Students Of Success

Car leases and car loans are simply two different methods of automobile financing. A car lease finances the use of a vehicle; a car loan finances the purchase of a vehicle. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks.

With a car loan, you pay for the entire cost of a vehicle, regardless of how many miles you drive it. You typically make a down payment, pay sales taxes in cash or roll them into your car loan, and pay an interest rate determined by your loan company. You make your first payment a month after you sign your contract.

With a car lease, you pay for only a portion of the vehicle’s cost, which is the part that you “use up” during the time you’re driving it. You have the option of not making a down payment, you pay sales tax only on your monthly payments (in most states), and pay a money factor that is similar to the interest rate on a loan. With car leases, you may also pay extra fees and possibly a security deposit that you don’t pay when you buy. You make your first payment at the time you sign your contract.

Buy vs. lease example

As an example, if you lease a car that costs $25,000, that will have an estimated value of $15,000 after 24 months, you pay for the $10,000 difference (this is called depreciation), plus finance charges, plus fees. When you buy, you pay the entire $25,000, plus finance charges, plus fees. This is fundamentally why a car lease has significantly lower monthly payments than a car loan.

Car lease payments are made up of two parts: a depreciation charge and a finance charge. The depreciation part of each monthly payment compensates the leasing company for the portion of the vehicle’s value that is lost during your lease. The finance part is interest on the money the lease company has tied up in the car while you’re driving it. In effect, you are borrowing the money that the lease company used to buy the car from the dealer. You repay part of that money in monthly payments, and repay the remainder when you either buy or return the vehicle at the end of the car lease.

Car loan payments also have two parts: a principal charge and a finance charge, similar to lease payments. The principal pays off the vehicle purchase price, while the finance charge is loan interest.
However, since all vehicles depreciate in value by the same amount regardless of whether they are leased or purchased, part of the principal charge of each car loan payment can be considered as a depreciation charge, just like with a car lease — its money you never get back, even if you sell the vehicle in the future.
The remainder of each car loan principal payment goes toward equity. It’s what remains of your car’s original value at the end of the car loan after depreciation has taken its toll. Equity is resale value. It’s what you get back if you sell the vehicle. The longer you own and drive a vehicle, the less equity you have.

Car lease versus car loan? Let’s simplify the answers and summarize them here:

1. The short-term monthly cost of a car lease is always significantly less than the cost of buying.
For the same car, same price, same term, and same down payment, monthly lease payments will always be 30%-60% lower than loan payments. This is still true even when compared to 0% or low-interest loans.

2. The medium-term cost of a car lease is about the same as the cost of buying, assuming the buyer sells/trades their vehicle at the end of the car loan.
The overall cost of a car lease compared to a car loan, over the same lease/loan term, is approximately the same, more or less, assuming the buyer sells the vehicle at the end of the car loan. Comparisons sometimes show a car loan to cost a little less than a car lease due to fewer fees, lower finance costs, and the assumption that a purchased vehicle will return full market value if it is sold or traded at the end of the car loan (often a bad assumption, especially if traded). However, when the benefits of wisely investing monthly lease savings are considered, the net cost of leasing can easily be less than buying.

3. The long-term cost of a car lease is always more than the cost of a car loan, assuming the buyer keeps the vehicle.
If a buyer keeps his vehicle after the car loan has been paid off and drives it for many more years, the cost is spread over a longer term. It doesn’t take rocket science to figure out that the cost of buying one car and driving it for ten years is less expensive than leasing or buying five different cars over the same period. Therefore, short-term leasing is always more expensive than long-term buying. If long-term financial benefits were the most important objective in acquiring a new car, it would always be best to buy the car and drive it for as long as it survives — or until the cost of maintenance and repairs begins to exceed the cost of replacing it. However, many automotive consumers have other objectives that reduce the importance of long-term cost savings.

Karin Boode is the founder of the Loan Info Center, who strives to provide valuable information regarding any type of loan via the http://www.loan-infocenter.com website. She has a special website, dedicated to auto loans, http://auto.loan-infocenter.com.

