Drink To Your Health!

Every expatriate likes to drink. Unfortunately,
that doesn’t always mean that we drink to
benefit our health. However, taking on board
the right liquids is an essential part of a healthy
diet.

Understanding nutrition and weight loss can be difficult. Stick to balanced meals and snacks and you will be fine, right? Not necessarily. The reality is that our drinking habits are just as important as our eating habits. Meaning that it could be what is in your cup, (and not on your plate), that is truly sabotaging your waistline. By consciously altering some of the liquid habits in your diet, the positive changes in how you feel and look can be fantastically shocking. Below are examples of notorious drink no-no’s, those sugar and fat laden concoctions that make up your empty calories. In addition, we have some healthy and tasty alternatives, giving you the power to replace your favorite beverage with something just as yummy and guilt free. Drink up!

CUT BACK: Coffee

Coffee itself is not bad. A small cup only has about 10 calories, but that is before any sugar or milk. A 16-ounce café mocha averages 300 to 350 calories, while a 16-ounce frozen coffee drink can range anywhere from 300 to 500 calories or even more, depending on “add on’s” like whipped cream and chocolate sauce, and sugary blended drink mixes. Fortunately, there are many lower-calorie options, such as a small, fat-free latte or cappuccino (about 120 calories each). Therefore, the key to healthy coffee is to monitor the sugary additions.

TRY: Green And Black Tea

If you cannot imagine your coffee without caramel sauce and chocolate chips, try a cup of green or even black tea in the morning. Tea will give you that caffeine boost, but unlike coffee, it is not a diuretic and will not leave you dehydrated. Add a spoonful of honey to make a sweet treat.

" The reality is
that our drinking
habits are just as
important as our
eating habits "

ELIMINATE: Soda

Sugar is the main reason soda is unhealthy, making it a leading cause of weight gain and dental problems. One 12-ounce can of soda has on average 110 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar! In addition, soda drinkers are more likely to have a lower intake of important nutrients, such as vitamin C, A, magnesium and calcium. Diet sodas can be just as bad. Scientists have linked artificial sweetener, Aspartame (a major ingredient in diet sodas), to migraine headaches and increased hunger. Therefore, you should try to reduce your intake of both natural and artificial sweeteners.

DRINK PLENTY OF: Sparking Water and Juice

Sparking water is great for those used to the carbonated fizzle of sodas. Use fresh lemon, lime or other citrus fruit slices for a refreshing taste. Fruit juices with no sugar added is also a healthy alternative, full of vitamin C and folate. You can even try mixing juices with sparkling water for a low-sugar delight.

REDUCE: Alcohol

Both beer and liquor can be underestimated calorie sources. Although light beer does have fewer calories, the average light beer contains 100 or more calories, and regular beers range from 140-200 calories. Likewise, spirits can be equally high in calories. Despite its small quantity, a single shot of spirits can contain 115-200 calories. Mixed drinks even more so, with a gin and tonic equaling about 280 calories and a frozen, creamy daiquiri can total over 800 calories! In addition, the combination of alcohol and food can be especially dangerous. Alcohol is a proven appetite stimulator, lowering your inhibitions, and possibly leading to overindulging.

SWITCH TO: Moderate Drinking And Vegetable Juice

Fortunately, you probably do not need to give up drinking all together. The key is self-control and choosing the right alcohol. Red wine is a good choice, because it is rich in antioxidants and may prevent blood clots and help fight heart disease. Vegetable juice is a spicy alternative to alcohol as well. At only 50 calories a glass, vegetable juice is a low-sugar beverage, jampacked with vitamins and minerals, and is a perfect way to consume your recommended number of veggies.

GOOD AT ANY TIME: Water And Low-Fat Milk

Any time of day or night, water is the perfect drink. The more hydrated your body is, the more effectively your metabolism will be able to function, making water the perfect weight-loss aide. Water also makes you feel full and less hungry. Whether it is flat or fizzy, water should be your primary drink, working to control body temperature and flushing out toxins. Next to water, low-fat and fat-free milk are the healthiest alternatives. Milk contains much-needed calcium for bone strength. If you do not drink milk, calcium-fortified soymilk and ricemilk are perfect alternatives. Overall, the importance of drink habits is clear. Liquids can be just as helpful or detrimental to one’s health as food. Follow these guidelines and have your drinks work for you, making you stronger, healthier, and leaner. Your body will thank you!

Are You a Netpreneur?

