Synergy: the working together of two or more things, people,
or organizations, especially when the result is greater than
the sum of their individual effects or capabilities

Momentum toward your goals is generated when all components
of fitness are incorporated into your workout program.

” Heart-through cardiovascular workout

” Skeletal muscle-through strength training

” Joints-through flexibility exercises.

” Good Nutrition-through balanced sensible eating.

Some exercise is better than no exercise; however, if your
program is lopsided with one or two of the same activities,
you will not get the best results.

DRIVING THE CAR

Having synergy in your exercise program is like turning a
car as you are driving down the road. It’s much easier to
turn the wheel while the car is moving rather than when it
is sitting in your driveway. Momentum allows you to steer
the car, just as momentum allows you to continually progress
in your workout program.

ROLLING THE SNOWBALL

Another example of having synergy in your workout program
would be rolling a snowball. Once the momentum has started,
it keeps building and building. Keeping that in mind, it is
very easy to only do certain exercises that you like and
those that take less effort; however, because this will not
work, in the end you will end up having to workout harder
and longer.

In a Nut Shell:

It is really important to have all areas of fitness working
together and in the most effective way possible. When all
the parts are working the machine works better. Leaving out
parts of your exercise routine, just because you do not like
them, is asking for failure.

Greg Ryan is a high profile fitness expert and former employee of Kathy Smiths. Body building champion, public speaker and personal trainer to the stars. He is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT through real behavior change, smart eating and effective exercising. Start getting in better shape today!
For FREE MINI COURES click here http://www.resolutions.bz

Diane is one of my favorite clients.

A warm and engaging woman, she is a
loving grandmother and a talented painter. We workedI think of it as playing, reallytogether a while back to help her reignite her creative energy after a major move.

Diane was scheduled for hip replacement surgery recently, and she sent me a little note saying she was looking at it as an opportunity for greater mindfulness.

Do you see why I love her?

One benefit of mindfulness is an increase in our ability to shift our perspective. I wrote recently about an inspiring group of women breast cancer survivorsdubbing themselves the “Golden Mammaries”who use the word “memory” as their cue to shift their minds in a new direction.

Whenever they hear the word “memory” they mentally replace it with “mammary” as in “I have happy mammaries of that time” or “Thanks for the mammaries.” It’s a seemingly silly way to take a word that has become loaded with images of pain, fear and anger and overlay it with new, happier connections.

It has a way of making you grin. Happy mammaries? Now, there’s a perky mental image! Think of a pair of smiley faces. How uplifting!

It works remarkably well. Connecting words that have acquired any kind of negative connotation with ones that are more benign (or vice versa) is a powerful way to develop greater linguistic intelligence while enhancing mindfulness.

Diane knows what’s hip. She’s an artist, remember. But “hip” now conjures memories of limping, pain, surgery, and worries about getting older.

Yikes.

So, I offered this mindfulness trigger as a healing hip tip for Diane:
Replace the word “hip” in your mind with the swingin’ version of hip. Picture yourself swaggering with confidence and non-stop style. When you think about having your hip bone replaced, consider it an infusion of panache and wild creativity! You are literally having your “hipness” replaced with a sparkling new version guaranteed to help you go, go, go for many years.

Well, Diane was delighted with this assignment, and looked forward to shifting her perspectiveand boosting her awarenessby switching to this hipper than hip definition.

You can do the same thing.

Pay attention to a word that makes you grimace, or one that sends a little ripple of despair through your body. It could be “weight” or “wife” or “deadline” or “money.” Choose to notice that word whenever you hear it, and watch the ways you respond to it.

Recognize and replace your personal angst-inducing word with one that creates a sense of calm and offers a blast of confidence and humor.

Get hip to the words that worry you, and start seeing them as welcome opportunities to swagger!

Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse in Portland, Oregon. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she teaches fun and powerful eyes-wide-open alternatives to meditation. To subscribe to her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage, please visit http://www.MassageYourMind.com

Sharing our bariatric stories is as personal decision as electing to have the surgery itself. Some of us are very private and others of us are very open. Overall I think we do the best we can on any given day. There are times when the moment is right to share and times when it is best to keep quiet. Here are a few things this bariatric zealot has learned the last few years:

It is well known that when a person affects a tremendous change in their life they often experience a great spirit of sharing and a desire to convert others to the new belief system. This is an altruistic desire to bestow upon others their wonderful new life. Think of converts to religious beliefs or former addicts graduating from recovery programs; often these people reach out enthusiastically to others who are as they once were. The recovering alcoholic is a champion of reform to the drunken and depressed. The born again believer is a champion to the sinners and downtrodden. So it is with the bariatric zealot, a champion to the fat and hopeless.

The desire to share our stories - to make converts to the bariatric persuasion - is sincere and well intentioned. But just like the recovered addict or the new believer, we must tread lightly when it comes to proselytizing this new wonderful way of life. First, we cannot assume that every obese person we meet is in a place where they wish to hear about our weight loss success. Second, it is quite easy to hurt someone’s feelings by suggesting weight loss surgery - it implies inferiority, even coming from a formerly obese person.

Think back to when you were overweight and hopeless. Didn’t you sometime feel betrayed by a former fatty gone thin? Chubby folks stick together and when one betrays the band to join the tiny tummy league the others can feel exposed and vulnerable. They can feel like failures because one of their members has succeeded where they have given up hope.

On the other hand, a bariatric patient is an inspiration for the heavyweight hopeless among us, a living breathing shrinking miracle overcoming the obstacle of obesity right before our very eyes. It is my experience that this metamorphosis is the greatest inspiration of all. Let the physical manifestation do your talking for you and tread lightly on tender feelings. We all share a great empathy for the obese and should never forget where we came from, even after the giant clothes have long been tossed on the garbage heap.

When asked about the wonderful transformation weight loss surgery has affected, the opportunity is ours to empathetically inspire others with hope. It is an opportunity to commiserate. Obesity is a lonely place to be. Sharing an intimate understanding of that loneliness will go far to ease another’s pain.

Copyright © 2005 Kaye Bailey - All Rights Reserved.

Kaye Bailey is a weight loss surgery success story having maintained her health and goal weight for 5+ years. An award winning journalist, she is the author and webmaster of http://www.livingafterwls.com and http://www.livingafterwls.blogspot.com

Fresh & insightful content is added daily, check in often.

To subscribe to the LivingAfterWLS monthly newsletter “You Have Arrived” click on http://www.livingafterwls.com and enter your details in the subscription box.

Rubies have long been thought to have healing properties in treating both the blood and matters of the heart. When you say the word ruby you immediately visualize the colorful images of this stone, as well as an emotional response of passion, romance, and power.

Yes that’s the power and the beauty of a ruby! The deep rich color of the ruby ranges from fiery orange red to deep purple red. This rare gem is one of the most expensive gems and one of the most sought after.

The ruby has a history steeped in mystery and medicine. For centuries it has been used to cure and protect. Ancient cultures believed the ruby could cure ailments of the digestive system, energize the blood, and treat the heart. Warriors wore the ruby into battle because of its protective qualities.

The ruby as a gemstone for jewelry has a very interesting history. The crown of Charles IV of Luxembourg from the 1300s held a gem quality ruby that was a whopping 250 carats. The Smithsonian is home to a 137 carat cabochon star ruby.

The most expensive ruby ever sold at auction was a 15.97 carat stone that sold for $3.63 million in 1988. No matter their size or value all can agree that the ruby is a powerfully beautiful gem.

If you are in the market to buy a ruby [rubies] you should buy the best quality gem you can afford. Don’t go for size go for quality. You’ll not be disappointed. Rubies are treated with heat to enhance their color. Look for rubies that are a deep fiery red with not too much purple hue.

The more visible purple the less the value. Almost all quality rubies have inclusions, although they will not be visible to the naked eye, so you’ll need to examine under a loope. When purchasing your ruby look for a clear stone with few inclusions.

