How to Eat, Lose Weight, and Have Fun Doing it

Most of you remember the old days of the Atkins diet, and the South Beach diet, and all the other magical mysterious diets that claim you can lose 500lbs in just one week!! Well, there is science behind some of these diets, and some actually work to an extent. However, there is one key item that gets left out of these diet plans. It's called sustainability. Can you really give up chocolate cake for the rest of your life? No, you can't, there will definitely be an occasion where you will say "one bite wont hurt" and before you know it, you've devoured the entire cake... not to mention the rest of the buffet table filled with carby goodness. So what is a person to do if they want to lose a little weight and make it stick? It's called making a lifestyle change! It's one of the hardest things a person can accomplish. So in order to increase your chances of success you have to take small steps in the right direction, after a while these changes become habituated, and then you can move on to more good habits. I've put a bit of an outline in the following section that helps people come up with a customized plan of attack.

1. Determine body type to increase the efficiency of your workout:
1. Lots a fat and no muscle = 60% muscle building 40% cardio
2. Lots of muscle and lots of fat = 50/50 strength and cardio
3. Skinny (its hard for you to build muscle or gain fat) = 90% strength and 10% cardio
2. Take a look at what you already eat and look to cut out one or two items:
1. Chips, replace these with carrots or celery, the crunchy sensation helps with the craving
2. Sugary things: A lot of "low fat" items have a LOT of sugar added to make them taste better, so look at the labels. Fat isn't necessarily bad, just make sure you aren't eating tubs of butter. You can replace sugar with various substitutes (Stevia, Xylotol, Splenda.... these are the ones that I use) If you crave sweets for desserts, try making fruit based desserts with the above mentioned substitutes (or no added sweetness at all). 
3. Starchy things. Potatoes (use them in moderation), pasta, white bread. Try to find items that are whole grain. Whole grain rice is a good substitute for pasta; and avoid minute white rice. Starch gets converted to sugar in your body, so eating a bunch of pasta is almost the same as eating a couple spoons of white sugar! <== sadface
3. Places where calories hide:
1. Coffee: If you have a coffee with cream and sugar in the morning.... that can be up to 300 extra calories in your diet. Not to mention the amount of fat in the cream, and the sugar content. Try using milk instead of cream and sweetener instead of sugar. It will take a little while to get used to, but just think about the benefits of cutting out 200 calories from your daily intake!
2. Sauces: they can make or break a meal, and also make or break your diet plan. A lot of sauces have high sugar content and are full of preservatives and chemicals. Look for sauces that are vinegar and olive oil based and that use natural ingredients. 
3. Low calorie snacks: They are small, unsatisfying, and you will gorge on them! Get baby carrots and chew on them throughout the day.
4. Make your plan:
1. Start with moderate exercise (2 days a week for an hour each session)
2. Start with one food item to replace. For example, if you love chips, replace them as described above and don't change anything else for a week or so. Then add more and more items to that list of changes.
3. If you don't feel like exercising, just start and say to yourself "I'll just do 15 minutes" chances are... you'll just keep going once you've started. 

Make sure your family is supportive and on board with you. It is always easier to follow a plan if your whole family wants to get involved and follow the plan as well. If they don't want to give up their chips, you will be faced with a craving and the ability to get the item you crave (it's like a cocaine addict, they can't be around cocaine without craving or going after it) Make sure they know that this is something that is important for you and they must treat this change with respect. Communicate with them if they make your choice of eating habits seem stupid. If you have to.... call a family meeting to discuss the plan.

As with any diet and exercise routine, consult your doctor and get a physical to determine your baseline health.

There are lots of great sites that you can visit to find good workout routines based on your body type. I will post some at a later date as I want to review the sites thoroughly before I pass them on to you.

In the meantime, good luck on your weight management endeavors!

Tetrapharmakos

Do you know where this is? Why don't you discover it!

Way to start a post with an unfamiliar word that's impossible to pronounce. Well, lets break this down a little. I'm not going to regurgitate the definition for you all over my post, you can do that on Wikipedia (they're better at cleaning up that kind of mess anyway).  I'm going to attempt to modernize this old Greek thought and hopefully change around a few minds.

Tetrapharmakos is basically a four-part "cure" to living the best life possible. Traditionally, the four parts can be explained as follows:


1.  Don't fear God
2.  Don't worry about death
3.  What is good is easy to get
4.  What is terrible is easy to endure


I can tell that a lot of you are already having issues with this already. Particularly the God-fearing part.  Most religions say that we must fear God as part of our faith. What we must understand is that the Greeks looked at the gods in their own special way. Basically, they thought that if you didn't appease the gods (with slaughtered goats and virgins) that they would wreak havoc on earth (volcanoes, pestilence, etc..) 

