My return to racquetball began six months ago, shortly after my 42nd birthday. After a session in the 4-wall ping pong chamber, I quickly remembered why I love this game. Action. Speed. Aggression. Strategy. Lateral movement. Body blows. Talk trash … Racquetball has all of that, plus some excellent cardio. After an hour, he was exhausted.

The next day, I also remembered why I stopped playing. Oh. Pain in places I forgot I had. However, in a few weeks of regular play twice a week, and with a diligent warm-up routine, my body quickly acclimated.

I’m not a doctor or a professional athlete, but I love playing sports and being active, and I’ve learned what to do to keep my aging body in the game. If you want to get back to racquetball (and come on … I know you do!) Here are three areas you need to focus on to keep playing … and winning.

1. Don’t write checks your body can’t cash.

The adrenaline of the game can motivate you to make plays that will punish your body. The two most common body busters are: diving for the ball and hitting a wall. Add to that the hyperextension of the joints and hitting the ball with too much force, you have the recipe for a seriously exhausted body after the session on the court. If you play multiple times a week, these annoying bumps and jerks can turn into serious injuries that will take you considerable time to recover. If you are over 40, you probably have a few more LBs than you were when you were playing 20. The added weight combined with heavy impacts and lunges will lead to heel bruising, knee strain, or strained back (or all! !). I’ve had them, and the only way to recover is usually by doing NOTHING for a long time, and that’s not fun at all.

Don’t let your pride get the better of you. I’ve lost a lot of fellow players who put up a good fight for a game, but couldn’t come back next week to play again.

Use your head. Stretch for at least 15 minutes before playing. Precede your stretch with a short jog. Play against the side walls for at least 5 minutes. Practice playing close to the ground – it’s the low lunges that cause muscle pulls, so warm up that muscle behavior before playing.

Deal with your post-game battle wounds ASAP. Don’t be a hero and limp for a week; If you do, you are starting down the path of a long-term persistent injury. Ice it, soak in a hot tub, vacuum it up, wrap it up, etc. Sleep so your body can heal. Take glucosamine for your joints. If you take care of your body, it will acclimate … but don’t expect it to recover like it did when you were 20 years old!

2. Prepare

Glasses, shoes, racket glove and knee pads. This is your required battle gear.

Yes, the glasses can fog up … but the eyeballs cannot be replaced. Every time I contemplate taking my glasses off, I end up shooting at the cup. A compressed racquetball hitting the eye socket can immediately suck up the eyeball. Enough talk. Bring 2 pairs and twist them when one gets foggy.

Shoes. You need good shoes that fit well. Don’t grab your old nikes, get some new shoes. You don’t need to spend a fortune. Get 2 cheap pairs that you can rotate so the shoes have time to recover. If your ankles are a bit out of practice, you may want to consider wearing basketball shoes for additional support. If you rotate an ankle, it will be on injured reserve for quite some time. Or you can wrap your ankles before playing. Hey! It’s not about looking pretty … it’s about winning!

Racket glove. It prevents your wrist from straining into the carpal tunnel to grab the racket. It is worth the small investment.

Knee support. I’m not a big guy … 170 pounds, 5’10 “- and I’m in good shape. But, I wear knee supports, and I’ll tell you why. Because my knees were getting hit. You want to play hard, you’ll end up throwing yourself for the ball or running off the floor. You are a warrior, you can’t help it! In the heat of battle, your knees will take the hit, but the next day It will hurt. And every next game … they will get worse, and worse. Soon, You’ll have to stop playing for a while. Let’s face it, you’re not 20 anymore. Your body needs time to. Plus, you need to go to work on Monday and still be a pack mule for all your family’s waste! have enough body for your family!

Don’t show up with velcro knee pads … you’re not laying tiles! Simple slip-on, breathable latex knee braces that aren’t tight enough to restrict movement will help your knees survive.

3. Winning strategy: placement and positioning. Especially important if you are playing with younger dollars that have energy to burn. To conserve your energy, you must play smart. Playing smart involves placing the ball in the correct place and placing the body in the correct place on the court. Hitting the ball hard doesn’t win games. Putting the ball where your opponent is not does it. Make the bastard run. Make them dive. Make them beg for mercy!

Here are some gambling tips that I have learned that increase your chances of winning.

1. Quiver O ‘serves. You should have 3 or 4 good serves in your arsenal. Vary your service. Look back before serving to see where your opponent is. Hitting the backhand corner is good, but get it hit the side wall before it lands. Hit one that hits your opponents ankles, quick. Toss in a high corner dying balloon that you can’t reproduce on the back wall. Include a quick backhand that hugs the wall. Once you get your opponent to strike out on your serve, keep varying and feed the serves quickly. Don’t give them time to prepare.

