Posted by admin on May 31st, 2008 — Posted in Hall Of Health
Achilles Tendonitis
Painful Heels, is also known as Achilles tendonitis. This condition causes pain at the back of the heel where the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel. Achilles tendonitis causes pain on the bottom of the heel when putting weight on the foot. Based on the condition and the chronic nature of the disease, heel surgery can provide relief of pain and restore mobility in many cases. Arch supports such as insoles treat the underlying cause of the heel pain and prevent future occurrences of the condition.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is another form of Heel Pain, otherwise known as heel pain syndrome, often presents a very chronic, extremely painful and stubborn condition to resolve. Plantar heel pain is a common painful condition where placebo effects have been shown to exist. The study did not include chronic heel pain sufferers who had received other treatments for their condition. In other words, heel pain is a warning sign that a person has a condition that deserves attention. This condition usually causes pain and tenderness in the back and bottom of the heel when walking, and the heel is painful when touched.
Recurrence of heel pain may be a sign of the initially diagnosed condition, or it may indicate a different problem. The most common type of heel pain is due to a condition called plantar fasciitis, or Achilles Tendonitis. Ignoring heel pain can cause a mild case to become a long-term and debilitating condition.
Treatment
Traditional treatment for heel pain begins with modifying activity. There has been ongoing research to determine whether magnetic insoles provide greater subjective improvement for treatment of plantar heel pain compared with identical non magnetized insoles. As heel pain is basically a stress problem in the tissues of the heel, the main treatment is to reduce stress. We recommend seeking professional advice for heel pain and any foot problem before embarking on any form of self treatment or management.
Many things can slow down your active lifestyle, but heel pain can definitely bring it to a stop. Come Find out More about Heel Pain at HeelPain.eabout.info
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Posted by admin on May 31st, 2008 — Posted in Medical Tips + More
Sometimes when we become so self-conscious about our physical appearance we would do almost anything to eliminate those unwanted pounds of fat. And sometimes we feel there are only a few choices to choose from.
So what do many slightly and really overweight people do? Many turn to diet drugs without a second thought! The NAAFA website clearly informs the general public of how dangerous most weight loss drugs can be. For example, Phenylpropanolamine which was marketed under different names such as Dexatrim, Accutrim, Dex-a-Diet, and others, causes insomnia, headaches, anxiety, disorientation, fast heartbeat, hallucinations, vomiting, high blood pressure, heart and kidney damage, psychosis, heart attack, and lastly, sudden death! The site goes on to state that such drugs rarely ever produce enduring weight loss results.
At present there are more than 50 new weight loss drugs that are ready to be approved for consumer consumption. There is the case of the amphetamine appetite suppressant. In 1999, in France, this drug was removed from the market on account of causing serious cardiovascular side effects.
Because of the serious side effects of weight loss drugs, more and more people are turning to alternative means for helping them win the battle against unwanted fat and obesity.
If I had a choice, I would first consider a natural “weight loss helper” over a diet drug. Why take unnecessary risks with your health. A safe alternative to weight loss drugs is to exercise regularly on a daily basis, 15-20 minutes, by walking, jogging, or running, or other physical workout; such exercise will help to suppress your appetite. Or you can simply try eating a little less each day in a progressive manner in order to prevent your body from experiencing a shocking reaction. Fasting is always a good idea as an effective measure for losing weight as well as for eliminating many toxins from your body.
If that does not work for you, nor excites you to new heights, there’s a number of safe natural appetite suppressants such as Metabo-Speed XXX, or the much talked about African cactus plant called Hoodia Gordonii. By what I have read so far online about this Hoodia from South Africa, sounds very promising. It’s supposed to naturally remove one’s appetite by making your brain believe that you’re full without having eaten.
You can read reviews and testimonials about this African plant by clicking the link below.
Read about Hoodia reviews / testimonials / side effects / information or acne products / solutions / cures / treatments.
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Posted by admin on May 31st, 2008 — Posted in Management Resources
All investors greatly desire and are motivated by a clear picture of a company’s exit strategy, or the timing and method through which they can “cash in” on their investment. This picture best comes into focus when the key valuation and liquidity drivers of the company are clearly delineated. An excellent method to accomplish this is through descriptions of comparable firms that have had successful liquidity events, either through acquisition, merger, of initial public offerings (IPOs).
