“A lie is an abomination unto the Lord, and a very present help in trouble.” (a combination of Proverbs 12:22 and Psalms 46:1) ~ Anonymous (of course, who would admit this?)
As I have been ill with sinusitis and very bad allergies over the past few weeks, I have had lots of down time. One of the things I couldn’t escape, even watching public television, is the election process. The one thing that really struck me with all the ads is the tag line, “I am _________, and I approve this message.” I know this began a few elections back because one of the candidates published an ad of blatant lies. Now campaign candidates have to let the public know that the ads that bare their names are truth.
Perhaps I am naïve, but I find this absolutely appalling. I am not that old, but there was a time when a person’s word meant something. A handshake was as good as a legal contract. What happened to those times? What did I miss? My question is what happened to integrity? What happened to those days when I could look someone in the eye and know that they were honest? Has truth and honesty fallen by the wayside? Is being a person of integrity now something to be ashamed of? Today, in order to play the game of the world, our first assumption must be that the person in front of us is not telling the truth.
Along this same vein, our nation tried to impeach one president because he committed adultery and lied about it. Yet, we refuse to see, let alone condemn, the president who lied about our safety and went to war with another country. I find this appalling. Why doesn’t someone call to task that lie – a lie that has resulted in devastating violence, murder, and destruction? Is it just me? Am I that naïve?
As a small child, when I was caught in a lie, I was whooped like there was no tomorrow. I watched the movie Pinocchio, and it had an impact. I hated my nose anyway, and I didn’t want it any longer. Today, it is socially and politically acceptable to lie. Lying is next to blackberries, text messages, and Facebook. I am not that naïve; I know that there will always be some level of lying in life. Women lie about their age, their true hair color (remember I Love Lucy?), and we lie about “our first time.” I love the language: little white lie (what color are the huge ones?); coloring the truth; fudging the truth; political double speak; just to name a few. Though it is still unacceptable to be called a liar to one’s face. The legal system calls it perjury. Yet, the government can do it with ease and violence. If I did it, I would feel guilty and probably get caught. I don’t have a poker face.
Okay, I hope I get well soon, because I am getting way too serious. Just kidding! But I would be interested in hearing some of your views around this issue. And no lying!
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The problem with tummy muscles is that we do not generally exercise this muscle in daily life. It is not greatly challenged from climbing stairs, bending, stretching or walking. We, therefore, have to make a special effort to encourage it to come back into line. The movements have to be small and controlled and depend on the effort put in by the exerciser to get really good results. Secondly during pregnancy, as the baby grows inside the muscle (transverse) is pushed forward. A huge amount of stretching is going on and tends to leave the muscle loose and hanging forward after the birth. It is essentially the lack of strength left in this muscle which allows the tummy to sit in that rather round forward position Mothers would recognise from after birth.
- Myth No. 1: By doing some midsection exercises one can reduce 'love handles'.
Fact: You cannot reduce fat from a certain targeted area of your body just by using exercise alone. And the abdominal area is no exception. So if you want to get a flat stomach and to reveal your abs, losing the fat covering them is the way to go. And the only way to do this is to lose fat proportionately from your entire body by burning more calories than you consume.
- Myth No. 2: You have to do tons of crunches.
Fact: Overuse of crunches will only shorten your abs, pull your head forward and gives you a bad posture. To reduce fat in your bodies, you need to do cardio exercise and eat nutritious foods in reasonable amounts. In simple language 'burn more calories than you consume.' The cardio helps to burn that stored fat and the lower calorie diet forces the body to use the accumulated fat for energy.
In addition, the crunches and a total body workout (with weight training) helps the body to increase muscle mass. Muscles burn fat; fat does not burn itself so, the more muscle we have, the more fat our body uses for energy, so we lose weigh faster. If you only do crunches, you will develop your abdominal muscles and strengthen them. This will reflect in better posture and less back problems, but you will not be able to see your abdominal muscles because they will be covered with fat
- Myth No. 3: Exercise is more important that nutrition.
Fact: Diet is one of the key factor when trying to get a flat tummy. Plan your nutrition in advance, to avoid dietary downfalls. Focus on protein, green vegetables, fiber-rich fruits, and zero calorie drinks such as Green Tea and water. Avoid all sugar.
- Myth No. 4: You must do train your tummy every day
"Cold weather dries out hair more quickly because there is less humidity in the air," says Sarah Kemp, spokesperson for the Pantene Pro-V "Winter Rescue Renewal" regime. "This dryness, combined with the cold makes hair brittle and susceptible to breakage. Wind can tangle the hair and cause individual strands to rub together, potentially damaging the cuticle layer, weakening the hair shaft, leading to damage".
