one of the best ways to build muscle, which in turn can increase metabolic function, improve coordination and strengthen the bones. The proper weight lifting diet for women who are attempting to build muscle is the same as the diet for men who lift weights.

Protein

Protein is essential to a muscle-building diet. Even a small increase in the amount of protein in your diet can aid in muscle development. Eating about one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is ideal for women who are trying to build muscle through weight training. Determine your protein needs by dividing your weight in pounds by 2.2 to figure out your weight in kilograms. Eat the equivalent amount in grams of protein each day. Healthy sources of protein include lean red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, low-fat cheese, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, beans and legumes. You can also use protein powders, available at any vitamin supplier. Mix these powders into shakes and drinks to consume. To develop muscle, protein should make up 15 to 20 percent of your daily calories.

Calorie Needs

To keep from gaining weight when adding protein to your diet, you will need to eliminate the same number of calories in carbohydrates and fats. Don't eliminate too many carbohydrates from your diet though. Carbohydrates are needed to fuel the muscles while exercising, so you should still consume 50 to 60 percent of your diet in carbs each day. The final 20 to 25 percent of your daily food intake should be made up of healthy fats, like those found in olive oil and nuts.

The number of calories you must eat while weight training is depends on several factors, including body type and weight. Some weight lifters use a basic formula to determine the calories they need to consume while training. The formula is simply to multiply your weight by 15 to get the total calories needed. If you want to increase your body weight, add 250 to 500 calories to your diet per day. If you want to lose weight, subtract 250 to 500 calories per day. A more accurate way to determine the calories you need to eat to maintain your weight is to keep a food journal tracking your calories and weigh yourself once or twice a week until you determine the number of calories you can eat per day without weight gain.

Tags: your diet, your weight, build muscle, number calories, percent your, body weight, determine calories

Weightloss Games Or Contests To Play

If you're having trouble losing weight on your own, get a group of friends together for a weight-loss challenge.

Working out in groups and playing fun workout games or contests help make the task a bit easier and more fun. Contests and competitions help motivate people to reach goals they set for themselves and achieve those goals faster than others in the contest.

Team Contest

Put together two teams of friends, family members, or interested participants. Weigh each person and combine the weights for team members to have a weight for each team. Meet every two weeks for six months to have everyone weigh in to monitor progress and motivate team members. The team that has lost the most weight at the end of a specified period wins.

Weight-Loss Challenge

Replicate a Herbalife weight loss challenge or contact a Herbalife coach to hold a challenge for you and your friends. Have you and other challenge members meet every two weeks for a specified period to have everyone weigh in. Challenges are typically at least four months long. All participants must pay an entry fee. The fee amount should be reasonable but an amount that each participant would not want to lose. Entry fees go into a pot that will be given to the person who loses the most weight at the end of the period.

Inches, Not Weight

Rather than your standard contest to lose weight, focus more on inches. Similar to the weight-loss challenge, get a group of friends together. Have everyone get their measurements taken. The measurements should include measurements of their bust, hips, waist, thighs and biceps. Inches are a lot less likely to disappear as quickly as weight, so spread out the group meet-ups and make them once a month. At the end of six months, whoever has lost the most inches in all combined areas wins.

Group Workouts

Create teams and have them work out and compete against each other in different activities weekly. During the workouts, play many different fun games while exercising. For example, play basketball one day for a fun and competitive workout. The winning team gets one point. The next week, play baseball, have relay races, or play soccer or any other team sport. Continue the competitions for six months. The team that earns the most points after six months is the winner.

Tags: every weeks, everyone weigh, friends together, group friends, group friends together, have everyone

Weightloss Contest Ideas

Most weight-loss contests involve dieting.

Weight-loss contests promote exercise and dieting. A weight-loss contest can be used as a motivational tool or simply as a fun competition between friends. There are many possible ideas for weight-loss contests, many of which require little to no supplies. Some of the best ideas include one-month challenges, weight-loss percentage challenges and dieting challenges.

One-Month Challenges

One-month challenges get participants to compete to see who can lose the most weight in one month regardless of the methods used. Participants can use a combination of diet and exercise in their attempts to lose weight. At the end of the contest, the participant who has shed the most pounds is the winner. Other time formats for weight-loss contests include one-week challenges and 21-day challenges. However, weight-loss challenges with a very short time frame might encourage unhealthy strategies, such as fasting.

Percentage Challenges

Percentage challenges test participants to see who can lose a larger percentage of their total body weight in a given time period. Unlike challenges where weight loss is measured in pounds, percentage challenges measure weight loss in relative terms, so participants of different shapes and sizes can compete against one another without a one person having a clear statistical advantage over another. Percentage challenges can take place over any time frame.

Exercise Challenges

Exercise challenges get participants to lose weight through a rigorous exercise program. Although participants in an exercise challenge are free to diet, the main focus of the competition is on a specific exercise program. The leader of the contest might draw up an exercise program specific to the contest or might use a commercially available program. Exercise challenges can have other goals in addition to weight loss, such as strength-building or muscle-sculpting.

Dieting Challenges

Dieting challenges get participants to lose weight through a specific diet program. Unlike a general weight-loss challenge, a diet challenge gets participants to focus solely on one specific diet, such as the Atkins Diet or the South Beach Diet. The winner of the contest might be determined by a combination of total weight lost and fidelity to the diet's rules. Participants in dieting challenges should do their homework to make sure the diet involved is a healthy one.

Tags: challenges participants, contest might, exercise program, lose weight, participants lose, weight loss, weight-loss contests

Weekend Getaways In Paris France

Paris getaway

If you are thinking about a quick-but-memorable getaway, Paris, France, the City of Lights, is an excellent choice. As the most popular tourist destination in the world, romantic Paris offers the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre museum, and nearby Versailles, among other world-renowned attractions. Experience the best of Paris during a weekend getaway.

Hotel Scribe

Conveniently located near the Opera Garnier and Place Vendome, this landmark Sofitel hotel was renovated to the height of elegance. Guests will enjoy contemporary Parisian d cor in an impressive 19th-century building. Caf Lumiere features a dramatic glass roof, and the Maison de The has a library for the enjoyment of hotel guests. Le Spa Hotel Scribe offers a world of quiet with health and beauty treatments for both men and women, along with a fitness center. The prestigious Lancome Beauty Institute is located at the spa. Internet access, art galleries, concierge services and valet parking are available on the premises.

Hotel Scribe

1 Rue Scribe

75009 Paris, France

+33 144712424

Sofitel.com

Superbreak.com

Amarante Arc de Triomphe

The Amarante Arc de Tiomphe is situated close to the famed Champs Elysees and the iconic Arc de Triomphe, in the heart of the tourist center of Paris. Guests will enjoy 50 air-conditioned guestrooms and Wi-Fi service throughout this four-star hotel. The d cor is Napoleonic Directoire, and a hotel bar is on-site. Guestrooms have a safe, heated towel rack, hairdryer and mini-bar, and interconnecting rooms are available. A concierge will assist you with arrangements.