2. Body positioning. Generally, regarding position, try to stay in the middle of the court. If you’re against a wall, take a wall cross shot to get the ball back where you are, forcing your opponent to crash into your wall. Don’t hamper the ball. If your opponent is up front on the court, push him back with a shot from the roof that forces him back. If you find yourself in a corner, get out of it and get back to the middle as quickly as possible. Stay in the middle.

3. Wait for the ball. When you get a good forehand, don’t screw it up. If you see a lane where you can hit the ball, make sure you are EXACT in your shot. If you are full of energy, you will hit it too hard and the ball will bounce too high, allowing your opponent to bounce back with a back wall return.

If the ball passes you, it is not big. Turn around and play with the back wall. Play your game, not your opponent’s game.

4. Find the Achilles heel. Play a variety of shots early in the game to find your opponents’ weakness. But don’t experiment when you have a fatal shot. Take the kill. Play with your opponent when you can afford it.

5. Keep service! You can’t score if you don’t have the service. If you are returning a service, it is time to GAME ON. Get service back at all costs. Don’t let your opponent raise a tab. How do you do this when they have bad service? Learn to read the body language of your opponents. Typically, a server will “telegraph” their movement with a flick of the feet, a twist of the wrist grip, a drop of the shoulder. These little ‘reads’ will give you that extra millisecond to jump into that service and get that son of a bitch out of the server box.

6. Placement, placement, placement. Make your opponent run, scramble, dive. EVERY shot should be difficult to return. That doesn’t mean it has to be a deadly shot or a hard hit. To place the ball where your opponent is not, you have to know where he is! Which brings me to my next tip.

7. Watch the ball and watch your opponent. Develop your kung fu senses. If your opponent is fighting, he will generally get weak returns (except for the occasional LUCKY kill shot!). Try to anticipate where your next shot will go.

8. And finally, my favorite tip. If you really want to improve, play at least 2 times a week and play with someone who is better than you. My regular partner beats me in almost every game. He is just a good ninja. A huge arsenal of deadly services. A wicked kill shot (forehand and backhand). And an excellent strategic player. This guy played competitively when he was younger and never stopped. BUT, I’m winning it and have hit it a couple of times. I prefer a challenge to a victory. I also easily beat other racquetball players.

GOAL … I don’t recommend obsessing over and playing more than 5 times a week. You will hit your body and burn your thirst for the game. Find some regulars you can play with and stick to a schedule.

Have fun, train, play hard and keep those youngsters RUNNING!

Everyone has heard of it, and all of us, at some point or another, have experienced a drop in hitting, but very little is said about a drop on the field. What exactly is a fall in the field? Good question.

Simply defined as the best I can, “a fall on the field is the result of a simple physical error that creates a mental and emotional fear of the baseball hit.” What what? It’s a phenomenal event that some players are more likely to experience than others depending on their attitude and mental makeup.

Sometimes when a player, especially a player who demands perfection of himself, makes a simple fielding mistake, such as the ball passing between his legs or a wild shot, a mental hurdle is immediately thrown that creates the fear of repeating. the error.

This, of course, is silly, but if you’ve ever experienced it, you know what I’m talking about. This fear may start slowly, but builds rapidly to the point where the player almost prays that they don’t get hit by the ball. Guess what, the ball seems to always find you.

An example of a quick sideline. When he was young he had a very strong pitching arm and was always positioned at third base. In a particularly important game, I remember it as if it were yesterday, I toppled first baseman and let the winning run score. From that point on, I was never able to hit a strong shot at first, instead aiming the ball.

The mental or emotional block was so immediate and strong that I had to switch to second base. Note that my fielding was unaffected, I was as good as ever, but I couldn’t stop aiming or setting the ball a bit. I know the pain of a fall in the field.

I couldn’t correct my problem, but over the years of minor league baseball and as a coach, I have learned a few tricks that can help you or your player overcome depression.

Mental fix:

The first thing that needs to be addressed is the mental aspect, as the physical aspect is usually not the problem, although it can be.

1. Stop and reflect on your past accomplishments. There was a time when you wanted to get hit by all the balls because you were confident that you could handle any situation. Try to remember some of the great plays you made. This is not being arrogant, you are thinking to yourself, it is also a fact that you made these plays.

2. If you stop and think about it, the brain must tell the body what to do to throw the ball. Go back to basics and mentally review all aspects of catching the ball, from crouching to seeing the ball in the glove.

3. After you reset the basics, use the visualization to really see each step you go through the basics. Visualization is a powerful tool, and seeing yourself correctly fielding one shot after another has a huge impact on your physical and muscle memory.

Physical arrangement:

Sometimes it does not matter that the culprit that results in depression in the field is mental, the mind will still blame the body and this is not abnormal.