Second issue I fell you may have: hedonism... Tetrapharmakos sounds an awfully lot like hedonism. For those of you who don't know what hedonism is: it's basically that we as humans want to avoid pain and maximize pleasure (in all its naughty forms). But tetrapharmakos is a bit different from hedonism, which I believe you will see later in this post.

Now that I'm done fortifying my position, lets get to the nity gritty.

1.  Don't Fear God: What I tell you, dear reader, is that you shouldn't fear things that are beyond your control. You must accept these things as inevitable and continue living your life. This does not mean that you shouldn't take an active role in your government, or be involved in helping a poorer nation. It means that you shouldn't fear, for example, Wall Street. Why, you ask? because Wall Street does not decide whether you will live or die, it does not decide if you will eat well or eat poorly. Wall Street is an easy way for people to gamble their money. Some make fortunes, others do not. What I want you to take away from this is that, essentially, you shouldn't waste your time and effort on things like stocks; you're better off saving your money and spending it on charity, trips, and food. Then, make sure you put some away for retirement in a retirement fund. I realize that retirement funds are linked with the stock market, but leave that up to the people who guarantee your fund to worry about.

2.  Don't worry about death:  This is a big one. Some philosophers have even suggested that the only motivation we have as human beings is that associated with death. For example, making a lasting impression on society, saving money for your children etc... So why should we not worry?  Because if you don't worry about death, you will have no regrets when it happens. So instead of worrying about what will happen to your children after you die, just live in the moment, enjoy yourself now rather than worry for tomorrow. This might sound a little fishy to some, just remember: everything in moderation. Don't go spending $340,000 on a car when you know that you cannot afford it. Just don't worry when, how, or why you'll die.

3.  What is good is easy to get: This one is really simple. The Beatles really had it when they said "All you need is love". Essentially, all you need in life is food, water, shelter, social relations (romantic and otherwise), and a sense of choice in your decisions. The rest is superfluous, so keep it simple. Have your core needs taken care of (by working..... duh) then take the rest of your time to do things that you enjoy doing. If you don't know what you enjoy doing, then you definitely need to get out there and have a hobby or two. If you are incredibly unhappy in your job, quit and move on. If you want to do something, make a plan so you can attain that goal and work tirelessly towards it. You'll find that motivation to, for example, save for a trip to Cambodia will come naturally. You'll enjoy the trip, and you'll enjoy working toward that goal. Because life is essentially just working toward a goal and enjoying yourself when you get there.

4.  What is terrible is easy to endure. This is probably the hardest one to wrap our heads around. Basically it is not talking about disease, torture, and bad things like that. What it means is that if you have to live through some uncomfortable circumstances in order to attain your goal, then they are easy to get through. Think about it, the last time you were living paycheck to paycheck it may have seemed like the end of the world. But in actual fact, there is a way out, and you made it (or are still on your way out). So take the initiative and make that path. The other thing that makes this last point work, is if you follow the first three, the fourth comes by itself. If you're care-free, happy, and you know what you can and cannot control then there shouldn't be much horror for you to endure.

To sum up, and give you the first push toward your new life, I would like to tell you a little theory of mine. Get your finances in order, work to pay of any debt, and spend your money in two ways: cover your basic needs (few frills) and spend the rest on activities (not items).  Do you really need that new flat screen? or would you rather take a trip somewhere....? your call!

Well hello there...

I didn't see you sitting in the corner. The bar is dark and the haze of cigar smoke is heavy in the air. Yet there, through the din, are my followers! 

It's been a long time since I have posted on here. A great deal has changed in my life. From one end to the other I have many new insights and experiences to share. So take a green tea, a little biscuit, and about 15 minutes of your day to take a break and a read.

Subject of my next post: Tetrapharmakos

Do your homework early and I will give you extra credit :-)

Your (sometimes) faithful blogger,

-Beatnotes

Happiness, and what it really means

Sadness is an unnatural state :-)

You all know what happiness is, right? Give me a definition.... not so easy was it?  Happiness is different for every person on this planet. What makes me happy is profoundly different from what makes you happy. I will admit, however, that there are subjects of overlap (e.g. a fluffy kitty makes me happy and also makes you happy)  But in the grand scheme of things we all want to have our own little brand of happiness and carry on our lives comfortably.

