I can’t say as though I have ever met a person that said, “I just love dieting!”, have you? Probably not, dieting is just not that fun mostly because you miss out on anything you actually might enjoy eating, but we can make that diet a little easier by learning how to make diet shakes that taste great.

What is a diet shake? Truthfully, they are often little more than a fruit smoothie or protein shake, which anyone with a blender can make at home. The idea is to use them as a meal replacement, so rather than greasy bacon and eggs (oops shouldn’t have mentioned those), you can have a healthy and still filling shake in the morning. Though I am not currently dieting I actually drink these every morning. Usually I make them the night before and store them in the fridge until the following day, I love them! I have even managed to get my husband addicted to the morning diet shake.

I guess I should quit flapping my gums and get on with how you make them hmm. I will cover a couple of different shakes to give you an option and keep in mind that you can always change the ingredients to something that you might like more, you won’t hurt my feelings. But if you do have a great recipe of your own I would love to hear it, you can share the recipe with everyone in the comment section at the bottom of the page. Alright so hear you go:

How to Make Diet Shakes

Super Dooper Fruit Shake – This particular diet shake is my favorite and what I often drink in the morning as a meal replacement. I do sometimes change out the types of fruit used for something a little different, you can also add a rounded scoop of any protein powder from your local supplement store for a little extra kick.

In your blender mix:

1 8oz container of non-fat plain yogurt

1-1/2 cups of fresh or frozen strawberries

1 whole banana (peeled)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup skim milk (more or less for desired thickness)

2 tablespoons pineapple juice(gives it a great tropical flavor)

Blend all ingredients on puree for about 10 – 15 seconds or until smooth. Pour into glasses and enjoy your way to a better body.

Creamy Chocolate Delight Shake – This diet shake is my husbands personal favorite. You can again vary the ingredients, but it is made with chocolate protein powder which I would imagine could be substituted easily enough.

In your blender mix:

4 ounces of water

4 ounces of skim milk

4 ice cubes

2 scoops of chocolate protein powder (any brand should work)

1 whole banana (peeled)

Again blend all of the ingredients until it has a smooth texture, pour into glass and enjoy. You can also leave out the milk and use 8 ounces of water, though the milk makes it much creamier.

Let me know how you like them

Once you get a chance to try out the diet shake recipes above I would love to hear what you think about them. And remember, if you have your own recipes on how to make diet shakes please share them with the rest of us.

I have always been an advocate of saying what’s on your mind, but the question here is, is that appropriate in the business world? My answer, Absolutely! To an extent….?

Outspoken Workers

Whether you like them or not, outspoken people tend to prosper in the workplace. They are not afraid of sharing their thoughts or feelings on any particular matter, they are not afraid to speak out in the middle of a board room meeting or talk one on one with the boss in the privacy of his or her office.

Everybody, at some point in time, will have a great idea especially if they know their field of work. The outspoken crowd will be more likely to hit on those ideas in front of coworkers and higher ups. It makes them naturally look good in the eyes of a company, they often look like the type of people that get the job done, they are leaders who appear to always be on the lookout for the company, keeping track of the companies’ best interests.

The Silent Type

In a lot of cases the silent type are more genuine and caring, they are often highly focused on the task at hand but they also tend to be shy and show little signs of power and leadership. Most companies will not look at a shy or quiet person as someone well suited for a management position. That persons inability to speak out in a crowd may affect and/or weaken communication among the employees. Companies are usually looking for people who are strong and not afraid to take charge under any situation.

If you would be considered the silent type, it is time to come out of your shell and let the world know that you are here. I used to be one of you when I was younger, if I were around a group of people I would clam up and have nothing to say. One day I made a commitment to myself that I would change, I would demand to be seen for my skills and expertise and on top of that I would be taken seriously. So the following day I went to work, mustered up everything I had and shared my ideas with all right in the middle of our morning meeting. You know what, people liked my ideas and I began progress in my job, but it wasn’t easy by any means. That morning when my mouth started talking I felt like crawling in a hole from sheer embarrassment. But when it was all over and people were talking about what I had to say, it honestly felt really really good. Oh and by the way, since that day I have had the pleasure of speaking at conferences and seminars in front of hundreds of people, which is something I could have never done had I not taking those steps.

