Alpha 150

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Light The First Advent Candle


THE PROPHETS CANDLE

"A Virgin Shall Conceive And Bear A Son," Isaiah 7:14

Advent bids us enter the world of those who dwelt in the darkness before the dawn of God's good light. There we listen to the words of the prophets. They spark hope in our hearts --- hope that grows like a child within a virgin's womb... Listen...Wait.... Dare To HOPE!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Canines For Combat Veterans

www.neads.org

In May, 2006, Dogs for Disabled Americans/NEADS was the first service dog program in the country to be invited to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC to meet with soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On August 17th, we returned to Walter Reed to interview three candidates in the OT ward. All sustained combat-related injuries and are now single or double amputees. All were accepted to receive walker balance/service dogs from NEADS' new Canines for Combat Veterans program.
These dual trained dogs will serve as walker/balance dogs when the veterans are ambulatory and walking with their prosthetics - providing balance while walking, going up and down stairs, and getting up from a sitting or fallen position and act as service dogs when the veterans remove their prosthetics and transfer to a wheelchair - assisting by picking up things that drop, retrieving items from a distance, pulling manual wheelchairs a short distance, turning lights on and off.
NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans is honored to be working with these service men and women.
We are very excited about the possibilities of this program and look forward to serving our country in this way – one dog at a time. For an application, please contact us.
To make a founding contribution to this important program: click here.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

The Heaven's Declare YOUR Glory!


"O LORD...when I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers--the moon and the stars you have set in place--what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?" (Psalm 8:3-4)

Tis The Season Ya'll!!!!! In The End Only Kindness Matters!!!!!! We Are God's Eyes; We Are God's Hands!!!!! And We Are NEVER Broken!!!!!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving To One And All


Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;

Count on God instead of yourself.
~~Author Unknown~~

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Exercise = Energy


Exercise Fights Fatigue, Boosts Energy
Friday, November 03, 2006
By Jennifer Warner

Feeling tired? A walk may be better than a nap for boosting energy and fighting fatigue.
New research suggests regular exercise can increase energy levels even among people suffering from chronic medical conditions associated with fatigue, like cancer and heart disease.
It may seem counterintuitive, but researchers say expending energy by engaging in regular exercise may pay off with increased energy in the long run.
“A lot of times when people are fatigued, the last thing they want to do is exercise,” says researcher Patrick O’Connor, PhD, in a news release. “But if you’re physically inactive and fatigued, being just a bit more active will help,” says O’Connor, co-director of the University of Georgia exercise psychology laboratory, in Athens, Ga.
“We live in a society where people are always looking for the next sports drink, energy bar, or cup of coffee that will give them the extra edge to get through the day,” says researcher Tim Puetz, PhD, also of UGA. “But it may be that lacing up your tennis shoes and getting out and doing some physical activity every morning can provide that spark of energy that people are looking for.”Exercise Boosts Energy
Although many studies have shown that sedentary people who start a regular exercise program experience an increase in energy levels, researchers say few studies have quantified those effects.
In this study, published in Psychological Bulletin, the researchers analyzed 70 studies on exercise and fatigue involving more than 6,800 people.
“More than 90 percent of the studies showed the same thing: Sedentary people who completed a regular exercise program reported improved fatigue compared to groups that did not exercise,” says O’Connor. “It’s a very consistent effect.”
The results show that regular exercise increases energy and reduces fatigue.
The average effect was greater than the improvement from using stimulant medications, including ones used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.
Researchers say nearly every group studied -- from healthy adults, to cancer patients, and those with chronic conditions including diabetes and heart disease -- benefited from exercise.

The Heavens Proclaim His Glory

Psalm 19 A (18 A)

The heavens proclaim your glory, O God,and the firmament shows forth the work of your hands.Day unto day takes up the storyand night unto night makes known the message.
No speech, no word, no voice is heardyet their span extends through all the earth,their words to the utmost bounds of the world.....

