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March 31st, 2008

Cool Breakfast Facts

Posted in Fine Fare

According to a Harvard University - Massachusetts General Hospital study of children in Philadelphia and Baltimore schools, students who usually ate school breakfast had better math grades, higher standardized test scores, decreased absences and tardiness, reduced hyperactivity and improved social relations in comparison to children who seldom ate school breakfast.

The word “breakfast” literally means to break fast. As we know, fasting is the act of not eating over a period of time. We
may not think of it this way, but we virtually fast while we sleep even if we dream about food. The act of eating breakfast is literally breaking the fast!

The National Weight Control Registry is a database of more than 3,000 people who have lost at least 60 pounds and kept it off for at least 6 years. Seventy eight percent of these people in the registry found that eating breakfast daily was an
excellent weight control strategy along with eating a low-fat diet and exercising for an hour or more every day.

Cereal is the number one food bought in supermarkets today. The first breakfast cereal was created in 1863 in New York by a vegetarian.

So What Is a Healthy Breakfast Anyway?

Is it pancakes slathered in maple syrup or green eggs and ham? Well, first and foremost, a healthy breakfast should be a
balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats. Fiber is also very important. The protein can come from meat, eggs, beans or soy
products. Fiber can be found in whole grain cereals, grains or in fruits. Sure, every once in a while you can treat yourself
to biscuits, pancakes or pastries for special occasions but on a daily basis, they should be avoided along with sugary
cereals and white breads. These foods will bring insanity to your blood sugar level, jolting you out of the Zone. Those
sorts of foods are digested quickly and will leave you hungry and tired in a just a couple of hours.

Research done by the Cardiff University School of Psychology, LED BY Professor Andrew Smith has shown that eating breakfast helps children function better in school than those who skip the first meal of the day. Dr. Smith says that it is
clear that starting the day with cereal enhances mental, cognitive and physical ability. The children are less emotionally distressed, less tired and less anxious. The study examined 213 children from 4 - 11 years old.

The results revealed children who start the day with cereal are:

9 percent more alert
11 percent less emotionally distressed
13 percent less tired
17 percent less anxious
10 percent less likely to suffer memory and attention span difficulties, than those that have no breakfast
33 percent less likely to suffer from stomach complaints.

Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher. More Zone Diet information as well as Zone Diet products from Dr. Barry Sears can be found at http://www.nutritionzone.biz/products.html

March 31st, 2008

Copywriting Basics - Answer The Questions You’d Want Answered

Posted in Better Business

Anyone can write effective Internet copy. You just have to know a few copywriting basics known to journalists and writers as the 5 W’s. Throw one “H” in there and all your copywriting basics are covered.

Who? Tell the reader who your product will help. This should be your target market.

What? Tell your reader what your product or service will do to improve their lives. In other words, tell them the benifits they will receive, what’s in it for them.

When? When is the offer good for? If there is a special offer, when does it expire? When will the product or service help them, immediately or over time?

Where? Where can you order the product or service? Where will it work?

Why? Tell your reader why he or she needs your product or service. Why will it benefit them? Why should they sign up or order today? Why is the quantity or offer limited?

How? How do they register or order? How much will it cost? How much return will they see for their investment? How does it work?

Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? There is no trick - it really is as easy as that. Put yourself in the shoes of the reader and answer the questions you would likely ask or want answered about your product or service. Answer those questions clearly and thoroughly and your Web copy is complete.

These copywriting tips and copywriting techniques will work not just for Web copywriting but also for direct market copywriting, other online copywriting, and offline copywriting as well.

Below are a few other copywriting basics that will help you write your web site copy:

1. Keep it simple. No one wants to drudge through a long, drawn out confusing explanation. If you can’t say it simply, that’s fine. But by all means, simplify when you can.

2. Make sure your copy urges a call to action either in the body copy, or text of the article, or in the headline. Words like “Act Now,” “Limited Time Offer,” or “Limited Supply” will urge your readers to contact you sooner rather than later.

3. Keep it honest. Don’t make wild claims just to get business. Build a good reputation by being up front and honest with your potential customers. In addition to appreciating your honesty, they will recommend you to others as a business owner who is true to your word and claims.

4. If you make an offer, make it one that is hard to pass up. Don’t waste your readers’ time with small, worthless offers. Think about the coupons you see in magazines and newspapers. Do you take time to clip them? If so, it’s because the offer is of value to you.

5. How long should your copy be? As long as it takes to adequately answer the above questions for your product or service.

An unanswered question is considered an objection in your potential customer’s mind. So, be sure to answer all their objections.

Keep these Internet copywriting basics in mind as you prepare the articles or sales letters that will appear on your Web site. Don’t be intimidated because you don’t have any professional writing experience. Most people want to do business with an honest person who knows the product or service well that he or she is trying to sell.

You don’t have to be a professional writer to do that. The only requirement is that you truely believe in the product or service which you are trying to sell. If you do, your enthusiasm will shine through your writing. If you do not believe in your product or service, your lack of enthusiasm will shine through also.

So, in summary, answer the above questions as clearly and simply as you can, be honest, avoid hype, make an irresistable offer, and be sure to include a call to action.

