Sleeping:  None of the other activities in our lives will ever match the wonderfully satisfying pleasure which we all get from sleeping. This is the most preferred thing people love to do whenever they possibly can. The pressures and pace of our lives leaves us with tiredness at the end of the day and a good sleep will certainly rejuvenate our mind and help our bodies. A comfortable sleep can improve our health and our lives.

Listening to Music:  Music is the food of love. Whether it is foot tapping, sing along or just relax and listen music, it can be easily listened to in any place, at any time and anywhere; it does not matter whether you are working, driving, dining or just relaxing. Music creates a really perfect ambience for any occasion or mood. And music can elevate our minds to a different level of relaxation or stimulate us to be inspired.

Reading:  No matter where we go we see books. Books are an integral part of our everyday lives. Nearly all of us love to read a good book; there is a bookworm in all of us somewhere. And we can read anywhere that we want, at home, at work, in waiting halls, parks, hotels, and trains. Millions of newspapers, magazines and books arrive in our homes each day to satisfy people’s need for reading. This activity provides a perfect mixture of knowledge, entertainment and caters for all kinds of tastes in what people want to read.

Watching Movies:  Whenever we watch movies at the cinema or on the television in the privacy of our own homes, we are doing an activity that has become one of life’s really great pleasures. The interactive and 3D world of visual entertainment has become much smarter by offering myriads of programs, movies and events to match the choices of people across all ages and preferences. Watching movies has emerged as one of the most favourite activities of this century.

Playing Sport:  Golf, tennis, football, baseball or basketball the list is endless; whatever the sport we are always enthusiastic about it and want to spend as much time as we can in doing it. The pleasure that these activities give to people is immeasurable, especially if performed with children. Even simple outdoor games are still the best way to exercise and have some recreation. Playing sport is one of the most enjoyable activities in our lives.

Exercising:  There is something sublimely pleasurable about exercising. Once we have completed our exercise routine we always feel much better, both physically and mentally. Whether it is in a workout process in a gym, part of a sporting event or just taking a walk with friends, we have an immense surge of wellbeing. Exercising gives people a high that many other activities fail to give.

Making Love:  Many various activities in our lives may give pleasure to people, but making love is an ‘act’ people really love to do. In fact, some people are spending a lot of time in their lives enjoying this activity. For some the ‘act’ comes naturally, but for many people they find they have to practice this ‘act’ as many times as they can.

Game Playing:  Computer video games, Playstations, Xboxs and the many other interactive virtual world game playing activities have now become a cult with this modern day generation. The involvement in this activity gives immense satisfaction. It allows people to escape from reality for a while and gives them a sense of freedom. Game playing is very addictive and for many they get lost in the game and almost forget the real world still exists.

Communicating:  This has become one of the most loved activities for people of all ages. Gone are the days of only writing letters or calling from your fixed line at home. Now the choice of communicating has the enhancement of technology. People just love to communicate with emails, mobile phones, text messaging, social networking and leaving comments while surfing the web.

Visiting Family and Old Friends:  Though, we may often keep in touch and chat over the phone, making visits to our family and old friends are really so needed in our lives. It brings back old memories, gives us a chance for some laughter and is full of goodwill. The main reason that people love this activity is that friendship gives them a real sense of assurance.

1)Learn to Exercise

Now when i say ‘exercise’ i don’t mean running flat out for 2 hours a day. If you really don’t have much time, walking or light jogging for half an hour a day can really make a difference! A simple walk or jog around the neighbourhood will give you the fresh air and the exercise your body needs. Another good idea for exercise is to do aerobics. Regular aerobics is fun and really good for your body. It’s known to prevent or even stop life-threatening conditions like heart disease, insomnia,depression and obesity. stretching exercises are also really good for your muscles and joints. If you really just hate the idea of physical activity, buy a Wii! It is so much fun and gets you moving all the time!

2)Read

Now that we talked about physical exercise, we are going to talk about exercise for the mind! Reading not only expands your vocabulary, grammar, spelling and english skills, it also fuels and widens your imagination, adds to your general knowledge, and it’s a wonderful hobby to have! Being a regular reader throughout your life will definitely improve your reading skills and use up your time well.