* Here are some pointers
Few little things that you can do to protect your hair. I have listed some of my favorites and I hope that they will help you... until the warmer weather sets in.
Some fab winter hats, from chic caps to the return of the beret, are being showcased in this year's fall and winter fashion collections. But this must-have seasonal accessory can cause static electricity and rebellious hair. Using a nourishing shampoo and an enriched conditioner will help lock in moisture and reduce static.
* Use conditioning products before using heated styling tools.
A gel or mousse alone isn't enough to protect the hair. If you normally use a gel before blow-drying, apply a repair cream, heat-protecting cream or leave-in conditioner first. Use it sparingly, especially on the ends, but don't forget it. You don't want to make your hair heavy or gunky, but more importantly, you don't want hot rollers applied directly to the ends of your unprotected hair.
* Shower in cold water
It's tempting to take a long hot shower, but the extra heat can dry out your hair, making it more prone to damage. Rinsing your hair with cold water after shampooing and conditioning helps keep moisture in, giving your hair extra shine.
* Reduce your use of styling appliances
Winter cold robs hair of its vital moisture, leaving it dry, brittle and more susceptible to frizz and static. Blow dryers and curling irons can harm dehydrated hair, leading to further damage. Keep your use of these styling appliances to a minimum and every week give your hair a special moisturizing treatment.* Don't go out with wet hair!To avoid damaging your hair, you've opted not to blow dry… but now you should stay indoors until your hair is completely dry. Believe it or not, damp hair can freeze and break when exposed to cold winter weather.* Get your hair trimmed.
It sounds like a no-brainer, but it's not always easy to fit more frequent haircuts into a busy schedule. Dryness starts from the ends. If you normally get your hair cut every 10 weeks, get it cut in eight weeks. If you usually trim your hair every six weeks, get it trimmed monthly. ... source:www.theworldwidegourmet.com
Enjoy the winter! Brrrrr...Adjusting Your Skin Care To Fit Your Age
How to optimize your skin care to fit your age? This issue raises both much interest and much confusion. Some experts declare that the need to adapt a skin care routine to fit a particular age is marginal because the essential physiology of the skin does not change all that much. Others assert that your skin care routine should account for every hormonal change in the body, especially those associated with aging. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. The core mechanisms of skin physiology are the same at any age. Yet, many things do change, including metabolic rate, cell turnover rate, hormonal levels, accumulation of damaged cells and molecular garbage, prevalence of inflammation and so forth. Taking those into account is likely to provide extra benefits. 
Yes, Life is Difficult... Now What?
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” ~ Michael Jordan, basketball star
Throughout the course of my coaching practice, with individuals and groups, I often hear women say things like, “But it’s so hard!” or “That’s easier said than done.”
M. Scott Peck’s wonderful book The Road Less Traveled opens with the line, “Life is difficult.” So, my question as a coach is yes, life is difficult, now what? Okay, we have established that life is difficult, life is full of obstacles, challenges, disappointments, and upsets. That is a given. Life is about change – that nasty little concept that keeps rearing its ugly, yet necessary head.
The truth of the matter is that change is inevitable and life is difficult. We weren’t promised anything less. So my advice is to get over it! Accept the fact that life is filled with challenges and obstacles and either make the choice to journey through it or get out of the way of others who want to. If we just sit in the fact that everything is so hard, then we will never grow or progress as we were created to.
And here is the news flash: Everything is easier said than done! Everything! It is easier to just speak words of positive affirmation than to actually live them. It is easier to just say I want financial abundance than to take the necessary steps to make it so. It is easier to just speak out what I want my life to look like for 2008. Absolutely. But unless we take the action to make it so, yes, life will remain difficult and stagnate. Everything in life is easier said than done, everything takes a level of effort, commitment and action to make it a reality.
The word I hear very often associated with this is stuck, which simply means fixed or baffled. We have turned being stuck as an excuse to stand still and not move or act at all. I am about redefining our terms. Try seeing being stuck as a time to be still and ask some questions about the process; allowing you to then make one small step towards progress. Whatever we need to do to turn the difficulties of life into amazing opportunities for growth and creativity, then by all means do it! You are the author of your life. It is your story, write and rewrite as necessary.
Not that I am endorsing any product, but it would be great if we all went out and purchased one of the Staples Easy Button. When we are faced with a difficult decision or action to take, and we take one small step, we can press the easy button and hear, “That was easy!” Once we have taken one step, the second is not as hard. The tag line for the Easy Button says, "Don't stress it, press it!" Listen, the choice is yours.
