The Synchronous Converter

Losing weight is not just about calories in, calories out. Many personal trainers say that all you have to do is control the amount of calories going in versus amount of calories going out and you will lose weight. Unfortunately, that’s not always the way it works.

Our bodies are not machines or computers; our bodies are living organisms with cells, tissues, organs and chemicls that sometimes don’t work the way they should. Your body’s malfunctions can sometimes result in weight gain. Finding out the cause of why you can’t lose weight in spite of the “calories in/calories out” equation is important to living a healthy life.

Examples of conditions that cause you to gain weight include

• hypothyroid
• perimenopause
• too much estrogen
• metabolism adaptations
• emotional eating
• stress
• depression

Many of these problems are related to each other, such that one condition causes the other condition to kick in. For instance, when you have a hypothyroid, the hormones released by the thyroid to make your metabolism function properly are not released. It sets off a chain reaction in your body that makes it impossible to lose weight, no matter how many calories go in or go out.

Another example is when you are experiencing perimenopause, your body makes too much estrogen. This causes you to gain weight which makes your body produce more estrogen and the cycle continues resulting in weight gain and no weight loss.

Sometimes when you restrict your calorie intake too much, your body’s metabolism adapts to this decrease in energy and lowers your metabolism. Your body can survive on less calories and won’t go into your fat stores for energy needs because it doesn’t need to. As a result, your diet is causing you to not lose weight.

Emotional eating occurs when we allow our emotions to control our behavior. It doesn’t matter if you know that a particular food is bad for you, you consume it anyway, just like an alcoholic turns to liquor to deal with difficult emotions.

Too much stress can cause a physiological reaction that results in weight gain even though you are following the guidelines of a healthy diet. Stress can cause you to gain weight if you do not process your body’s “fight or flight” response in the right way.

Depression can cause you to turn to sugar for for an increase in energy and to lift your mood. Sugar causes an increase in serotonin which makes you feel good. But then it is quickly burned off and you need more, just like a drug addict needs more drugs to stay “high” and feel good.

So what can you do? If you are having problems losing weight,

1. Examine your habits and see if you are not eating the right things and exercising regularly. Keep a food and activity journal to see patterns in your daily living that might be sabotaging weight loss. If the calories in/calories out equation is coming out wrong,then
2. Investigate your overall health. The internet can be very helpful as long as you are careful to use credible sources of information.
3. See your doctor and have lab work done that includes a TSH test (shows thyroid function).
4. Look at how you handle your emotions. Do you eat when you are not hungry? Get to the bottom of those feelings that cause you to eat.
5. Are you under a lot of stress? Do you deal with it in a healthy way? Find out how your body can improve the way it reacts to stress.
6. If you are depressed, find out the reasons why and look for other mood-lifters besides sugar. If it’s really bad, your body may not be manufacturing enough serotonin. There are resources and supplements available to help you overcome this problem.

For most people, losing weight is all about calories in/calories out. But if that equation is not working for you, care enough about your health to find out the reason why your body is not operating the way it should.

Eunice Coughlin is the founder of http://www.healthy-living-for-moms.com, a resource for moms of all ages and stages who seek spiritual and physical health and wellness.

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Everyone pretty much falls into two categories;(1) Web masters (those who know everything about web site creation, optimization, and promotion), and (2) the rest of us. Although I have put together a few of my own sites, they are very basic, and I would never claim to be a master! So those of you who are like me fall in the second category, read on!

Anyone heard of online surveys? Work at home moms and dads can earn supplemental, or even a full time income from filling in company surveys. Paid surveys are a means for companies to find out information about their product or service, and some companies will pay as much as $50 per survey, maybe more. Just join a program, and they will hook you up with hundreds of companies that you can apply to.