Amarante Arc de Triomphe

25 Rue Theodore de Banville

75017 Paris, France

+01 47 63 76 69

amarantearcdetriomphe.com

Superbreak.com

The Westin Paris

The Westin Paris is ideally situated in the first Arrondissement, just steps from the famed Louvre Museum, Place de la Concorde, and the fashionable Rue du Faubourg Saint Honore. Outdoor fine dining is available at La Terrasse, serving French cuisine. The brasserie Le First is on-site. Guests will have captivating views of the Tuileries gardens and the Eiffel Tower from the hotel. Westin guests will enjoy the complimentary Westin Workout gym and the Six Senses spa, offering Asian-influenced treatments with a dramatic hanging garden created to rejuvenate the senses. There is high-speed Internet access in the Business Center and 24/7 front desk and concierge services. Check with the hotel for special offers, including bonus loyalty points, suite upgrades, spa packages, and rate guarantees. Superbreak offers special pricing for the Westin Paris.

The Westin Paris

3 Rue de Castiglione

75001 Paris, France

+33 1 44 77 11 11

starwoodhotels.com

Superbreak.com

Tags: Paris France, Westin Paris, Guests will, Hotel Scribe, will enjoy

Weed Killer That Is Safe For Dogs

A dog and his friend.

Dog owners, beware. Many commercial-made weed killers use chemicals that can be harmful to your pet, so reading the instructions before applying it, and keeping dogs, kids and other pets away, is a good idea. However, there are many ways to kill weeds that will do the job well, without endangering man's best friend. Generally, these methods are simple, cost effective and work as well as any chemically-made weed killer on the market.

Safety First

Although many weed-killing alternative solutions use fairly harmless, non-toxic solutions, it is a good idea to be prepared when using any substance for the purpose of killing weeds. Safety glasses or goggles are a must when dispensing or spraying any kind of solid or solution onto your lawn. Eye irritation or worse can be easily prevented by using a good pair of glasses or goggles.

Long sleeve shirts and pants will keep any substance from touching your skin. Even natural weed killers may contain organic irritants. It's a good idea to wear gloves to protect your hands, as well.

Solid Solutions

One of the best ways to kill weeds naturally and keep them from coming back is using salt. A pinch of salt placed at the base of a weed will leach into the soil, upset the pH balance of the plant and effectively kill it. Salt dirt or gravel drives heavily, and weed growth will be contained for many months.

Sugar can be added to your salt mix, as well as some chopped up chili peppers to prevent your favorite pet from eating what you've placed on the ground. It works the same way as regular salt, and you won't have to worry about your pet's health.

Sprinkling cornmeal into cracks and crevices will control weeds in hard-to-reach places. No need to pull them up anymore, just put some cornmeal into the cracks, and the weeds will soon be gone.

Liquid Solutions

If there is one thing that will kill weeds immediately, it's dousing them with boiling water. This is an age old remedy for intrusive weeds, and about as natural as it gets. This may not be the best spot weed killer of the bunch, because if there is any run off to the sides as you pour, it will kill everything around it, but boiling water is a good solution for large areas. Consider drenching cracks or crevices with boiling water and then lay cornmeal into them as a double whammy. Be careful, as scalding water can seriously burn your skin.

Another timeless and natural weed killer is vinegar. The acids in vinegar, although mild to us, are killers for weeds. Target the base of the weed so the vinegar can get into the root system and kill the weed.

Mixing Solutions

Mix 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1 cup of regular table salt and 1 tsp. of dishwashing liquid, preferably something that is biodegradable. To make less, cut the quantities in half or quarters for what suits your weed problem best.

Spray the mixture on offending weeds to kill them without harming your dogs, kids or other pets. Once again, be careful where you spray, as this mixture is very strong and will kill any kind of plant it comes into contact with. The higher the acid content in the vinegar, the more potent it will be.

Tags: boiling water, cornmeal into, good idea, kill weeds, will kill

Weed Killer That Is Not Harmful To Dogs

Keep your lawn and garden safe for your dog.

Dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid, also known by 2,4D, is a common chemical in commercial weed killers that is thought to cause illness in humans and dogs who have been exposed to the chemical. Dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid was also a primary component of the chemical, Agent Orange, a herbicide used during the Vietnam War. The safest and most effective weed killers are the ones that do not have a negative effect on people, pets or the environment. Does this Spark an idea?

Corn-Gluten Products

Research done by Iowa State University revealed that corn-gluten meal could aid in the reduction of weed populations by suppressing weed seeds from growing. Products such as Bio-Weed, Green Sense and Concern are corn-gluten-based weed killers.

Soap-Based Weed Killer

You can also use a soap-based product such as Sharpshooter to kill weeds that have already sprouted. Fatty acid soap-based products are safe to use around pets and have no lethal effect on them.

Hand Pulling

The safest weed killer for your dog is you. Try pulling the weeds out by hand, or with a pincer-type pulling tool. Pulling weeds when the soil is moist works best, so water first before digging in.

Tags: weed killers, acid also, Dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid, Dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid also, that have

Weak Glutes & Hamstring Pain

Having weak glutes sounds like a bad intestinal condition if you don't know what the term refers to. However, your glutes are critical back muscles that contribute to your overall body strength and physical performance. Historically, a weak glute condition was not a common problem because many occupations involved physical exertion. People today, unfortunately, spends far more time sitting in front of a computer than physically straining and exerting. This occupational shift has contributed to less use of body muscles and as a result weaknesses and related injuries often happen earlier in life.

What are Glutes?

The glutes are made up of three specific muscles: the gluteaus minimus, the gluteaus maximus and the gluteus medius. All of three of these muscles are located in the buttocks area. The gluteus maximus is responsible for leg motion. It helps your legs and hips rotate. The medius is more of a basket-holding muscle, covering and strengthening the area of your pelvis and core. The minimus muscle provides strength to the hips. The support and strengthening contribute to coordinated control of your legs.

Why Do Weak Glutes Cause Injuries?

The problem is overcompensation for weakness. Having weak glute muscles makes other body muscles work harder. That increases the risk of a strain and injury, because the muscles end up doing more than they are designed to do.

Sitting for extended time periods is the major cause of weakening of the glute muscles. They don't get used, moved or exercised. As a result, these muscles weaken and atrophy. Then, if suddenly expected to perform strongly, they fail and have to be assisted by other muscles to make up the difference.

How Can I Fix My Glutes?

A common myth is that glutes can be strengthened by simply aggressively walking and climbing stairs. Unfortunately, hours on a stairmaster will do more for your quadriceps and calf muscles than for your glutes. This is because walking doesn't fully engage the glute muscles.

Focused exercises are needed to provide stretching and resistance training to the glutes. This activates them fully and helps eliminate the softness created from too much sitting. Links to specific, approved exercises can be found in the Resources attached of this article.

Why are my Glutes Being Blamed for My Hamstring Pain?

Again, overcompensation is the core problem. The hamstring is fundamentally affected by the strength of your glutes, particularly the gluteus maximus. Being unable to fully affect rotation and coordination is a surefire way to overstrain your hamstring. The hamstring is responsible for primarily controlling speed as the leg returns forward from contraction when walking or running, and as a secondary function for knee flexion. If the glutes' coordination and rotation control is weak, the hamstring will be prone to overexertion to do the same job. The result can be an overstretching of the hamstring muscles at the wrong time, or worse, a tear in the muscle fiber. Usually overlooked, the body core muscles from the stomach group to the glutes can make or break the performance of other muscles, especially the legs.

How Will I Know When My Glutes are Strong?

