Learning How to Live a Healthier Lifestyle

When you have been engaging in the same lifestyle habits for several years it may look easy to just change over to living a more positive lifestyle. The truth is that it’s not as easy as you think. Taking small steps towards changing your lifestyle habits is the only way to be successful, especially when you’re changing your eating habits at the same time.

Some of the most harmful lifestyle habits are ones you may not even realize you are engaging in. These habits may include the following:

• Drinking in excess
• Smoking
• Using recreational drugs
• Engaging in risky sexual behavior
• Allowing stress into your life
• Poor time management and balance between work, family and recreation

It is has been proven that living a healthier lifestyle promotes a strong immune system, a longer life expectancy, a decreased risk of getting life-threatening illnesses, and an overall sound body and mind. Here are some of the most important ways to start changing your poor lifestyle habits into positive lifestyle changes.

Exercise

Physical activity is a staple in living a healthier lifestyle. Many people have no desire to exercise or engage in any type of physical activity. Not only does exercising increase the production of endorphins which promotes happiness and satisfaction, it makes you feel better mentally and increases your confidence level. If this is true, why has every excuse in the book been used to get out of exercising? Some of the biggest complaints or concerns about not exercising include:

1. No time
2. No energy
3. Too much work to do
4. Too many family commitments
5. Too expensive to join a gym
6. Don’t feel comfortable exercising in front of people in better shape than them
7. Don’t feel comfortable using the equipment

Well, these may all be valid reasons but if lack of confidence or not having money to pay for a membership then there is no problem. There are many simple exercises that you do every day that can help you lose weight and battle fat. Exercising doesn’t have to be a full blow-out gym workout. Smaller activities can provide just as much of a benefit as busting your rear in the gym. Some examples include:

1. Taking a walk at a slower pace
2. Walking your pet or a neighbor’s pet
3. Riding your bike instead of driving
4. Doing chores around the house such as gardening, cleaning the house and mowing the lawn.

These are all a great start to jump starting your system and springing into action. Start off slow rather than going full force at a gym. If you are significantly overweight or considered obese it is best to start off slow and work yourself up to going to the gym. In order to maximize your results, you should engage in a gym workout 2 to 3 times a week or do some type of physical exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.

Keep yourself Active

An active lifestyle usually results in a healthy lifestyle. Regular physical activity is extremely important to maintain our fitness levels although it can easily be ignored. The great thing is that exercising doesn’t necessary mean joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer. Instead of hitting the gym think about other ways you can introduce more physical activity into your regular routine. Walk up the stairs instead of taking the escalator or an elevator. Instead of driving to work, walk to work. Even something as simple as keeping up on daily chores can give you enough exercise to help improve your overall health. It only takes 30 minutes a day to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Some easy tips for keeping active include:

• Joining sports teams
• Turning the television off and find more physical things that you enjoy doing such as gardening
• Take a walk during your lunch break
• Keep up on your daily chores such as cleaning and scrubbing the house

These small changes to your daily routine can make a world of difference towards a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle. One very important thing to remember is to not make these changes all at once. Make a long term plan with short term goals that you know you can easily meet and introduce into your daily routine over time.

Take a Break from the Internet

Make a point of getting away from every type of technology you can several times a week. Sitting around browsing the Internet keeps you from getting up and moving around. Instead of chatting with people online, playing games or engaging in social media, change it up 2 to 3 times a week by going out and doing something fun with your family and/or friends. Take a walk, play games with your children, have a cookout, take a spa day, or do anything else that is enjoyable to you where you won’t be involved with using modern technology. This will not only keep you active but it will improve your social skills.

Change to a Healthier Lifestyle

The word “lifestyle” means way of life or routine. Living a healthier lifestyle doesn’t just end at changing your diet, exercising or adopting positive social skills. Your habits and hobbies should be healthy, too. Some of the ways you can do this include:

• Avoid drinking in excess
• Stop taking recreational drugs
• Quite smoking
• Get enough sleep
• Start thinking more positive
• Avoid stress and anything that will cause anxiety

Dieting and exercising are not the sole answer in living a healthier lifestyle. Avoid smoking cigarettes and avoid using drugs and alcohol. Stress levels differ from one person to another. These stressors can come from a variety of factors:

1. Family
2. Financial
3. Personal
4. Issues with peers
5. Work-related stress

The most important step in combating stress is identifying these stressors and then take steps to delete them from your life. Once you have identified these stressors you can begin to work on the underlying causes. One of the most beneficial ways to help you identify these stressors is by writing in a stress journal. The things to keep track of in your journal should include:

• What caused your stress
• How you felt emotionally and physically
• A detailed description of the environment you were in and who you were with
• Your personal reactions to the situation
• What you did to make yourself feel better

Once you have clearly identified the triggers to your stress you should attempt to change your situation by alteration or avoidance. Once you’ve done this, starting working on changing your reactions by accepting and adapting. Be sure to make time for fun and relaxation.

