Eating Food Just to Be Rid of It

What to Do with the Leftovers?

Okay, tell me if you've ever done this: It's Monday late afternoon. You decided yesterday that starting today you were going to 1) eat right, and 2) start to get regular exercise, and 3) give up all your bad habits. So, you're picking things up around the house and starting to notice all the little bits and pieces of leftovers from the past weekend. Namely, cookies here, and small bits of candy there. In my house today I noticed I had three large shortbread cookies (I'm overly fond of shortbread cookies with icing), several bags of the candy that resemble real rocks which I keep saying I want to put in a jar, but I haven't found just the right jar (for display, you know), and the leftovers from the latest summer picnic, which in my case is about five pounds of fruit salad - not bad in itself, but I can only eat so much fruit salad.

And Then There's the Wine

Of course, I had to buy some wine at a tasting on Saturday (I always buy it, don't know why I think those wine tasting's are such a great deal - they always entice me to buy), and now there's an open bottle waiting.

So, my thoughts are, "Do I eat this, or not?" "Do I throw it away and WASTE it?" "Oh, my, dear no. That's not a good idea," I think. Oh, I just remembered there is also an entire plate of large cinnamon rolls (Cinnabon style) I made Friday night. They'll be stale soon. That's not good. It'd be such a shame to throw them all away, and I only ate one.

And so it goes. Do I talk myself into eating up the last remnants of the weekend, thus going into Tuesday and possibly Wednesday with the taste of weekend indulgence still on my lips, or do I decide, really decide, I've had enough? It's time to eat better, like I just said, last night. Remember last night? It seems so long ago now ...

What if We Just Start Tomorrow?

It's interesting how easily we talk ourselves right out of what we had decided yesterday was such a good idea. So what's wrong with just starting tomorrow? What's wrong is that tomorrow never comes. It's always today, right now. You'll never reach that elusive tomorrow. Yes, the date on the calendar changes, but you, standing where you are, right here, right now, are still here, in the present. You can't live in the past, nor can you live in the future. You can only live in the moment.

Decide Right Now: What Do you Want?

So if you want to decide, then decide right now. What do you want, really want for yourself? Do you want to continue to indulge yourself at every turn, or do you want to exercise just a bit more discipline and see if you can get into better shape? It's not about what you'll miss out on, it's about what you will gain. Better health, more energy, endurance. You'll feel better, you'll look better. It's all about what you'll gain, but in the immediate moment, it's so easy to think only of right now. Yes, but right now this would taste so good, wouldn't it, and there's always tomorrow.

I've found that when I make a mental shift, a real shift, not just a decision but a true change in my thinking, then I follow through, and not until then. All the times I try to talk myself into doing things that I don't really want to do, are not successful. Probably they're not successful because I don't really want to do them.

How do you get yourself motivated and stay that way? I start with a list. List all the reasons you want to lose some weight. Think in terms of a mini goal of five or 10 pounds. Make it a one month goal, not a lifetime goal. It's fine to have long-term goals, but if you really want to learn to change for good, then you need to make it something you can live with. Incorporate real change into your lifestyle and you can indulge at a holiday party without it making any difference; without it throwing you off the deep end. When you go on vacation you'll come back maybe a couple pounds heavier, but it won't matter. You'll have eaten what you wanted, you'll have had a wonderful time, and not stressed yourself over whether you're gaining weight.

Why I want to lose Weight

• What's my first mini-goal? (1 week to 1 month)
• What's my longer-term goal? (1 month to 1 year)
• How strict must I be for this to work? (Pre-planned or legalized deviations works very well for many people)

Sometimes, especially if you use a plan that incorporates "legalized cheating" then you'll end up with some leftover food. Get used to getting rid of it. Give it away, throw it away, it really doesn't matter. You're not doing yourself any favor by eating all the leftovers. So what if the cinnamon rolls go stale? I ate one didn't I? I enjoyed it totally too. Others also ate some cinnamon rolls, and even if no one had any, did I make them to eat them all, or did I make them because I was in the mood to make cinnamon rolls? Does eating them all myself make any sense at all?

