Myth or Fact: Low carb diets are good for your health

I'll answer this question right off the bat so there is no confusion... this is a MYTH. Diets low in carbohydrates are NOT... I repeat, NOT good for your health. There are many negative effects of going on a low-carbohydrate diet because it restricts many nutrient-dense foods and is ultimately an unhealthy long-term eating plan.

For one, a low carbohydrate diet will focus a lot on consuming high-protein foods and fats to substitute for the carbs that you are not eating. Some examples of these foods are steak, bacon, and butter. These foods are high in both saturated fat and cholesterol which are terrible for your heart due to the raised levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad kind of cholesterol) in your blood.

Another negative impact of a low-carb diet is that it is low in fiber. Americans are already used to diets that are too low in fiber and participating in a low-carb diet does not help this scarcity of fiber. Common sources of fiber are whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables - all carbohydrate-containing foods. Without a substantial amount of fiber in your diet, you may experience constipation or other gastrointestinal problems.

image source: proudtobeafilthyliberalscum.com

 

Since many low-carb diets cut out the carbohydrates consumed by eating fruits and vegetables, participants in this difficult diet are restricting their intake of vitamins A, C, and potassium. Since low-carb diets also frequently limit dairy product intake, many participants of this diet are also experiencing weaker bones due to their inadequate intake of calcium.

source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/400440-why-is-a-low-carb-diet-bad-for-your-health/

Motivation to Exercise

It is a pretty well-known fact that in order to be healthy, you need to exercise. There is no magic food that can instantly make you fit, although we all wish there was. You will also not get any healthier by simply pinning to your Fitness board on Pinterest. Those calories are not going to burn themselves, no matter how bad you want them to.There is a process to getting healthy, and the two factors that can show the most results are exercise and a healthy diet.  It is not enough to lay on the couch and think about exercising.  So, now that we have that covered it's on to the hard part... how can you get motivated to exercise?

One way to motivate yourself to exercise is to make plans to exercise with a friend (or multiple friends). Whether you want to go to the gym together, go for a jog, or play a pickup game of basketball, it is always good to have an exercise buddy. For one, it makes it harder for you to back down once you have already agreed to exercise someone. Make plans in advance so that you have a scheduled amount of time to get your exercise in.

                                                 image source: purepowerfitness.com.au

Another way to motivate yourself to exercise is to reward yourself when you do. Of course you will want to make sure this reward isn't food or a special treat that will just negate all of those calories you recently burned while exercising! One way to reward yourself by exercising is to make an exercise jar. Every time you go to the gym put one dollar in your exercise jar. Once you reach $100 (100 trips to the gym), you can reward yourself with a little shopping spree to spend your money. If you are a little less patient, another way to reward yourself by exercising would be to treat yourself to a manicure or maybe a new tshirt for meeting your weekly or monthly goal.

One other way to motivate yourself to exercise is to reward others by your exercise. In other words, exercise for charity. There are a couple of ways you can approach this. One way is to make the same exercise jar that you would make for yourself, however once you reach your desired amount of money, you would take that money and donate it to your favorite charity. There are also an abundance of races and walkathons that are for charity that give you a great calorie-burning benefit as well. So why not go participate in your local 5k race; it's good for both you and others in need!

source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/540771-what-are-some-ways-to-motivate-someone-to-exercise-with-you/

Synthesis and Plan

I have been researching all about nutrition and the well-being of people. I am fascinated by how people make decisions and what fuels their decisions to make healthy/unhealthy choices. Thus, so far I have beeing looking into why Americans are so fat and why people make unhealthy decisions. I have researched how our wealth affects our weight, how our choices affect our weight, and also how some people don't have much control over their weight. I have learned that many times a lower income leads to obesity due to the abundance of cheap yet junky food available. I have also learned that technology has played a surprisingly large role in the rise of obesity. Some questions that I would still like to discover with my research are:

• Is the price of healthy food better in the long run?
• Is the increase of fast food restaurants a main reason for the increase in obesity?
• Why do people go on such harsh diets when all they need is to eat healthier and get a normal amount of exercise?
• What would it take to motivate people to be healthier (both with diet and exercise).

Career that is best for you

When selecting a job to pay the bills or a career there are some questions that you have to ask yourself. When selecting a career you have to realize that one job today doesnt mean that you continue down that path the rest of your life. One job that sounds good today may end up a disaster or a terrible job today may end up as your dream job. 

What are your natural talents? Through out your life your peers compliment you on what your good at or something that comes naturally to you. Choose a job that lets you use your natural abilities.

What’s your work style? style is weather you like a strtict work agenda or a job with loose due dates and open projects.

Where do you like to work? locations can vary from city to local bussinesses. Also have to think about headquarters, at home, or traveling

Do you enjoy social interaction? Is interaction with other important or do you enjoy working by yourself?

How important to you is work-life balance? weather you like a long commute or a local job with a short day or long day with a lot of dedication.

