Neutrogena SkinID vs. Proactiv

(Mary writing again): I love to look through Yahoo answers (maybe I'm addicted lol) but I read a few people asking about facewashes and zits and acne, etc. Seeing how I have had on and off bouts with acne, here's what I've learned:

Proactiv definitely works, but in my experience, it has taken a lonnnnnng time (and of course lots of auto shipments) to get definitive results. If I'm worried about zits now, it's hard to wait 3 months to have clear skin again. Plus, the cost was hard to deal with on top of family stuff and day to day expenses.

Neutrogena has Skin ID, and it does a skin evaluation, then they send you the kit for $19.95 which was better than Proactiv's $29.99+. I felt like Neutrogena helped me get noticeable results in about 2 weeks, which seemed a lot faster than Proactiv.

I might only be saying Neutrogena is better because it's cheaper lol, but hey, if it's cheaper AND faster, what's not to like?! To check it out click here.

Younger Skin Quickly...FOR FREE! (Can you tell I'm excited?!)

(Mary writing here) So my husband's friend found this offer on Facebook and passed it along to me. It's a product called Levela and is an "anti-age" cream. Blah blah blah, totally skeptical, right?

Well the good thing about this offer is that it was FREE! I paid the $4.79 shipping and handling, and I've had the stuff for about 3 weeks. So far, so great!

I am more than pleased with the results...although still a bit too embarrassed about my "before" pictures to post them online. It has helped remove lines from my face, and I feel better about myself, which is totally worth $4.79!

There's all sorts of science and stuff behind it, but if you're interested, click below and you'll see. I think it's the best $5 I've ever spent! SO much more worth it than my morning Starbucks :-)

To read more about Levela, click here.

Weight Loss by Hypnosis? (Answer...NO!)

Is hypnosis the answer to losing weight quickly and safely? Well look into my eyes as I delve into the deepest, darkest recesses of the mind to find out. 

Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness, usually achieved with the help of a hypnotherapist. When you're under hypnosis, your attention is highly focused and you're more responsive to suggestions, including behaviour changes that hypnotherapists say can help you lose weight. 

Many advertisers on the Internet want you to believe that because hypnosis is "natural", it cannot harm you and is therefore a superior method of weight loss. 

Firstly, it cannot be claimed that hypnosis is one of the most natural ways to lose weight, because it's obviously not natural to be in a state of induced hypnosis. But, having said that, it could be a safe method. The real question is does it work? 

One reason for weight gain is quite often psychological. Basically, it's all in the mind. So one way to effectively reach your weight loss goal is to reach deep down into your subconscious mind and change the way you think about food. 

Imagine if you could lose weight by just relaxing and listening to a pleasant and friendly subliminal message. A message that could be implanted deep into your subconscious. A powerful message that affects your attitude to eating and exercise, without you even realising. 

Hypnosis is a unique experience, but you are always in control. Hypnotherapy is rather like being in a daydream, it is a state called "trance". It might be a deep trance or it might only be a light trance. 

With hypnosis there's no right or wrong way to experience it, there's just different ways for different people. In general a hypnotic trance is a very pleasant, relaxing and tranquil xperience. While hypnotised you will be aware of all physical sensations around you, perhaps even noticing sounds you wouldn't otherwise be aware of. 

When you are fully conscious again you may be able to recall everything that happened while you were in your trance-like state, depending how deep your trance was. 

Hypnosis can help by allowing you to overcome unconscious obstacles, which prevent you from losing weight and from keeping weight off. You know that eating too much is not what you desire and you know that exercise and sensible diet are important. 

However, these are not conscious, logical issues. Successful weight loss is all about re-educating your unconscious mind and forming new healthy habits. 

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy work on a subconscious level to help you achieve a state of mind where you can actually lose weight willingly. Until you are genuinely willing to make these changes, your weight loss goals will seem very difficult to achieve. 

So, on the surface it would appear that hypnosis as a weight loss aid has something going for it. After all, hypnosis works for smokers who are trying to give up the fags, doesn't it? Well, the truth is hypnosis is slow to produce any long-lasting results and will not work for everyone. 