Sometimes I feel a little guilty making goodies and then giving them away because I think I'm not making it any easier for others to stick to their plans, but then I remember what I do in that situation, and I have to assume others are adult about how they decide to take care of themselves too. If I decide I'm going to eat in a more healthful manner, and someone brings something unexpected, it's not difficult in most all circumstances to simply say, "No, thanks. I already ate," or take some on a plate for later.

Since I don't go on "restrictive" diets, then I can incorporate pretty much anything into my day's food plan. I just eat it, when I'm hungry. I find it so much easier to base my eating on whether I'm hungry, than on whether something is there. Just because unexpected people show up, doesn't mean you use them, does it? Honestly, do you think anyone is upset when you leave a bit more for them? I don't think so.

The Case of the Missing Wedding Cake

When I was a teenager my mother remarried and I offered to buy the wedding cake. I had an ulterior motive though. My favorite bakery, Beaverton Bakery, was where I intended to get the cake, and I knew by ordering far more than would be necessary there'd be lots and lots of leftovers for me to gorge myself silly on after the festivities. Ha.

What happened instead is a blur. I don't know really what happened to the cake but I do know I not only didn't get any leftovers, I never even had a piece at the wedding. I tend to get caught up in the people and don't usually eat at parties, so I paid it no attention, and much to my dismay someone else had bundled it up before I got there to do so. Alas, I was never to taste that cake at all. Such a disappointment - it must have been, I still remember it now and that's been more than 24 years ago now! LOL.

Food memories stick with me for a very long time. That day is my prime example of how I would not have minded one little bit if more people had said, "No thanks, I just ate," and passed on the cake. I just wish I'd been a little more alert in setting aside a hunk for later.

Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com

Get the Daily Bites: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss.

Stress Managment and Mastery: 6 Stress Busting Tips

In a hectic world, it's all too easy to reach the point of feeling stressed out beyond our ability to cope. Yet it's our ability to cope that makes all the difference. The point is that stress is not going to go away; it's here to stay.

If you find yourself reading a book or attending a seminar that says you can eliminate all stress, either throw the book down or leave the room.

You cannot eliminate stress. But you can learn to handle stress successfully.

Let's look at six different strategies for successfully handling the stress in our lives. Each can be used separately or in conjunction with the others.

1. Talk it out

Whatever we don't talk out, we act out. That's a basic rule of mental health. If we don't discuss the issue, it's sure to surface in some other way.

2. Take mini-vacations

It's a mistake to think that we can push hard all year (or maybe longer) and then expect that all our stress can be healed in a one or two week vacation. It just doesn't happen.

Our bodies, minds and spirits need more frequent breaks. This is especially true if you are one of those people who schedules a vacation as they would a typical work day, so as to get the most out of it.

3. Distinguish between stress and pressure

Stress comes from the outside; pressure, on the other hand, is an inside job. Pressure is what we tell ourselves about the stress.

Here's a saying I came across recently:

"All the water in the ocean can't sink a ship unless it gets inside."

Sometimes, telling ourselves something as simple as "I can handle it" is all we need to keep the stress outside of us.

4. Create your own relaxation triggers

This exercise involves three simple steps that allow you to relax anywhere, any time.

Step 1: Picture yourself in a relaxing place. Create as much detail as you can in the picture, making it bright and colorful. Immerse yourself in the scene: See it, hear it, feel it.

Step 2: While you are picturing yourself in this place, create an immediate trigger that will instantly remind you of the relaxed feeling. It could be a snap of the fingers, a word or phrase, or a mental picture. It should quickly and strongly remind you of your relaxing place.

Step 3: When you find yourself in a stressful situation, simply fire off your relaxation trigger and feel the almost-instant relief.

5. Stop worrying

That sounds too simple, but just consider for a moment: What good, what change has come about from worrying?

6. Take action

Do something about what is causing you to worry. It's difficult to worry when you are busy doing something about it.

This list began with a suggestion that you talk about your stress. That's a good idea, most of the time. It can become a bad thing, though, if that's all you do.

To make stress work for you, it's essential that you take concrete action.

So there are six strategies for making stress work for you. Here's one more suggestion: Practice one of these each day for the next six days.

