Posts Tagged → tips
6 Tips For Quitting Smoking
If you are currently a smoker, quitting the habit could be one of the most important things you will ever do in the next part of your life. In fact, if you quit now, you will most likely be adding seven years to your life.
While many people try to quit and fail, it is not an impossible task. Thousands of people, just like you, have decided to quit and have succeeded. You too can be among the successful former-smokers. Here are six tips that will help you to quit smoking once and for all:
1. Make a vow that you are going to quit smoking from today onwards
Success in all spheres of life begins with firm determination. If you are wishy-washy you can never do anything. However, if you make up your mind, once and for all, that you are giving up the habit, whenever a craving comes, you will remember your vow and not give in.
2. Exercise more and get your body in shape
If you sit idle there is more chance that you will light up your cigarette and relax. Fill your spare time with sports and vigorous activity. Try to feel how good it is to get your blood circulating and breathing the air deeply. If you are not the athletic type, then brisk walking will have the same benefit as other kinds of sports.
3. Avoid places and pastimes that put you within reach of cigarettes
If going to a bar or pub means that you are going to have a drink and then light up, maybe it is better to avoid that place for the time being. Once you have truly stopped smoking and you feel how good it is, you can go anywhere and not be tempted. But while you are in the transition phase it is better to carefully choose where you will spend your recreational time.
4. If you have to put something in your mouth, drink water or eat healthy snacks
Whenever you get a desire to put a cigarette in your mouth, replace it with something that will help you rather than harm you. Drinking small amounts of water throughout the day is not only a good way to help you quit smoking, but it is also a great way to stay healthy. You should drink 4 litres (quarts) of water per day, if you can. If you need to put something solid in your mouth, then eat a piece of fruit.
5. Get support from your friends and family
Tell them that you are giving up smoking for health reasons. Your true friends will support you and not offer you cigarettes. Your family and loved ones will similarly support your efforts and help you to avoid situations where you may feel obliged to smoke out of social pressure.
6. Strengthen your will power with yoga and meditation
Very few people are born with perfect will-power. Like anything else, practice makes perfect. If you want to strengthen a physical muscle you may work out with weights. If you want to strengthen your “mental muscle” you need exercise as well. Yoga and meditation are disciplines that enable even complete beginners to build up their capacity to concentrate and firmly accomplish whatever they set out to do. Try it out and see for yourself.
Follow these six tips and you will be well on your way to quitting smoking.
How to Develop a Dynamic Story
Story telling is a very effective way to get your point across. Here are some tips to help you develop a dynamic powerful story.
• Decide on the purpose for the story. What is the main point you want to make? Slant the telling of the story so that that point is clear.
• Create the backdrop. Describe the scene so that the audience can picture it in their minds. What is the time, location, weather? What is going on emotionally, physically, or spiritually?
• Introduce the main characters. Help your audience to picture the important characters through detailed descriptions. Become them; describe their relationships, quirks and personality. Add character voices or mannerisms to make them different from your own.
• Begin the Journey. What is the task, the goal, and the journey to take? What are the challenges that need to be faced?
• Meet the obstacle. To avoid boredom something must happen to get in your way and make it interesting. This could be a person, a self limiting belief, or a challenge to overcome. Exaggeration will add humour.
• Overcome the obstacles. What had to be done to overcome the obstacle? What inner resources did you have to summon? Did someone help you? A hero? Or you? Be specific. Break your solution down into a few steps in sequence. This is where the teaching happens.
• Resolve the story. How did everything turn out? Tie up the loose ends-what happened to the other people? To your hero?
• Make the point. A story needs one clear point to have more points confuses the issue. Write out and memorize the point, work on the words to make it simple and easy to remember. Find “the phrase that pays”.
• Ask the question. Make your story personal to the audience. “Has that ever happened to you?” Turn the main point into a question. Push their buttons!
• Practice, practice, practice. Tell your stories to anyone who is willing to listen. Get feedback, make adjustments, and tell it again. These steps will ignite the WOW in your audience.
Remember the best story you will ever tell is your next story!
How to cook with fresh herbs
Herbs are fun and easy to grow. When harvested they make even the simplest meal seem like a gourmet delight. By using herbs in your cooking you can easily change the flavors of your recipes in many different ways, according to which herbs you add. Fresh herbs are great in breads, stews, soups or vegetables. Every time you add a different herb you have completely changed the taste.
