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Choosing the Best Weight Loss and Exercise Program for You

When trying to lose weight, choosing the right weight loss program can be confusing and even frustrating for most people. Of course, everyone is different and every weight loss program is unique. Choosing the right one for you is a personal choice that only comes from careful research of the many programs and diets available in the marketplace.Some people, fortunately, are able lose weight on their own. But this is more the exception than the rule. Others are more successful when they experience the structure, accountability and support of a diet or exercise program that is supervised by a fitness professional such as a Certified Personal Trainer.There are so many weight loss programs out there today, it can be difficult and confusing to choose the right one. If you are online like most people are these days, the list of diets and programs is endless, and the pros and cons of each are buried in hype and sales copy. So how do you choose?First of all, finding a realistic plan that you can follow for a long period of time is crucial. A common problem in weight loss is that it is often short-term or temporary. People lose weight but cannot keep it off and continue the bouncing game of fluctuating weight gain and loss, which can slow down metabolism, decrease muscle and tone, and make it even harder to maintain or lose weight over a longer period of time.Second, it must be a plan that incorporates both diet AND exercise. Merely changing the way you eat is not enough. And a weight loss program that includes exercise does require a commitment and will take time out of your schedule to devote to your weight loss program. It’s hard to stay on a routine when you are busy at work and caring for the kids. It doesn’t leave much time for you. But finding the time to incorporate cardiovascular exercise and resistance training is important, if you want to maintain a healthy weight loss, and preserve the muscle tone and aesthetic look of your body.Third, it is important to make sure that you have a good support system and work with someone with a great deal of expertise in fitness and nutrition. Working with a personal trainer (and not just any trainer, but a Certified Personal Trainer with credentials, experience and references) can make all the difference in whether or not you will be successful with weight loss.When choosing the program or the trainer, make sure the staff consists of qualified fitness professionals and health professionals such as registered dietitians, medical doctors, and exercise physiologists or personal trainers, or at least have access to those should you need them.Whatever the program you decide it should be a slow and steady weight loss program. Don’t fall for programs offering easy, fast weight loss, because although we are seeking weight loss, the TRUE goal is not weight loss, but FAT LOSS. And a lot of programs will deliver weight loss, but at the expense of losing valuable muscle instead of fat. So seek out fat loss programs – not just weight loss programs.Another factor to consider when choosing a program is to make sure that expectations are clear – right from the beginning. When inquiring about any commercial weight loss program, be sure you are provided with a detailed statement of fees and costs of additional items such as dietary supplements or foods. How often will you meet with a personal trainer? Will you be doing personal training 2 days a week? 3 days a week?And how long will your personal training sessions be? 30 minute and 60 minute sessions are the norm in the personal training industry – but be sure to ask. Don’t assume that a “session” is the same everywhere. A lot of inexpensive personal training programs that are more affordable consist of 30 minute sessions, which can be an adequate amount of time to get a quality workout, if you have a well qualified and experienced personal trainer.And if that’s what you want – great. But if you really want an entire hour long personal training session with a trainer to cover nutrition, diet and stretching, for example, be sure that what you are being sold is a full hour; not just a half hour session.If you plan to lose more than 15 pounds to 20 pounds, have any health problems, such as diabetes, your doctor should evaluate you before you start a weight loss program. Your doctor may even suggest some specific weight loss programs that would be good for you.Being overweight is too often viewed as a temporary problem that can be treated for a few months with a diet. But as most overweight people know, weight control must be considered a lifelong effort. To be safe and effective, any weight loss program must address the long-term approach of diet AND exercise, or else the program is largely a waste of money and effort.To lose weight and maintain the weight loss it’s really a mindset for most. It’s a new way of thinking. Do you eat to live or do you live to eat? Think about it.By choosing smart and working with a qualified personal trainer or other medical or health professional to guide you in your weight loss journey, you can lose weight safely, effectively, and keep it off for life.

I Can’t Do It: Why So Few Have Any Hope of Discovering and Sustaining a Wellness Lifestyle

