Health Fitness

The problem of losing weight

People are more concerned than ever about their health and fitness, and when asked about their goals, weight loss is often at or near the top of the list. With so many people concerned about their health and actively trying to lose weight, you’d think the percentage of people who are overweight would be declining, but the obesity rate remains as high as ever. There are many reasons for this, but one problem is that people often focus on losing weight, when they should be focusing on losing fat.

You may be thinking that losing weight and losing fat are essentially the same thing, but while they are similar, they are definitely not the same. As you probably realize, losing fat means decreasing the amount of fat stored in your body, while losing weight means decreasing the amount of any number of substances in your body (fat, muscle, bone, water, etc.), many of which you don’t want to lose. Although people mostly use the phrase “lose weight,” they are almost always referring to losing fat.

It makes sense to think in terms of losing weight rather than losing fat, because it’s easy to track weight loss using just a scale, which most people already own. Monitoring your body fat is significantly more difficult and requires additional equipment and tests. Also, some body fat tests are not very accurate and the ones that are reliable can be expensive, time consuming and/or require a trained person to administer.

Another reason why people think mainly about losing weight is because the concept of losing weight is simpler than the concept of losing fat. Weight loss involves an increase or decrease of a single number (weight), while fat loss is typically measured in terms of a percentage (body fat), which is not numerically significant for most people. Of course, society also plays an important role, with almost all the media mentioning the term weight loss more often than fat loss.

Using the term weight loss instead of fat loss may sound like a small difference in vocabulary, but this seemingly small variation can have a big impact on your ability to lose fat. The main problem is that people understand that losing weight is different from losing fat, but they still assume that when they lose weight, all or at least most of the weight lost comes from fat. As a result, it creates the mindset that weight loss equals fat loss.

This mindset is highly problematic, because it leads to weight loss being used as a direct measure of fat loss. Since the scale is used to measure weight loss, people take decreases on the scale to mean decreases in fat loss, although they are often far from the same thing. By having this mindset, true fat loss becomes less and less important and the real goal is to try to lose weight, only to read lower on the scale.

As long as your main goal is just to get one number lower on the scale, it usually leads you to make decisions that ultimately hurt your fat loss. There are many ways to lose weight, and many of them result in healthier weight loss (muscle, bone mass, etc.) than actual weight loss, but the scale can’t tell the difference between them. Also, approaches designed to maximize weight loss alone, especially quick weight loss, generally result in the highest amounts of the healthy types of weight being lost and the lowest percentages of long-term fat loss.

By only worrying about losing weight, people don’t have to worry about having a full health and fitness program, causing them to focus too much on doing everything they can to lose weight. This approach has caused many people to follow poorly designed weight loss programs that only result in short-term weight loss or yo-yo dieting, often leading to increases in body fat percentage over time.

Probably the most common example of this problem is when people eat fewer and fewer calories as a way to encourage weight loss. Everyone knows that you have to eat fewer calories than you burn if you want to lose weight, so they assume that the fewer calories they eat, the more weight and fat they will lose. If you don’t already know, the above assumption is completely wrong.

Excessively cutting calories and making other drastic changes to increase weight loss can lead to significant weight loss at first, but much of this weight loss is due to water and will return as soon as you start eating more calories. In addition, this type of weight loss causes a decrease in muscle mass, especially if you do not exercise, which will decrease your metabolism and make your body burn fewer calories every day. This will also make it more difficult to lose fat in the future.

If you want to maximize fat loss, your main goal can’t just be to lose weight. You need to find a balance between cutting calories and maintaining a well-balanced nutritional program that includes adequate amounts of protein, healthy fats, high-quality carbohydrates, water, and other nutrients. Then you still need to exercise, get enough rest/sleep, and minimize your stress level. All of these things are important to keep your body working properly and help you maintain overall good health.

Taking this well-balanced approach may not result in as great a weight loss as a program designed just to make you lose weight, but this slower approach will cause you to lose a greater percentage and probably even a greater amount of total body fat. Plus, since this approach helps you maintain more of your good weight (muscle, etc.), you’ll be able to maintain your fat loss and continue to lose even more fat in the future.

On the other hand, programs that only focus on losing weight usually end up sacrificing elements that are essential for long-term success and overall health. Many weight loss programs do not provide enough calories or nutrients to maintain your metabolic rate, daily recovery capacity, and immune system function. Eventually, your progress will stall and your body will essentially shut down until you switch to healthier eating and exercise habits.

