I visited Canadian Hiking Photography's blog.
If the available subject wasn't great enough ... that fabulous scenery!
But I found some great pictures of a concert (Rock I guess) ... http://hikingphoto.com/2012/11/20/concert-photography/
Great photographs here. Glad I visited AyPee
Author Archives: AyPee
How the smell of a new car can stop you losing weight
Who would have thought it?
This post appears in @SocioWellBeing Angela Steel’s blog at
http://www.superwellness.co.uk/how-the-smell-of-a-new-car-can-stop-you-losing-weight/
I am seeing Angela and she is doing wonders for my health because I was, as she puts it, ‘metabolically stuck’. After years of being an Athlete, running around a Basketball court and now a sexagenarian, I got stuck.
I never realised how much sugar I was processing and the impact it was having on me.
Her blog post amused me; I can see the Obesogens flying in formation now! 
How the smell of a new car can stop you losing weight
Sometimes people can get ‘metabolically stuck’ and feel that
even though they might be eating the right things, and
exercising regularly, their body is just holding onto fat.How frustrating!
There are a few reasons why this can happen, and one
of them was covered recently in the journal ‘Molecular
Cell Endocrinology’ (not available from WH Smiths… J)What were they looking at?
Something called obesogens (that’s the name they
gave them!) which are in fact chemicals coming from
outside, as well as bacteria residing in our guts.The chemicals are well known already. It’s no new discovery
that plasticizers (used in all kinds of materials, mainly plastics
of course, and which evaporate into the environment. You know
the new car smell?….. that comes from them), fungicides used
in agriculture, hormones fed to animals to suit mass production
‘requirements’, all cause disruption to our hormones.Hormone disruptors
Of course our hormones are a crucial link in the chain that determines
our ability to burn fat, lose weight, etc… so these ‘obesogens’
are flicking all the wrong switches and playing havoc with our
finely tuned metabolism.Obesogens from within
The other type of obesogen that was mentioned is perhaps less
widely known and its origin is in our own gut.These are essentially bacteria which can grow in the gut and
create more calories than actual calories consumed during digestion!Now that is not something we want at all…
How to avoid them
There are lots of things we can do once we are aware of these
undesirable ‘obesogens’. Avoiding putting food in contact with
plastic is one major step (especially heating food in plastic, for
a whole lot of other reasons too). Buying organic food as much
as possible (especially animal foods, like meat and milk).Consider a detox
A functional detox, designed to help the liver drain off unwanted toxins AND
balance gut flora as well can be a good way of pressing the RESTART button
on your metabolism.
Who Else is a Female, in or Thinking of Being in, Their Own Business?
I have been aware lately of many Women oriented events , appearing mainly on Facebook and was pleasantly surprised to come across this Magazine. It’s different and worth a good read … and, ladies why not write something for it? … AND being a Coach / Mentor I like what they say:
“This magazine is for the go-getters, for the ones who believe, for the ones who dare and the ones who succeed!
We want to leave you feeling fired up and ready to take on the world and achieve amazing things!”
Isn’t that just the role of a coach? …
@AyPee
The Fastest Growing Magazine for Female Entrepreneurs
It’s not often that you come across something which is free…and of great value. Well, a relatively new magazine entitled This Girl Means Business certainly fits the bill.
The magazine is the fastest growing digital magazine for female entrepreneurs.
Instead of talking about the latest celebrity faux pas, how to lose weight and how to spice up your love life, This Girl Means Business talks about women who have built successful businesses, how to turn ideas into a reality and how to get the right mind-set for living an amazing life. With its unique style and inviting language, it’s really stuck a chord with women looking to achieve amazing things.
Sharing interviews with people such as Louise Hay, Kim Kiyosaki, Michelle Mone and
Michael Gerber, the magazine aims to inspire women with stories and insights from truly successful people. The magazine also shares interesting stories about women from all over the world – from girls in their teens to women in their 80s, from women who have survived cancer and started a business, to women who quit their jobs to start a business. From raising finance to get started, to starting on a shoestring budget – the magazine aims to cover a diverse range of topics, all helping the readers to be inspired to excel.
