Daily Archives: April 2, 2011

You Are What You Drink: Water

Does what you drink really matter for your health? Our choices are endless, but from baby to adult our choices of liquids can make a big difference to how we feel.

What about you? When you reach for a beverage, does it have to be sweet? Do you like water? Do you live at Starbuck’s?  

In general, we need to take in as much as we put out in respiration, perspiration, and other bodily functions. Some studies suggest that ingesting any fluid as long as it is enough to cover what you are expending is good enough.

Water is present in fruit, vegetables, soup, oatmeal, and anything you cook with water, so your body absorbs the H20 from those sources as well. So, despite what you drink, eating healthful fruits and vegetables will add to your total liquids and help you stay hydrated.

On top of that, some have probably heard of the benefits of drinking eight glasses of water per day.

Studies point to benefits ranging from preventing cancer to improving wrinkles, but the science is contradictory at best.

Some scientists claim 75 percent of Americans are dehydrated, but those figures are argued greatly among MDs and nutritionists. Ultimately, it can be said that fluids you ingest can help you or sabotage you.

Good Ole Water

The eight-glass-a-day rule can be overkill. According to many nutritionists, there is no evidence to prove you need that much fluid per day, and some say any fluid ingestion is fine, as the body can separate the water from the coffee, tea, or juice you are drinking.

But the added calories are another issue. You can blow your diet by drinking your calories, so water may be your best bet if you are counting calories. Water is easily absorbed, has zero calories, and stores well.

When considering your water options, there is no need to buy bottled water unless you are used to the convenience — in fact, most bottled water is filtered tap water, bottled and resold at an astronomical price.

Our bottled water still costs more than gasoline.

New research also warns against storing plastic water bottles in hot cars because the chemicals from the plastics leach into the water, so get yourself a stainless steel water bottle and be hip.

If European mineral spring water is your fancy, then make sure you buy the water in glass bottles. BevMo in Brea sells Aqua Panna from Italy — still and carbonated — in glass by the case.

If you must, plastic bottles should be stored for no more than six months, and should recycled, not reused.

As a beverage aside, did you know that beverages are where many restaurants make the most money?

If you are on a budget these days, skipping the drink order at a restaurant can save you a small bundle. On average, a family of four can spend over $10 on beverages alone, and some restaurants are charging for refills. Water with lemon, please!

Future articles in this series will cover the hidden calories and sugars in juice, sports drinks, and an assessement of whether you really need that morning coffee.

Social Media Marketing And Human Behavior | Armonk NY Homes

If there is anything that can be observed about human behavior by examining social media, it’s that people are basically restless. They’re always looking for something new to read, watch, see and interact with. The seemingly impenetrable social media experiences of a few years ago; MySpace for example, is a prime example of how fickle our love affairs can diminish with all things social.

So it’s only natural to wonder: When do we begin to tire of our current online social sites, where will we turn next?

Obviously, the big kid on the social media block these days is Facebook. Its 600 million users collectively spent more than 49 billion minutes on the social networking site in 2010. Those numbers are up nearly 80 percent from the previous year, according to comScore’s “The 2010 Digital Year in Review” report.   Social media mavens expect a similar spike this year. 

What’s interesting is that although Facebook is currently the most popular social media site, it only captures about 12.5 percent of the total social network page views. That means thousands of other sites are also competing to grab your attention.  Twitter alone claims to have 200-million account holders who generate 65-million tweets a day.

So what’s the next big trend in social media marketing?  Will another giant emerge to challenge Facebook?  In the short-term, Facebook seems to have the resources to keep the wolves at bay, but well-financed competing platforms are making waves in the marketplace.   

Just a few months ago, a business that had a growing number of Twitter followers, a snazzy Facebook page and an engaging blog might be ahead of the curve in brand building and revenue generation.  Not anymore. Among the potential candidates for next big thing are:

  • Bebo; described by some as “Facebook marries Twitter.”
  • Delicious; if you’re all about what’s new to see on the web, this is the site for you.
  • Eons.com; Where baby boomers come to connect, share information and more.
  • Foursquare; Real “next big thing” potential here, as people move away from their computers and onto their cell phones.  
  • Focus.com; Think “Twitter for Business.” That pretty much sums it up.
  • Friendster: Where gamers go to geek out.

From there, the list grows exponentially, including many industry or hobby-specific sites. For example, there’s Epernicus (for research scientists), Raptr (for video gamers) and LibraryThing (for book lovers). 

The next big thing may actually start with a “Q”

Of all the potential “new big kids” in the running, Quora.com has the greatest potential.  It’s an online community where anyone can post an open question or contribute an answer about anything.  Created in 2010 by two former Facebook execs, Quora has some serious brainpower and dollars behind it. In fact, Business Insider reports that rumors are flying around Silicon Valley that Quora has already thumbed its nose at a $1-billion acquisition offer.  How a business can use Quora to its advantage remains to be seen. Some industry insiders believe that only techies love the new site, but Quora gets the thumbs up from Google’s head of design, Irene Au, who praises its visual interface and content:

“There’s a lot of really rich high quality content there. It’s one of my favorite sites to visit on a daily basis now,” Au says.