However, once you stop the weight loss program, you will probably regain most or all of the weight, even if you start eating right and exercising. This is because the previous weight loss was not quality fat loss and this type of weight loss cannot be sustained under normal circumstances. At the end of the day, the only weight loss that really matters is fat loss, and the problem with simply trying to lose weight is that it often results in losing the wrong kind of weight, which actually hurts your ability to achieve long-term fat loss.

Lifestyle Fashion

Menstrual Cramps: The Role of Endocrine Disruptors

Many women who experience painful periods every month assume that this is a normal part of the process, but nothing is further from the truth. Often, they have tried over-the-counter or even prescription medications that do not relieve pain.

The truth is, a normal period shouldn’t have you spending a week in bed every month or taking drugs that knock you out just so you can endure the pain. But what is a normal period like?

A few days before your period starts, progesterone and estrogen levels drop dramatically. This is a signal to her body that she did not get pregnant this month, and she may lose her stored blood supply and start again in a few days.

This process shouldn’t cause heartbreaking cramps or sudden mood swings, but there are many things that interfere with the process, and a major culprit is endocrine disruptors.

Hormones are chemical messengers that tell our bodies to do things like grow hair, produce sperm, release an egg, etc. Endocrine disruptors literally interrupt this process.

You’ve probably heard of the plastic water bottle controversy. Part of the problem is that many clear plastic containers contain the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) which can leach into food.

BPA mimics estrogen and studies have shown that women exposed to high levels of BPA are at increased risk of developing uterine fibroids and breast cancer.

Now that is just an example. The average person is regularly exposed to many sources of endocrine disruptors.

– Hormones are added to poultry, cattle and fish feed to make them bigger and/or produce more milk.
– Pharmaceuticals flushed down the toilet are in the water supply.
– Crops dusted with fertilizers containing endocrine disruptors
– Skin care products are notoriously rampant with hormone-mimicking chemicals.

Those are just a few examples, but you get the idea. Imagine all of these hormonal challenges along with a diet that is too high in sugar and starches combined with a sedentary lifestyle. You have the recipe for a monthly ride on the pain train.

The thing is, if you approach your doctor with your complaints, he or she is likely to prescribe pain medication. If that doesn’t work, a stronger prescription or maybe even birth control pills. Actually? More hormones?

There are many health resources on the Internet, more than at any other time. The problem is that they often contradict each other. Today fish oil is good, tomorrow krill is better. One book recommends vegan, another suggests the omnivore diet.

I don’t take advice from just anyone, but I do listen to experts who speak from experience and have a proven track record of success. If you’re looking for a holistic way to end PMS and menstrual cramps, you’ll want to take a look at the Women’s Health Academy. As an example of the information available, listen to Nancy Desjardin, who is a Registered Nutritional Consultant who gives you 7 ways to control her cravings.

Real Estate

tax exemptions

Who doesn’t like tax breaks? I know they do, and I will do my research to find them! Luckily for homeowners, I’ve discovered homeowner tax credits and will be discussing them so you don’t have to search all over the web. You can deduct various household-related expenses. The tax advantages that I am going to explain are for any type of home. This includes cooperative apartments, single-family homes, townhomes, mobile homes, or condominiums. The only downside to tax breaks is that they will make your taxes a bit more complex. You have to take the time to detail, which means a lot more work for you. This requires the long 1040 and Schedule A where you must list your deductible expenses in detail. Although detailing requires a lot of work, it is worth it in the end.

So where do you start? First claim the standard deduction based on your filing status. For taxpayers filing single or married but filing separately $5,450; heads of household $8,000; and for married couples filing joint returns $10,900. Compare the total expenses that you can itemize and file your taxes according to the method that will get the largest deduction. To help you figure out your potential Schedule A tax credits, I’ll talk about homeownership expenses you can and can’t deduct, and some tips for getting the most out of your new homeownership.

The tax relief from which you will benefit the most is the amount in which you pay monthly for your mortgage. Most homeowners checks go toward interest, and all interest is deductible. This is unless, of course, you are the proud and lucky owner of a multi-million dollar property. If you own a home worth more than $1 million, the IRS limits the amount of your deductible interest. Any interest you have to pay is tax deductible, including refinancing, taking out a line of credit or a home equity loan. Be careful, there are some IRS guidelines on these types of tax breaks.

The good news is that general debt capital of $100,000 or less is fully deductible. The remaining amount on your first mortgage can restrict your credit or tax breaks and could be a major concern if you over-leverage your home. If a homeowner chooses to get a home equity loan and it is combined with the first mortgage amount, the home’s debt increases significantly more than the property is actually worth. This will cause the homeowner to face more deductibility limitations. In this particular case, the IRS will allow the homeowner to deduct the lower interest on the original loan, which is less than the existing mortgage amount.