Within the first 4 months of launching, the magazine was seen by over 1.3 million people. This is a magazine that’s really making a difference. There is nothing like it for women and it aims to fill the gap in the market.
Check out the latest issue of the magazine >>here<<
They’re always on the look out for contributors, so if you would like to get involved find out more >>here<<
Hamilton signs Mercedes contract
See on Scoop.it – Funteresting Stuff
Lewis Hamilton is to leave McLaren after signing a three-year deal to race for Mercedes from next season, in a move predicted by BBC Sport.
See on www.bbc.co.uk
Mental adeptness
“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on Earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
Graphic Wikipedia via Google search
Wise observations for a Monday
-
Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level
and beat you with experience -
The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on my list
-
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak
-
If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.
-
We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.
-
War does not determine who is right – only who is left.
-
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
-
Evening news is where they begin with ‘Good Evening,’ and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t.
-
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
-
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station
-
Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says, ‘In case of emergency, notify:’ I put ‘DOCTOR.’
-
I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
-
A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.
-
I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness..
-
You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
-
You’re never too old to learn something stupid.
-
To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
-
Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
-
A diplomat is someone who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you look forward to the trip.
-
Hospitality is making your guests feel at home even when you wish they were.
Courtesy of Peter Thomson
Happy Focus
“Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention.”
~ Greg Anderson
Author and founder of the American Wellness Project
via @ShareAQuote
shareaquote.com
Systems before service
I keep toying with the idea of getting a web site where people can vote for (against) companies who put systems ahead of service.
Some have integrated systems and service very well, but in most instances the two are considered to be the same thing.
In my experience Hostgator provide great service using a single chat window.
First Direct, the first telephone bank in the UK if not the world, provide an excellent response and there is are two fundamental reasons
…. they talk with their customers
…. they don’t impose their systems on the customer
They listen to their customers and physically use their systems themselves.
I am afraid, Personal tweaks don’t do it either.
As I waited to talk to one company, I was offered a choice of music while I waited - I didn’t want to listen to music and I certainly did not want to wait!!!
There was no option to not listen to the music and because I didn’t choose, they chose one for me anyway – I didn’t want to listen to music and I DIDN’T WANT TO WAIT.
The fact I was offered music means that I was expected to wait. Otherwise there would be no need for it.
Again, I have to say in my experience, having to plough through my mobile phone service provider’s menu system takes between 2 and 3 minutes every time I have a new enquiry!
That 2-3 minutes is my time and I do not have an agreement for them to use my time.
I might buy their minutes but I don’t see any cash coming back for mine.
AND, of course, the immortal words:
”Your call is important to us”
If my call is important why don’t you answer it, then?
“we are experiencing heavy call volumes”.
The call volumes are not high, the staffing level is too low!
The proof is the amount of times that you hear that.
The words lack integrity. If they were congruent, I should be recompensed for my time each time I have to wait.
Again, if I am paying for the call, I might buy their minutes and I don’t see any cash coming back for mine
Having taught ‘Selling Through Service’ for one big retailer, I learnt that the younger generations have not experienced what I would call service.
I would ask “ Tell me of a time when you received great service. What was so great about it?”
Here are two memorable answers, I received:
“ I bought a pair of Jeans and they were the wrong sixe and they changed them”
“We bought a sofa. When it arrived there was a split in the material and they changed it”
We are now in a society that receive ‘Customer Service’ packaged as ‘Customer Processing’ but more importantly Service is disappearing from peoples’ experience and expectations are disappearing with it.
Companies like Hostgator and First Direct will thrive, others which are not like them, will likely be sold or traded or even fail.
For Customers, you could substitute the word People, whatever the relationship. Whether is it a commercial or personal transaction, the lessons should remain the same. Talk with people and don’t impose your systems (beliefs or values) on them
Customer Personal Experience is everything!
Talk with people and don’t impose your systems on them
If, for no other reason
Hotmail replaced by Outlook.com
See on Scoop.it – Funteresting Stuff
A re-engineered Outlook.com replaces Hotmail as Microsoft seeks to win over customers from rival Google-powered services.
See on www.bbc.co.uk
