Having a home gym with free weights and a machine for aerobic activity is the perfect combination for your home gym workout routine. Exercise and cardiovascular fitness are essential in a balanced fitness program.

It’s important to include stretching and resistance to help build and tone muscles, burn fat and help prevent injury. Variety is the key to enjoying and keeping you motivated for a successful exercise workout program.

Setting goals that are realistic can be a huge motivating factor in sticking to your home gym workout routine. These goals keep your mind focused on the rewards you will see and feel.

Once you start your exercise workout program and experience good results, you will become even more dedicated to achieving your goals. When beginning an exercise program here are a few important things to consider:

1. Decide how many times a week you are willing to dedicate yourself to this exercise workout program. For any real benefits to occur, your home gym workout routine should be done at least 3 to 4 times a week. It is also important to set aside a couple of days each week for complete rest.

2. How much time do you plan on dedicating to your exercise program each exercise day? It’s best to start slow and gradually work up as you get more fit. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes a day on the days you exercise depending on your fitness level.

3. Remember to change your exercise and cardiovascular fitness program every few weeks. That’s because your body will adjust to the same routine and your workout won’t be as effective without the change. Variety is a key element for keeping your motivation going and the boredom at a minimum.

Exercise and good aerobic workouts can provide you with a lifetime of good health. According to a study in 2004, more Americans are now participating in fitness activities to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

If your goal is having a toned body with more strength and flexibility, aerobic activity combined with a home gym with free weights is a great way to achieve it.

Copyright ? 2005 Treadmill Info.com All Rights Reserved.

This article is supplied by http://www.treadmill-info.com where you will find valuable information, ratings, reviews, articles and buying tips before you make the investment in quality fitness equipment. For more fitness related articles go to: http://www.treadmill-info.com/articles_1.html

My mother-in-law drives me crazy! She is an antisocial, critical, know-it-all who can’t find anything decent to say about anyone but herself. Every time she comes to visit it puts such a damper on my relationship with my wife, it takes us days to recover.

We have never really gotten along, but lately it has gotten much worse. She left yesterday after a week’s visit, and my wife and I didn’t talk the rest of the day.

My mother-in-law barely gets along with her own sisters who live next door to her, and she is estranged from her own mother. She has only two friends in the whole world and no social life. She spends hours each day watching television and doing genealogy research.

When we got married 11 years ago, she said, “Don’t call me mom, and don’t expect me to love you more than my own children.”

She divorced her husband after eight years and four children. She then devoted her life to her kids, to the exclusion of the rest of the world. She constantly talks about what we can and should do with our house, our property, and our money. Every time she comes over she points out things she thinks are wrong in our house.

The final straw came during her second to last visit. She blamed me for telling her to park at a train station where she got a parking ticket. I wasn’t with her at the time, and I didn’t tell her where to park. But she told my wife, “If I hadn’t listened to your blankety-blank husband?”

This last visit we borrowed a suitcase. The handle was damaged during baggage handling, so she had it repaired and we paid to get it fixed. In the meantime she damaged the interior of our car, which she borrowed, and never mentioned it. Then my wife wonders why I resent my mother-in-law.

This woman constantly criticizes her nieces for bad lifestyles, yet she never talks about her two kids, the crack addict son who steals from his dad, and the living-on-the-fringe daughter who was imprisoned twice for credit card theft and fraud.

I try to be polite, but her constant bad behavior puts a damper on my best intentions. It doesn’t help that I don’t have a sparkling personality myself. I have a reprieve until Christmas. Help me get this under control before then!

Kirk

Kirk, we don’t believe in rewarding bad behavior with good treatment. Not only will that not discourage bad behavior, it worsens it. You have seen that for yourself. You have been polite, and your mother-in-law’s behavior is getting worse.

It is as if you have been thrust into a boxing ring against your will. An honorable boxer wouldn’t hit an unwilling person, but your mother-in-law hits below the belt, throws kidney punches, and bites in the clinches. You have had enough provocation to at least defend yourself.

You can’t change her, but you can change how you deal with her, and that may mean fighting fire with fire. It may sound harsh, but when your mother-in-law criticizes you, inquire if her daughter is turning her life around. When she accuses you of things you haven’t done, ask about her son’s rehab.

Or on a more subtle level, you could give her books about how to be a good guest, a good friend, and a good person. She could also use a good book on manners. Your mother-in-law needs to understand that negative comments about your life will be met with negative comments about her life. By the same token meet any positives from her with positives from you.