If you are a beginner start slowly, add just a little at a time adjusting as you go along until you have it just right. You will see in most instances that an individual herb is associated with a particular food item. Basil is paired with tomatoes, Oregano with sauces, Rosemary with lamb and Chives with butter or cream cheese. Of course, none of them are limited to these items, but you will see them paired most often with that particular food. Use your imagination and experiment, experiment, experiment!
You can make herb vinegars for salad dressings, marinades, or soups. Herb oils are very useful in cooking whenever a recipe calls for it.
Fresh herbs as garnishes dress up any dish making it look truly spectacular. Lay individual sprigs of rosemary over broiled lamb chops. Chop fresh parsley and sprinkle it over the top of your potato salad. The combinations are endless and the outcome delicious.
Fresh herbs will keep in the refrigerator for several days but then you must freeze them. They can be frozen by laying them a paper towel and putting them in a plastic bag. Once they are frozen only use them in cooking not as garnishes. A friend of mine washes them, puts them an ice cube tray, covers them with water and then freezes them. When she needs them for soup, stews or sauces she just drops a cube in.
My favorite herbs to grow are basil, oregano, lemon balm, parsley and mint. Mint is great but be careful, mint can over run your garden. A tip here would be to bury an empty coffee can and plant the mint in it. The can prevents the mint from “creeping” all through your garden.
I love to make herb butters. Take a half of a cup of softened butter and mix in about 4 tablespoons of a fresh herb. Lay out a piece of saran wrap, place the butter in the middle roll the saran wrap up to form a “log” out of the butter. Put in the refrigerator and anytime you need a pat of butter just cut it off the “log”. (Hints for “log” butter: potatoes, bread, steaks, noodles or any kind of sauce).
A fresh herb in any salad dressing really makes it sparkle. You can use any herb or a combination, be creative.
I learned a trick a long time ago using basil, lemon and avocados to create and instant natural face mask. Put a big handful of basil in a blender and run it on high. Once the basil has been pulverized, throw in a half of an avocado and a large teaspoon of lemon juice, mix until smooth. Wash your face, pat it dry and gently rub the avocado mixture on. Leave it on as long as you like, then use warm water to it wash off.
5 Basic Tips When Choosing Hardwood Flooring
Timeless beauty, clean lines, strength and durability as well as the ease of cleaning and the classic look make hardwood flooring the perfect choice for your home.
No matter what your personal style is, there is a flooring choice for you because of the unlimited selection available. But before you rush out shopping for your hardwood flooring, keep these tips in mind.
Set a budget for yourself. Having a wide variety of flooring to choose from is great, but the downside is that it is easy to get overwhelmed quickly, and this makes you very susceptible to overspending. Remember to balance style with quality with your budget when you make your final choice.
<b>Tip #1</b>
You will be wise to match the room with your choice of flooring, whether hardwood or otherwise. For example, do not try to put hardwood flooring in a bathroom, due to the high levels of moisture a bathroom receives.
<b>Tip #2</b>
Different areas of the house demand different types of wood. For example, wood floors that have very light or very dark finishes typically do not fare well in the kitchen.
<b>Tip #3</b>
Choose a hardwood flooring that has an appropriate finish to match your lifestyle. A sitting room that is seldom used will let you get away with a lighter finish. However a hallway or living room will get continual traffic and requires a choice that offers a tougher finish that can stand up to a lot of wear and tear.
<b>Tip #4</b>
Consider installation – doing it yourself or having a professional installer do it for you? Many people successfully install their own flooring, but only after they have done their homework. It is often easer to hire a professional, but do you due diligence when selecting a hardwood flooring installer. You will want to be absolutely sure that it will be installed correctly.
<b>Tip #5</b>
Choosing the color and style of the floor can be the fun part. Choose a hardwood that fits your personal taste and your lifestyle. The comparatively high cost of the flooring and installation demands choosing a wood that will not go out of style quickly.
8 Energy Saving Tips
Our environment is suffering and our resources are depleting because we use too much of everything. Did you know that taking small steps to save our environment can also help you save money? If you follow one or all of the tips below, you can actually see real savings on your energy bill. You don’t need to do everything but you can do something.
