What exactly is a fresh start?

It’s a phrase we hear often. I am making a fresh start today (or tomorrow after this pizza!).

But what exactly does it mean to ‘make a fresh start?’

Well in my line of work you get to hear a lot of people talking about this in some form or other. They might say ‘I am going to end this relationship and I will feel better’. Or perhaps ‘When we move to Australia, everything will be different’. Well often it is the case that they might go into another relationship and find that the patterns of their old relationship are repeating. They go across whole oceans and find that they still have problems with their neighbours. They change jobs and find that they are still being bullied in the workplace as they have been since their school days.

In psychology you may hear the term ‘locus of control’ (the Latin scholar in me remembers that ‘locus’ means place). This concept was developed by Julian Rotter in the 60s.

It indicates that some people take more ownership of their feelings and actions and think they have some control about what happens in their life through hard work or decisions they make. These people would be said to have an ‘internal locus of control’. They tend to feel more in control of their ‘destiny’ (if they even believe in it!) and therefore more positive about the future.

Others are more likely to feel as is everything happens ‘to them’ and they cannot control their environment. They are often quicker to blame outside influences for their circumstances and consequently may feel more helpless to control and change their circumstances.

It should be mentioned that many people may have a more internal locus of control in some areas of their lives and a more external locus of control in others. So they may believe that they can gain promotion and excel at work, but not have any control over finding love and a good relationship.

So how is all this relevant to making a fresh start? Well, I believe that a fresh start can be facilitated by making changes such as changing job, beginning or ending a relationship, moving home or starting at the gym. These things are all based in taking action and shifting stagnant energy and so naturally new feelings will be generated. So why do some people do these sorts of things and still find that ‘nothing has changed’ in how they feel and even in the issues they are experiencing?

I looked for a quote to say what I wanted to convey but I could not find one so here is one from me that might sum it up.

“Sometimes, it doesn’t matter where you move to, what job you are in, which relationship you choose or what you do sometimes you still carry the same baggage with you. A fresh start must first and foremost come from within.”

- Amanda Benbelaid

Count the Calories in your Christmas Food!

Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, this time of year brings many holiday parties, sweet treats, and higher calorie beverages.

The best we can do is allow ourselves a few treats, and continue to eat healthy 80% of the time.

In order to make sure we are making informed decisions, I have created a no-nonsense guide to calories at Christmastime.

Some of these calorie amounts may shock you!

The Sweet

Candy cane: 55 calories for 6 inch candy cane
Peppermint bark: 140 calories per 1 oz. (the size of a dental floss box)
Gingerbread cookies (or houses): 120 to 200 calories. Varies based on size and recipe.
Peanut Brittle: 138 calories per 1 oz.
Frosted sugar cookies: 150 to 250 calories. Also varies based on size and recipe.
Fruit cake: 1 small slice is about 139 calories (43 grams or 1.5 oz).
Fudge: 117 calories and 20 grams of sugar per 1 oz.
Rum cake: 1 piece (4 oz.) is 400 to 560 calories and up to 54 grams of sugar!Yikes.

The Savory

Ham: 130 to 180 calories per 3 oz. slice. Turkey breast is only 88 to 150 calories per 3 oz serving! If you take the skin off the turkey, it will be on the lower end.
Glazed brussel sprouts: 70 to 100 calories per serving. The added bonus is that you get 4 to 5grams of fiber per serving!
Traditional lasagna (with meat): Averages 300 calories per 1/6 of a 8 inch casserole serving.
Roasted vegetables: 110 calories and 4 grams of fiber on average per ½ cup serving.

The Liquid Calories

Hot chocolate (or peppermint hot chocolate!): 190 calories and 32 grams of sugar per 12 oz (made with skim milk).
Egg nog: 350 to 400 calories per cup and up to 40 grams of sugar!
Champagne: 90 to 100 calories per 5 oz. flute.
Hot cider: About 80 to 100 calories per cup. You can easily make this from a high quality, fresh, 100% apple juice.
Mulled wine: 170 to 230 calories per cup.

Do you have any tricks for enjoying Christmas foods without letting the treats ruin your diet?

* Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complementary mints by the cash register.

* ONLY TYPE IN UPPERCASE.

* Pay for your dinner with pennies.

* Repeat everything someone says, as a question.

* Wander around the restaurant, asking other diners for their parsley.

* Push all the flat Lego pieces together tightly.

* At the laundry mat, use one dryer for each of your socks.

* As much as possible, skip rather than walk.

* Stand over someone's shoulder, mumbling, as they read.

* Leave your turn signal on for fifty miles.

* Pretend your mouse is a CB radio, and talk to it.

* Name your dog "Dog."

* Ask people what gender they are. read more →

- Can you cry under water?

- How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

- If money doesn't grow on trees then why do banks have branches?

- Since bread is square, then why is sandwich meat round?

- Why do you have to "put your two cents in"...but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

- Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

- Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

- What did cured ham actually have?

- How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

- Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

- If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

- If you drink Pepsi at work in the Coke factory, will they fire you?

- Why are you IN a movie, but you are ON television?

- Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground? read more →

"If I'm rushing out of the house one day, and it's possible that, in haste, I might grab one of your shirts instead of mine, we definitely have a problem."

