Visit Bristol, one of South West England’s most bustling cities, for a weekend full of culture, great shopping and a nightlife to rival that of some of the UK’s largest cities. In 2009, publishers Dorling Kindersley chose Bristol as one of the world’s top ten cities for young adults. It’s a hive of activity, greatly suited to families with kids and teenagers.

Culture

Newly opened M Shed is a fantastic museum exploring Bristol’s past. Its modern design on the city’s historic Harbourside is the perfect setting to find out about how locals have shaped their lives and the city through trade and industry. Exhibits include working steamboats, trains and cranes.

Nearby Brunel’s SS Great Britain is the world’s first great ocean liner. Many interactive displays tell the story of Victorian passengers crossing the seas to get to faraway destinations like Australia. There’s truly something for all senses here as even smells are used to make the experience more realistic!

Clifton Suspension Bridge and Visitor Centre are Bristol must-sees. The centre holds regular guided tours and walks across the bridge with entertaining guides explaining the history, construction and maintenance of the city’s famous landmark.

Shopping

Cabot Circus is a vast shopping centre with over 120 shops including Harvey Nichols, Fat Face and many more. There’s also an array of eateries on the spot with celebrity chef Raymond Blanc’s Brasserie, and Giraffe among others. If surprised by rain during your holiday, Cabot Circus is a great hideaway as you’ll also find a cinema in it.

The Galleries is another shopping centre, situated just next to Cabot Circus. Home to TK Maxx, Waterstones and many other shops, it’s big enough to spend a few hours in.

The newly redeveloped city centre pedestrian streets are also a great shopping destination with ample opportunities for a relaxing afternoon tea and people watching through the windows.

Stokes Croft, Christmas Steps Arts Quarter and Park Street are known as more alternative shopping areas where you can find quirky vintage clothing, music stores, galleries and more.

Nightlife

Most of Bristol’s outstanding nightlife is located around the Old City. Head to places like Mr Wolf’s for your fix of live music or Llandoger Trow, Bristol’s oldest pub, for a well-deserved pint at the end of the day. The Shore Café Bar is quite an upmarket place for a drink – try their delectable cocktails.

Bristol has a lively gay community that tends to gather around Frogmore Street and the Old Market. For a great night out, try The Pineapple or Bristol Bear Bar.

Accommodation

Some of Bristol’s best hotels are right in the city centre, near transport links so you can easily walk over or take a taxi from the train or bus station. If you’re only around for a few days, make sure to choose a hotel in Bristol that’s close to many of the city’s attractions to save time on commuting to and from, like the Hilton Garden Inn.

Harvey McEwan writes to offer information and advice on a variety of areas, from technology to holiday destinations. Read through Harvey’s other articles here to find out more.

There may be a lot of talk about an “obesity epidemic”, but we don’t usually discuss the amount of people who are not obese, but are still overweight. Those few extra pounds may not seem like much, but they can have a negative effect on overall health and life expectancy. So how do you know what your weight should be and if maybe you should be looking into a home diet plan?

You can check yourself against the ideal body weight, or IBW. This is your target weight based on age, sex and height. There are several formulas that can help you determine what your ideal weight should be. Dr. Steven Halls has a web page listing several ideal weight calculators: the Metropolitan Life tables, “people’s choice”, a medically recommended range of healthy weights and other IBW formulas.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is also used by some doctors as a guide. Using your height and weight, the BMI estimates your body fat. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has a calculator to help compute body mass index. The BMI categories are:

- Obesity: BMI = 30 or greater, a person is considered obese

- Overweight: BMI between 25 and 29, is considered overweight

- Normal weight: your BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9

- Underweight: people with a BMI of less than 18.5 are considered underweight

Maintaining Ideal Weight

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 33.9% of adults aged 20 and over are obese. The percentage of adults aged 20+ who are overweight (but not obese) is 34.4%. This means almost 70% of U.S. adults are not in a healthy weight range. This puts the majority of adults at a higher risk for disease such as diabetes heart disease, osteoarthritis, stroke and others. The medical community estimates that losing 5-10% of body weight can improve health and lead to an overall feeling of wellness.

Here are a few suggestions to help in maintaining ideal weight:

- Learn to balance energy used against your calorie intake. If your calorie intake is high, then your energy use must be high as well.