1. After performing the mental corrections from above, it is time to institute the physical corrections. Again, get back to basics! Field slowly hit rolls, hundreds of them if that’s what it takes. Your intention is to re-granulate your mental and muscle memory, and it helps you read the ball, something you never know enough about.

2. Start fielding harder balls. It is imperative that you not only position groundlings, but attack them aggressively. Don’t let the ball play you, which is a major by-product of a fall on the field.

3. Finish the arrangement by hitting harder balls away from you, forcing your feet and body into the correct fielding position. This will conclude your retraining and restore your confidence.

Remember this … for any lingering doubts, the total ending to your fielding knockdown is identical to the single ball hit ending a knockdown, a long play away.

Wrestling is a sport that has become increasingly popular in modern times. Especially with shows like RAW featuring various wrestlers that people have come to know and love, more and more people are becoming more and more interested in watching and even participating in wrestling.

Wrestling takes place in a wrestling ring that is specially made to minimize injuries to the wrestlers. Schools and gyms often have wrestling rings or soft pads that can be used for wrestling; However, a fighting ring is not that difficult to build. However, building one requires many different types of materials, so be prepared to spend a little to get all the parts you need. However, you can reduce costs if you can buy the various items second-hand.

So, if you are interested in building a wrestling ring, this is what you will need to do.

Tools needed

Post Hole Excavator

Drill

Saw

Measuring tape

Hammer

Required materials

Thumbscrew

Nails

Cement

Metal posts (4 inches in diameter)

Wooden planks

Mattresses / Cushions

Nuts and washers

Eye hooks

Mattress pads (2-3 inches thick)

Canvas / tarpaulin

Foam

Tensioners

Rope

Instructions

First choose a level, debris-free area for your wrestling ring. The ring should be a minimum size of 8 x 8 feet if you have enough space, but if you have enough space, make it a minimum of 12 x 12. Use the tape measure to set the size of your wrestling and then get started.

The metal posts should be approximately 7 feet long. Use the post hole digger to poke 4 holes in the 4 corners of your fighting ring, each 3 feet deep. Glue the posts into the holes and let them dry; 4 feet from the post should be above the ground.

Use the hammer and nails to join the wooden planks together to make a base for the wrestling ring, making sure the planks are directly aligned with the metal posts. Use the mattresses or cushions to fill the rest of the base and then put plywood on top and use the screws to secure the plywood to the base. Alternatively, you can put tires inside the base and then lay the mattresses and plywood over them for added padding.

On top of the plywood lay the mattress pads or some other soft layer so the fighters don’t get hurt by falling on the plywood alone. Place tarp / tarp on top of mattress pads and sew, tape, tie or staple edges as securely as possible to prevent tarp / tarp from moving.

Now on the outside face of the 4 metal posts, drill a pair of holes, one below the other (about 3 total) and use nuts and washers to put a hook in each hole. Attach the turnbuckles to the eye hooks and loop the rope / bungee cord around the ring to function as the ropes for your wrestling ring. Use the foam (or thick pillows) to cover all the metal posts to avoid injury and your wrestling ring is ready to go.

Tips and Warnings

To prevent the rope from burning when the wrestlers lean against the ring ropes, wrap the ropes with duct tape.

Test the ring thoroughly before use, including ring strings, tarpaulin, and turnbuckles to make sure all parts are stable and secure. Run around the ring to make sure it can support your weight.

If you intend to have spectators around your wrestling ring, make sure the location you choose for the ring is large enough to comfortably contain them.

Do not attempt any professional wrestling move unless you are trained to do so, as mistakes can cause injury to you or another wrestler.

If ever there was a timely business book, “Save Your Small Business: 10 Crucial Strategies for Surviving Tough Times or Closing and Moving Forward” by Ralph Warner and Bethany K. Laurence it certainly is. Touted as a roadmap for small business survival, Warner and Laurence provide simple, sensible steps that can make a big difference in managing, saving, or, if necessary, closing your small business. Running a small business has always been difficult, but these days it can be brutally agonizing, if not downright terrifying. This guide can simply give you the information to make today’s bad economy, or tomorrow’s bad economies, opportunities so that in good times your business is ready to prosper.

The book begins by saying that it will be your small business companion and recommends that you create a business survival plan, prepare a current profit and loss statement and cash flow analysis, and establish an advisory board. It delves into the chapters that will provide you with the tools to help you decide whether it makes sense to continue, hibernate, close, or sell your business and offers some strategies you can implement to get your business back on track.

Chapter One: Can It Save Your Business? This chapter covers topics such as planning for the short and long term, selling your business, putting your business into hibernation, and saving your business. It also discusses some special considerations for retailers, services, construction, restaurants, wholesalers, and importers and franchises.