What is an eBook anyway? An eBook is an electronic clone of your typical paper or hard back novel. But the creation and distribution of the eBook is much easier and cheaper. Can you make money selling your own eBook? You sure can! Decide what you are most passionate and knowledgeable about, and in this high demand informational age, you will find buyers for your eBook . With your computer, a word possessing program (got to have that spell checker), an eBook eCover Creator, and maybe a few other items, you could be well on you way. Find a Work At Home web site or do a Search using the phrase ‘writing and selling your own eBook’ to find more detailed information.

Ebay you say? Selling on eBay is easier than most people think. Just sign up with eBay and Pay Pal, decide what you want to sell, and start your auction. Of course there is a little more to it than that, but no matter what they may say, it’s not rocket science. Anyone can learn. Need a product? There are plenty of Wholesalers, Liquidators, Drop Shippers, and oh yea, let’s not forget about your eBook. You can sell it on your own store front. You should learn some insider tricks though from those who have been at it for a while, (did some one say eBook?).

Google, what a cool word. We all wish we would’ve come up with that one! Google offers you two ways to make money. (1) The use of ADWORDS. This is where you basically place an add to sell a product, or to promote your site. PPC (pay per click) means you pay each time someone clicks your add, which was brought up from their search. Before you use this method of advertisement thought, learn what you can from others with more experience using PPC. It can quickly burn a hole in your wallet if your not careful! (2) The use of ADSENSE. Sign up with Google , then you can copy some code, paste it on your site, and you’ll have the same PPC adds appear on your site that you see on Google. Someone clicks, you get paid. You can also paste code for a search bar. They search, they click, you make money!

There are many other ways to make money at home, such as some of the more traditional medical billing, secretarial services, and so on. And although we’ve all heard it a thousand times, and no mater which program or programs you choose, one thing is for certain, if you are to be succeesfull, you must enjoy what your doing!

Visit the author’s informational site featuring home based business resources, tips and ideas.

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Some companies claim a huge payout percentage. Buyer beware! If a company pays out too much in commissions, chances are great that it’ll go belly up or be forced to make major revisions.

Companies advertising high payouts frequently can do so because they know that few distributors reach those deeper levels or sales volumes high enough to earn the special bonuses.

Bonuses are paid on matching volume. This means if you have $2000 in your left leg and $3000 in your right leg, you will be paid on $2000 from each leg. The remaining $1000 from the right leg should carry forward to the next pay period. Stay away from companies that start you from zero each pay period and do not carry forward.

In evaluating a compensation plan, it is preferable to choose one that:

• pays a weekly commission

• has reachable sales volume levels

• does not promise ‘80%’ payouts

• has highest payouts on levels 3 and 4 if it is a breakaway or matrix plan

• carries forward any unbalanced volume

Don’t try to distribute for more tan one company at a time, even if they are in non-competing industries. You lose credibility with potential prospects. You also halve your time and your effectiveness, which results in half of what you might otherwise have earned. You will need to determine if the company has a compensation plan where anyone has the ability to make money, not just those at the top. Ask yourself these questions: Can I earn a check within a short amount of time? Will I be compensated for unbalanced volume in the future? Is this the best type of compensation plan for immediate income as well as for long-term security?

Conclusion

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.

Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life. If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report “10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands.” After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!

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The many different types of cheeses available mean there is something to suit every taste. It is generally believed that cheese was first made in the Middle East. Legend has it that a nomadic Arab made cheese by accident when a saddlebag filled with milk fermented due to the hot sun and the galloping movement of his horse.

Early cheeses were not the solid products we eat today. They were simple curds and whey, like what Little Miss Muffet ate. The curd is the solid part while the whey is liquid.

Workmen making cheese are depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics. In ancient times, the whey was eaten immediately while the curd was salted or dried for preservation. The Roman Legion helped spread the art of cheesemaking throughout Europe and England. The monasteries and feudal estates of Europe made great improvements in cheesemaking during the Middle Ages. Many of the classic varieties of cheese enjoyed today were developed by monks. During the Renaissance, cheese decreased in popularity because it was considered unhealthy. By the nineteenth century, sentiment had changed and cheese production moved from farms to factories. No one involved in the early history of cheese could have imagined that today people would buy cheese online.