There were times when home improvement had nothing more to it than just some general repairs. However, today things are changing. People want their house to be more personalized in terms of aesthetics and functionality. Moreover, they want houses that subscribe to the trendiest home décor styles, trendiest furniture, and everything that makes their home stand out. Therefore, home improvement has become a more comprehensive activity that includes kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, roofing, flooring, interior decoration and more. No wonder, interior designers are now an integral part of the home renovation process!

A general contractor can be hired to undertake the entire home improvement project of your house. Though you may like to hire services of specialized contractors for different home improvement activities, it is more economical to hire a general contractor who undertakes all these activities with no less expertise than that of the specialized contractors.

Regular home improvements ensure that your home is always in ‘good health’ and thus is able to fight the odds of natural calamity and harsh weather. Also, home improvement is a wise investment you can make in your home, as this will leverage the market value of your home.

As a co-active coach, one of the underlying principles that I subscribe to is that everyone has their own answers within. Most of what I do as a coach is to give people the time, space and permission to find these answers (and sometimes I provide a question or two to get things going).

So, outside of a coaching session, how can we learn to access these answers that we all have? One thing that I’m learning is that the answers can’t come to me if my head is always busy figuring things out, working, talking, or reading. If I’m doing those things, I’m actually blocking myself from hearing my own wise answers.

One sure way to get an answer to a question is to ask the question and listen for an answer. We’re all quite well-versed at this practice, “Have you seen my briefcase?”, “What would you like to do for dinner tonight?”, “When is that report due?”.

And what I’ve noticed for myself is that I forget this logic when it comes to listening for my own answers. Rarely do I sit quietly and listen. Rarer still do I actually intentionally *ask* myself a question.

I’m working at increasing my practice of asking and listening for answers from within. Since I’m still a beginner, I thought I’d ask someone with more experience to speak further on this topic with us.

Karen Kofman, who co-led a workshop on “Gratitude” with me in November 2003, has a background in corporate training. She currently gives workshops of a spiritual nature involving inner serenity. Karen practices reiki, aromaptherapy, yoga and meditation.

Linda: What is your definition of meditation?

Karen: Meditation is a process to empty and calm the mind, which results in a sense of peace, serenity and calmness and eventually opening yourself to new insights and a sense of overall well-being.

Linda: How has your life changed since you’ve been practicing meditation regularly?

Karen: Meditation has come into my life very slowly, when I first started I didn’t notice much change, but over time, there have been major spiritual and emotional awakenings. I am more settled, less anxious, have more energy and am less judgmental of those around me.

Linda: What’s the best way for someone to start meditating?

Karen: The first thing I want to make clear is that meditation is not complicated, doesn’t take a lot of time, and can be done by anyone. Most of us have dabbled in meditation by participating in conscious relaxation, perhaps during an exercise class or sport activity.

Here is a meditation exercise you can try for yourself.

Start by paying attention to your breathing. The practical effect of focusing completely on your breathing leads to a sense of calmness, as it takes your mind away from the “clutter” that constantly tries to invade.

Take a few deep breaths to relax your body and mind. Begin to breath again and with each exhalation feel your body relax into a peaceful state. Let go of thoughts, worries. Feel the presence of stillness within you. Feel a softness around your heart.

If thoughts emerge, acknowledge them and go back to your breath. Continue this process for 3-10 minutes to begin and you may increase the time as you feel necessary.

With repeated efforts, the goal of clearing your mind to think of nothing will come more easily. You will have the ability to be clear and open and to welcome spaces for fresh and clean thoughts to emerge. The process of meditation will begin to take on its own energies.

Thanks so much to Karen Kofman for sharing her wisdom with us this month! It’s certainly inspired me to “stop and listen” more often.

(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of “The Everyday Self-Care Workbook”. To receive one of her free monthly newsletters, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/newsletter.html

Shop around.

Prices vary from company to company, so it pays to shop around. Get at least three price quotes. You can call companies directly or access information on the Internet. Your state insurance department may also provide comparisons of prices charged by major insurers. Get quotes from different types of insurance companies. Some sell through their own agents. These agencies have the same name as the insurance company. Some sell through independent agents who offer policies from several insurance companies. Others do not use agents. They sell directly to consumers over the phone or via the Internet. But don’t shop by price alone. You want a company that answers your questions and handles claims fairly and efficiently. Ask friends and relatives for their recommendations. Select an agent or company representative that takes the time to answer your questions. Remember, you’ll be dealing with this company if you have an accident or other emergency.