Studies have shown that one reason why it doesn't work is because it requires weekly consultations with a qualified hypnotist for at least 8 weeks or more in addition to any self-hypnosis or listening to some recorded message. So, In order to achieve any benefits from its use, hypnosis must be practiced on a regular basis for a significant period of time. 

And, as we all want to see results almost instantly, this method is very likely to fail because we just don't have the patience to continue. Then there's the cost to consider. Hypnotherapy sessions do not come cheap. 

Unfortunately, the only people who claim hypnosis is easy, simple, and effective are those trying to sell you their programme. So, in conclusion, hypnosis is just another method that seems to be making money for those who practice it. 


For a weight-loss plan that I've heard people have had success with, click here.

An Alternative to Satellite or Cable TV? AKA Down With DirecTV

This isn't so much for health and wellness, but rather something that has been asked a bunch lately on Facebook and elsewhere.

First, let me say I HATE DIRECTV! They have been so awful to work with, so when my contract expired (finally), I looked for an alternative.

Second, I am NOT ok with a contract, because I have no idea what life will be like in 1-2 years and do NOT want to be financially locked into something like tv. So goodbye Directv, Dish, Comcast, etc.

So I looked around for something on which I could watch sports and my wife could watch news. That's all we wanted, nothing more. Particularly, I wanted to watch the NBA Finals, the NFL season and playoffs, Major League Baseball, NHL, and New Zealand rugby (go the All Blacks!).

I had NO idea it would be so hard to find, but I did find my solution eventually. With Satellite Direct, I can watch lots of sports...LOTS! And it's all on my computer, which is nice for me.

Now a disclaimer: I DID pay for this. I think it was like $40 but in my opinion, a one-time fee of $40 is MUCH better than paying that every month for 2 years!

We have like 3,000 channels on it! News sports and whatever else you want, I think it's a good investment.

Slow and Steady Weight Loss

More and more people today are struggling with weight issues. It seems that as time goes on, more and more people are simply getting fatter and fatter. If you want to lose a few pounds, you are in good company. Recent surveys indicate that up to sixty percent of people are overweight, or clinically obese. And it doesn't seem like this problem is going to go away by itself. 

The question is why are so many of us so fat? It's not like there is a big mystery behind gaining weight. You don't wake up one morning to suddenly find you've gained a hundred pounds. You don't go to your doctor and find you've contracted some horrible disease called fatness that is completely out of your control. Most of us, if we are honest with ourselves, know that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why we are so fat. We eat too much, and exercise too little. 

If you go to your local bookstore, there's plenty of books on different diet plans, filled with low fat, healthy recipes on what to cook and how to eat. You won't have any trouble finding books at your local bookstore that will give you information on exercise. If you decided to join a gym, it would be easy enough to find one, and sign up for personal training. Lack of information is not our problem. 

Our problem, it seems, is sheer lack of willpower. But is that really the case? Sure, if you suddenly change your diet and lifestyle, you would probably lose quite a bit of weight. Of course, if you ate only boneless skinless chicken breasts and broccoli, and worked out for three hours a day, then this wouldn't be an issue. However, is it really in your best interests to do this? 

I think it isn't. I believe the best way to lose weight, is the same way you gained it. Slow and steady. It took a while to gain all that weight, and it's going to take a while to lose it. So maybe you shouldn't try for so much so soon. It' just not possible. If you try for something beyond what is natural, of course you are going to run into problems. Only when you take a slow and steady approach do you have a chance of success. 

So what is the best slow and steady approach to weight loss? Walking. One foot in front of the other, again and again. It may not seem glamorous, or sexy, but walking will surely get you out and active if you've been sedentary for too long. And once you start a habit of going for a walk every single day, you'll slowly start to pick up other habits as well. Give it a whirl, you may find your life drastically improved as a result.


For a weight-loss plan that I've heard people have had success with, click here.

How to Train Like An MMA Fighter

If you’re like me, you probably have seen MMA fights and, even if you don’t like the fighting or violence, you are probably in awe of the incredible physical condition and shape the fighters are in. I mean, come on, these guys take beatings (quite literally) and yet are full of endurance and energy through it all. Not to mention the fact that they’re straight ripped as well.