Here’s some good news for people in good real estate situations! For example, let’s say you are in a financial position to own a vacation home, second home, RV, or boat. As long as the property you own has sleeping, bathroom, and kitchen facilities, you can fully deduct interest. You even have the option to rent out your second property for half the year and still get all the benefits of the mortgage interest deduction, as long as you spend time in the second property. How good is that?! But be warned, if you don’t spend at least fourteen days in your second property or more than ten percent of the number of days you rented it, the IRS could consider your second property a residential rental property and eliminate your interest deduction entirely. My advice; if you have a second property of some kind, spend some time there!

Points are another way to earn tax breaks. Points allow you to get a better rate on any of several types of home loans and also offer a tax reduction. The tricky part is that you have to know exactly when to claim them. The IRS will allow you to deduct points only in the year you paid them, and only if you paid them to build or buy your primary property and the point payment is within the usual range. Make sure your loan meets the qualifying requirements so you can deduct all the points at once. A homeowner who pays points on a refinanced loan is also eligible for the same tax break, but in most situations, points must be deducted over the entire term of the loan. For example, if you paid $2,000 in points to refinance your loan over thirty years, you can deduct $5.56 per month per payment, or a total of $66.72 per year if you made twelve payments within one year on the existing or new loan.

There you go! Some tips on how to get tax breaks and some things to keep in mind when dealing with the IRS. I hope you found this information helpful and good luck next tax season!

Technology

Horse Racing Handicap – Tip #5 – Second Favorites Create Place Bet Overlays

The handicap of horse racing is a hard way to make money, but some people barely manage to make a profit. However, sometimes you have to think outside the box if you want to make money. While most people bet to win or play exotic bets, the venue and show groups often go unnoticed by most horse players. Yet there is race after race and thousands pour into those pools.

Who is betting place and show and why? It has been proven that there are overlays in these pools that can be profitable bets, although not so glamorous. One thing I look for when deciding if there is room in the venue group for a good bet is a second favorite hammering away in the venue groups.

It happens almost every day at almost every track, but not every race. However, if you look at the prize amounts by place, you’ll find that in some races, the second favorite gets a disproportionate amount of the place money. The situation usually arises in a race where the favorite appears very strong and there is another horse that seems much better than the rest of the field, but not on a par with the leading horse.

When you see that a horse is making a lot of money, that’s a red flag, or maybe a green one, because it means there may be a good bet for place in the race. While the second favorite may be a good horse and have a good chance of being second or perhaps even upsetting the favourite, if you bet the place pot it can still be a poor place bet and that means another contender for the place spot is under bid, making it a good place bet.

Strange as it may seem at first, the favorite can become a good bet if the second favorite is overrated. If the second favorite fails to achieve at least place and the favorite wins, all money wagered on the second favorite in the place pool will be divided between the favorite’s sponsors and the horse that achieves second place. This is an often overlooked horse racing angle.

When handicap the race, look at the top contenders and see how much to stake on each. You’ll have to wait until press time to make sure one or more of them are being reviewed in the spot groups, but you’ll often find a good spot bet if you’re patient and can really identify the contenders they can place.

Business

Are you planning to take out a home equity loan? Do’s and Don’ts

Perhaps you want to finance major expenses like your children’s college education, are suddenly faced with large and unexpected medical bills, or would like to make major home improvements or repairs. A great way to get the funds is to opt for a home equity loan. Based on your credit history and the loan-to-value ratio of your property, you may be able to obtain a safe and convenient loan against your home.

What are home equity loans?

These are loans that are taken out using the borrower’s home equity or market value as collateral. Equity is calculated using the difference between the market value and the outstanding balance of the mortgage.

Home equity loans have recently been making a comeback after many years of scarcity on the market. For those with good credit, rates are lower than other forms of lending, such as personal/car loans or credit cards.

risks

Home equity loans can be easy to obtain if you meet the eligibility criteria and make financial sense if you have the equity, but there are several inherent risks:

• Variable or floating interest rates: they could always increase in the future

• Too easy to spend: You could end up with “buyer’s remorse” after splurging on a bunch of unnecessary things.

• Full Repayment: If you’re not financially savvy and don’t keep a tight rein, you could find yourself in trouble at the end of the loan term.

• Property loss – Defaults result in foreclosure and you could lose your own home.

That’s why exploiting the value of your home can be extremely risky if you take out a home equity loan without fully understanding the process and its implications.