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Most Dieters Go It Alone! According to CNN.com


BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- --
Besides extra pounds, dieters also seem to carry a hefty independent streak. A survey finds that 70 percent of Americans who are trying to lose weight are following their own diet plans and have no interest in seeking a doctor's help.
One-third have tried dietary supplements of unproven benefit -- pills and powders that promise to burn fat, boost metabolism or melt pounds without the sweaty hard work of exercise or the discipline and deprivation of diets, the survey found.
Doctors say there is no safe way to lose more than a pound or two a week and no proof that unregulated, over-the-counter products help at all.
"People need to get away from magical thinking," said Saul Shiffman, a University of Pittsburgh health psychologist who helped develop the survey. "It's easy to hope for a magic pill that's going to rev up their metabolism or shed their pounds."
He and the others involved in the survey were paid by GlaxoSmithKline PLC, which has an obvious interest in steering people away from dietary supplements. The company makes orlistat, sold in prescription form as Xenical and soon to be available over the counter.
But despite the survey's commercial ties, it still offers a realistic glimpse at some unrealistic dieting practices and highlights missed opportunities for doctors to help, said weight-loss specialists who attended a recent obesity conference in Boston, where the survey was presented.
"Everybody can lose weight," said Dr. George Blackburn, a Harvard Medical School nutrition expert familiar with the survey who also has consulted for Glaxo. If people failed in the past, "they didn't try long enough and effectively enough," he said.
Weight-loss products form an enormous industry, gobbling up a billion dollars a year, the Federal Trade Commission estimates. Nearly 15 percent of U.S. households bought such products at least once last year, according to ACNielsen, a marketing information firm.
Sales of two popular categories -- over-the-counter appetite suppressants and diet-related meal replacements such as shakes and bars -- amounted to $322 million in 2005, the company reports.
Consumers also spent $244 million on prescription weight-loss drugs last year, reports IMS Health, another healthcare information firm.
The survey was done by the University of Connecticut through random phone calls to 3,500 adults nationwide from Nov. 18, 2005, to Jan 10, 2006.
Of the 1,444 people who said they had made a serious weight-loss attempt for at least three days, 34 percent used supplements and 15 percent used prescription drugs. Federal guidelines say that drugs are appropriate for people who have unsuccessfully tried to lose at least 10 percent of their body weight through diet and exercise alone.
Supplement users tended to be female (45 percent vs. 20 percent of males), obese rather than just overweight, and more likely to have annual household incomes of less than $40,000.
Supplements often are used by low-income people "who can less afford to waste their money on products that don't work," Shiffman said.
About half of survey respondents incorrectly think supplements are approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, and two-thirds believe such products must carry warning labels for side effects. Two-thirds think supplements are safe and effective, although the government requires no such proof before they are sold.
Doctors are not helping dieters navigate the maze of claims, the survey found. In many cases, they never got the chance -- of the 1,679 survey respondents who said they were overweight, only 30 percent said they would see a doctor to help them shed the excess pounds.
But there were missed opportunities, too. Forty percent of obese respondents and 72 percent of overweight ones said their doctors had never advised them to lose weight.
Of those who did see a doctor and were prescribed weight-loss medication, 38 percent said the doctor gave no side effect information; 34 percent were not told to change their diets; and 40 percent were not told to exercise.
For people determined to go it alone, the FTC offers tips to avoid questionable products and to report scams. Agency lawyer Richard Cleeland said the FTC has found "a phenomenal amount of misperception and claims" in supplement ads.

Give Me A Hershey Bar STAT!!!!!!!!!!!