Chapter Two: Don’t Ignore Bad News. They address why you can’t wait, cut costs, change direction, quit, and sell. There are also strategies to determine how much to reduce expenses and act slowly to reverse the cuts.

Chapter Three: Control Your Cash Flow. This area can be one of the most important, especially for small businesses. Topics include: Keep paying your bills on time, how to make more cash and what not to do, how to use merchant cash advances, maximize credit cards, and borrow against your home.

Chapter Four: Minimize Liability for Your Debts. Are you personally liable for business debts? Liability for jointly owned debt. What can creditors do if you don’t pay? Prioritize debt payments, including payroll, taxes, utilities, and many more.

Chapter Five: Focus On What Is Really Profitable. Face it, the goal of a business is to make a profit. This chapter looks at how to get a quick profit plan on paper, make money in a service business, and make money in retail or manufacturing. It’s a short chapter, but if it makes you think about making a profit, you’ve done your job.

Chapter six: Innovating with little money. This chapter covers invention, copying, serendipity, and making innovation a continuous process. This chapter may inspire you to think of the next great gadget that every home should have. Depending on your business, this may be what you need.

Chapter Seven: Identify Your Customers. Before you can create an effective marketing plan, you must know who your potential customers are. This chapter is about how to aim for the bullseye and complete your objective. Topics include current customers, need, price, access, and experience.

Chapter Eight: Don’t waste money on ineffective marketing. If only we knew which of our marketing efforts is producing the best results. This chapter helps you determine things about your marketing, such as: marketing the right products or services to the right people, not spending a lot of money on advertising, asking for long-term customer support, encouraging customers to recommend your business, use checklists effectively, market on your own website, and make a sale to “try to stay in business.”

Chapter Nine: Handle Layoffs Fairly and Keep Your Best People. Laying off people is often one of the most feared tasks of business owners. This chapter provides guidance in this area by looking at: Making a smart layoff plan, the logistics of a layoff, and keeping the great people you hire. Very good advice for this unfortunate part of the business.

Chapter Ten: Don’t work too hard. That? If your business is failing, you have to work harder, right? This chapter addresses the importance of a healthy schedule and how to work less and earn more. Priorities and delegation are the keys that the authors discuss.

Chapter Eleven: Work With Your Best Competitors. The four areas this chapter covers include: Treating your competition with respect, winning business from your competition, working for your competition, and working with your competition.

Chapter Twelve: How to Close Your Business. Most people never want this to happen, but the reality is that it does. This chapter offers some good strategies if you decide it’s time to go out of business and do something else. Topics include things like creating a closing team, analyzing contractual obligations, dealing with owners, collecting invoices and selling inventory, notifying and paying employees, liquidating assets, notifying creditors and clients, paying your debts, paying taxes and dissolve your business entity. . This is not a pleasant topic, but unfortunately it is important if you have to go in this direction. The book provides a guide in the process.

Chapter Thirteen: Debt Management: Bankruptcy and Its Alternatives. Introductory chapter on these topics with some good advice, but you will need more resources if you decide to go down the bankruptcy road, or better yet, seek the advice of a qualified professional.

Appendix A provides guidance on how to prepare a profit and loss forecast and a cash flow analysis. There are undoubtedly more comprehensive references on these, but these short, basic basics about them will get you started and at least help you determine where you are.

“Save Your Small Business” is a good guide for the struggling small business owner, and it also provides information for the small business owner who doesn’t want to fall through hard times. Educating yourself about business is crucial to the success of small businesses. This is one more title from Nolo that will hopefully help small business owners survive, but also liquidate and close with less pain if that’s the course they need to take.

Eliminate Kidney Stones Safely and Naturally:

Kidney stones are accumulations of mineral salts that can lodge in any part of the urinary tract. 80% of the time, they are calcium stones (calcium oxalate), a condition known as hypercalciuria. This is mainly due to a diet that consists of too much animal protein. The consumption of animal protein is strongly associated with the production of oxalate. The body reacts by producing excess acids to digest meat and other protein-rich foods of animal origin and fish. Too much acids causes the pH balance of the blood to become too acidic. The body extracts calcium (an alkaline mineral) from the bones to restore the pH balance in the bloodstream. The remaining calcium is eliminated through the urine in the form of calcium oxalate. When there is a high enough concentration of calcium, it begins to crystallize and form small lumps, which eventually turn into stones.

A health-supporting vegetarian diet that emphasizes low-protein foods helps prevent calcium kidney stone formation in most people and would be of particular benefit to those who suffer from recurrent stones.

Symptoms:

Pain radiating from the upper back to the lower abdomen and groin, frequent urination, pus and blood in the urine, no urine formation, and sometimes chills and fever. The size of the stones can vary from a microscopic stain to the tip of a finger.