So I went looking for a training system. Now, let it be known, I’m not really anything of a physical specimen. I’m pretty average in height, weight, and build for a 27 year old guy. And I really don’t even like the fight aspect of MMA, just the toughness. So, I wanted to find something to help me get ripped and stronger, along with endurance. Why? Because chicks dig it! I just wanted to know how to get in shape like an MMA fighter, or at least how to work out like an MMA guy.

Anyways, I tried a couple things I found on YouTube and a couple manuals and stuff I got from a friend. In the end, I felt like they kinda helped me in small ways (arms, abs, etc) but not as a whole.

Long story short, I ended up getting referred to Eric Wong’s site and so far, so good! I don’t know Eric personally, nor do I know anyone that knows him, but he says he’s trained some fairly big names, and his whole life is pretty much MMA training. That got my attention.

Of course, like any MMA training system, Eric’s has some pros and cons.

The pros include the fact that its only 2 days a week. Of course, everyone says, “Is 2 days a week enough to get ripped?” My answer: YES! In fact, it seems to be about all I can handle. These are tough workouts!

Another pro is Eric’s credentials. Just look at his landing page and you’ll see some of what he’s done. He’s definitely more of an expert than any other person/system I’ve trained with.

Also, his system focuses a lot on cardio and endurance. As he says, skill doesn’t matter if you run out of gas at the end. And those are 2 things I was really looking for.

As far as cons go, you do need to have a bit of equipment. It’s pretty basic, but I don’t have it in my home, so I’ve just run to the gym. It includes:

• Barbell
• Dumbbells
• Squat rack
• Bench for bench pressing
• Chinup bar
• Swiss ball

Also, like I said, these workouts are tough! If you’re down with it though, it’s worth it. But don’t get it expecting to waltz into toughness, cardio, and endurance without a little pain!

Anyways, last words—I’d recommend it to anyone. In fact, I have to quite a few people. A couple buddies of mine have started with me, and every Tuesday and Thursday we are CRUSHING these workouts. Pretty sweet stuff and I am already feeling tougher…although still not sure if I’ll actually fight.

About the author: James Malone has written for numerous health blogs and is into fitness, hanging out, getting girls, and being cool. He frequently contributes to this blog.

Tips for Women to Lose Weight

If you are a woman and wish to observe healthy weight loss, then you should know that this does not have to be tough. In fact, you should never consider strenuous or drastic measures just so you could lose weight because there are a number of easy things that you can do to be able to achieve this while maintaining your overall health. Remember that great care should be taken in handling concerns that are linked to your health—and losing weight is one of them. 

Normally, women start to gain to weight when they go through menopause or when they get pregnant. However, gaining weight should not be an issue during these times if the right kinds of food are consumed. Adequate and proper exercise can also help in putting a halt on this issue from ever happening. 

Here are a number of healthy weight loss tips that you can take on even when you are pregnant, experiencing menopausal symptoms, or simply wanting to shed off some pounds: 

1)Eat three apples every day. This may seem like a simple and boring tip that will raise doubts of its effectiveness. However, this could actually work and may help you shed off some two to two and a half pounds in a month for some two to three months, even if you will just observe this tip alone. 

The best way to follow this tip is to eat these apples as your snacks in between every meal. However, if you want your apple-eating way of losing weight to work faster, then you can eat an apple before every meal. This will lead to the apples’ crowding out some of the calories that you might take in with your meals. 

2)Take your breakfast every day and include eggs in it. Most of the women who have gained some weight skip breakfast almost every day. This is because they believe that doing so would help them in their trying to lose some of their excess weight. However, this is not the case as not eating breakfast would make you consume more during lunch because you will be very hungry then. 

To avoid gorging on heavy meals and snacking during the day, you have to make sure you eat a hearty and healthy breakfast. One of the best foods that you can include in your breakfast diet is the egg because this is protein-rich and is guaranteed to fill you up. 