Stay Away from Extremes

While I did have a lot of good things to say about those of you that like to speak up, it can be easy to take it too far. You have to learn when the best and appropriate times are to share your knowledge. I have crossed paths with many people that just blurt out whatever they are thinking at that particular time, and I can guarantee you that nobody likes that, it will come off as though you are only interested in what you have to say and not anyone else in the room.

Once you find that good mesh between silent type and outspoken, you will be amazed at just how fast you can climb the ranks to higher positions and of course the always great pay raise.

There are popular fish names and then there are funny pet names for fish, I am not quite sure which one is which, but either way naming your pet is fun. While this article is pretty off topic for this blog, it was inspired by a recent event and felt that it would be fun to write about.

My daughter (2 yrs old) absolutely loves fish! Ask her what she wants to do when we go out and the answer is almost always “go to the pet store and look at fishies”. So I thought it would be fun to get her a pet fish and her and I took a little trip down to the local Petco to buy her new friend. After almost an hour of searching and talking to store clerks about the best choice for us, we happily walked away with a beautiful blue Betta fish, now named Snuggles.

While Snuggles is definitely a funny name for a pet fish, since you can’t really snuggle with it, it was a long process coming to that final choice. In the midst of my daughters decision making we came up with Mr. Bubbles, Henry, Blueberry, Felix, Fluffy and Fido are the ones I can remember. Yeah it was a lot of fun and my daughter has quite the imagination.

If you find yourself in the situation of naming your child’s pet fish, you can get some ideas from:

About.com

AquariumFish.net

The Pet Directory

I would love to hear what funny pet names for fish you have, you can share them in the comment section below.

p.s. We also have a guinea pig named Cookie!

So, if you are asking this question, you are either a Sagittarius looking for love, or someone in love with the sparkling vibrancy of the Sagittarius. In either case, the answer isn’t an easy one. There are some who say that the only true match for the Sagittarius is another Sagittarius, but I say “Bah”. Let’s look at this logically. Step by Step and find the best match for a Sagittarius.

Step 1: Who is the Sagittarius? You Sagittarian, are an optimist from the word go, none of that half empty glass for you. You are full of life, energetic, and upbeat. Oh the clouds do come in from time to time, but blue skies always follow close behind. You are independent, and adventurous, two very strong reasons why your love life seems to flit and flicker like a candle blown in the breeze. Lover’s it seems, either try to tie you down, or loose their sense of wonder in your eyes and you find yourself off on another mad dash into a new romance. Don’t loose hope, we all know that even if you’re a somewhat fickle love, you are a champion in the friendship department.

Step 2: Love for a lifetime? Perhaps lifetime is too strong a word for Sagittarius. When a Sagittarian falls in love, they are a shimmering, shinning star, pulling all the world toward love, they rejoice in the excitement of romance, passion and bring their fire to the party, warming the hearts of all who witness their love. Put quite simply, Sagittarians love to be in love. This is what usually draws us to them, quite literally a moth to their flame.

Step 3: Attracting and keeping a Sagittarius. Attracting a Sagittarian, or being attracted by a Sagittarian is the easy part. Their inquisitive mind, and love of gab will have them talking to anyone with something remotely interesting to say. Peak their interest, ask them questions, show them your own dynamic personality and you are half way there. Remember to be straight forward with the Sagittarian in your quest, they don’t like to be played the fool and take their emotions very seriously. Keeping on the other hand…. Well that is the part of the Sagittarian that the rest of us may never understand. Tie your knots with love, leave the doors of your heart open, and perhaps the Sagittarian will be with you for years, but if you nag, or hold to tight, or simply allow yourself to settle into a rut, you will soon loose your love to new experiences in the arms of another.