- Maintain a healthy balance of activity and inactivity. Do not overexert yourself to the point of doing more harm than good and use condition and age-apppropriate excercises to help you burn excess fat.

- Consider the use of weight loss supplements to help you boost your metabolism and increase your antioxidant levels.

Maintaining your ideal body weight is much easier when you have a support community. Asking others who have been successful tips on what they did to achieve their idea goal will help. Both your mind and body health will benefit greatly by finding what works best for you.

Sasha Paul makes online weight loss research part of her home weight loss program and home diet plan as she works on weight loss at home. With their scientifically-based well-balanced weight loss program, the SlimGenics weight loss program helps you lose weight and lose weight fast.

Even if you have not visited our capital London before I am sure you know that London has so much to offer for those that do take a trip and visit. Whether you want to experience its exciting club life, see a bit of its history or take in a show or some of its culture you will be kept well entertained if you do make a trip to London.

If you have decided that you want to treat yourself to a trip to London then it might be worth looking at 5 star hotels in London and really pushing the boat out. That said just because you are at 5 star luxury hotels in London does not mean that you have to spend a lot of money, by looking on the internet you can get some great deals and find something really affordable.

When it comes to look at 5 star hotels in London it is worth keeping in mind what you are going to do whilst you are staying there so that you can choose the right place for your accommodation. Although lots of London is accessible by public transport, if you are doing most of your entertainment in one place then you may as well make sure that your hotel is there too.

Don’t worry if your entertainment and spare time is likely to be spread out because there are plenty of 5 star luxury hotels in London that you can choose that are well situated for travelling over London. For example you could choose to book into the Marriott Country Hotel in South East London. This hotel offers breathtaking views of many areas of London but is still under 5 minutes away by tube to much of central London. Other options include the Westbury Hotel in Mayfair which is just as close to central.

The best thing about searching for 5 star hotels in London is that the internet makes it so simple to find what you are looking for. You can find websites on the internet that list many hotels and they even allow you to get an immediate quote if you know when you are likely to be staying there. Pictures and information of the hotel and other details of the amazing facilities that they offer make it even simple for you to decide which one you would most like to stay in. When you have made up your mind you can nearly always book the hotel online and complete it all straight away which helps to keep things easy.

If that sounds ideal for you then it is time to start looking online to see what the options are that are available to you a quick search on Google should be enough to point you in the right direction of the 5 star hotels in London that suite you the most.

I have written this article to explain the choices and the reasons for choosing the right 5 star hotel in London. Visit c2vluxuryhotels.com to view a comprehensive choice of 5 star accommodation, there is a lot to choose from. To find the right hotel in the capital visit c2vluxuryhotels.com it has all the information about the hotel you require.

Hey YOU!!! Drop down and give me 20! 1…2….3…4….COME ON BOY!!!!! Yo momma ain’t gonna help you do these!! I can smell the piggy fat sizzling BOY!!! HOT damn.. Gets me EXCITED!! Oddly enough some people actually like this kind of treatment when it comes to exercising. We’re all different and depending on what gets your ass in gear, I’d say will also be the key to reaching your goal or dropping like a fly in the process.

The Nuts and Bolts

There are basically two categories for motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation means internal motivational factors that drive you to succeed. In contrast, extrinsic motivation includes all the external elements that push you to succeed. We all have both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors when it comes to doing something, but one of these is actually 5 X more likely to help you reach your goal. Can you guess which one that is? You have a 50-50 chance. If you said intrinsic motivation you’d be correct. Now give yourself a gold star and swift slap in the face for even having to ponder that question. If you had problems with that one then that often means external elements in your life determine what you do, so you had difficulties recalling memories of intrinsic motivation pushing you to succeed in areas of your life. Well my friend, we need to change this.
Who are the Winners?

