BMI – How Effective Is It?

BMI (Body Mass Index) is basically the measurements of the body’s composition. This can be calculated by measuring someone’s height and weight, it is compared to the pre-computed scale. A body-weight scale, or BMI, will categorize your body weight into various different categories. The existing categories are; Normal weight, overweight and underweight. 

 

These scales are pretty accurate, at least in regards to a majority of the population but they can be somewhat less accurate for body builders or athletes. The scale is cost effective, and it is often used by personal trainers, dieticians, physicians or other organizations. 

 

The only things you need to measure your BMI is a tool to measure your height and a weight scale. The body weight scale is quite simple, because they measure only weight and height, they are un-intrusive instruments. Other tests can be quite embarrassing for people, like the skin fold test which requires that the doctor/practitioner has to pinch a person’s body on about thirteen different places. Another measurement method involves submerging the individual under water until the practitioner can read the measurements. So comparatively the BMI scales are much better. 

 

BMI scales are very convenient as anyone can measure their own BMI. All you need to do it is your height and weight. The equation which is used to measure the BMI is as follows; height in inches divided by weight in pounds. Then square that and multiply it by 703. 

 

Differences like, race, gender or age do not make any difference when you use this equation. The BMI scales have become very popular with different organizations because they are very quick to do and also very easy. 

 

BMI scales have proven to be an extremely efficient way of getting a very accurate measurement. It allows for changes in different people’s body composition over time periods.

 

A group called CDC has for a while now been keeping track of ever the rising levels of obesity in America. They use the BMI scale to chart their information effectively. It’s the most efficient way of conducting activities such as these. Any other methods would simply take too long. 

 

Calculating the BMI just takes a minute or two, which makes it by far the preferred method for the CDC. It is also the preferred method for many other organizations, as they try to keep track of people’s body composition. 

Give Your Health the Importance That It Deserves

Health is not a fad that will be over anytime soon, it is something that we are reminded every now and then, the commercial breaks, a short visit to the doctor, the leaflets given to us on the streets; seems like a lot of people are catching up with this health awareness issue. Even with all that information that we get do we ever follow it to the latter; do we really watch what we put into our mouths? Do we cautiously follow the recommended balanced diet? It really needs a lot of effort to be able to eat wisely and this can be achieved by setting goals to a healthy life. 

 

That desire should come from you, being forced to keep fit will do you no good because in other’s presence we will follow the whole diet thing but behind their backs we will do exactly the opposite. Trying to keep fit is not such an easy task especially if you are used to throw in just about anything into our stomachs and if we are not strong enough then we tend to go back two steps behind after making a step of progress. If you have a strong desire to make a difference then believe me you will go far with it.

 

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away but that does not mean that by just eating an apple you will be healthy; you have to take in a balanced diet. Don’t you think by keeping a healthy lifestyle, you would keep the doctor away from you for the longest period ever and no more scary visits to the hospitals which many of us loathe or no more fears of being diagnosed with ‘incurable diseases? So how do you keep a healthy lifestyle? You first have to believe that you can truly do it or else you will not go far. You have to set your goals right, put them down on paper and make sure you are able to beat the deadline. 

 

You have to ensure you take a balanced diet containing the carbohydrates, proteins and the vitamins not forgetting the roughage or water. You should also exercise from time to time to ensure you don’t have excessive fat in your body system. Avoid the canned food and opt for fresh food, ditch the red meat and go for the white type of meat and also avoid fried and baked food as much as they are sweet, they will lead you to a premature death. With the gradual change that you make, your life will change too and get better in terms of health. 

Health of Body and Health of Mind

What does it really mean to be healthy? If you are fit and can do all your work reasonably well, then does it mean you are healthy? Is fitness health? 

 

Most people equate health with health of body. This is not exactly wrong, because until some years ago, that was the concept and meaning of health that we had in mind. We thought that health of body means that you are healthy. People believed that if you are free from disease, it meant they were healthy.

 

But these are old notions. In today’s world, it is not just enough to be free from disease to be healthy. The view has definitely widened.

 

Today, health has various aspects to it. Experts speak about the physical, the mental, the spiritual and even the social aspect of health. Health is no longer just absence from disease, but you have to be free from any mental, psychological and social disorders too to be counted as healthy.