Rules

Protect yourself and your family by learning more before you take out a home equity loan. It could be a disaster to wait if you are not aware of the implications and repercussions.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Back

• Remember that it is still a form of mortgage

• Keep careful records of all refunds and charges, including bank statements, bank records, canceled checks, etc. so you can challenge inaccuracies with solid evidence.

• Read the loan agreement very carefully

• Never hire unlicensed contractors to work on your home.

• Use the loan amount to make genuine improvements to your home or any specific purpose for which you borrowed.

• The loan amount can be used to overcome unexpected events/crises if you do not have an emergency fund

• Can be used to build a nest egg for retirement

• Check to see if there are tax or deductible benefits available

not to do

• It’s tempting, but never use your home equity loan to splurge on a bigger TV, boat, car, cruise, vacation, etc.

• If you plan to sell your home soon, avoid taking out a home equity loan.

• Don’t take out an unnecessarily large loan, keep it realistic. If the market falls, you could be caught in a massive redemption situation

• Don’t be pressured by strong marketing tactics: educate yourself and inform yourself

• Consult your family before taking out a loan

• Never sign documents that have blank spaces or one that you have not fully read and understood.

• If necessary, have the documents verified by an expert

• Evaluate your ability to pay and judge if you can really afford it

Today, interest rates are at an all-time low and the economy is improving. Many homeowners are considering a home equity loan, and in fact, it’s a great option if you have the credit rating and eligibility. Also, if you also fully assessed the risks and benefits, you approached a reputable, well-established, trusted institution or organization and did some good research.

Home Kitchen

Kitchen Upgrades – Enjoy Now and When You Sell

Who would have thought that the kitchen could be the key to building wealth in your home? Well it is. If you’re going to increase the value of your home through improvements, the kitchen is a great place to start.

improvements

Obviously, making improvements to a kitchen depends entirely on the current state of the kitchen. Still, there are particular areas that you need to focus on.

colors

Colors in a kitchen can enhance the overall feel and value. Neutral colors are frequently used in today’s kitchens. Soft shades of gray, cream, gold, and earth tones appear often. The wood in cabinets and floors tends to have medium to light colored finishes. Sometimes it is painted and then the paint is stripped to show the grain of the wood. Brushed steel hoods over stoves or cooking units are popular and practical. “Islands” also remain popular. Sometimes the material of the island and its countertop is different from the rest of the kitchen. This can look very attractive when the materials are carefully chosen.

two in the ark

When it comes to kitchen upgrades, Noah was right. Having two of everything will certainly add value to his home. Two stoves and two dishwashers feature in the kitchens for those who entertain frequently or have large families. Areas of built-in chopping blocks and cool marble for making cakes are often seen. Under-cabinet lighting creates shadow-free work areas. Most modern kitchens have built-in microwaves, and many have warming drawers. Many have drink preparation areas with a small sink, refrigerator, and cabinets that house a variety of glassware.

practical issues

“Pot filler” faucets can be a nice upgrade. A pot filler spout rises a good distance above the sink floor before curving. This allows a large pot to be placed underneath without tilting the pot. When the pot is filled to the desired height, the spigot moves out of the way and the pot is raised. Some stoves even place them over the cooktop burners so there’s no need to carry the pot from the sink to the stove once it’s full.

accessories

Luxury appliance manufacturers like Sub-Zero, Viking, Wolf, and Thermador have come up with many innovations in recent years. The least expensive appliance manufacturers are as follows. It is possible to buy a kitchen with two ovens and six burners instead of the usual four. Wolf has introduced a gas stove that has the maximum amount of heat control. The top burners have two-level gas rings. The top ring is used to cook very hot, the bottom ring can keep food just barely warm, and of course there’s a huge variety between the two. Since it is gas, control is instantaneous.

cabinets

New cabinets can be expensive, but they are definitely a crowd pleaser when it comes time to sell a home. Custom cabinets are definitely the way to go. If you can’t afford custom work, Home Depot and Lowe’s have nice pieces at fairly reasonable prices.

Kitchen improvements are a great way to increase the value of your home. You might even be inspired to sign up for cooking classes.