While most cheeses are mass produced today, some artisanal cheeses are still made by hand using old-fashioned techniques. When you buy cheese online, it is possible to deal directly with the people who make the cheese.

How cheese is made today

Cheese can be made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep and even buffaloes. The basic principle involved in making natural cheese is to curdle the milk so it forms into curds and whey. Contemporary cheesemaking methods stimulate the curdling process by using a starter, which is a bacterial culture that produces lactic acid, and rennet, a coagulating enzyme to speed up the separation of liquids and solids. Different bacterial cultures are used depending on the type of cheese being made.

The least sophisticated types of cheese for sale are the fresh, unripened varieties like cottage cheese. These are made by warming milk and letting it stand, treating it with a lactic starter to help the acid development and then draining the whey. The cheese is eaten fresh. This is the simplest form of cheese.

For more complex cheeses, bacterial cultures are used to lower the pH or acidify the cheese. It is important to make sure the right amount of acid is produced or the cheese’s texture will be poor. At this point, the cheese will begin to coagulate and form curds and whey. The process is enhanced by adding rennet.

The curd is then heated and cut, allowing whey to escape. The curd hardens before it is salted, shaped and pressed. Depending on the variety, the cheese will then be aged or ripened for different amounts of time. Bacteria are still growing in the cheese, resulting in flavor and texture changes.

Cheese rinds are formed during the ripening process, often naturally. The rind’s main function is protecting the interior of the cheese while allowing it to ripen harmoniously. Its presence does affect the final flavor of the cheese. Every variety of cheese for sale has gotten to market after being made through some variation of this process.

Jean Feingold is a copywriter for Catalogs.com. Catalogs.com is the Internet’s leading source for print and online catalog shopping - and a growing hub of original content and “how to” information at www.catalogs.com.

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The classroom has always been the main medium where the exchange of education takes place between a curriculum and students. Teachers and instructors often presented the information in a format that lead students to an educational goal by the end of a specific time period. These days, this format has changed greatly; especially for those taking on higher learning. Technology has radically changed how, when and where individuals are educated. With online learning, the classroom is where ever the student is. If that location is home, the office or even a Laundromat on a Sunday, then that is where learning will take place.

Traditionally, an individual could expect to be in the classroom nine months out of a year pushing to complete all their assignments and tests. This same routine often continues anywhere from two to four years at a time in traditional college venues. However, educational programs in the form of career colleges allow one to spend less time in the classroom than average but earn their degree quicker. This is a blessing to the working adult who does not have a great deal of time to donate to sitting in a classroom. A focused curriculum condensed down to the most vital knowledge helps moves things along at a swift and steady pace.

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If you are out looking for a new mortgage or want to renew your existing mortgage, there are certain things you should be aware of when visiting the banks. If you are one of those people who think they can negotiate the best mortgage rates by playing one bank off of another, you are only fooling yourself. Let me explain to you how the banks actually work. You will get a much better deal if you are working with someone who does a lot of business directly with a particular bank or mortgage company. They have what is called leverage, which most individuals don’t have. Good mortgage brokers will great contacts with a number of lending institutions.

It is through these contacts that mortgage brokers will be able to find the product offering the best rates for you and your family. You will have to supply your mortgage broker with all your financial information once. When trying to negotiate mortgage rates with different banks, you have to supply them all with your information. So what’s the big deal. The big deal is that a mortgage broker runs your credit report only once. You want to limit the number of times your credit report is looked at because each time it is accessed, you rating goes down and down is not good. When dealing with multiple banks, they will each run your credit report thus impacting your credit worthiness rating.