Again, overcompensation is the core problem. The hamstring is fundamentally affected by the strength of your glutes, particularly the gluteus maximus. Being unable to fully affect rotation and coordination is a surefire way to strain your hamstring. The hamstring is responsible for primarily controlling the speed the leg returns forward from contraction when walking or running and as a secondary function for knee flexion. If the glutes' coordination and rotation control is weak, the hamstring will be prone to overexertion to do the same job. The result can be an overstretching of the hamstring muscles at the wrong time, or worse a tear in the muscle fiber. Usually overlooked, the body core muscles from the stomach group to the glutes can make or break the performance of other muscles, especially the legs.

Increased Physical Performance

Strong glutes will make themselves known by increased physical performance. You will find that aches and pains and lack of muscle coordination will cease. The legs will be particularly telling by being able to run and jump better. Sports such as soccer, jogging, biking, running and tennis will all see improvements with glute muscle training.

Tags: your glutes, glute muscles, gluteus maximus, other muscles, affect rotation, affect rotation coordination

Ways To Simplify My Life

Block out stress by prioritizing your commitments and taking time for yourself.

Stress can help you respond to threats, but chronic stress can threaten your mental, emotional and physical health. It can cause depression, sleep disorders, digestive problems, pain and heart problems. If stress is ruling your life, it's time to simplify. Making minor adjustments to your outlook and schedule can help you reduce stress and simplify your life.

Learn to Say No

If you are a person that wants to be everything for everybody, you may need to take a step back and look at your schedule. When someone requests help, take a moment to ask yourself if you have time or energy to devote to this person's needs. If you don't, or if you feel a request will add more unnecessary stress to your life, just say no. You can give reasons, or simply explain that you can't. Learning to use the word "no" can keep you from taking on too many commitments.

Get Rid of Clutter

Next time you purchase a new toy, clothes or appliance, take time to get rid of some old belongings first. Holding on to everything you ever purchased can lead to a cluttered home, which adds to your stress levels. So try this: If you buy two new shirts, promise to get rid of two old, worn-out items of clothing. If you already have clutter, spend a Saturday cleaning out the closets or garage, and hold a yard sale or donate to a thrift store.

"Me" Time

When you feel like your entire life is run by others --your boss, your kids, your mother-in-law -- schedule a time-out for yourself. If possible, try to find some special "you" time daily or weekly. Do something you enjoy that helps you burn away stress. Read a book, exercise, go to yoga class or spend time on a hobby. Taking time for yourself can help you recharge your mental and emotional batteries.

Let Go

You love your job, you love your kids, you love your book club and cooking class. Ask yourself if you really have the time for all of your daily activities, or are they adding unnecessary stress. For instance, if going to the book club means that the dishes don't get washed and your in-laws are coming over for dinner, allow yourself to skip the meeting. Even enjoyable activities can add stress if you pile on too many. Prioritize activities and obligations and be prepared to eliminate some. Create a schedule that isn't overwhelming.

Eliminate Debt

Money can be a source of stress if you don't have enough to pay all of your bills. Meet with a financial adviser and create a plan to get rid of debt. Cancel credit cards so that you won't be tempted to add more debt, and pay them off as soon as you can. Except for emergencies and expensive purchases, try to pay cash for everything. If you eliminate debt, you will have more money to devote to other needs. Knowing that your bills will be paid will help you reduce stress and simplify your life.

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Ways To Recover From A Breakup

Bounce back stronger than ever after your breakup.

Going through a tumultuous breakup is never an easy experience. In fact, breakups are often emotionally taxing and devastating situations. You may even feel that you will never find someone else to love again. However, as easy it may be to wallow in misery, it is important to remember that you need to pick up the pieces and move on in your life.

Disconnect Yourself

The Internet and social networking in particularly can make it very hard to move on after a breakup. If you are connected to your ex on social networking sites, for example, it may be tough seeing new pictures of him or updates on his life. To recover smoothly from your breakup, remove him as a friend from all and any of your web presences, at least in the beginning; once you are over the situation, you can consider adding him back.

Express Your Feelings

Talking about your feelings can be a healthy and productive way to identify what is going on and add some perspective to your circumstances. Talk to your closest friends who have been through the same situation or maintain a daily diary where you talk about your progress in moving on and healing. Chat with a guidance counselor. Go online and seek support groups, chat rooms and forums for people currently going through breakups.

Pamper Yourself

A little bit of pampering can be an effective and relaxing way to get through a breakup. If your budget allows, plan a weekend getaway with a couple of your closest pals or take a day off from work and get prettied up at a day spa, including scheduling facials, pedicures and a makeover. Shop for a brand new outfit or a pair of shoes. Allow yourself a time of indulgence. A day of unrepentant fun may allow you to look at life with more clarity and give you more optimism about the future.

Limit Related Memorabilia

You probably have a lot of good memories about your ex but, at the same time, you probably have a lot of bad ones as well. After all, there is a reason why the relationship ended. To move on healthily, remove all of the memorabilia you may have about your relationship, whether they are lovey-dovey photographs of you and your ex on a beach in Mexico or a romantic "Happy Birthday" card given to you for your birthday.

Pursue Fitness Goals

Breakups are a good opportunity to work on improving yourself and your life in general. One way in which to start is by beginning a new fitness regimen. When you exercise, your mood gets a natural boost due to the release of endorphins, which are "feel good" neurotransmitters.

Explore New Interests

Breakups are a time of change. Instead of limiting the change to just your romantic situation, however, consider changing something else in your life. Start a new hobby or activity. Take ballroom dancing classes. Learn the craft of pottery. Start designing and making your own clothing. Take night classes in accounting at your local community college. Use this transitional period to focus on yourself.

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Ways To Raise Money In Your Community

There are many ways to raise money for community events and organizations.

Raising money can be tough to accomplish. Organizations such as community theaters, school clubs, sports clubs, charities, church groups, fraternities, sororities and others require a lot of money to keep going. Usually they have to go to their communities to solicit that money, whether it be door to door or through special events. The toughest part is figuring out make that money in a successful, reasonable and fun way.

Flower Sale

Hold a flower sale.

Flowers such as carnations, tulips, lilacs, daisies and roses are relatively inexpensive. Purchase a bunch of flowers and mark them up for about fifty cents. If you purchase enough flowers and have multiple people selling them you are likely to make a profit. May Day, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are great times of the year for this fundraiser.

Ugly Tie Contest

Ugly tie contests are fun.

Hold an ugly tie contest. This is a fun event that will make people laugh. Post humorous sign-up sheets at several local businesses. Good places include the library, city hall, courthouse, churches, and schools. Ask for a small registration fee, possibly something between $2 and $10. Require that each contestant wear a hideous tie to the show. Ask local vendors to donate first, second and third prizes such as gift cards of $100, $50 and $25 or products. Then have fun voting on the ties.

Bake Sale

Bake sales are popular fundraisers.

Bake sales are traditional fundraisers because they work so well. Several members of the community can whip up affordable pastries and treats from scratch. Some options are donuts, cakes, cookies, cup cakes, breads, and muffins. Find a prime spot outside a school, library, grocery store or church and sell the goodies.

Garage Sale

Don't forget to advertise your sale. and put up signs.

Get everyone in the community organization to go through their attics and donate old but usable items to the garage sale. Put an ad in the paper a few days before your event. Hold the garage sale in the organization's building. If you don't have one, hold it in a volunteer's garages. This fundraiser is great because it has no overhead costs.

Marathon

Marathons are a fun and healthy ways to raise money.