Chocoholics rejoice! More benefits found in heart study


WASHINGTON (Reuters) --
They were so addicted, they just could not give up their favorite daily snack -- not even in the interest of science.
But chocolate lovers who flunked out of a Johns Hopkins University study on aspirin and heart disease helped researchers stumble on an explanation of why a little chocolate a day can cut the risk of heart attack.
It turns out chocolate, like aspirin, affects the platelets that cause blood to clot, Diane Becker of the Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine and her colleagues discovered.
"What these chocolate offenders taught us is that the chemical in cocoa beans has a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping, which can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, causing a heart attack," Becker said in a telephone interview.
The 139 so-called chocolate offenders took part in a larger study of 1,200 people with a family history of heart disease. The study looked at the effects of aspirin on blood platelets.
Before they got the aspirin, the volunteers were asked to stay on a strict regimen of exercise, refrain from smoking and avoid caffeinated drinks, wine, grapefruit juice and chocolate.
Chocolate and the other foods are known to affect platelets.
"We knew they would offend," Becker said. "Some people said to us, 'I can do anything but I can't stay off my chocolate.'"
"If people said, 'I will try my very best,' we said, 'OK do your very best, but it is crucial that you don't eat chocolate for 24 to 48 hours before you come in for testing.'"
Yet some people failed even this test of self-control.
Going all the way
"Nobody ate like a chocolate chip. If they were going to eat it, they ate some chocolate," Becker said.
"It went all the way from from a chocolate chip cookie to someone who ate a gallon of chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks and two chocolate-chip cookies at one sitting."
Becker cut them out of the aspirin study, but looked at their blood anyway.
Researchers ran platelet samples from both groups through a mechanical blood vessel system designed to time how long it takes for the platelets to clump together in a hair-thin plastic tube.
The blood of the chocolate eaters was slower to clot than the blood of the volunteers who resisted chocolate, Becker told a meeting of heart experts in Chicago.
In a urine test, the chocolate lovers had lower levels of a platelet waste product called thromboxane.
"Does it help a little bit? Yes," Becker said. "But it does not have anywhere near the magnitude of the effects of a single baby aspirin a day."
Nonetheless, Becker's team wants to study the effects of eating chocolate on a "free-living" population of volunteers. They will measure how much chocolate people eat and then watch them for several years to see if chocolate-eaters have a different rate of heart attacks, stroke and heart operations.
Other studies have suggested that dark chocolate contains more of the beneficial compounds linked with heart health, and experts note that the high sugar and fat content of most chocolate candy might cancel out some of the benefits.
Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Drop 800 Calories a Day--Easy; These two simple strategies can help fool your appetite.


From Prevention.com

On your next shopping trip, load up on fruits and veggies and skip the candy and cookie aisles; then try eating from dessert rather than dinner plates. Those two small steps added up to a huge but painless calorie reduction in a Pennsylvania State University study of 24 women. For 4 weeks, the women ate similar foods one day a week. Then, on the following day, the researchers cut about 544 calories by replacing fat and sugar with fruits and vegetables; they also trimmed 256 calories by cutting portion sizes by one-quarter. Amazingly, the women didn't increase the amount of food they ate to compensate on day 2, although they were allowed to eat as much as they chose. The magic: Produce fills you up with calorie-free fiber and water, and small reductions in portion size don't register as deprivation.

Post Menopause Shape Up!

More photos of exercises with descriptions at www.prevention.com

Q.Do you have any suggestions of exercises or workouts for postmenopausal women? Specifically, how to target the abs muscles?Since menopause, I tend to accumulate fat in the abdominal region instead of the hips and buttocks (as I did before).

A.I work with lots of menopausal and postmenopausal women, many of whom are often frustrated by symptoms such as irritability, hot flashes, and weight gain--especially around the midsection. Recent studies confirm their experiences. But belly fat is not inevitable. One study conducted just last summer concluded that vigorous physical activity significantly reduced body fat and waist size.The bottom line is that although our bodies change with age, we have more control over what happens than we think. Pilates, for example, may be a great way for you to begin working on toning and firming the midsection and waist. Pilates exercises work several muscle groups simultaneously through controlled, continuous motion. They focus on strengthening and stabilizing the core body, including the abdomen, obliques, back, and pelvis. Pilates exercises should be done mindfully and executed with precision to make them effective and safe. My clients and I have noticed not only an improvement in core body toning but also in range of motion. Everyday activities seem to get easier with flexibility in the core, hips, and shoulders.Start with a few of the exercises below and add more as you feel more comfortable. Joseph Pilates once said: "Above all, learn to breathe." So don't forget to keep the oxygen flowing! Lastly, as a personal trainer, I have to remind you: Calories in vs. calories out still applies to losing extra body fat. While toning, eat a little less, move a little more, and you will love the results!


Prayers Needed Another Mississippian Pays The Ultimate Price In Iraq!