3)Keep a journal/diary/planner

Now this is definitely optional. People have different preferences and some (like me) will think they will forget, or not want to writing into a journal/diary. While others may begin to like it or find it useful. Writing into a journal/diary will reflect and give yourself a time to think about what you have done for the day (e.g did i plan my time well? did i do what i needed to do?) And writing into a planner can get you prepared and ready for the tasks and goals you have set yourself, also reminding yourself about things you have to do all by planning a daily routine.

4)Water

Now this can be a very obvious one, but some people are so busy rushing around they forget about it! Not drinking enough water can lead to dehydration, and that cause back pain, headaches, tiredness and even muscle spasms. Drinking a good amount of water can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45% and bladder cancer by 50%, it can give you healthier skin, lower your risks of a heart attack, and even help you lose weight! So make sure you drink at least 9 – 13 cups of water a day.

5)Wake up early

Now most of us aren’t morning people. We like to lie in longer for a snooze, and who wants to get out of a comfy warm bed? But waking up early definitely has its benefits (watch the sunrise, listen to the quietness of the morning, have more time to start your day, etc). I’m not telling you to immediately set your alarm 2 hours earlier. To get used to getting up early, first start slow. Turn back your alarm time 10 minutes earlier a day, get used to it, and you’ll find it very easy! If your a fan of the snooze button, i say move your alarm where you definitely can’t reach, across the room perhaps?

6)Good dental hygiene

Good dental hygiene may sound very strange but it definitely makes a difference when it comes to your health. With germs in your mouth, the food that you eat will goes down with it, making you sick. Good dental hygiene is also linked with proper speech, eating a variety of good food, having a beautiful smile, etc. If you do not brush or floss or take care of your teeth properly, it is possible to to get gum disease. This can happen to anyone at any age so remember to brush/floss twice a day!

7)Protect your skin

Your skin is the largest organ of your body.  Sometimes, you do take your skin for granted and don’t worry about it much. But your skin is just as important as any other organ in your body and you do need to protect it. Your skin is the first line of defence when it comes to invasion by foreign bodies (e.g Bacteria, UV radiation, toxins), foreign bodies can be eliminated right in the skin, taking work off our kidneys and liver. Your skin also keeps your body temperature just right (example: If you are running and your body temperature starts to rise, your skin will sense this and push all the warm blood to the top -making your red- and also make you sweat to get rid of body heat). Keeping your skin healthy is simple! Eating a balanced diet, reduce stress and exercising can help you maintain your healthy skin.

8)Get enough sleep

There is ‘enough’ sleep and ‘too much’ sleep. infants need about 16 hours of bedtime per day, teenagers around 9 hours and most adults 8 hours on average. We need to sleep for a reason, to rest and prepare for another day. Sleeping gives your brain a chance to ’sort things out’ and renew your body’s energy. If your body doesn’t get enough sleep, you will not be able to concentrate, you may feel cranky, gain weight, your immune system won’t work as well, it can lead to other serious conditions (e.g depression), etc.

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The way you bank, do business transactions, you organize your appointment book, your cell phone deals, 

Also, consider prepping a little earlier than you normally do.  Making sure everything is working a head of time. Be in the know what the weather conditions are going to be head of time so you can be ready for “what ever”.  If its cold you prep your car for it.  So if you need to leave early.  You will have no problem.  Possibly wake up a little earlier than you normally do to make sure your car works.  Meaning you may need to go to bed earlier than you normally do.  

Its also a good idea to not eat too much dinner too late in the evening. Consider eating a huge salad before your main meal.  Just make sure you can walk it off before it gets settled on you.  

Keep in mind potatoes and potato chips can weigh people down.  Consider eating a small bag portion during lunch.  A turkey sub, etc.. possibly.  

It is also a consideration to only associate with positive people who knows how to be humorous/ cheers you up. They know what to say to you at all times.  Never be around dwellers.  Also, practicing random act of kindness is also a consideration.  Specially during the winter.  The climate seems to bring out the tired, etc in people.  

Stress can also age people.  You can sometimes lose a great deal of sleep by it.  Once you end your day.  Try to leave the outside stress outside.  Instrumental music comes in handy on times like these.  Relaxing your mind with yoga music and meditations exercises.  Eucalyptus also comes in handy as well.  Consider a light sent in the air.  Breathing in & out frequently.  