Most successful sports athletes, movie stars, CEOs and business owners are intrinsically motivated to succeed. This means that their drive comes from within and isn’t totally influenced by the external circumstances of their lives. That’s why these people are so persistent with their goals because they aren’t allowing external factors to fuel them, but instead use beliefs and personal philosophies to energize them for the long haul. This also contributes to the fact that no matter what external elements change in their lives they keep going because the external circumstances don’t drive them to begin with. On the contrary, if your drive comes from external factors (social approval, prize, competition, money etc) then once these components disappear often so does your energy and desire to reach your goals. In essence, intrinsic motivation is like nuclear fuel, while extrinsic motivation is more similar to hot air. At this point, you might recall my opening page that talks about the reasons most people exercise and diet: more SEX, energy, vitality, positive attitude, and confidence. As you can see, most people are driven to exercise and diet for the wrong reasons and that’s why most people eventually fail at their exercise and nutrition goals. Once they get more sex, energy, and confidence they suddenly lose the drive that was pushing them in the first place. This is bad bad bad bad.

The difference

I’m sure you’ve notice some people are able to maintain their exercise and diet goals, while others constantly fail. Why is this? Mainly because these individuals have discovered the slew of other benefits that come with persistent exercise and diet (intrinsic motivation), so they’re able to stick with the program over the long haul. Also, they’ve been doing the exercise and dieting for over 6 months, which is usually the required time to adopt something new into your life and make it a permanent component. After 6 months, exercise and diet are no longer chores, or extra daily assignments, but instead they are simply a part of the day like eating or sleeping.

How to achieve intrinsic motivation?

First off, you need to be a little selfish and believe you are personally worth more than sex, mates, money, social approval and/or more than worthy to enter the VIP after parties at the playboy mansion.Basically, you need to be exactly like my ex-girlfriend. Of course, this is easier said than done, but just wait. Next, come up with an exhausted list of direct and indirect benefits of diet and exercise. Don’t copy my list, but instead take some time and make a list that is true for you. You’re perspective is unique, so it is the only vision capable of driving you exactly where you need it most.

Example List: (I=intrinsic) (E= extrinsic)

1.) More respect (I) –> more job opportunities (E)—>higher pay (E)—->bigger house (E)

2.) Healthy heart (I)—>live longer (I)–>cardio endurance (I)–>better sex life (I/E)

3.) Less fat (I/E)–>easier to move (E)—>more energy to do things (I)—->feel like living and experiencing more (I)

4.) Positive disposition(I)–>like to try more things (I)–>learn more things(I)-> grow mentally and spiritually (I)

5.) Like your appearance more (E)–>positive attitude/better mood (E)->more confidence (I)–>the world is your playground (I)

After making this list then you need to do a little analysis. Separate the items that seem to be externally driving you from things that are intrinsically driving you. When you come up with these two separate lists, you need to go a step further and ask yourself why these intrinsic motivators are so important to your life. If you make a well-defined list, you will begin to see that everything you listed is vital for your intellectual, spiritual and physical growth as a human being. Without developing these intrinsic factors fully you cease living and instead opt out for a life of mediocrity and passivity. You basically have two options in life: You can have a dream/goal for yourself and everyone else, or you can be a pawn piece in another person’s dream/goal. If you take the latter, you give up your freedom, birth right, and human potential. If you go with the former, yes it is more scary and harder to make your own way, but it is the only way for true success and to grow to your fullest potential. Even if you fail a few times along the way, everything you learn can be harvested to make you stronger and smarter for next time. Again, perseverance is key. At this point, you may think I’m likely to veer off into a discussion about religion and God, but lucky for you I don’t have enough memory on my computer to write that book. I’d like to close by giving you a few last things to think about. Extrinsic motivation will only work for a few weeks or months at best until it fails you. Instead, you must draw on your powers of intuition, emotion, philosophy and belief to conjure the fuel for a lifetime of exercise and sound dieting. Indirectly, you will be empowering yourself for a change that will propel you to new planes of existence. Yeah, I know it’s deep..