Self-centered people view politeness and good manners in others as a weakness they can exploit. There is only one strategy which is likely to work for you. Make this a Christmas your mother-in-law will remember.

Wayne & Tamara

About The Author

Authors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.

Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.

2. Reinforce the positives. Give praise, recognition, a special privilege or increased responsibility for a job well done.

3. Define limits and rules clearly. A family council is an excellent place to discuss, explain and get a sense of ownership to the rules. Discuss what consequences will follow if the rules are not followed. Don’t have a lot of rules, maybe four or five, but be consistent at following them.

4. Give your children responsibility to make the house a home. Everyone in the family should be responsible for some household chores daily. Responsibility makes them feel valued and part of the team.

5. Don’t re-do their jobs. If you expect perfection, it is too easy for them to quit trying or else hope that you will step in and "save them" when it gets difficult.

6. Laugh at their jokes and listen attentively when they are talking to you. Being fully present when you are with your child is the only quality time there is.

7. If they don’t fit in, teach them basic social skills. There are a number of behaviors that can be learned to help the "left out" child to fit into the group more easily.

8. Show them that what they do is important to you. Talk to them about activities and interests. Help them to find a hobby or interest that they excel at. Go to their games, presentations and activities.

9. Help them to set goals. Teach them to break each long-range goal into manageable bites. It is important to succeed at something ever day. Acknowledge your own successes so they can be more aware of progress they are making.

10. Don’t punish them for telling the truth. Discuss problems without placing blame or attacking the child’s character. Worry less about "who did this?" and more about "Let’s get this mess cleaned up." If a child knows he has made a bad choice but doesn’t feel attacked, he will feel more secure in trying to find solutions.

11. Create opportunities to give service and to develop tolerance for others with different values and backgrounds. These experiences can help a child to see himself in reference to the rest of the world and to be more understanding of the needs of others.

12. Give them opportunities to make decisions. Help them to see that each decision has pros and cons and may have consequences for themselves and others. If they want to do something that is clearly harmful, explain why you cannot allow them to act on it.

13. Teach them to deal with money and time wisely. When children are organized and responsible for their homework and allowance, it breeds self-assurance and personal responsibility.

14. Be a good role model. Let your children know that you feel good about yourself, but also teach them by example that mistakes aren’t final but learning experiences.

15. Start and end each day on a positive and loving note. Give lots of hugs, kisses and high fives. Let them know on a consistent basis that your love is unconditional and that you are proud of them as a member of the family. You may occasionally be disappointed in their actions or choices, but will always be available for support.

? Judy H. Wright, Author, Speaker and Life Educator www.ArtichokePress.com

This article was written by Judy Wright, parent educator and author. Feel free to use it in your newsletter or publication, but please give full credit to the author and mention the contact information of JudyWright@ArtichokePress.com, 406-549-9813.

You will find a full listing of books, tapes, newsletters and workshops available on finding the heart of the story in the journey of life by going to www.ArtichokePress.com

Want a simple behind the scenes way to increase the comfort and value of your home? Soundproofing may sound like something only professional recording artists need, but you will be surprised at how much you will enjoy the added quiet that soundproofing supplies to your home environment.

There are many areas where soundproofing can be added in order to make for a quieter space. Sometimes it the outside disturbances of traffic or barking dogs that you would like to block out. Other times, you may want to keep noises from one room inside your home from seeping into other areas. Depending on the way you want to manage and control sound, there is a soundproofing technique that will meet your needs.

Keeping Noise Out

One of the most effective ways to keep street noise from entering your home is to soundproof your windows. Normal windows are given a sound blocking rating on a numerical scale. The percentage of noise that soundproof windows can block out increases substantially with these special windows.

The best part of the whole process is that it is easy. When you add soundproof windows to your home it will look just the same as the old windows. In fact, the old windows remain in place and the extra glass barrier is added to them. Windows will still open and close in the same manner too, but the panel of glass and the air pocket created by the double pane greatly reduces noise.

Sound proof windows differ from just plain double pane storm windows. The greatest effect is in the amount of space between the two panels of glass. It is just the right amount to trap unwanted noise, and it has the added benefit of staying clean inside because of the air block seal.

Keeping Sound In

Another area where soundproofing may be wanted is in a home theatre. If you want to keep the sound from the stereo system from getting distorted or disturbing others around the house, then there are sound proof panels that can be added to the room. These panels are usually made of foam, resembling an egg crate, but other materials are being made and tested every day. These look more like decorative panelling, yet offer the same noise control.