Digital Marketing

12 Safe Brainstorming Techniques

Writers, students, and anyone else will occasionally need an idea or two. While there may be times when ideas come with little or no effort, there will be times when the fountain of creativity seems to have dried up. Don’t be afraid, however. Even if you’re not feeling particularly creative, you can still think and reason. If you think clearly and use the following techniques, you will find endless ideas.

free writing – Only write. Don’t worry about the format, theme, or anything else. Just write, about anything. It might be a description of your kitchen ceiling or a rant about the lack of parking spaces at your local vet’s office. The important thing is that you start writing, and keep writing. Let one thought lead to another, or just write about one thing, in increasing detail. Maybe you write for a set period of time, or maybe your goal is to fill a page or pages. Choose individual themes, ideas, names, or anything else. Whatever you do, you will soon have plenty of ideas to work with.

Break down – Take your starting theme and write it at the top of the page. Divide the topic into subtopics, questions, themes, etc., and list them below. Continue to break down and number those subtopics as before.

Listing/Bulletin – List everything about the topic, then list any related phrases, keywords, questions, sources, etc. If it occurs to you, add it to the list. Then take each item on the list and do it again.

cubage – Cubing refers to taking your subject and examining it from six different sides, like the six sides of a cube. Consider the issue in the following six ways:

  1. Describe it
  2. compare it
  3. associate it
  4. analyze it
  5. apply it
  6. argue for and against

Now examine your answers. Is there any connection between them? Does a topic come up?

Similar – Complete the following award: [Blank] is/was/are/were like [Blank]. By comparing your topic to another seemingly unrelated word, you will begin to see new ideas about your topic, better understand different aspects of it, and new ideas will emerge.

Grouping/Mapping/Leashes – This technique allows you to extend a theme in a free and organic way. Write a keyword or words about your topic in the center of a blank page and draw a circle or box around it. Break down as many ideas as possible, visually connecting them to the theme. Then branch off from there. Go as far as you can or want, continually branching.

units – Observe the relationships between the whole, the parts and the parts of the parts. Make the following lists on opposite margins of a sheet of paper:

Whole………………………..Parts

Part……………………………………Parts of Parts

Part……………………………………Parts of Parts

Part……………………………………Parts of Parts

Apply these tags to topics and subtopics, words, etc. Then draw conclusions about relationships, patterns, connections, etc.

Journalistic Questions (The Big 6) – Ask yourself the 6 important questions of journalism:

  1. WHO
  2. That
  3. When
  4. Where
  5. because
  6. As

Make a list of related questions for each one, then look up the answers; repeat as many times as you need.

Outside the Box – Try to approach your subject from a totally different angle. Ask questions from a seemingly unrelated point of view. You can think in terms of occupations, academic subjects, demographic groups, cultural groups, etc. Examine it in its entirety from each new perspective, writing down every thought, question, comment, interpretation, etc.

Graphics/Shapes – Instead of words and phrases, think visually. Put things in terms of graphs, shapes, tables, and diagrams. If you can find photographs related to the topic, please use those as well. Make a list of everything you see, any thoughts that come to mind, and any conclusions drawn from the images.

Tilt/Re-tilt – Examine an idea or topic in terms of purpose and audience. If you’re stuck, think of a different purpose or a different audience. For example, if you’re writing about married couples for the purpose of entertaining couples that have been married for at least five years, try looking at the newlyweds theme.

Reference – If you have a basic idea or theme, look it up. Go to the dictionary, the thesaurus, the encyclopedia, an almanac, a collection of quotes, any other reference. Please list any information. If you don’t have a topic, open a random page, choose any topic, and continue from there.

Combination of Techniques – Start with any technique and then apply another technique to the results. For example, after listing and bulleting in your original theme, try to reference each item in the list.

Once you have used these techniques, you should have a list of the ideas produced. These ideas must then be organized in some way. You can start by listing them in order and then categorize them. Group them according to subtopics, put them in an outline, or try to sequence them in some way. The idea is simply to impose some sort of order on the disorganized results, giving you a neat collection of ideas to work with. Now equipped with these ideas and some related information, you’ll have a better idea of ​​what to work on in your writing.

Relationship

My funniest online dating horror stories

Yes Yes. It’s absolutely true that ultimately online dating worked pretty well for me. But after thinking about it for a bit, I wanted to clear something up for you. It’s not like every date is a wonderful stream of perfection.

Sure, I’ve met a lot of great women and had a great time over a number of years… culminating in meeting Emily on Match.com. But along the way, especially early on, I certainly found my share of situations sometimes hilarious and sometimes downright nightmarish.

Here are the four most memorable:

1) Not what the doctor ordered

Very soon after my divorce in 1992, I received a “spam” message in my inbox that I actually responded to. Believe it or not, I had never even heard of online dating before. This ad claimed that I could meet the woman of my dreams on her site, so I was intrigued.

The next thing I knew I had spent everything they charged and I started looking at the photos of the women they had listed.

