We all have friends like this, heck some of us might even be one of the people on this list of 11 personalities that will ruin your super bowl party
And favored team apparel guy.....we know your on the bandwagon...save yourself some money and just tell us how you have "Always been a HUGE Patriots fan."
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
24 tips to get restful sleep
If you are like me, sometime you have a really hard time falling asleep. Last night I couldn't even begin to force myself into a slumber. Here are 24 tips to help you not only get to bed, but have restful slumber.
1. Create a transition routine. This is something you do every night before bed. It could be as simple as letting the cat out, turning out the lights, turning down the heat, washing your face, and brushing your teeth. Or it could be a series of yoga or meditation exercises. Regardless, it should be consistent to the point that you do it without even thinking about it. As you begin to move into your "nightly routine," your mind will get the signal that it's time to chill out and tune down, dialing down stress hormones and physiologically preparing you for sleep.
2. Figure out your body cycle. Ever find that you get really sleepy at 10 p.m., that the sleepiness passes, and that by the time the late news comes on, you're wide-awake? Some experts believe sleepiness comes in cycles. Push past a period of sleepiness and you likely won't be able to fall asleep very easily for a while. If you've noticed these kinds of rhythms in your own body clock, use them to your advantage. When sleepiness comes, get to bed. Otherwise, it might be a long time until you are ready to fall asleep again.
3. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water and iron them before making up your bed. The scent is scientifically proven to promote relaxation, and the repetition and mindlessness of ironing will soothe you. Or, instead of ironing your sheets, do the next best thing: Put lavender water in a perfume atomizer and spray above your bed just before climbing in.
4. Hide your clock under your bed or on the bottom shelf of your night stand, where its glow won't disturb you. That way, if you do wake in the middle of the night or have problems sleeping, you won't fret over how late it is and how much sleep you're missing.
5. Switch your pillow. If you're constantly pounding it, turning it over and upside down, the poor pillow deserves a break. Find a fresh new pillow from the linen closet, put a sweet-smelling case on it, and try again.
6. Choose the right pillow. One Swedish study found that neck pillows, which resemble a rectangle with a depression in the middle, can actually enhance the quality of your sleep as well as reduce neck pain. The ideal neck pillow should be soft and not too high, should provide neck support, and should be allergy tested and washable, researchers found. A pillow with two supporting cores received the best rating from the 55 people who participated in the study. Another study found that water-filled pillows provided the best night's sleep when compared to participants' usual pillows or a roll pillow. Yet another study found that a pillow filled with a special "cool" material composed of sodium sulfate and ceramic fiber provided a much better night's sleep than one filled with polyester. The reason, the researchers suggest, is that the cooler pillow kept the subjects' head cooler during the night, improving their sleep. While you may not be able to find a sodium sulfate-filled pillow, you can buy a pillow made of natural fibers, which are better at releasing heat than polyester.
Other pillow tips: if you're subject to allergies or find you're often stuffed up when you awake in the morning, try a hypoallergenic pillow. And experiment with the pillow's thickness. While a thick, fluffy pillow might sound appealing, it might be too thick for you, leading to neck strain. Try a thin pillow.
7. Switch to heavier curtains over the windows, and use them. Even the barely noticeable ambient light from streetlights, a full moon, or your neighbor's house can interfere with the circadian rhythm changes you need to fall asleep.
8. Clean your bedroom and paint it a soothing sage green. Or some other soothing color. First, the more clutter in your bedroom, the more distractions in the way of a good night's sleep. The smooth, clean surfaces act as a balm to your brain, helping to smooth out your own worries and mental to-do lists. The soothing color provides a visual reminder of sleep, relaxing you as you lie in bed reading or preparing for sleep.
9. Move your bed away from any outside walls. This will help cut down on noise, which a Spanish study found could be a significant factor in insomnia. If the noise is still bothering you, try a white noise machine, or just turn on a floor fan.
10. Tuck a hot-water bottle between your feet or wear a pair of ski socks to bed. The science is a little complicated, but warm feet help your body's internal temperature get to the optimal level for sleep. Essentially, you sleep best when your core temperature drops. By warming your feet, you make sure blood flows well through your legs, allowing your trunk to cool.
11. Kick your dog or cat out of your bedroom. A 2002 research study found that one in five pet owners sleep with their pets (and we're not talking goldfish here). The study also found that dogs and cats created one of the biggest impediments to a good night's sleep since the discovery of caffeine. One reason? The study found that 21 percent of the dogs and 7 percent of the cats snored!