Ceilings and floors can help prevent the escape of noise between rooms. By adding insulation, similar to that which keeps the cold out in the winter and the heat in, you can reduce noise in and out of the room.

Soundproofing - Doing It Yourself

If you are good the DYI projects, then soundproof is one you can tackle. It is best to leave the windows to the professional installers, but during any renovation of your house, you should consider sound proofing as important a decoration as the carpet or wallpaper. When you need to repair drywall for example, consider adding the insulation that will reduce noise. After all, no one wants to be enjoying lunch in the kitchen or on the patio and have to listen to a teen’s stereo from the bedroom! Soundproofing may not be something you would have missed until you have it once. Then you will be thinking about it anytime a noise gets in the way of your peace and quiet.

About The Author

Ken Morris releases many news and information to the internet site http://www.soundproofing-tips.com. Within his publication he is working on topics like floor sound insulation ( http://www.soundproofing-tips.com/floor-sound-insulation.html ) and provides information on acoustical foam.

Now I couldn’t begin to tell you how long the Amish and others have been making this type of rocker, but I have personally sat in one that was 185 years old. That rocker saw the Civil War, WWI, and WWII. That rocker comforted mothers that lost their sons. That rocker saw five generations born and passed on. Amazing, as it may be it has never been repaired or refinished. Yes it is worn with marks of love.

Unlike other types of furniture, Amish Furniture, or the Amish Hickory Rocker, just can’t be thrown away. You can go to your super store and buy something that looks like it, or that serves the same purpose, but it will not last. Unfortunately imports are coming and are showing up more and more on different web sites and in stores. These imports are nothing like the ones sold by www.stoveramishfurniture.com. Stover Amish Furniture offers Superior Quality Amish Furniture traditionally manufactured in the old ways. The imports may try but they will never take the market away from this group of Proud Amish Americans.

If you have a chance and are looking for a rocker stop in to www.stoveramishfurniture.com. Your rear end will thank you for generations, and it will make your front porch happy. I not only run the place, I am a customer.

Just a simple guy.

Desperation Life= Trouble Before You Start!

If you’re playing desperation life, then you didn’t do something right early on. Being forced to go for the big break could almost be a good definition of failure. You’re hoping for a last ditch effort to pull your dream out of the muck.

Sometimes a last ditch effort is all you need; most of the time, you’re playing Russian roulette. If the big break is your conscious plan then your strategy is sucking wind already.

The steady as she goes planning will increase your odds of success tremendously. You’ll find that your planning and strategy will fit the game plan very nicely as there will not be nearly as much pressure on you.

Success Begets Success!

Planning for the success of a project is much better handled when you are planning your strategy in bits and pieces. Small steps along the way will make huge strides. It’s like the question, “how do you eat an elephant?” One bite at a time.

Far too often, we try to take giant steps toward the goal line to speed up the process. And, then in the process, we end up farther behind because the faster we go the behinder we get.

Big breaks can just not be planned or forced. They just happen. Big breaks come to everyone at some time or another. If you think you’ve never had a big break, that’s not true. You might have not recognized it, but they do come around to everyone at times, sometimes very camouflaged but, there nonetheless.

Throwing Caution To The Winds!

The guy waiting on the big break will bet the whole farm on his idea. He is so sure that it will succeed that the sky is the limit as to what he will sacrifice to have it. As stated, these ideas work sometimes, but it’s the exception rather than the rule.

The pursuit of the big break is not wrong in and of itself. It’s just the approach to the big break that causes them to fail so often. We put just one strategy, plan, technique, or method into play and that’s all we got. If that one method doesn’t work, we’re up the dirty creek without a paddle.

By the same token, if we put together a bits and pieces plan to approach this situation, then we’re really not depending on the big break. We’re using the techniques that will increase our odds of success.

Too Tired To Sleep!

The big break then often shows up and right out of the blue presents us with a nice trophy. But the most frustrating part is when we try to force it, gamble for it, or spend every waking hour in a gut wrenching frame of mind hoping for success from it.

For example: We have all heard of the TV star that got his big break. He was just walking down the street and some producer saw him and made him a star.

Then there is the person who decides to go to acting school and learn the art of acting and makes his way by small steps to stardom. Maybe this guy will never make it. But, what are the probabilities of the first guy?

The second guy is making plans in a calculated manner and does not look for his help coming by just happening to be in the right place at the right time.