Step 4: The Best Match for the Sagittarius. Might just be you, but a life time of love may be too much to ask of the Sagittarius you cherish. “If you love someone, let them go, if they come back ….” might have been written just for a Sagittarian. The Sagittarian will keep you in his or her heart forever, if you respect their independence. If you lead a life of adventure, the years may flow by with your love by your side. Yes, regardless of astrological sign, you are the perfect match for the Sagittarius, if you are independent, adventurous, lively, funny, and can let go when the time is right, to allow the Sagittarian his freedom. Don’t worry, if the friendship has been tended as well as the romance, Sagittarius will be in your life an eternity!

After a recent article I published about disorders that may be causing some of you to be having trouble sleeping, I wanted to follow-up with a list of natural sleeping aids that may help you get a better nights sleep.

Anyone who has flipped through a newspaper or caught a few minutes of the local news has surely heard the ridiculous amount of side effects associated with all of these sleeping medications on the market. Aside from the long list of side effects, many of them are also very addictive, which only leads to further complications. So my question to you is, why put your health in jeopardy(not the game show) to get a good nights sleep, when you can use safe and natural sleeping aids to do the same thing?

Your answer to my question might be that you don’t believe in natural remedies, but I will tell you that it is in your best interest to at least give them a try before you rule them out. So without further ado, here is my list the top 7 natural sleep aids, hopefully they help:

A Warm Glass of Milk: Often thought to be an old wives tale, many of us remember back to childhood when our mom would give us a warm glass of milk to help us get to sleep. Well guess what, it really does work. Milk, along with most other dairy foods contain an amino acid called Tryptophan, which your body converts to Melatonin and Serotonin, both of which are believed to induce sleep. One word of advice here, this works best on an empty stomach, protein for instance will counteract the Tryptophan and not work.

Turkey Sandwich: Turkey is again, a great source of Tryptophan as mentioned above. Tryptophan is one of the most common sleep inducers and surprisingly, has been proved to work very well in various sleep studies conducted around the world.

Chamomile Tea: The dried flowers of the Chamomile plant are often used to make a hot tea that is believed to have many healing properties. One of those properties is Chamomile’s unique ability to serve as a relaxant and sleep inducer. Chamomile was used by Ancient Egyptians and early European civilizations as a cure for insomnia among other health problems. Chamomile tea can be purchased at virtually every grocery store in the country as well as online. Fresh chamomile is the most potent and thus seems to work the best, but tea bags should work also, if that is what is available to you at the time.

Valerian Root: The use of Valerian root has been traced back as far ancient Greece. Hippocrates wrote about its therapeutic uses and at one point in the 2nd century, Galen prescribed Valerian root for insomnia. With such a distinct past, it is not surprising that several different studies suggest that Valerian root one of the best natural sleeping aids on the market today. You can buy Valerian root online through several retailers, and you can also find it in your local health food and supplement stores.

Melotonin: Melatonin is produced naturally within our bodies by what is called the Pineal gland. The pineal gland is a small pea sized gland in the center of the brain. At night, Melatonin is produced to help our bodies regulate our sleep and wake cycles. Melatonin supplements, however, are manufactured herbal supplements that are designed to avoid the side effects that are associated with many non natural sleep aids. Modern research shows that when taken at night, Melatonin supplements battle insomnia, by making it easier to sleep through the night.

Sleep Fix: Sleep Fix contains homeopathic ingredients designed to relieve the occasional symptoms of difficulty falling asleep, waking during the night, sleeplessness, and poor sleep quality. The homeopathic ingredients are formulated in strict compliance with the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States. Sleep Fix also contains a base of relaxing botanicals and 1 mg of Melatonin per dose.

Reading without enough light: While this method is not recommended to cure your insomnia all of the time, it will help you get to sleep in a pinch. When you read a book or magazine without the proper amount of light, you cause your eyes and brain to work much harder at trying to focus in on the text in front of you. This extra workload serves very well as a means to wear down your brain and help you get to sleep. This is why so many people read before bed, they might not realize it, but it usually isn’t the book itself that makes them sleepy, but rather the lack of good lighting as they are reading. Overtime, this method can cause problems with your vision due to the increased strain on your eyes, but as I said before it does work as a last resort.

