Author: George Zedan Page 1 of 2

Make Money Losing Weight..

A New Year brings new hope new resolutions.
We set new resolutions, sign up for gym membership and most of us forget all about our resolutions too.
The easy part is making goals, yet we find it difficult to reach them.

People are finding success now by signing up to lose weight. Imagine that earning money by setting our weight loss goal as well as a time frame. Different websites offer different compensation.
Here’s a example:

For example Eric set a goal of losing 72 lbs in 9 months. When Eric reached his weight loss goal he collected 2,952 dollars..
What’s the catch? When signing up online Eric pledged 200 dollars per month into the program.

Eric then had a weekly video weigh in to log his progress using an app on his smart phone which verify his weight loss. If Eric had failed to reach his goal in the specified time then his money would’ve gone into the community pot. The community pot is made up of all the other people who sign up like Eric but fail to reach their goal and then forfeit their contribution.

Ask yourself am I willing to set a weight loss goal for myself? If you answered Yes go ahead find the right community online get to burning the pounds and earn some money for your success.

Why it’s bad for high school athletes..California doesn’t regulate athletic trainers.

California has more than 800,000 high-school athletes  playing sports, yet the state does not require schools to have athletic trainers at practices or games—Just 25 percent of public high schools employ a full-time athletic trainer.It is the only state that does not regulate the profession of athletic training.

Anyone can call themselves an athletic trainer,  whether they are certified or not; regardless of whether they possess the educational qualifications, clinical experience or medical knowledge to practice.This puts student-athletes at enormous risk.

 

 

How many parents assume the athletic trainers in charge of their child’s safety are qualified to oversee his or her care? Athletic directors might not even be aware if their athletic trainer is certified or not. There’s nothing that mandates certification.  Sometimes  parents and volunteers assume the role, as do coaches, who are CPR and First Aid certified and must take a sport-specific concussion course and sudden cardiac arrest training. But they are not medical health professionals.

 

 

Athletic trainers are healthcare providers who focus on the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses. They are not gym trainers or physical therapists or chiropractors.Injuries, concussions, heat stroke, cardiac arrest, can happen at any second and immediate response is critical.

CIF data indicates that both public and private suffer from a shortage of athletic trainers. However, some of the lower socioeconomic sections (Oakland, L.A. City, Northern) report only 9 to 13 percent of schools having a certified athletic trainer. More affluent sections (San Diego, Southern, San Francisco) report having the largest percentage of schools having an athletic trainer at 60 to 77 percent.

What will it take for students to be protected? The CIF should consider allocating money from the media broadcasting deal that was signed with Time Warner now Spectrum as well as Fox Sports. These broadcast partners signed a lengthy deal to stream online and televise high school sports. Shouldn’t some of that revenue be spent to ensure the safety of the student athletes?

 

7 Brain Hacks To Stay Ahead in Life

This article by Elle Kaplan was originally posted on Inc.com 

1. 50 minutes or less

As entrepreneurs, it’s tempting to batten down the hatches and try to work for hours (or days) on end when learning something new.

Before you do, consider the following: Research says our brains end up powering down very quickly when they’re running on overdrive.

Ellen Dunn of Louisiana State University explains that “anything less than 30 [minutes] is just not enough, but anything more than 50 is too much information for your brain to take in at one time.” To put this into practice, make sure you’re scheduling your learning sessions for short bursts of time, using quick methods like flashcards. Schedule at least a 10-minute break between sessions to give your brain some much-needed R&R.

2. 80/20

The Pareto principle, otherwise known as the 80/20 rule, was originally developed by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, when he discovered that 20 percent of the farms produced 80 percent of Italy’s crops.

Nowadays, productivity expert Tim Ferriss has popularized a modern approach to this rule for faster learning. He says you should focus first on the most important 20 percent of what you’re trying to learn, which will actually cover 80 percent of what you need to know.

Ask yourself: What are the most important elements that yield the biggest return on investment? For example, if you’re learning a foreign language — what 20 percent of words are used 80 percent of the time?

3. Stop the multitasking

Your brain is like a computer — when you have several tabs open in your browser, it slows down processing speed. Research shows that working on multiple tasks at once detracts from the quality of all of them. And a study found that when you get distracted, it takes an average of 25 minutes to return to the task at hand. That’s a lot of time wasted.

In our age of constant distraction, it’s important to close out your email during your sessions. Silence your phone and turn off your notifications. Multitasking slows down your learning and inhibits your brain from performing at its highest function.