Before you buy a car, compare insurance costs.

Before you buy a new or used car, check into insurance costs. Your premium is based in part on the car’s sticker price, the cost to repair it, its overall safety record, and the likelihood of theft. Many insurers offer discounts for features that reduce the risk of injuries or theft. These include air bags, anti-lock brakes, daytime running lights and anti-theft devices. Some states require insurers to give discounts for cars equipped with air bags or anti-lock brakes.

Cars that are favorite targets for thieves cost more to insure. Information that can help you decide what car to buy is available from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ( http://www.iihs.org/ ).

Ask for higher deductibles.

Deductibles represent the amount of money you pay before your insurance policy kicks in. By requesting higher deductibles, you can lower your costs substantially. For example, increasing your deductible from $200 to $500 could reduce your collision and comprehensive coverage cost by 15% to 30%. Going to a $1,000 deductible can save you 40% or more. Just remember, the deductible is the amount you pay before the insurance company pays anything. For example, if the accident costs were $3,000 and your deductible was $1,000, you would pay $1,000 and your insurance company would pay the remaining $2,000.

Reduce coverage on older cars.

If you are running an old clunker, you might want to think twice about collision coverage. It may not be cost effective to continue insuring cars worth less than 10 times the amount you would pay for coverage. Any claim payment you receive would not substantially exceed your premiums minus the deductible. Claims occur on average only once every 11 or 12 years. Auto dealers and banks can tell you the worth of cars. Or you can look it up online at Kelley Blue Book http://www.kbb.com . Review your coverage at renewal time to make sure your insurance needs haven’t changed.

Buy your homeowners and auto coverage from the same insurer.

Many insurers will give you a discount if you buy two or more types of insurance from them. Also, you may get a reduction if you have more than one vehicle insured with the same company. Some insurers reduce premiums for long-time customers. But shop around; you may save money buying from different insurance companies despite the multi-policy discount.

Take advantage of low-mileage discounts.

Some companies offer discounts to motorists who drive a lower than average number of miles per year. Low mileage discounts can also apply to drivers who carpool to work.

Maintain good credit.

Your credit rating may affect what you pay for insurance. Credit makes insurance rates more accurate, fair and objective. While the use of insurance scoring varies from state to state and company to company, it is a fact that drivers with long, stable credit records have fewer accidents than drivers who don’t. Most people have good credit histories, so most people benefit.

Seek out safe driver discounts.

Companies offer discounts to policyholders who have not had any accidents or moving violations for a number of years. You may also qualify for a cut if you have recently taken a defensive driving course.

When you comparison shop, inquire about discounts for:

$500 deductible

$1,000 deductible

More than 1 car

No accidents in 3 years

No moving violations in 3 years

Driver training course

Defensive driving course

Anti-theft device

Low annual mileage

Air bag

Anti-lock brakes

Daytime running lights

Student drivers with good grades

Auto and homeowners coverage with the same company

College students away from home

Long-time customer

Other discounts

Don’t forget the key to savings is not the discounts but the final price. A company that offers few discounts may still have a lower overall price.

Joe Kahler is recognized as an expert on helping young adults successfully transition from home to being “out on their own”. His latest work has recently been assembled in his book, Out On My Own… Now What? Tips and Insights So You Won’t Be Left Hanging in the “Real World”!

Joe received his undergraduate degree from Whittier College in Social Sciences and his Masters in Education from Arizona State University. His experience includes teaching, coaching, running numerous businesses, investing, selling insurance and real estate AND attending numerous personal, “hard knocks” training classes!

http://www.outonmyown.com

Dentists hate you. But I suppose it’s okay to have an attitude if your entire profession revolved around pain, radiation, tooth decay, gingivitis, bad breath, blood and drool.

You dread the visit to the dentist all day long. You park your car and walk into the dentist’s office 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time in order to sit in their waiting room for an hour and a half. They teach the receptionist how to arrange such a schedule in Dental Receptionist College. In Dental Receptionist College all students are required to minor in How to Create Major Inconveniences for your Patients. They know that we might complain about the wait, but we are trapped there and have no choice. Our complaints are taped by secret microphones and played back during office parties.