Who is a netprenuer? Actually the word netpreneur brings images to mind of a young geek. A person in his early twenties who has the courage to break the conventional rules to build up an online business from scratch is our netpreneur. There was a time when netpreneurs were thought to be some kind of mythical creatures. They came from nowhere and made millions in the market. And that image is still itched out into the minds of many but to be honest these are just images. The reality is very different.

The majority of netpreneur are still young but they are not some kind of eccentric genius. Anyone can be a netprenuer these days. That is the result of easy access to internet and the desire of people to take some risk and start their own online business venture. Netpreneurs are like any other entrepreneurs. The only difference is that netpreneur as the name suggests is a special class of entrepreneur who has some special technical skills that could be used to earn money online. Actually all the qualities that are needed to be an entrepreneur is also necessary for being a netpreneur and what is more, a netpreneur should have an added skill related to running an online business.

The best thing about a netpreneur is that you don't need to be some super geek where computer software is concerned. Anyone who wants to earn some money online could be a netpreneur. The only thing needed is your determination to do something worthwhile. If you are currently employed somewhere you can go on with your job and also start a new online business venture in part time. This way the risks associated with starting ones own business venture gets mitigated a lot.

There are many aspects of netpreneurship. It all depends on your skill set. If you are skilled technically, you can offer such services to your clients. If you don't have such technical skills, you can try to sell products online. For that you don't need much technical know-how. What is more, even if you think don't have products to sell; there is nothing to be disappointed about. There are a number of affiliate programs on the net that allow you to sell their products on a commission. There is also an option of auction sites on the internet like eBay. You can sell and purchase products from such online auction sites. The trick is in finding products at cheaper rates and selling it at higher rates.

As this discussion shows, it is just about your skill set that matters. The avenues for a netpreneur are many. It is for you to decide which one suits you the best. What you should always remember is that just because a business is online it doesn't mean it doesn't follow the rules of business. You have to run it as any other business and act as any other successful entrepreneurs do.

So, before you take the plunge ask yourself what is it that you are good at? And when you find the answer you should plan your business venture accordingly. The world of internet is full of information about online ventures and netpreneurship. You need a little bit of research to come out with the exact business plan that could catapult you to success.

Entrepreneurship - Are You Ready!!!

are you ready?

Entrepreneurship is generally characterized by some type of innovation, a significant investment, and a strategy that values expansion. The entrepreneur is often quite different in mindset from a manager, who is generally charged with using existing resources to make an existing business run well. The roles of entrepreneur and manager are not necessarily incompatible, but entrepreneurs are seldom patient enough to be good managers.

Mindset of an entrepreneur

It is often instructive to analyze the experiences that have formed our attitudes toward entrepreneurship. A recent study showed that 70% of business startups were by a person who had an entrepreneurial parent.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has developed a Checklist for Going into Business that leads the prospective entrepreneur through a skills inventory that includes supervisory and/or managerial experience, business education, knowledge about the specific business of interest, and willingness to acquire the missing necessary skills. A commitment to filling any knowledge or experience gap is a very positive indicator of success.

Personal characteristics required, according to the SBA, include leadership, decisiveness, and competitiveness. Important factors in personal style include will power, and self-discipline, comfort with the planning process, and with working with others. Can you objectively rate yourself in these dimensions?

Peter F. Drucker, author of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, says that anybody from any organization can learn how to be an entrepreneur, that it is “systematic work.” But there is a difference between learning how to be, and succeeding as an entrepreneur. "When a person earns a degree in physics, he becomes a physicist," says Morton Kamien, a professor of entrepreneurship at Northwestern University. "But if you were to earn a degree in entrepreneurship, that wouldn't make you an entrepreneur."

We are all self-employed

The reasons commonly given for people going into business for themselves are: freedom from a work routine; being your own boss; doing what you want when you want; boredom with the current job; financial desires, and; a perceived opportunity. Which of these might be sufficient to get you to take the risk?

Several “yardsticks” have been proposed for measuring whether a person is a likely candidate to be a successful entrepreneur, but the real challenge is in accurately applying them to ourselves.

We are all self-employed; even as employees of a firm, we are still primarily personal career managers. Trends toward downsizing and outsourcing will almost certainly lead to smaller companies utilizing networks of specialists. Fortune magazine suggests that “Almost everyone, up through the highest ranks of professionals, will feel increased pressure to specialize, or at least to package himself or herself as a marketable portfolio of skills.”

How marketable is your portfolio of skills? Many think they have several years’ experience, when what they really have is one year’s experience several times. Are you continuing to learn, and keeping up with developments in your field? The best approach to preparing for an entrepreneurial career is often to find some aspect of your field in which you can become expert.