But what happens if your arm gets cut off?!?! Most people say something like this: "I would never be completely happy again". Here's where I'm going to blow your mind away; people who actually have had their arms removed report the SAME level of happiness they experienced before the amputation, roughly six months after the amputation. This is our mind's immune system at work. Once we learn to cope with a loss (whether it be losing an arm, family member, job, etc...) We return to how we were before the loss. There are some confounding factors though; for example, if you were to lose your job, and end up working much more demanding and stressful jobs for the rest of your life it would only stand to reason that you might not be quite as happy as before. However, when you consider this... how likely is that situation? Not very, if you have the experience, you can always find a job that you are at least moderately happy in doing.

At this juncture, you're probably wondering if I have a point to all of this; well, I do. And it comes down to making decisions. There are almost NO decisions that you can make, that you are going to be stuck with for the rest of your life (maybe a tattoo doesn't fall under that category though...). For example, if you decide to move across the world for a job, and that job turns out to be a big mistake... you can always change your mind and move back. It may take a little work to pull yourself you, but you can make the change. So, when it comes to making a decision; don't stress too much over it, science has shown that you will be happy regardless of what you decide (even if you decide to remove your arm [please don't do this though]) There is a difference between knowing your options and making educated decisions and wasting time waiting for the right opportunity, or analyzing an opportunity so much that you convince yourself that it's a bad idea; when in the end, it really isn't.

I'm going to share a video that goes into a little more detail about happiness that I believe you should ALL watch. It's on the TED website (which, by the way, is a fantastic place to get information)  A great deal of the information that I used in my everyday life came from this video and other psychological journals; let me know if you want some further reading and I will e-mail you some great PDFs.

Dan Gilbert on Happiness

Cheers!

An App!

Hi everyone!
I'm making a little announcement. Maybe if I make it public like this I will actually follow through. I have an idea for an application for Andriod, iPhone, etc... It ties directly into a post I made a long time ago about making a site for health and wellness.  I will fill you in on more details as time progresses (I don't want to show my cards yet, if you know what I mean) but I will be giving free beta versions of the program for testing to people who are subscribed to this blog. Furthermore, I will have some for twitter folk as well (but it will be a limited number)

Take care everyone! and wish me luck on my programing endeavors

How to Get a Job (the practical way)

Most of you have (at one point or another) applied for a job and had an interview to determine if you are a good candidate. Regardless of your current position, you may feel the need to find new employment. So I have come up with a little how-to to assist you in finding a job. The aim of this blog (as you all know) is about health and wellness; and your wellness is profoundly impacted by your career (or even a career-less temporary job).

I will not be playing this the fair way per se... as I said in an earlier post, the job market is a dog-eat-dog situation and I want to arm you with the tools you need to fend off the dogs and become the dog-catcher.  I want you to become "above" the rabble and be aware of your options, what the hiring party is thinking, and how you can separate yourself from the background.

With a good career, you will be happy, healthy, and possibly wealthy (although money does not bring you happiness, it DOES give you comfort in your lifestyle; and until we live in a completely communal society, it is a sad necessity)

The following is a bullet point system for the whole process.  A great deal of this information is available in various sources online and in books. I simply aim to reiterate it and pass it along.