Once you are there you get to sit down in the well-heated and stuffy waiting room. You can even watch TV, but you are not allowed to touch it. You have to watch whatever the dental receptionist wants to watch; game shows, soap operas and Oprah. This is the beginning of their sensory deprivation process that makes it easier for them to perform alien experiments on your body. If you don’t feel like watching TV they have a selection of 2-3 year old magazines for you. They know that old news will help calm you. If you still have any wherewithal left after thumbing through the magazines, your eyes will be hypnotized by the apathetic fish in the aquarium. Listen to the bubbling aquarium filter. Feeling sleepy? Listen to the alien music playing on the intercom. It is Celine Dion. She is the only alien to ever crack the top forty pop music market.

In the back of your now dulled state of mind you hear a voice calling. It is the hygienist. All of a sudden, after waiting 90 minutes, your appointment has a sense of urgency to it. They want to finish you up and go home. Now lie down in the comfortable chair. That chair has special alien gravity powers that hold you down without straps. Have you ever tried to get up quickly from the dental chair?

Let the blood pool in your head as you stare into the bright light. The more blood in your head, the more calm you are and the more blood they can take from you and use for evil. Notice the sterile room you are in. Doesn’t it resemble the spaceship operating room that is often described by hypnotized alien abductees? Now put on the safety goggles so that bone chips and broken drill bits do not fly out of your mouth and lodge in your eyeball. Look at the hygienist. She has a mask and goggles. Is it the same person who led you into the room? Maybe she is a victim of alien body snatching. Now gargle with the mystery fluid. It kills the germs in your mouth that may infect the alien population.

Dental professionals prefer to talk to you when they have tools and fingers in your mouth. The odd sounds that you make is actually the alien’s native language. You don’t realize that you are speaking alien and you soon get frustrated at the apparent lack of communication. Then you resort to just nodding at whatever they are saying. This is okay too because they have alien mind reading powers.

The hygienist now goes to work on you. They do not let you see the tools that they are sticking in your mouth. They take magician and gambling courses in dental school and are deft at the sleight-of-hand. There’s a reason they don’t want you to see the tools. You would expect alien tools to be space-aged equipment. But they aren’t. The aliens are sadistic and want to inflict pain on you. They have been using the same dental surgery tools since the Civil War. If you attempt to fight their gravity chair and peek at the tool table, they will shock your exposed nerves with a blast of cold water or cold air.

How sadistic are dental professionals? Did you know that the US Army Reserve unit that got into trouble for abusing prisoners at Abu Graib was a dental unit? There was a snafu at the assignment office and this reserve dental unit from West Virginia was mistakenly sent to relieve a departing military police company at the prison. These dental professionals were just doing what they were taught to do. Torturing and humiliating people.

Once the hygienist is done scraping every exposed nerve in your jaw she calls for the dentist. He likes the drill. The drill hurts but there are worse things. He was drilling on one of my teeth one day and we fell into a routine together. He would drill a little. Stop. Tears would well up in my eyes. Drill, stop, tears. Drill, stop, tears. This cycle repeated itself about 4 more times when he finally asked, “Why do you wince and tear-up when I stop drilling?” I said, “Doc, it’s that music! Every time you stop I can hear Celine Dion playing! Please keep drilling!”

The dentist is good at using euphemisms. “You are going to feel a little pressure,” means, “It is going to feel like a yellow jacket stung you on your tonsil.” “You are going to feel a pinch” means, “It will feel like this needle pierced the roof of your mouth and penetrated your eyeball.”

They speak in a secret code to the hygienist too. “Suction,” means, “Get rid of that quart of blood that is pooling in the back of his throat.” They even assign a secret numbering system to the dental tools. “Give me a # 3, or a # 4, or a # 8,” is shorthand for “the gum eviscerator, “the raw dangling nerve pincer,” and “the bone pulverizer.”

Now it is time for an x-ray. There is nothing more unearthly than radiation. Do you really think that a human invented the x-ray machine in the 1890s? That was quite a leap in medical science going from barber-surgeons and bloodletting to x-ray machines. Whoever invented the x-ray machine had some alien help. I really can’t explain what this machine does to you. They jam something into your mouth (a GPS?), immobilize you with a lead blanket, and then shoot strange rays at you.

