Video Poker Cards

In part 1, we discussed a system you could use to organize your office. In this article we will discuss what material is needed to implement that system.

You will need the following items for your office system. Calendar/Daily Planner; Accordion File (1-31); Manila Files with the Months of the Year (Or you can make them up yourself – a lot less expensive); Hanging Files; Manila Files; Boxes and Envelopes (9 x 12).

The calendar/daily planner will contain all appointments, meetings and deadlines for project.

The accordion file dated 1-31, along with the Manila Files with the Months of the Year will contain materials you have tickled. The tickler file is a very popular system in legal offices. Any materials you need to act on by a certain date are tickled, usually one week in advance. It is also used for standardized meetings. For example, if staff meetings are conducted on Friday, place a Manila folder entitled Staff meeting in the Friday slot, and place any agenda items or meeting items in the folder. Remember to tickle it for the day before the meeting, if you need to make up the agenda, or give agenda items to someone else. This system is also excellent for gathering information for client meetings. This system will also serve to give you a clean desk, as you can place To Do items for the next day in your tickle file. It is also used to put in notes to yourself to follow up on certain items.

The hanging and manila folders are for your files. Boxes are for your records and files to be stored in at the end of the year.

The 9 x 12 Envelopes are used to hold your receipts, canceled checks, expenses and income sheets. You should label one envelope Income and place your income sheet in the file and note when any checks come in. Label one other envelope as Expenses and put in it all receipts for purchases, canceled checks, and any other expenses you generate. At the end of the month tally up the monthly totals. I place the month on the envelope and separate my expenses into categories, such as supplies, telephone, utilities, copying, postage, etc., put the total cost next to the category and then a final total. At the end of each month’s tally, paper clip or staple that month’s receipts together, place them back in the envelope and file for the following month. Since most self employed individuals pay estimated taxes every 3 month period, the envelopes will have 3 months on them, for example, October, November, December. Remember bundle each month’s items separately. Seal the envelopes, file them, and then you are ready to calculate the amount to pay the IRS for the next estimated period.

In December of each year:

1. Box up last years files.

2. Make up new hanging files and manila folders for the new year. If you are need of a label program, Avery Pro for the laser is excellent. It is easy to use, you can import files from popular word processing programs and it has its own database manager, which will allow you to re-run these same files for the next year.

3. Enter all standard meetings in your calendar or planner for the coming year.

4. Put all your income, expenses and other records you need for tax preparation in one box. Run your spreadsheet program or financial program to see what your income and expenses came to for the year. Do up a budget for the coming year, a projections sheet to determine how many clients you need to increase profits, and cut any extraneous expenses.

Following this system will enable you to spend more time on growing your business. Good luck. For more organization and time management strategies for your business, check out our Home Business Manual at www.homebusinesssolutions.com/products/products.htm

Copyright 2000, DeFiore Enterprises

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our “how to” Home Business Solutions Digest, it’s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com

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published for Sylvain Deslongchamps

With today’s busy lifestyle, it has become quintessential to protect your body’s health. Pollution is also eating us away bit by bit. Sickness and disease connected with stress, depression and pressure connected with work and making money has become a trend nowadays. But working and making money is not an activity that we can just walk away from for the sake of our health.

Precarious eating habits are also not helpful to our body. What we put into our mouths can either help us get healthy or contribute to our body’s demise. There are other things we should also watch on aside from sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol. And what I’m talking about is our blood’s pH level.

Our blood’s pH level is perhaps the single most important measurement we should watch on. Healthy blood pH is around 7.4, which is slightly alkaline; this level must be maintained in order for our body to function well. The maintenance of our blood’s healthy pH level is essential to our body’s functions. Functions which are affected with your pH level are blood flow, cell function, fat accumulation, and bone density.

The smoothness of our body’s blood flow is determined by the electrical charge that is coated on each individual red blood cell. Each red blood cell is assigned a negative charge so that they will not attract each other, similar to what two magnets with similar poles do when you put them together. When your blood’s pH level goes down, it means your blood has become acidic. What acidity does to your red blood cells is that it strips off that charge in each red blood cell; making the individual red blood cell stick together, forming clumps that make blood flow slower. Slower blood flow means lesser oxygen going to your body, dropping your performance.