Life, though difficult, continues to move forward. You are older right now than you were when you began reading this post. Stop wasting precious time that can never be retrieved. Make the conscious choice to refuse to wallow in the fact that life is difficult and that everything is so hard. Make the conscious choice and commitment to take the necessary action to create your best year ever!
Here’s to creating your best year ever!
Coach Carolyn
There is no doubt that, at least one time in her life, every woman has dreamt to own a beautiful, perfect handbag, made by some famous designer. However, just a few of them can actually say that they have truly realized that dream. The majority of them have to settle with cheaper copies, something that resembles their dream designer handbags, or just with the dream of actually owning such expensive items.
Nevertheless, there are some other alternatives to buy all sorts of designer handbags at a very convenient price. The most simple and comfortable way is to order them online. This method does not require a lot of time. In addition, it is very convenient, because you do not have to go anywhere.
Usually, the shipping of the ordered products is free, depending on the location, and the payment procedure is very simple. You can pay either with your credit card or with cash when you receive the ordered handbags. Therefore, you do not have to put a lot of effort into buying such items. All you have to do is to order the ones you like the most and wait until we will ship deliver them to the address with which you will provide us.
What is more, the items from the latest handbag collections are available in just a couple of days after their official release. All handbags come with a certificate of authenticity that guarantees the fact that all products are designer handbags and not just copies. However, the available collections usually display the specific signature of famous designer's houses. Subsequently, you can consider you have made a reliable investment into quality accessories for your outfit. The point is that you can choose from an impressive variety of designer handbags that have the signature of famous designers such as Fendi, Gucci, Miu Miu, Chloe, Dior, Jimmy Choo, Marc Jacobs or even Prada.
To make the offer even more attractive, there are daily discounts for different products. Moreover, even if the prices are lower then the ones you would usually find displayed by the regular stores, there are also different offers that vary each day.
The price of these products is so low because the shipping of such handbags takes place directly from the manufacturers, and the providers include special offers. This is an additional guarantee of the reliability if the accessories we are able to provide. Moreover, because of that, you can now buy your favorite handbags at incredibly attractive prices.
You can also have a winter wedding dress made for you. If you have a particular style in mind, discuss it with your seamstress. She may either know of a pattern or be able to make a pattern for you.
DRESS IN SEASON
If you're getting married in the winter, why would you want to wear a summer gown? Dress according to the season by choosing a winter wedding dress. You'll look stunning as you walk down the aisle in stunning velvet or faux fur. Sparkly jewelry will add an "icicle" effect to your outfit. Best of all, you won't look like every other bride getting married during the winter months. ...article source:http://weddings.lovetoknow.com
A Perspective on Time
Since we are now into 2008, a word about time would be quite purposeful. This piece is from Higher Awareness.
What would your soul consider a waste of time?
To a soul, the only real time is right NOW. Not the future or the past. It lives in connecting deeply with the rich experience of each moment. Through awareness we can be in touch with our authentic self and how it perceives all of the energies and guidance around and within us.
"Chronos is clocks, deadlines, watches, calendars, agendas, planners, schedules, beepers. Chronos is time at her worst. Chronos keeps track. ...Chronos is the world's time. Kairos is transcendence, infinity, reverence, joy, passion, love, the Sacred. Kairos is intimacy with the Real. Kairos is time at her best. ...Kairos is Spirit's time. We exist in chronos. We long for kairos. That's our duality. Chronos requires speed so that it won't be wasted. Kairos requires space so that it might be savored. We do in chronos. In kairos we're allowed to be ... It takes only a moment to cross over from chronos into kairos, but it does take a moment. All that kairos asks is our willingness to stop running long enough to hear the music of the spheres." ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach
"He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses." ~ Horace
One of my favorite blogs is from the Rebel Belle. She is so much fun! I just loved this post and couldn’t resist passing it along to you. It sums up the year in such a big way by quoting one of my favorite musical songs, "Seasons of Love" from the musical “Rent.”
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes, how do you measure a year?
In Daylights - In Sunsets; In Midnights - In Cups Of CoffeeIn Inches - In Miles; In Laughter - In Strife
How About Love? Will you measure Life In Love, in Seasons of Love? Love is a gift from up above. Share love, give love, spread love. MEASURE YOUR LIFE IN LOVE!
As this year comes to a close, I’m reminded (by one of my favorite songs from the musical “Rent“) to measure the love. And, to spend time in GRATITUDE for the people, relationships, experiences and circumstances that have blessed my life.