Recommendations:

• Herbal detox products can be helpful in dissolving kidney stones and removing toxins, chemicals, heavy metals, and thousands of other poisons from the body. We suggest using formulas that use whole organic herbs. If you are interested, take a look at the Kidney Bladder Formula and Hot Cayenne Extract.
• We suggest a high-quality integral food supplement, such as VITAFORCE, complete and made from whole foods that corrects nutritional deficiencies and strengthens the immune system.
• In the morning, drink the Kidney Flush drink; 8-16 ounces of distilled water. The juice of a lemon and a lime. 5-15 drops of Hot Cayenne Extract and a touch of maple syrup for flavor (optional). This drink can help eliminate toxins and dissolve kidney stones.
• Eat a diet that contains raw fruits, vegetables, juices and whole grains, legumes. In particular, eat watermelon, garlic, potatoes, asparagus, parsley, watercress, celery, cucumber, papaya, and bananas. Eat the watermelon alone.
• Drink an 8 to 16 ounce glass of distilled water every hour; essential for the functioning of the urinary tract.
• Take organic, unrefined, cold-pressed flaxseed oil every day as it has been shown to have favorable results with kidney disease. American Journal of Kidney Disease, 25 (2), February 1995, p. 320-329
• Useful herbs: Uva ursi, hydrangeas, juniper berries, nettle and marshmallow root.

Click here to view the Kidney Stone Detox Formula

Things to avoid:

• All foods of animal origin: dairy products (milk, cheese, butter, cream, ice cream), fish, meat, chicken, turkey, eggs, fried and fatty foods, margarine and all other processed foods and products derived from animals of your diet. These foods contain chemicals, pesticides, and toxins, as well as high levels of saturated fat and excess protein that cause kidney stones.
• Salt, tobacco, caffeine, sodas, coffee, sugar, and refined white flour (breads, pasta, cereals; replace with whole grains, breads, and pasta). These products are extremely destructive to the kidneys.

References:

1) James F. Balch, MD, Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, “Recipe for Nutritional Healing”, (1997)

2) AJ Ingram, et al., “Effects of flaxseed and flax oil diets in a rat 5/6 kidney ablation model”, American Journal of Kidney Disease, 25 (2), February 1995, p. 320-329

3) “Urinary calcium and dietary protein”, Nutr Rev 38 1980, p. 9

4) W. Robertson, “Should Recurrent Calcium Oxalate Stone Formers Become Vegetarian?” British Journal Urology 51 (1979), p. 427

5) “Diet and urinary stones”, Nutr Rev 38 (1980), p. 74

6) P. Shah, “Dietary Calcium and Idiopathic Hypercalcuria,” Lancet 1 (1981), p. 786

7) J. McDougall, MD, “The McDougall Plan”, (1983): p. 222-223

It really hurts to see how people struggle with projection. If you feel that your voice is weak or has no power behind it when singing certain notes, you will need to take a step back to analyze how it sounds. Take a good look in the mirror if you can while you do it. I’m going to point out the most common reasons why a good projection eludes a lot of people and how to quickly fix the problem.

I don’t know if you are aware of this, but when you speak, your voice is more powerful. Why then do you struggle to project the same power when you sing? The reason is very simple. You are not using your spoken voice to sing. And I’ll warn you right here. This is the hardest bad habit to break. And here’s another reason you’re experiencing the undesirably low projection levels with your voice. You lack drive. Yes, if you don’t press, it’s not going to happen. So how do you fix this singing problem and break the cycle of bad habits that have plagued your advancement as a singer? This is what I will recommend to you.

What I like about humming is that, if done correctly, it helps to focus the voice so that the voice is projected through the mouth area. Now to be sure that it is really projecting, you will want to hear a powerful voice that wants to jump out of your closed mouth and in addition, you should feel a buzzing sensation around your lips and a tingling sensation in the front of your face. . . If your voice is weak and you don’t experience any of the above, then this is what makes it difficult for your projection when you sing. How to fix this? Practice humming so that you experience all of the above when you do. Pick any old song and hum that song using your speaking level at first, moving up the scale as you hum. The irony is that if you can’t project your voice to speech level when you sing, you will have a lot of trouble projecting a voice that is not only fuller, but has a tone of voice.

Bottom line: voice projection is one of the most common problems inexperienced singers often experience. This little problem could prevent you from achieving your dreams of becoming a better singer. The solution is simple. Hum your way to better projection. Humming is by far one of the quickest ways to focus your voice so that you project it properly and more effectively when you sing. Who wants to hear a meek, weak and powerless voice that lacks conviction? I know not. So why would you let this easy-to-fix issue stop you? Hum in your talking voice and climb the ladder, and you’ll project your voice like a pro when singing in no time. It’s definitely one of the easiest ways to correct this common singing problem.