INTRODUCTIONOver the years, I’ve collaborated with an eminent Australian polymath (Dr. Grant Donovan of Perth) in conducting research on lifestyle change. Our work has focused on understanding whether adults have a better than 50/50 chance of benefiting from efforts to improve their lifestyles. Our double-blind, crossover, randomized horizontal and dignified trials have explored a simple but profound question that others have taken for granted, namely, can humans do it? That is, can individuals convince themselves to change their lifestyles and, more important, sustain over time whatever healthy habits they wish to adopt? If not, then clearly the frustrations of failure and increases in learned hopelessness make it highly unlikely that attempts at lifestyle improvements will have much chance to succeed and be beneficial. Repeated failure at lifestyle change are worse than never even trying to live healthfully, as the frustrations and disappointments lead to lost interest in change, lower self-worth and thus poorer health status.Our studies have shown, conclusively we believe, that most people can’t do it. We refer to this phenomenon as I can’t do it or ICAN’TDOIT. Once the nature of this reality is understood, those who still desire to attempt positive lifestyle changes will have a better chance for success, since a rare few can in fact do it, if somewhat gifted by favorable circumstances and aware of the difficulties. Everyone should be willing to pay attention to ways that boost success rates.SUMMARY OF FINDINGSWe found that living healthfully is too demanding largely because most are not prepared for the obstacles in the way. Make no mistake–if everyone could put into practice and sustain healthy choices, they would. Who wants to be sick and die prematurely? Who wants NOT to look good and have ample energy and live life to the full? If it were easy, everyone would accept responsibility for a high quality of life by choosing to exercise vigorously on a regular basis, eat well, manage stress, think critically and do all the rest. After all, wellness is, as I have long preached (in a secular fashion), fun, romantic and hip, sexy and free. It’s a richer way to be alive. Live this way and you will be stronger and better looking, have higher morale, superior bowel movement and more antibodies to resist pandemics. You’d be a little crazy not to live this way–IF YOU COULD. However, the lamentable situation we discovered is you probably can’t, which we abbreviate as ICAN’TDOIT. Napoleon Hill, author of the famous Andrew Carnegie formula for money-making entitled, Think and Grow Rich, studied several thousand people–and concluded that 98 percent of them were failures. This might be a little harsh and an overestimate. Still, it was interesting to think about the thirty major reasons he thought accounted for why so many fail.When Grant and I looked at Hill’s explanations for explaining failure at making money, we concluded that twenty of Hills reasons apply as well to attempts to live healthfully, along the advanced lines of wellness lifestyles.Here are the twenty factors so identified:1. Unfavorable Hereditary Background. Many people are born with a deficiency in brainpower or lack of physical capacity–and there is relatively little they can do about it.2. Lack of Ambition to Aim Above Mediocrity. People lack ambition and are not willing to put in the considerable effort required for success.3. Insufficient Education. Hill found that the best-educated people are often those who are self-educated and get whatever they want in life without violating the rights of others. Many people have school-based knowledge, but lack the capacity to effectively and persistently apply their learning. As Hill notes, men are paid, not merely for what they know, but more particularly for what they do with what they know.”4. Lack of Self-Discipline. Most people fail because they lack the discipline required for self-control. Hill: If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by it. You may see at one and the same time both your best friend and your greatest enemy, by stepping in front of a mirror.5. Ill Health. Hill: No person may enjoy outstanding success without good health. Most of those Hill studied overconsumed foods not conducive to good health status, lacked sufficient physical exercise, rarely breathed fresh air and generally had poor habits of thought. Sound familiar?6. Unfavorable Environmental Influences During Childhood. Most people acquire bad habits from poor environments and improper associates during childhood. They spend the rest of their impoverished lives blaming others because they cantdoit.7. Procrastination. Hill’s research led him to conclude that people are always waiting for the ‘time to be just right’ to start doing something worthwhile. It almost goes without saying that the time is never just right.8. Lack of Persistence. Most people start well but finish poorly. They fail in time because they are prone to giving up at the first signs of defeat.9. Negative Personality. Most people don’t like each other. Hill argues that success comes through the application of power, and power is attained through the cooperative efforts of other people. A negative personality will not induce cooperation.10. Uncontrolled Desire for Something for Nothing. Most people have a gambling instinct and a desire to be rich without effort, hence the worldwide success of casinos and lottery groups.11. Lack of a Well-Defined Power of Decision. Hill believed successful people reach decisions promptly and change them, if at all, slowly; most people, on the other hand, reach decisions slowly and change them frequently.12. Wrong Selection of a Mate in Marriage. Poor relationships are energy-sapping and destroy most ambitions.13. Superstition. Superstition is a sign of ignorance. Most people believe many foolish things unsupported by evidence or reason.14. Wrong Selection of a Vocation. The chances of success are not good in work environments that are disliked.15. Lack of Concentration of Effort. Most are easily distracted. They fail to focus their efforts on one definitive aim.16. The Habit of Indiscriminate Spending. This is the big one in Western society. Most people risk financial instability by spending (not investing) more than they can afford.17. Intolerance. People often fail to realize quality lifestyles because they are close-minded and religiously, racially and politically intolerant.18. Inability to Cooperate with Others. People lose opportunities in life because they lack the capacity to work effectively with others.19. Guessing Instead of Thinking. Hill suggests, most people are too indifferent or lazy to acquire facts with which to think accurately. They prefer to act on opinions created by guesswork or snap-judgments.20. Lack of Capital. Most people start out and travel through life without sufficient capital to absorb the shock of mistakes.Donovan and I do not hold that these twenty factors are the most critical variables for everyone with regard to changing lifestyles for the better. Yet, these twenty do explain why so many find it difficult to sustain good intentions to live healthfully.By familiarizing yourself with this list, you may develop a greater appreciation of the seriousness of the barriers or obstacles to wellness, and thereby increase the extent of your commitment. It takes a great deal of devotion and intention to continue over time to invest the required energy to sustain your wellness lifestyles.RESEARCH SUPPORTS THESE FINDINGSA non-rigorous, uncontrolled study reported in the satirical Onion revealed a trend showing that there are no reliable set of factors that enable a person to take better care of himself, or to alter his behavior in a meaningful sense. Dr. Janice Carlisle, the report author, conclude that we’re all wasting our time here. She added…long-term health education meant nothing last year, and will mean nothing this year or any year after until you die, so forget it. Just do what you want. The article, entitled New Study Finds Nothing That Will Actually Convince You To Change Your Lifestyle So Just Forget It, is one of the best sources for light-hearted, if not reliable news. (See The Onion, Apr 30, 2013.)Think about all this and decide if you are truly ready to pursue a REAL wellness lifestyle.Good luck and don’t underestimate how hard it can be to remain focused on the bright side of life.