Miss. soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

A soldier from Mississippi and a soldier from Michigan were killed in Baghdad last Thursday when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle, the Defense Department said today.
Army Sgt. Courtland A. Kennard, 22, of Starkville, Miss., and Staff Sgt. Gregory McCoy, 26, of Webberville, Mich., were assigned to the Army’s 410th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade based out of Fort Hood, Texas.West Memorial Funeral Home in Starkville is handling arrangements for Kennard, but plans were incomplete today. His family could not immediately be reached.The Associated Press has counted at least 45 soldiers with strong Mississippi ties who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One, Staff Sgt. Christopher L. Robinson, died in Afghanistan, while the others died in Iraq.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

10 Steps From Oprah Website


LAURE REDMOND'S 10 STEPS TO FEELING GOOD NAKED
In my 20 years as a fitness therapist (and quite a few years as a fat person), I've learned that fighting body hatred is both mental and physical. I created these steps to guide you to a new way of thinking about your body, leading to a joyful acceptance of who you are.
1. Don't deprive yourself.Treat yourself once a week. If you know that once a week you can pour a bag of M&M's into your happy mouth, this splurge will make it surprisingly easy to eat healthy meals the rest of the week. Step 1 is the end of dieting as you've come to know it.
2. Drink water, drink water, drink water!Two quarts of noncarbonated water a day works minor miracles.
3. Work out at least ten minutes a day.Watch how those few moments of exercise change your appearance and your life.
4. Schedule fitness appointments in writing each week.Commit to this plan as you would a business meeting or a baby's feeding—it's every bit as important.
5. Don't stop eating—stop eating in front of the TV.Food is a beautiful, glorious part of life, and it deserves your full attention. If you eat while you watch TV, you're not giving it that attention and you're probably overeating.
6. Pick an idol and let that person motivate and inspire you.Put her picture up in your house or office. When I look at a photo of Madonna's impressive body, it motivates me to get up and take a jog.
7. Breathe consciously for five minutes every day.Sit somewhere quiet and breathe deeply and slowly, in through the nose, out through the mouth. This is the most simple, effective way to achieve serenity while neutralizing stress.
8. Take 30 minutes of private time each day.Use this half hour any way you choose. But do it alone and stick to it religiously.
9. Write yourself a love letter once a month.Address it, mail it, and when it arrives, read it—a compliment from the most important person in your life.
10. Stand up straight and tall.This is an old New Orleans secret. If you practice what self-confidence looks like, you'll begin to know what it feels like.

Happy Veterans Day!

Honoring Our Veterans!




I'm just trying to be a father
Raise a daughter and a son
Be a lover to their mother
Everything to everyone
Up and at 'em, bright and early
I'm all business in my suit
Yeah, I'm dressed up for success From my head down to my boots
I don't do it for the money
There's bills that I can't pay
I don't do it for the glory
I just do it anyway
Providing for our future's my responsibility
Yeah I'm real good under pressure
Being all that I can be
And I can't call in sick on Mondays when the weekends been too strong
I just work straight through the holidays
And sometimes all night long.
You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door
Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady, hey, I'm true down to the core
And I will always do my duty no matter what the price
I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice
Oh, and I don't want to die for youbut if dyin's asked of me
I'll bear that cross with honor'cause freedom don't come free
I'm an American soldier, an American beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand
When Liberty's in jeopardy, I will always do what's right
I'm out here on the front line
Sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I'm an American soldier
Yeah, an American soldier, an American Beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand
When Liberty's in jeopardy I will always do what's right
I'm out here on the front line
So Sleep in peace tonight
American soldier, I'm an American An American, an American soldier

Friday, November 10, 2006

Why Do We Eat What We Eat!!!!!!!!!



Prof asks: Why do we eat mindlessly, and what would help us stop?

POSTED: 12:02 p.m. EST, November 7, 2006

ITHACA, New York (AP) --

Think much about that popcorn while you're eating it? Or that plate of pasta? That bowl of soup?
Probably not.
But Cornell University marketing professor Brian Wansink does. A lot.
Wansink isn't concerned about the food, exactly, but why you eat it. His goal is to uncover hidden cues that influence how much we eat. He wants to know whether people grab more M&M's from a bowl if there are more colors (yes), if people tend to eat less popcorn at comic films such as "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" than during gloomy films (yes) and whether people are tuned into the subtle prompts such as mood and setting that affect their eating (generally, no).
After years of sometimes unorthodox research, Wansink argues that a good way to lose weight is not by obsessing over carbs or banning trans fats, but by addressing dietary "hidden persuaders." He lays out the case in his new book, "Mindless Eating, Why We Eat More than We Think We Eat."
"So much of the answer lies not in counting calories, not in legislating, but in the middle range of what we can do by changing some of our own habits," Wansink said during an interview in his Food and Brand Lab on Cornell's upstate New York campus.
Watching you eat
The lab's main room is designed to look like a kitchen, albeit one with tiny surveillance cameras, a two-way mirror and a food scale hidden beneath a dishrag on the counter. The idea is to provide a homey atmosphere where test subjects can eat, and an unobtrusive way for researchers to watch.
On a recent day, Wansink leaned close into the two-way mirror as postdoctoral researcher Collin Payne served Beefaroni and vegetables to a test subject -- only to cough on the dish before he got to her seat.
The cough was choreographed, a ruse to force her to dish herself another serving, this time on a slightly smaller plate. Wansink wants to know if she will dole out a smaller portion on the smaller plate, which she does.
This sort of clever subterfuge is common to Wansink's experiments. Wansink once designed self-filling soup bowls that pump tomato soup up from under the table as people supped from them. He wanted to find out if people stopped eating without the visual cue of an empty bowl. Some people ate more than a quart.
Another time, when he was at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he told half the diners at a restaurant/lab that their complimentary glass of cabernet sauvignon that night came from California; the other half were told the same wine came from North Dakota. Not only did the North Dakota group eat less of their dinner, they headed for the exits quicker.
Same wine, same food, different cues, different results.
Wansink's larger point is that people make more than 200 food decisions a day, most of them subconsciously. He believes people trying fad diets would be better served changing little behaviors that could cut a relatively painless 100-200 calories a day. It can be done in part by hiding the candy or avoiding jumbo-sized packaging, which tends to encourage consumption.
Pick two or three habits a month, he advises. For instance, Wansink this month is trying not to eat a snack unless he first eats fruit, and he set a one-roll limit for meals out.
Wansink's "ingenious" study designs set him apart in the nascent field of investigating what motivates people to eat, said Andrew Geier, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania who has published eating behavior research.
"He's leading the way in trying explain eating behavior from the nose up," said Geier.
'Takeaways for consumers'
Wansink's Ph.D. is in marketing and consumer behavior, unusual in a field full of researchers with psychology backgrounds. The 46-year-old from Iowa farm country feels his research sometimes falls between the cracks academically. But he learned years ago he could end-run academic ambivalence by sending copies of his research directly to journalists. He recalls his getting early career media hits in Woman's Day and Cooking Light magazines and thinking "This is really cool!"
"I decided to write things that would always have a takeaway for consumers," he said.
Some of his most provocative work casts doubt on the value of nutrition labels for consumers. He believes people are either too busy or distracted to read packages. Worse, labels can lull people into a false sense of security, like Subway diners feeling good about eating a low-fat sandwich, and then loading up on chips and a soda.
Eating a wrap sandwich for lunch on campus, he can't help noticing a label on his mayonnaise packet: "As always 0g carbs."
"I love it!" he said with a laugh.
The packet doesn't mention that a single serving has 10 grams of fat and 90 calories.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Live Love Laugh

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.
~anonymous~

Thursday, November 09, 2006

List of Mississippians Killed In Iraq... Lest We Forget!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Magnolias And Moonlight

an original poem by Tracye Wynne Malone Prewitt

Mississippi My Mississippi
Magnolias and moonlight
Honeysuckle and shade trees
Cornbread and butter beans
Cotton swaying in the gentle wind
Corn tassling in the sun
Front porches and summer showers
The smell of freshly mown grass
and the chirping of crickets
Warm summer sun and cool iced tea
The Love and warmth of family and friends
Mississippi My Mississippi
Always And Forever My Home Sweet Home!

Low Calorie Diets Linked To Longer Life Expectancy! WOW...COOL!


Scientists have found tangible signs that a low-calorie diet could reverse signs of ageing in the body.
A six-month study showed cutting calories lowered insulin levels and core body temperatures.
The Louisiana State University team said further studies were needed to confirm the findings, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A British expert said the research was interesting, but that many other factors affected life expectancy.
This study reinforces the importance of being a healthy weight
Dr Frankie Phillips, British Dietetic Association
It is known that reducing the amount of calories that rodents and other animals take in long-term lengthens their life.
It is thought that restricting calorie-intake affects processes in the body such as metabolism and sensitivity to insulin - as well as the health benefits from losing weight.
Less energy
Researchers from Louisiana State University studied 48 overweight men and women between March 2002 and August 2004.
All were healthy, but none exercised.
They were either put on an eating plan to maintain their existing weight, given a plan to cut their calorie intake by 25%.
A third group was told to restrict their calorie intake and exercise, and a fourth was put on a very low-calorie diet - 890 kcal a day until their weight had gone down by 15%, - followed by a weight maintenance diet.
After six months, the non-diet group had lost an average of 1% of their weight, the calorie restriction group, 10.4%, those who were on a calorie restricted diet plus exercise, 10% and the very low-calorie diet, 13.9%.
Fasting insulin levels - recorded between meals - were significantly reduced in all the three diet groups.
Low insulin levels is one of the common factors to have been recorded in people who live to over 100.
People on either of the calorie restriction diets had reduced average core body temperature, which has been previously suggested to be an aid to living longer.
Being cooler means the body does not have to expend as much energy.
In addition, there was a reduction in the amount of DNA damage - errors that occur when a cell divides - seen in the three groups.
Ageing reversal?
Dr Leonie Heilbronn, who led the research, said: "Our results indicate that prolonged calorie restriction caused a reversal in two of three previously reported biomarkers of longevity.
But she added: "Longer-term studies are required to determine if these effects are sustained and whether they have an effect on human ageing."
Dr Frankie Phillips, of the British Dietetic Association, said the research was interesting because it gave an insight into how losing weight affected the body.
But she said it did not tell the whole story about how long someone will live.
"Socio-economic factors and the environment can also influence how long you live."
She added: "We also know that being obese can cut up to nine or 10 years off someone's life. So by losing weight, you are effectively increasing your life expectancy by that long."
"This study reinforces the importance of being a healthy weight."
But Dr Phillips said she was concerned that some people in the study were put on extremely low-calorie diets - something she said people should only do for a short period of time and under the supervision of their GP or a dietician.

Life Is Like A Box Of Crayons... I WISH!!!!!

What Teachers Do Everyday!


We are planting the doctors, lawyers, leaders, mothers, fathers, preachers, teachers ....

We are planting futures garden!

Monday, November 06, 2006

You Are My Strong Tower

When I wander through the desert
And I'm longing for my home
All my dreams have gone astray
When I'm stranded in the valley
And I'm tired and all alone
It seems like I've lost my way
I go running to Your moutain
Where your mercy sets me free
[chorus]
You are my strong tower
Shelter over me
Beautiful and mighty
Everlasting King
You are my strong tower
Fortress when I'm weak
Your name is true and holy
And Your face is all I seek
In the middle of my darkness
In the midst of all my fear
You're my refuge and my hope
When the storm of life is raging
And the thunder's all I hear
You speak softly to my soul

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Caloric Needs Formula From Prevention

There are several ways to determine your daily calorie needs.
Many health clubs offer metabolism testing for about $50.
You just breathe into a device that calculates your calorie requirements.
Small studies say these tests are fairly precise, but when I tried one, there was a 400-calorie discrepancy between it and the more sophisticated, more expensive lab test.
That might have been a fluke, but it's also why I suggest that you start with this good old-fashioned formula for women.
It's free, easy, and nearly as accurate as the lab test:
[10 x weight (kg*)] + [6.25 x height (cm*)] - [5 x age (yr)] - 161.
Now multiply that number by your activity factor below.
(If you don't want to do the math, use our Calorie Calculator.)
Inactive: Just walking to and from the car = 1.2
Lightly active: Daily 30-minute stroll or 30-minute brisk walk 1 to 3 days a week = 1.4
Moderately active: A 30-minute brisk walk 3 or more days a week or a non-desk job, e.g., cashier = 1.6
Very active: 30 minutes of exercise like running 3 to 5 days a week or an active job, e.g., waitress = 1.7
The result is the number of calories you need daily to stay at your current weight.
To lose a pound a week, you need to either cut out or burn off 500 calories a day (1 pound = 3,500 calories).
*To convert, multiply pounds by 0.454 and inches by 2.54.

Friday, November 03, 2006

We Are The CHAMPIONS My Friends


Josh's adopted team won the U12 Championship Game here Sunday night

Jay's team came in second in their Championship Game here Sunday night

Congrats to all the boys who played; they worked so hard for two days... And Sunday was a LONG HARD DAY!

We were at the fields from 7:30 am until around 8:00 pm

Jay's team had to win a shoot out to advance to the Championship Game ... it was so awesome that they pulled it out!

Congrats BULLDOZERS and STRIKERS you are AWESOME!