ACT ON THAT!

Take the time to listen to the music...

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and
silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million
dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller..."If you don't stop and look around once in a while...you could miss it."

Happy New Year!!!

If it didn’t Bring you Joy,
Just Leave it Behind.

Let’s Ring in the New Year
With Good Things in Mind.

Let Every Bad Memory Go
That Brought Heartache and Pain.

And let’s Turn a New Leaf
With the Smell of New Rain.

Let’s Forget Past Mistakes
Making Amends for This Year.

Sending You These Greetings
To Bring you Hope and Cheer

Happy New Year!

How to Give at Christmas

For most of us, Christmas means time with family, good food, crazy light decorations and opening presents. Let's be honest: The majority of Americans love to unwrap gifts on Christmas morning. But what would your holiday season be like if you didn't focus so much on the gifts you get, and instead focused on the gifts you give?

This year, Dave is challenging all of us to give like no one else. So what does that mean? It means you need to get out of your comfort zone, think outside the box, and find ways to bless others. Whether you give some money to help a needy family with bills or give your time and energy to a shut-in, there are plenty of ways you can give like no else this Christmas. 

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Buy several winter jackets at a discount retail store and deliver them to the homeless in your community.
2. Pay the power bill for a family who is struggling financially.
3. Purchase a restaurant gift card for a young couple who are new parents, and offer to babysit their kiddo for free.
4. When checking out at the grocery store, hand the cashier some cash and tell her you want to pay for a needy family's groceries.
5. Take a single mom on a Christmas shopping spree for her kids.
6. Clean the home of a shut-in and cook for them. Stay and chat with them over dinner.
7. Bless your pastor with a Christmas bonus.
8. Call your church and ask them if they know a family in need of gifts this year. Then, purchase a gift for each family member and drop it off at their doorstep on Christmas Eve.
9. Shovel snow, rake leaves, or pick weeds for an elderly couple in or near your neighborhood.
10. Next time you fill up your gas tank, give the clerk $50 and tell him you want to pay for someone else's gas bill.

There are all kinds of ways that you can give like no one else this Christmas, so get busy! Hopefully, this list helped you brainstorm a few ideas of your own!

Find out more at daveramsey.com

Summer Fun...And Fitness!

Ways – and Reasons – to Keep Children Active

Kids dream of summer. They dream of school ending. They dream of staying up late and sleeping in. But they also dream of video games and television.

In fact, on average, children spend nearly 3 hours out of every day watching TV. And that's just an average. When school ends and they have more time in the day, that temptation increases. An even more alarming statistic is that only half of kids between ages 12 and 21 exercise regularly.

Now that the regular exercise of gym class has been removed from your child's weekly schedule, it's even more important that you incorporate exercise at home. And summer is the ideal time to start an exercise routine that the whole family can enjoy and take part in.

As families across the country get ready to head into the lazy days of summer, the information below can help keep your children – and family – happy, healthy and active.

Physical Benefits of Exercise
We all know that kids can benefit from exercise, but what specifically does it do for them? The answer may be more than you expect. Regular exercise can help kids:

• Control weight and body fat
• Build healthy bones, muscles and joints
• Increase strength and endurance
• Reduce the risk of high-blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease later in life
• Fall asleep quickly and sleep better
• Improve appearance

Mental Benefits of Exercise
In addition to the physical aspects, exercise can have a number of positive mental and emotional benefits for children, including:

• Reducing anxiety, tension and pessimism
• Increasing confidence and self-esteem
• Having a more positive outlook on life
• Better handling of the emotional and physical challenges in life
• Fostering teamwork, leadership and friendships

Three Elements of Fitness
Basically, there are three elements to physical fitness and exercise:

• Strength
• Endurance
• Flexibility

Often, strength training is thought of in terms of weight lifting, but that's not the only way to help build strength. Children can improve their strength through a variety of exercises, such as push-ups, crunches, pull-ups and more. More importantly, children can get the same strength benefits from everyday games and activities that incorporate these types of exercises into play. For example, climbing trees works many of the same muscles as pull-ups. Handstands, wrestling games, monkey bars and more can provide valuable – but fun – ways to strengthen muscles and joints.