 

Think about a criminal. A person who does something against society does so because they are not well in the mind. Though they may not have any disease hounding them, they are definitely not healthy. They need to be cured; and hence even corrective methods used by governments and law agencies are modes of treatment.

 

There are so many signs of ill-health that parents completely ignore in their growing children. They see things like sickness and disease, but they completely ignore their mental grown and development. A child who lies needs to be corrected. A child who finds happiness in troubling their parents and teachers need some kind of help. These are not issues of the body; they are issues of the mind. They need to be tackled early on, because like any other disease, they can grow to serious proportions.

 

In the past, health was something that was individual. If you did not take care of your health, it was only you who suffered. But, with this widened definition for health, the scope has definitely increased. If you don’t take care of your health now, it won’t be just you who suffer. Think about the child whose habits are difficult to control. Such a child probably grows up and becomes a torment to society in some way or the other.

 

Health and wellness do not mean the same thing as they did a decade ago. In fact, even medical practitioners include various interpersonal and social methods of treatment. It is all a part of a much larger game. 

The Science behind Losing Weight

Two things which you absolutely have to do when you are trying to lose weight are; Eat healthy meals, at regular times throughout the day, and get more cardiovascular exercise. 

 

Some people are of the opinion that dieting is quite easy. That is certainly not true, at least for most people. It should be noted that if losing weight were easy, there wouldn’t be so many millions of different diets, weight watchers and gastric bands. 

 

Having said that, exercising at the gym and working out regularly is for some people very easy, whereas other people just really could not hate it more. So it is different for everyone.

 

A while back there was an article posted on a website which explaining that losing weight is a very simple thing to do. ‘Weight loss is easy’ it read. It is hard to understand how some people think it is easy. The website in question was dedicated to fitness and dieting and it had some very good advice about how to stay in good shape; however, the section that talked about dieting was not very accurate. 

 

Weight loss can be seen as a science; however it is also psychological. Dieting science is all about burning more calories on a daily basis, then you are consuming. The psychological part of it is somewhat different. You need to train your brain to hate foods which will make you fat. If you can’t do that then you will not be able to stop eating those foods. That’s how it works. 

 

There are ways to overcome both these factors, both psychological and physical. Although I’m not a dietician or a professional trainer, I can explain to you what has worked for me. 

 

First of all, you should find out what your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is. In order to understand how exactly this works, you can go to my hub which is entitled ‘What-are-the-components-of-a-healthy-balanced-diet’ 

 

Once you know what your BMR is, you will be able to figure out how many calories you should be consuming in one day. This will ensure that you do not gain any extra weight. 

 

The part which is a bit harder is the psychological factor. What works for me is this. 

 

Write down all the reasons why you want to lose weight. The list can be as long or as short as you want it to be. Next, write what you would do differently if you would be able to lose weight. Maybe you would be able to play more with the kids; maybe it would give you extra confidence around members of the opposite sex. Or maybe you would just feel better in general. Write down everything that comes to mind. 

 

The next thing to write down is what would happen if you did not lose any weight. The things that would happen if you would not be fit and healthy. 

 

When you have that list written out, you should read it at least once a day. Either in the morning or at night before sleeping. After a few days of reading that list, I am sure you will not want any more unhealthy foods. 

Keeping Fit for Life

It seems the issue of health and wellness is well known among children, men and women and everyone wants to keep fit. Have you realized how people go the gym of late, seems that business is really booming but I think you don’t have to spend a dime in the gym well unless you need to tone your muscles after losing weight and have a fabulous body that will be people’s envy. All you need is to eat healthy and enjoy these fruits of your graceful work. 

 

Keeping fit; helps you develop a psychological framework that conquers depression. You see when you’re obese or plump in the manner of having excessive fat in your body you will get depressed and continue to eat in a very unhealthy manner, since most people succumb to eating when depressed and this is a risk of shortening your life. It should be able to help you counter most health problems like high blood pressures and cardiac arrests. 

 

People believe that by starving themselves, the amount of fat in their bodies is reduced and some even end up being anorexic but that is not the case. If you again maintain a healthy lifestyle, your metabolism will be increased and do all the work for you by finding a natural way of burning the food that you eat so you do not have to starve or worry about what to eat. You will be more flexible and active since having a fit body means that you also have an energetic body therefore you can perform any task without having to tire quickly.