It is helpful to show other companies in your market, or similar companies in other markets, who have successfully exited, and how and why these companies were successful. For instance, were they successful since they acquired a large customer base? Or were they successful since they accomplished fast growth or high profit margins? It is also important to tie their success to their exit price. Was the exit price based on earnings or the number of customers the firm had at the time? The business plan should tie these metrics (e.g., exit price of $X per customer) to the business to determine its future price.
The most common exit strategies in business plans are IPOs or acquisitions. While the method of exit is not always crucial, the investor often wants to see the decision to better understand the management team’s motivation and commitment to building long-term value. If acquisition is the selected exit path, then the business plan should detail potential companies that might want to acquire the firm in the future and why. Likewise, if an IPO is expected in the future, the business plan should document the financial metrics of the company that make it ripe for this type of exit.
In most cases, investors only make money when the business reaches a successful exit event. As such, it is critical that business plans explain the expected exit, detail why this exit was chosen and validate a realistic exit price.
As President of Growthink Business Plans, Dave Lavinsky has helped the company become one of the premier business plan development firms. Since its inception, Growthink has developed over 200 business plans. Growthink clients have collectively raised over $750 million in financing, launched numerous new product and service lines and gained competitive advantage and market share.
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Posted by admin on May 30th, 2008 — Posted in Marketing Parlor
For the netrepreneur seeking targeted free and low-cost advertising, ezines are an excellent resource. Using the following strategies you can get hundreds of dollars worth of ezine advertising on an ongoing basis, absolutely for free. You can also use these resources to structure an advertising campaign to fit your budget.
Before you get started, make sure you set up a special email address just for your ezine subscriptions - this will be very important to help you stay organized. Be careful about using a web-based email account, if you go out of town or miss a few days, there’s a chance it might fill up too quickly. If your emails start bouncing, your ads will not run. If you do not have access to a separate email alias from your current ISP and need to set up a free web-based account, it’s best to use one with a large amount of storage space, such as:
http://gawab.com
To get started with your free ezine advertising campaign, first visit:
http://subscribeme.net
This is a free service you can use once every three months to get your classified out to over one million subscribers.
Submitting your classified to the service above is just the beginning of your new free advertising strategy. When you use this service, you will be automatically subscribed to many excellent ezines. A number of them offer free weekly classifieds to subscribers, so your next step is to read through the ezines, looking for the directions provided as to how and where to submit your next free classified.
If you’re the organized type, here’s where you might start making note of which ezines offer ongoing free ads, and tracking your ad submissions. After your ad is published, you can record it’s publication date also.
Each ezine will have different specifications for the size of your classified. You will need to format your ad to a certain amount of characters per line, and a certain amount of lines. It will help if you set up a text file with multiple versions of your ad formatted to the varying guidelines. There are several great resources you can use you can use to make sure each line is a certain amount of characters. You can use this online text editor, simply enter your ad copy and specify the number of characters per line:
http://formatit.com
Or you can download this free software (NoteTab Light) and format the characters per line on your computer:
http://notetab.com
Next, you can find more ezines which offer free ads, some only for new subscribers, others on a regular basis.
The links below contain ezines which offer free advertising:
http://www.ezines-r-us.com/freeadvertising.htm
http://ebizwhiz-publishing.com/ezines2.htm
http://www.motherearthpublishing.com/journal/freeezineadvertising.shtml
You can also search through various ezine directories to find more ezines to subscribe to, such as:
http://www.ezinelisting.com/index.html
http://www.internetmarketing-success.com/email-marketing/ezine-directories.htm
Now that you’re subscribed to a wide variety of ezines and have your ongoing free classified ads, you have another great opportunity to get even more high quality free advertising, such as free banner ads, top and bottom sponsor ads, solos, and more. As you take the time each day to go through your subscription inbox, you will find tons of contests you can enter to win advertising.
If you take the time to diligently enter every contest, you may find yourself winning high quality free advertising once or twice a week!
Another great benefit of being subscribed to multiple ezines and actively reading them is that you will sometimes find the publishers sending specials and discounted advertising rates straight to your inbox that you would not have access to if you had just ordered an ad without subscribing.
You can track the results of all of your ads to test different ad copy and see what is pulling the most, and which of your ezines are performing the best. This will give you a real headstart when you want to order some paid advertising.
Subscribing to many ezines is an excellent business strategy for gaining ongoing free advertising, winning additional free advertising, testing your ad copy, discovering which ezine subscribers are most receptive to your offer, and accessing valuable discounted advertising rates. So subscribe, and invest a few minutes to go through your inbox daily. Your attention will pay off. The time you spend will be a worthy investment.