Before you leave they tell you to floss. They want you to take a nylon wire and rub it in between your teeth until your gums bleed. This is the same principle as taking a linoleum knife and running it back and forth in between your toes. The last thing they tell you before you leave is not to eat or drink anything for the next 96 hours.

As you exit the building and walk out to your car in the parking lot you sense a weird feeling. Though you spent the entire afternoon at the dentist office it has only felt like five minutes since you first arrived and got out of your car. This is called “lost time” or “missing time” and it is the same phenomenon that alien abductees experience. Coincidence?

Something Ain’t Right

http://www.somethingaintright.com

There are a plethora of acne medications currently on the market. Some of these are prescription medications, such as accutane. Others are over the counter chemical compounds, such as benzoyl peroxide. There are even herbal based acne medications, such as tea tree oil. However, many of them are not as effective as advertised.

Part of the problem with finding the right acne medication is that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to acne. Different people respond differently to the various medications and treatments. However, there are several acne medications that have been clinically proven to be effective in treating acne, and these are the medications that will stop acne for most people.

Prescription Acne Treatments

Of the prescription medications, Accutane is one of the best. It is a chemical derivative of vitamin A, and is often referred to as the “miracle drug” for acne. Accutane is most effective in the treatment of severe cystic acne, and not to be taken lightly. For some people, the many side effects can be worse than the acne itself. However, this is one treatment that works.

Retin A and Renova are also prescription medications. These are topical derivatives of vitamin A, and are also good at clearing up fine lines, wrinkles, and slight skin discolorations. One of the biggest downsides is sunlight and other topical acne treatments must be avoided while using either of them. However, they are proven to reduce acne.

Birth control pills and antibiotics round out the acne medications most commonly prescribed. Birth control pills are used exclusively by women to help regulate hormones, and therefore lessen the hormonally related acne that many women experience. Antibiotics work by attacking the acne causing p.bateria as it grows deep in skin pores.

Over the Counter Acne Treatments

There are some over the counter acne treatments that work well. The two best are benzoyl peroxide, and salicylic acid.

Benzoyl peroxide works by penetrating the skin pores, and eliminating the acne causing bacteria that grows deep in the skin. Benzoyl peroxide is the most commonly used acne treatment because it is affordable, easily available, and nearly as effective as most prescription medication.

Salicylic acid works by removing the top layers of dead skin cells. This helps the skin renew itself faster, and decreases the chance for pore blockage and a subsequent acne breakout.

Herbal Acne Treatments

The vast majority of acne treatments fall under the heading of “herbal” acne treatments. The reason is because of the lack or regulation for herbal products. This can be very frustrating to the general consumer, because it is impossible to tell which herbal treatment will work to stop acne, and which ones will do very little at all.

Of every herbal treatment available, there are only 2 that are currently proven to stop acne. Tea tree oil will help get rid of acne, and so will green tea cream.

Tea tree oil is an oil derived from one tea tree plant that is unique to Australia. For several hundred years it was touted as a cure all, until penicillin was introduced to fight bacteria. However, tea tree oil has seen a recent revival due in part to study conducted in 1990 that proved it is as effective in treating acne as 5% benzoyl peroxide. Furthermore, it had none of the side effects that benzoyl peroxide does.

Green tea cream has been validated more recently, at the 2003 American Academy of Dermatology conference. It was proven that green tea is as effective in treating acne as a 4% benzoyl peroxide solution. Though the study has not been corroborated yet, it demonstrated that there is another herbal treatment besides tea tree oil.

These are some of the acne medications proven to work. For those who are experiencing acne, any of the aforementioned treatments would be well worth trying.

Greg Podsakoff is a former acne sufferer, and the editor of http://www.acne-treatments-guide.com

Payday loans are also called “cash advance loans,” “check
advance loans,” “post-dated check loans,” or “deferred deposit
loans.” But they all pretty much mean the same thing.

In the case of online companies, you apply for a loan through
the Internet. If you’re approved, the money is wired overnight
into your checking account. The loan is usually for one to four
weeks — until your next payday.