Eating non-weight filled foods like potatoes, turkeys, ham, beef,. Smaller portion can also help you sleep better. And never eat before you go to bed.  

Have your handbag, tote-bags, briefcase, suite case, etc.. is not heavy.  Consider packing lite.  Try to avoid using a lot of bags when you go out.  And, smaller bags try not to add a lot of stuff you may not need.  Try to know actually what you have with you at all times.  

Same with your car.  Consider prioritizing your car.  Your glove compartment,.  If you buy something exclusive consider putting it in the trunk.  Still lock your doors.  However know your surroundings at all times.  With your peripheral vision you can see a great deal. When you get in the car shut it immediately and consider locking the door depending where you are.  Watch the news reports on the danger zones where people get car jacked.  It can happen when you lest expect it.  

Read a Book

Read a book?  Many kids and youngsters would laugh at this idea.  Reading is a extremely entertaining activity.  All you need is to find a book that suits your fancy.  For me I love reading sport biographies.  For others it could be mystery, romance, or books for dummies.  Books will take you to a new world you would never think of.

Do Service

Think back to the last time you did service.  Probably along time ago, but everytime you do service you feel the same way.  Before you don’t want to and have a bad attitude.  Once you are fnished you have the best feeling in the world.  The feeling of helping people and showing love.  Find someone who needs yardwork done, appliances fixed, and even spending time with lonely people.  This will be a fun activity for you and a heart raiser for the person you are helping.

Exercise

Some people just sit on their lazy bums all day watching tv.  Get out and got some exercise.  I love to go out and play some sports with friends, amazing exercise!  Excercise will increase your health and helps you meet new people.  Find some friends and go jogging, weight lifting, or walking around the neighborhood.  This will help you later on in your life.

These 3 things make me happy and you should try it.  Stop suffering from borediritis (Dead bored) and this is what the doctor ordered! 

I find it very interesting that the majority of people I meet in my day to day life are of the impression that they are not truly in control of their lives. Sure they may not say it in so many words, in fact they may say exactly the opposite! But when you can tell what they really believe by how they act and talk about things, especially negative things that happen to them or those they care about.

For instance, how many times have you met someone who has said something like “I’m just big-boned” or “my metabolism is too slow” or “I don’t have time to work out.” I bet you know some people who have said this….you may even know them intimately (hint hint). So what are they really saying – what do they really mean by that? It may surprise you to know that they don’t really mean that their bones are bigger than average, or that their body burns calories slower than average, or even that there isn’t enough time in the days of the week for them to exercise. No no no…what they are really saying is “it’s not my fault that I’m overweight because I’m not really in control of my life, these other things are.” They’re saying “my genetics made me fat and you can’t change your genes” or “I think these other things I choose to do each day are more important to me than exercising.” It’s not that they can’t lose weight because their bones or bone structure is too big, because their metabolism is too slow, or because they don’t have enough time. They can’t lose weight because they don’t really want to! They would rather take the easy way out and blame something else on the fact that they’re overweight and won’t do anything to change it. Now of course there are always exceptions to the rule and some people really do have genetic problems that cause them to gain weight. But for the majority of people….it’s just an excuse. 

That’s one of the biggest problems plaguing America…excuses. Most people in America who aren’t living the type of life they want to live are in two camps. One camp believes that they are in control of their lives and are doing the things they think they need to do in order to live the kind of life they want to live, but they just aren’t quite there yet. And the other believes that they are not in control of their own lives so they don’t even try. Instead they make excuses for why they aren’t doing anything about their crappy situations. Whether it’s body weight, money, relationships, or anything else that’s important to them, instead of looking at the reality of the situation, they just find something other than themselves to blame it on and make excuses accordingly so they won’t even have to try to improve their situations. I have only four words for these people….STOP IT, YOU’RE PATHETIC!

