Six Simple Tips

Here are six simple tips that will help you loose weight in a balanced and healthy way.
1. Lose weight with water.Water is essential for everybody - it is also the key to losing weight. If you haven't been drinking enough water, your body has developed a pattern of storing water. This water retention equals extra unwanted weight.
By drinking more water, you are not only flushing out toxins, you are also teaching your body that it no longer needs to store water. Drink at least 60 ounces of water (about 8 glasses) a day. Boil water and sliced lemons, and drink this throughout the day to help with fluid retention. If you are still not sold on the merits of water, try this on for size: water is a natural appetite suppressant.

2. Soup up your weight loss program. A simple dietary change will have you shedding pounds: eat a bowl of soup at least once a day. Nutritious, low-salt soups will nourish you as they flush waste from your body. People who eat a serving of soup daily lose more weight than those who eat the same amount of calories but don't eat soup. Go for homemade soup whenever possible, as canned soups are loaded with salt and chemicals.

3. Eat early to keep weight off.The human body follows a circadian rhythm, which means that the same foods eaten at breakfast and lunch are processed differently than when eaten at dinner. Studies show that when you eat your daily protein and fat at breakfast you tend to lose weight and have more energy; however, eating the same things at dinner tend to increase tendencies toward weight gain. I suggest that you eat your last meal of the day by 7 p.m.

4. Eat smaller meals, more frequently.Follow an eating schedule with five little meals every day. Eating steadily through the day keeps you from becoming famished and overeating at your next meal. Make a low-fat trail mix from raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, dried plum, and apples and have it available at all times to avoid the tempting lure of high-calorie snacks.

5. Adopt a balanced approach to your diet.Most of the fad diet programs out there nowadays are extreme in a few recommended foods, or else deprive the body of food altogether. This works in opposition to our metabolism and the results usually don't last, producing a yoyo effect that depresses your metabolic function - not to mention your self-esteem. We are natural beings that need a balance of nutrition from all sources.
Your diet should consist of a balance of organic sources of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Instead of white rice and pasta, opt for brown rice, bulgur, millet, or buckwheat. Eat more green, chlorophyll-rich foods such as broccoli, kale, spinach, and asparagus. Eliminate candy, sugar, soda, and all simple sugars from your diet. Excess sugar ends up being stored as fat in your body, which results in weight gain. Also, keep dairy to a minimum because most dairy products are high in saturated fat. Avoid fatty foods, processed or fried foods.

6. Walk off the weight.The No. 1 cause of weight gain is inactivity. Physical activity is the key to speeding up your metabolism and burning excess calories. The best way to be physically active is to use your legs! Walk as often and as long as you can. Always take the stairs instead of the elevator. Step outside during your break at work and take a walk around your building. Consider joining a local hiking club. Try taking a walk 30 minutes in the morning or 30 minutes in the early evening.

Compost Easy as A,B,G

You may find it hard to believe.

That simple compost is relevant to an efficient modern lifestyle. Some benefits of compost concepts include, stress reduction, quality family time, even lowered costs of living.

Composting, without much thought seems to have a very small place in our modern world. Reserved for back yard enthusiasts and such. Yet it's role is more important and relevant than ever before.

In our modern world of fast food and retail stores we don't garden so why should we compost? Yard and food wastes make up approximately 30% of the waste stream in the United States. Many of us toss out the organic components of our refuse along with the rest of the trash out of habit. Yard waste and organic components head to our landfills. Buried and breaking down very slowly due to the lack of oxygen. As it decomposes, it produces methane gas and acidic leachate, which are both environmental problems .

If we, as the individuals that make our communities. Were to practice composting most of these green and organic refuse items. We would reduce the amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal by almost one fourth.

If you do not garden, you should. Even a small victory garden will help lower your food and fuel costs. Help you to eat healthy, exercise, and have some quality time. You already are producing the raw materials for great compost. A personal victory garden is a great way maximise the use of your compost.

Compost that is added to gardens improves soil structure, texture, aeration, and water retention. When mixed with compost, clay soils are lightened, and sandy soils retain water better.

Choosing to think Green and having a Re purposed mindset has many benefits. You can always save some money by thinking green.

Making compost, all you need to remember is A,B,G. Air + Brown + Green,

Composting is the transformation of organic material through decomposition into a soil-like material. Across the planet earth this amazing process is continuously taking place. As a practice, the art of composting has been part of our global culture since ancient times. Yet it takes place with or without our help. Plant parts and animal leavings rot or decompose with the help of microorganisms, earthworms and an assortment of insects. All of which do their part digesting and mixing the matter together. The result is a layer of organic matter we call compost, which is God's gift to the gardener.
How to Make Compost
Set aside an area that meets your goals or needs for you compost area. You can keep this compost process in an container if you would like to. Some prefer to have a bin to work it in. Some bin's are constructed from scrap wood. Try to avoid using treated lumbers, old railroad ties, utility poles and other things that would have chemical treatments that would leach into your compost and eventually your body. Some gardeners purchase special bin's manufactured online. Many types of compost bins are available at your local garden center. Some of these have devices for turning and removing compost. Although these bins make turning easier and are more convenient, they aren't necessary. An enclosure made from chicken wire or five wood pallets (one for the bottom and one for each side) does the job just
as well. A bin can be any box or container that will allow air ( the A of our formula) to get into the compost as needed. Also remember you will turn the compost mix regularly to incorporate air. Don't get held up on the bin. You do not need one to make compost. You can pile the ingredients in the corner of your back yard, with the same results.


Start putting in the B (brown) and the G (green)
Some suggestions but certainly not limited to are,
organic kitchen waste (vegetable peels, apple cores, fruit skins and peels etc.)
lawn clippings (use thin layers so they don't mat down)
chopped leaves (large leaves take a long time to break down)
shredded branches garden plants (use disease-free plants)
shredded paper
weeds (before they go to seed)
straw
hay
newspaper
wood ash (sprinkle lightly between layers)
tea leaves
coffee grounds
egg shells
potato peels
manure


Keep the pile in a semi-shaded area to keep it from drying out too much. If your pile is near a tree, turn it
frequently to make sure the tree roots don't grow into it. Make an indentation in the top to hold water and
sprinkle with a garden hose when it appears dry. Keep it moist, but not wet. Beneficial organisms cannot survive in
soggy conditions.



What Not to Compost
Meat scraps
fats
bones
vegetable oils
meat grease
trash
excessive wood ashes (counteracts with manures)
sawdust generally slows the decomposition of the pile
large branches
dairy products
salt
Worms eat garbage
Enlist worms -- usually red worms -- to do your dirty work.
Worm composting, also known as vermiculture, turns garbage into a rich, dark earth-smelling soil conditioner, which you can use to help your lawn, your flowers or your vegetable garden.
Worm composting doesn't just help you, but also the environment. For that you need red worms Eisenia foetida (also known as red wigglers, brandling or
manure worms) or Lumbricus rubellus (manure worm).
How many? Experts recommend two pounds of worms for every pound of garbage.
With adequate food and a good home they can double their populations every 90 days. So, you may want to start out slow and with fewer worms than you think you'll need and the resulting
worm population explosion will take care of the rest.
Ideally your compost bin should be in an environment where the temperature ranges
between 40 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and red worms generally prefer temperatures in the 55 to 77 degree range.
If you live in a cold climate, your compost pile will probably go dormant in the winter. No problem it will start back up again when the springtime thaw comes.


Remember A+B+G if you have good aeration and moisture, and the proper ingredient mix, your pile will decompose just fine. Use the compost in your victory garden. Then return your harvested gardens' refuse to the compost. Soon you will be saving money, spending time wisely, and living well.