Endurance is also a key element. While strength training builds strong muscles, endurance helps strengthen the heart and improves the flow of oxygen into cells. The best way to improve endurance is to take part in regular aerobic exercise. The good news – that can be accomplished in a number of ways. Jogging, biking and walking are just some ideas. Children can also improve endurance by dancing, jumping rope, playing tag, skateboarding, inline skating and so on. Any activity that gets children moving – that gets their hearts beating faster and their breathing flowing harder – can help children improve their endurance.

The third and final aspect is flexibility, which helps muscles and joints move in a full-range of motion comfortably and easily. Obviously, stretching is an important element in improving flexibility. But, once again, children can get the same benefits through a variety of fun, everyday activities, such as practicing doing splits, reaching to grab something, doing cartwheels and so on.

The bottom line is that parents can help children achieve a balance between the three aspects by varying activities and being creative with fun ways to keep children engaged and positive about exercise.

5 Ways Parents Can Help
Children rely on their parents for a lot of things…and exercise is no different. Although children ultimately have to get up and get active, parents and older siblings can take a number of steps to encourage physical fitness, including:

1. Finding fun activities that keep exercise exciting, interesting and appropriate for each child's age.
   
   
2. Providing toys and safety equipment that encourage exercise, such as jump ropes, hula-hoops or inline skates with the proper safety equipment.
   
   
3. Encouraging consistency by planning contests between children and adults, working exercises into weekday and weekend schedules.
   
   
4. Helping children establish goals, chart their progress and celebrate achievements. Those three aspects will go a long way to helping children gain a sense of accomplishment and confidence, while also motivating children to continue the activity.
   
   
5. Modeling physical fitness for your children. After all, studies show that children are more likely to be physically active if they see their parents and role models engage in regular physical exercise. So make a point of not just planning physical activities and games for your children, but to jump in and take part yourself.

11 Ideas You Can Do Today
Not sure what exercises to try out this summer? Here's a list of 11 ideas to get you started:

1. Swim. Water naturally goes with the summer months. After all, summer is hot, and the water is cool. But instead of just taking your children to a pool, beach or lake to watch them splash around, encourage them to race one another or to try to beat their own time as they swim a specific distance. You can even get additional children and parents from the neighborhood involved to form a swim club – so children will be engaged with their friends, while parents can take turns car-pooling the children.

2. Walk or jog. Yep, it's that simple. Walk the dog every morning. Jog with a parent every evening. Walk or run in a charity event. The point is to get children involved in regularly moving their bodies.

3. Play soccer. Talk about improving your endurance! Soccer is a great way to help children build friendships, learn teamwork, increase confidence and just plain have fun during summer. And, it's inexpensive—all you need is a patch of grass and a ball.

4. Bike. Kids love to bike. So why not encourage it? Parents can get children out and exercising by biking for fun or even biking to the store. In addition to exercise, children can learn safety lessons and the rules of the road. Not to mention that it's a great way for parents and children to spend dedicated time talking and laughing.

5. Shoot hoops. Basketball is another inexpensive sport that provides children with the opportunity to work on endurance, teamwork and friendships. Chances are there's a park near you with some hoops that you can easily drive to…or better yet, bike or walk to…a few times a week. Parents can get involved in a full-court competition with the neighborhood kids or just a fun one-on-one game of HORSE.

6. Mow the yard. If you have older children or pre-teens, you can teach them responsibility while encouraging exercise by hiring them to mow the yard every week during the summer.

7. Just dance. It doesn't matter what kind of music or dancing style you're into, moving your body is great exercise…and it's fun! Parents and kids can even dance together to teach each other their favorite moves and share their favorite songs. It's a great way to bond with children while staying healthy and fit.

8. Jump rope. It's easy to do, inexpensive, fun and a great workout. Better still, children can jump rope by themselves or in groups. And it's a great way to improve stamina and coordination.

9. Skate. Inline skating is fun for children and adults alike. Make sure you wear the proper safety equipment and model safe practices near roads. Of course, if you're looking to cool off this summer, you can look for indoor skating rinks in your area. Ice-skating, figure skating and hockey camps are actually more popular during the summer than most people think. Or you could just have fun, cool off and exercise during an open ice session. And if you've never skated on ice, the hot summer months are the perfect time to try it. At most rinks, you don't even need to own your own skates because they rent out hockey or figure skates. So grab the phonebook, call around and then hit the ice this summer.