Hopefully after reading this article, you will be able to put your new found knowledge of natural sleeping aids to work and get a good nights sleep. Sweet Dreams!

Lately, there has been a lot of talk going around about a new sub-culture called freeganism or freegan. Freegan, a mash-up of words, combining free and vegan, has been hitting the already strict lifestyle of vegans in major metropolitan cities around the world.

So what exactly do freegan’s do? Well, imagine that you need a new pair of shoes or some more fresh produce for your family, rather than hopping in the car and heading down to the local superstore, you would wait until night fall and head for the dumpsters in your area. That’s right, freegan’s place their focus on ridding the world of corporate America’s wasteful nature and putting discarded items back to good use, along with saving money and focusing on a “simpler” lifestyle.

While the process of dumpster diving is nothing new to our country, in fact I have crossed paths with several people that make a living from reselling discarded treasures such as electronics and furniture, but I must admit that salvaging food may be a little over the top for many of us, certainly myself.

Now you are probably thinking that the people taking part in this frugal lifestyle are those that are less fortunate than many of us. This however is not the case at all. In a special aired on the television recently, one of the featured couples consisted of a lawyer and doctor in New York City, but these are not the only well payed freegans, no, actually it would seem that quite a few of the people participating in freeganism are by no means experiencing a shortage of money. It seems that people are not turning to this lifestyle due to a lack of finances but rather to more of a rebellion against consumerism.

I must admit that while some of the freeganism methods seem to make sense, I have a hard time stomaching the thought of eating food out of a grocery store dumpster. My life has not always been easy and I am, by no means, used to the finer things, but I do worry about disease and illness, which I can only imagine is a very real concern for people taking part in this lifestyle. Take a look at the video below and decide for yourself.

Well, after watching the video what do you think? Did it make you hungry or sick?

There is a lot to say about this type of urban foraging, the idea of living without any concern of money and schedules almost makes freeganism seem sort of surreal, nothing matters. Its almost as if they have found a way to float through life without all of the worries we face on a daily basis, but at the same time we have to imagine that it really takes a certain type of person to flourish in this lifestyle.

I wish freegans the best with their movement, I think it is a positive step in the right direction, the videos that have been shown on YouTube and the news, really manage to show us all how much is being wasted and that is surely a good thing. For now I will stand on the sidelines on this one, but at the same time feel a little more compelled to do my part. Thank you freegans!

Turning debt into wealth, that has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Now what you are probably wondering is can you really turn your debt into wealth and if so how do you do it. Both are common yet respectable questions to ask and the answer to the first part is yes, you can turn around your financial situation. As for the second answer, well, the answer is a little longer.

The first thing you need to get started, is to forget all of the over hyped affiliate garbage that you have read on the internet. Programs that claim to offer a package that will turn around your debt in 48 hours for only $119, are the kind of slime that I am talking about. In fact if you found this article through a search on Google, you probably had to wade through a bunch of them before you got here. So just ignore the sales jargon that they all preach, forget the fake testimonials plastered across their sales pages and get started with a clean slate.

Now that we have filtered out the bad stuff we can get on to the truth. Turning debt into wealth is actually pretty straight forward. There is not any secret formulas or magic tricks, its simply the process of managing finances. The first thing you need to do is pay off your debt, and I know your thinking duh, but I can’t do that, when in reality you actually can do just that.

Paying off debt requires planning, budgeting, self control and of course having a little money doesn’t hurt either. Below are some tips to help manage your debt and then we can cover some ways to make enough money to help pay it off.

Planning, Budgeting and Managing Your Personal Debt

Figure out your bills – In order to pay off all of your debt, you need to know what debts you have, many families don’t. Take a weekend, or longer if needed, to make a chart of everyone you owe and the amounts owed. You may need to pull your credit report to do this, you can get a free one at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Figure out your budget – It is very important for you to know how much money you have available. The easiest way to do this is sit down and calculate all of the income for your household and then subtract all of your monthly expenses from that amount. Make sure that you include your rent or mortgage, grocery bills, car payment, utilities and anything else that you pay out on a regular basis. To make this process a little easier, or at least automated, you might try a tool like Microsoft Money, which does allow you to download a free trial to see if it something that works well for you. Continue Reading

Staying in shape is by no means an easy task, we all know that. What’s even more difficult is trying to stay in shape by yourself. The most effective method is to have a support group in place, so that you are not the only one exercising and feeding on bland rabbit food.