Have volunteers in the group participate in a marathon. The runners can go door to door and ask people to sponsor them by donating a certain amount of money for every half mile or mile they can run. Tell the sponsors when and where they can attend the event.

Tags: Bake sales, door door, garage sale, raise money, that money

Treatments For Pinched Nerves In The Neck

Sometimes the pain begins as soon as you wake up. Other times, it strikes suddenly during the day after a certain body movement. Either way, the pain and restricted movement caused by a pinched nerve in the neck are very unpleasant symptoms to endure. The cause can stem from irritations involving your spine, muscles and tendons. Sometimes, a pinched nerve occurs after overuse of a certain area. You can find relief from a pinched nerve in your neck by following a few guidelines.

Rest

The first thing you should do is rest the area. Find a lying or sitting position that doesn't cause your neck to hurt. Take ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) or naproxen (Alleve) to reduce pain and inflammation of the area. Place a warm heating pad on the area for about 10 to 15 minutes. Refrain from strenuous activity until your symptoms clear up. If your condition has not improved after two to three days, contact your family doctor.

Medicine and Physical Therapy

If your symptoms haven't improved after several days of self-treatment, your doctor can investigate the cause of the pinched nerve in your neck. Your physician probably will prescribe some stronger pain medications or even a muscle relaxer. These medications can make you more comfortable while the healing process occurs. Your doctor also can refer you to other specialists such as a physical therapist who can assist you in stretching and exercising the area to promote healing. A chiropractor is another type of specialist who physical manipulates your neck and spine to promote proper alignment.

Surgery

If spinal damage is causing your pain, you may be a candidate for neck surgery. Surgery that is performed on the neck for the purpose of relieving pressure and pain due to spinal problems is called cervical surgery. There are several different forms of cervical surgery. Your surgeon may remove part of a disc that is injured, or he may remove the entire disc. The surgeon also may fuse other bones together in your neck. Once your surgery is done, you will be advised on several ways to help your neck heal. Keep your weight in a healthy range, and practice good posture so that you aren't adding undue stress to your back, neck and shoulder areas. You may have to wear a supportive neck collar for a period of time. You also may have to visit a physical therapist who will help you to perform exercises and stretches that will strengthen and protect your neck, shoulder and back muscles.

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Ways To Lower Your Time While Running Miles

Increasing your range of motion through exercises can lower your run times.

As with many other exercise regimens, runners have been known to plateau, reaching a certain point in their running where they fail to continue improving. These plateaus can be frustrating and lead to a runner developing bad habits or ending training completely. Focusing on particular aspects of your training, such as improving muscle strength and flexibility through stretching exercises and weight training can help you lower you overall time when running miles.

Increasing Your Range of Motion

Do a series of light stretching exercises prior to running to loosen up your muscles. Follow it up with more lengthy stretching exercises after your run to help increase your range of motion. Focus on stretching your hamstring muscles (such as lying on your back and grabbing your thigh with both hands and pulling toward you), quadricep muscles (such as grabbing your ankles from behind you and pulling them upward) and hip muscles (such lying on your back and moving your legs into an Indian-style sitting position). Loosen your calf muscles by pushing up against a vertical surface, such as a wall, while bending your knees.

Hill Training

Build up your strength, which will help you run faster later in your runs and increase your overall speed, by adding hill running to your training regimen. Time your hill work to coincide with the middle portion of your runs so that you're fully loosened up but not so tired that you risk injury. Start off with small hills and work your way to steeper climbs. If you don't have hills where you live, use stadium bleacher steps as an alternative.

Short Run Bursts

During long runs, set aside different sections within the run to increase your pace. This will allow you to increase your stamina and improve your overall time. Determine a time goal to complete a specific distance, say 1,500 meters. Reach your starting point and time yourself during the part of the run containing that length. Do the same length of runs over a series of consecutive training periods to see if you've improved your times. Move on to other lengths. After a few more training runs, go back to the previously run lengths and check your times against your previous times. You will likely see improvement. Use different lengths over the course of several runs to determine how your times differ over longer and shorter runs.

Weight Training

The use of light weights and high repetition while doing leg exercises will strengthen your leg muscles, making them capable of providing extra bursts of speed when necessary. Weight training will also give your legs and lower body overall strength and muscle improvement. Running only develops a definitive series of muscles; weight training can fill in the gaps for muscles that aren't being developed as much while running. This can also help prevent injuries. Weight training workouts should be short, no more than 30 minutes a session. Your workouts should be done with light weights and include several repetitions and sets. Focus on muscles such as your quadriceps, which are developed during runs.

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Ways To Lose Postpregnancy Fat

Incorporate your baby into your exercise routine.

Female celebrities make post-pregnancy weight loss seem easy; one moment they are round and jolly and the next they are back to their skinny selves. Regular women that don't have access to a celebrity's chef, fitness trainer, nanny and household staff can still lose the post-baby fat. It took nine months to gain the weight, and to take it off in a healthy fashion can take just as long, if not longer.

Eating Healthy

Eating healthy foods contributes to fat-loss after birth. Instead of going on a restrictive diet that requires you to drastically cut calories, make healthy food choices. Healthy foods provide nutrition and are lower in calories. After pregnancy, you need energy to keep up with the demands of motherhood. If you breastfeed, your baby depends on you for vitamins and minerals. Drastically cutting calories can leave you feeling fatigued and tired. Eat five to six small meals throughout the day so you constantly replenish yourself and have extended energy. Consume lean protein such as salmon, tuna, chicken and turkey. Eat low-fat or non-fat dairy to get bone-strengthening calcium. Get fiber from whole-grains, vegetables and fruits.

Regular Cardiovascular Exercise

Upon your doctor's approval, you can gradually start incorporating exercise into your new lifestyle. Cardiovascular exercise burns calories, which helps with fat and weight loss. Start by walking in the neighborhood. Put your baby in a stroller and take him along. Walk a little further every day and aim to complete 30 minutes of walking, five days per week. As you get stronger, you can switch from walking to jogging. If you have someone to watch your baby, go to the gym and use the cardiovascular machines or take aerobics classes for a change of pace.

Strength Training

Whether you use your body weight, weightlifting machines or free weights, strength training maintains and increases muscle tissue. Muscle tissue stimulates your metabolism, resulting in fat-burn, all day long. Start with light weights to train all body parts. Be creative if you cannot make it to a gym. Use water bottles or cans of food as alternatives for weights if you don't own dumbbells. Hold your baby in your arms as you do leg-strengthening exercises such as lunges and squats. Incorporate abdominal exercises to gradually strengthen your core. Use exercise DVDs that focus on post-pregnancy body strengthening.

Sleep

With a new baby, you most likely are sleep deprived. Lack of sleep makes you more irritable during the day and less productive. You get stressed more easily, which can trigger weight and fat gain. Excess stress makes your body produce cortisol, a stress hormone that is linked to cravings and weight gain, especially around the waist. To avoid this, get as much sleep as you can. Sleep when your baby sleeps or have someone watch the baby while you get some sleep. When you are rested, you, your waistline and your baby will benefit.

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Ways To Lose Belly Fat & Get Thinner Thighs

Most people, especially women, store their excess fat in the abdomen and thighs. Losing belly fat and getting thinner thighs might not be easy, but it can be done. You can choose exercise routines that focus on abdominal and thigh muscles. Plus, certain types of food can also speed up your metabolism and turn your body into a fat-burning engine.