12. Sleep alone. Sure you love your spouse or partner, but studies find one of the greatest disruptors of sleep is that loved one dreaming away next to you. He might snore, she might kick or cry out, whatever. In fact, one study found that 86 percent of women surveyed said their husbands snored, and half had their sleep interrupted by it. Men have it a bit easier; just 57 percent said their wives snored, while just 15 percent found their sleep bothered by it. If you absolutely will not kick your partner out (or head to the guest room yourself), then consider these anti-snoring tips:
13. Take a combination supplement with 600 mg calcium and 300 mg magnesium before bed. Not only will you be providing your bones with a healthy dose of minerals, but magnesium is a natural sedative. Additionally, calcium helps regulate muscle movements. Too little of either can lead to leg cramps, and even a slight deficiency of magnesium can leave you lying there with a racing mind.
14. Eat a handful of walnuts before bed. Walnuts are a good source of tryptophan, a sleep-enhancing amino acid.
15. Munch a banana before bed. It's a great natural source of melatonin, the sleep hormone, as well as tryptophan. The time-honored tradition, of course, is warm milk, also a good source of tryptophan.
16. Drink water before bed, not fruit juice. One study found it took participants an extra 20 to 30 minutes to fall asleep after drinking a cup of fruit juice, most likely because of the high sugar content in juice.
17. Take antacids right after dinner, not before bed. Antacids contain aluminum, which appears to interfere with your sleep.
18. Listen to a book on tape while you fall asleep. Just as a bedtime story soothed and relaxed us when we were children, a calming book on tape (try poetry or a biography, stay away from horror novels) can have the same effect with us grown-ups.
19. Simmer three to four large lettuce leaves in a cup of water for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add two sprigs of mint, and sip just before you go to bed. Lettuce contains a sleep-inducing substance called lactucarium, which affects the brain similarly to opium. Unlike opium, of course, you won't run the risk of addiction!
20. Give yourself a massage. Slowly move the tips of your fingers around your eyes in a slow, circular motion. After a minute, move down to your mouth, then to your neck and the back of your head. Continue down your body until you find you're so relaxed you're ready to drop off to sleep. Another option: alternate massage nights with your significant other. You get Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Your significant other gets Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. You do each other on Sundays.
21. Take a hot bath 90 to 120 minutes before bedtime. A research study published in the journal Sleep found that women with insomnia who took a hot bath during this window of time (water temperature approximately 105°F), slept much better that night. The bath increased their core body temperature, which then abruptly dropped once they got out of the bath, readying them for sleep.
22. Use eucalyptus for a muscle rub. The strongly scented herb provides a soothing feeling and relaxing scent. You can find eucalyptus oil to mix into a carrier oil, or even a eucalyptus-scented cream.
23. Spend 10 minutes journaling the day's events or feelings after tucking yourself into bed. This "data dump" will help turn off the repeating tape of our day that often plays in our minds, keeping us from falling asleep.
24. Keep a notepad at your bedside along with a gentle night-light and pen. Then, if you wake in the middle of the night and your mind starts going, you can quickly transfer the to-do list to the page, returning to sleep knowing you "caught" those thoughts.
Thanks to Reader's Digest for this great info
1. Create a transition routine. This is something you do every night before bed. It could be as simple as letting the cat out, turning out the lights, turning down the heat, washing your face, and brushing your teeth. Or it could be a series of yoga or meditation exercises. Regardless, it should be consistent to the point that you do it without even thinking about it. As you begin to move into your "nightly routine," your mind will get the signal that it's time to chill out and tune down, dialing down stress hormones and physiologically preparing you for sleep.
2. Figure out your body cycle. Ever find that you get really sleepy at 10 p.m., that the sleepiness passes, and that by the time the late news comes on, you're wide-awake? Some experts believe sleepiness comes in cycles. Push past a period of sleepiness and you likely won't be able to fall asleep very easily for a while. If you've noticed these kinds of rhythms in your own body clock, use them to your advantage. When sleepiness comes, get to bed. Otherwise, it might be a long time until you are ready to fall asleep again.
3. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water and iron them before making up your bed. The scent is scientifically proven to promote relaxation, and the repetition and mindlessness of ironing will soothe you. Or, instead of ironing your sheets, do the next best thing: Put lavender water in a perfume atomizer and spray above your bed just before climbing in.
4. Hide your clock under your bed or on the bottom shelf of your night stand, where its glow won't disturb you. That way, if you do wake in the middle of the night or have problems sleeping, you won't fret over how late it is and how much sleep you're missing.
5. Switch your pillow. If you're constantly pounding it, turning it over and upside down, the poor pillow deserves a break. Find a fresh new pillow from the linen closet, put a sweet-smelling case on it, and try again.