If you do all these things you will master the copywriting basics and should have no trouble converting your Website visitors into customers.

George Dodge is owner of www.CompellingWebCopy.com where you will discover 757 explosive persuasive copywriting techniques guaranteed to skyrocket your sales and stuff more cash in your pocket even if you haven’t written a thing since high school

March 31st, 2008

Seven Ways to Cope With Burnout

Posted in Psychologists Center

If you reach a point where you feel you can’t take it anymore,
you’ve arrived–at a point of overwhelm that pop psychology
refers to as “burnout.” It is a point of emotional exhaustion,
mental confusion, and even physical fatigue.

The word itself originated from a description of a busted light
bulb.

However, while you can’t do anything about a light bulb that
won’t work anymore, there is plenty that you can do with
psychological overwhelm. You might even say that unlike a light
bulb, a human being is a self-renewing system.

Here are seven simple remedies to renew your mind, body, and
soul.

One. Step out into nature. Go to the mountains, the forest, or
the ocean. And if you’re really strapped for natural resources,
go to a local park. I’m not sure how this works, but when you
spend a sufficient amount of time in nature, you feel
rejuvenated and your mind comes up with fresh ideas on how to
cope with your pressing situation.

Two. Reframe. If you feel stressed because you are doing a task
that you dislike, use your imagination to make it more
enjoyable. For example, if you’re raking leaves, and you just
hate gardening, then imagine that you’re raking in money, and
that each leaf represents a hundred dollar bill. This will
actually spark creative ideas in your mind on how you can
improve your income.

Three. Energize. Go to a health-food store and get an energy
supplement. Vitamins, minerals, and herbs can help your
metabolism recuperate from the stress. Most health-food stores
have someone to assist you, as well as reference books and
videos on what to take for your particular condition.

Four. Introspect. In a notebook, write down everything that
bothers you until you can come up with a way that you can change
the situation. Start with a question. “What can I do about…?”
Then keep writing until you come up with an answer. I once did
this for two hours and came up with a new model on how I could
radically improve every aspect of my life.

Five. Try music. Listen to beautiful, serene, uplifting music.
Don’t do anything else as you listen to the music–or you’ll
simply find a way to tune it out. Listen to every note, every
word sung, and every interval of silence in the music. It’s
amazing how this will transform you. Music has been said to tame
a wild beast. It will do the same for the wild beast of your
major upset.

Six. Relax deeply. Massages, hot baths, and stretching exercises
can all be used to unknot your muscles. It’s impossible to be
unhappy when your body is completely relaxed. The rise of stress
hormones in your body, create a fight-or-flight response in your
nervous system. Systematic physical relaxation reverses this
condition.

Seven. Talk to an expert. Visit someone who can help you or read
a book or hear an audio program by a stress reduction expert. As
you open your mind to new information, you shift your stuck
thinking and find new ways of dealing with the troubling
situation.

Using any of these simple remedies or a combination for burnout
will help you get your perspective back.

March 30th, 2008

Innovation The Secret Of Giant Success

Posted in Product Parlor

Surf the Web for more than about five minutes and you’ll start to recognize a pattern: there are a small number of great sites that do fantastic things… and a very large number of me-too sites that try to make money by doing the exact same thing.

Now I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with those me-too sites. I’m all in favor of competition and sometimes a me-too site can offer features that improve on the original. They might make less money than the original but even if they only make a fraction of the first site’s income, that can often be enough for the copycat site’s owner.

But when you come up with a brand new idea, you can really clean up.

I’ve just launched a new site: www.500words.com. The idea is very simple. I’ve put 500 words on a page and publishers can sponsor a link from that word to their site. The links stay up for two years, give traffic and provide a novel experience for both visitors and sponsors. For a slightly larger fee, publishers can also add their own keywords.

Within three days, 300 of the original words had been sold. I’ve also been inundated with requests for the script I used to create the site.

I didn’t sell those words because they were particularly valuable. I sold them because the site had created a buzz and that’s what happens when you create a new idea online.

The Web is a very gossipy world. Whenever something new and exciting happens, word gets around very, very fast. Links are posted, emails exchanged and people start asking each other if they’ve seen your site. In no time at all, you’ve got more traffic than you could have possibly imagined. That viral marketing is the real power of the Internet.

Coming up with innovative ideas isn’t that hard. The idea for 500words.com was inspired by MillionDollarHomepage.com. I saw what I liked about that site, recognized where it was weak and came up with a whole new idea. I didn’t put up another sponsored pixel site no one would have been interested in that I produced something new.

As you’re surfing the Web, ask yourself what new ideas you can come up with. Make it exciting and innovative, and you’ll generate a ton of interest.

Joel Comm is The Internet Revenue Expert. Online for over 20 years, Joel teaches people how to make money in the digital age. The recognized authority on Google AdSense, Joel teaches how to multiply your AdSense income at The AdSense Code. To ask Joel Comm a question about making money online, visit http://www.AskJoelComm.com Joel invites you to visit his word site, http://www.500words.com
Joel Comm - EzineArticles Expert Author