The Advantages of Buying With Owner Financing

Also known as seller financing, owner financing is growing in popularity in today’s economy. With the credit markets slowing down and people finding it harder and harder to borrow, owner financing is looking better and better as an alternative to traditional financing. Owner financing is when the seller of the property basically agrees to take payments rather than a lump sum. Here are a few things that need to happen in order for the owner to be able to finance your deal:1. The owner needs to have considerable equity in the property. The owner will usually have their own mortgage they will need to pay back in full when they sell the property to you. If they don’t have a whole lot of equity, they usually can’t offer to finance a whole lot of the deal. The best scenario is an older owner that is close to retirement. Odds are that they have a good amount of equity or even own the property free and clear. They are looking to retire and just want a steady cash flow rather than a lump sum when they sell the place.2. The owner should have a desire to accept owner financing. If the seller wants to roll the funds over into another property or needs the lump sum of cash for one reason or another, they probably won’t want to take on very much seller financing.3. The terms need to be right for both parties. The interest rate, duration and repayment structure need to be acceptable for both parties. This usually requires a good deal of negotiation.If you have all your ducks in a row and seller financing seems like it might be a possibility, here are some of the benefits to consider if you are thinking about locking in owner financing:1. You might not have to get traditional financing. This depends on how much the owner is willing to finance. If they are willing to finance just a little bit, this might help you lower your down payment or help you qualify for traditional financing, but won’t completely eliminate traditional financing unless you pay the remaining amount due as a down payment.2. You could get more flexible terms than you would on a standard mortgage. You have the power of negotiating so that both the buyer and the seller walk away with a fair deal. You typically can’t do this with a traditional bank.3. The seller is still somewhat on the hook for the property. You know that you aren’t getting totally ripped off, because the seller still hasn’t received all their money. There is a possibility that you could pay a little bit of a premium for the deal. If they end up totally screwing you, and the property completely falls apart in a few years and you let it fall into foreclosure, the seller only stands to get the property back. The seller isn’t going to want to lend to you using a bum property as collateral.If owner financing seems like it would work for you, there is no reason to start looking for properties for sale with owner financing. Even if a property isn’t advertised as offering owner financing, you may be able to talk with any seller and see if they are willing to negotiate on terms.

Macro Photography Art – Could Abstract Close-Up Photography Be For You?

Macro photography art is something most photographers eventually come around to experimenting with if they try macro or abstract photography. This is the style of photography that takes a subject up-close so the image is as close as possible to the actual size of the subject. It is considered an art form by many because the images are often eye-catching and highly compelling.The beauty of macro photography art is the ability to see details that you would otherwise never see in life. For instance, how often do you get to see a wasp so close that you can see the tiny flecks in their eyes or the tiny hairs on their small bodies? You wouldn’t since we ordinarily run from wasps.This type of miniature or minuscule photography may not seem all that different from ordinary photography before you actually try it. After all, it’s just another way to take a picture, right? Not exactly. There is a lot that goes into macro photography composition if you are going to capture stunning pictures worth being called “art.”Abstract ArtAbstract art refers to images or paintings that are not of ordinary objects or people. An untrained eye might look at an abstract macro photography art print and think the colors are pretty but someone must have had the camera way out of focus. What they don’t see is the beauty in capturing different patterns and textures of color and light.Abstract photos do not show your mother’s face as it appears to the rest of the world, but a small part of that face that has been taken to the microbial level of skin cells, water, and light.A rose is not captured as it appears on the bush outside your home on a bright Sunday morning. Rather, the camera is placed down inside the rose, using the water inside the pedals and perhaps a mirror or other enhancement tools to take advantage of the color inside the rose.While you can’t make out concrete pictures and lines in abstract macro photography, you can see beautiful creations of light and water that are not seen by the naked eye. This is the beauty of macro photography that inspires so many artists to pick up a camera and so many photographers to venture away from the ordinary.Macro Photography ToolsIf you find the idea of macro photography art intriguing, especially the abstract variety, you can start experimenting with whatever camera equipment you already have as long as it has interchangeable lenses or can be used with filters. The more you get into it the more you will feel compelled to purchase additional equipment that allows you to get closer to the 1:1 image ideal that macro photographers aim for.The most basic equipment for macro photography art includes a dedicated macro lens and a variety of extension tubes and bellows. You can also use teleconverters, close-up lenses, and reverse rings to get closer to your subject and pick up different types of images.A good tripod helps as well since you need a still camera and a still subject to get the best macro shots.
Once you start experimenting with this new photography art-form it can become addicting. You will want to see everything that you come across up-close, but the beauty of an ordinary shot will still hold its magic for you as well.