Most men don’t know what women want. Most women don’t know what women want. Sure, conscious choices are obvious. Things like “I want a man who is fun” and “I would like to date a guy who is confident” are pretty standard. But let’s face it, if every woman’s criteria for choosing her partner were as simple as these examples, we guys wouldn’t really have that much difficulty getting chosen, right? But we do. We really, really do. Most men go through the attraction process and, if they go far enough, they seduce like blind men without sticks or guide dogs. They are forced to feel the whole process, trial and error style. So let’s get to the point: what are the real rules? What do women really care about subconsciously? Here’s the oversight.

To really get to the heart of what happens between men and women when attraction (or repulsion) occurs, it takes a few million years to rewind. I’m serious: the roots of attraction lie in the groundwork laid down by our ancestors: our great, great, great, great … well, you get the idea. First you need to understand what the situation was (and still is). Women produce one egg a month. Men produce about 200 million sperm a day. Things are not balanced and are not nearly the same. Because women only produce one egg a month, they must be very careful with the men they allow to approach them and even more when deciding which boy (or boys) will be the chosen few: the men who get ‘ inseminate ” them. All of this is unconscious behavior. This is not controlled by the conscious mind of the woman (or the man).

So, women are the ones who choose men. They examine them, observe their behavior, assess their status and value, and then make their decision accordingly. But that does not mean that men are powerless in this game. Far from there. You see, in the days of mammoths and saber-toothed tigers (and millions of years before, to be honest) there were two main types of men. The caveman and the knight. Let’s define both. A caveman is a tough and smart guy, playboy style. His goal is to inseminate many different women in a short time. He has the tools to do it – he’s strong, motivated, and a tribal leader. A gentleman is less animal. He is trustworthy, helpful and LOYAL. He is the man you want around your children, but not necessarily the man you want to be the FATHER of your children. do you see the distinction? Women want a strong, high-status male to inseminate them (due to their tough, refined, and prolific genes). But they don’t want to be abandoned after getting pregnant by this guy, because he will inevitably hit another caveman on the head, take his wife, and get her pregnant too. So when they are pregnant, they want the caveman to ‘settle down’, relax, and become a loyal father. But leopards don’t change their spots. True tribal leaders can only be tied down for so long. But women don’t want a loyal man who is there to help and stuff, but is also quite tame and weak. So what do they want? They want a COMMITMENT. A perfect mix between a caveman and a knight. They want a tribal leader with a loyal and trustworthy personality. Fast forward to today, right now, right here. Do women really need a man to raise their children? No. Do you need a tribal leader to beat up your male rivals on your behalf? No. Do you still have the evolutionary programming that makes you want these two things and more? YES. Oh yeah.

So how do you adopt the attitude and aura of a tribal leader and a ‘gentleman’ in this modern age, an age of bars and clubs, parks and parties? A time of equal opportunities between the sexes. You follow a system. You use a formula. You become the man that women see, evaluate and realize is a man that all women see as attractive and that all men respect and admire.

The impact of the coronavirus on small businesses

As a human being, I am sure that you have been affected by COVID-19 (also known as novel coronavirus) in some way.

Whether that means worrying about aging parents, changing travel plans, or stocking up on work-from-home essentials for the foreseeable future, it’s hard not to feel the stress.

As a small business owner, you may see fewer customers as people limit social interaction, change travel and leisure plans, and focus on staying healthy rather than buying products and services.

Unless you are selling toilet paper or hand sanitizer, you may be concerned about the impact of the coronavirus on your small business; your income, employees, and empty marketing funnel.

So does that mean you need to bend over and stop your marketing efforts for now? No!

The World Health Organization has declared that the coronavirus is a global pandemic and it is a very uncertain time. However, I strongly believe in focusing on what we can do and change while finding opportunities in the midst of adversity.

Every challenge can be met with common sense, rational thinking, and even kindness. This is not the time for irrationality. I was watching a webinar the other day and someone said, “Worrying is like a rocking chair – it gives you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere!”

I know we are living in difficult times. The virus and how the global economy is responding to the preventive measures that are being put in place is something that will go down in the history books.

But as business owners, there is one thing we still have control over, and that is the ability to be resilient and make decisions that help us get through these times in the best way possible.

In this article, I share some ways you can tackle the marketing challenge during a crisis and keep your business running.

Let’s start by looking at two of the wrong ways to approach marketing during a crisis right now:

1. Make a joke about the coronavirus. A few weeks ago, it was common to see online memes and humorous marketing campaigns being shared. In Las Vegas, the jeweler even created a campaign to sell rings!

As more and more people around the world were affected by the coronavirus, it slowed down a lot. Making the situation lightly is not only in bad taste, but it will likely alienate a good portion of your target audience.