Vital Game Plan

So, here’s the deal-e-o. I want you to make 10 goals for your exercise and diet routines. 4 can be extrinsic, but the other need to be intrinsic motivators and very well-defined. Using the intrinsic motivators you need to brainstorm and see how these benefits/goals will bring about a better person in spirit, mind, and body. Next, I want you to find an old shoe box. You’re going to use this box to place your goals and pictures inside. I can hear the whining and moaning commence. To that I only have to say SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!!!!! Now, get online or find a magazine and cut/print pictures of 2 different types of role models. One needs to have the body of your dreams and the other needs to have spiritual and intellectual aspects you admire. After you have these, every day I want you to add something to that box that motivates you intrinsically to achieve these results. Simply cut it out of a magazine, print it off the internet, or handwrite the idea very slowly on a piece of paper. After creating this list and your spiffy motivational treasure chest, you must review the contents twice a day (morning and night), and any time you aren’t achieving your exercise and diet goals. Remind yourself of the life you can have, as opposed to the life you will unfortunately acquire if you don’t get your ASS IN GEAR!!!! Personally, to remind myself where I don’t want to end up, I cut-out a picture of a homeless man and his dog wasting away in a street alley sipping on a bottle of Jack. This seems to do it for me. This strategy in-time will help you create a mental image of your future self. In other words, a GOAL!! If you follow the rules of the game, you’ll be surprised what all of these efforts can do to your level of motivation. I’ve engineered deep psychological principles into this strategy that naturally enhance human motivation. I can do this because besides studying exercise physiology, sports psychology, nutrition, and every social science you can shake a stick at, I’m also a psychology major and proponent of Behaviorism and Cognitive psychology. Yeah, that’s right. B.F. Skinner and Albert Bandura are my home boys. Wazz up now?; ) Best of luck!

Jon Baldridge
Exercise, Nutrition and Supplement Professional
http://www.Suzhousupplements.webs.com

Shanghai, nicknamed “Paris of the East”, is perfect for shoppers who love high fashion down to those who are looking to for a great bargain. As you travel around the city, you’ll find that shopping take form in large shopping plazas that carry designer brands, you may see boutiques along the streets that are local retailers or you may find large markets that sell specific products like clothing mart, toy mart or jewelry mart, etc. There are surprises everywhere as you look around.

How about a road map for the serious shoppers out there!

Nanjing Road- it’s a well-known street for shoppers. East Nanjing Road near the Bund has Shanghai department stores and you’ll also find plazas that sell mainly electronics; while West Nanjing Road has is by People’s Park and Jing’an Temple where you’ll find high end shopping centers. On either side of the road, you’ll find yourself surrounded by great restaurants for you to rest and dine after shopping.

HuaiHai Road- If you are looking for luxury products, you can find them on HuaiHai Road, home to major shopping plazas with stores that sell Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, etc.Maison Mode, a must see if you are shopping for high end clothing.

If you are looking to shop and dine, you must visit Xintiandi, which is lined with restaurants and cafes with a great ambience. By night, it’s a great place to meet up with friends to go dancing.

Qipu Lu- bargain shoppers, the clothing market in Qipu Lu is for you. It is a large building with a few stories that looks like a large swap meet where vendors sell the latest fashion at low prices. Even at the prices proposed by the vendors, you can probably bargain down further if you stay firm. It’s a fun place to see where locals find their discounted clothing and accessories.

Shanghai Science & Technology Museum- below the Museum there is market that replaced “Xiang Yang Market”, formerly a market that sold knock-off products. You’ll be able to find everything from souvenirs, clothing, electronics, purses, jewelry and all types of random products there.

Looking local Chinese shopping areas, you can visit any of these plazas noted at the “Four Cities” in Shanghai.

1. Yuyuan Shopping City
2. Zujiahui Shopping City
3. New Shanghai Shopping City
4. Jiali Sleepless City

If you are looking to have clothing custom made, you can always purchase the fabric at the local fabric market located at Lujiabang Road, the largest fabric outlet in Shanghai. Tailor shops can be found on Duojia road, Maoming Road or Changle Road. One recommendation is going to KATANO on Maoming Road. This shop has been making custom suits, shirts and men’s attire for over 82 years! Make sure you reserve enough time when having clothing made for you, taking into consider a few fittings before you have your final product.

So, there you are, dragging your patooty through one grey day after another, wondering where your brain went, why your body aches and if you’ll ever feel good again.

Even if your doctor checked for thyroid problems, and the flaky blood tests actually found the problem, you probably ended up on the ineffective medicine Synthroid or its generic equivalent. It helps almost nobody.

But you don’t have to be hypothyroid to lack energy and joy. Perhaps your thyroid’s in a world of hurt because of what you’ve been doing to it, but it’ll work if you let it.