Stop struggling - get a massive flow of never ending ultra-targeted search engine traffic effortlessly. Try this guaranteed, revolutionary pay on results marketing service if you want to make an extra $100,000 in the next four months - from whatever website you are promoting: http://100kmorethantraffic.com
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Posted by admin on May 30th, 2008 — Posted in World Of Sports
The best way to train for skiing is to ski, but snow isn’t always available. To prepare for a skiing vacation, you need to strengthen both your heart muscles and your skeletal muscles. You can strengthen your heart for skiing with any exercise that will raise your heart rate for at least 10 minutes, three times a week.
However, to prepare your muscles for skiing, you have to use activities that use your upper legs, such as skating or riding a bicycle. The average bicycle rider is far better prepared for skiing than the average runner. Many joggers who can easily run ten miles find that they can’t ski very long because their upper leg muscles tire and hurt after just a few minutes of skiing.
You drive yourself forward in skiing with the muscles in your upper legs. Running stresses primarily the muscles in your lower legs. It does not strengthen the muscles in the upper legs enough to allow the average person to ski for any length of time. Running stresses your upper leg muscles only when you use them to lift you up when you run hard up hills. Since you ski by bouncing up and down on your knees and shushing forward from your hips, the best sports to prepare for skiing are those that stress primarily your thigh and upper leg muscles.
You can use the popular indoor exercise machines that mimic cross-country skiing motions, or ski on dry roads with roller-skis. In-line skating or cycling are good choices for outdoor preparation, particularly if you climb lots of hills. Add a weight training program to strengthen your upper body and arms as well as your legs, and you’ll be ready for the snow.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com
Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health and nutrition
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Posted by admin on May 30th, 2008 — Posted in Insurance + More
For many families, finding affordable health insurance is a task akin to the search for the Holy Grail. Depending on where in the country you live, a family health insurance plan can cost as much as $800-$1000 per month. Even when you split that cost between employee and employer, that’s a major chunk of nearly anyone’s monthly budget. And while it’s popular to swear under your breath at the greed of the health insurance industry, a look at the cost of medical care is an eye-opening shock for many people. The expenses associated with a broken arm, for instance, can easily mount into several thousands of dollars.
** The Health Insurance Industry has a stake in keeping people healthy.
The high cost of health insurance is the direct result of the high cost of medical care. It’s a simple matter of economics. The more it costs to take care of each subscriber, the more the insurance companies have to charge all their subscribers. This cost/expense ratio is what has made most health insurance companies embrace the idea of providing preventive care to their subscribers. It’s a simple matter of business sense - healthy people don’t cost the insurance companies a lot of money.
Accidents may be the first type of medical need that springs to mind when people consider buying health insurance, the major insurance companies all agree that accidents aren’t the major cost drain on medical resources. That place is reserved for chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure. Because of this, it makes good business sense for health insurance companies to encourage their subscribers to adopt preventive health strategies. That pays off in special benefits for health conscious consumers.
** Preventive Health Benefits Help Keep Costs Low
Among the benefits that have become commonplace for major health insurance providers are routine physicals, medical screenings for all subscribers, discounts on health club and gym memberships, payment of dues for weight loss groups and lowered subscription fees for non-smokers.
Some health insurance companies and HMO’s go even further in their preventive efforts. Because of the high risk of serious injury or fatality for infants in automobile accidents, Fallon Community Health Plan of Massachusetts has for years teamed with local organizations to provide free infant car seats to families with newborns. In the same spirit of prevention, many HMOs offer free stress management and stress reduction workshops to all subscribers because stress has been identified as a leading risk factor in nearly every major illness.
** Seeking a Cure
The quest for affordable health care has also prompted health insurance companies and HMOs to help fun research and health initiatives all over the country. The health insurance industry underwrites millions of dollars of medical research annually in an effort to lower the costs of health care. Their dollars fund grants to enroll low income and other hard to insure populations, and to offer eye, dental and health care to inner city and poor rural populations. The industry estimates that routine preventive eye and dental care, as well as routine medical screenings and physicals can identify illnesses at early stages and prevent conditions and costs from escalating out of reach.
** Get the Most from Your Health Insurance
You pay for it - you should certainly get the most possible benefit from your health insurance plan. Here are some suggestions for ways that you can make your health insurance plan work for you:
-
- Join a gym.
