Just a quick update on what I have been up to lately. As you can tell from my post frequency that I haven’t been very active online, or offline for that matter. After injuring my knee 10 weeks ago I’m now just able to bend my leg enough to start running in short bursts. This is very encouraging and I’m using that progress as motivation to restart a serious weight loss program.

Over the last 10 weeks I have done everything perfectly in order to GAIN weight. I’ve consumed way more calories than I’ve burnt, exercise has not been a part of my routine at all and my stress level has shot through the roof. Add all that together and what do you get?……..FAT and lots of it.

I have been receiving comments about how much weight I’ve gained and to top it off I need to buy a new pair of suit pants tomorrow for a wedding, since I can’t even get my old ones done up anymore.

Now this may all sound negative but I don’t see it that way. Sure it’s been frustrating and at times depressing but I look at all of these things as lessons and motivation. For example:

1. Not being able to run/walk until now has made appreciate how enjoyable it is just to take a nice slow walk around the neighborhood with my family.

2. Having to buy new pants, give me an actual physical target goal to strive towards. (Fitting into the old ones again).

Most importantly this whole experience has reinforced the principals of weight loss, that diet and exercise are both equally essential to maintaining and dropping the excess fat. Neglect one and the weight comes back slowly but neglect both and weight gain is very rapid.

So that is basically what I have been dealing with over the spring and first half of the summer. I feel that I’ve regained my focus now and I’m looking forward to big changes in the second half of the summer. Also look for more regular post updates as that is part of the plan.

Finally, I turned 32yrs old last week, great time to re-evaluate my goals!!

Did you know that the medicine cabinet in your bathroom is one of the worst places to store medicines? It is.
The heat and humidity of the bathroom environment can cause medications to deteriorate.
All medications, prescription or over the counter, should be stored in a cool, dry place.
Most medications are packaged [...]

According to a study conducted by researchers at National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight may be linked to the development of certain autoimmune diseases, particularly in women.
Frederick W. Miller, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Environmental Autoimmunity Group, Program of Clinical Research, at NIEHS, said, “this study found women who lived [...]

42-year-old Martin Jones was left blind after a tub of white hot aluminum exploded in his face at work in a scrapyard. Now, more than a decade later, he is able to see after a remarkable operation, performed fewer than 50 times before in Britain, implants part of his tooth in his eye.

The revolutionary eight hour operation, pioneered at the Sussex Eye Clinic in Brighton by surgeon Christopher Liu, used a segment of his tooth as a holder for a new lens grafted from his skin.

Jones was quoted saying: “The first car I saw when my sight was restored was a Smart car and I couldn’t stop laughing - I’d never seen one before and I thought it had been cut in half.” [dailymail.co.uk]

Martin Jones and his new eye.

Surgeon Christopher Liu

It took two months to plan German extreme sportsman Dirk Auer’s outrageous CRAZY stunt…skating down a roller coaster. And, it took him 110 hours to create the skates to do it.

Auer, considered to be the most extreme in-line skater in the world, already holds the world record for reaching speeds of 190 mph and get this…as he was dragged behind a Porsche GT2. [geekologie.com]

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Glen Allsopp of the PluginID blog.

What do near-fatal incidents, self reflection and death all have in common? They all, for me at least, help to put life into perspective. Each of these offers a different view point, for example a close encounter might help us to realise what really matters to us and what isn’t worth the stress. Similarly, self reflection can help us see where we may be wasting time or opportunities and how we can improve on that.

I don’t know if it is just me, but when somebody I’m close to passes away, I cease worrying about all my little problems and stop thinking that the world owes me a favour. Instead, I feel inspired to make the most of this opportunity, because it can disappear at any time.

It is as if the illusion and distorted view I have of reality starts to sink away and things start to become clear.

Over the last year, quite a few people have passed away and moved on to some other place. Yet, up until very recently I never realised quite what it was about death that inspired me to take action in life and stop taking the things that matter to me for granted. The effects of this inspiration never seemed to last very long, but I was always curious about what it was.