I’ve come to the point where I am tired of listening to people who simply make excuses to avoid having to actually make an effort to improve their situations. These people need someone to help them understand that they are actually in control of their own lives and can choose to either stay where they are, or improve it so they can get to where they want to be. I’m just not the type of person best suited for that job. I’m not making an excuse mind you. I know I could do that job if I wanted to, but I don’t want to. I would rather help the people who actually realize that they are in control. I want to help those people to improve themselves and their situations, to improve their lives. I want to help people who want help, not the people who don’t. I’ll try to explain this concept to those who haven’t heard it before, but if they don’t believe it and just keep making excuses – that to me means that they don’t really want to change because they’re too scared of changing, or too comfortable with their life as it is. It’s not worth my time or effort to spend time talking or listening to those types of people. 

Anyway, what do you believe? Are you in control of your life or are you just a pawn in the game of life, subject to the whims of others? I choose to believe I am in control of my own life. I know that things can and will happen to and around me that are out of my control. But what I choose to do is and will always be within my control. If I get knocked down, I can choose to get back up. If I get cheated out of something that is rightfully mine, I can choose to earn it again. If I try something and fail miserably, I can choose to learn from my mistakes and do better next time. If I am overweight, I can choose to eat right and find time to exercise to get back in shape. I can choose…that’s the point. So can you!

Girls hardly exercise these days because well………. they are lazy. Girls don’t start to exercise until they see their stomach turn “Round”. Girls you got to stop eating all that junk food. Let go of that cell phone and put your body to work. Girls, exercises you should do are push ups and crunches (sit-ups). Mostly crunches so you can have that women body. You got to eat healthy. junk food only once in a while.

OK now let me talk about guys. OH boy! guys you make more errors on exercising than women. Guys…oh man (sigh) the main reason you guys exercise is so you can be “Tough”. Toughness doesn’t have to do anything. If any male is reading this article and saying “No that’s not true we don’t do this just to be tough”. If your saying that then that means your one of those guys. I know if a guy exercises for their own health or not. I exercise for my own health. OK guys lets get down to exercising. OK believe it or not the first thing that come to a guys mind when they hear “Exercising” is lifting weights. If you are a male that is under the age of 16 then you are “Defintely not ready to lift weights”! Guys you can’t start lifting weights until your 16. If you lift weights under the age of 16 then you will not see results.If you start lifting weights under the age of 16 what this will do it will cut your muscle and damage it so when your finally older you wont see results and then you will regret it. The damage won’t cause pain though. Guys you need to eat healthy. You want the ladies to like you right? So stay in a very fit form. Recommended exercises for guys is Pull-ups of any kind, sit-ups of any kind, push ups of any kind and Dips of any kind. Also Squats for your legs and running. Girls you an do these same exercises cause you need to stay in shape too.

OK last tip and this is for Everybody! Stop Eating Fast Food. Stop eating McDonald’s and stop eating Burger King and Wendy’s and all that stuff. That’s whats getting you fat. Eat healthy food like chicken with low grease and vegetables. If you like to eat greasy then buy food with low grease so you burn off the calories easier. You got to eat healthy to have a Good and Healthy Body. Good Luck Exercising

When I started changing my diet a few weeks ago, I didn’t get on the scale because at that point, I had no idea what God had in store for me. I was changing it because in all honesty, I was feeling little nagging chest pains. As much as you want to pretend they’ll go away, you know darned well they will not, so I had to start changing my diet. I have no clue what I weighed at that time, either.

After I got “the call”, I stepped on my scale that measures body fat as well as weight; it tipped at 195.5 and 47% body fat. I’m not proud of to reveal this, either. Nine days into the diet, I have lost five pounds and I’m exercising with steady walking of five miles a day. The best laid plans of men sometimes have plans of their own and I have this nasty habit of forgetting that aspect of life.

Three days ago, I started to feel a minor pain in my left shin and I thought I could walk it off. The pain came on after I tried jogging a little bit in an attempt to shave off a little bit of time on my 1.5 hour walk. We’re all told heat and ice will do wonders for the pain; I wrapped it up in an electric heating pad and sat the walk out. Wanting to speed the healing process, I had also been soaking the ankle water as hot as I could stand. Nothing has worked to my satisfaction, so I decided to make a short hobble to the grocery store and purchase an ace bandage and some food.