To be honest, this wasn’t exactly the most visited site on the net. Who knew there was a Match.com out there? So inevitably, I found exactly one woman I found interesting, a brown-eyed blonde with a friendly smile.

I sent him an email, probably with something silly like, “You seem nice. Maybe we can get along. Would you like to talk?” Remember, this was day one for me in the world of online dating.

Call it “beginner’s luck,” but she shot back. Crazy huh?

Well, one thing led to another, and there we were sitting at each other’s table during dinner. The fact that you shouldn’t have been paying for dinners here has long since been duly noted and besides the point, so forget about it for now and read on.

Halfway through dinner, he begins to talk about his medical problems.

Never talk about your medical problems on a first date. I don’t care if you’ve known the person for ten years, let alone ten minutes.

Between bites of whatever she ate, she would brag about how she had chronic kidney stone problems and how strong she was to be able to pass them without even flinching these days.

Unfortunately, she mistook my casual attempt to entertain the discussion for disbelief.

“Don’t you think I have kidney stones? Here… look…”

Having started to rummage through her bag, she soon pulled out a small vial of medicine.

I thought to myself, “This girl has to be kidding. I believe her now. She doesn’t have to prove her case by showing me her recipe.”

I should have been so lucky.

By pressing and twisting the child-resistant cap, the bottle was opened and the contents soon poured into his hand.

“See, look at this… it has to be at least the size of a pea, right?”

With a freshly severed thumb and forefinger, he pulled out the largest unit of an impressive collection of similar objects he held.

Yes. It was the largest kidney stone I had ever passed.

This woman collected her kidney stones. And she took them with her everywhere, it seemed.

I don’t remember what I said or did, really. But I do remember that there was a second date, believe it or not.

2) It’s not a strip MallDear

Not long after the “kidney stone girl” I met another woman from the same site. She was a Hispanic cutie with flawless skin and booty that would have made Sir Mix-A-Lot slam on the brakes. She said “honey” many times.

He still hadn’t learned the part about not taking women out to expensive dinners on first dates, so he was at one of the nicer sushi places in San Antonio.

she was great. She was smart and loved to laugh. Other than that, she was a huge flirt. Clearly she was digging me.

We had ordered two glasses of red wine and the conversation turned to what she did for a living.

“So you said you were ‘self-employed.’ What do you do exactly?” I asked.

As she answered, I took a sip of the Merlot. And it was right then that I discovered that all those antics you see in old school sketch comedy have their roots in objective reality.

It took everything I had in reserve to keep from spilling grape juice everywhere.

“I run a chain of strip clubs, honey,” she’d announced matter-of-factly.

Sitting across from me was a decidedly elegant woman, whom I’d picked up at a decent house in a nice neighborhood.

“You mean, like a strip mall…right…with the nail salons, a tanning spot, and a Chinese restaurant.”

“No dummy! LOL! I mean…you know…get naked.” clubs. the guy with girls.”

Now, if you already know my style, you will have already realized that the date was already over.

However, it was like a train wreck. She couldn’t look away.

And I asked him the inevitable question.

“Yeah, well…my ex ran the day-to-day operations and I pretty much ran the books. But he let the ‘interview process’ go on too often, and I couldn’t trust him anymore. I got the business in the divorce settlement.”

It was then that I told him the truth.

“I’ve never been to one of those places in my life, and I don’t see any reason to start now.”

Uh oh.

You may have read a roman candle. That girl practically attacked me as soon as we left the restaurant. I tried to handle things the best I could at the time, but let’s just say she wasn’t a happy camper.

By the time I got home, she had already emailed me the nude photos from her “Adult Friendfinder” profile (which was my first introduction to that particular reality). “This is what you missed. GOOD LUCK!!!” was the only line that accompanied the photos.

3) June Carter Cash Gold Charge

She should have known better, considering the only photo she’d attached to her profile was blurry.

And in my heart of hearts, I really knew better. Suspecting that this particular date might not go so well, I invited her to dinner (yeah, yeah… stubborn, right?) at 5:30 pm.

I walked into Chili’s or TGIFridays or whatever, and immediately got that queasy feeling all online daters get at one point or another. Specifically, the one where you see someone waiting alone at a table who vaguely resembles the person you were hoping to meet about as much as burnt toast resembles the perfectly good slice of bread you tossed in the toaster and forgot about.

My first honest thought was, “OMG… who replaced the woman with the nice smile in profile with June Carter Cash!”

I was too “Mr. Nice Guy” to turn around and leave town right away, so I gathered up my gut strength and walked over to the table.