In a typical U.S. home, appliances and electronics make up about 20% of energy use. The first step is to look for Energy Star labels when buying appliances and products. Energy Star labels are strict guidelines created by the U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency for energy efficiency. Follow some of these tips to help make the environment better for our future generations and save money at the same time.
Light bulbs: Use energy saving CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs) instead of the conventional incandescent light bulbs. Although CFLs cost 3-5 times as much as the incandescent light bulb, CFLs only use one-quarter of the electricity and lasts years longer. Each CFL bulb contains 5mg of mercury so you will have an extra item to sort in the recycling bin.
Dishes: Never load your dishes in a dishwasher unless they are a full load. Air-dry dishes instead of using a dryer.
Laundry: Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot water when you can. Instead of using a dryer, air-dry or hang your clothes on a clothes line. Don’t use the dryer unless it houses a full load.
Refrigerators: Think of what you want to take out before you open the refrigerator. Leaving the door open will waste extra energy.
Take Showers, less Baths: Taking showers instead of baths will reduce water usage and also lower your heating bill.
Turn Off all Appliances Not in Use: Turn off all lights, computers, and electronics when they are not in use. Plug all your electronics such as computers, TVs, and DVDs into power strips. Using a power strip can reduce electricity used to power home appliances. Even when your appliances are turned off, energy is still being consumed from the outlet. To avoid extra energy costs, unplug the appliance or use a power strip. The power strip has an off button to cut all the power from the appliance.
Weather-Strip Windows and Doors: Check windows and doors for air leaks. Air leaks can be sealed by caulking or weather-stripping. By securing the leaks in your home, hot and cool air will be kept in your home longer. Less heating and cooling will help you save on energy costs.
Look for Energy Star label: Energy Star labels are only given when appliances and products meet strict guidelines of energy efficiency from U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency.
Pocket Bike Safety Tips
Pocket bikes may look like toys, but they aren’t. They are designed for fun, but they can also be very dangerous if not handled properly. Never allow unsafe practices to take away the fun from riding pocket bikes. You can have fun, and still be safe, by following some simple common sense rules.
• Always wear the right equipment. Dress as though you were riding a big street bike. Leather is the best type of clothing, and helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads should be worn at all times. Eyes can be protected with goggles are safety glasses. Buckle the chin strap each and every time. Leather gloves are a great idea to protect your hands.
• Always inspect your bike before riding. This should become an automatic habit to check before each ride. Make sure your air pressure in the tires is right. Check the tension of the chain. Check the fuel. Check the frame of the bike. Tighten any loose nuts or bolts. If anything looks or sounds amiss, don’t ride! Most injuries from pocket bikes occur because something is wrong with the bike, and an individual rides it, anyway.
• Maintenance. This can not be stressed enough. Keep every part of your pocket bike well maintained and cared for. Don’t cut corners.
• Stay off public streets. Most states don’t allow pocket bikes on public streets, and many people have been hurt or even killed because they were hit by drivers who could not see them.
• Do not ride in undesirable conditions that impair your vision or your ability to control the bike. Fog, rain, darkness, and snow can be dangerous. Also, do not ride the pocket bike if you are impaired. You wouldn’t do it with a car, so don’t do it with a pocket bike.
• Never drive a pocket bike at night.
• Keep your pocket bike on smooth hard surfaces. These are not meant for off-road use.
• Don’t “double up.” Pocket bikes were designed for a single rider and should be used as such.
Follow these tips and your pocket bike will provide hours of safe fun and entertainment, exactly as you had hoped, and without the worry of senseless injury.
7 Tips For Beautiful Skin
For most women, part of the morning and evening routines involve a skincare regimen of applying creams, moisturizers, tonics, lotions, and the like. Why do women put themselves through this? They do it primarily to combat the signs of aging, and to maintain youthful looks and beautiful skin! It is a safe bet, however, that most women haven’t put much thought into what is in the products that they are using.
Some women probably do not realize that what they are putting on their skin may actually be undermining what they are trying to prevent to begin with. In fact the average woman puts twelve products on her skin daily, most of which contain harmful chemical preservatives. Dr. Myron Wentz, founder and chairperson of USANA Health Sciences, has this to say about beauty in the company magazine’s June/July 2005 issue: “Some say that beauty is only skin deep. Nonsense! I believe that true beauty is a reflection of true health, and true health begins deep inside each and every cell in the body. But true health and true beauty have an outer component, which is why we require protection from environmental insults such as solar radiation, pollutants in our environment and the drying effects of air. . . The fact is you simply cannot contain a healthy body if your skin isn’t healthy. And your skin can’t be healthy if your are subjecting it to toxic substances that are ultimately absorbed into your body.”