Are you looking to give back? some jobs give you the oppurtunity to give to the community and some dont

Are you comfortable in the public eye? Do you like being judge by the public and hearing there opinions or do you want to do something privately with little recognition.

Do you deal well with stress? What stress level are you looking for

How much money do you want to make? how much money do you need to fullfil your dream lifestyle

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2010/12/06/how-to-choose-a-career-thats-best-for-you

Measure Success

If you go around asking entrepreuners or bussiness man if they reached there finacial goals many of them would say "yes" If you follow with the question of if they feel successful almost all of them will change their answer to no. Some of the most successful, rich people out there dont even keep track of there annual earnings. Meaning that measuring success off of a persons bank account is useless. When someone is trying to build up towards success its called momentum. As you build momentum your feeling of success grows and will continue to grow. Thing is though, 90% of people dont feel succesful with their jobs. The sense of momentum building is feeling of success. You reach full success when the momentum can keep growing without you guiding it.

Example: "My friend Georgia Hurd is not famous. She’s not rich. And she’s not yet attained the success she desires. She moved to Los Angeles to become an actress and has been working really hard to achieve her dream. She has been through some hard times. Money has been tight. Her work schedule often hurts her social life. But she perseveres. Her work ethic and her drive are amazing. She is so focused on where she wants to go, it is inspiring. After a couple of years of pushing and lots of wondering if it will ever happen, she’s starting to get some momentum. This week alone, she was called in to do a modeling job for American Apparel, she had some fantastic auditions and people are starting to take notice of her. What Georgia has found is momentum. It is that momentum that makes her feel good. It is the momentum that makes her feel successful."
http://www.askmen.com/money/career_400/426b_measure-success-simon-sinek.html

Fullfiling your goals, not dreams

People create lists almost everyday. People created grocery lists, to do list, and a lists of DREAMS! The ironic thing about the list of dreams is that a dreams is an idea or hope that is impractical or unlikely ever to be realized. Why would you create a list that will most likely never be completed. You need to change that word "dreams" to the word "Goal". A goal is something that somebody wants to achieve or accomplish. When creating goals you have to actually create ones that you plan on completing. Do not waste your time creating goals that you don't plan on spending time completing or want to complete. The more refined and defined your goals are, the greater your chance of achieving them. Once you create a goal or a list of goals you become goal oriented. To become goal oriented is to be strongly motivated and highly organized in achieving tasks that are specified in advance. Having goals give you the initial drive to begin fulfilling them. There are some personal characteristics that everyone needs to fulfill any goal that they will ever set.

• Determination. This is especially important with respect to big goals that will require considerable time and energy. One way to increase your determination is to…
• Break big goals into manageable stages. Smaller, “stepping stone goals” keep you from feeling overwhelmed. They also provide positive reinforcement and a sense of accomplishment along the way.
• Eliminate distractions. If your efforts are too diluted, it really won’t matter what else you do. When you are serious about achieving an important goal you need to push less important things out of the picture.
• Constantly evaluate your progress. To reach your target you must stay on course. That means checking you progress to make sure you are still moving in the right direction. Your path will always be somewhat fluid, so keep your eye on the ball.
• Believe in yourself. Doubt is a waste of time and energy. Deal with doubts before you start working toward your goal, not after. Doubt is the opposite of determination and engaging in it will bring your progress to a standstill.
• Make a commitment. Every important goal will present you with challenges along the way. If you are not totally committed to success, those challenges could seem insurmountable. Making a total commitment to success will shrink those challenges down so you can climb over them.
• Make yourself accountable. Tell others what you intend to do so you will feel accountable. This can be very motivating for several reasons. The more accountability you feel, the more motivated you will become.

With good work ethic you can accomplish everything!

http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/what-it-takes-to-accomplish-your-dreams/

all definitions from dictionary.com

Buying and The Mind

Article Title: Understanding The Psychology of Buying
Author: Pam Lawthorne (online marketing consultant)
Website: pamlawthorn.com

In order to have a successful business, marketers have to know how to properly appeal to there buyers, and in order to do that, marketers have to understand the psychology of buying. Lawthorne believes that it is easy to understand what buyers want, but difficult to apply into their own market.

The first basic psychologic aspect of buyers is that people buy on emotions and justify it with logic. The article uses a example of a Mercedes. A person does not buy a Mercedes because its a good economic decision, they buy it because their emotions appeal to it. They like the way they feel in the car. Then, after a while, they justify their purchase to others with logic. They say thing like "I need this to look good for clients". They give logical reasons to justify their purchases.

The last major aspect the article gives on the psychology of buying, is That people buy on believability. In order for people to buy your product, you must make the buyer believe that they need the product you are selling. The claim you make must be both beneficial and believable. People are more willing to buy if they believe that the product will satisfy. Both believability, and emotions are necessary in order to make a profit.