Check the benefits that your HMO or health insurance plan offers. Chances are good that one of them is a discount good on membership at a local gym or health club. Get fit - it saves THEM money… but it saves YOUR life.
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- Lose weight.
Take advantage of nutritional counseling and memberships in weight loss support groups to get down to your ideal weight. Added bonus? Many health insurance plans offer a lower tier cost for subscribers who are at healthy weights.
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- Quit smoking.
Non-smokers are another group that often enjoy lower health insurance premiums. Many HMOs and health insurance providers offer free smoking cessation programs to help you get smoke free and healthy.
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- Attend medical screenings and health fairs.
Many health insurance providers sponsor ‘wellness fairs’ where you can have your blood pressure tested, get free medical screenings and learn about alternative medical techniques like massage therapy, acupuncture and yoga. Take advantage of special events to learn more and get healthy.
It may be popular to demonize the health insurance industry, but today more than ever, the health insurance industry has a stake in keeping you healthy. Find out what your health insurance company has to offer you by visiting their web site, or calling customer service.
Deb Powers is a freelance writer who regularly writes for FreelanceRite, a provider of quality original content for all your publishing needs. For more information about how articles like this one can benefit your web site, visit www.freelancerite.com
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Posted by admin on May 29th, 2008 — Posted in Realty
I invite you to take the next few minutes to learn the truth about the real estate market, how it compares to other methods of building assets and why it is such a lucrative form of investing. Many potential investors will say, ‘I need to get into the Florida Investment Property market’, especially taking into account current stock market fluctuations and the HOT market for investment properties, but simply don’t know the facts about Orlando property investing and how to use sale and leaseback method of property management.
When is the last time your financial advisor or stockbroker tried to convince you that moving a portion of your assets into the Florida Investment Property market might be a good idea? Never Right? The ‘why’ is simple. They don’t earn commissions when you buy Florida Investment Property. It is also likely that you have probably never had an ‘apples to apples’ comparison of stocks versus Florida Investment Property quite like the one you will see here.
Reason 1:
Leverage: Banks will not typically loan money to buy stocks. Banks will however, compete fiercely to loan money to buy Florida Investment Property. Your first question should be, ‘why is that’? It has to do with risk management, which we will discuss later. The fact that banks want to loan you money to buy Florida Investment Property creates a situation which we will call LEVERAGE.
Let’s assume that you have $10,000 to put into some type of investment. If you choose to buy $10,000 worth of stocks, you will own exactly $10,000 worth of stocks. Pretty straight-forward. However, suppose you choose to invest that $10,000 into Florida Investment Property using a 90% mortgage (which in many cases can go up to 95-100% mortgages in today’s market), you will own $100,000 worth of Florida Investment Property. If both of your investments were to appreciate by 10%, your actual gain with your stocks would be $1000 where your actual gain with Florida Investment Property would be $10,000. That equates to an actual 10% return on investment vs. a 100% return on investment. That’s what we call leverage.
Leverage: Florida Real Estate vs. Stocks
The traditional argument against Florida Investment Property Investing (mainly from Stock Brokers) has always been ‘I can get an average of 10% from stocks with little effort so why would I invest in Orlando Investment Property that only appreciates 6-7% per year’? This point-of-view is not taking leverage into account.
If you take the above statement to be true and compare the REAL numbers, the stock investment gained 10% of the initial $10,000 value (or $1000) and the Orlando Investment Property investment gained 6% of the initial $100,000 value (or $6000). That is still an actual return of 10% versus 60%. It is not hard to see which investment provides a greater immediate return on investment. Additionally. these numbers do not take into account any income from your property during the course of the year, or the substantial tax advantages to owning property, which we will discuss later.
Reason 2:
Value: As we mentioned previously, if you invest $10,000 into purchasing stocks, you own $10,000 worth of stocks (a fairly obvious point). If you invest $10,000 into purchasing Orlando Investment Property using the leverage of a 90% mortgage, you own $100,000 worth of Orlando Investment Property right? Well, only if you paid retail for your property. Any savvy investor will tell you that there are excellent deals to be had in Orlando Investment Property, you just have to find them.
What if you purchased a $100,000 property that happened to be worth $110,000 the day you bought it? Does it happen? The answer is yes, all the time. If you have your eyes open and are willing to ‘go through the numbers’ to find good deals, they are all around you. You may be asking yourself, why would anybody sell a $110,000 property for $100,000?