If your blood is acidic its pH level is low, but if it is more alkaline, your pH level is high, if your blood has a higher pH level, that means you have a higher threshold of hydrogen ions. The presence of hydrogen ions halts muscle function, and the more that you have in your body, the more your muscle is bound to work slowly. Having a higher blood pH level means that your blood can accommodate more hydrogen ions before it begins to spread into the muscles and make it stop working. This means, that you can burn more energy while requiring less oxygen, allowing your body to tolerate the production of lactic acid more and enabling your body to perform things longer.

Hence, if you want you’re an athlete who needs a boost or just a normal individual longing to increase your body’s performance, it is important that you watch for your body’s pH level. You can do this by taking a simple saliva test that can be done with some acid paper strips which can be bought at local drugstores.

Acidity in your body also destroys cells and makes you fat. Your body reacts very defensively at the presence of acids, since, as I have said earlier, it affects how your body functions. Rising acidity is harmful to the vital information storage centers in your cells, the RNA, which if occurs makes it possible for mutations, toxicity or even cancer to develop. When this threat is apparent, what your body does is to coat your cells with fatty tissues just to shield it from rising blood acidity, making you need more fat. So the more your blood becomes acidic, the more you become fat.

Rising blood acidity also lowers your bone density. The body tries so hard to regulate the body’s ph level that it releases buffers to counter that acidity. Releasing buffers into the body is a good thing, but, how the body does it is not good for the bones. Each and every time your pH level drops, which means rising acidity levels, the body uses the calcium in your bones as buffers to maintain that crucial level of pH 7.4! This eventually lowers you bone density making you prone to osteoporosis and weak bone structure.

It’s very hard to replenish calcium levels you’ve lost through supplying buffers, that is why you need a good source of alkaline to help make your blood more alkaline and supply buffers for your body. Green vegetables and fruits are a good source of alkaline, while meat and processed foods are acidic. A healthy diet will consist of 80% alkaline foods and around 20% acidic foods. Supplements and other products are also readily available. Products like Xooma Xtreme X2O, and sodium bicarbonate also help you balance your pH level. This product does not only help you in lowering your blood pH level & maintain your body’s health, but it also makes it possible for you to make money at the same time. Xooma also offers a lucrative Online MLM options to those who want to earn money. You can go here if you want to know more about Xooma Xtreme X2O and Online MLM.

It’s about time that you take good care of your body. Now that you know that what you eat can contribute a lot to how your body works and how it performs, isn’t it about time that you give your utmost attention on your diet. Think about it, you will gain a lot if you balance your lifestyle and diet, but you will certainly lose a lot if you do not start being conscious. So eat healthy and be wealthy!

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Sylvain Deslongchamps is a health conscious buff and a long time proponent of alternative and preventive medicine. Sylvain is also a distributor of Xtreme X2O, a world renowned product from Xooma Worldwide. He is the owner and developer of www.X2o-home-business.com, a site that is committed to promote health consciousness and business, through Xtreme www.X2o-home-business.com“>x2o and www.X2o-home-business.com“>Online MLM.

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As a single male in my mid-twenties, I find myself consciously and unconsciously thinking about and searching for that special someone. My goal has always been to be friends with my future wife for at least a year, date for a year, engaged for a year, which includes being married by the time I’m thirty.

This goal may seem far-fetched and I admit it is, so I’m open to altering it. I know what I want in a future spouse (I think) and I definitely know what I don’t want. But the older I get, the more I realize that the challenge to find someone who fits what I want and what I don’t want seems like “mission: impossible.” My impatience steps in which seems to prolong my wait to meet this future wife of mine.

Occasionally, I reflect on the thought that she is out there somewhere so I wonder what she is doing at that very moment and if she is thinking of me. As much as I am actively trying to find someone, I’m reminded by my friends how they found their special someone when they were least expecting to. I have to remind myself and know that God will introduce me to her and reveal who she is when we are both ready.