If you have to choose between good color and more inclusions or poor color and few inclusions go for the “best color. The cut of the ruby is important. A good cut will make the ruby look like it is glowing with a deep fire. Inspect the stone under good lighting to ensure there are no chips or scratches.

The different geographical sources of the ruby each produce specific characteristics, colors, and qualities. Burma is famous for producing the greatest amount of top quality rubies in a fine, clear, deep red. Burma is the most important source of rubies today. Thailand is known for dark red to brownish rubies. Ceylon [Sri Lanka] is known for medium to light rubies.

Africa is known for small purplish red stones.
The ruby is steeped in history. Ruby is July’s birthstone and is named the King of Gems. It’s history is recorded as far back as the Bible and ancient Sanskrit writings. The name ruby is derived from the Latin word for red - rubrum. It is the sister to the sapphire from the corundum family which is a crystal structure composed of aluminum oxide.

Red corundum is called ruby. All other colors are part of the sapphire family. Ruby is the most valuable member of the corundum family. In fact large rubies have been known to bring more at auction than the most flawless diamonds. This is because of the rarity of gem quality ruby stone.

If you are in the market for a ruby be certain to follow the guidelines provided in this article. Rubies are also being grown in a laboratory and are becoming available in the market in limited quantities.

These grown rubies are of identical composition, hardness, and brilliance to natural rubies. Synthetic rubies are also available for a fraction of the cost. So for those of us with more limited pocket books we may have to look at purchasing a synthetic or lab grown ruby. No one can dispute the beauty and mystery of the beautiful ruby gem stone!

Sher from Estate Jewelry International have been serving customers for over 20 years, providing affordable estate jewelry, and a wealth of information on jewelry, fashion, designers, and beauty with on staff industry professionals. Please visit us at Estate Jewelry International.

On September 1st, the efficacy and safety of vagus nerve stimulation for depresssion was published in the prestigious peer reviewed journal of Biological Psychiatry.

The data from the pivotal clinical trial of vagus nerve stimulation and depression was been on published September 1st, in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal of Biological Psychiatry. There were three articles published in Biological Psychiatry about VNS Therapy and depression. The articles confirm the association of VNS Therapy with significant antidepressant benefits that are sustained and/or growing over one year for patients with chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression. Secondly, the long-term safety of the procedure was confirmed.

“The response and remission and sustained long-term benefits realized by the patients treated with adjunctive VNS Therapy is remarkable, given that participants in the trials were some of the most treatment-resistant, depressed patients ever studied, with at least half having been hospitalized for the disease at least once,” commented Dr. A. John Rush, MD, Professor and Vice Chairman for Research, Department of Psychiatry, Betty Jo Hay Chair in Mental Health, Rosewood Corporation Chair in Biomedical Science, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX. “The VNS studies presented in these publications provide substantial evidence of a growing benefit of VNS Therapy over time when other treatments have not worked or have stopped working. This is particularly encouraging given the nature of treatment-resistant depression, a devastating and difficult to treat condition.”

The publication of these articles is very important to you because third party payers (private insurance companies, Medicare, etc.) will help facilitate the approval of reimbursement of VNS Therapy for depression. Although reimbursement decisions will continue to be on a case-by-case basis, this is a critical next step which will be viewed very positively by insurance companies, Medicare as well as your psychiatrist.

You can learn more about this remarkable treatment at http://www.VagusNerveStimulator.com There is a free newsletter to keep you up-to-date on the latest developments on this first ever FDA approved long term treatment option for chronic or recurrent depression.

Charles Donovan was a study study subject in the FDA investigational trial of vagus nerve stimulation and chronic depression. He is the author of:

Out of the Black Hole: The Patient’s Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression and founder of the VagusNerveStimulator.com Web site.

Out of the Black Hole: The Patient’s Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com and at http://www.vagusnervestimulator.com/book/

“Are Fruits Making You Fat?” was written by Dr. Jeffrey Banas from personal-weight-loss-help.com

Are Fruits Making You Fat?