4. Change up your learning methods

Reconsolidation — the process by which memories are recalled and modified with new knowledge — plays a pivotal role in strengthening skills and learning.

A Johns Hopkins study found that “if you perform a slightly modified version of a task you want to master, you actually learn more and faster than if you just keep practicing the exact same thing multiple times in a row.”

Think about modifying your self-teaching techniques as you learn. If you use flashcards in one session, think about a more hands-on method the next time, or listening to a podcast or webinar. This will help your brain remember and recall information at a quicker rate.

5. Learn from the masters

Robert Greene emphasizes the need for an expert mentor in his book Mastery. He talks about the “ideal apprenticeship,” noting that having guidance from people who have already mastered the skill you want to learn is invaluable.

The word apprenticeship may summon medieval images of a blacksmith and his assistant, but in the information age, you can be mentored via YouTube, Skype, or even professional services like MicroMentor. And, speaking as someone who mentors young professionals, others are happy to help you along your journey.

6. Take notes the old-fashioned way

Princeton University and UCLA researchers found that taking notes by hand leads to more active listening and the ability to identify important concepts. On the other hand, laptop notes lead to more mindless transcription and open up more opportunities to check Facebook and get distracted.

The tip from this study is obvious: Ditch the typing in favor of plain old pen and paper. When taking notes, only write down what matters. Stick to keywords and short sentences in lieu of writing down notes verbatim.

7. Prepare for the long game

We’ve all experienced it — that moment when you run out of time, money, or motivation to keep learning something new and quit. Seth Godin calls it “the dip” — when the honeymoon phase of learning a new skill wanes.

The best way to avoid this dip is to prepare for it and know it will come at some point.

As Steve Jobs once said, “Half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the nonsuccessful ones is pure perseverance.” Remember, learning something new isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Those who are persistent through this time will be the ones to succeed.

Fitness Myths to Know and Avoid

It is no secret that the health and fitness world comes with its fair share of myths and old wives’ tales — from those concerning one’s dietary habits to how hard one must work to lose weight. However, it is important to remember that a majority of these health myths are precisely that, meaning they should be taken with a grain of salt.

To ensure your fitness journey is not thrown off by a friend or co-worker’s seemingly harmless “advice,” here is a list of fitness myths you should know and avoid at all costs:

Using machines prevents you from making mistakes

While machines may be effective, they are certainly not the best or most foolproof method of exercising. In fact, the only way one can be entirely sure that they are performing exercises correctly is by working on machines that were made to fit their specific height and weight — something that is not commonplace in your average gym.

No pain, no gain?

While this phrase is uttered in gyms and on courts and fields  every single day, that does not necessarily mean it is correct. In fact, if something genuinely hurts while you are working out, experts recommend that you stop what you are doing immediately to find out if the pain eases up. If it does — meaning you only feel pain while you are working out — then you ought to see your doctor as soon as possible.

Stretching helps your body recover

Although stretching is an excellent way to increase joint flexibility, it has not actually been found to shorten one’s recovery time after a workout. However, limbering up still has its benefits, such as decreased risk of pulling or tearing a muscle during exercise. Therefore, it is still highly recommended that you stretch before and after your next workout.

Swimming is the best exercise for weight loss

Granted, swimming is an excellent means of getting a full-body workout without putting too much stress on your joints and limbs. But, unless you spend hours upon hours doing laps in the pool every day, you will not see stunning results. That is because of two distinct factors:

Firstly, there is the buoyancy effect. Since your body is submerged in the water, you have a reduced need to work in order to stay afloat — especially if you have a higher level of body fat. Secondly, exercises that occur in cold water induce a spike in appetite, unlike exercises conducted on land, which are known to suppress one’s appetite.

How to Break Bad Health Habits

Consuming junk food, smoking cigarettes, drinking excessively, and watching too much television can all be categorized as habits damaging to one’s health. It’s very easy to develop routines in your life that lead to continued indulging in these habits, and breaking them is much easier said than done. However, there are strategies you can implement to overcome these mental vices.

First, recognize that you take part in an unhealthy habit, whatever that may be. There’s a good chance your habit follows a specific pattern. Figure out what may trigger this habit. If you struggle with eating unhealthy foods, simply feeling hungry may immediately make you think of the most delicious yet caloric meal you can find. Train yourself to think differently upon feeling hunger. You may want to form a new trigger to change your thought process.

If you smoke cigarettes when you drink for example, avoid going to the bar or consuming alcohol entirely. If you regularly stop at a fast food restaurant on your commute home, take a different route. Avoiding these bad habit triggers is a blunt, yet reasonably effective strategy to try and break them.