A few days back I decided to make another change in my diet – I wanted to consume more raw foods. I got a taste for celery, baby carrot sticks, and small tomatoes; I wanted more than the processed foods I was eating. What was on the menu before? I tried to make it healthy with my budget: ramen noodles, Starkist albacore tuna, and Campbell ’s “healthy request” tomato soup. Recently I had cut out the cheerios and corn flakes because they were too carbohydrate intesnsive and switched to old fashioned long cooking oats and brown sugar. Even now, I’ve pushed the brown sugar aside and substituted it for pure honey, which is less processed.

Wandering through the grocery store, I decided to implement some changes in my diet. I decided to pass on canned tuna and opt for Gorton’s salmon fillets since economically they had less salt and cost about the same per fillet. Most appliances are packed up and ready for a move, but I found a stainless steel steamer I forgot I had in the bottom of the kitchen gadgets drawer. This gave me a healthy way to cook the fish and steam a cup of vegetables at the same time. I do have a big food steamer, but for a few veggies and a fillet of fish, it’s impractical.

I also gave up on the ramen noodles and Campbell ’s tomato soup for whatever reason; it was more of a taste buds and salt issue. One day I happened to notice I had figured the salt content wrong in both products. Ramen noodles had a whopping 1520 mg of sodium, so I started to think about how I could cut the salt down. There were insulated paper coffee cups in my cabinet with the two holes in the lid, which became what I thought was a good option: I used half the seasoning packet, cooked it to tenderness, and then put the lid on and used the hole to drain away the excess salt and fat. If anything, it was no longer swimming in salt. The Campbell ’s soup I also made a mistake by reading there was only 470 mg of sodium, but not noticing each can contained 2.5 servings, not two. The sodium went from 470 mg to 588 mg per 12-ounce cup, which is a lot of salt.

I made another mistake a few days ago that cost me some ground: Starkist albacore tuna has 250 mg of salt per serving, and I was ok with that before I realized I didn’t add the salt correctly. The can of tuna contains 2.5 servings, and the can normally contains 4 ounces of tuna and 2 ounces of vegetable broth, so they call it 6 ounces. Most people wouldn’t look at a 4-ounce can of tuna and think to be within the recommended portion, it would mean (2) 1.5-ounce portions and (1) 1 ounce portion. Most diets recommend at least 2 ounces of chicken or four ounces of fish (four times a day in a mini meal format) to be within an acceptable protein range that won’t set you up to fail from starvation. If you do the math correctly, a can of tuna which seems like it would be a healthy alternative, has 625 mg of salt – that’s almost as much as the ramen soup with only half the packet, and breezes past the “healthy request” tomato soup.

Sitting around and recovering from my walk/jog a few days ago, I happened to be watching the local PBS station. They had a diet guru on TV and I hadn’t thought too much about what I was watching because I was tired, but he said something that made me stop and think: “Are you getting high empty calories from any processed food you’re eating? Cut them out and replace them with raw foods and you’ll get more bang for your buck.” I’ve heard this many times, but this time I remembered something I had forgotten: it’s hard to overeat on carrots and celery because you feel full too fast.

I’d been thinking about the ramen noodles for a few days because I didn’t like the fact I was consuming 380 calories on this meal. I had mentally budgeted myself to be somewhere in the range of 800 to 1000 calories per day, and if I stuck to the low end of 800, nearly half of my “calorie budget” was spent on this meal. I didn’t like that thought at all because it meant I would be starving later on or exceeding the calories, so I wanted to replace it and use the ramen noodles as an occasional option.

All those thoughts received not a gentle wake up call, but a plowing over like a train. Going back to the grocery store, I happened to be looking for a nutrient in the vitamin aisle, which they didn’t have. As I searched the shelves, I saw a little old man sit down near me and the sounds of clicking and an electrical motor being used. I hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a free blood pressure machine and I decided I should at least have some idea where I was on the scale.

I figured my blood pressure was going to be a little high since I hadn’t been taking care of myself prior to this point. Sitting down, I forced my sleeve up and slid my arm down into the mechanical cuff. The last time I had checked my blood pressure was a few years ago, and I remember the systolic number was 93, which wasn’t that great, but it wasn’t classified as high blood pressure (according to the doctor who wrote me up, I had high blood pressure over “90”). Quietly waiting as the machine did its thing, I noticed the “high blood pressure” chart on the label in front of me was at 140 on the systolic, and that’s as high as the chart went. The cuff hissed as it released and then the moment of truth flashed on the screen: systolic was 152 and diastolic read out at 101.