2. Play with people’s fears. It’s one thing to use a sense of urgency to sell your product or service, but it’s another to use scare tactics.

For example, don’t scare people into buying a first aid kit with a message like “Only two left! Don’t risk your family’s health!” Rather, focus on the benefit of being proactive and prepared when stocking up on medical supplies.

Make sure the angle and tone of your marketing reflects your customer’s current concerns and pain points without capitalizing on their anxiety.

How to Effectively Market Your Small Business During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Regardless of the type of small business you have, your priority should be to communicate clearly with your customers so that they feel comfortable.

Think about what your customers need to hear from you and how you want to position your business during this crisis.

Here are 3 ways to market your business during the coronavirus crisis:

1. Assure everyone that you are protecting your health. This is especially true if you have a physical location. This may mean sharing your additional sanitary practices, placing a hand sanitizer station in front of your location, or implementing a policy where all staff wear masks and gloves.

For example, WestJet shares its additional preventive cleaning measures due to coronavirus on its website.

2. Be prepared to pivot. You need to be flexible to better serve your customers. That could mean that instead of canceling a conference with a client, you change it to a virtual event.

If you are planning an upcoming workshop or event, pivot with your audience in mind. You may have already been forced to cancel or postpone, but don’t assume that everyone wants the solution you are providing.

Consider options like making it a virtual version of the event or postponing your conference to a later date. Or some people may want ticket refunds.

Surveys and questionnaires can be a great way to get honest feedback from ticket holders before changing an event.

And of course, take a look at all of your contracts to make sure you’re covered before making any changes.

If you’re a service provider, create other ways to help your clients like this fitness trainer did. It offered them a way to stay in shape that didn’t involve being around a group of people in a gym.

3. Make your employees a priority too. Don’t focus all your efforts on marketing during this time. Your employees are the ones that keep your business going, so how can you take care of them?

Maybe you can give your staff the option to work 100% remotely, while COVID-19 is a concern. However, remind them that you strongly encourage them to stay home if they feel sick.

The more you reassure your employees, the better they can support your business and your customers.

What Small Business Owners Can Learn From The Coronavirus

I know this is difficult, and I hope you can endure and focus on the present and serving your clients and staff.

They are afraid and what you do or share can help alleviate those fears. Remember to be careful and intentional with what you are saying.

If your small business is adversely affected by the coronavirus, it is also a good time to reassess your business fundamentals, including how CONVID-19 is impacting your digital marketing. How will you deal with a crisis the next time it happens? Are there things you would do differently to be more prepared or avoid losses?

Like everything else in life, this is a learning experience. Stay healthy, safe, and positive.

A popular topic of discussion among my friends is based on the idea that there are certain places in Tehran that MUST be visited. Having visited all these places is almost like a badge of honor.

I have been trying for some time to compile a list of these places and it is not surprising that I find it to be quite a large list. So here is a list of 19 places that, for one reason or another, represent the quintessential dining experience in Tehran. I stopped at 19 because I’m sure there are a lot of suggestions for number 20! The list is in alphabetical order:

1. Akbar Mashti

The origin and origin of Iran’s national ice cream is subject to much debate. Saffron and rose water flavored ice cream was first served on Rey Street (south of Tehran) in a shop that is still in operation. But the real Akbar Mashti can be found on Shahrdari Street between Tajrish and Ghods Squares. And indeed it is a true original.

2. Bahar Kebab

At the end of Bahar Street, just before the intersection with Bahar-e-Shiraz Street, it can be said to be one of the best sources of minced kebab (Koubideh) in Tehran. It’s not pretty, but the combination of the hot kebab and the fresh bread from the clay oven makes for a delicious meal.

3. Cafe Naderi

As one of the most iconic restaurants / cafes in Tehran, Cafe Naderi is revered for its steak “Chateaubriand” and of course its selection of coffees. Once famous as the hangout for Tehran’s literati, Café Naderi is located on Jomhuri Street near the Ferdowsi intersection, and is now more used to serving tourists and diplomats.

4. Estakhr Vanak

This simple and efficient restaurant is famous for its spring chicken kebab. There doesn’t seem to be anything complicated about it, but somehow they manage to make a better chicken kebab than anywhere else in Tehran.

5. Feraidoon sandwich

This popular sandwich shop is commonly known by a very unflattering name (which will not be used here). They serve a typical set of hot and cold sandwiches including chicken, steak, and tongue. It is particularly famous for its great fries which are fantastic. The store is located at the bottom of Eshgyar Street (also known as Niloufar) near Khoramshahr Avenue and is instantly recognizable by its old sign.