As an entrepreneur, where do you find yourself visiting every day? What social media sites are proving to be the best fit for your business? Do you have the insight to predict what the next social media heavyweights will be?   No one knows for sure; but that doesn’t mean you can let social media trends take care of themselves. If you think you can slap together a web site, add a couple of icons from Facebook and Twitter and expect a flood of new business to follow – you have another think coming.  

Bottom line: No business can afford to operate without a strategic social marketing plan. That plan needs to be durable enough to adapt to the ever-changing preferences of your audience. If you don’t have the time or know-how to create that plan and implement it yourself, hire someone to help you.

 

http://socialmediatoday.com/theseoagency/283013/what-s-next-big-trend-social-media-marketing?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Social+Media+Today+%28all+posts%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Three Reasons Your Blogging Resolutions Are Doomed to Fail

This guest post is by Eugene Yiga of eugeneyiga.com.

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavour.”
—Henry David Thoreau

It happens every year. We wake up on January 1, and decide that this is the year things will finally change. But a few months later, all the gyms empty out and life goes back to normal. It’s the same with our blogs. All our intentions to finally succeed are met with nothing but more of the same. What’s up with that?

In this post, I’ll cover three reasons your resolutions are doomed to fail (assuming they haven’t already) and what you can do to avoid this:

Reason 1: You don’t know what you want

The problem here is that most resolutions aren’t specific. We say we want to grow our subscriber base or make more money but never actually define what this means. You wouldn’t go to a restaurant and say, “I think I want some food. And maybe something to drink. Or whatever.” So why do it when setting goals? We need to know exactly what we’re working toward. Otherwise we’ll keep wandering around aimlessly in the dark.

So what exactly do you want for your blog? Exactly how many subscribers do you want? Exactly how much income would you like to make? Sit down and put some concrete numbers to your goals. What’s also essential here is to attach a date. Not having a deadline means no urgency to get things done. Ultimately, if you don’t know where you’re going or when you want to get there, how can you possibly know you’ve arrived?

Reason 2: You don’t know why you want it

Once you know what you want, you need to figure out why you want it. This is probably the most important part and yet it’s one a lot of people skip. As Carl Jung said, “There can be no transforming of darkness into light and of apathy into movement without emotion.”

Spend some time figuring out the motivations behind your goals. Saying you want to increase your subscribers by 20% in the next year isn’t very motivating. But discovering what achieving that will mean to you is. This is why having a mission statement for your blog is critical. For me it’s all about sharing my love for reading. That’s why everything about my new blog is focused on books. It’s also why I was particularly pleased when my first Twitter follower joined my quest to read the 100 greatest books of all time.

So close your eyes and visualize exactly what success looks and feels like. What would achieving this goal mean to you? And why does this matter so much? Getting in touch with the positive emotions of where you want to be (as well as the negative emotions of where you currently are) creates a compelling picture that will guide you day by day. Once you have a strong enough “why,” the “how” is much more achievable.

Reason 3: You don’t know how to get there

Once you know what you want and why you want it, you’re ready to get going. But most of us blindly rush out with giant leaps, installing all sorts of plug-ins, only to find ourselves exhausted and unmotivated to try again. You wouldn’t start your first day of exercise by running a marathon. Remember to take your blogging actions one small step at a time.

Schedule your life so you can do one thing every single day that takes you a little closer to your goal. Nowadays you can outsource your tasks and free up time to focus on what you do best. You can also surround yourself with the right people and a supportive environment when you subscribe to websites like Copyblogger or enrol in courses like the A-List Blogging Bootcamps.

Create healthy rewards to motivate even the slightest progress as you constantly strive to learn, adjust, and improve along the way. Most importantly, always remember why you’re working on this goal. If the reasons you created were strong enough, finding the motivation to overcome obstacles won’t be hard. Soon you’ll gather momentum; before you know it, you’ll be there.

Are your resolutions doomed?

We all have a desire for growth and development, and this must be satisfied throughout our lives. Yes, it’s scary to try for something better, but wouldn’t you rather risk failure than guarantee regret? We live in a world of tremendous opportunity. That’s why we all have the potential to be, do, and have absolutely anything. As long as we know exactly what we want, know why we want it, and know how to get there, it doesn’t have to be more complex than that.

So let’s go out and make this year a success. It’s never too late! Are your blogging resolutions in need of some tweaking? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments.

Eugene Yiga shares his love for reading by publishing book reviews at eugeneyiga.com. He also gives away free stuff without making you join his mailing list. Follow him on Twitter for instant updates and alerts.