So does that mean I’m not ready? I think I am, but at times I have my doubts. Maybe she isn’t ready, which could mean that she is doing something to better herself for our relationship. I’ll always go back to the question of if I’m ready or not. How will I know? I believe the answer lies in how I respond to the following questions:

I ask myself if I’m financially ready. Who is? I graduated college a couple of years ago and have already went through two career changes and I have been laid off. Needless to say, my checkbook is nowhere near where I want it to be, I won’t even mention credit cards. So I need to think more about saving for my future, buying a house, and paying off some bills. After all, I don’t want to drag her into my debt and spending habits. I know that I need to better myself in regards to finances.

I ask myself, am I physically fit and attractive? The honest answer is that I’m not in as good of shape as I’d like to be and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I know I need to join a gym, look online for articles about cooking healthier for bachelors, and watch how many times I go out to eat. What is a better motivator to working out besides looking good for yourself and gaining that confidence, than wanting to look good for your significant other? After all, I hope my wife is attracted to me as I am to her.

I ask myself, am I smart? With a college degree I think so, until I watch shows like Jeopardy or play board games with friends and I realize that I still have a lot to learn. I am thinking of going back to school. After all, I want my wife to think I’m intelligent.

I ask myself if I’m in the spiritual place with God that I want to be. Do I attend church every week? Do I read the Bible each day? Am I asking more from God than I am thanking Him during prayer? Am I a good example for others and am I teaching them about God? After all, I hope my future wife and I can pray together and maybe take a leadership role in a youth group.

I ask myself, am I happy as an individual? A relationship can bring happiness and fill the void of being alone, but should I put that burden on my future wife? If you are comfortable being yourself, being happy alone and don’t need someone, that is a step in the right direction. I believe that needing someone to fill a void and wanting someone to fill a void are two entirely different things. This is why your relationships begin with you. After all, if you don’t love yourself, then how do you expect someone else to?

“Happiness depends upon ourselves”
~ Aristotle

When you fulfill the above aspects of your life to an acceptable extent – then watch out, your future spouse may just be at the local bookstore, in the gym, at church, at work, at school, or at the bank. I don’t expect to be able to accomplish each of these things in the next four years, but I will always strive to do so. After all, I hope she will always strive to do the same. And most of all, I hope we will continue to strive to do these things together!

Chad J. Bring is a rising author who just published his first novel, “Left Standing” in addition to co-writing a screenplay for an independent film through their RoomMate Productions film production company.

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Q. Is there anything real behind a love quiz?

A. Good question. The answer is “maybe, maybe not”. You see, the value of a love quiz depends upon who designed it and what the purpose of the love quiz is. If it was written by a magazine writer, for entertainment purposes, then that’s a good example of the “maybe not” category. However, if the love quiz was written by a professional who is trained in behavioral sciences, psychology, or relationship counseling, then you might be over into the “maybe so” side of the answer.

You see, a love quiz can be based upon real, substantive issues, questions that really matter and answers that provide insight, or they can be frivolous and designed to give a few yucks to a group of bored girls.

If your love quiz has questions such as: “How important to you is quality time apart in a relationship?”, or “Could you forgive infidelity if you were partially to blame for the act being committed?”, then the love quiz is attempting to identify core relationship issues that tell you something about yourself and/or your significant other.

If, on the other hand, the love quiz has questions like: “Could you date a guy who wore braces?”, or “What would you do if your crush burped in front of you?”, then you’re probably reading a teen magazine love quiz that has no significant value.

Even a love quiz that is written with the best intentions can provide misleading results if taken in an uncontrolled environment where the quiz taker may not understand a particular question or where the possible answers are confusing or poorly worded. For the best results, a genuine love quiz should be administered by a professional and the answers analyzed afterwards. That way issues can be explored and answers clarified.

The true purpose behind a professionally designed love quiz, especially a love quiz that is taken by both people in the relationship, is to determine whether or not the relationship has a long-term chance of survival based upon quantifiable personality characteristics that have been determined to be important in committed relationships.

These characteristics include all of the traits that you might expect such as: honesty, integrity, understanding, forgiveness, drive, ambition, moral strength, religious views, political affiliations, money management skills, sense of humor, and the importance of physical attractiveness to the other person.