Once you are taking part in the bad habit, you’ll often feel a sense of reward during. This makes it all the more difficult to break. Rather than trying to rid of the habit entirely, seek to replace it. A common example of this is when you feel the need to smoke a cigarette, chew a piece of gum instead. Obviously, nicotine addiction is much more serious than biting your nails, but the idea is to train your mind to crave other, healthier options.

You don’t have to go on this journey alone. If a friend or loved one takes part in a similar bad habit, work together toward the both of you breaking it. Having someone other than yourself to regulate your behavior can be extremely helpful, and you can reciprocate. It provides an additional source of motivation for both parties. With that said, avoid toxic relationships, as they can dramatically worsen, and even create new unhealthy habits.

Don’t punish yourself if you cave and indulge in the bad habit after successfully avoiding it. It happens to all of us. Relapsing occurs frequently in one way or another, and it is in no way an indication of failure. To help, plan for you to slip up every now and then. This can help you get back on track quickly, and return to a healthier life without that habit consuming it.

Watching Your Weight After 40

Losing weight and maintaining a healthy body is no easy task at any age. It takes time, effort, and dedication to truly reap the benefits of exercise, and doing so becomes more and more important with time. As we age, our bodies begin to wear with time, leading to more diseases and physical difficulties, and one of the most common side effects is weight gain. In order to maintain a healthy weight and prevent gaining any more pounds in your 40’s, there are several strategies you can implement. Below are just a few that you can add to your daily routine.

Exercise Smart

Obviously, exercise is vital to one’s health. However, older individuals may see their age as an excuse to take it easy in the gym, or not go at all. Unless you are recovering from a previous injury or complication, there should be no reason why you don’t take part in a variety of workouts focusing on different parts of your body.

For your own safety, work closely with a personal trainer to develop a workout routine suited to your physical capabilities. They will explain that just because you are no longer in your physical prime does not mean that you cannot still take part in grueling workouts. Don’t let any inabilities of yours deter you from trying your hardest. A beneficial workout is one in which you break a sweat, no matter what area of the body you are focusing on.

On the contrary, choosing exercises that are easy on the joints are great for those over the age of 40. Look into water aerobics for an extremely beneficial workout routine that puts very little stress on your joints. Additionally, exercising underwater can actually promote a higher calorie output, helping you lose even more weight than traditional methods.

Test Hormone Levels

The older we get, the less hormones our bodies produce. Whether it is testosterone, estrogen, oxytocin, or cortisol, the fewer hormones the body releases, the more fat it stores rather than burns. With that said, you should regularly have your hormone levels checked by your doctor, and develop a regimen accordingly in an attempt to regulate and maintain sufficient levels. This can go surprisingly far in losing weight as a middle-aged individual. Normal levels of testosterone in men and estrogen in women can promote weight loss.

Watch Your Diet

As difficult as it can be, everyone understands the importance of maintaining a healthy diet. The effects of a poor diet can be even more exaggerated on those past the age of 40 as well. We are given the luxury of being able to splurge from time to time in our 20’s, but doing so as frequently as we did back then can result in accelerated weight gain without exercising to balance it out. Substitute junk foods with fruits and vegetables as much as you can. Though this is much easier said than done, it can make an enormous difference for those trying to cut calories and see a physical difference.

Balance Your Work and Personal Life

There is no mental detriment as harmful to one’s health quite like stress. It can be extremely difficult managing your stress levels depending on the demands of your career, and the older you are, the more likely you are to have more workplace responsibilities.

It’s hard to avoid, but learning how to manage this can do wonders for your health seeing as stress can affect your metabolism, leading to weight gain. One way to combat this is to consider your daily exercise as an important part of your routine; just as important as your three meals a day. Try to never skip exercise, and unless the circumstances are dire, keep your career responsibilities out of your home. A happy personal life can translate to a happy work life, effectively reducing stress.

How Meditation Can Reduce Anxiety

Anxiety disorders affect more than 40 million Americans today, and can lead to further mental health complications if left untreated for long periods of time. Anyone that suffers from some form of anxiety understands that it can be a truly debilitating disorder, affecting your daily life in several ways. Though there are many forms of effective treatment out there, few individuals suffering from anxiety ever seek said treatment. If you struggle with the mental vices of anxiety and are not one keen on medication for this disorder, meditation can be just as beneficial without the cost.