1)Eating one can of black beans every day could help in your weight-loss diet. If you are looking for a superfood that should be added to your weight-loss diet, then this should be a can of black beans. This is considered a superfood because it contains 25 grams of fiber that is good for bowel movement and 25 grams of protein that will help in building lean muscle mass. 

Eating a can of black beans would already help you in getting the amount of fiber you need every day. It is best if you will eat half of the black beans during your breakfast and half of it for your lunch. 


For a weight-loss plan that I've heard people have had success with, click here.

MMA Fight Training Systems Review

How to Train Like an MMA Fighter

Just my experience looking at different MMA Fighter training systems

http://onlywire.com/r/86611931

Dieting for Weight Loss

The most common reason that people cite for dieting today is weight loss. While most of us would love to claim the noble mantle of dieting for health the vast majority of us are doing so for vanity. This, however, is a perfectly acceptable and plausible reason for making the lifestyle changes that are necessary in order to diet. In fact, this reason might prove to be a far greater motivator than many of the other commonly stated reasons for dieting. 

When dieting for weight loss one of the most common complaints is constantly feeling hungry. In order to help combat this, you might want to incorporate some of the following strategies into your dieting program. First of all, eat more high fiber foods. Whole grains, apples, pears, and lima beans are a great source of fiber as are many breakfast cereals. Easy does it however when it comes to fiber as it may be filling but there are some unpleasant side effects that may accompany heavy fiber eating (remember that beans are a good source of fiber). Try using a product such as Bean-o when consuming larger amounts of fiber. You might also try spreading your fiber intake throughout the day rather than consuming all your daily fiber at once. 

Another method for feeling fuller when dieting is to drink plenty of water while dieting. Water provides an important service to the body and is very necessary when it comes to delivering all the nutrients where they need to go. Water also helps regulate your metabolism, which is very important to the dieting and weight loss process. Additionally, water will help you skin retain its elasticity so that your skin can go more easily back into place once the serious weight loss begins. 

Learn to control your portions. We live in a world where portions are over inflated and super sized so often that we no longer know what an appropriate portion looks like. Restaurant meals are quite often more than adequate for at least two full meals and that is before salads, soups, appetizers, or desserts have been ordered. Learning to portion correctly can save you from over loading your calorie intake for the day massively. It can also help you get extra helpings of the lower calorie foods such as lettuce and other vegetables rather than taking such large portions of calorie rich starches or fried foods. 

Do not go "Gung Ho". There are limits to what the body and the mind can handle. When you go on a diet you are making a drastic change to your bodies caloric intake. If you go overboard you can lead to health risks along the way. Begin cutting calories a little at a time and incorporate changes as you go rather than going in with an all or nothing attitude. If you go overboard with your dieting plans chances are that you are dooming your diet to failure. 

Take your diet one step at a time for the best results and be sure to incorporate extra physical activity into the mix. Even gardening when done on a regular basis can burn calories, so can cleaning the house, and playing with the little ones. Take a walk to the park or the corner store rather than getting in the car and pull a wagon or push a stroller while you're at it. The added weight will be just enough resistance to burn a few extra calories. 

Dieting for weight loss does not necessarily have to be a major sacrifice on your part but in order to be successful it will be a radical change in lifestyle, particularly if you need to lose more than a few vanity pounds. The health implications of loosing the weight are well worth the required effort and should not be taken lightly no matter how excited you are about your new body that is hiding inside your old one.



For a weight-loss plan that I've heard people have had success with, click here.

Quote: ‘In eating, a third of the stomach should be filled with food, a third with drink and the rest left empty.’ Talmudin Hello! May I start this article by sharing with you my most inner secrets.

 I want to reveal to you that no matter how difficult your weight problem may seem, you can change your life for the better. If I can do it, so can you. As many know I wasn't always so strong or sure of myself, and much of that insecurity has to do with my weight. I have had a weight problem practically all my life and I always will. But now things are different, and they can do for you, too. Enough of this lengthy intro, at least for now! OK?