Value: Making money when you buy.
The reasons are endless as to why a quick sale is desired, but just to name a few: job relocation, divorce, an estate is being settled or maybe a current appraisal on the property simply wasn’t done prior to selling. By ‘finding this deal’ you have accomplished two things.
You have added $10,000 to your asset column in the form of equity.
You have created additional LEVERAGE for yourself as the value of your property increases (a 6-10% gain on $110,000 is better than a 6-10% gain on $100,000!) Remember, you make money in Orlando Investment Property when you buy, not when you sell.
Reason 3:
Control: Let’s take our assumption one step further. When you buy your $10,000 worth of stocks, what can you do to increase its value? If we follow the previous assumption, you have invested $10,000 using a 90% mortgage to purchase a $100,000 property that has an actual value of $110,000 because you ‘found a good deal’. So what can you do to further increase the value of your new $110,000 property?
It is amazing what a cleanup, a little landscaping and a paint job can do to increase the value of a property. Only a few hundred dollars well spent can result in huge value gains in Orlando Investment Property. Your $110,000 property with a little effort could easily be worth $115,000, $120,000 or more virtually overnight! Do you have to do any of this work yourself? Absolutely not! If you like to do that sort of thing then have at it, but if not, simply hire it done and accept a little lower net gain.
Reason 4:
Superior Tax Position: The tax code in the United States is geared to reward Investors who make housing and other property available to the population. When you invest in stocks, you are taxed at some of the highest rates in the tax code. When you invest in Orlando Investment Property, you put yourself in one of the best tax positions in the business world. Remember the wealthy that hold substantial portions of their assets in Orlando Investment Property? Tax advantages are one of the main reasons this is true.
Continuing with the above example, let’s say that you have completed your ‘deal’ with the $10,000 invested with a 90% mortgage to purchase the $100,000 property that appraised for $110,000 (because you ‘found a good deal’), which you improved to say, $115,000 by spending another $1000 on cleanup etc. Assume that one year passes and the Orlando Investment Property market grew by 6%, your property would now be worth $122,000. So far, so good right? If you are like most people, you may want to spend some of your hard earned money.
Let’s do the numbers. You have a mortgage at current rates that started at $90,000 and after a year worth of payments (the majority of which are tax deductible) you still owe approximately $89,000. However, your property is now worth approximately $122,000. If you were to refinance at 90% once again, you would take out a new mortgage of approximately $110,000. This will leave you with approximately $21,000 in cash in your pocket. Now, the BIG question; do you have to pay tax on that money? Absolutely Not! You have not sold the property or realized a ‘capital gain’. You have simply borrowed money from yourself. You are able to do what you wish with that money, free from any tax whatsoever. Obviously, a good strategy might be to purchase two more properties just like your first deal!
Also, we have not taken into account the fact that ALL of your interest payments on this property are tax deductible. In addition, you are also able to depreciate the property itself and all of its contents for additional tax advantages if you choose to do so.
Let’s be fair and compare the Orlando Investment Property tax position with the stock scenario. Assume that the $10,000 initial stock investment grew by 10% in the first year, creating a gain of $1000 and you wish to access it. If you draw it out, you will pay from 20-28% (or higher) in capital gains tax in order to have access to this money. This reduces your net gain to $800 (actual 8%) or less, depending on your tax situation. Compare that to Orlando Investment Property and you are beginning to get the picture.
Reason 5:
Limit Your Exposure To Risk
Risk Management: Do you remember at the top when we said that banks would compete fiercely to loan you money on Orlando Investment Property? The answer to the ‘why’ is very simple. Low Risk. Banks incur little if any risk when loaning money on Orlando Investment Property due to the steady, solid growth rate of the property market, as well as the fact that if you default on your payments they will simply sell the property to somebody else. This is in direct contrast to the volatile stock market, which can vary daily with sharp increases and decreases in value. Furthermore, banks realize that a property isn’t going anywhere, whereas many investors know all too well about .com and other types of companies that were there yesterday and gone today.
This is all not to say that Orlando Investment Property markets don’t go down from time to time, however the dips are much less dramatic than that which can take place in the stock market, proven out by the banks’ willingness to loan money on property.
Reason 6:
Protecting your peace of mind.