1. Before you even apply:
1. Know yourself, what you want, and who you want to help. This could mean that you take a career aptitude/satisfaction test; or maybe a talk to a career counselor. All in all, make sure you know the kind of job you will be happy with. One that is rewarding and also provides you with the future experience and upward movement you need. For example, if you enjoy reading and mostly solitary activities; it might not be advisable to apply for jobs that require you to interact with the public on a regular basis (like a sales job). Instead focus on jobs that are more self-monitored, like library work or book-keeping etc
2. Tailor a couple resumes and have people look over them. Make sure you put only pertinent and your most current jobs on the resume. If you are applying for a job in the human resources field,  for example, list skills that you have applying to this (5 years of counseling experience, HR Certificate, Great communication skills). Then leave out information that is not as critical, like "I am interested in how radio-isotopes interact and have written a thesis on said subject". 
3. Get some professional new clothes. I do not want you to go spend thousands of dollars and a made-to-measure suit. Simply make sure that your clothes fit, they aren't stained, and they are up-to-date with current business-wear trends. This will save you from rushing to the store the day before an interview trying to find a shirt that fits and is under $5 because you didn't budget for a last minute expense like that.
4. Write a couple cover letters.  Test out different formats for your cover letters, have friends and family read them and give constructive criticism. There are many great online resources for cover letters and resumes; just do a Google search and surf away! Lastly, make sure you tailor, like your resume, a cover letter to each application; highlighting your strengths in the field you are applying for.
2. Looking for Jobs:
1. Like I said earlier, look for your interests! Make sure you check out many different avenues for advetisment as well. Your local online job-bank, newspapers, monster.com, etc etc. Don't limit yourself to advertised jobs either; take your resume around to different companies you are interested in, they will keep your resume on file and call you when a job opens up that they believe you would be suited for. This also shows you are interested in their company beyond the simple "I need a job".
3. The Interview:
1. Dress Appropriately. Do I even need to say this? really?
2. Have a copy of your resume, references contact sheet, and cover letter. This is for your convenience and theirs (sometimes the interviewers are not very organized and won't have a copy of your resume, it's best that they have something to look at).
3. Don't be afraid to bring a portfolio of your work to show off
4. Figure out what the company wants. If you are applying for a sales position, make sure you have a couple SPECIFIC examples of good sales experiences, times when you gave great customer service etc... They want to hear what job, when, what happened, and how you resolved it. The don't want to hear: "in this situation I would..." they want to hear: "During my time at Sears, I had an experience where .... and we both came to an agreement and left on good terms".  Check a Google search for more information about behavioral interview questions.
5. Have your lies rehearsed and backed up. I know it's bad to lie, but sometimes you have to. A good example of where to lie would be if you are planning on attending Graduate school in the next year, and you are applying for a full time job. Employers want someone they can have for as long as possible (because it's expensive to train a noob). Therefore, instead of saying "I plan on attending a graduate school in the next couple years" say: "My long term plan is to attend graduate school after 5 or 6 years of practical work experience, I would like to take a little break from school and get some hands-on experience"  That whole thing might be bullshit, but once you're hired they can't fire you for changing your mind. Essentially, don't give them any pause for thought (any reason do doubt hiring you).
6. Ask a couple questions: A good one to ask is "how long should it be before an answer is given on the job offer" That way you aren't waiting by the phone day after day for a call that isn't going to come. Ask about the company (but don't sound too dumb) and ask how the interviewers enjoy working at the company.
7. Always leave with a handshake. Also, leave with a smile, a "pleasure to meet you", and a "I look forward to hearing from you". 
4. Follow-up:
1. Send a friendly e-mail or phone call to check on the competition status. Don't be pushy, but word a nice e-mail expressing your curiosity on the status of the job offer.
2. If you don't get the job: Don't sweat it, move on. If you want to analyze your techniques, this is the best time to do it. See where you may have gone wrong and correct for the next time.

I hope this helps all of you! if you have anything to add, please put them in the comments section below

Time to Cut The Sweet Stuff

It's surprising how much sugar we consume..

We all know that sugar isn't that great for us..... but we binge on it anyway, especially around Halloween. It's part of our tradition that we walk around town and gather sweet goodies and then consume as many as possible in one night. It's also part of our culture (through our choices of food) that we eat sugar. Sugar has this nasty habit of ruining our bodies, not only is it hard on our liver, kidneys, and pancreas; it also contributes to our excess fat stores. Lets think back for a minute, do you remember when the "Fat Free" and "Low Fat" revolution came into play? Since then obesity has actually increased; despite increase consumption of "low fat" foods. What is going on?!!  It's simple really... when you cut fat out of a food product, it tastes bland and not very appetizing at all. So what do you do (as a food product specialist) ?   You add sugar to make it taste better.  It's no wonder everyone is getting so overweight! They are eating low fat products and thinking it's helping, when in actuality it is causing them to get bigger.

I would like all of you to take a look at the video I will post at the end of this article. It details all the scientific facts about sugar that everyone should know. But to make things faster for you readers out there, I'll make a list of things to avoid and things to do instead

• Tips:
• Don't eat foods that have "high fructose corn syrup"
• Don't eat foods that are high in carbohydrates just before going to bed
• Start using a natural sweetener (like honey) instead of sugar (or artificial sweeteners; they aren't that great for you either) in your coffee and tea
• Eat fruit when you get a craving for something sweet. Berries are a good choice as they are rich in good sugars and have a very sweet flavor.
• Using apple sauce in recipes instead of granulated sugar
• If you like chocolate: the darker the better (as it has less sugar)
• Stick to a plan of "no sugar"  you have to treat it like an addiction

It's not feasible to completely cut out bad sugars in a modern society, but you can reduce it. There have been rumors in the scientific community that sugar can contribute to a wide variety of diseases.... including cancer. These studies are ongoing, and I look forward to more results.  Thanks for listening, and please take this message to heart. You will feel like a new person once you've trampled your addiction to sugar.  (and as promised, here's the video) Sugar: The Bitter Truth