This may not sound important, but believe me it is. You want as few people as possible accessing your credit period. When working with a mortgage broker, you are not a faceless, nameless client. Often, you will be able to create a relationship with them long term. Mortgage brokers have access to hundreds of mortgage products and will often be able to get you up to a 1% better rate than you would have been able to negotiate with your own bank. The banks on the other hand often cycle through loan officers as they get promoted every few years. The long term relationship you have with your mortgage broker will provide options and products in the future you may need. So if you are shopping for a new mortgage, contact a mortgage broker first to see what they can do for you.

Amy-Jo Strutt is an expert author and regular contributor to http://www.reverse-mortgages-loans.com/compare-mortgage-rates.html If you are looking for information on reverse mortgages, mortgages, SBA loans, VA loans or home equity loans, check out http://www.reverse-mortgages-loans.com/116-conforming-mortgage-loan.html

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Banner ads are logos or headlines seen in webpages that directs consumers to products or services. Simply clicking a banner magically brings you to the company’s storefront and shopping for products and services becomes a breeze.

Many companies are able to make good money by using this form of advertisement for their products and services.

Even small businesses benefit from this modern advertising method with less expense than that of conventional advertisement in print and media. It is also easier design this advertisement than producing conventional advertisements.

You will notice that the internet is swamp with so many advertisements in form of banner ads, some are small and some are big.

Thus, you can attribute the popularity of online shopping to this modern method of advertising. Selling products and offering services to internet browsers appear on a 24/7 basis. Your product and services appear in front of possible customers’ day in and day out.

Banner ads are available in different shapes and sizes. Different formats such as static and animated formats add more power to the advertisement.

The traditional format or the static format is less popular than the entertaining animated format. Animated format advertisement arouse the curiosity of internet browsers and shoppers, thus it receives more clicks than its static counterpart does.

Your advertisement can be successful if you can post them in websites related to your product or service.

You may also be successful if your banner ad will be posted on top of the page than below where not much browsers or shoppers continue to read far down below.

It is also an effective way to post your advertisement that conveys simple messages than complicated one, which causes consumer confusion. Although, I may need to stress that in order to induce more clicks, a good doze of creativity needs to show in your advertisement.

Professional banner ad designers may be helpful if you want to be effective in advertising through this medium.

Although, there are computer softwares that can help you create and design your own advertisement, professional ones can be more useful and less time consuming, price maybe an issue but if you can shop around before engaging professional designers, you may be able to find a reasonably priced and experienced ad designer.

The sad story is that recent studies show that the effectivity of banner ads to bring in the bacon is now dwindling in lieu of pop-up ads, smaller browser window and advertisements that appear on their own.

Thus, you need to apply much creativity and arouse curiosity for the consumer to checkout your webpage. Make your advertisement stand out and avoid the shrinking attention banner ads are getting in the cyberspace.

However, contrary to this experts believe that advertisements evolve in various different forms, banner ads may still be around for a long time. Creativity may be a key and a lot of patience, no overnight success in advertising your products and services, so you need a lot of this in combination - patience and creativity.

Additionally, because you are competing in a marketplace where the benefit of touch is not extended to your prospective customer, you need to be able to convey the message to the customers through your advertisement, this is what your banner ad needs to convey.

Research on the best way to market your product or service and post them in sites where they will receive enough attention, this is the only way to ensure you will benefit from this modern advertising method.

In addition, once you capture the attention of a prospective consumer, your website needs to keep them glued by creative showcase of products and information necessary to bring in the sales.

Banner ads can only do so much, you need to keep consumers interested.

James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of
AboutBanner.com and writes expert
articles about banners.

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What a lot of money we have been wasting on dealing with customer complaints.

Instead of dealing with them and attempting to satisfy the customer we should create a process that makes complaining so difficult then when customers complain they get such a huge negative experience and never receive any satisfaction.

They will think very hard before they complain again.

This approach is working already.

Fifteen Years ago I moved up to the West Coast of Scotland.
After three years of the Highlands I decided to make it my permanent home and settled down to live in the most beautiful imaginable spot on the shores of Loch Long.