Either way, here are six tips to stop beating up on your thyroid and get a power boost.

• Don’t eat bread, cookies, cakes, etc-at least, not any you buy. And not because of calories. Commercial bakeries started using bromine, a fire retardant, as a dough conditioner in the 1980s, and bromine is death on the thyroid, which just happens to control our metabolism and energy.

Here’s how it goes. Our thyroid hormone needs iodine to work Bromine is chemically very similar to iodine, and when it gets into our bodies, it pushes iodine out of the way and hijacks our thyroid hormone. Well, bogus thyroid can’t cut the mustard, so you’re toast. You’re pumping out hormone with no power. Zilch, zero, nada.

But here’s the kicker: Blood tests can’t tell real thyroid from bogus thyroid. You may be dragging bottom, but the test says you’re good to go. Even if you’re verging on comatose. The blood test has spoken.

• And everything I said about bromine goes for fluoride-in spades. Don’t drink fluoridated water. Don’t use fluoridated toothpaste. Don’t bathe in fluoridated water. Don’t take fluoride-based antibiotics. No fluoride; no way, no how.

Fluoride’s murder. And, no, it doesn’t help anybody’s teeth; fluoride has mottled and weakened the teeth of nearly half the kids in the U.S. There’s nothing good to say about fluoride.

• Eat plenty of protein, including red meat at least every other day. Our thyroid glands, as part of the endocrine system, thrive on protein. They live for protein. They can’t make it without protein. And red meat has micronutrients we need and can’t get anywhere else.

But (and why is there always a ‘but’?) don’t eat just any protein. Beef from factory farms contains hormones, antibiotics and, because of the cow’s unnatural diet of grains, a whole lot of disease-causing Omega 6.

Gotta get grass fed, grass finished beef-and milk, butter and cheese-with no hormones and no antibiotics, just a bunch of omega 3 to bless your socks off.

• You don’t want to cut off the fat, either. Our bodies make their hormones from saturated fat. Our brains need fat to function. And we need to eat saturated fat to absorb nutrition from our food. No fat means no nutrition.

• And for pity’s sake, I’m begging you, don’t eat soy. Or drink soy. Or put soy lotions on your body. Just don’t have anything to do with soy.

Besides depressing thyroid function-i.e. energy levels-soy comes chock-a-block full of bogus estrogen, which messes with the entire endocrine system-especially estrogen, testosterone and progesterone. Do you really want to do a number on your reproductive system? And tell me, sir, is it really your heart’s desire to have breasts? Well, then, soy will get that job done. Of course, there’s the little additional matter of prostate cancer to consider.

Want more? Soy sucks the minerals out of your body and causes kidney stones, too. How much fun is that?

Here’s the hard part: Eliminating soy means avoiding processed foods-fast food, meals at most chain restaurants and meals that come out of a box.

• Take quality vitamins and minerals to give your body the ammunition it needs to fight the good fight. Food alone can’t do everything that needs doing, so you have to supplement. But you have to supplement intelligently. Picking up any old thing in the grocery store doesn’t work.

It took me years to figure out the vitamin/mineral gig, which is probably why I jump up and down about nutrition these days.

So there you have it. Six ways to boost your health. A tip of the proverbial iceberg to be sure, but a strong beginning for your health revolution.

Bette Dowdell has studied how the body works-or doesn’t-for years to dig herself out of the ditch of endocrine problems when doctors didn’t help so much. Now she offers an e-zine to share her knowledge with you-what’s good, what’s bad and what’s the difference. Subscribe to her free weekly e-zine at http://TooPoopedToParticipate.com. Start discovering how to get your energy and enthusiasm back.

A lot of people need to maintain healthy diets to lose weight fast. Experts offer a lot of options but the key is to choose the most effective and yet relatively economical regimen. The basic thing to keep in mind when selecting a fast diet to lose weight is to take on one which you can sustain for an extended period. It is even better to listen to testimonials or confirmed success stories from friends, relatives and prominent personalities.

Before anything else, it is necessary for people who want to go on a dietary scheme to consult a doctor and ask of there are no harmful effects in their slimming plans.