The conversation was forced from the beginning. She began to make a feeble attempt at flirtation.

The woman was at least 55 years old. And he’s not a very attractive 55-year-old man.

She was dressed in solid black with a bunch of stainless steel shit and fringe, like she was some dust-farting legend from “The Grand Ole’ Opry” or something.

The thickness of her Texas accent was dwarfed only by the thickness of her black eyeliner.

Finally, she excused herself to go to the ladies’ room, offering me a blessed reprieve from the impending regurgitation.

That’s when the waiter came over to the table asking if I wanted another beer. “NO!” I proclaimed, promptly apologizing for the abrupt tone that neither he nor I had anticipated.

“Okay, um…what about your mom?

“That?”

“Would your mom like another beer?”

Suddenly reminded that one must take oneself much less seriously in order to get the most enjoyment out of life, I burst out laughing.

I was still recovering when Mrs. Cash came back to the table.

Having ordered a small salad (after all, who could eat it?), my attention was drawn to saying as little as possible in the hope that I would finish eating.

I had already asked for the bill and ended up apologizing to go find the waiter and pay for it, now.

Finally leaving, I shared manners with her at the table and wished her well. There was no way I was going to risk the awkwardness of walking her to her car. My inherent sense of chivalry was, in fact, overwhelmed with utter, unapologetic disgust.

Arriving home at the late hour of 6:30, I was once again greeted by a “date published” email. In her vitriolic message to me, Mrs. Cash had “accused” me of a series of offenses that clearly aroused the deepest feelings of grief and anger in her. Among the most particularly amusing was the pronouncement that I was “obviously gay” because I didn’t find her attractive.

If she was the last woman on earth, she might have been right about that.

By the way, I finally learned my lesson and quit that particular dating site… forever.

4) Cook for your drunk

She was a very cute kindergarten teacher of Lebanese ethnicity. She was also a total sweetheart. Realizing that photos of her always got 9.5 seconds on HotOrNot.com, I rolled the dice on her and let her come over to my house so I could cook for her.

There were no disappointments. She was exactly my type. And she was already being delicate/emotional/smiling enough to know that this was going to turn out very well.

I mixed him an “apple-tini.”

“Oh, this is GOOD!” she said. Noticing that her glass was empty, I refreshed it for her.

The glass was empty again the next time I looked at her. At that point, making eye contact with her, she jumped at me, threw her arms around her neck, and began to bite me with a giggle.

This girl was maybe 110 pounds with a full tank of gas. her (in other words, she was probably 110 pounds at the time). So I decided that maybe two drinks would be enough.

However, when I wasn’t paying attention, she had found some raspberry stuff in my stash and started mixing vodka with it.

Ten minutes later, dinner was finished… and it was spectacular, if I may say so.

But she was nowhere to be found.

It was then that I remembered that he had excused himself to go to the bathroom.

I went to check on her and she had thrown up (thankfully with tremendously accurate aim) in the toilet, and was currently passed out on the floor. Whatever.

Managing to wake her up, her groggy self agreed to let me take her to the bedroom and let her sleep… which she did.

I had dinner alone, watching SportsCenter. The Spurs had lost, no less.

He woke up 8 hours later to find me asleep on the couch and had made me breakfast when I woke up. It was a great breakfast. She clearly had the feeling that I was a man she could feel safe with. There was a second date.

Obviously, I learned a few things from my early misadventures with online dating. My evening with the Lebanese cutie actually happened about six months before I met Emily, so that just proves you have to be vigilant at all times. Actually, that was probably less of an “online dating disaster” per se and more a matter of protecting my stash of liquor from the repressed schoolteachers!

Health Fitness

Bodybuilding for women: tips you should not miss

Muscles: At first glance, they don’t seem like something women want. The word is generally associated more with images of incredibly polished and gleaming male bodybuilders or actors like the young Arnold Schwarzenegger in his early years. terminator films. Muscle building for women is frowned upon by women, with regret at the concept of being considered “muscular.”

break down misconceptions

Contrary to popular misimpressions, muscular development for women can actually define the body, making it more feminine: shoulders become more symmetrical, legs and arms become more shapely, buttocks and best of all, the stomach tightens. If you are a woman and want to build or sculpt your body, you really don’t have to worry about suddenly looking like those women who seem close to becoming stand-ins for male wrestlers.