In the mornings I would lie in bed and listen to the radio, gently smiling at the all the roads in England that were listed almost daily as the announcer plunged again and again through the litany of names that spelled delays and frustration for millions of trapped motorists.

I had lived in Surrey and then Bedfordshire and one of the principal reasons for getting away was to avoid the frustrations caused by the movement of large numbers of people that were a permanent feature of living in this overcrowded corner of England.

I felt quite smug to have got away but last year cruel circumstance forced me back to within commuting distance of London.

The first thing I decided was that any trips to London would be on the train.
I had spent too long laughing at the travel news to believe that it would ever be possible to penetrate inside the M25 in a car.

On my first trip to London I got a lift to the station. It was only fifteen minutes, then I stood on the platform waiting for the train.
There was a train due every fifteen minutes and after about ten minutes one arrived.

Travel time was to be an hour so I sat down to read some proofs.
As the train got closer to London it filled up until the announcer declared that the train was full and would not now stop until it arrived in London.
I have since discovered that this is the normal routine but at the time was heartened to hear what I thought was a sensible decision being taken.
The train was full but not uncomfortable in the same way that a full tube train is.

After a further ten minutes the announcer came on again to tell us that the train was broken and that instead of delivering us to our station of choice in London, it would now drop us on the outskirts from whence we would have to make our own way to town on the tube.

It took me a while, and a conversation with the man next to me, to decipher what the change meant to me in terms of connections etc but having left an optimistic 45 minute buffer for my speaking engagement I worked out that I could cope with the extra delay.

Having settled my own mind I started to look at my fellow passengers and realised that when the announcement had been made there had been absolutely no reaction from the rest of the passengers.
There was no hint of outrage, no gasp of resignation and no casting heavenwards of the eyes of despair.

No reaction at all !

I began to ask why that was.

Did the train break down every day?

That could explain the lack of reaction but it hardly seemed credible.
There had to be an expectation of some sort that caused this complete lack of response, and I thought that I could see what it was.

When we are given a stimulus we respond to it.

We are drawn towards warmth as we also avoid heat and cold.

Pavlov created an expectation of hunger in his dogs with the bell such that they salivated even when no food was present.

The lack of response that I saw on the train told me that the passenger’s expectation was that they were absolutely powerless to do anything about their situation and therefore there was no point wasting any energy on being indignant or concerned.

When the train stopped everybody got off and I followed as we descended into the tube station to continue our journey into London.

It was on the tube train that it suddenly occurred to me what a lot of money we have been wasting on dealing with customer complaints.
If instead of dealing with them and attempting to satisfy the customer we instead create a process that makes complaining so difficult then when customers complain they get a huge negative experience and never receive any satisfaction, they will think very hard before they complain again.

Before long the expectation of the customers is that there is nothing to be gained by complaining and the whole of the resource that was dedicated to dealing with complaints can be reallocated to other more needy areas of the organisation.
The provision of nursery care for the children of employees and assisted study programs to retrain the personnel who used to work in the complaints department.

There would be a small staff kept on to deal with the complaints about why there was no complaints department but, using the same strategy, that too could be phased out in time.

The one requirement for the organisation considering this strategy would be a captive market.

So long as the customer did not have a choice I felt that I was on to a winner.

The more I thought about it the more I realised that all of the organisations for whom the prerequisite of a captive market already existed had been running the same system for years.

That is why the passengers on the train failed to react.

These same people will still react when their cheap no frills flight fails to turn up but that is simply because these airlines are relatively new and the expectation that complaining is pointless has not yet been made.

These airlines are working hard at their complaints procedure, if complaints are still being received they have clearly still got some way to go.

Give them time.

Peter Hunter’s career started on a nautical theme. After leaving school he spent six years as a navigating officer in the Merchant Navy working within a strict hierarchy. It was not until he joined the Royal Navy in 1988 that he began to realize how valuable people really were when they were allowed to be.