Whoever coined the phrase "be careful what you wish for because you just might get it" was wise beyond their years. For so long, women have been complaining about their man’s frumpy, unimaginative style, but little did we know that our demands for competency in assembling an outfit would bring about such a drastic and undesirable result. Guys, all we really ask is that you match, avoid skinny jeans and wear clothes that fit. Further, creativity, as evidenced by the men in blogs like The Sartorialist and Street Etiquette, could have you kicking rocks after the first date -- if you even get that far.

Fashion, to the average Joe, has never consisted of anything more than jeans and a T-shirt. If he is required to dress up for work or play, slacks and a button-down shirt will do just fine. If he's really in touch with his style, he might even sport a tailored suit, but only on special occasions. Fashion has never really been a widely held interest among heterosexual men -- until now. Assuming the pioneers of this fashion-conscious era, like Andre Benjamin and the editors at Details, are in fact heterosexual, it's safe to say that a phenomenon has been born.

extracted from: www.askmen.com read more →

"Things are changing with globalization. You never used to see a Frenchman wearing tennis shoes at night."
- Tom Ford

While the oldest shoes in the world date back to between 8000 and 7000 B.C., some anthropologists estimate that humans actually began wearing shoes some 26,000 to 40,000 years ago. Early shoes were more like protective sacs, providing a barrier between sharp objects on the ground and offering some insulation from the cold. Footwear continued to be simply designed until increasing wealth and power in certain areas created a demand for shoes as status symbols. Wealthy clients commissioned cordwainers to create unique shoes for them, and novel shoe styles developed as artisanal businesses flourished throughout antiquity and the Middle Ages.

Until the middle of the 20th century, however, relatively traditional methods were employed in manufacturing shoes. With the advent of mass production, though, along with improvements in adhesives and materials such as rubber and plastic, shoemaking was changed forever, and for the first time, the wearing of shoes became common around the world. Now, more than ever, with fashion changing at a dizzying speed, you need a resource like aboutguy.blogspot.com to help you sift through the infinite number of options you're presented with each season.

Men's Shoes on AM

No one shoe will fit all occasions in your life. In your downtime you need casual shoes, while for sports you need athletic footwear. Formal affairs demand dress shoes, and the list goes on. For every event in your busy schedule, we'll help you find the right pair of shoes. And when seasons change, we'll show you which boots will keep your feet warm and dry in style, and which sandals you'll want to pack for your next beach holiday. We'll also keep you up to speed on shoe terminology and give you tips and tricks for cleaning, maintaining and fixing your favorite footwear.

Men's Shoes Fact

Much more buttery-soft than your regular flip-flops, Havaianas are practically the national footwear in Brazil, their country of origin. Around the world, everyone from foreign dignitaries, American celebrities, pro athletes, and your next-door neighbor lust after Havaianas, resulting in the production of over two billion sandals since the company’s inception in 1962: If all the Havaianas in the world were laid out end to end, they would go around the world fifty times.

extracted from: www.askmen.com read more →

People are constantly looking to lose weight, get into better shape and eat healthier. Yet even though Americans spend billions of dollars on diets and health clubs, most still report that they aren't achieving their goals.

The reasons are simple. Distractions like work and family, plus daily temptations to snack or skip a workout make it easy to fall off an exercise and eating regimen. Because of that, many people seek out personal fitness trainers to design customized programs so that they stay on track; this strategy can make all the difference between success and failure.

Unfortunately, it can also be expensive. The average cost of hiring a personal fitness trainer is more than $400 a month, and a nutritionist is around $300 a month. For most Americans, that $700 monthly bill is simply not feasible.

However, a new website called DailyBurn is changing that situation with a triple-threat solution: They deliver the benefits of having a trainer, a nutritionist, and a weight-loss support community—all without the insane costs or the need to physically meet.

How It Works
DailyBurn understands that a "one size fits all" approach doesn't work for health and wellness, so each member gets a personalized plan that fits their lifestyle, schedule, and eating preferences. Just complete a fitness profile that covers your goals, strengths and weaknesses. Your uniquely tailored strategy gets you started immediately, and it adjusts as your workouts evolve, keeping you thoroughly engaged.

Adding to your success are DailyBurn's elite trainers, and exclusive videos from Mason Bendewald, producer of the highly successful P90X program. From cardio and strength training to yoga and kickboxing, these streaming videos and workout programs offer incredible variety. They start simple, are designed for your home or gym, and keep both your mind and body motivated. And unlike DVDs that lose their usefulness after a few viewings, you can access all the content at anytime from your computer, tablet, mobile device or TV.

Proper nutrition is also essential—especially with all the temptations to cheat or misinformation people have about food. DailyBurn keeps it simple with daily recommendations for delicious meals that are easy to make and help you learn about dieting and portion control. The DailyBurn community also rallies around a nutrition challenge each week, making it easier to create healthy eating habits.

And the results? DailyBurn's success story page is truly inspiring. Thomas is a father who used to come home from work feeling tired and frustrated, but now his cholesterol is down, his blood pressure is in check, and he can finally play sports with his boys. Amanda lost 26 pounds and 23 inches, and finally feels beautiful, strong, capable, and proud of herself. These stories and others show how real people have improved their health and boosted their self-esteem just by following DailyBurn's simple strategy for success.*

The program costs $10 a month. That's less than three calorie-laden coffee drinks a week— and it will not only help you reach your fitness goals but also give you the skills you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle forever.