After sitting down and pondering over this for a while, the answer hit me. I came across a very simple, yet elegant understanding for what was happening: I was aligning myself with truth.

That is it, the catalyst of life that hit me when someone close passed away. I was simply seeing reality in its true form. The truth that:

• The little problems we have in life really aren’t that important
• Our time on earth is fragile and we should make the most of it
• This is it, this is life, right now

There were more things that became clear to me, but those are arguably the most important. Once I had this realisation, I started to look at how I can apply this simple understanding of truth to propel me to take action in life. After all, simply telling ourselves to “make the most of this opportunity” rarely results in some continued, effective, output.

I decided to look at my current situation and I formed two questions that helped me to really put things into perspective. I believe that everyone can benefit from answering these, the key being that you need to apply the principle of truth in your responses. If you don’t, the only person you are fooling, is you.

Question 1: If someone had a video tape of your typical day, what would they see?

I’m not talking about some bad habits you might have or an argument with a family member, instead I’m referring to your productive actions. Would they see you working hard at in your day job? Would they see you wasting time on irrelevant activities? Would they see you taking action or being complacent because you don’t believe in yourself?

I don’t know what it is about this question, but when I asked it to myself, the answer wasn’t pretty. I realised that in my typical day I can let the smallest things get me down, I waste time checking email that doesn’t need to be read, just to feel busy and so on. I take for granted the roof over my head, the food on the table and the abundance of clothes I can put on every morning.

“How you live each day is, of course, how you live your life”

It is only through honest self-assessment through this question that you can realise where your shortcomings may lie. After that, it is down to you to take this realisation and use it to help you take action and change things for the better.

Question 2: Based on your current actions and behaviours, where would you expect to be in five years?

Note that this isn’t asking where you would like to be; this is taking into consideration your current efforts and looking at where you would expect to be. As with the previous question, answering this requires you being totally truthful.

Unlike my response to the first question, my answer to this was fairly positive. I took out a piece of paper and jotted down both the question and my response. My reply basically stated that I was heading in the right direction (I work for myself and try to help people through my blog) but I could be doing much more.

“You can’t escape the consequences of your actions.”

- Steve Pavlina

Because my business operates solely online, I would often waste time on sites like Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon and even instant messaging clients. I decided to push these out of my life, and even set myself a 7-day self-discipline challenge where I would not use them at all.

If I kept up my current actions for the next five years then I might be maintaining a steady passive income and have helped thousands of people live up to their true potential. Yet, it would actually take the five years, whereas this is probably something I could do in the next one or two.

It is only through giving a truthful answer to this question that I can fix my flaws, rather than living in the illusion that I’m doing my best or everything is as good as it can be.

It may be the case that you’re happy with the answers you’ve written down or worked out, and if so, congratulations. Keep doing what you’re doing. On the other hand, I suspect a lot of people won’t be proud of the results after honestly giving this exercise some thought. If that’s you, then you’ve now taken the first and quite possibly the hardest step to rectify the situation and start creating the life you’re meant to live.

I truly hope that everyone who has taken the time to really ponder over these internal enquiries has benefited from gaining a new, honest perspective about their lives. Now it’s just up to change the things that you feel you should…

Glen Allsopp is a Personal Development blogger who writes at PluginID. If you want to help him help you, then why not grab a free subscription to his site, here.

Many couples in love dream of a traditional wedding, complete with a white cake, lovely flowers and a long white gown. Well, you’re not like those couples. You’re thinking of something that’s fabulous, but unique, and will show your love for a certain movie. With the many fun themes today, that’s not hard to do. Movie wedding themes can be very subtle or totally out of this world. If you’re looking for the latter, here are a few ideas you might want to try.

Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi: Moulin Rouge Theme

Think about it: a stage blazing with fiery theater lights, an extravagant backdrop, and music, music, music. Your bridesmaids are courtesans wearing dazzling outfits, while you, the bride, will look like the sexy Satine, dressed from head to toe in silk and a corset. Your husband-to-be will be Christian, spouting poetry and declaring his undying love for you. All of this will be held in a Paris-style cabaret, at night.

If you and your partner love dancing, music and the spotlight, a Moulin Rouge theme will suit you fine. Hey, if you’re lucky (or really, really rich), you might even ask Baz Luhrmann coordinate the wedding for you.

Before You Say “I Do”
Ask your guests to come in can-can costumes. Feathers, sequins, ostrich feathers and satin gloves are a must. Prepare dance numbers and ask someone to sing songs from the film, like the romantic “Come What May” and the sexy “Lady Marmalade”. Don’t forget the French champagne and cocktails! For more ideas, check out these tips.

Live Long And Prosper: Star Trek Theme

Space may be the final frontier, but, getting married there is not possible (at least, not yet). The closest thing you can get is to have a Star Trek themed wedding. If you and your significant other are Trekkies, then you’ll love this theme. Imagine you’re Uhura and Spock, with the Klingons and Ferengi in attendance. Say your vows at the USS Enterprise’s bridge, while dressed in Starfleet uniforms. It’s a wedding unlike anything you’ll see in this galaxy.

You can go to Vegas and find a Star Trek chapel that will give you your dream wedding, or you can prepare your own wedding. It depends on your budget and your creativity!

Before You Say “I Do”
A celestial and sparkling gown will suit the bride, while the groom can wear a captain’s uniform. Use the theme music of the original series for the bridal march. Get a wedding cake in the shape of the Starship Enterprise. Finally, why not say “Aye, aye, Sir”, instead of “I do”?

Relive The Magic: Harry Potter Theme

So you can’t get enough of The Boy Who Lived and his wizarding friends. If you’re Potter supporters, why not inject this fun theme into your wedding? It’ll be perfect: the venue would be the Hogwarts castle (an old-fashioned hotel would do), the invitations written on parchments, and the guests will have to come in wizard robes, complete with wands and broomsticks. You can ask “Dumbledore” to preside over the ceremony.

One tip: This wedding theme is fun, but try not to go overboard. Otherwise, your intimate event will end up like a kiddie birthday party.

Before You Say “I Do”
Here are some useful wedding invitation, favors and wedding cake tips, to help you plan this special day.

An Intergalactic Love Affair: Star Wars Theme

Who isn’t familiar with Luke Skywalker and the evil Sith Darth Vader? Perhaps, you can give this adventurous tale a romatic twist, just like this couple. You and your spouse-to-be can join together like Hans Solo and Leia, or like Anakin and Amidala. Ask your guests to come in their favorite costumes, Jedi or alien. Use the opening music for the bridal march.

Before You Say “I Do”
Top your wedding cake with Star Wars figurine, or model the cake after a famous ship. Name treats after Star wars characters, such as “Chewbacca Chicken” or “Yoda frozen yogurt”. Maybe you can even ask the minister to say “May the force be with you” at the end of the ceremony.

Any hardcore fan wants to feel as if they’ve really stepped into the film, even on their wedding day. So what are you waiting for? Get your lists out, your costumes dry-cleaned, and prepare to have a unique and wonderful time at your themed wedding. It’s a romantic and out-of-this-world affair everyone will enjoy!

According to the new research, low red blood cell counts, also known as anemia, is a risk factor for death in elderly people, apart from other diseases that might be present.
Wendy P. J. den Elzen and colleagues, from Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands, noted in the Canadian Medical Association Journal [...]

According to a study published in Radiology online edition, severe cardiac events may be predicted in patients with stable coronary artery disease using coronary calcium scoring by the researchers.
The study’s lead author, Marcus Hacker, M.D., resident physician in the department of Nuclear Medicine, said “Independent of the patient’s sex , [...]