By taking a love quiz that explores these issues, and having the results mediated by a qualified professional, a couple has the opportunity to make decisions about the viability of a long term relationship based upon their view of what is important to each other. If a love quiz results in one partner having viewpoints that are too far apart form the other partner’s, then a red flag should be raised.

An entertaining love quiz, on the other hand, is best reviewed by a bunch of friends chatting on AOL Instant Messenger or their cell phones.

Whether the love quiz is for real, or for enjoyment only, the quiz takers should be cautioned against putting too much value in the final results.

No one should make long term relationship decisions based upon someone else’s standards. In the end it is the magic and chemistry between two people that provides the answers to the only love quiz that really matters!

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Brian Fong run the popular quiz site http://www.QuizFaq.com
Quiz Faq – Your solutions for the quiz.

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For the past several years I have struggled with getting (and staying) fit. Ok I admit it, the struggle has been longer than just a few years. As a kid, instead of playing nicely with the girls, I fought with the neighborhood boys. I attempted to join their fun and received new scars weekly in bloody games of soccer. I was always the last one picked to play on the kickball team and, as the catcher of my 5th grade softball team, I pummeled the pitcher in the head with a fast ball. Uncoordinated in team sports, I succeeded only at baton twirling which was fun but I barely broke a sweat. After failures in group sports I thought I’d try running so, a few years ago I attempted to train for a half marathon. I ended up limping home in tears and thought I’d never exercise again. (I couldn’t even MOVE after that, much less exercise!)

Over the years I’ve used walking as a way of getting out of the house, of ‘warming up’ for more vigorous exercise and just to hang out with friends. This year, walking has turned into much more for me. Walking allows me to integrate mind, body, and spirit in a way that I’ve not experienced before. Athletes speak of being “in the zone.” I see that I too am an athlete and that walking can be vigorous and can provide my body with the movement it craves. Walking has allowed me to reclaim fitness goals that I had given up on. I think I’ve finally found something that I can be good at and stick with long term!

“Movement in the body brings movement in the mind. It is a natural alchemy. So many of us seek this kind of movement in our lives, a fusion of being and doing.” Carolyn Scott Kortge from her book, The Spirited Walker

These days, our lives are set at an incredibly frantic pace. We have so much on our plates that we fear we’ll never get everything done, and we wonder when we’ll find time to do those things that bring us pleasure. Even when the world seems to be spinning out of control, walking can restore our sense of inner peace. Time seems to expand, giving us a chance to slow down, to relax, to appreciate ourselves and our lives.

Even when we are ‘just going out for a walk’, we are hardly ever just walking. We carry our mind around with us when we walk, so we are usually absorbed in our own thoughts. I have come to see that the sole work of walking has turned into soul work. I have even nicknamed some of my walks with particularly insightful friends ‘walk and talks’ where we process life together and use walking as a metaphor for moving forward in life.

And then there’s walking alone which frees us up for some internal dialogue. I’ve learned to turn off the cell phone, take off the headphones and stop drowning out the natural world. When I allow myself to hear my own thoughts and resolve any internal conflicts, I am at peace in the sanctuary of my mind. Moving meditation, or spiritual walking is a wonderful way of grounding ourselves in our own presence.

“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. If one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right.” Soren Kierkegaard

Even if our job is wonderful, our family is healthy and our future seems bright, we can lose touch with the deepest part of ourself unless we slow down enough to breathe deeply, to still our thoughts and to observe the natural world with a sense of wonder. Walking with awareness provides us with an opportunity to connect with the surrounding nature and our “inner nature”. Then we are able to tend to the trinity that we are made up of – mind, body and spirit. In creating a balance among all three, we enhance the quality of all areas of our life.

Use a long walk or hike to come home to yourself. If you don’t go within you’ll go without!

So often we walk hurriedly, rushing from place to place in a state of mindless detachment. Spiritual walking is a form of meditation in motion. Pick a route that will allow you to practice mindfulness by fully engaging your senses. Feel the hard pavement or soft grass beneath your feet, drink in the aroma of the honeysuckle as you pass by and make a mental note of what flowers are in bloom. Notice the feel of the wind against your face. The rhythm of walking helps us to quiet our minds and from time to time we may receive inspiration or gain insight into some troubled area of our lives.