Seth’s Blog: Ten years of changing the world

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Ten years of changing the world

Acumen celebrates its tenth anniversary this week.

Lesson 1: In fact, you can make a difference, you can start something from scratch, you can build something without authority or permission. Passionate people on a mission can make change happen.

Lesson 2: In fact, philanthropy works. Building systems and enhancing entrepreneurial outcomes generates results far bigger than the resources invested.

Lesson 3: You better be prepared to stick it out, to exert yourself, to last longer than you ever expected and to care so much it hurts.

Some highlights:

  • More than 3 million people have access to safe, affordable, and efficient energy
  • 7,000 people have jobs and hundreds of millions of insecticide treated bednets have been produced by A to Z
  • More than 330,000 farmers are changing their families’ lives with drip irrigation systems
  • Hundreds of thousands have access to quality sanitation in Kenya – and Eco-Tact has become a model for other countries
  • More than 150,000 farmers have access to quality, affordable hybrid seeds in Western Kenya
  • 1298 is now answering more than 30.000 emergency calls every month in India (and has created more than 1250 jobs)
  • Kashf has reached more than 300,000 borrowers with micro-loans and emerged as one of Pakistan’s important civil society institution
  • The first commercial mortgages for the poor have been provided in Pakistan and Saiban has developed a working, sustainable model for low-income housing development
  • More than 350,000 individuals have access to safe drinking water (and this doesn’t include the copycat companies that have emerged as a result of WHI’s innovation in the Indian marketplace)
  • Aravind provides quality eyecare through telemedicine to millions across India and has served as a global model
  • Sekem is the largest exporter of organic goods from the Middle East to Europe (working with 4,000 farmers on reclaimed desert land)

That a small band of talented, driven people could make this happen isn't surprising to me. What surprises me is that we still wonder whether change like this is possible.

Posted by Seth Godin on April 02, 2011 | Permalink

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How to Choose the Best Kitchen Floor Styles

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How to Choose the Best Kitchen Floor Styles

Kitchen floorYour kitchen is perhaps the most used part of your house because this is where you spend most of your time away from work, preparing meals or sipping coffee before running off to work and even reading the day’s papers.

It’s probably even one of your hideaways when you want to relax for a few minutes before the kids come home from school or you have to face a tough day at work. Having such an important role in your life, your kitchen should not only reflect your personality but also something that will provide you and anyone who enters it, with some sort of comfort and warmth.

After all, it is the one place where everyone gets to catch up with each other, share stories and even reminisce about the good old days.

Comfort and Style

When thinking about the design for your kitchen, you have to consider both comfort and style. While stylish kitchens you see in magazines may seem stiff and unaccommodating, there are many ways you can design your own kitchen that will not only make it look stylish and modern but will also provide you with just the right touch of comfort and warmth, typical of a kitchen that reminds you of home.

However, it is not only the latest kitchen appliances or the perfect blend of colors that make up a good kitchen design. Never take it for granted that your kitchen floor doesn’t need as much attention as any other part of your kitchen. A sore-looking kitchen floor is enough to ruin the whole look you’re going for.

On the other hand, a carefully-considered kitchen floor will definitely complete the new look of your kitchen. It can actually liven up your room and complement the colors on your walls, giving it a homey or chic look, whatever you choose.

Picking Your Kitchen Floor

  • Material – There are a few materials you can choose from – linoleum, wood, or tiles. Depending on your design, you can pick one of these materials for the perfect kitchen floor. However, there are other factors to consider as well before deciding on one.
  • People – Who will be using the kitchen in your house? How many are living under your roof? A linoleum kitchen floor may be easy to place and replace, but they could easily chip or tear if a lot of people will be stepping on them on a regular basis, including children. Consider too, the possibility of having things or furniture dragged on the floor from time to time.
  • Children – Children are different from all the other people in your house when considering your flooring. Children have the tendency to run around and do rough plays most of the time, so while ceramic tiles may look chic and stylish, they could be more slippery than wood or linoleum. You’re probably better off with linoleum flooring for the time being, especially if you’re the do-it-yourself type as linoleum is easier to replace than tiles or wood.

Bear in mind that your kitchen floor should be something that can be comfortably walked on, run on and such without causing too much damage to the floor itself. While you want to maintain the theme of your entire kitchen, your kitchen floor should have both comfort and durability to stand the test of time – that and the abuse it will surely begetting, especially from your children.

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11 hot home decor styles for 2011

Is the new year the right time to update some rooms in your home? Here are 11 trends that local and national interior decor experts say are hot now and will send off sparks in 2011. Home styles, they say, tend to have more staying power than the latest runway look. “It takes a while for people to catch on,'' says Erica Bryen, buyer and interior designer at Designers' Resource Collection in Costa Mesa, a multi-line showroom that sells to the trade. What else do you think will be big in home decor in the coming year? Add your favorite looks, with links, in the comments.