10. Join a marching band. If you or your children are interested in music or already play an instrument, a marching band is an ideal activity. It helps promote music reading, which can help with math skills and improve confidence. In addition, some instruments help improve lung functions through breathing techniques. Add that to the marching practice and parades, and you have the recipe for a fun workout!

11. Make an obstacle course. Obstacle courses are a great way to work every aspect of physical fitness. They can improve strength by adding climbing obstacles. They can increase endurance by adding in running and jump roping aspects. And they can even benefit flexibility by adding in stages where children have to reach for items or touch their toes a certain number of times before proceeding to the next stage. And the best part is, you can switch the course up to keep children from getting bored or to include children of different ages and capabilities. So gather up some items from around the house and get your children's creative minds working on an obstacle course in your yard.

Get Started
These are just some ideas to get you started. The important thing isn't what you do… it's that you DO something. So sit down with your children, talk about what activities they'd like to do, make a plan and then get started. And don’t forget to keep it fun to encourage consistency!

Have a safe, healthy and fun summer!

Simple Truths - Do You Walk the Talk?

Motivational author and speaker Zig Ziglar once said, "Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be."

Think about words like commitment, honesty, accountability, respect, courage, ethics, and integrity. These are important words when it comes to your success, but these words are meaningless if you don't live by them. After all, if you constantly say one thing and do another, you will lose people's trust…and without the trust of your family, friends, clients, or colleagues, success is impossible.

In fact, a recent Gallup Poll from January of this year about "Trust in Government" speaks to this fact. The study found that fifty-five percent of respondents think that "quite a few" people who are running our government are crooked. This certainly speaks to the fact that many people believe politicians say one thing and then do another.

The late, great Christopher Reeve once said, "I think we all have a little voice inside that will guide us…. If we shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do."

Behaving according to our beliefs can be a challenge. But when it comes to earning trust, keeping trust, and therefore maximizing your success, walking your talk is critical. Please enjoy the video from our friends at Simple Truths and get inspired to "Walk the Talk."

Cost of Raising a Child

Children are priceless. But do you know how much it costs to keep them in designer jeans through high school? The government has the answer.

The latest figures (2008) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, show it costs $221,190 to raise a child to age 17 in a family where the parents earn about $75,000 a year. If your annual family income is $150,000 it’s likely you’ll shell out closer to $370,000 to get your child on the road to success.
To be sure, not all that money is spent directly on the child.  The cost of housing is 32% of the total cost of raising a child, according to the USDA.  They figure that by allocating the cost of running the home among family members.  Another 16% is for food, 6% for clothing, and so it goes – the USDA even allocates 8% to miscellaneous.

But the study doesn’t take into account all the expenses for some families.  If your child is enrolled in private school, the costs jump. If your child has medical problems, chalk up even more. And if you send your children to college, you’ll be supporting them far beyond the 17 years covered in the study. That will set you back another $30,000 to $300,000 per child, depending on where your child goes to college and for how long.

There are indirect costs as well. If one parent stays home to care for children when they are young, the lost income and benefits can be substantial.  And when that parent returns to the workforce, they may be behind in terms of advancement and salary, costing even more in the long run.
If you want to know how much your own child costs, go to this online calculator that you can customize with your own figures. 

We would never put a price-tag on our children.  But now you know why your childless friends seem to have so much more money than you do. Kids are worth their weight in gold – literally.

Mother's Day Spa Lunch Creating a Special Day for the Mom (Or Moms) In Your Life

Mother's Day is just a few days away. If you've yet to plan a celebration for the mom or moms in your life, you'll definitely want to stick with this article. It may be too late to make reservations at a restaurant, but it's not too late to put together an incredible lunch that you can serve right in your own home.

Our moms play such an important role in all our lives, so it's only fitting that we create a special celebration on the day that honors them. Before we get into the subject of the food, let's talk a little about the day as a whole.