Peter studied for his master’s degree at Cranfield Institute of Technology before going to Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth as an Instructor Officer in the Royal Navy. He rose to become Head of Department at the RN Strategic Systems School, Faslane where he further developed the concept that “management is a two way thing”.

After 8 years with other consultancies Peter formed his own company on the West Coast of Scotland. Hunter Business Consultancy associates are now based all over the United Kingdom and are expanding into Europe.

Peter is the Author of the book “Breaking the Mould” - http://www.breakingthemould.co.uk

and at

http://www.hunter-consultants.co.uk.

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Trainer collectors come in different forms - some collecting because they like the shoes and want to wear them, some for nostalgic reasons and others because they have a serious passion to build a valuable collection.

In this first article of our new collectors series, we bring you an exclusive interview with New York collector Nick Gonzalez. New York is a hot bed for valuable trainers and Nick is one of the area’s most famous collectors, a true expert in his field.

TRAINERSHACK: How did you get in to collecting trainers?

NICK GONZALEZ: The right sneakers are very important when you’re growing up as a kid. I spent most of my leisure time on the basketball courts and if you weren’t wearing Jordans you might as well not even show. I kept the first pair I owned and it went on from there.

TS: How many pairs do you have in your collection?

NG: I must have over 500 by now I guess. I only wear about five or six pairs myself, the rest are boxed up in the spare room.

TS: Do you have a favourite pair?

NG: I’ve always had an affinity to the Air Jordans but my collection is so vast it’s hard to choose just one pair. I guess other than those, it would have to be a pair of the Air Force 1s. They have got me through a few scrapes on the courts.

TS: Do you collect all the brands?

NG: I was brought up with Nikes but I love anything as long as it’s got some sort of appeal to me. I’ve got a good selection of Adidas Stan Smiths and have a soft spot for the Reebok Pumps I own - going back to my court days I guess.

TS: What sneakers are you wearing now?

NG: I woke up with no clothing direction this morning so I went for Superstars - they go with anything.

TS: What has been your best find?

NG: When I was visiting relatives in Chicago they took me to this store that was closing down. The owner had a pair of original Air Max 95s and he only wanted 35 dollars for them. They were in my size and I took them away. I gave him an extra 50 bucks for them though.

Trainershack.co.uk sells authentic trainers from Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Puma and more online with free delivery and up to 50% off High Street prices. http://www.trainershack.co.uk

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Still more discoveries from the recent studies in behavioral economics:

Over-Valuing “Mine”

People consistently place a higher value on things they own, even if their “ownership” is temporary. The research is interesting, and I often saw this phenomenum used by salesmen on busses in Ecuador. A product is thrust into your hands, and after a ten-minute sales pitch, you pay or give back “your” item. It’s a very effective technique.

Regret Aversion

Of course you should bet $10 to win $20 on a toss of a coin, but for many, fear of regret (I lost $10!) outweighs desire to profit (I won $20!). The applications for this facet of human nature are in how you present things. With a person who has a strong tendency towards regret aversion, you’ll more likely to make a sale by suggesting what will be lost if he does’t buy, than by promising great benefits.

Refusal To “Book” Losses

I often saw this one when I worked at a casino. The loss doesn’t seem real to the player until he leaves the table, so he stays and loses more. There are thousands in casinos right now, losing more money and mumbling, “I just want to get even.”

Investors regularly hold losing investments simply because to sell them is an admission of the truth. Ask them which stocks will have the greatest return, and they won’t name their losing ones. They also won’t sell them to invest the money in the better stocks they do name, which would be the logical thing to do.

The Future Of Behavioral Economics

The science of behavioral economics is a growing field, with more studies being done every year. Though it hasn’t had much formal transference to the world of business yet, the techniques being studied have certainly been used for ages. Learn them, and you can profit - or protect yourself.

Steve Gillman has been studying every aspect of money for thirty years. You can find more interesting and useful information on his website; http://www.UnusualWaysToMakeMoney.com

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