So, what can women do? How can they combat environmental pollutants, the affect of solar radiation, and the drying effects of air? How can they be sure they are using the very best products on their skin so they can be healthy inside and out? Here are 7 tips to assist in this process:
1. Be very aware of what is in skincare products. Use products that are all natural as much as possible.
2. Look for products that contain Dermal Surface Renewal Technology. DSR smoothes away existing signs of aging such as laugh lines, crows feet, and dullness.
3. Use products that have regenisomes. Regenisomes penetrate the skin to speed cell renewal after sun exposure. They also use the light of photosomes to undo sun damage, and have ultrasomes to renew skin while sleeping.
4. Find products with Proteo-C and Proflavonol-T. These two vitamins protect the skin from premature aging caused by the sun, pollution, and other environmental factors. They also provide advanced nutrition to the skin to keep it appearing smooth and firm.
5. If possible, use products that are paraben free. Parabens are synthetic chemical preservatives that are widely used in personal care products such as shampoos, conditioners, hair styling products, make-up, facial masks, skin lotions and creams, and deodorants. They also are typically ingredients in baby lotions, shampoos, and other personal care products for infants and children. In addition, parabens are in many foods and pharmaceutical products. Researchers are beginning to find parabens in benign and malignant human breast tumors. While some studies have challenged their toxicity in many products and question their long term affect on humans, using products that are paraben free can eliminate the risk of exposure to this harmful chemical.
6. Drink plenty of water! Water hydrates skin and hair as well as flushes toxins out of the body.
7. Limit stress or learn to manage it effectively. Stress is harmful both emotionally and physically. Find that stress reliever activity that works best and use it on a daily basis!
Follow the above 7 tips to true beauty and health.
Home Pet Grooming Tips
Pet grooming can be performed by the owner or from a professional who has gone to school to learn the craft. If you are a do-it-your-self type person there are several safety tips you might want to keep in mind. The animal you are grooming is special to you and you will want to keep the animal safe and calm during the pet grooming experience. Any undue pain or injury caused by unsafe practices can cause emotional stress to your animal and damage to the trust level the pet may have with you. The following tips will ensure a safe and pleasurable pet grooming experience.
Most pets do not like this, but the excess hair that forms in the ears must be clipped. Excess hair can build moisture that will trap bacteria and cause ear infections or be a breeding ground for ear mites. These types of afflictions can cause your pet a great deal of discomfort. Infections cause the animal to scratch and shake their head. Mites can actually cause the animal to do damage to their inner canal as they stick their nails inside trying to scratch. Large eared dogs already have a predisposition for ear problems and the shaking of their ears back in forth can rupture blood vessels. Professional pet groomers have specialized equipment to remove ear hair, but the novice may use nose hair trimmers to get the same effect. The noise of the clippers may scare the pet, so stroke him with the other hand and offer soothing words to calm them.
Another novice mistake is to shave the animal all the way. Pet grooming experts will do this at the request of the owner, but it is ill advised if the animal is an outside pet. The coat protects the animal from the cold and also from the sun. Both elements can cause serious skin damage to your pet which could lead to expensive veterinarian bills. The lack of hair on the body can cause rashes. The hair in some breeds secrete essential oils that protect and lubricate the skin, while others such as Labradors have two coats that serve different functions for the animals safety. Try to shave mats as close as possible until you are able to work them out with a brush. Even shaving mat patches to the skin will leave your pet in danger of the sun and wind.
If you use a clipper, brush the hair backwards against the grain and then move your clippers with the grain. Pet grooming experts may use a variety of length of clipper combs that can be used in variance with the length and thickness of the coat. The novice pet groomer may use home hair clipper systems, but they should experiment first in one unnoticeable area before continuing the entire job. When shaving the underbelly, beware the nipples.
Even on a male pet this can a painful experience if they are cut or cut off. Home pet grooming is an inexpensive way to keep your pet healthy and happy, but it is also a way for your pet to be injured or messed up so bad that only professional pet grooming can fix the owners mistake.