At the end of those six days, you'll have strong tools for dealing with stress.

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

Meta Tag Tactics - Give Your Website Traffic a Boost with the Meta Tag Basics

Getting your site noticed by the search engines and rewarded with top rankings is most webmasters main goal, however there are a lot of different factors that play into what the search engines are looking for, including Meta tags. So, if you don't know anything about meta tags but are interested in learning about them so you can use them to possibly increase your rankings, then read the following basic tips regarding meta tags. The more educated you are about what search engines are looking for, the better you will be able to respond and rise in the rankings.

Basic #1 - Information

When it comes to your Meta tags you want them to contain key information about your website as well as your top keywords. Make sure they keywords are in the title as well as in the body of the text. The point of this is when someone searches for particular keywords that are in your Meta tag, this information will be displayed on the search page giving searchers a bit of in depth information about your site which they can use to make a more informed decision about whether your site is worth visiting.

Basic #2 - Description

Make sure you write a description about your page using specific information and keywords, but keep it short and sweet. That way, when your keywords are searched for this description will be displayed.

Basic #3 - Search Engines

Some search engines support Meta tags while others do not. So, you will need to keep this in mind when you are trying to get your website in as many search engine directories as possible. Make sure you write Meta tags for certain search engines and then use other tactics for the search engines that do not support Meta tags.

Basic #4 - Outdated

Meta tags are not used by many search engines any more and some people even believe that in just a short amount of time Meta tags will have no relevance whatsoever. However, for the time being they still can play a part in your rankings and traffic in some SE's so until the time comes where Meta tags are completely extinct, you should still use them to your benefit.

While Meta tags might be going out the window with other forms of older, outdated technology, you should still optimize your web page with Meta tags until that time has arrived simply because it will take you almost no time at all to create a meta tag and it could have a serious impact on your search results with the smaller search engines. However, do not listen to the hype that Meta tags are the answer to increasing your traffic overnight as this is simply not the case.

Michael Turner reveals his foolproof way to increase website traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it free right now at http://www.powertraffictactics.com/

Tenants in Common (TIC)

Tenants in Common is a way of sharing ownership of property among two or more people. Each tenant holds an undivided interest in the property, and each tenant may own a different size portion of the property. Tenants in common ownership may be established in many different ways: through a will, deed, or other document of title. Today Tenants in Common (TIC) ownership has become a popular way for people to complete 1031 tax deferred exchanges when they hold title as an individual or other entity and would like to participate in a partnership or partnership style structure. Other people are using Tenant in Common structures to purchase multi-family real estate that may be suitable for a condominium (condo) conversion after a certain seasoning period.

There are other benefits to owning property as Tenants in Common as well. For people looking to diversify, TIC structures allow you to invest in larger properties, different types of investment property and different geographic markets. Perhaps you are looking to move up to institutional grade or single tenant properties with triple net lease arrangements. You may also benefit from fixed-rate, non-recourse financing with institutional terms for tenants in common owners. This type of financing with 5-10 year terms is usually not available to small, single investors. Many, perhaps most, tenants in common arrangements are created through inheritance whereby the decedent's will leaves property to intended heirs with or without specifying the size of interest that each is to receive. One of the most attractive features of a TIC structure is that acquiring an interest in investment property as tenants in common does not preclude you from buying investment property on your own in a subsequent 1031 tax deferred exchange. Returning to sole ownership is always an option should your investment preferences change.

Is the Tenant in Common Structure Flexible?

A tenants in common ownership interest can be purchased, sold, gifted, bequeathed by will, or inherited, and is subject to property taxes, gift tax, estate and inheritance taxes in the same manner as any property held in fee simple (single) ownership. Upon the death of a tenant in common, his or her interest in the property passes through inheritance as directed in the will or other estate planning documentation and does not divide among the other owners as there is no right of survivorship an important difference from joint tenancy ownership.

Tenant's rights

Each tenant has unrestricted rights of access to the property subject to the equivalent rights of the other tenants. Each tenant in common can petition for and secure a division of the property at any time. The partition usually will result in the petitioner being granted exclusive ownership of a portion of the property the court views as equivalent to his or her previous undivided interest. Or, the judge may order that the property be sold and the net proceeds divided among the tenants in the same proportion as their respective ownership interests.