John B. Vinturella, Ph.D. has almost 40 years experience as a management and strategic consultant, entrepreneur, author, and college professor. For 20 of those years, Dr. Vinturella was owner/president of a distribution company that he founded. He is a principal in business opportunity sites jbv.com and muddledconcept.com, and maintains business and political blogs.

Entrepreneurship - Preparing The Path

Preparing the path..

Entrepreneurs? Who are they? What do they want? Why are they special? "Entrepreneur" is the one of the hottest word in town now. What does it really mean? Why do people want to be associated with this word these days?

Being an entrepreneur means you are your own boss. This brings lots of glory and fame to individuals. Imagine you are a boss, reporting to nobody, leader of the company. None of your staff dares to argue with you and you earn the kind of income that you will never earn working for people. Isn't it wonderful? That's life, isn't it?

If that is what you want to get out of being an entrepreneur, sorry folks, that is not really true. Are you dreaming of sitting on an armchair, giving instruction and waiting for profit? Then probably the army is a better place for you.

The truth is, being an entrepreneur is no glory and fame. In fact, many a time entrepreneurs have to do the dirty jobs. These dirty jobs are usually done when no one else is watching. Our youth want the best of being an entrepreneur, they want fame, yet they are not ready for the worst. Once you have decided to embark on the entrepreneur's journey, prepare to roll up your sleeves for the tough times ahead.

A few things to take note when you are preparing to take on the road less traveled.

Mindset

Do you believe that mindset alone can kill any business? Having a weak or negative mindset is the first step to failing in a business. Anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur must first learn to shift his mindset from an employee mindset to an entrepreneur mindset.

An employee waits for things to happen, an entrepreneur makes things happen. An employee waits for instructions, an entrepreneur gives clear instructions. An employee waits for someone to solve problems, an entrepreneur takes charge of the situation, to solve problems. An employee is reactive, an entrepreneur is proactive.

Taking Responsibility

You have to prepare to take up great responsibilities. Being a successful entrepreneur is more than writing a business plan and managing cash-flow. You have to take responsibility for what goes around, in and out of your business.

When the business is not doing well because of the economic downturn, instead of blaming the market, economic climate, competitors, environment and expecting the government to help them, a successful entrepreneur will take control, take charge and take responsibility to improve business in whatever ways he can.

Successful entrepreneurs don't lay blame on the environment or find excuses for the mistakes that they made, they simply take responsibility and learn from the mistakes.

Belief

Many a times there is no right or wrong in entrepreneurship. It is what you believe in that determines the right and wrong. You must have good belief system in order to make the journey much easier and interesting.

If "A" believes that he needs at least $50,000 to start a business, he will always start a business with $50,000. And "B" believes he can start the same business with only $1,000, he will find ways to start it with only $1,000. In "A's" reality, he is unable to see how he can start a business with less than $50,000. However "A" is not wrong. In fact he feels that he is right.

There is nothing wrong with starting a business with $50,000 or $1,000. It is just your belief system that makes it right or wrong. You decide what kind of belief system you want to hold for yourself.

Serving

Be ready to serve the people around you. Only by serving others, helping them get what they want, then will they give you what you want. Go into business with the intention of serving and giving, and you will receive.

Serving doesn't means serving your customers only. Serving your staff and partners will encourage communication and improve team synergy. How can you create a superb team when you keep scolding your staff?

Keep Learning

Be prepared to upgrade yourself. While you may think that upgrading is for employees, an entrepreneur should keep upgrading and educating himself. There are many attributes and skills that an entrepreneur needs. The fastest way to learn all the skills is to keep attending seminars and workshops

But why pay that kind of money to learn? There is a saying, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." Instead of dwelling upon the cost of education, think of it as an investment. The skills and ideas that you learn from books, seminars and workshops can serve you for a lifetime. Therefore it is a worthwhile investment.

In conclusion, before embarking on the exciting and challenging journey, you need to make a few adjustments to your life. You need to start doing what the majority are not doing.

Get paid to watch videos!

BuzzShed is all about discovering great videos and making money watching targeted video advertising. That's right - as a member you'll get paid to watch videos! The videos will be about sales or special deals for BuzzShed members, or funny promotional videos that the advertiser hopes you'll share with your friends. Each video will be matched to your profile, so we're pretty sure you'll find each one relevant and interesting.

All you need to do is tell BuzzShed about your hobbies and interests, and we'll send you a BuzzClip when an advertiser adds a video we think you'll be interested in. What's a BuzzClip you ask? Well, it's an email containing a link to a sponsored video - watch it and we'll pay you 30 cents. It's that simple!

To Your Success!