How high my pressure was, I didn’t know, but I’d never seen my pressure that high before. Was I five minutes away from a stroke and a heart attack since I passed the highest marker on the machine, and did it automatically dial 911 with a pressure like mine? One can’t help but be full of questions, and even if the machine wasn’t 100% accurate, I knew even if it was off by 10%, my readings were still too high.

Walking through the door, I called my friend Laurie and asked for her advice. I thought I was doing the right things with vitamins, diet, and exercise, but now I wasn’t sure. She has been out of the cardiology field for a while, and although she said I was doing the right things, it might be a temporary spike in blood pressure that sometimes happens with the start of an exercise program. This was something I hadn’t heard before, but it was nice to know it might be a partial contributor.

Once I hung up the phone, I sat down and started to pen a quick email to another friend, elaborating on my dieting mistakes with the sodium monster that I thought I had in check. It wasn’t until I started to think about my current diet during this email that I decided to find out what the daily recommendation for sodium intake was, and it turned out to be 2400 mg a day, but they were actually recommending 2000 mg for most people. I started to add up my mistakes and realized even with cutting out half the salt in the ramen noodles, I was still registering 2600 mg of salt. This is when it hit home I wasn’t as diet and salt savvy as I believed I was.

This realization scared me enough to change a few more behaviors. I went into the kitchen and started stripping it bare of salty foods. All unopened food went into plastic grocery sacks with the full intention of giving it to a friend’s kids who could “afford” to burn off the high salt by simply breathing. In the end, I filled up eleven sacks. Where did I find the salt?

• Salad dressings, pickles, mustard, seasonings, packaged seasonings (taco, chili, stews), marinades, barbeque sauce, hot sauce, hot dog relish, mayonnaise, gravies, dip mixes, bullion cubes, shaker style seasonings, bread crumb mixes
• Hush puppies and corn bread mixes
• Cocoa mixes
• Canned beans, canned chili, canned diced tomatoes, canned tomato sauce (the last two had on the label front “no salt added”).
• Packaged microwave rice, boxed and bagged rice mixes
• Cake mixes, cake frostings, peanut butter cookie mixes
• Soups, canned tuna, oriental noodles, biscuit mixes

This isn’t a complete list of what I bagged up, but it’s enough to get you thinking about what’s inside your cabinets and where the salt is lurking. In the case of one of the salad dressings, for example, one tablespoon had a whopping 600 mg of sodium. The easy mac and cheese microwavable bowls that gives you a small snack size has over 660 mg of salt – that’s a huge amount for a kid or adult to ingest! The microwavable rice weighed in at almost 1000 mg for a half a cup serving size. Also watch soft drinks, which often are loaded with salt and sugar.

The other good thing about cleaning out the cabinets and refrigerator is that I know there will be no unacceptable foods entering my mouth and nothing to sabotage the diet. Not having a vehicle means I have to walk to the store a couple of times a week, and it means I don’t run out for fast food or sweet snacks on a whim. I think about not only about the food I’m choosing, but the amount of space in the backpack as well as the weight I’ll have to carry home.

I may not have been able to control my dieting before, but now I have no choice but to do the right things and eat properly. It’s certainly not practical or even an option for a family with kids, but at least watching what actually comes into your house is achievable.

Here’s one tip that can help in ridding your food of salt: place the food in a bowl of water and rinse it a few times, then let it set for a half an hour. Salt “holds” water in the body, and since it’s naturally drawn to water, it’s drawn out of the food.

Of course this won’t work for soups, but I find with packaged veggies that have added salt, and even fish fillets, it works pretty well. I also give it a hand by steaming the fish and veggies, knowing the dripping water will carry away some measure of sodium. If you choose canned tuna, you can try and rinse the excess salt out, but I will warn you the flavor is a bit “lacking” after this. I’ve tried the lower sodium options, and they were awful in my opinion, but they might taste great to you.

If you don’t like trying to find all the segments of this series, you can locate the links to them here and they will return you the exact spot on the socyberty.com site.

quazen.com articles by this writer can be found here

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