When the loan is due, the company takes the amount you owe
— plus a fee — out of your bank account. You can
“roll over” the loan to the next payday, but you have to pay
another fee.

But there are some facts you need to be aware of. You won’t see
these in the ads for payday loans. And you may have to search
the “fine print” on the company websites to find them. I call
them the Five Hard Truths About Payday Loans.

Hard Truth #1:

A payday loan will not solve all your problems

Remember, it’s just a short-term loan. And the quicker you can
pay it back, the better. Don’t keep rolling over the loan and
racking up the fees.

But you’re an adult. You can decide for yourself how you’ll use
the loan money and if you can pay it back when you get your next
paycheck.

Hard Truth #2:

You can’t get an unlimited amount of money

Don’t expect to get thousands of dollars with a payday loan.
Most loans you get will be about $100 to $500 — enough to
get most people through a crisis until the next payday.

Some payday loan companies advertise that you can get $1,000.
True, but don’t expect to get that much the first time you do
business with them. Once you become a regular customer, they may
raise the amount you can borrow — as long as you’re making
enough in your job.

Which bring us to …

Hard Truth #3:

Not everyone can get approved

Here’s the deal. They’re called “payday loans” because they’re
for people who have jobs and get a regular paycheck. If you
don’t have a job — or other income like Social Security
— you’re not going to get one of these loans.

Also, your job has to pay you enough. If you earn about $1,000
to $1,200 per month, you should be okay.

But these companies have other requirements you have to meet,
and for good reason. They don’t know you, they’ve never met you,
so why are they trusting you with their money? Because you prove
you can pay the loan back.

So you’ll need to show them you have a job or other monthly
income … you’ll need a checking account … you need to live
somewhere and have a phone number … and you can’t be a
complete deadbeat on the run from the law.

Sound reasonable? Sure.

And don’t worry too much about credit problems. They care more
about your current ability to pay back a loan than about your
past troubles with credit. That’s a relief!

Hard Truth #4:

These loans don’t come cheap

In general, you’ll pay up to $30 for every $100 you borrow.

Now, some pencil-pushers will tell you that’s like paying an
annual percentage rate of 390% or 780% or some such number.
They’ll say it’s outrageous when you compare it to getting a
mortgage at 6% a year, or paying 18% on your credit card charges.

Okay, but you’re not taking out the loan for a year — just
a few weeks at most. So look at the cost of taking out the loan
as a service charge. You alone can decide if it’s worth it to
you.

Want an example?

Let’s say you have three bills due on Wednesday, but you don’t
get paid until Friday. If you pay your bills late, you get hit
with late charges. If you write the checks anyway, and there’s
not enough money in your account, the checks will bounce and
you’ll have to pay fees for that.

Bounce one check and it might cost you $60. Bounce three checks
and it’s $180!

Now compare that with paying, say, $50 or $60 to borrow $200 to
cover your bills until payday. It makes a lot more sense to get
the short-term loan now than to get hit with all those charges
later.

What about “overdraft protection”? Your bank would love to
charge you extra for the service of covering you when you write
checks for more than you have in your account.

And why not? Some overdraft plans charge fees as high as $35 per
overdraft! It’s a huge money-maker for banks. In fact, the
biggest banks earn about $1 billion a year on overdraft fees.

What your bank doesn’t want you to know about payday loans is
that they may be cheaper than the bank’s overdraft protection
plan. No wonder so many banks are raising a fuss about payday
loans — it’s competition for them!

So before you think about using your bank’s overdraft protection
plan, take a close look at the cost. You may find that a payday
loan will save you some money.

Hard Truth #5:

All payday loan companies are not the same.

It would be nice if you could just pick any payday loan company
and know you’ll get a good deal. Sadly, that’s not the case.

I’ve scoured the Internet looking for the best companies. I’ve
looked at what kind of loans they make, what their fees are,
what kind of service they offer, and whether they’re easy to use.

After reviewing dozens of these websites, I’m happy to report
that you have some good choices out there. There are also some
questionable companies, but we’ll leave those for the
authorities to deal with.

If you do your homework, getting a payday loan may be just what
you need, saving you money in the long run.

Wishing you all the best in solving your cash flow needs!