In addition to giving us life, moms do a whole lot for us. They are an example to their daughters of how to be a strong woman, as well as to their sons of the caliber of woman they should strive to have in their lives. They push us to do better as individuals, while at the same time provide comfort when we are vulnerable. Moms are the ultimate multi-taskers, oftentimes juggling careers with household and family responsibilities. In general, moms have very few moments to themselves. The reason – their job is 24/7, 365!

Today is mom's day to relax…completely. One duty she need not take on is planning her own Mother's Day celebration. That's going to be your job and I am going to help you do it. Don't worry. It's going to be fun. What do you say we get started?

Pampering
Considering the amount of pampering our moms do for us, it's only fair we return the favor on her big day. This may sound like a big job, but I'm going to simplify it for you by giving you two words to remember – spa day.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a mom that would not enjoy having a day of beauty. I'm serious when I say you really can't go wrong with this. Send her to the spa for a massage or a facial, or the salon to get her hair done. Even the nail salon for a manicure and pedicure, or a yoga class would work. The key is to find something she enjoys and that fits into your budget. Make her a mid-morning appointment on Mother's Day and get her out of the house for a few hours. This will give her a chance to decompress, and you a chance to put the finishing touches on a great spa-like meal.

Now, let's get cooking!

Food
It's not uncommon for a spa day to include a healthy yet satisfying lunch, as there is nothing like eating great food after a massage and a sauna. The difference on Mother's Day is that instead of mom eating that lunch at a restaurant, she'll be able to do it in the comfort of her own home…without having to do any of the work.

I'm going to set you up with a complete spa lunch menu that will not only fit the bill in terms of good eats, but it's something I'm confident anyone can pull off. First up is the Mother's Day salad.

Mother's Day Salad (serves 2)

• 2 hearts of Romaine lettuce (sold prepackaged in the produce section), sliced in half lengthwise
  
• 1 medium to large-sized, ripe Haas avocado, sliced in half lengthwise and seed removed
  
• 15 25-count shrimp (tails and shells left on)
• 12 cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
  
• Feta cheese crumbles
  
• Extra virgin olive oil

For the Dressing:

• Zest from 1 orange and the juice of 1/2 the orange
  
• 1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar
  
• 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
  
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1/3 to 1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil

Poaching Liquid for the Shrimp:

• 3 to 4 C water
  
• 1 C dry white wine
  
• 1/2 onion sliced
  
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  
• 20 black peppercorns
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 2 sprigs of thyme
  
• Kosher salt
  
• 1 large bowl of ice water

Poach the shrimp on Saturday evening before Mother's Day. Begin by adding all of the ingredients for the poaching liquid (except the salt) into a saucepan. Heat on a high flame until the liquid begins to boil. Reduce to a very low simmer and cover. Allow the mixture to simmer lightly for 5 to 10 minutes. Add a generous amount of salt to the water and mix well.

Add the shrimp to the liquid. The simmer should go away, so turn up the heat slightly, but do not allow the water to boil. Allow the shrimp to poach for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are opaque. Peel one of the shrimp and cut in half to check for doneness. If the shrimp is cooked through, transfer all of them to a bowl of ice water and allow to fully cool, which should take about 2 minutes.

Remove the shrimp from the ice water and pat them dry using paper towels. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

You can make the dressing on the morning of Mother's Day. In a bowl, add the orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, mustard, honey and smoked paprika. Season liberally with salt and pepper and whisk well.

Slowly add the olive oil to the mixture, whisking continuously until it emulsifies. Set aside.

When mom arrives home and is ready to enjoy your lunch, it's time to put the finishing touches on the salad. Start by removing the shrimp from the fridge and, using your fingers, remove the shells. The tails can either be left on, or removed. Set aside.

Preheat either a grill pan, or an outdoor grill.

Brush the cut sides of the romaine hearts and avocado with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the avocado halves, cut side down, on the grill and cook for 1 to 1.5-minutes. Give them a quarter turn and cook for an additional minute, or until grill marks are achieved. Remove and set aside.

Place the romaine hearts on the grill and cook for 30 to 45 seconds. Rotate a quarter turn and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds, or until they are uniformly charred. Remove and set aside.