Daily Brisk Walk

Frank Campitelli, a physical trainer and the author of "Advanced Method For A Flat Abdomen And Thin Waist", mentions in his book that brisk walking is the best weight loss exercise. Having a brisk walk at least fifteen minutes a day will be highly beneficial for your body. It helps burn calories, tone up the muscles in the lower abdomen and thighs, and encourage the body to produce more fat-burning enzymes. To target your abdomen and lose belly fat, lengthen your spine and tighten your abs as you walk. Hold the contraction for about five seconds, then release and retighten those abdominal muscles again. To target the thighs, add a "kickout" routine to your walk. As you walk, lift one knee up to your stomach and kick out, straightening your leg. Lower the leg and switch sides. Keep alternating back and forth for about two minutes.

Biking

Biking, both on a real bike and stationary bike, can help flatten your stomach and tone up your thighs. The balancing and pedalling allows you to exercise every muscle in your legs and butt. Plus, it is an enjoyable cardio workout that allows you to burn off excess fat and enliven your mood. Thirty minutes of biking, three or four times a week, should make you feel the difference in your abdomen and thighs within a few months. Remember to set the seat and handlebars in the position that will not strain your back. You should not have to lower your back too much in order to grab the handlebars.

Take Up Yoga

Denise Austin, the author of "Shrink Your Female Fat Zones" recommends yoga for people who want to lose belly fat and get thinner thighs. The best advantage of yoga is that it is both aerobic and anaerobic. While aerobic exercise allows the body to burn calories during the routine, anaerobic workouts increase muscle mass and speed up metabolism. People who adopt both aerobic and anaerobic workouts to their exercise routine tend to lose weight faster than those who do aerobic only. Another benefit of yoga is it helps correct bad posture or body alignment. Poor upper-body posture is one of the reasons for a protruding abdomen, as it weakens supporting muscles in the lower abdomen and causes the stomach to bulge. Yoga can help improve your upper-body posture and strengthen your abdominal muscles.

Do Not Diet

Cutting down the calorie intake by eating less is not a proper solution. Thousands of years ago, humans often experienced famines and long droughts. Their bodies learned to store every excess calorie as fat and burn it off very slowly over time. These fat deposits basically worked as a food bank that enabled them to survive. Unfortunately, our ancestors also passed on those genes to us. That's why our metabolism tends to slow down whenever our body consumes so little food and feels hungry. Being on a diet, in other words, encourages the body to burn less calories and switch into its fat-storing mode.

Eat Healthy

Limit your intake of fatty meat, processed foods, and simple carbohydrates from sugar and alcohol. Instead, eat a lot of lean meat, fish and high-fiber foods such as bran cereals, oatmeal, fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods help stabilize you blood sugar, making you feel full and energized longer. In addition, they increase your metabolism and allow the body to burn fat faster. Unlike dieting, you can eat these healthy foods as much as you like and not feel starved.

Tags: abdomen thighs, body burn, abdominal muscles, aerobic anaerobic, anaerobic workouts, both aerobic, both aerobic anaerobic

Ways To Keep My Dog Out Of Planters

Dogs will dig in almost any available dirt.

Dogs can learn to dig in flower beds, gardens and planters, ruining your gardening work and destroying your plants. The addition of objects or smells that dogs find unpleasant will discourage them from rummaging or digging in the plant pot, and if that does not work you can install garden mesh to keep them away from the pot entirely. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Soak five cotton balls in clove oil. Use a hand spade to scrape back 1 inch of soil from the soil surface in the planter. Place the cotton balls in the soil and cover them with the 1 inch of soil. Cut a piece of aluminum foil to fit inside your planter. Lower the aluminum foil over the soil and the cotton balls. Dogs will find the sound and feeling of touching the aluminum foil unpleasant, and even if they remove it, the smell of the cloves will discourage them from digging.

2. Use a hand spade to halfway bury pine cones on their side, so half is under the soil and half is visible. Bury enough pine cones in the planter so there are no blank spaces. The dogs will find the feeling of the pine cones unpleasant and will stop disturbing your planters.

3. Cut a piece of garden mesh so its length equals the radius of your planter. Lay the mesh on its side and push the side between the soil and the side of the planter. Use a garden spade to loosen the soil from the planter, if necessary. Continue pushing the mesh into the soil until it wraps all the way around the planter. This will keep dogs out of the planter, once they realize they cannot access the dirt or plant in the planter.

Tags: aluminum foil, cotton balls, pine cones, discourage them, discourage them from, Dogs will, garden mesh

Ways To Increase Lung Capacity

Lung capacity determines the amount of air your lungs can hold, which is important for your cardiovascular health and endurance. Although you cannot change the size of your lungs, you can improve performance and health by increasing your lung capacity.

Before You Begin

The best way to begin increasing your lung capacity is to give up (or never start) smoking. Smoking will diminish your lung capacity and health, along with other potential complications.

The Beginning Stages

Exercise is one of the best ways to increase lung capacity. Cardio-enhancing activities generally improve the heart, lungs and circulatory system, and help the blood cells transport oxygen more efficiently throughout the body. Bear in mind that increasing lung capacity through exercise is not an overnight process and requires dedication and time.

Take A Deep Breath

Aerobic exercises that use the long muscles of the arms and the legs are the best sort of activity for increasing lung capacity because they increase the heart rate and make you get out of breath -- forcing your lungs to work harder to maintain your levels of oxygen. Over time, your lungs become used to the activity and you can increase how much aerobic exercise you are doing, along with adding strength training to improve the health of your muscles and bones.

Activities like running, swimming, walking and dancing are all great aerobic exercises to improve the lungs and heart, according to the Mayo Clinic. There are also activities like yoga and tai chi that involve deep breathing and improve lung capacity without harming the joints.

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Ways To Get A Flat Tummy

Achieving a flat tummy is an important goal for men and women alike. Many companies out there know this, and they produce one gadget after another promising you a flat tummy in several weeks or "your money back." Even if these tools do work, you can get a flat tummy without them by following some key strategies.

Dietary Adjustments

In order to lose your tummy, you must also lose the high-calorie, fattening foods. These include deep-fried foods, processed foods, refined foods and anything else that is high in saturated fat. Eat foods that are high in nutrients, such as lean meats, low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans and whole grains. To keep yourself from overeating and to maintain high energy levels, eat small meals every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day. Make these meals a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat. An example of a meal is salmon with steamed broccoli and a baked yam.

Water

Calories in the form of liquids are still calories and should be eliminated from your diet. Examples of these include soft drinks, fruits juices, alcohol, sugared coffee drinks and sweetened teas. Drink water in place of them because it has zero calories and it can also help to boost your metabolism. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get 2.7 total liters of water a day and men get 3.7 total liters day.

Cardio

Cardiovascular exercise can burn calories and reduce excess weight in your whole body, including your tummy. Aim for 45 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise on 4 to 5 days a week. Examples of exercises include running, swimming, biking, elliptical training, rope jumping and stair climbing. To increase your caloric expenditure, do intervals. These are done by alternating between bouts of high intensity and low intensity. For an example, after a 10 minute warm-up, go at a high intensity for 60 seconds, then a lower intensity for 60 seconds. Alternate back and forth for 30 minutes and finish with a 10 minute cool-down at a light intensity.