Plan a walking retreat.

You can use walking as a sort of mini-retreat. I’m not talking about going away for a week or even a weekend, unless you want to, of course. I’m suggesting that you set aside a few hours, or even a full day for an exploration on foot – far from the demands of work, home, and family.

First, choose a date on your calendar and mark it as your “retreat day.” You want this day to be yours, for your personal walking adventure. Next, identify a place that you want to explore on foot. If you enjoy being out in nature, call your local parks and recreation department to request maps of your area. If you love looking at homes and gardens (one of my favorite kinds of walks), think of a neighborhood that you’d like to see up close. You want to spend your time walking, not driving so try to choose a location that’s not too far from home. If you never have to get in your car, that’s even better.

The hour-long neighborhood walk that I take ends in a long slope that leads to the street that I live on. I listen to my body tell me, “we can’t do this, we’ll never make it home.” I hear my own inner demons loud and clear and then I bid them farewell using positive self-talk. As I approach the top of the hill I recount what a wonderful walk it was and how strong I am becoming. I’m glad it’s over, yet I’m already looking forward to the next outing!

I am grateful for spiritual walking. For me, it is a new route to wellbeing, a merger of muscle and mind. Infusing my exercise routine with spirituality has turned a good walk into a God walk!

Diana Kennedy is the author of Living from Spirit website and email newsletter. She leads the 9:30am church service at Unity of Tallahassee where she is Ministerial Assistant. Diana is a licensed massage therapist working at All About You! Massage. To contact her, call 850-878-2130, visit http://www.dianakennedy.com, or email living_from_spirit@yahoo.com.

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A Barrister’s bookcase is a traditionalistic bookcase Its differentiating feature is a pure field glass front. This glass front end is hinged at the allowing a person tailored access to ledgers and other legal papers simply by raising the glass door. The barrister bookcase is ideal for a thousand things. A barrister bookcase was often used by a lawyers since it was often necessary for them to move. Now, they are very convenient, especially if one is ever moving. This is because of the doors. This precludes them from having to be voided on moving

Great Bookcases
Exceptional Barrister’s Bookcases avert the use of the normal sideways opening doors and use doors that have the up and over opening mechanism. A scissor device used inside the barrister shelves ensure the moving doors do it in a parallel fashion without getting the doors jammed or skew in the procedure. One favored position of employing the barrister bookcase and shelves is the ability to have many of these units group together. When done well, these bookcases give the impression of an fetching cabinet. Depending on the preference of the owner, barrister bookcases can have a variety of material choices. Whether madeutilizing wood or glass, barristers give a casual elgant show to a room.

Barrister bookcases however, despite many benifits,often are rather costly. As Luck Would Have It, there unqiueness has caused some producers to start producing replica editions. Some modern versions are also available at very reasonable prices. Many editions have simple appearances and can be made to fit a particular style. They can also be trimmed and made into customized storage units.They can be stacked together allowing them to be easily used to create very interesting unit arrangements. Some can be used to create sofa tables, breakfronts or even dinning tables.

Check out twitter book cases

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Bachelor gowns

A certificate holder is designed in a way that it stores people’s awards, diplomas, certificates and other important documents. The certificate holder can come in different sizes, colors, shapes and styles. There are those certificate holders that have letters, those that are embossed using foil, stamped with foil, those having logos, borders and some plainly embossed. For a fashionable, noticeable, diverse appearance, the certificate holder can be printed in a way to make it more attractive. Blank Certificate holders are available as well.
The elements of the top design contain stamping type, which are embossed, foil or embossed using foil. A frame or border always comes after the external edge of certificate holder covers.

It is fundamental to have an excellent piece of art for the chosen logos, preferably when people’s designs have excellent details. One should have an illustration of how the certificate holder should look like when ready to make an order. Expert review of artwork is always provided free of charge. In some cases, rates for any artwork that has been done on a given certificate holder will apply. Alteration of the original piece of work that someone had initially submitted will be charged as well to the consumer.