6. Choose the right pillow. One Swedish study found that neck pillows, which resemble a rectangle with a depression in the middle, can actually enhance the quality of your sleep as well as reduce neck pain. The ideal neck pillow should be soft and not too high, should provide neck support, and should be allergy tested and washable, researchers found. A pillow with two supporting cores received the best rating from the 55 people who participated in the study. Another study found that water-filled pillows provided the best night's sleep when compared to participants' usual pillows or a roll pillow. Yet another study found that a pillow filled with a special "cool" material composed of sodium sulfate and ceramic fiber provided a much better night's sleep than one filled with polyester. The reason, the researchers suggest, is that the cooler pillow kept the subjects' head cooler during the night, improving their sleep. While you may not be able to find a sodium sulfate-filled pillow, you can buy a pillow made of natural fibers, which are better at releasing heat than polyester.
Other pillow tips: if you're subject to allergies or find you're often stuffed up when you awake in the morning, try a hypoallergenic pillow. And experiment with the pillow's thickness. While a thick, fluffy pillow might sound appealing, it might be too thick for you, leading to neck strain. Try a thin pillow.
7. Switch to heavier curtains over the windows, and use them. Even the barely noticeable ambient light from streetlights, a full moon, or your neighbor's house can interfere with the circadian rhythm changes you need to fall asleep.
8. Clean your bedroom and paint it a soothing sage green. Or some other soothing color. First, the more clutter in your bedroom, the more distractions in the way of a good night's sleep. The smooth, clean surfaces act as a balm to your brain, helping to smooth out your own worries and mental to-do lists. The soothing color provides a visual reminder of sleep, relaxing you as you lie in bed reading or preparing for sleep.
9. Move your bed away from any outside walls. This will help cut down on noise, which a Spanish study found could be a significant factor in insomnia. If the noise is still bothering you, try a white noise machine, or just turn on a floor fan.
10. Tuck a hot-water bottle between your feet or wear a pair of ski socks to bed. The science is a little complicated, but warm feet help your body's internal temperature get to the optimal level for sleep. Essentially, you sleep best when your core temperature drops. By warming your feet, you make sure blood flows well through your legs, allowing your trunk to cool.
11. Kick your dog or cat out of your bedroom. A 2002 research study found that one in five pet owners sleep with their pets (and we're not talking goldfish here). The study also found that dogs and cats created one of the biggest impediments to a good night's sleep since the discovery of caffeine. One reason? The study found that 21 percent of the dogs and 7 percent of the cats snored!
12. Sleep alone. Sure you love your spouse or partner, but studies find one of the greatest disruptors of sleep is that loved one dreaming away next to you. He might snore, she might kick or cry out, whatever. In fact, one study found that 86 percent of women surveyed said their husbands snored, and half had their sleep interrupted by it. Men have it a bit easier; just 57 percent said their wives snored, while just 15 percent found their sleep bothered by it. If you absolutely will not kick your partner out (or head to the guest room yourself), then consider these anti-snoring tips:
- Get him (or her) to stop smoking. Cigarette smoking contributes to snoring.
- Feed him (or her) a light meal for dinner and nix any alcohol, which can add to the snoring.
- Buy some earplugs and use them!
- Play soft music to drown out the snoring.
- Present your lover with a gift-wrapped box of Breathe Right strips, which work by pulling the nostrils open wider. A Swedish study found they significantly reduced snoring.
- Make an appointment for your sleeping partner at a sleep center. If nothing you do improves his or her snoring, your bedmate might be a candidate for a sleep test called polysomnography to see if sleep apnea is the cause. Better to help your partner -- and yourself -- than to exile the poor sonorous soul!
13. Take a combination supplement with 600 mg calcium and 300 mg magnesium before bed. Not only will you be providing your bones with a healthy dose of minerals, but magnesium is a natural sedative. Additionally, calcium helps regulate muscle movements. Too little of either can lead to leg cramps, and even a slight deficiency of magnesium can leave you lying there with a racing mind.
14. Eat a handful of walnuts before bed. Walnuts are a good source of tryptophan, a sleep-enhancing amino acid.
15. Munch a banana before bed. It's a great natural source of melatonin, the sleep hormone, as well as tryptophan. The time-honored tradition, of course, is warm milk, also a good source of tryptophan.
16. Drink water before bed, not fruit juice. One study found it took participants an extra 20 to 30 minutes to fall asleep after drinking a cup of fruit juice, most likely because of the high sugar content in juice.