Weight Training

Building muscle through weight training can help increase your metabolism and burn more calories. Do exercises that involve the chest, shoulders, back, triceps, biceps and legs. Examples of weight training include bench presses, shoulder presses, back rows, tricep pushdowns, bicep curls and squats.

Abdominal Exercises

You cannot lose weight in your tummy with ab exercises, but you can define the muscles there once the fat has disappeared. Exercises to do include crunches, side crunches, leg lifts, hanging knee raises, decline crunches and bicycle crunches.

Tags: flat tummy, your tummy, high intensity, increase your, intensity seconds, that high

Ways To Find Out Which Paper Tissue Brand Is The Strongest

A strong tissue can save money and increase comfort.

Having a strong tissue is important for several reasons. Stronger tissues can do a much better job at cleaning than thinner and tear-prone tissues. This will end up saving you money when you use fewer. Stronger tissues can also be more absorbent. A few simple tests may help guide you find the best facial tissue for you. Does this Spark an idea?

Number of Plies

The number of layer or plies in a tissue is one indicator of strength. A ply is an individual sheet of tissue multiplied to make the tissue thicker. The thicker the tissue, the stronger it is to resist tear. Tissue is sold as 1 to 4 ply but ply thickness is not uniform across all brands. "Consumer Reports" magazine states the strongest tissues tend to have two plies, however some single-ply brands were able to resist to tear as well as double or four-ply brands.

Spot Wet Tests

Another method of seeing which tissue is stronger would be to take several brands and wet spot test them for strength. Gather several brands and make sure you treat each in the same manner. For example, roll off five tissue squares or pieces of each. Then for each brand, use a water dropper to wet them in several spots. You can then test for different levels of strength by putting things such as paperclips and pennies on each until they tear.

Full Immersion Tests

Perhaps the toughest test for strength would be to see how strong and tear resistant a tissue is when fully wet. Gather your tissue brands and for each, fully immerse them in water for a few seconds and then squeeze them out. Open them up fully and place them on a table for testing. Here you can test for strength by adding weight, by pulling the edges to see how long each takes to rip or by poking your fingers through the center of the tissue.

Personal Use

Ultimately the best test is your own personal use. While many people have brand loyalty it is never a good idea to use a product simply because of the name or its marketing through commercials. If you blow your nose and the product rips easily, it doesn't matter what the TV version did, it didn't work for you. Be open to try different brands. Don't be afraid of store brand or so called no name options. As reported in "Consumer Reports," many of these have the potential to stand up to the test. Use your own experiences to guide you.

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Ways To Exercise During Pregnancy

Yoga pose

Exercise is good for you no matter what the situation may be. However, there are added benefits when exercising while pregnant. Aside from helping alleviate normal pregnancy aches and pains, it may help make delivery easier, as well as make getting back to your pre-pregnancy shape a breeze. Choose exercises carefully though, and constantly monitor your physical condition to ensure the safety of youself and your unborn child.

Safety First

Before beginning any exercise regimen, speak with your doctor and be sure he agrees with the routine. Though many forms of exercise are safe for pregnant women, there are some positions or movements which may be uncomfortable or harmful. Avoid doing any exercises on your back after your first trimester. When you do exercise, wear comfortable clothing that will prevent you from overheating, such as cotton, and do not exercise when it is too hot or humid. Always drink enough water to keep you hydrated; at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water is recommended through the day, however if you feel the need for more while exercising, drink it.

Walking

Walking is a terrific form of aerobic exercise and enables you to achieve a total body workout while being easy on the joints and muscles. Walking is also a great way to help the baby move into position due to the swaying of the hips.

Cycling

Cycling is another great aerobic workout, however it may be harder to keep your balance as the baby grows and your belly gets bigger. As you progress into the later stages of the pregnancy, it may be better to use a stationary bike to avoid falling and injuring yourself or your baby.

Swimming

Swimming offers many benefits. Not only does it work many muscles in the body, it also helps support your weight, helping you avoid muscle strain and injury. In addition, the water helps you stay cool and may help prevent swelling in your legs.

Running

Running is generally reserved for those who already participated in it before they became pregnant. A modification of your routine may be necessary during your pregnancy; your doctor should be able to advise you the time and distance you can run.

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Ways Of Losing Weight

For accuracy, weighing should only be done once a week.

Many people want to lose weight safely. Losing weight should be done over a long period of time. Those who practice crash diets and other extreme measures often gain all of their weight back. Sometimes, they even gain back more. Losing weight can be difficult, but there are some good practices that can help you get started. Do not expect to lose more than a couple of pounds per week. If you don't lose anything at first, don't get discouraged. Figure out what area you are lacking in, and improve.

Setting Goals

Decide how much weight you want to lose, and the period of time in which you would like to lose it. Remember, don't expect to lose a lot of weight fast--this can cause serious health problems, or cause you to gain all of the weight back. The website www.HealthCheckSystems.com has a weight chart that you can use to determine what a healthy weight for you would be. Take into consideration what might make you weigh more than your recommended weight, such as your height, breast size and body shape.

Eating Healthy

Sugar, fat, carbohydrates and sodium should be avoided as much as possible. Fresh vegetables, and food containing high amounts of fiber, can help you to feel fuller and should be included in your daily diet. Fresh fruits and sugar-free Popsicles can help cure a sweet tooth. Read the labels on all of the food you buy. Keep in mind, foods that have labels that say "low fat" or "reduced fat" often have added sugar or sodium. Too much sodium can cause your body to retain water--making you feel bloated, and causing you to gain a few pounds.

Weight Loss Programs

Weight loss programs, such as Weight Watchers, Slim Fast and LA Weight Loss can assist you in losing weight. Before you start a program, consult your doctor to make sure you won't have any risks. These programs can often benefit those who need support and motivations. Each one of these programs has a website that is available 24 hours a day, as well as a forum where you can discuss the program with other members who are doing the same thing as you--trying to lose weight. The main focus of these weight loss programs is to teach you eat right, and help you discover what choices are right for your body, as well provide support and motivation when you need it.

Exercise

Exercise is an important part of losing weight. When you lose weight, your skin will become loose and uncomfortable unless you keep it toned by exercising. Exercising can also help you burn calories. You should exercise at least 20 minutes every day. Exercising also helps your heart stay healthy by increasing the blood flow throughout your body.

Managing Depression

Depression and stress often cause people to become lazy, and overeat. By managing your stress, you can prevent this from happening. When you are under stress, instead of eating, go for a walk, participate in a sport, meditate, or take a long, relaxing bubble bath. If you are craving something sweet, eat a sugar-free cookie or some frozen yogurt, instead of regular cookies and ice cream. Exercise has been known to relieve stress. If you lie around, you may only end up more depressed. If it gets uncontrollable, talk to a doctor.

Tags: lose weight, your body, Exercising also, expect lose, losing weight, Losing weight, loss programs

Ways For College Students To Get Extra Money

College students must search creatively for extra-income opportunities.

College students not only have to attend classes, study for exams, conduct research and complete homework, they often need to support themselves financially, as well. Faced with the challenge of busy course work, college students must be creative in their search for sources of extra income. While traditional part-time jobs such as babysitting and waiting tables provide sufficient compensation, unconventional approaches exist, as well. It is up to the individual to decide which way works best to earn extra money, but he is never short of choices.