Family fitness routines are a great way to not only have your support group, but to also get everyone in shape. Let’s face it, the kids eat way to much junk food, dad has gotten a little lazy in his old age and you, well you just need a little toning.

So how do you do it, how do you bribe the rest of the family into a fitness routine without knowing they are doing it? Or how do you get them to take part willingly, thinking it won’t be quite so bad? The answer is surprisingly simple, make it fun for everyone. That’s it, that is all you have to do, make fitness fun. Below are some ideas to make those family fitness plans a little more appealing to the whole family: Continue Reading

If you are having trouble sleeping, it can be the result of many different things or conditions. Sometimes stress is the reason for not sleeping. Worrying about a problem in ones life can cause a person to have trouble sleeping. These are minor forms of sleepless nights, but other reasons may cause some concern. Sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome and uncontrolled limb movement can cause sleepless nights. Any problem that is causing you to have trouble sleeping, needs to be addressed. Sleep deprivation can jeopardize ones health.

Sleep apnea is one reason as to why you might be having trouble sleeping. Sleep apnea is an issue that you need to discuss with your doctor and can be considered serious. Basically, it is a form of sleep deprivation caused when the airflow is disturbed during sleep. This causes the person to wake up and gasp for air. It can be a scary situation if you do not understand why it is happening. Snoring plays a part in sleep apnea as well as being tired during the day. This sleep disorder can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack and high blood pressure. If you are having trouble sleeping due to sleep apnea, you need to seek medical attention.

People having trouble sleeping might also be experiencing insomnia. Those of you suffering from insomnia usually cannot fall asleep or cannot stay asleep during the night. Waking up and not being able to fall back to sleep can cause other health related issues. The body needs rest in order to properly function and replenish its precious energy supplies. If you suffer from insomnia, you need to talk with a doctor to see what you can do to correct the problem. You might also look into any direct causes of waking up through the night, such as noise in the room, spouse moving etc., are all common disturbances. There may be another sleep disorder or health problem causing it to happen. Continue Reading

College can be tough, it’s easy to get distracted with parties, work and family life just to name a few. Managing your time effectively can be even more difficult, not just for students but anyone with a busy schedule. Here’s the great news, time management is actually pretty easy once you set your mind to it, and believe me, it will make life much easier, very quickly. So without further ado here are 11 effective strategies that will lead to better time management for students with a hectic schedule.

Tips to Better Time Management for Students:

Create a “to do” list – One of the best strategies you can use to stay on top of things is to create a list or schedule of everything that you need to do for that day. You can quickly put the list together the night before, including the classes you have, a set time for studying, any errands you may have and so on. Make sure to be as specific as possible and stick to it, once you go off the schedule you will begin losing precious time. If you don’t want to write everything down with old fashioned pen and paper there are some free online tools that you can turn to for help. All of these free tools will allow you to create simple to do lists right from your computer:

• Ta-Da Lists
• Todoist
• OrchestrateHQ
• Remember the Milk
• SproutLiner
• Task Freak
• Bla-Bla List

Use time on the bus or carpool to study – If you are riding the bus or carpooling and often find yourself twiddling your thumbs along the way, you are passing up valuable time that you could otherwise be using to catch up on your studies. Not only is this a great way to catch up, but it also helps to pass the time, unless of course you enjoy chatting with the very strange person sitting in the seat next to you.

Set specific times for studying and recreation – This is where that “to do” list above can come in real handy. If you are going to practice effective time management skills you have to set specific times for each activity. Listen, we all know that college can be fun, all of the parties, taping freshman to the menu at the Taco Bell drive through, and I don’t want you to miss out on any of that. But setting strict time lines to complete your work will actually allow for more time to play with the duct tape, and feed beer to the school mascot. Continue Reading