Here are some valuable pointers in connection with going through healthy diets to lose weight fast:

Drink enough water since it can expel unwanted contaminants and makes a person feel in good physical shape. Begin the day with a glass of water before anything else to trigger off your digestive fluids and lubricate your internal organs. Drink a glass before eating so that you will feel satiated even without having taken any solids yet. Finish your meal with another glass.

As much as possible, turn away from sodas and other bottled carbonated beverages. These drinks are filled with sugar which indicates more calories. If ever limit yourself to diet sodas.

Take more of watermelons and tomatoes because these contain almost 95 percent of water. It makes you full without the danger of adding up pounds.

Fresh fruit is better than fruit juices again because of the former’s natural sugars and fibers which are badly needed by the human body. Fresh fruit juices would be the best alternative because these do not have any artificial flavors and coloring chemicals.

Foodstuffs that can serve as a fast diet to lose weight are fresh fruits because of the presence of more fiber. Again, the following are additional words of advice that can surely help in your nutritional program:

Step up your fiber ingestion and consume a lot of vegetables since these make up bulk of the healthy diets to lose weight fast.

You need to eat judiciously which means that you avoid eating for the sake of eating. Be very careful in what you consume since there are side dishes that can be heavy than the main course itself.

Refrain from consuming sugary items like desserts, cakes, pies and chocolates because these denote more calories.

Maintain affixed schedule in eating and eat only when you are starving. Do not take snacks and avoid junk food because of the fat and calorie content.

If you are committed to a fast diet to lose weight, buy lean meat and fish. The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in ocean fish are frequently lacking in our diets so make it a point to serve seafood two or three times per week. Baked fish and chicken are healthier than fried red. Stay away from processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, and sausages have a lot of saturated fat and nitrates in them you don’t want in your body. Rather, eat a diversity of foods with the vitamins and minerals you need to be hale and hearty.

We all know that vegetables give us important nutrients like proteins, vitamins and carbohydrates which are vital for our good health. Besides these, vegetables can also give us beautiful and glowing skin which we try so hard to achieve through products. What most people do not realize is that natural materials like fruits and vegetables can give us the soft and glowing skin we crave and strive so hard to achieve through products. Through juicing with the help of a juice extractor, you may mix different vegetable juice to create a paste to get benefits from various vegetables. Let’s discuss some vegetables and how they can make our skin beautiful.

Tomatoes

You probably see tomatoes lying around in your kitchen often. What you did not know about the tomato was that it contains alpha hydroxyl acids which help balancing the PH level of skin. They also provide lycopene compounds which firm out your pores and naturally moisturize your skin leaving it feeling fresh. For glowing and fresh looking skin you can either apply tomato pulp to your face, wash it off after an hour or you can rub slices of tomato on your face for a few minutes and wash it off. You also have the option of juicing out the tomato with a juicer and mix this tomato juice with lemon juice and apply to face.

Potatoes

Potatoes are those vegetables that we consume on a regular basis but what we don’t know about these is that besides being an excellent source of carbohydrates, they are also very good for our skin. Potatoes contain elements that help in making your skin less oily and they also help to lighten skin. If you suffer from oily skin, rubbing a piece of potato on your face will help you solve that problem. It is that simple! Also, darker areas on your skin like knees, elbows and upper lip can be made lighter by rubbing potato on it.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers have been a vital ingredient in most beauty products for a long time. Cucumbers are rich in vitamins and amino acids that can help with dry skin, allergies and dark skin. Cucumbers, if used on a daily basis, can also solve your black head problems as well as wrinkles. Cucumbers can be put through a juicer, to create cucumber juice. This process of juicing creates juice that can instantly have your skin feeling fresh and glowing after a long day of work.

Many of these vegetables can be juiced to create a juice. However, you must make sure that you buy the best juicer that is on the market. Consider this a long term investment. To gain the most out of these vegetables, you should be juicing them on a regular basis. If you are applying vegetable juice to your face and your juicer is one of poor quality and hence breaks down, you will be without a juice extractor till the time you replace. During this time, you will be without your daily vegetable juice and your skin will suffer as a result.

Everyone knows what snoring is. It is a loud, ugly, vibrating sound that many people make while they sleep. It is a running joke on countless sitcoms. It interrupts the sleep of anyone sleeping near the snorer and can even wake the snorer as well. But what causes snoring and why is it so common?