To plate your salads, place two halves of the grilled romaine onto two separate plates.  Top each salad with equal amounts of shrimp. Toss the sliced tomatoes in a tablespoon or so of the dressing, and place on top of the shrimp. Using a spoon, scoop out bite-sized pieces of the grilled avocado and arrange equal portions onto each plate. Drizzle each salad with the desired amount of dressing and top with crumbled feta cheese. Serve with slices of warm baguette.

You can always serve a chilled white wine with this salad, but for a true spa experience, how about we make mom some spa water? It's some of the most refreshing and tasty water you'll ever drink.

Spa Water (makes 1 gallon)

• 1 lemon, sliced crosswise very thinly
  
• 1/2 English or hothouse cucumber, sliced crosswise thinly
  
• 1 gallon purified water

Place the lemon and cucumber slices in a gallon-sized pitcher and add water. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Lunch has been served, and eaten, so it's time to give mom a little dessert. Here's the thing, though. Mom's day of beauty can't end with some over-the-top, ostentatious dessert, as it would completely defeat the purpose of a spa day. Here's my recipe for balsamic berries over vanilla gelato. It's sweet, delicious, and unbelievably easy to prepare.

Balsamic Berries with Vanilla Gelato (serves two)

• 2 C fresh strawberries, green stems removed and sliced
  
• 1 C fresh blueberries
  
• 1.5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (good quality)
  
• 2 Tsp sugar
  
• Vanilla gelato
  
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

In a bowl, combine strawberries, blueberries, vinegar, and sugar. Mix well and allow the berries to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Spoon vanilla gelato into bowls and top it with the desired amount of berries and the accumulated sauce. For an interesting finish, top the berries with a little coarsely ground black pepper. I know it sounds weird but trust me it's delicious.

The roadmap has been written. All that's left is for you to follow it.

Happy Mother's Day

PS Don't forget to do the dishes!!

Kirk Leins has been cooking his entire life. No stranger to professional kitchens, he currently devotes most of his time to cooking instruction, food writing, and producing television. Kirk also provides his services as a personal chef in and around the Los Angeles area. He has made several TV appearances on both the national and local level, and is the Executive Chef for YOU Magazine. Sign up for Kirk's free newsletter and cooking blog at www.NoTimeToCook.com.

Bob Parsons 16 Rules for Success in Business and Life in General (He's the GoDaddy.com Guy)

1.	Get and stay out of your comfort zone.
	I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone.  I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security."  My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."
2.	Never give up.
	Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted.  Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work.  It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.
3.	When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think.
	There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true.  It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."
4.	With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.
	Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences."  My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."
5.	Focus on what you want to have happen.
	Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."
6.	Take things a day at a time.
	No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment.  You can get through anything one day at a time.
7.	Always be moving forward.
	Never stop investing.  Never stop improving.  Never stop doing something new.  The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die.  Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way.  Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen.  Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.
8.	Be quick to decide.
	Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."
9.	Measure everything of significance.
	I swear this is true.  Anything that is measured and watched, improves.
10.	Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.
	If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while.  I guarantee you problems will be there.
11.	Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing.
	When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.
12.	Never let anybody push you around.
	In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.
13.	Never expect life to be fair.
	Life isn't fair.  You make your own breaks.  You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).
14.	Solve your own problems.
	You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge.  Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others."  There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently.  It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."
15.	Don't take yourself too seriously.
	Lighten up.  Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.
16.	There's always a reason to smile.
	Find it.  After all, you're really lucky just to be alive.  Life is short.  More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!" Find out more about Bob Parsons at http://www.bobparsons.me and get your domains at GoDaddy.com!

Go Swimming! Your Guide To a Water Workout

There are two types of people, those who exercise on a regular basis and those who don't do it nearly enough. Regardless of the category you fit into, swimming is an exercise that can benefit everyone. So, grab your swimsuits and head for the water. We're going swimming!

Thanks to the success of Michael Phelps and the members of the United States swim team at last year's Olympics in Beijing, the popularity of swimming is at an all-time high. From their domination throughout the events to their incredible physiques, US swimmers have created a stir, inspiring many of us to hit the pool. We thought it only fitting that we chime in with some tips to get you started.