Neda Dabestani-Ryba is a licensed Realtor in Maryland. She is a member of the President's Circle of Top Real Estate Professionals. She can be reached at (800) 536-3806 or visit her website for more information: http://neda.dabestani.pcragent.com/ Prudential Carruthers REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Dog Training Basics

All positive commands should be spoken sharply and distinctly during training. Make sure you also use a positive tone. Your dog will recognize your moods and associate them to their behavior by your tone of voice.

The first word the puppy should learn is their name. They actually learn the sound of their name and associate that as a directive towards them for their attention. This will come naturally over time since the family will be calling the pup by its name the day it arrives in your home.

I suggest that before you start training verbal commands that you understand your puppy's personality. Ask yourself if they are timid, aggressive, quiet, sensitive, playful, etc? These traits will affect the type and speed of the training with your dog. Understanding the dog that is being trained is a vitally important talent of a good trainer.

As soon as you are able to touch and feel the puppy, call them by their name. Constantly give them affection and praise with the tone of your voice. Keep repeating their name over and over and over until the pup understands that when they hear their name, it is addressing them. When you prepare meals for them, call them by name and then distinctly say the word "come." This is probably the simplest and easiest commands to teach because it is associated with something the puppy wants or gets excited when they hear that command. This theory and type of training is used in all the generic commands. Remember to always keep praising them when they obey a command and make sure they feel rewarded.

House breaking a puppy is probably the most stressful for a new trainer. However, the good news is that most dogs are generally clean in nature and sense that the house is not the place to do their thing. Knowing that canines tend to have their bowel movements in the same place that they or some other dogs have previously defecated, you need to understand that the sent left behind from previous mistakes will signal to the pup that is where they are supposed to be defecating. So when you do catch them doing something in the house that you do not want, scold them in a simple command such as "shame." The puppy will hear your tone of voice and feel bad. Usher them outside as fast as you can. Praise them when they defecate outside. Do not use the command "no" since that is a command to have the puppy stop the current act. "Shame" is used after you have found the evidence of the unwanted act. This is a common mistake a lot of armature dog trainers have.

If you have a pup that will not heed to the command "come," do not chance them. This will only make your puppy runaway farther. Instead, when they look at you, call their name and immediately you run away from them. Soon they will be chasing you and will associate the command "come" as intended. They will come to you.

Remember this always, a puppy should only be scolded when they are caught in the act of doing something they should not be doing. Never scold a puppy when you have not caught them in the act. Use the command "shame" when looking at the evidence but do not look at the dog when vocalizing this. Over time, they will associate the command "shame" with your disapproval mood. They may never associate it to their act unless you catch them in it. Leave it at that. No other scolding will help, in fact it will do just the opposite. It will make the puppy loose trust in you rather than want to correct their error because they do not associate the act with your mood and commands.

If you find this article useful, please visit the site http://www.the-german-shepard-dog.com where you can find other useful information on the German Shepherd and all other canines.

Please visit http://www.the-german-shepard-dog.com for more information and other articles written by Robert Kempe.

Frame Slider Design and Selection

Call them crash protectors, crash bobbins, fairing protectors or frame sliders, all these products ultimately seek to do one thing - protect your expensive bodywork or the essential and often expensive structural parts of your motorcycle from damage in the even of a fall or tip-over. The frame slider concept is as old as the proverbial 'crash bar' and today there are as many designs and brands as there are models of bikes. The proliferation of these types of products testify to the success of the idea of providing a sacrificial item to absorb some of the damage in the event of a fall. We are by no means experts on this concept nor were we the first to come up with it, but in this article we hope to provide you with an unbiased view so that you can make an informed decision when you're ready to put down your hard earned cash.

Cost:

Cost of the frame sliders must be appropriate to the items that they are designed to protect. Price is not necessarily the best indicator of quality. Poorly designed frame sliders made of the nicest shiniest materials may not serve their purpose as well as well designed but less 'bling' ones.