Start a Blog

If you enjoy a certain hobby and don't mind writing about it, you can start a blog pertaining to the niche market for your hobby and eventually make money from the blog. A blog generates income in a variety of ways, including sponsoring ads for businesses and products, pay-per-click advertisements, affiliate programs and paid reviews. You can also sell your products and services from your blog.

To ensure a successful and revenue-making blog, write only organized and informative content, and do it often. Help readers understand your ideas with pictures, graphics and other art. To generate traffic, submit your blog to blog rings and network heavily with other bloggers in the same niche market.

Offer to Tutor

If you have a special skill or are talented in a subject in school, you can tutor younger kids for money. For example, if you have played the piano for years, then offer to give piano lessons.

To market your service, ask professors and grad students, look at newspaper and online ads, or ask around the elementary, middle or high schools in town. You can also post an ad on a bulletin board at schools, churches and community centers.

Babysit

Many parents seek reliable sitters to watch their children. If you don't mind a few hours of playing with little kids or caring for a baby, then you can babysit for extra money. Sometimes, the parents just need a date night, and their kids will be in bed for the majority of the evening. In this case, you can utilize your time to get homework done, as long as you keep an eye on the slumbering little ones. Make sure you research the national average before agreeing to a set amount of payment.

Freelance Online

All you need to become a freelancer online are a specific skill, a computer and Internet connection. From computer programming to virtual assistance, freelance websites provide an array of projects for job seekers with a variety of skills. Make sure you research the site enough before signing up to avoid scams, and present yourself professionally for any project you receive.

Work in a Restaurant

To work at a local restaurant, you don't need a polished resume or extensive experience, just a friendly personality and a willingness to learn. You can make decent money as a waitress, bartender, busboy or parking valet. Plus, you will be in a social environment and make new friends.

Tags: blog blog, College students, Make sure, Make sure research, market your, niche market, students must

Water Bottle Holder Crafts

Staying hydrated is an important part of being healthy. This inexpensive, simple water bottle holder is worn over the shoulder or around the neck, takes under an hour to make and will give you a hands-free approach to keeping water with you wherever you go. This project is easy enough for children 7 and up to create with little or no help from an adult.

Supplies

To create this simple-yet-practical water bottle holder, you will need one bottle of clear nail polish and two no-sew dungaree buttons. The project will also require one rubber toric joint, sold in hardware stores, measuring 1 1/8 by 7/8 by 1/8 inches, and 4 feet of belt webbing. Cotton or polypropylene belt wedding, sold at craft or sewing supply stores, works well. Optional decorative items include patches, appliqués, ribbons and others.

Creating the Water Bottle Holder

Apply a liberal amount of clear nail polish to the ends of the belt webbing. This will help to prevent fraying of the webbing when in use. Allow to dry completely.

Run 2 to 3 inches of the webbing through the toric joint and then secure the webbing to itself with the dungaree button. To secure the button you'll need to push the tack through the webbing on one side and the place the button on the tack point and push together. Children may need help with this step to ensure the button closes. Repeat the same process for the other end of the webbing. Decorate the webbing with patches, ribbons and appliqués if desired.

Wearing the Water Bottle Holder

To use the water bottle holder, place the neck of the water bottle through the o-ring. The toric joint should fit snuggly enough that the water bottle will stay in place even when moved around. The typical 16.9-ounce bottle works perfectly. To wear it, place the belt webbing over your shoulder or around your neck for a hands-free water bottle holder.

Tags: water bottle, belt webbing, bottle holder, toric joint, water bottle holder

Watering After Fertilizing A Lawn

If you would like your lawn to produce full, vibrant blades of grass each year, you must occasionally fertilize the lawn as you do many other plants. Fertilizing provides your lawn with additional nutrients and three essential elements -- nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium -- which encourage growth and keep your lawn looking healthy. Once fertilized, watering your lawn helps distribute the fertilizer down into the soil. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1. Apply fertilizer only to grass that is not wet and during the coolest part of the day, such as morning, to prevent the fertilizer from burning the grass. Finish fertilizing the lawn completely, using the amounts recommended on the packaging of the fertilizer.

2. Spray the lawn with a garden hose, or start your sprinkler system, immediately after you finish fertilizing to prevent the fertilizer from sitting on the grass. The only exception to this is if it begins raining within a few minutes after you apply the fertilizer. In the case of rain, you can allow the rainfall to do the work, as long as the rain lasts for an hour or more.

3. Water the fertilized lawn long enough to moisten to a depth of roughly 1/2 inch. According to the University of Saskatchewan, watering for approximately one hour should be sufficient to moisten the turf to this depth. Apply the water to the lawn as evenly as possible.

4. Return to a normal watering schedule for your lawn after the first watering. Lawns need approximately 1 1/2 inches of water each week to thrive, per the University of Minnesota. Ideally, apply this water once per week and don't water the lawn again until the ground dries completely.

Tags: your lawn, fertilizer from, lawn with, prevent fertilizer, prevent fertilizer from, water lawn

Waterfront Restaurants In Miami Florida

Dine by the water in Miami.

Miami, located on the southeastern Atlantic Coast in the sunshine state of Florida, is a popular vacation spot for those who love the water. With miles of stunning beaches and spectacular bay views around almost every corner, the city is also home to many waterfront restaurants. Whether you want to eat on a swanky downtown terrace or a laid-back dock on the bay, Miami offers many options for waterfront dining. Add this to my Recipe Box.

The Rusty Pelican

The Rusty Pelican is a waterfront restaurant on Miami's gorgeous Key Biscayne island and features indoor and outdoor seating with views of Biscayne Bay and the skyline of Miami. The restaurant offers a wide selection of fresh seafood, including many types of fish that are classified as "ocean friendly" on the Seafood Watch List. Other menu selections include prime beef, free range chicken and pasta. The Rusty Pelican also serves a Sunday champagne brunch with strolling musicians and more than 150 buffet items, including an omelet and pasta station. The restaurant also has a number of private rooms and ballrooms and is a popular spot for wedding receptions and other private parties.

The Rusty Pelican

3201 Rickenbacker Causeway

Key Biscayne, FL 33149

305-361-3818

therustypelican.com

Marinheiro Restaurant

Marinheiro is an upscale restaurant on the waterfront in downtown Brickell, the financial and business center of Miami. The restaurant has terraces for outdoor dining with views of the city and Biscayne Bay. The cuisine at Marinhero is contemporary Portuguese fusion. House specialties include duck magret with a wild berry sauce and tiger shrimp with spicy sea sauce. Other menu items are griddled octopus with braised lentils, red beet and asparagus risotto and codfish croquettes. Wine, cocktails and cigars are also available for an after-dinner treat.

Marinheiro Restaurant

1155 Brickell Bay Dr.

Miami, FL 33131

305-377-4442

marinheirorestaurant.com

Shuckers Bar & Grill

Shuckers Bar & Grill is a casual seafood restaurant located in the Best Western on Miami's popular 79th Street Causeway's restaurant row. This restaurant was voted best affordable waterfront dining by the Miami New Times and also won best waterfront view in the 2009 NBC locals choice awards. Shuckers has a large outdoor dining deck on Biscayne Bay, and boat dockage is available for those who wish to travel to the restaurant by water. Numerous HDTVs are also available for those who prefer to bypass the deck and watch a game. The menu features wings, homemade pasta, sandwiches, chicken, beef and seafood. A raw bar serves raw oysters and clams as well as steamed shrimp, clams and mussels. Beer, wine and liquor are also available, and Shuckers runs happy hour specials Monday through Friday.