Stress and anxiety-inducing situations are hard to avoid, especially for those in the working world, no matter what field. Whether you’re worrying about money, family, your career, or personal issues, negative thoughts can creep into your mind at any time, and can make any situation stressful. Meditation can effectively silence these thoughts, and, in time, train you to suppress them when appropriate. The goal is to detach yourself from any negative emotions you may be experiencing, living within the space that exists between your conscious decision making.

Meditation has been linked to improved levels of anxiety, stress, and lower levels of general negativity. Mental activity has its physical manifestations in the brain which allows professionals to effectively study anxiety and how it affects one’s thoughts and habits. Those suffering from anxiety have displayed higher levels of fear, and studies have shown that consistent meditation is able to reduce those levels of fear and reactiveness in that area of the brain.

The practice of meditation can be oddly intimidating to those who have not tried it before. Sitting still and focusing on your breathing, letting your thoughts drift away can feel awkward for beginners. This is simply a common phase that many must get past in order to truly feel the effects of deep meditation. There are countless resources online for those that may need a guide during their first few attempts, and shorter meditative sessions are nothing to be ashamed of. Like all things, practice makes perfect. It is completely normal for your first few meditative sessions to be clouded with thoughts and distractions. With help and practice, these can be overcome.

It is important to keep in mind that with mental health disorders, physical damage can be done to the body as well. Higher levels of anxiety can cause irritability, which directly affects your sleep schedule. It can also lead to headaches, digestive problems, tightening of muscles, and much more. Meditation allows you to enter a calm, collective state that can both relax your mind and body.

 
As mentioned before, those suffering from anxiety should seek treatment from a medical professional as soon as possible. Medication exists that can help greatly, but for those who prefer alternative medicine, meditation is the next best thing. For more extreme cases, professional help is highly recommended. Regardless, meditating regularly can help everyone lower their levels of stress, anxiety, and general negativity. Consider this practice if you are struggling with the grasp of anxiety, as it just might be the key to controlling it.

Workout Tips to Improve Your Endurance

George Zedan

Anyone who’s looking to improve their fitness abilities and overall health go right to cardio. Cardio is a great way to lose weight, get in shape, and even prepare yourself for a race. Whether it’s a 5k, a marathon, or any other course, cardio is a great way to get ready. However, cardio isn’t always the answer to building endurance and stamina. If you’re looking to improve your endurance, skip the extra time on the treadmill and try these workouts instead.


Strength Workouts

While cardio is a component to improving endurance, building strength and muscle is also key. Keep your cardio simple. If you’ve only been doing cardio to improve your endurance, then cut your cardio time in half. Once you’ve finished, add a strength workout in.

Some great workouts to build strength are squats with a barbell, kettlebells, and burpees. Squats will work a multitude of your muscles, but the quads, thighs and hips will target endurance training. By strengthening your legs, you give your endurance more capability of improving. Kettlebells and jerks have proven effectiveness with endurance as well. Burpees are a great way to work your legs and arms, while keeping your heart rate going.

Stick to a Tempo

During your cardio, keeping a tempo will show what your endurance is made of. If you run, whether it’s fast or slow, keep a steady pace. Try to run at that same pace for your workout. It will eventually push your muscles because naturally you’ll want to speed up or slowdown. Tempo workouts can also push you to meet your goal or reach a new record. If you run 20-40 minutes at a slower speed, work your endurance by running a little faster each time you run at the same tempo.

Shorter Rests

If you don’t push yourself, you won’t ever gain endurance. Between each rep, make sure you’re taking a 5-10 second shorter rest. By lengthening each rep, you’re pushing yourself just a little longer than normal. Interval training is used for improving endurance through on-off-on rotations. For example if you’re doing 25 push-ups, only rest for 20 seconds instead of 30 before you do 25 more push-ups.

The same goes for running. Push yourself to run longer than you normally would. Extending your run will build your strength, therefore increasing your endurance. This will help you generate efficient energy and oxygen the more you workout.

Break From Your Routine

A steady workout routine will hinder your endurance. Switch your workouts to give your muscles a change. If you always start with running, alternate your days. This will keep your mind and muscles guessing what’s next, instead of already sinking into the routine.

 
Endurance is made for people to workout at a higher intensity for a certain period of time. To extend your workout, you must improve your endurance. Target your next workout to endurance building. You’ll have a longer, better workout to get you closer to your goal.

George Zedan speed exercises

Exercises to Increase Speed

For athletes in any sport, speed is a necessity to gain an upper hand on your opponents. Whether you are running vertical routes in a football game, or shuffling sideways to stay in front of your opponent in basketball, developing your speed can greatly enhance either of those actions, and can separate a good player from a great player.