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I watched as the razor-sharp knife of the skilled surgeon performed the delicate, life-saving task of repairing an aneurism in the elderly man’s stomach. I had a close-up view from a stool beside the operating table.

At that time several years ago, I shared an office building with this surgeon and his partners. He had finally said “yes” to my request to “let me watch one day.” I knew it would be interesting, but I didn’t know that I’d be blessed with a very graphic life lesson in that operating room. I’ll spare you most of the very gory details. I had only been used to “verbal gore,” not red stuff. Thank God there are those who are called to be surgeons–I’m not!

Anyway, back to the Operating Room. The task was to cut out the aneurism and replace it with a synthetic graft.The doctor had located the aneurism, had clamped off the arteries, and had begun to remove the crud (medical term, I’m sure) from the affected section of artery. I was amazed at the amount of stuff (another medical term) that he piled into the container. This HAD to be life threatening. The blood is the life flow of the body. If it can’t flow where it’s needed, the person can’t live. At that moment, dressed in my surgery garb and totally grossed out, a powerful insight flashed into my spirit. This blockage is a lot like bitterness. Something negative happens in your life, and little by little, its poison accumulates, blocking the flow of life energy. Before my eyes was a living metaphor for BITTERNESS. Think through it with me.

CUMULATIVE CHOICES CREATE CUMULATIVE HARM.

That patient had made lifestyle choices that resulted in an accumulation of unhealthy material in the critical arteries that sustained his life.

The bitter person also makes choices–dwelling on the offense, mentally (or physically) performing little acts of revenge, refusing to forgive. The poison accumulates.

THE PROBLEM GROWS, AND ITS IMPACT SPREADS.

From a physical standpoint, the blood flow is critical. Block its flow to the heart or other vital organs and you have a catastrophic impact.

Each person has a similar flow of emotional and spiritual energy. The consequences of a blockage in these life-giving channels are just as tragic as an aneurism can be. The problem grows and its impact spreads.

Imagine that you released a drop of red food coloring into a beaker of water. At first you’d see a red dot. Soon you’d see pink water. Like the drop of food coloring, anger that is nurtured grows and deepens. It begins to affect every “system”–relationships, attitudes, motivation, and productivity.

DRAMATIC INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY TO SAVE A LIFE.

Thankfully, under the care of this experienced and competent surgeon, the patient got a chance to live an estimated 20 to 30 years longer. He would be freer to do the things that he enjoyed. Yes, there would be a painful period of recovery from this major surgery, but it was worth it.

You may or may not need professional help to release yourself from the bitterness you’ve harbored. Notice I said release YOURSELF, not release the other person(s). They are going on their merry way. (Of course, this can make you madder.)

I’ve had clients tell me, “If I forgive, that person will go scott-free.” News flash! The other person(s) are already out there ppursuing their life interests. It’s YOU who is suffering for holding onto bitterness. It you whose irritability and short fuse is robbing you of peace in relationships you value. It’s you whose physical health is deteriorating because of anger. It’s you whose sleep is disturbed and whose positive energy is sapped. It’s you whose creativity is stifled and whose productivity is diminished.

In the next article, I’ll share with you some “how-to’s” on FORGIVING to RELEASE YOURSELF. Stay tuned!

Dr. Bev Smallwood is a psychologist who has worked with organizations across the globe for over 20 years. Her high-energy, high-content, high-involvement Magnetic Workplaces (r) programs provide dozens of practical strategies and skills that can be put to work immediately to:

1. build strong leaders who influence and develop others through serving;
2. energize, motivate, and retain team members;
3. successfully accomplish important organizational transitions; and
4. impress customers and build their loyalty.

Review a complete list of her programs available for your convention or corporate meeting at the website, www.MagneticWorkplaces.com.

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You try to ignore but it’s impossible to escape from. The gift shops are full of heart shaped cards and teddy bears, the travel agents have “romantic weekend trips to Paris” advertised, your attached friends topic of conversation is “will he propose?” and all you can think is where the hell are you going to find a man in time for Valentine’s Day. Yes, it’s the season of romance; the time of year all singletons fear more than walking into a bar with their skirt accidentally tucked into their pants following a visit to the toilet!