Mounting Configurations:

The frame slider must be designed to mount securely onto a strong enough part of the motorcycle so that impact forces can be adequately distributed or absorbed. Here are some popular mounting configurations.

Fairing Mounted Frame Sliders

Sliders that mount onto the fairing with small fairing screws may provide some protection in a minor tip-over but offer very minimal protection in a slide. These sliders are not generally recommended for serious riders.

Frame Mounted Sliders - Direct

The most popular and viable mounting option is directly to a selected strong point of the frame. Sliders with this design offer the most protection and impact force distribution. The installation of this type of slider often require modification of the fairing and in some cases like the Honda VFR800, as extreme as requiring the modification of the coolant bottle. For this reason, many choose the first or the third option as fairing modification can at times be quite intimidating. This option is the most popular for serious sportsriders, amateur and semi-professional racers alike as they provide the best protection for the money. One other thing to consider when choosing these types of sliders is where they will be mounted to.

Many models of sportbikes offer several places to mount them, frame slider manufacturers all have their personal reasons for choosing the mounting location for theirs and many of them make that choice for the wrong reasons. An example is cost - a location that offers a two short bolt mounting location is cheaper than one using a long through the engine bolt choice. The former being a much weaker location. If you own an SV650 you will know what we mean. Another choice is the use of a bracket so that cutting of the fairing is avoided - see below (Frame Mounted Frame Sliders-Through-Engine Bolts).

Frame Mounted Sliders - In-Direct

To address some of the concerns owners may have about modification of the fairing, some manufacturers have opted for a design that allows for the slider to mount onto an offset bracket that then mounts onto the frame. This offset introduces a whole new set of variables into the mix. Depending on the degree of the offset, impact forces now include amplified torque stresses which will be applied to the frame mounting points. Offset brackets will need to be of beefier construction, but not so beefy as to stay intact during an impact while severely damaging the frame mounting points. This is often the most costly type of slider configuration as most brackets require ingenious CNC work and design. In some situations employment of a bracket is a calculated risk, in others it is just not feasible. No cut sliders are attractive to most bikers so do your homework and ask the manfacturer questions before you buy them.

Frame Mounted Frame Sliders-Through-Engine Bolts

The third mounting option found only on certain models of bikes like the Suzuki DL1000 Vstrom, TL1000S, SV650 and Ducati models of bikes allow for use of the long, through-the-engine mounting bolt. This method is by far the strongest available as impact forces are allowed to be distributed over a much larger area. This is also the second more costly design as these long bolts are quite expensive to manufacture. The design must be structurally strong enough not to break off when encountering the various types of impact forces but not so strong that these forces would be transmitted entirely to and damage the considerably more costly frame mounting points. In other words you want to sacrifice your slider before your fairing and then your frame in that order. It's a delicate balance and there is no sure way to ensure that any one design will accomplish this desired goal.

Frame Slider Material:

The choice of material used for the frame slider should be a balance of the following 3 requirements:

Abrasion Resistance - the material should be hard enough to be able to slow the bike down in a slide and not be totally worn down to the bolt half way through a slide

Structural Strength - the material should be strong but not brittle and snap off too easily on impact

Energy Absorption-the material used should have some energy absorbing properties but not be so hard that all impact forces are transmitted to the mounting points or fasteners (solid steel or aluminum materials are examples of non-energy absorbing materials).

Most high quality frame sliders today are made of some kind of nylon or other for energy absorption and with aluminum inserts for strengthening of the fastening points. The range of nylon types, with different levels of abrasion resistance and "brittleness" used is also quite varied.

Fasteners and Components:

Quality of materials used, aesthetics and quality of workmanship should also be considered when choosing the right frame slider for your bike. Look for high quality anodized steel bolts. Black non-coated bolts will rust in a week or less depending where you live. Stainless steel washers between your steel bolts and aluminum inserts in the slider also reduce potential corrosion problems. Socket head cap screws offer the smallest footprint allowing for a thicker and stronger slider dimensions and are generally much more expensive then regular hex-head screws. Nyloc lock nuts where applicable are another added safety feature. True, these are all minor considerations in the overall scheme of things but they all add up to the cost of manufacturing. One last thing to remember is to always try to use some form of thread lock compound like Loctite and to properly torque the mounting bolts to the manufacturer's recommendations. If you're not sure check out our torque reference guide.