“Opportunities are usually disguised…so most people don’t
recognize them.” - Ann Landers “The journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step.” - Lao-tzu Physical activity is the
best first step to health. It is the most direct way for you to
discover, or rediscover, the wonder of your body. It allows you
to experience vitality and provides an immediate sense of
control of your body’s health and well-being. In addition to
having its own inherent benefits, physical activity is a great
physical and mental health facilitator, and wonderfully
regenerative. Your senses come alive and are attuned more
delicately when you engage in regular physical activity.

There is good news about actually doing physical activity.
Research has shown that one can obtain its major health benefits
with a minimum amount of effort and a minimum amount of time.
The old myth of “no pain, no gain” and of long-distance jogging
as the only way to achieve meaningful health results have been
put into perspective. The evidence is clear: you can enjoy the
benefits of physical activity with the equivalent of walking a
half an hour a day, four or five days a week.

The Institute for Aerobics Research in Texas evaluated the
fitness levels of more than 3,000 people and followed their
progress for eight years. While the sedentary did have a
mortality substantially higher than the more fit, the principal
benefits of physical activity came even after very little
physical activity. Those who simply walked an average of 30
minutes a day decreased their risk of heart disease by almost
half.

The American Heart Association has stated that a sedentary
life-style is a risk factor for heart disease comparable to
smoking, cholesterol abnormalities, and high blood pressure. It
also pointed out that low-intensity physical activity, performed
regularly, can lower the risk of heart disease.

Any physical exercise is better than none! Housework, gardening,
shuffleboard–anything that causes us to move–is beneficial.
And, the benefits are not limited to heart disease alone.
Physical exercise reduces stress, improves eating habits and
weight control, increases good (HDL) cholesterol, and decreases
triglyceride levels.

When beginning an exercise program, choose an activity that you
think will be fun. Try walking, cycling or doing aerobics with a
friend, a family member or as part of a class. The company may
reinforce your commitment. If exercise is new for you, begin
slowly, and keep in mind that there are a host of activities
that you can try. And, for those of you who have been sedentary
most of your lives, the good news is that you have the most to
gain from even the simplest physical activities. Gradually work
them into your daily life. Start with small, comfortable
activities, for instance: (1) Walking to your destination
whenever feasible (2) Taking the stairs rather than relying
exclusively on elevators and escalators (3) Doing more physical
tasks around the house or yard. (4) Strolling around the block,
around your neighborhood, in the park, at the mall. Keep your
activity comfortable, keep it easy, and above all, keep it a
part of your life.

The following paragraphs summarize the work of wedding experts
who are completely familiar with all the aspects of weddings.
Heed their advice to avoid any wedding surprises.

Traditional floral centerpieces can be expensive especially if
you plan on having a large number of tables at the wedding
reception. While floral arrangements have traditionally been the
centerpiece of choice at many weddings there are many more
original centerpiece ideas that are also very inexpensive.
Depending on the theme and color scheme of the wedding, there
are a variety of low cost options available.

A wedding with a light-hearted theme hosted by a fun loving
couple might be a suitable opportunity to utilize candy to
create festive centerpieces. Clear glass bowls can be filled
with colorful candies such as jelly beans or M & Ms to create a
lovely and very inexpensive centerpiece that reflects the
personalities of the bride and groom. The candy and bowls can
probably be purchased for a fraction of the price of floral
centerpieces and create a lovely centerpiece that is easily
assembled and can be enjoyed by all of the guests.

The bride and groom can also opt for silk floral arrangements if
they are intent on having flowers as their centerpiece. Many
hobby stores sell a wide variety of attractive artificial
flowers that can be arranged by the bride and groom to create
attractive centerpieces for the tables. Using fake flowers gives
the couple more of an opportunity to express their creativity.
The hobby store also likely sells inexpensive vases so the
couple may be able to purchase everything they need for the
centerpieces in one location. Arranging the flowers in a vase is
nice but long stemmed flowers such as calla lilies also look
very attractive tied with twine or ribbon and simply laid in the
center of the table. The couple could either choose seasonal
artificial flowers or artificial flowers that fit the theme of
the wedding and arrange them in inexpensive vases or tie them
with attractive ribbons to create inexpensive centerpieces for
their wedding.