Shuckers Bar & Grill

1819 79th Street Causeway

North Bay Village, FL 33141

305-866-1570

shuckersbarandgrill.com

Tags: Rusty Pelican, also available, Shuckers Grill, 79th Street, 79th Street Causeway, available those, Marinheiro Restaurant

Watches That Track Your Mileage While Running

Running watches provide useful information to runners who run in the great outdoors.

There are two basic kinds of runners: runners who run on a treadmill and runners who run outside. Runners that use treadmills already have the basic capabilities of a running watch in the treadmill, time, distance, average pace and calories burned. A runner who runs outside, however, does not have the advantage of being able to track the exact distance of each run, his calorie count or heart rate. A running watch is helpful, especially to runners who are training for a half or full marathon and need exact information on each run.

Tech 4 O Accelerator

The Tech 4 O Accelerator running watch tracks your mileage by counting your steps, like a pedometer. To keep from counting small movements of the feet that are not steps, the watch uses a system that calculates steps in groups of ten. Aside from calculating distance, the watch also calculates average pace, calories burned and the time of the workout. Runners who work out on a regular schedule can set the watch to start calculating steps at a specific time each day, in order to not forget and miss logging a workout.

Nike Triax Fury 50

The face of the Nike Triax Fury 50 is positioned at an angle to the wristband to allow runners to glance down at their information easily while running. The wristband is made out of a rubber material that will not leave scars on the wrist and helps to absorb sweat from the workout. The Nike Triax Fury 50 comes in three versions: one for men, one for women and one that is unisex.

Suunto T4

According to "Runner's World" magazine, the Suunto T4 helps runners track every workout. Not only does the Suunto T4 track the mileage of each run, but it also tracks calories burned and heart rate and contains GPS capability. The disadvantage of the Suunto T4 is that it is large and difficult to attach to a running shoe.

Garmin Forerunner T305

Garmin makes a popular GPS device; it also makes a watch for runners. The Garmin Forerunner T305 helps runners track many factors involved in each workout: mileage, pace, maximum heart rate and trajectory. Garmin's Forerunner T305 even tracks heading and path while trail running which, according to Runner's World, is unusual for a GPS device. One feature of the Garmin Forerunner T305 that is not present in other running watches is its ability to keep a way point setting that keeps a record of the path as you run it.

Tags: Forerunner T305, Garmin Forerunner, Garmin Forerunner T305, calories burned, heart rate

Wall Decoration Ideas For New Year'S Eve

Decorations will help set the tone for a New Year's Eve party your guests will not soon forget.

A New Year's Eve party is a festive way to ring in the upcoming year with friends and family. To set the tone for an event to remember, the right decorations can be very helpful. You can create your own decorations or purchase supplies from your local party store to help welcome guests into your home. The best wall decorations will set the scene, provide lighting and help create a jubilant atmosphere for your party guests to enjoy. Does this Spark an idea?

Silver and Gold

Silver and gold are the traditional colors of New Year's celebrations. This makes them the go-to color choices for decorating with streamers, confetti, noisemakers or even determining dress for the event. You can create wall decorations in this color scheme by arranging metallic strips of paper on the wall in chosen designs, such as champagne glasses, top hats or noisemakers. Instead of paper, you can also paint plastic champagne glasses in your desired metallic tone or wrap them in colored fabric. Wrap a decorative ribbon around the stems of the glasses and loop the ribbons into a garland that can be arranged on the wall.

The Ball Drop

One of the ceremonial signs that the new year has arrived is the ball drop in Times Square. You can use a disco ball or create your own ball to drop at the stroke of midnight. You may even choose to create a backdrop for your ball to fall from. For example, try cutting out skyscraper shapes from sheets of black craft paper and arrange them on the wall. Paint windows onto the paper and other symbols of cityscapes to properly stage the ball drop. Make a ball by covering a Styrofoam globe in aluminum foil and gluing clear plastic cups to it to create a mirrored effect. Thread the ball with a string and tie it to a hook on the ceiling. When the clock strikes midnight, release the string and drop the ball.

Lighting

Festive lighting is a colorful way to add interest to the wall decorations. Whether your party is indoors or out, string lights can be arranged to shine a light on the celebration and create a desired ambiance. Small white string lights will suffice, but you could also add paper lanterns to the lights to further enhance the party theme. Cut shapes into white paper bags, such as stars, champagne glasses or fireworks. Insert a battery-operated tea light inside each bag. Hang these bags on the wall to resemble sconces or arrange them along the entrance to the party or around high-traffic areas.

Tags: champagne glasses, wall decorations, arrange them, ball drop, create your, string lights, Year party

Walking Shoes Vs Running Shoes

Your footwear should match the activity you're actually doing.

When you plan to purchase the proper footwear for your fitness activities, you must first understand what differentiates walking shoes from running shoes. Shoes are an important investment for a walker or runner, since they absorb the shock of impact and support the kind of motion that is typical of your activity. Both types of shoes are designed for the forward motion that is characteristic of the biomechanics of walking and running, but there is a difference in the force applied to the shoes depending on the walker's or runner's speed.

Cushioning

Running shoes are designed for forward motion at a rapid pace. One critical element of the running shoe is its midsole. The midsole is the foam-like material sandwiched between the sole of the shoe, which hits the ground, and the upper, which surrounds your foot. According to Runner's World, the midsole "provides protection from impact forces." Many running shoes have a dual density midsole, meaning that the section on the inner side of the shoe is firmer, thereby reducing excessive pronation (turning inwards) in the gait of a runner and making her running motion more efficient. Walking shoes, by contrast, often have a "roll bar" that supports the arch of a walker's foot while also preventing excessive pronation. However, walking shoes generally have a midsole that is less thick.

Toe Box

Walking shoes emphasize a roomy toe-box to prevent callouses from forming on your toes, while running shoes often have a narrowing shape to the toe-box to permit a runner's foot to have a smooth and unencumbered push-off.

Upper

Running shoes can often be distinguished from walking shoes by examining the shoe's "upper," the portion that wraps around the top of the foot. Because of the heat and sweat typically generated by running, the upper of a running shoe tends to have breathable, mesh-like fabric in the portion of the upper above the toes in front of and surrounding the laces. By contrast, many walking shoes emphasize padding, to provide stability over breathability. In addition, running shoes are often made in brighter colors, while walking shoes have more muted colors such as white or beige.

Price

A good pair of running shoes generally costs between $70 and $130, or more, in 2010. This is mainly because running shoes have advanced technical features such as gel or air pockets engineered to help absorb shock and ensure comfort. Also, runners put a premium on the weight of a running shoe that has led to significant research and development in creating lightweight, high-performance shoe materials. The construction of walking shoes, on the other hand, is an area of less innovation, because walking tends to be less performance-oriented and more focused on comfort. A good pair of walking shoes can be purchased for $60 to $110 at 2010 prices.

Considerations

If you are just starting up a new training regimen or making significant changes to the type of activity you will do on a daily basis, it will pay off to make a visit to your local athletics store to explain to them what activities you plan so that you can be sure to start out with the right equipment for your new workout regimen.

Tags: running shoes, walking shoes, running shoe, shoes have, shoes often, walking shoes