The sound of snoring is made when a person’s respiratory system is blocked near the throat and nose. The sound itself is the vibration caused when air passes forcefully against the obstruction. There are many reasons a person’s airway might be obstructed which mean there are many different causes of snoring.

Some people snore because their throat is weak or relaxes too much while they sleep. Alcohol and certain drugs can cause the throat to over relax, resulting in snoring, but snoring is by no means an indication of drug or alcohol use. Anyone can have weak or relaxed throat muscles without the use of either.

Other people are just the opposite, having excess tension in the throat due to some strain or a mis positioning of the jaw. Excess fat can also be a cause of snoring, which is why so many people suddenly begin to snore when they gain weight. Luckily for them, it is one of the easiest causes of snoring to fix. Once they lose weight and the extra fat is gone, the snoring will usually stop.

Snoring can also be caused by the nasal passage. Any obstruction or inflammation can cause the person to snore. This is why people, who never snore otherwise, sometimes snore when they have a cold or sinus infection. Most of the time, this is nothing to worry about, but if it lasts more than a few weeks, it’s probably a good idea to see a doctor.

Occasionally, snoring is caused by the position in which the person sleeps. If a person tends to snore only when sleeping on their back, they can often stop the snoring simply by sleeping on their side.

There is one other cause of snoring and it is the most important. Some people snore because of obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be very dangerous and anyone suspected of having sleep apnea should see a doctor. Likewise, if a person notices that their snoring is worse or more frequent than usual, it is also probably a good idea to see a doctor or at least mention it during their next doctor’s visit.

There are a lot of reasons people snore, but there are just as many remedies to help people stop snoring. Since it isn’t always possible to determine why a person snores, it may take trying more than one remedy before they find one that works. If one remedy doesn’t work, try something else. If nothing works, see a doctor. It could be more of a problem than you think.

How Important Is Decision- Making In Leadership?

We have always assumed that good decision making is crucial in leadership. In business or politics, for instance, we expect those we have elected to higher positions to make decisions for us. We authorize them to make propositions and choices that serve our best interests or that of the organization, state or country. Many people then perceive wise decision making as integral in leadership.

The fact, however, is that decision making is only a narrow aspect of leadership. We primarily connote leadership as being the head of a group. In this sense, decisions are made by executives and managers. Leaders, on the other hand, influence. Leadership, like creativity, is an occasional act. It is not limited to giving directives or making decisions. Management is a role and it is a position of authority above people while leading is an informal persuasion. One great example of leadership through informal influence is by Martin Luther King. The US Supreme Court declared segregation on buses as unconstitutional because of his demonstrations. Martin Luther King had no formal authority over an organization, yet he moved its members to act.

Leadership Is Not Always Decision- Making

Leadership comes in various forms and some of them do not entail decision making. For example, there is market leadership or league leadership in sports. Leading by example is influential, or otherwise there is bottom- up or thought leadership when you’re endorsing a new product to your boss. These instances do not require being in charge or having authority over others. Pure influence is manifested under these circumstances, and there is no need for formal or informal decision- making. When we associate leadership to decision making, we restrict the concept of leadership to those who have formal authority over others. With this point of view, everyone else is disempowered. Nonetheless, many of us can lead. Promoting a better way of doing things is leading, and they may be on small issues like showing how to best serve a customer. A conduct of integrity to your colleagues and setting an example is leading.

Leadership In The Knowledge- Driven Age

We have always perceived leaders to have power over us, deeming them to be like father figures. This is a natural psychological tendency and is likewise comforting. Then again, it is tantamount to abdication on our part. In this knowledge- driven age, this perception has become outdated, dangerous and counterproductive. Now, the power to lead has shifted. Leadership is no longer about subjugation but in generating and promoting new ideas.

Good decision making is entailed of managers, and managers are investors as well as coaches, catalysts, facilitators and nurturers. That is a role and a position and a form of leadership on its own. Stirring the humanity in people and moving them to action is yet another mark of a leader. Leadership is decision making about procedures, yes, but so is the decision to create change and to make a difference.

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Jodi and Mike specialize in executive coaching with individuals and teams. http://lighthouse-leadership.com