Another inexpensive option for a couple wishing to utilize
flowers for their centerpieces is to use potted plants. You can
find a multitude of inexpensive potted plants at home
improvement stores, greenhouses, and even grocery stores. The
couple can choose plants that match the other decorations for
the wedding or that will stand out amongst the other
decorations. These plants could be repotted into festive pots to
create attractive centerpieces for a relatively low cost.

It’s really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the
subject of weddings. What you learn may give you the confidence
you need to venture into new areas.

Balloons can be another option for a couple looking to have fun
yet inexpensive centerpieces. Balloons are relatively
inexpensive and can be easily found in a wide variety of colors
and patterns. The couple could choose solid or print patterns
that match the colors of the table linens. An extra tip for
these centerpieces is to weigh down the balloons with a piece of
candy. This will encourage each guest at the table to take home
a balloon as a souvenir. With a typical centerpiece only one
guest has the opportunity to take home the centerpiece but using
balloons makes it possible for each guest to take home a part of
the centerpiece.

Another inexpensive wedding table centerpiece is a picture frame
in the shape of cube that allows the insertion of a photo into
each side of the cube. The couple may choose to include pictures
of themselves during their courting or they may wish to include
pictures of them with the guests who will be sitting at that
table. This is a great opportunity for the couple to express
their individuality and share a little bit of themselves with
their guests. Artfully arranged photographs create fun
centerpieces that are also very inexpensive.

Candles also create a very attractive yet inexpensive
centerpiece. The couple may choose to purchase many of the same
candle or candles of varying shapes, sizes and colors to arrange
on the tables. Candles of the same size, shape and color can be
arranged in a uniform pattern to create a beautiful centerpiece.
Candles that vary in size, shape and color can be placed at
random on the table to create an eclectic appeal.

With a little bit of thought and creativity a couple can find
centerpiece options that are affordable, attractive and well
suited for the couple. The traditional centerpieces of floral
arrangements can be boring and also extremely expensive.
Utilizing creativity and ingenuity to create centerpieces that
are an accurate representation of the taste of the couple often
creates a more appealing centerpiece at a very affordable price.

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your
understanding of weddings. Share your new understanding about
wedding with others. They’ll thank you for it.

Many people don’t realize that their dogs, just like human beings, can suffer from allergies. In fact, about twenty percent of the dogs in the United States alone suffer from one allergy or another, with flea allergy dermatitis being the most common form of allergies in dogs. Other types include atopic dermatitis, food allergies, and inhalant allergies.

Signs and symptoms of dog allergies may vary but are often marked by persistent itching and discoloration of the skin (most common in skin allergies), coughing, sneezing, wheezing, and mucus discharge (most common in inhalant allergies), and nausea, lethargy, vomiting, and diarrhea (common to food allergies and other ailments.)

Over-the-counter preparations and treatments for common dog allergies exist and may be purchased at any good pet supply store, but care should be taken when choosing such treatments. Consultation with a vet is the best first course of action for several reasons. First of all, what you think is an allergic reaction may actually be signs of a more serious ailment and a vet should be the one to determine whether that is the case. Secondly, if the allergy is severe enough, over-the-counter treatments may not be sufficient to treat the symptoms and a prescription strength treatment may be required. There is also the chance that the dog does not have an allergy at all. The last thing you want to do is medicate your pet unnecessarily.

If you do think your dog has some type of allergy, consult your vet. The doctor will be able to perform tests to determine whether an allergic condition exists, how severe it is, and what the proper treatment will be. If the dog has an allergy to certain foods, it will be imperative to restrict the animal’s diet to eliminate those items that cause a reaction. The vet’s testing methods can help to determine whether this type of allergy exists as well. If the dog has flea allergy dermatitis (an allergic reaction to the saliva of fleas, rather than to the insects themselves), an extreme flea prevention regimen will be recommended.

Just like humans, dogs that suffer from various allergies can live comfortably with them if they are detected and treated properly. It is important to keep in mind that this is not a time to “play doctor” by attempting to diagnose and treat a possible allergic condition yourself. Only your veterinarian is qualified to determine whether your dog is suffering from allergies and what course of action to take.

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This article courtesy of http://www.dog-obedience-solutions.net