 Then let’s dive in with the first success habit of thin or slim people. Success Habits No.1. Follow A Rugged framework for diet and exercise. Let me set the record straight! Diet and exercise guidelines can provide you with a framework for making these healthy changes, but ultimately it's up to you to devise your own rules and come up with your own strategies for healthy living and dieting. It is not expected of you to grab any article or a report and immediately start following the tactics and strategies recommended. Everyone’s body is different from another. We have DNA’s that are very different even from our blood brothers and sister. Why then should you follow exactly what people tell you. Even advices herein. The best bet is to use your own body to study the actions and reactions of the guidelines given and applied there. Fair enough?

 Success Habits No. 2. Adhere to a ‘low-fat' low-calorie diet and exercising regularly Let me clue you in on an undisputed statement. In the largest study of successful dieters to date researchers have found that sticking with a ‘low-fat' low-calorie diet and exercising regularly helped the participants shed and keep off at least 30 pounds. Sounds impossible? But trust me it’s true. You can bet your eyeball on this fact. By the way, are you are you getting into this, or it is rubbing you the wrong way? Just be patient and carry on reading. It’s worth your few minutes of your precious time. Then shall we proceed to secrets number three. OK?

 Success Habits No.3. Discover and Adapt to Better Dieting Therapies OK, I know you’re probably shaking your head after reading success habits number three .But rests assured what you about to read is no rocket science materials. It is just plain and simple fact. Here goes! Rest assured that successful dieters aren't afraid to do things far different from the norm. Just to find tactics that really works for them. And to use them when they work for them. Time changes so does things. Remember the old adage, ‘Time and Tides awaits no man or for that matter woman’ Get my drift?

 Up next, Success Habits No. 4. A strong Belief in ‘Quitters Never Wins, and Winners never Quit’ motto. Hello! Are you prepared to prepared to be shocked, disappointed and finally refreshed, reading this success secret no. 4. Right? Then let me get straight to the point! Make no mistake, along the road to change, lapses are inevitable for any one. But in and of themselves, they're not necessarily setbacks; it all depends on how you handle them. Remember this weight loss thing is not a one shot affair. We have to live in our body every day of our lives, by the minutes, days, weeks, months and years. How our mind adapts to failures will largely determine the condition of our inherited body. Agreed? Correct me if I am wrong. But what you are about to read may be shocking to you. If you are ready to see what’s next then go ahead and continue reading but brace yourself first!

 Success Habits No. 5. Progressively overcoming unhealthy life styles No matter how you argue or try to justify this habits number 5, common sense dedicates this obvious fact. Changing distasteful habits involves six predictable stages, researchers have found. If you can identify the stage where you are, you can take steps to spur yourself forward. In case you don’t know the six stages, let’s have a fast reminder.

Step One. Know the exact problem causing the unhealthy lifestyle. Step 2. Find alternative solutions to overcome the problem. Step 3. Select the best alternative to overcome the problem. Step 4. Schedule the start and finish times to work at this problem Step 5. Get down to solving the problem and step 6. Finish, follow up and revise if there is a need to. Simple enough? To sum up, let’s recap! Firstly adopt a rugged framework for dieting and exercising . Secondly, to adhere to a ‘low-fat' low-calorie diet and engage in indoor or outdoor sports regularly. Thirdly to continue discovering and adapting to better dieting therapies Fourthly, have a strong belief in ‘Quitters Never Wins, and Winners never Quit’ motto. And finally take the concerted efforts to progressively overcoming unhealthy life styles. In closing, let me add to these facts! This article has given you this weight loss information . It has given you the justification and the facts and the best advice we can give, the rest is up to you. Health is really is wealth in more than just financial, and whatever choices you make, we wish you best of luck in your pursue of a slimmer and healthier body. Goodbye and happy weight loss endeavor.

For a weight-loss plan that I've heard people have had success with, click here.


 DISCLAIMER AND/OR LEGAL NOTICES The information presented herein represents the views of the author as of the date of publication. Because of the rate with which conditions change, the author reserves the rights to alter and update his opinions based on the new conditions. This material is for informational purposes only and the author does not accept any responsibilities for any liabilities resulting from the use of this information. While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided here, the author and his referrals cannot assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional.