Archive for February, 2009

Golfer Tees Off Near Spot Where Wounded As A Marine Over 40 Years Ago!

Now wouldn't that be an interesting headline and a passel of PR for Crystal Cruises? They could kick-off their first Golf-Themed cruise to Hong Kong and Singapore (with a stop in Vietnam) with a salute to Vietnam vets represented by yours truly. Be one of the fortunate few to sail on the luxurious Crystal Symphony accompanied by a former-marine, Vietnam vet, golfer and golf-oriented travel agent! An 11 day adventure by sea into Asia, transported in first-class style with a special group of people on a journey through Asia unlike any other. Pausing with a stop in a country that was once in turmoil, now on the list of places to see before you die, this cruise will be special. No doubt, the golf trip of a lifetime aboard the world's most luxurious floating caddy – the Crystal Symphony. Are you listening Crystal Cruises PR people?

More Like A Comfortable Small Town Than A Ship At Sea

A truly astounding ship, only 922 passengers and one of the most spacious cruise ships at sea. No worries of being hip-checked out of the desert que by an overeager youngster and the most spacious accommodations you will find at sea. First-class amenities are just too many to list but include: grand lounges, full-service fitness facility, Crystal casino, Feng Shui-inspired spa, 360° teak Promenade Deck, two pools, Jacuzzi®,award-winning cuisine and entertainment, in addition to, elegantly appointed staterooms most with private verandas. Make your reservation now and be one of the select few people to experience this once in a lifetime cruise aboard The Crystal Symphony – Departing April 20 – 11 Days, Hong Kong to Singapore, it's the "mother" of all golf cruises!

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Why Sleeping Beauty Wasn't Fat

People who desire to lose weight should examine their sleep cycles as much as their eating habits before going on any kind of diet. If they aren't getting at least seven to eight hours a night they may need more sack time in order to be sucessful at any kind of weight loss plan.

While it stands to reason that if people spent more time in bed they would have less time to think about food and eating the wrong things – the greater benefit, if you can believe this, is that people who sleep longer actually have a greater sense of fullness and will spontaneously lose weight. Could this be the famous, Lose Weight While You Sleep Diet, or is this actual fat-busting science at work?

Forget about the fads and the pills that claim to have you losing weight while you sleep. It turns out that sleep may be the easiest and cheapest treatment for obeisty there is. Our fat-busting scientists have identified hormones in our bodies that have an effect on feelings of both hunger and fullness. Sleep deprivation can cause an imbalance of hormones in favor of hungry hormones (ghrelin) over the ones responsible for making us feel full (leptin) making us feel hungry even when we really aren't. Ergo we eat. Combine this condition with what I call head hunger (wanting more when you feel full) and you have a situation where your diet can be seriously de-railed.   

Stress Can Make You Fat

I believe that stress is the main reason I fall off the healthy food wagon occasionally, finding it near impossible to resist my old comfort foods when stress gets the better of me. It's so easy to say to yourself, whew!, I had a really hard day, I deserve a "fill in the blanks" – cocktail, chocolate bar, pasta dish, mashed potatoes, bread, etc. All the stuff that got me into trouble in the first place just cause I had a total jerk for a boss.Toss in a couple of financial issues and watch the high-carb food monster take over!

The problem is that the boss ain't going anywhere soon and I am the one that suffers the consequences of a binge. While it feels heavenly to my taste buds and soothes my stress hormones (yes, there are such things) giving in to carb cravings because of stress at work or kids or bills, etc, is just going to make things worse. When the last donut, cookie, cake, pie, etc has slid down the high-carb highway into my stomach all I have to show for it is a sweet taste in my mouth and a bitter reminder of my weakness for sugar. Plus I just added more negative energy to my stress levels by giving in to temptation. How can sugar make you so high and then so low within minutes? Why can't I capture that exact feeling of guilt and failure that I feel when I cheat before I eat the high carb stuff – what rotten little devil on my shoulder makes me do it?

Do something besides eat when you are stressed out, make time in your schedule for stress relief of some sort such as yoga, laughing hysterically or even, God forbid, exercise. I make mosaics when I feel the need to distract myself from thoughts of sugarplums dancing in my head – mostly because I get to smash things with a hammer and it keeps my hands busy. I drink a lot of water doing this and I feel better about myself when it's time for bed and I didn't eat that ice cream bar for my night time snack. I learned as I got older not to be so hard on myself when I did stumble and I have managed to lose considerable weight because I didn't give up on my whole weight-loss plan just because of one stumble. You gotta get right back on that horse if you want to succeed. The other thing I discovered was when the weight does come off – the stress levels go down – go figure!

The Cheater In The Weight Loss Game Is Fat

How is it that a short, fat guy – 5'9" tall and weighing in at 260 (me) be considered healthier than men much taller and thinner? In spite of my allergy to regular exercise I still manage five sets of 10-pound fork presses at the dinner table, am able to regularly walk 3 miles a day, play vigorously with my chocolate lab, camp in my RV and dance like Arthur Murray on Saturday nights. I should be in shape, right? then why is it that whenever I see a picture of myself I want to crawl into a bed of pasta and hide? I read somewhere that fat doesn't play fair and now I am beginning to understand why.

What helped me to understand my dilemma were these new Fat-Busting scientists, geeks who spend their days poking and probing chubby mice, experts in the field of epidemiology (the study of health in populations), who can now talk about openly and convincingly about how genes, hormonal imbalances, some viruses, stress, even ear infections play a role in obesity. Ok, fine. All we want to know is – how do us regular folks find someone who can say with confidence; this is why you can't lose weight. Then tell us how we can!

That day may be closer than you think. Those chubby mice we talked about earlier taught scientists about the "fatso" genes in all of us. People with two or more fatso genes are more likely to develop diabetes and be more overweight. And they say that there could be as many as 100 fat genes out there! What does that say for our chances of losing weight just by diet alone? Maybe genetics plays more of a role than just the cute little dimple you acquired from Mom. 

Travel Advice for Current Times

With all the changes in current economic conditions, I felt it appropriate to offer the readers of this blog an inside look at what is going on in the travel industry these days. No matter the challenges of our current environment, people still feel the need, and deserve the opportunity, to get away and remind themselves about the importance of family, relaxation and fun. So, where are the deals and what should readers be looking for?

For international travel, one of the best deals these days is cruising. Cruises are paid for in US dollars, so if you desire to travel internationally, especially Europe, this is your best bet for value. However, one misperception is that if you wait until the last minute you’ll get a better price. This is not necessarily true. Yes, there are deals and discounts in the market from many of what are termed the “mass market” cruise lines. However, for popular or exotic itineraries, waiting until the last minute may well find you shut out of your vacation. In addition, by waiting until last minute to book your cruise, the savings you gain may well be lost on what you’ll pay for last minute airfare. (more…)