An Uphill Battle!

You should understand that depending on the big break is as unreliable as it is infrequent. And, it can also do harm to your motivation. Living by the desperation of a big break can become enough of a habit that you fail to make calculated plans for success.

You will develop the jack-rabbit start in everything you do and run out of gas long before you get to the finish line.

It can cause you to completely overlook a viable opportunity when it comes your way. If the opportunity looks like a big break and it smells like a big break, then make calculated risks and turn it into a planned strategy.

When You End Up With Lemons, Make Lemonade!

It doesn’t necessarily have to be avoided. It just needs to be approached with a different attitude than someone would approach the big break. I.e. The big break mentality.

If you consider the big break as an accidental occurrence, then life does not become a series of desperation attempts. Surprisingly, big breaks can be helped by natural occurrences that happen accidentally.

But, the worse thing you can do is to always be looking for one magic pill that will create a big bang and bring instant success. Living for the big break will be a sure recipe for disaster.

Brink Of Disaster!

Big breaks will come around in a natural response to the project you’re trying to complete. Take advantage of them as they come naturally; just don’t set up yourself for depending on them in a nick of time.

You might find out your “nick” is on the brink of disaster.

How do you know if you are waiting on the big break? Ask yourself, have you analyzed the upside and downside? If you have and can see what the risks to reward are, then you are not waiting on the big break.

You Won’t Suffer From Stress, You’ll Be A Carrier!

If you find yourself wringing your hands, hoping against hope, in fear of disaster, you’re playing with fire. And, the proverbial fat lady is just about ready to sing for you.

Richard Vegas ?

About The Author

Richard Vegas is a popular recording artist and internet marketing professional. He invites you to subscribe to his FREE weekly ezine “Wing-Tips” Teaching The Success System That Never Fails, at: http://www.1-work-at-home-based-business-opportunities.com. You may also hear some of Richard’s free music at: http://www.richardvegas.com.

webmaster@1-work-at-home-based-business-opportunities.com

In times of old, body piercings were treated differently, depending on the culture. As most body piercings had ritual or ceremonial value, many cultures prohibited specific types of body piercing that were purely for the sake of adornment. The warriors of old Central and South American civilizations sported body piercings, specifically in the nose area, in order to appear more intimidating to their enemies. On the other hand, lip piercings and decorations were meant to enhance attractiveness, especially among women of the day and age.

And while body piercings were more or less common in ancient Egypt, the ancient Egyptian pharaohs actually appropriated specific types of piercings. For example, no one BUT members of the royal family should wear a belly ring, on pain of death! Talk about the price of vanity.

Nowadays there is still some stigma associated with body piercings, especially among young women. It may be true that piercing is not always a safe practice, but more and more tattoo parlors are adopting measures that will ensure that infection is at least avoided. The increasing popularity of body jewelry cannot be ignored, especially since things like the belly ring and lip ring are making their way to MTV!

Yes, we’re talking about Britney Spears and her belly rings. We’re talking about the famous “stars and moon” dangling belly ring she wore to the MTV music awards last year. We’re also talking about Christina Aguilera and her “Nirvana nipple ring,” among lots of other unconventional accessories — made slightly less unconventional by their appearance on international TV.

Belly rings are popular among young people who like to get together and dance. Dancers on TV are popularizing it as a sexy accessory. There are no pharaohs nowadays who would want to lop off Britney Spears’ head for donning this spectacularly alluring piece of jewelry. From a status symbol to a sexy fashion accessory, the belly ring sure has come a long way.

Sam Serio is an Internet Marketer, musician and a writer on the subject of jewelry and gemstones. For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially invite you to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your FREE copy of "How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off." This concise, informative special report reveals almost everything you ever wanted to know about jewelry and gemstones, but were afraid to ask. Get your FREE report at Mother’s Day is the day when sons, daughters and husbands buy gifts and flowers to recognize the incredible work mom has done raising the children. But some moms are unknowingly cheating themselves out of the full experience of Mother’s Day. Many moms treat Mother’s Day as a completely external experience when Mother’s Day could be about so much more than just the well-deserved flowers and gifts.

To learn more about Lisa Dunning, her parenting book and other services, visit her website at http://www.LisaDunningMFT.com

He’s a bit of a geek or too normal a guy, but when the glasses come off - he’s Superman. Fortunately, the image- makers and shakers that relegated eyeglasses to the awkward, the nerd gear of decades past has begun to embrace glasses for the fashionable, functional necessity they have become.