 

A high percentage of us have an ageing phobia and so more plastic surgeries are performed and more people are heading to the shops for anti-ageing creams. Why spend all that money yet you can easily withhold the ageing process, hard to believe right? Here is the thing, when you feel old, it means that your body is tired or not in good shape but when you feel young, it means that energy is freely flowing in your body and your body is in a pretty good shape. 

 

So, by keeping fit, you will feel younger and thus ageing will not be an issue to you. It also helps you burn more calories than you take in and this is a good thing. If you can burn around ninety thousand calories a year then a daily intake of two hundred and fifty calories will not be a bother and this is another way of losing weight without starving. Keep fit, stay healthy, younger and happier.

Factors That Constitute the Best Internet Home Business

Technology has become an extremely important part of our day to day lives. It has evolved over the years and is now being used in all sectors including business sectors. This is basically due to the fact that the internet provides us with several opportunities of masking some extra cash. As a result, it has led to the emergence of home businesses whereby one works from the house using the Internet. This comes with a lot of advantages such as being your own boss, working with no time limits and also spending a lot of time with the family. All in all, one has o guarantee that this business will pick up in the long run. As a matter of fact, most of them fail. To avoid such a scenario, there are certain factors that you should define your business.

 

To start with, the business should be one that fits your life style. This simply means that it should be one that matches your interest. This is important since you will feel comfortable working in such a business. As a matter of fact, you will feel excited while working plus you will be more passionate with your work. This is a good thing since you will give it your all. 

 

On the other hand, a good home business is one with assurance of income. In other words, the business generates income repeatedly such that it does not necessarily require your input for it to produce income. This is popularly known as residual income since the initial effort you put into the business leads too income over a long period time. This is mainly done through sub-affiliate programs. Still on income, a good internet home business should have several streams through which one can get income from. With this, income will be 100% guaranteed.

 

One of the main factors defining a good home business is that the home business should be one that fits the skills as well as experience of the entrepreneur. This will act as a plus on your side since it will not be necessary for you to go through all that gruesome training before opening your business. All that will be expected from you is for you to find the capital and your business will be ready to go. As a matter of fact, all that experience and skill will help your business grow even faster. 

Pitfalls to Avoid in a Home Business

If there is one business that is rapidly gaining popularity among the business elites, it is home business. This is mainly due to the many advantages that are related to this trade. The bad side of this is that only 10% of these individuals prosper in the long run. As a matter of fact, those that prosper end up building the home business into a fully-fledged company. There are various reasons that lead to this high rate of failure in this sector.

 

 All in all, there are main pitfalls that cause this one of them being poor research methods among the entrepreneurs. For one to fully prosper in this trade, it is compulsory for him or her to have the general know-how concerning each and every little aspect pertaining to the business. What better way to do this other than researching? Therefore, without researching the business is doomed to fail. Do your research on the marketing methods and the dos and don’ts of the trade. This way, you will be in a much better position to oversee the activities of your home business. 

 

Poor management of time is another very major pitfall in this business. One advantage associated with a home business is the ability for one to work at whatever time they feel best. This is due to the fact the business does not have a specific time for working. However, if misused this tends to become a disadvantage. This mainly happens to those who are not good at managing time. They tend to use up a lot of time in petty issues rather than in matters pertaining to the business. Work plenty and avoid distractions, this is the best way to use up your time.

 

The act of being a spendthrift in the name of benefiting the business is another pitfall that seems to affect many. In some cases, spending a lot is inevitable. But this does not mean that you spend a lot throughout the entire business. There are many ways of minimizing on the total money spent. For example, instead of buying a very expensive computer system for the business why not go for a cheaper model so long as it can still be used for the business. I know that most of you think that cheap is expensive, but believe me you, it is necessary at times to go for the cheaper option. Finally, always remember that no one is perfect. It is normal for one to ask for help; do it as often as possible. 

Signs of a Successful Home Business

The internet has come up with a lot of different ways of earning money. These online methods of earning cash are commonly known as easy money. This is simply because they are not as involving as the rest. One of the most common easy earning businesses is the popular home businesses. This is basically where one uses the internet to earn ‘easy’ money at the comfort of his or her home. There are certain signs or things to look for in a home business. In fact, these signs are somehow similar in most of the online easy jobs. Here are the major ones.

 

As we all know, many of the so called ‘easy’ home businesses fail in the course of their progress. As a matter of fact, some fail as early as within the first four months of operation. There are several factors that can be related with this. However, there is handful of online home businesses that have prospered. In that case, one thing to look for in a successful home business is its life span. If a home business has lasted for about four years or more, then this implies that it has what it takes to be called a successful online business. 