CONCLUSION:

Where does that leave you the consumer? Well, we all don't want to think about the day when we will be able to justify the purchase of frame sliders. The reality is that as long as bikes have only two wheels, you can expect them to fall over sooner or later. Frame sliders are one of the surest and least expensive ways to ensure some protection for the expensive or sometimes irreplaceable parts of your bike. After all some protection is still better than none. Think about broken rear brake levers, gear shifters or even worse - punctured radiators or coolant bottles, when you're miles from civilization. The rule is the same in our opinion no matter what you're spending your money on - buy the best you can afford and don't be afraid to ask the manufacturer why their product is better than the plethora of other brands available out there. Any good manufacturer will be very clear about what differentiates their products form others so that you will be able to make the correct purchase decision.

Author is the manufacturer and distibutor for US based frame slider and accessories company. http://www.motovationUSA.com

Nice Guys Finish First

Volunteering your services can be an excellent way to form new business relationships and raise your business's profile while lending a hand to a good cause. However, unless you take care, it can also become all-consuming, with little return (besides creating good karma).

There is nothing wrong with good karma, or better yet, feeling good about lending a hand in the community. The whole point of volunteering should not solely be to expand your marketing. If it is, you won't get very far (read reincarnated as a dung beetle). You should honestly be concerned about the project you chose to support. Doing your best for the project at hand must come before your desire to network. Those who join a cause for purely selfish reasons are usually uncovered. Potential contacts become turned off and few people will do business with those with questionable ethics.

So how do you get more from your efforts than a warm glow?

One method is, to choose a cause that needs someone with your expertise and will allow you to showcase your talents. Major organizations (Lions, United Way, etc.) usually have well-established hierarchies, and positions are often taken, but they offer a better opportunity to build relationships with movers and shakers. One-time events take less time in the long run and can provide a better chance for publicity.

Working with influential people, is more likely to make a difference to your career. Stuffing envelopes may be just as crucial to the cause, but you are unlikely to get much recognition or a chance to build rapport.

Once you've volunteered, don't rush into "making contacts". As you work together, conversation will run the gamut, from weather to the kids, and inevitably, to business. It's a friendly, natural way for people of influence to get to know you.

These people may or may not need your services, but chances are they know those who do. If they are impressed by your work on the project, they are likely to refer you to others. You have made valuable contacts. Contacts who can last a lifetime.

If you have taken a leadership role in creating a campaign, organizing volunteers, raising funds, or performed other key functions, you may discreetly blow your own horn. Do it discreetly, but do it, because it is all too easy to have your participation overlooked. Because they donate large sums of money, large corporations often take the spotlight away from individual volunteers. That's not to knock corporations, because without their contributions many projects would falter. Those in charge of volunteer projects maybe aware of the value you bring, however they may not realize the importance of public recognition to a small business. If they do, they may no know how to help you get that recognition.

Although your efforts were vital to producing a successful project, you won't automatically receive any collateral marketing opportunities. It is up to you to get the word out. Your, or your company's, involvement in an important cause might be news to the local newspaper, and it might also be worthy of mention in an industry publication. A graphic monthly may be interested in a design firms involvement in a good cause. Likewise, an accounting periodical might like to know about an accountant's involvement in fundraising. Send press releases to media that are related to your field. Write them in proper press release language. If you don't know how, buy a book or hire someone who can write press releases. It's worth the cost.

Take care not to bite off more than you can chew. Becoming too involved and spending an inordinate amount of time for the cause, will send out mixed messages. To some, you are unselfishly dedicated; to others, it's a sign that your business is slow or you don't know how to manage your time properly. Know when to say no.

Volunteering is a great opportunity to meet people and grow your business, but do it because you love it, not for the business reward.

Keith Thirgood, Creative Director

Capstone Communications Group

Helping businesses get more business through innovative marketing

http://www.capstonecomm.com/

Markham, Ontario, Canada 905-472-2330

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