6. Dizisara (Iranshahr)

Considered by many to be the best place in Tehran for traditional abgoosht (stewed meat), this restaurant is a place where people from all walks of life come together to enjoy hearty food in traditional settings. The service is at the speed of light to cope with the constant queue of customers abroad. An especially lovely place to visit for non-Iranians. Dizisara is located on Azarshahr street between Iranshahr and Gharani streets.

7. Disciple in Takhti Square

No one is quite sure what this place is called and no one bothers to ask. All you have to say is “Disciple in Takhti Square” and it becomes clear. This restaurant works only a few hours during lunch. Before lunch, the disciple is still cooking and by 2:00 p.m. they are sold out. The demand is tremendous, so go early. The exact location is on Vatani Street, under a huge car dealership.

8. Joseph Sandwiches

The little kitchen of this little shop (located on the same street as Feraidoon) manages to serve up a surprisingly large number of sandwiches in one day. The Olivier salad sandwich is one of my favorites in Tehran, although Joseph is also very famous for his charcuterie sandwiches. Don’t be surprised if the guy in front of you orders 30 sandwiches. Those are typical Joseph clients.

9. Khoshbin

This is a very small restaurant, although you wouldn’t know it from the amount of people packed inside. Khoshbin, which is located on Saadi Street, just past Manoochehri Street, is generally known as Hassan Rashti. In my many visits I never met Hassan and I really don’t know if he exists, but the authenticity of Rashti food is beyond question. Try the salted fish eggs and walnuts as a starter and then order everything else on the menu. It’s so good.

10. Khosravi

Some of the foods on this list are unhealthy and not for everyone’s taste. Khosravi serves an Iranian adaptation of the deep-fried Russian Pirozhki and offers it with a variety of fillings such as sweet cream, potato, and meat. It is located on Jomhuri Street, just before the intersection with Hafez. If you go there, take a taxi because, in addition to avoiding traffic, you will want to ditch those tasty calories.

11. Moby Dick

Many of us have heard of the fantastic parties our parents had at Moby Dick, which today caters to the masses in a “self-serve” format. The system is like a school cafeteria. You grab a tray and walk along a long buffet ordering from the servers behind the counter. Options include a wide variety of freshly cooked Iranian and international dishes at reasonable prices. Most people go there for the famous Moby Dick Chelo-Kebab. The restaurant is located on Gharani street.

12. Muslim

As one of the many restaurants in the Grand Bazaar, Moslem is located on the square at the entrance to the Bazaar. As soon as you put your foot inside the door and you are led upstairs in a row, you grab a tray, grab your drink, grab your sides, and order your food delivered to you in minutes.

13. Nayeb (Vozara)

Among Tehran foodies it is almost a sin not to have visited the old Nayeb on Vozara Street and once you taste the steak kebab (Barg) you will understand why this branch of Nayeb has so many followers.

14. Reza Loghme

It’s amazing how many people who know Reza Loghme haven’t tried it. This little sandwich shop only serves one main item known as Loghme, which is deep-fried ground beef wrapped in Lavash thin flatbread. It is one of the cheapest meals in town and this is probably reflected in the quality of the meat. But the flavor of the juicy meat draws so many people to Calle 30 de Tir that it is a real struggle to order.

15. Reyhoon

Named after the herb that accompanies all of their dishes, Reyhoon offers a variety of kebabs that are only served with freshly baked bread. Although the prices are not low, almost every item on the menu is perfectly cooked. Start with the chopped kebab and then work your way up the menu.

16. Sahand

Some people are unfamiliar with Sahand even though it has a very solid reputation for serving some of the best Chelo-Kebabs in town. Their menu is reminiscent of Tabriz restaurants and includes some interesting options of chicken or lamb skewers. Unusually, they also bake their own small-sized Sangak bread. Sahand is located on North Mofateh Street before the Motahari intersection.

17. Seyed Mehdi

This midnight hangout is famous for three things: traditional ice cream, hot broth, and traffic jam along Vali Asr Street. Seyed Mehdi is actually two stores next to each other, one serving ice cream and Faloudeh (frozen noodles), the other store serving hot broth (Aash) and wheat porridge (Haleem). They close shortly after midnight and open only four hours later. You can find Seyed Mehdi as you head south from Tajrish Square down Vali Asr Street.

18. Shandiz

This restaurant is all about lamb chops. Of course, they serve all kinds of kebabs, but almost everyone goes there for their famous lamb chops, marinated and grilled in the traditional Shandiz / Mashad style. There are very few places that serve meat of this quality in Tehran. Personally, I have seen someone consume 3.5 skewers (that’s 18 lamb chops) in one sitting.

19. Yeganeh

Entering Yeganeh is like stepping back in time because they serve the same style of sandwiches that were popular during our childhoods. Whether you want a brain sandwich or a hot Bandari sausage, you can be sure that it will be heavy, greasy, and exceptionally delicious.