The differences between glasses and contact lenses are more related to personal issues of comfort than to image. Arguments can be made in support of contacts over eyeglasses.

For example, contact lenses are worn directly over the eye allowing natural vision and no distortion as some eyeglass wearers may experience because of the small gap between the lens of the glasses and your eye.

There is always a constant awareness of the frames as well as the reflections off the backside of the lens. While most eyeglass wearers become so accustomed as to hardly notice the discrepancy, it becomes more pronounced when switching between contacts and glasses.

Glasses can fog up when the temperature changes and they might be a distraction during physical activities, especially sports where you don’t want your glasses to be broken. Contacts suffer neither of these. Eyeglasses can be made with tinting lenses that allow them to turn into functional sunglasses, but contact lens wearers can pick any pair of sunglasses they want.

For the particularly fashion conscious, contact lenses coordinate with everything in your wardrobe. But for all their differences, both require cleaning and gentle care. Both correct astigmatism (irregular cornea shape) and with modern technology, both are very affordable. A new pair of eyeglasses and a new pair of contacts is comparable in price for the same prescription.

The decision between contacts or eyeglasses is no longer one associated with social stigma or social image, but rather of the image and look you want to project to the world. It’s all truly dependent in this day of modern fashion on what makes you feel comfortable and look great.

Discover important advice and information about contact lenses. Are soft or hard best ? What’s the best cleaning solutions ? For a comprehensive guide, Click http://www.contact-lenses-special.com/

Children, whether they are two or 18, feel more confident when they know that you, the adults, are in charge and that their environment is predictable and safe. They need to be taught what is right and wrong, what is acceptable and what is unacceptable, what is appropriate, and what is rude and out of place.

Though they will get mixed or conflicting messages from the television, magazine and friends, they need you to set and enforce clear, respectful rules and limits. They need to know that you expect them to do and be their best.

By providing this guidance you will help them learn how to be responsible, contributing members of society.

Consistency in discipline is the number one factor in successful families: It is important that love, respect, cooperation and expectations are unconditional.

Consistent boundaries within the family are pretty predictable; for instance:

* They will grow up knowing that mom and dad must know the 4 Ws before they are allowed to leave with friends. WHO are the friends, WHERE are they going, WHAT are they doing, and WHEN will they be home.

* A child can count on dinner being at six o’clock or there about.

* They need to know that bedtime is 8:30 on school nights and that homework is done before playtime.

But sometimes in life, opportunities come up that make boundaries and rules flexible. A relative visits from out of town, so it might be okay for the kids to stay up till 9:30 one night to enjoy the experience. Rules can bend occasionally, but if they get broken, we are all in trouble.

As long as the family knows that in general, there is a structure that they can count on and limits to what is accepted and what is not, they will flourish in a system that gives them guidelines and direction.

Consistent boundaries and standards give a child and the whole family a feeling of security and safety. It is within this environment that self-discipline and life skills begin to flourish and develop.

When we, as a community as well as a family, give consistent messages to our children concerning dangerous and unkind behavior, it will be easier for them to forgo temptation to participate. It is our responsibility as adults to help them learn and live by the basic rule that actions have consequences.

Those children who develop a habit of thinking about the connection will be in a position of strength. Their choices will be immeasurably easier to make because they have been given a framework for decision-making.

Repair or rebuild the boundary, if necessary

I encourage you to be firm, consistent and kind in your discipline. It is vital to always follow through. Don’t make threats, make promises. If you take away TV privileges the first time he doesn’t take out the garbage, but ignore it the second and third time, he will soon learn that you don’t always mean what you say. The child will learn how to be a manipulator, and you will still have the misbehavior to deal with. You are the adult, and so it is your job to repair the fence when it is broken or stretched out.

Boundaries don’t fence us in but rather they allow us freedom to grow and develop, knowing that we are safe and loved unconditionally. It is never a guessing game of what will happen but rather a sure foundation.

You can do it. I believe in you. You are doing the most important job in the world, raising self-disciplined, thoughtful and contributing children.

? Judy H. Wright, Author, Speaker and Life Educator www.ArtichokePress.com

This article was written by Judy Wright, parent educator and author. Feel free to use it in your newsletter or publication, but please give full credit to the author and mention the contact information of JudyWright@ArtichokePress.com, 406-549-9813.

You will find a full listing of books, tapes, newsletters and workshops available on finding the heart of the story in the journey of life by going to www.ArtichokePress.com