Finally, Now that we understand the value of leverage and risk management we realize that a 6% Orlando Investment Property gain ‘beats the pants off’ a 10% stock gain in actual return on investment by a wide margin (approximately 50%, not taking into account several factors that can increase this number such as tax advantages, income on property etc.) Owning good, solid Orlando Investment Property allows you to sleep at night, or go on an extended vacation without worrying about your asset column. This is directly opposed to holding a substantial percentage of your assets in stocks.
Lisa Carson
http://www.biminibayresortinvestment.com
lcarson@biminibayresortinvestment.com
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Posted by admin on May 28th, 2008 — Posted in University of Publishing
Writers just know they want to write - it’s a feeling we’re born with - I think. Nothing else seems natural for some of us, so the decision to pursue a career as a professional writer is easy.
However, it can be more difficult for writers to determine exactly what type of writing we want to do for a living.
Some factors for you to consider include:
1) Potential financial rewards
2) Prospective job openings
3) Personal preferences
4) Individual skills
I believe you should think about a few things before choosing your career.
Research industry statistics (for information like salaries, job openings etc.)
Assess your abilities and interests accurately.
Examine the qualifications necessary for each writing job.
Consider your monetary goals and the salaries of different careers.
Below are some possible employers seeking to hire writers for a variety of positions.
Advertising or Copy Writers - Ad agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations, radio, tv companies
Assistant Editor, Columnist, Copy Editor, Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Assistant, Journalist, Managing Editor - Newspapers, Magazines, other Print or Online Publications
Author, Acquisitions Editor, Ghost Writer, Literary Agent, Agent’s Assistant, Manuscript Evaluator, Manuscript Reader, Scriptwriter, Translator - Book Publishers, Publishing Companies, Literary Agencies, TV & Film Producers, English Teacher, Writing/Reading Tutor, Writing Instructor, Writing Professor- Public Schools, Private Institutions, Colleges, Universities Lecturer, Monologist, Storyteller, Writing Consultant- Schools, Private Businesses
Public Relations Writer, Publicity Writers - Public Relations Agencies, Colleges/Universities, Corporations, Private Businesses, Non-profit Organizations
Press Agent, Speechwriter - Government Institutions, Public Officials, Celebrities
Technical Editor, Technical Writer - Private Businesses, Corporations, Retail Companies
Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp
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Posted by admin on May 28th, 2008 — Posted in Hall Of Health
Many women know that regular pelvic floor exercises are vital
for their long-term physical sexual and emotional health, yet
they still don’t do them. There are five common reasons for not
exercising…and five solutions!
1. I don’t know how to do them
Read one of the excellent online leaflets or buy a book. Talk to
a health practitioner, a continence nurse, a physical therapist,
or a women’s health centre. All of these services are there to
help, but ultimately a woman needs to take the first step for
herself.
2. I tried but I can’t do them
The “squeeze and lift” technique involved in strengthening the
pelvic floor is a tricky one to master. Even a visit to a doctor
or other health practitioner may not be the answer for many
women. In fact research shows that over 50% of women can’t
produce an effective squeeze of the pelvic floor muscles based
on verbal instructions alone.
There are many excellent guides to pelvic floor exercising, both
online and in printed leaflets and books. A number of
well-designed products are also available that provide feedback
and reassurance that the correct squeezing technique is being
used. Remember that successful exercising takes practice and
persistence, and be kind to yourself while you learn.
3. I’ve done them in the past but they didn’t make any
difference
Done properly, pelvic floor exercises will always improve the
strength of even the most untoned pelvic floor muscles. But many
women find it hard to do them regularly enough and for long
enough, and then become discouraged when they don’t seem to see
a result. Experts agree that a pelvic floor exercise program,
involving daily exercising, must be followed for at least six
weeks before any difference becomes noticeable. Twelve weeks is
the usual minimum for an effective result for most women.
But the exercises also need to be done properly. Dr Arnold
Kegel, who developed the concept of the pelvic floor “lift and
squeeze” exercise technique in the 1950s, never intended the
exercises to be done on an empty vagina. Somewhere along the
way, his message has become distorted and many women are told to
do just that, causing them to feel they have failed when their
exercising doesn’t result in any improvement. Research has
clearly demonstrated that most women benefit from using an
exercise device, such as perineometers, vaginal balls, and
weights.
So the solution is simple: choose the best device, commit to
giving the exercise program the time it deserves… and there
definitely will be a difference!