17. Take antacids right after dinner, not before bed. Antacids contain aluminum, which appears to interfere with your sleep.
18. Listen to a book on tape while you fall asleep. Just as a bedtime story soothed and relaxed us when we were children, a calming book on tape (try poetry or a biography, stay away from horror novels) can have the same effect with us grown-ups.
19. Simmer three to four large lettuce leaves in a cup of water for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add two sprigs of mint, and sip just before you go to bed. Lettuce contains a sleep-inducing substance called lactucarium, which affects the brain similarly to opium. Unlike opium, of course, you won't run the risk of addiction!
20. Give yourself a massage. Slowly move the tips of your fingers around your eyes in a slow, circular motion. After a minute, move down to your mouth, then to your neck and the back of your head. Continue down your body until you find you're so relaxed you're ready to drop off to sleep. Another option: alternate massage nights with your significant other. You get Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Your significant other gets Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. You do each other on Sundays.
21. Take a hot bath 90 to 120 minutes before bedtime. A research study published in the journal Sleep found that women with insomnia who took a hot bath during this window of time (water temperature approximately 105°F), slept much better that night. The bath increased their core body temperature, which then abruptly dropped once they got out of the bath, readying them for sleep.
22. Use eucalyptus for a muscle rub. The strongly scented herb provides a soothing feeling and relaxing scent. You can find eucalyptus oil to mix into a carrier oil, or even a eucalyptus-scented cream.
23. Spend 10 minutes journaling the day's events or feelings after tucking yourself into bed. This "data dump" will help turn off the repeating tape of our day that often plays in our minds, keeping us from falling asleep.
24. Keep a notepad at your bedside along with a gentle night-light and pen. Then, if you wake in the middle of the night and your mind starts going, you can quickly transfer the to-do list to the page, returning to sleep knowing you "caught" those thoughts.
Thanks to Reader's Digest for this great info
The 10 worst disasters of the Century
Popular Mechanics created this list of the 10 worst disasters of the Century.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
10 tips for exercising when the weather is bad
The weather is cold, snowy and not at all good for an outdoor exerciser. What do you do? There are some easy, free (or cheap) ways to get your exercise even when the weather isn’t cooperating.
- Does your employer have a gym? Often these are much more cost effective (and have a friendlier atmosphere) than larger gyms open to the general public.
- Is there somewhere at work you can walk? If your office building is very large, you could easily get in a nice walk on your lunch break.
- Walk around your house. Grab a small basket and move from room to room, picking up things that don’t belong and taking them to the room they do belong in. Do this for 15 or 20 minutes a day and you’ll get a walk AND pick up the house at the same time.
- If you have stairs, start climbing them several times a day. Start at what feels comfortable and gradually increase your number of trips.
- Go to the mall. It’s a great place to get in some walking. If you’re worried about shopping too much, leave your money at home.
- Do housework the hard way. Sweep with a broom instead of a sweeper. Clean your bathroom floor with a rag instead of a mop. You’ll get in a little exercise, and you’ll likely do a better job on the cleaning as well.
- Rent an exercise video. From aerobics to walking to kick-boxing, there are lots of videos you can get that will allow you to shape up. If you’re renting, then you won’t get stuck with one that’s too boring (or too hard or easy). This is also a great way to try a new routine without committing a lot of cash to it.
- Walk/run in place. You can actually buy videos that are mostly walking in place, and it’s harder than it seems! If you’d rather, try jumping rope instead.
- Buy a pair of dumbbells and use them to tone up.
- If all else fails, pull on your favorite wool sweater and cap and go out anyway!
Monday, January 21, 2008
75 tips to keep your car in top notch shape
75 tips to keep your car in top notch shape gives some great tips that are especially helpful in the winter time.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
20 Qualities that will help you live a great life
- Sincerity. Be sincere in your actions. Don’t try to deceive or impress others. Be yourself, and do what you feel is right based on your values and beliefs. You will be surprised at how people accept you when you stop trying to be someone you aren’t.
- Unfeigned. Be genuine in what you do; your actions speak louder than your words. Don’t falsify or embellish events that may have happened. Don’t say one thing and do the other.
- Wholehearted. Be enthusiastic about what you do. Show it. Be committed to life and everything that you set out to accomplish in life. Devote yourself to your family, friends, and community and commit yourself to being the best father, husband, wife, mother, friend, and neighbor you can be.
- Honest. Be honest in your dealings with yourself and with others. When others interact with you, let them see someone who is reputable, respectable and genuine. Do what you say you will do and never use fraud or deception to get ahead in life. Let ethics, morals, and honor be your compass.