Sleep is one of the most crucial and most important things you can change to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Sleep is extremely crucial for many reasons.

1. Sleep regenerates, refuels and energizes your body and mind.
2. Sleep increases your ability to think more clearly and react in an appropriate manner when stressful situations arise.
3. Sleep helps give you the stamina and motivation to engage in the many aspects of your life that you enjoy.

They Say That If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail – Is it the Same Travel Planning?

Have you ever been on a vacation or business trip and everything seemed to go wrong? For instance you forgot the adapter for your smart phone, or the cord for your laptop. Perhaps you didn’t pack the right clothes and you ran into weather and found yourself, rather than enjoying your vacation, trying to find a local Wal-Mart to get a jacket. It’s happened to me several times, and usually it’s because I didn’t plan my travel needs correctly.

However, since I am now a seasoned traveler, I have a little checklist, it’s really simple, but it prevents me from forgetting the important things. Things like phone numbers that I need to call when I get some place, or universal travel plugs. Travel planning can be very simple, or it can be quite complex, and it often matters what type of traveling you’re doing. Even a simple 3 x 5 index card as a checklist inside of your suitcase can help.

If you are like me and you like to travel light, you might even stick it on the inside of your laptop bag, or the bag you use as your carry-on luggage. It makes sense to keep it simple. Having printouts of itineraries, emergency phone numbers, and secondary plan B or escape plans also makes sense. You never know if you’re going to get stuck in weather, or stuck in an airport for hours on end. What are you going to do if you miss your connecting flight?

Sometimes, if you plan these things in advance, then what might have been a major catastrophe for someone else, can turn into an opportunity for you. For instance if you are stuck for four or five hours at an airport, perhaps you know something very close by you can go see or do. Having secondary itinerary travel plans make a lot of sense and it sure has helped me out over the years. In fact, I’ve made many friends who were also stuck at airports who decided they would rather join me and accompany me in my secondary plans while we were stuck at the airport for six or seven hours waiting for the next connecting flight.

The reality is you just never know, and “if you fail to plan, you are really planning to fail,” and that goes for travel planning as well. Indeed, hope you’ll please consider this, and if you have any other ideas or suggestions please send me an e-mail. Think on it.

Distance Learning – Post Graduate Online Education Degrees

According to the Survey of Earned Doctorates, as of 2004 there was a 3.4 percent increase in doctorate degrees awarded in the United States. In June, 2004, a total of 41,155 research doctorate degrees were earned by postgraduate students. The recent increase in doctorate degrees awarded after a decade of decline can be partially attributed to the convenience of distance learning postgraduate online education degrees.

Postgraduate degree programs offer students an opportunity to explore a subject to attain the highest levels of proficiency in that area of study. Courses can be based upon a curriculum or independent study and research. A recent study released by both Penn State University Outreach Marketing and Communications and University Continuing Education Association revealed that distance learning is anticipated to grow ten times quicker than on-campus education over the next ten years. Further, about 45 percent of college enrollment are adult students who frequently prefer distance learning opportunities to classes on campus. Sun Chairman Scott McNealy states, “Technology has to play a huge role in education. (It’s) changed commerce…publishing…banking. It’s got to change education big time.”

Distance learning postgraduate online education degrees afford busy students the opportunity to earn doctorate degrees at their convenience, without having travel to and attend traditional classes. By the time students intend to pursue distance learning postgraduate online education degrees, they are usually computer literate, self-motivated and able to manage their time properly. These are all essential elements to success in virtual classrooms. The two basic types of postgraduate degrees students may earn are professional doctorates or research doctorates.

Professional doctorates. The United States requires terminal professional doctorate degrees to perform in certain fields, such as dentistry, medicine, law, chiropractics, occupational therapy and psychology. Prior to entering these professional doctorate programs, students are required to complete a bachelors degree, preferably in a related field. Professional doctorate degrees, such as J.D. and M.D., usually do not require students to complete a thesis, although some do require an original research paper to be submitted. Doctorate degrees usually take three years to complete after postsecondary education, although distance learning postgraduate online education degrees may be earned more quickly. Because online education courses are often geared for the busy adult learner, students can progress at their own pace.