4. I don’t have the time
It’s true that women find it hard to fit in time for themselves
in their busy lives, but it’s possible to make it easier. Women
who use simple tricks such as setting an alarm clock to signal
daily exercise time are much more likely to stick to their
program. The amount of time that’s needed varies according to a
woman’s existing pelvic floor fitness. Women who are time-poor
but have low levels of pelvic floor fitness can use products
such as vaginal weights, which can be worn for 20 minutes a day
while undertaking normal household activities.
Women who can already successfully contract their pelvic floor
muscles but are seeking to build higher levels of fitness will
need to set aside specific exercise time to use a perineometer.
But they can also supplement their dedicated exercise time, by
doing squeeze and lift contractions throughout the day. Exercise
can become part of a daily routine, with women reporting that
they squeeze and lift whilst waiting at traffic lights, whilst
talking on the phone or standing at the kitchen sink.
5. I’ve never heard of them
Some women, particularly older women, still say that they’ve
never heard of pelvic floor exercises. It’s true that humans are
not born knowing how to exercise the pelvic floor, and it is not
a part of the body that is challenged during day-to-day
activities. So women have relied on finding out at appropriate
stages during their lives, often from those who care for them
during pregnancy and childbirth, and during their menopausal
years.
But nowadays, we are less shy about discussing pelvic health and
we have more understanding of its important. Increasing
awareness of the vital role played by a strong pelvic floor
muscles will hopefully ensure that the message reaches future
generations of women while they are still young.
Read more at Pelvic Floor Exercise.
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Posted by admin on May 28th, 2008 — Posted in Food + Cooking
The history of Jamaican coffee begins half a world away in France in 1723 when King Louis XV sent three coffee plants to the French colony of Martinique, some 1200 miles to the SW of Jamaica. Five years later in 1728 the governor of Jamaica, Sir Nicholas Lawes, received one coffee plant as a gift from the Governor of Martinique. The plant took root with vigor and only nine years later, in 1737, coffee exportation began with an initial shipment of 83,000 lbs. The Jamaican coffee industry was born.
Coffee plants thrive in the naturally potash, nitrogen and phosphoric acid rich soil of Jamaica. Coffee trees prefer high altitudes and are perfectly suited for the mountain slopes that are otherwise unsuitable for the other agricultural endeavors such as sugar cane, banana, cocoa and citrus, none of which, interestingly, are native to the island yet vital to the economy of Jamaica.
Coffee is grown in all parts of the island and at all elevations, however, the finest Jamaican coffee comes from an area on the eastern side of the island, just north of Kingston in the Blue Mountains known, appropriately enough, as the Blue Mountain Region. Coffee grown outside the Blue Mountain Region is referred to as Jamaican High Mountain, which is comparable in body and balance but tends to be a bit more acidic to the refined tastes of the connoisseur. Lower grown coffees are referred to as Blue Mountain Valley coffees, they are medium bodied, delicate to bland in flavor and rather rich in acid.
Many Jamaican coffee brands claim their product is Jamaican Blue Mountain but in fact may be a Jamaican High Mountain or even a Blue Mountain Valley variety and is only milled within the boundaries of the Blue Mountain Region.
True Jamaican Blue Mountain coffees are full-bodied, moderately acidy and richly complex, though occasionally marred by a slight mustiness, which is characteristic of many Caribbean coffees.
The Jamaican coffee market has had its share of setbacks from worker shortages around the turn of the 20th century to the complete shut down of production for two years due to hurricane devastation in 1988. Early in the exportation of Jamaican coffee, Canada was the largest consumer with over 60% of all coffee exports bound for this country. In 1943 the Canadian government declared the quality of Jamaican coffee unacceptable and stopped all importation.
In 1944 the Jamaican government established the Central Coffee Clearing House, where all coffee bound for export was cleaned, inspected and graded, in an attempt to raise the standard of Jamaican coffee. In 1950 the Jamaican coffee growers established their own governing body, the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board, to improve and maintain the quality and reputation of Jamaican coffee.
The JCIB successfully accomplished its goal through setting and enforcing standards for growing, harvesting, processing and marketing of its product. Today, Jamaican coffee is known for its high-quality. Annual production of Jamaican coffee stands around 6,600,000 lbs. of which about 85% is exported to Japan. The remaining 15% is distributed mostly between the U.S. and the U.K. gourmet specialty markets where it can fetch up to US$40/lb.
© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.
About the Author
Randy works with his son on Ultimate Coffees Info. Randy owned and operated a very successful storefront/mailorder business from 1988 to 2003. Currently full time owner/operator of several online businesses.
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