- Heartfelt. When you do something for someone, or they do something for you, let your thanks and emotion be openly and outwardly expressed towards them.
- Hearty. Be someone who displays an honest, warm, and exuberant personality to those around them. Let your feelings show and let them be genuine when they do.
- Humility. Don’t lead a life thinking you are better than others or are superior to those around you. Modesty and humbleness will leave a far more ever lasting impact on people than trying to show off.
- Personal integrity. Always follow your heartfelt values, and never let a situation or anyone steer you away from doing what you know is right. Be someone that people can look up to and respect and not someone who trades his or her moral values for material gains in life.
- Incorruptibility. Let it be known that you stand firm for what you believe in and that your morals, values and actions are not for sale. Don’t let outside forces corrupt the person you are.
- Sound. Show good judgment and sense in life. Don’t let prejudices or emotions cloud your judgment.
- Whole. Be focused on what you want to achieve in life. Give everyone you interact with your complete and undivided attention.
- Courtesy. Practice good manners even though others around you may not.
- Civility. Graciousness and respect go a long way in life. What is more, they are viral – when people see you doing it they are more apt to practice civility themselves. Be kind to others and extend courtesy towards them. Don’t interrupt people when they speak and don’t dominate the conversation.
- Wisdom. Gain from the wisdom that is inside you. Understand the inner qualities of people and learn how to understand situations that might be different than we are used to.
- Charity. Practice kind, gentle, and compassionate treatment of others – especially those who may be undeserving. Learn to extend a hand to help others, even though they themselves may not have helped you.
- Empathy. Be aware that each person is different and may have different values and beliefs than those that you hold. Be understanding of the feelings and thoughts of others without having to be told or reminded of them.
- Sympathy. Share your feelings with others and understand the emotional situations that people go through. Put yourself in their shoes.
- Compassion. When someone is in distress, reach out with a genuine interest in helping alleviate their suffering.
- Altruism. Think of others without thinking of yourself. Do good things for people without expecting something in return for yourself.
- Magnanimous. Be generous in life. Give of your time, money and wisdom. Share with others so they can see the true joy and adventures of life themselves.
Thanks to dumb little man for this list.
Friday, January 11, 2008
40 Best Social News Sites
Ok.....I love Social Media. It is always changing and virtually possible to truly define. Here is Dosh Dosh's top 40 list of Best Social News Sites
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
20 or So Websites that are Optimied for the iPhone
Mobile Search is here in full force......and these 20 websites are ahead of the curve for iPhone users
Monday, January 7, 2008
The 6 Craziest Crash Diets
It's the New Year and that means it's time to lose some weight.....or make a resolution to.
Here is a list of the Craziest Crash Diets.
Here is a list of the Craziest Crash Diets.
Friday, January 4, 2008
4 best tools to help you Eat Locally
Wow, it has been a while.....Holidays seem to take over months these days
Here is a great list if you are feeling Green in 2008.
4 Best Tools to Help You Eat Local and Be Green
1. Map Your Course of Action: Get started by figuring out your own 100 mile food radius with a handy mapping tool provided by those 100 Mile Diet authors we know and love and our fabulous Daily Green bloggers, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon. Even if the 100-mile limitation is too hard for you to accomplish, it will, at the very least, give you a starting point.
2. Find Your Farmers, Family Farms, Community Supported Agriculture Programs (CSAs), and Food Co-ops: LocalHarvest.org offers up multiple ways to find organic seasonal foods that are closest to you. It also lists those places that specialize in delivering organic foods to your doorstep. Now, if they could send along a chef with that CSA delivery every month... The Rodale Institute also has an all-inclusive Farm Locator that links consumers to farms, farmer-to-farmer, farmers to retailers and restaurants, and farmers/retailers to commercial buyers—whew.
3. Find a Restaurant that Sources Only Local Foods: If you're not sure if those grapes you're eating have sailed from Chile to California and then trucked their way to your favorite downtown eatery (if it's in Des Moines, IA, that's about 7,270 food miles by the way)—check out the Eat Well Guide. You can plug in your zip code and search within a 200-mile radius for the choicest "local as local gets" good eats establishments.
4. Find Your Inner Farmer: Just picked tomatoes in the month of December in upstate New York? Perfectly doable. If the green growing spirit really moves you and you're a little more hard core, think about investing in a solar green house. Simply Solar Greenhouses out of Bell City, Montana sells sustainable greenhouses, and their website gives well thought out advice and tips on how to heat that greenhouse without the aid of gas, oil, or coal.
Courtesy of The Daily Green
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