Research doctorates. The research doctorate that is most commonly earned is a Ph.D. The time is takes to complete research doctorate degree programs can vary quite a bit, depending on course pursued. It is common for students to take two to three years to complete coursework and three or more years to conduct pertinent research. The benefit of a Ph.D. is that a holder is qualified to pursue an academic career as an expert in their field. Distance learning research doctorate degrees are conveniently pursued online and can be easily worked around professional schedules.

Honorary doctorates. These degrees may be awarded for substantial contributions to a field and are not necessarily academic.

Financial Aid. Federal financial aid and loan programs may be applied to distance learning postgraduate online education degrees. Employers may offer tuition reimbursement for coursework. Private loans may also be secured to pay for higher education. Students have several options available that can help them finance their doctorates.

Thesis. Some postgraduate doctorate degrees require students to write a thesis. The learner defines their own area of research and takes years to write a detailed paper, which may be made available as pertinent information to other students in the field.

Coursework. Distance learning postgraduate online education degree programs offer students ongoing guidance through coursework, email, virtual lectures and online discussions. Students are, however, expected to work independently and use a variety of research resources to complete their course requirements.

Online Students. A recent national study entitled Degrees of Opportunity revealed some interesting facts about online students. Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed felt that the benefits derived from higher education are equal to or even greater than the money, time and effort involved. Lyungai Mbilinyi, Ph.D and author of this report, stated, “Eighty-one percent associated higher education with a sense of personal accomplishment and seventy-eight percent believed education would better develop their talents or pursue their interests. Despite the assortment of obstacles many adults face when considering a return to school, the overwhelming majority believe the resulting benefits have made it worthwhile.” Finally, eighty-four percent of enrollments in higher education programs are non-traditional students such as distance learners and adults with jobs. Students who participate in distance learning postgraduate online degree programs are not only seeking better positions, but the increased knowledge and self-esteem that comes with an advanced education.

The study “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States, 2005″ found that full distance learning postgraduate online education degree programs were offered by 38 percent of schools. The popularity of postgraduate online degree programs makes it clear they are a viable way to earn higher education and improve career options.

Playing Online Poker For a Living – 4 Simple Tips That Can Help You Play Cards For a Living

Card game addicts can soon start dealing out cards no matter where they are, before you could even say “Indiana Jones”. These people love this game, and no matter what, they will always find a plain simple excuse to play it. Some play online for a livingIf you are quite in their league too, it is no wonder if your fingers itch all the time to try out your luck and fortune at the card games. Well, the solution to itching fingers is only a few clicks away. You can find many web sites where you can play poker online and also win money if you are a host to good fortune and tricky skills.Card players find it easy to play card games online, since here, the ambience is quite relaxed and quiet. You never know with whom you are playing. It could be an old man or woman, or a child as well! But one thing is for sure- here no one will be able to peep and have a look as to whether you have a winning hand or not. Here, no one is there to rush you, no one to call the shots but you. But even though this seems as if the rules here are quite easy and relaxed, actually, they are not. You have to abide by certain laws which if you neglect, will result in your disqualification.o Before you start to play, you must try to decide if you are willing to play poker for your entire income. To do this, you will have to look back at the games that you played in the past, and how you handled your bankroll after a big win. Did you jump into the stakes or invest your winnings?o Then again, if you had never the chance to see so much money while playing poker, but lost about ten tournaments in a row, you have to remember what your action was. Did you move down or up in stakes? These reactions of yours are necessary to judge whether you will be able to make a living on poker.o The main trick is not how much money you win, but how you win it. When you do not have a winning hand, you have to see that you lose very little of cash. But when you have the best hand, you have to try to call the right shots at the right time to milk in a lot of money out of your opponent’s pockets. To maneuver the game carefully you have to assess the situation accurately and rely on your gut instincts.o Another key skill that you need to hone is patience. You might be able to rely on your instincts, and make quite sharp decisions at the crucial moments in the game; you might be able to calculate thoroughly the result of every move of every player around the table; you might be able to tighten your purse strings when you have no winning hand, and get the best odds to win the most when you turn out to be the lucky one, but there is still a chance that someone might come about and upset your plan and shatter it to rubbles. During these times, it is necessary that you do not lose your head, but start to build another plan, so as to win back what you have lost.These rules will help you to get to the very peak where you can earn a lot of money, and there will be no stopping you as well. Remember, rules are important in a game, so that you do not get disqualified, and you can always use them to your advantage.