 

Another very rare sign of a good online business is one that sells good products. By ‘good products’ I do not only mean quality products, but also products that have a wide market. This might sound silly but it is a vital sign Think about it; how many online sites actually sell stuff that you can buy. Truth be told, most of them sell products that you can never even think of buying. If an online home business deals with items that have a reasonable range of clients, then it can also be said to be successful. This is one very rare characteristic with online home businesses. 

 

One very common disadvantage with online business is the simple fact that cash is used up more in the initial stages than in the latter stages. This is due to the several money-consuming processes that one has to undergo before fully settling into the online home business. This includes the likes of setting up the website, marketing and buying the usual gadgets for the business. This happens such that one tends to get broke even before he or she fully starts that business. On the contrary, a good home business should be one that minimizes its initial cost yet still maintaining its efficiency. 

Ideas That Kill Home Businesses

Home businesses are very good ways of achieving financial freedom. Many have tried the trade but only a handful have succeeded. This is basically due to the killer ideas that many have in their mind relating to the business. To some, these ideas are for the betterment of the business but this is not the case. Most of them lead to the downfall of the company right at the start. 

 

One of the most common ideas that kill home business is that cheaper prices will help your business attract customers and enter the market. When looking for customers, 0one looks for the kind of client he or she wants. If the price sensitive type are the ones you look for, then you will have to work with them for the rest of the business. As you know, this is not healthy for your business since once you hike the prices, you will be left with no clients at all. Therefore, do not sympathies with your clients at first. Set your prices within the normal range if you expect to maximize this opportunity.

 

Another very common hazardous idea is that marketing is not necessary. Many lie to themselves that their products or services will sell themselves. According, such an idea is for the lazy individuals trying to avoid the hassle and bustle related to marketing. Truth be told, no matter how good your services are, marketing is quite necessary. How do you expect people you know of it without marketing? This is like planning to drive a car without and engine! Bottom line is that; services or products can never sell themselves.

 

Others go to an extent of thinking that their businesses are businesses are too small to have a plan. To me, this is quite absurd taking into consideration that even a team participating in a 90 minutes football match requires a plan. Yes, a home business is small but no, it does require a plan. It will soon grow into a massive company, how will you run it when it reaches that stage if you ca not run it as a ‘small business’? A plan is necessary. Finally, some think that their close relatives or friends will help them build the business for free. The best example in this case is designing the website. 90% of such agreements never work since there is no seriousness in them. Look for a professional to do it for you; do not rely on any member of your social group. 

Steps to Home Business Success

Setting up a home business is as easy as ABC so long as you follow the correct procedure. Normally, there are particular steps that one should follow in order to set up the perfect home business. The business will obviously be located in the comfort of your home; that is why it is called a home business. In that case, the first step is to decide on the part of room you will use for the business. This will be your office. Look for an area away from the family. In fact, if possible, look for a room that is detached from the main house such as the garage or even the basement. Whichever room you choose, just make sure that it is conducive for business.

 

The next step is to decide on the manner in which you will conduct the business. This includes factors such as the time you plan on using up in the business and set the targets or the goals of the business. This should be among the initial step since it is a self-motivation builder and as you all know, self-motivation is key in aspects of business. After this, decide on the exact type of business you plan on initiating. Look for the perfect home business. This is one that is profitable, easy, real and will fit your type of lifestyle. On the other hand, it should be e-friendly in that it should be based on technological gadgets such as the internet. 

 

After deciding on the business type, then choose the legal form to go hand in hand with it. There are three main types; partnership, corporation and proprietorship. Research on the advantages and disadvantages of each of them and decide on the one that fits you the best. Then look for the capital. This should have been on your mind ever since step one, but this is the best stage to actualize it. Calculate it all and add it up. Once you have the exact amount, plan on how best to acquire it to the very last cent. Alternatives include taking a loan from the bank or even using up your savings.

 

Finally, deal with the legal matters. These include the zoning restrictions, business name registry, getting an identification number for the business, getting a sales tax permit, getting the necessary permits and licenses. Once you successfully do these, set up a business plan that will guide you throughout your entire business endeavors. Finish up by doing the minor things such as setting up book records, opening up bank accounts and confirming IRS requirements.