Why Swim?
Swimming is primarily an outdoor activity, something that all of us can use a little more of. There's something rejuvenating about enjoying a little sunshine and fresh air while exercising your body. The bonus is that once your workout is finished you're already at the pool or the beach. Now all you have to do is relax.

On a more scientific note, swimming is a whole-body low-impact exercise, which makes it perfect for everyone. It is a great way to increase range of motion for all the major muscle groups without placing undo stress on joints and ligaments.

Aside from building strength by moving your body through the resistance provided by the water, swimming is also a cardiovascular exercise. As long you have access to a pool, it is an inexpensive and effective way to either cross-train or rehabilitate your body.

Getting Started
As with any form of exercise, we recommend having a physical examination performed by your family physician to determine if you are healthy enough to partake. Once you've received a clean bill of health, the next step would be to procure a comfortable swimsuit, swim goggles, and earplugs. Depending on your skill level, a small foam kickboard and fins may also be a good purchase. The good news is that all of these items are relatively inexpensive and can be found at almost any sporting goods store.

For those of you looking to improve your swimming ability, you may want to find either an adult swim coach, or a Master's swimming program (a national organization dedicated to all levels of adult swimming) in your area. Both options are great for improving your technique and breathing, two of the more important aspects of swimming. YMCAs as well as aquatic centers are great places to start your search.

If swimming is your introduction to regular exercise, we recommend you start by improving your vertical strength and core strength through various exercises performed at the shallow end of the pool. Walking and jogging in waist-deep water are two such examples.

The Workout
The type of swim workout you choose should directly reflect your overall fitness level and your skill as a swimmer. There are several websites that offer personalized workouts based on this information. One that we like is Swimplan.com. Registration on this site is free, but it does require you to answer a few questions based on the aforementioned criteria.

Before finding your workout on Swimplan.com, we first recommend you measure the length of the pool where you will be doing the majority of your swimming. Since most workouts are broken down and measured in meters, having an idea of your pool's length will allow you to convert the meters into laps.

The following workout is from Swimplan.com and is just one example of a great workout for a beginning swimmer:

Duration: 30-45 minutes
Distance: 900 meters
Pool Length: 25 meters

Warm Up (repeat 2 times)
-1 x 25m Freestyle Swim (even pace)
-Rest 10 seconds

-1 x 25m Breaststroke Swim (even pace)
-Rest 10 seconds

Build Up (repeat 3 times)
-1 x 50m Single-arm with kickboard and fins (6 x left, 6 x right)
(This is a freestyle swim using one arm at a time. Complete 6 arm strokes with the left arm followed by 6 strokes with the right. The not-stroking arm holds the kickboard out front and swaps with the stroking arm every six strokes.)
- Rest 10 seconds

-1 x 50m Freestyle Kick with fins
(This is freestyle kicking using a kickboard and fins. Grip the front edge with both hands and rest your forearms on the board. Your chin should just touch the water.)
-Rest 10 seconds

Core (1 time)
-4 x 50m Freestyle DPS (Distance Per Stroke)
(Concentrate on long, efficient strokes and a high streamlined body position to reduce drag in the water. Count your strokes per lap, attempting to reduce your strokes with each lap.)
-Rest 20 seconds

-4 x 50m Freestyle Swim
-Rest 15 seconds

Warm Down (1 time)
1 x 100m Easy Stroke
(Swim your choice of stroke at a slow, relaxed pace)

A Few Last Tips…

Wear Your Sunscreen
Just because you're in the pool the entire time doesn't mean your body won't be exposed to the sun. Be sure to wear a waterproof sunscreen with at least 30 SPF while swimming.

Stretch!
Even though most swim workouts include some sort of warm-up phase, it does not mean you should just jump in the pool and start swimming. Be sure to stretch outside the pool for at least 10 minutes before starting your workout. Doing so will not only help prevent injury, it will also maximize your performance.

Swim With a Partner
Just like many other types of workouts, swimming is best when done with a partner. Swimming in pairs will increase your motivation and ensure your safety.

We've given you the tools and information to get started. All that's left is to go swimming!

Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. I mean, he was really friendly!

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital! 'This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.

As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...
 
Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!