If you find yourself struggling to enhance your speed, a common mistakes athletes make is simply relying on cardiovascular exercises. While these are beneficial, they can only go so far, and you are more likely to increase your endurance performing these exercises rather than your speed. Below are a number of workouts you should try that are great for improving overall speed.

Squats

Targeting the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, squats can greatly improve your upper leg strength, which directly translates to increased speed. To perform this exercise, place the barbell comfortably on your shoulders behind your head, keeping your feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower your stance keeping your back straight and pushing your hips back. Be sure to tighten your core for support. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground, slowly returning to the starting position. The amount of weight you use varies the intensity of the workout, so find a weight that’s comfortable, yet efficient for you.

Broad Jumps

Plyometrics are great for speed-based exercises, and broad jumps are perhaps the most standard of the field. This teaches the muscles in your legs to contract extremely quickly, allowing for explosive bursts of speed. The starting position involves your feet being hip-width apart, and slightly lowering your hips before jumping forward, landing flat on your feat. For increased difficulty, try jumping backwards from the position you landed in, back to where you were.

Power Clean

What may be surprising is how much this workout can benefit one’s speed, but to be fast, a great amount of strength is required in all muscle groups. For this workout, start with your feet hip-width apart, and grab the barbell with your forearms facing forward (or an overhand grip). Maintaining a straight back, pull the bar up, then swing up. At this point in the motion, extend your hips and knees at a very fast rate so that you are now standing straight, and the bar is now at your shoulders with your hands now at an underhand grip. Return slowly to the starting position.

Heel/Calf Raises
This exercise works best when you are standing on a slightly elevated surface with your heels hanging over the edge. Stand on the balls of your feet, and slowly lower your heels until you feel stretching in your achilles tendon. Then, raise your heels eventually reaching a height higher than your toes. You should feel a tightness in your calves. Both of these movements can greatly enhance the strength of your lower legs; another crucial body part in having adequate speed. You can also turn your toes inward or outward when performing these raises to target different muscles in the lower leg area.

George Zedan healthy eating

How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

Dieting can be a difficult task regardless of the average income of one’s household. Maintaining a busy life with work, family, and personal time is oftentimes overwhelming, and finding the time and financial means necessary to consistently eat healthy is typically seen as an added difficulty. However, there are ways you can purchase fresh, healthy foods without breaking the bank.

Buy locally

Supporting local farmers can not only boost your community’s economy, but buying in-season foods this way allows for fresher, more nutrient-heavy products. Additionally, prices tend to be on the lower side at local farmers markets, providing you with more foods for less cost. Pay attention to which foods flourish during certain seasons though. For example, asparagus tends to peak in the spring, and strawberries are ripest throughout the summer.

Don’t skip breakfast

Though this may seem like another reason to buy more food, skipping the first meal of the day leads to stronger feelings of hunger, and an increased chance of buying unhealthier foods to fill the void. Simply buying farm fresh eggs can offer you a healthy meal in the morning without having to spend a lot before lunch. Another great substitute is protein shakes. Both healthy and filling, meal replacement shakes can contribute to weight loss overtime, and even reduce one’s risk of weight-related health conditions.

Buy frozen foods

If shelf life is an important factor when grocery shopping, buying frozen foods can provide you with months’ worth of meat, vegetables, fruit, and more. Purchasing fresh produce, while healthy, forces you to use the products quickly before their expiration dates. Stocking up on frozen foods can save money overtime, as well as give you large amounts of items that last much longer.

Plan ahead

Whether you’re trying to decide what to have for lunch, what to make for dinner, or what to have the next day, planning ahead saves you time and stress. Meal prepping is a great way to have a week’s worth of food prepared beforehand, which also gives you option to prepare healthier servings. If you’re expecting a late night at work, having the ingredients for dinner that night already prepared is strongly suggested. Many people are tempted to order take-out after a late night, but sticking to your routine can save you money, and calories.

Eat more fiber

Fiber is not only filling, but it balances blood sugar, and delays gastric emptying which curbs your appetite and helps you feel fuller longer. Most high-fiber foods are relatively inexpensive. For optimal health, aim for two to three of these per meal. These can be anything from avocados and leafy greens, to nuts, legumes, or seeds. Salads with added vegetables and nuts are great for this course of action.

Pay attention to prices

 
Though this may seem obvious, many grocery stores take advantage of the convenience of certain items. That is, pre-cut vegetables and frozen dinners tend to be much more expensive than simply buying fresh produce or ingredients. While some may see this as more time consuming, making your own meals from scratch can save you money, as well as offer a fairly therapeutic tool.

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