Women have significantly lower testosterone levels compared to men: 200-1200 ng/dl (men) and 15-70 ng/dl (women). Testosterone is the hormone responsible for muscle mass, and even men with low testosterone levels still have higher levels than average women. Women who have bulked up to enormous proportions are probably taking supplements like steroids or testosterone injections. So, there is no need to fear! If all you want to do is look like Rebecca Soni, the world swimmer who is healthy and extremely toned, you can do it!

taking care of your diet

The first thing to remember in building muscle for women is to decrease your calorie intake. The more calories you eat, the more fat you’ll gain and the harder it will be to lose weight. On the other hand, not having enough calories also spells disaster, so count your calories. Next, increase your protein intake, as protein supports the growth of new muscle and you’ll need to keep up with the changes in your body as you start to build more mass. Eat more lean meat, nuts, seeds, dairy, protein shakes, and the like, maintaining at least one gram of protein for every pound of your weight.

Try to choose fresh foods over processed and prepackaged ones, as the latter contain a lot of sodium, fat, and sugar that won’t do you any good. And lastly, don’t forget to drink plenty of water all the time! Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day will keep you well hydrated, prevent overeating, and can reduce the number of calories you eat.

do the right exercises

The main idea to get more toned is to focus on strength training; although you should start slowly if you are a beginner as too early will only be bad for you. The tried and tested method of building successful muscle for women is to do compound exercises, or a combination of several different exercises. Using free weights or exercise machines will help, as long as you do your exercises consistently and gradually. Doing sets of compound exercises on a regular basis will give you more results than isolated, sporadic movements. Deadlifts, squats, bench presses, lunges, dips, pull-ups, overhead presses – these are all some exercises that will get those muscles tight. Don’t forget to progress though, which means moving up to heavier weights or doing more push-ups as the weeks go by, as your muscles adapt quickly.

Lastly, if you really want to tone and sculpt your body properly, take some rest between workouts. Recovery is a vital part of the process; don’t rush through each routine thinking that the more you do in less time, the faster you’ll be ready for a Sports Illustrated Photoshoot. Relax, as your body and immune system need a break too. Don’t slack off though, make sure you keep up your training, otherwise you’ll lose all the previous efforts you’ve put in. In no time, you should be ready to show the world that building muscle for women results in a healthy and beautiful yourself!

Staying fit and healthy and looking absolutely fabulous is a woman’s right! To get your body the shape you want, you need to make sure you’re following a good program that works well for you and your goals. Unfortunately, there aren’t many bodybuilding programs that cater to women and the ones that do produce very extreme results.

Legal Law

Long-term care and the liquidity trap

In 2011, the average cost of a room in a skilled nursing facility was more than $70,000 for a “shared” semi-private room, and a private room was more than $90,000. That was the cost for just one year of care and for just one person or spouse. Considering that many will need care for 3 or 4 years (or more) and it becomes painfully obvious why seniors are so concerned about the future cost of care.

With this kind of financial responsibility, middle-class families are most at risk, but even families with significant assets can find themselves in a long-term care liquidity trap. It is not a question of whether high net worth families can afford to pay for these expensive services, because they clearly can. It is about creating the necessary liquidity to pay for these services in a fiscally efficient manner.

Families with significant assets often hold diversified portfolios of securities, government and corporate bonds, annuities, real estate, or other assets. Unfortunately, these assets are illiquid or selling them at the wrong time could result in substantial investment losses. As a result, a long-term care event can cause a significant liquidity trap. Paying taxes on capital gains or withdrawals from qualified retirement accounts to pay for care only adds insult to injury. Because of this, long-term care insurance still makes a lot of sense, even for those who can pay for care out of pocket.

It’s for good reason that financial advisors sell life insurance to their clients to pay estate taxes; It is not because they cannot pay taxes, it is to give liquidity to their assets. LTC insurance provides a similar liquidity benefit and, like life insurance, provides a number of tax advantages.

For starters, insurance premiums may be deductible on individual tax returns. Second, qualified long-term health care expenses that would normally be paid for with other sources of income are financed tax-free. For high-income families, this can translate into thousands of dollars in savings. Furthermore, if government policy continues to favor future tax increases for the nation’s wealthiest families, these tax advantages may become even more valuable in the future.

Today, those with significant assets can purchase linked benefit policies that combine LTC insurance with life insurance. This unique plan design provides a long-term care benefit along with premium liquidity. Many of these hybrid policies can be canceled for a full refund at any time for any reason, and if the policyholder dies before using their policy benefits, the full premium is returned to their beneficiaries through a guaranteed death benefit. If you don’t use it, you don’t lose it.

For high net worth families, a linked benefit LTC plan provides the liquidity needed for future care and protects your principal investment at the same time.