If you can identify with these thoughts, don’t despair. Whilst it may be difficult for you to get a marriage proposal in such a short space of time, you may be able to get a date in time for Valentine’s Day. Here’s a few places for you to try and if you’ve tried them before try them again; men will be on the lookout at this time of year too so don’t be afraid to make yourself available:-

1. Take a good look around at work. Ok, so you’ve worked there for years and none of the single guys have appealed to you before but in desperate times its good to take a second look. Is the guy in accounts really so dull? Maybe he is ultra cool out of work and will have you giggling all night if you give him a chance.

2. Work off those extra pounds piled on at Christmas at the gym and eye up those hunky bodies. Start by taking in the view on the treadmill and then once you’ve spotted someone you like, ease your way over and ask if he would mind showing you how to use one of the exercise machines in exchange for an aprs-gym beverage.

3. If you don’t have a dog, borrow one and take it for a long walk. You’ll be amazed at the amount of guys walking their dogs who will say “hello” to a fellow dog walker.

4. Ask your attached friends to find out if any their boyfriend’s friends have recently become single and get them to arrange a casual get-together to introduce you.

5. Last but not least, join an online dating site and message every half-decent man available. By the time Valentine’s Day arrives, you’ll be inundated with offers and will have to donate the surplus bouquets of red roses to your local hospice because you’ve run out of vases!

Try one, if not all, of the above, and there’s a very good chance you won’t be spending Valentine’s Day alone!

Alison Edwards writes articles for www.SnappyDates.com/ a UK based dating site. Add you free profile today and find a date for Valentine’s Day.

Copyright © 2005 Dorado Enterprises Limited – All Rights Reserved.
Permission to reprint this article is granted if the article is reproduced in its entirety, without editing, including the bio information. Please include a hyperlink to www.SnappyDates.com/

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Pilates could be described as a method of exercise developed by Joseph Pilates. It is a physical movement designed to stretch, strengthen, lengthen and balance the body. It was in 1926 that Joseph Pilates brought the Pilate program, then called “Contrology”, to the city of New York. Their program centered on postural symmetry, breathing control, abdominal strength, spine, pelvis and shoulder stabilization, muscular flexibility and joint mobility. Training with Pilates you will find that your whole body is trained using the upper and lower extremities with the trunk.

Pilates is an exercise that almost anyone can do and achieve amazing results. There is no bouncing, jarring or any stress to your body. Pilates is also convenient because it does not require any special or expensive equipment. One could do Pilates anywhere and anytime. There are some Pilates workouts that are only ten minutes long. It makes it so anyone can find time to do a quick workout.

If you practice Pilates faithfully, it will yield many benefits. You will notice an increase in lung capacity and circulation. This is achieved through deep breathing which is the primary focus. Strength and flexibility, especially in the abdomen and back muscles. The coordination between these, are the key components for a Pilates program. Your posture, balance and your core strength are all increased. It has been noticed that bone density and joint health improve. Many people who practice Pilates notice positive body awareness. Overall Pilates teaches control and balance of your body.

If you are out of shape and looking for a program to ease into, then Pilates would be the best thing to start out with. Pilates can be rehabilitative, almost like going to your physical therapist; in fact some of their techniques are based on Pilates. Unlike other forms of exercising you can do Pilates every day without overstressing your body, muscles and joints. To see results you would only need to do Pilates three days a week.

Pilates will benefit your emotional health as well; the steady and smooth movements calm your mind and relax your nervous system. When you start to lengthen and strengthen your muscles you will improve your circulation and the tension will melt away. After each workout, you will be calm, relaxed, balanced and rejuvenated. While you are working out you need to focus on letting the tension go

As you get older your balance starts to deteriorate because your muscles weaken and your nerve receptors begin to lose their sensitivity. Pilates will reverse this aging process by stabilizing your core. A Pilates workout works the small, deep muscles that are needed to keep your body steady when you are walking and your spine will be supple and strong.

Pilates is wonderful after you have a baby to lose the pregnancy tummy. And because it is low impact it is easy to start doing. If you do a few key moves on a regular basis you see an improvement. Muscles have a great memory! They will come back after a little toning.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Pilates

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