Your Number One Asset

Customers put you in business, keep you in business, and they can put you out of business. Therefore, your overriding feelings at all times should be: customer love, customer satisfaction, and customer convenience.

Begin by making it as easy as possible for people to purchase what you are selling. That means, taking phone orders, accepting as many methods of payment as possible, having a toll-free number, having a Web site where they can make purchases, and arranging your days and hours around the lives of your customers. This is crucial because many studies have shown that service is the third most important factor influencing a purchase decision, ranking right after confidence and quality.

In order to provide excellent customer service it is important that every single person in your company feels the same sense of wanting to provide superb customer service. It is the wanting that will make the big difference.

Service is an ongoing function, starting with a customer’s first contact with you, making itself apparent during the time of the sale, and continuing on well after the delivery of your product or service. Follow-up service means repeat and referral sales, the best kind. Customers may have never heard of the concept of a customer-oriented business, but you can be sure that they know when a business is not.

Service should always be speedy, courteous, and better than the customer ever thought it would be. Give more than they expect and you’ve made a friend for life. Never ignore or argue with a customer. Service means solving your customer’s problems, attending to their needs, making their lives better because they bought what you are selling. Always try to think like your customer.

As marketing expert Jay Abraham so often says, to provide excellent customer service, you have to stop falling in love with your product or service and start falling in love with your customers.

If you want to provide excellent customer service you need to:

* Set the highest possible standards of performance for your business and everyone involved in it.

* Not only know what your customers want but also what they need.

* Know that customer expectations must be understood and managed before they can be met and exceeded.

* Design your products and services to maximize customer satisfaction.

* Bend over backwards trying to be an easy company to do business with.

* Realize that the money you invest in customer service will pay off in satisfaction for customers and profits for your business.

* Build rapport and trust. Always be honest with your customers. People do business wiht ethical people they can trust.

* Make sure everyone in your company knows that customer service is his or her responsibility.

Great customer service is really a matter of common sense. Always try to think like your customers and you’ll soon know what their needs and wants are. And always remember that people don’t buy products or services, they buy results. So if you want to succeed in business you’d better provide excellent service that not only fulfills but also exceeds their expectations.

All contents Copyright(c)2004 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. A former ad agency executive and marketing consultant, Joe’s work in personal development focuses on helping his clients identify hidden marketable assets that create windfall opportunities and profits, as well as sound personal happiness and peace.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com/

Market Timing Discipline, Not As Easy As You Thought…

Market timing discipline means controlling impulses and
controlling emotions. When emotions rule our trading, loses are
usually the result.

This is why successful market timers follow a thoroughly tested
timing strategy. One that has been used in all kinds of markets,
including bull, bear and sideways markets.

As many novice market timers can tell you, however, maintaining
discipline is often easier said than done.

Usually the first problem arises when the markets are between
market trends. Possibly you had a nice profit during a rally,
but now the market is trading sideways and has generated several
small false signals. There is now no trend, or one is certainly
not obvious.

You were strong the first couple of signals, making all the
trades, but after a couple of small losses, you are starting to
second guess the timing strategy.

Self-Doubt Arises

Just as the vast majority of market participants are driven by
fear and greed, many new market timers find it difficult to
avoid succumbing to self-doubt and panic.

Market timing is challenging in that we often take positions
“against” the prevailing sentiment of most traders. It also has
times when false signals are generated. But a good strategy does
not stick with the false signal. it changes and protects capital
from large losses.

If those small losses are worrying you, don’t let them. Losses
are part of trading with “all” successful strategies. Small
losses are acceptable. Large ones are not.

And remember this, sideways markets are almost always either a
base, or a top, and are followed by the next profitable trend.
If you do not take all the trades, how will be sure to take the
one that generates all the profits?

Invariably, the trade you skip, is the big profit maker. The one
that starts the next huge trend. And there is “always” a next
trend. In fact, 200 years of trading history shows the markets
are in a trend 80% of the time. That 20% in between can be
rough, but soon the next trend will begin.

Discipline is key. It is vital to take whatever steps are
necessary to maintain discipline and take every trade.

Markets Are Unpredictable In Short Timer Frames

The markets are chaotic and unpredictable in short time frames.
The current volatility being a perfect example. When faced with
an uncertain set of circumstances, it is easy to see why market
timers may, at times, feel unsure and unsettled.

Timers follow strategies that provide entry and exit signals
based on timing strategies designed to be profitable over time.
Strategies that are also designed to protect their capital
during the inevitable sideways markets. “The more structure you
have to follow, the less uncertain and unorganized you’ll feel.
You will know what to do and when to do it.”

But no timer can know with certainty how any “one” buy or sell
decision will play out. Some market timers thrive on the
excitement, but many find it disconcerting.

The best way to combat feelings of uncertainty is by following a
trading plan. If one trades with a detailed trading plan, such
as the strategies offered at FibTimer.com, he or she will impose
structure onto an unstructured reality.

The more structure you have to follow, the less uncertain and
unorganized you’ll feel. You will know what to do and when to do
it.

The markets may seem at times like a mass of confusion, but you
can address it by following a strategy that actually uses the
volatility of the markets to generate timing signals.

Optimistic Yet Realistic

One’s mood and attitude is another factor that impacts the
ability to maintain discipline. An optimistic yet realistic
attitude is vital to maintain market timing success.

Market timing often places you at odds with the current market
sentiment. It is understandably hard to feel optimistic when
your position is at odds with the majority.

Many market timers struggle with trying to maintain a positive
or at least neutral mood.

It takes practice.

Emotions And Decision Making

Maintaining discipline is vital for market timing success. It
can be extremely difficult at times, especially in sideways
(non-trending) markets.

The best way to be disciplined is to stick to your timing
strategy and keep your emotions and impulses under control.

Take a look at the trading history of the strategy you are
following. Every timing strategy at FibTimer has a “Trading
History” link. You will see times when it generated losses. On
paper they seem insignificant. But when they occurred,
subscribers had difficulty making the trades.

Now look at the results of the trading strategy after a year.
Two years. Three years. Those small losses did not stop the
strategies from being very profitable. This important fact will
help you to stay the course and make all of the trades.

Only by maintaining discipline can you realize long term success
timing the markets.

Tax Reform, My Way

We need real tax reform and we need it now. Previous attempts have been made at tax reform, but they have only provided band-aid solutions that have still left us with too many quirks, complication, and read tape. There are several things Congress could do to simply the tax system and benefit the taxpayers and federal budget at the same time.

First, I would institute a simple two-tiered tax on earnings and passive income (interest, dividends, capital gains, etc.) that are not in a tax-sheltered account. They would be treated equally and no distinction would be made between long-term and short-term capital gains. Individuals (whether married or not) who have taxable earnings and passive income of less than $30,000 would pay no federal taxes. Amounts equal to or greater than $30,000 but less than $200,000 would be taxed at 25%. Amounts equal to or greater than $200,000 would be taxed at 30%.

Second, I would get rid of the quarterly estimated tax requirements and associated penalties for everyone except those who are habitually late (after April 15) filing their return and/or paying their taxes. Few things in our tax system are more complicated than trying to figure whether or not you paid enough estimated taxes, whether they were paid on time, and/or the penalty for not doing so. Even the IRS acknowledges how complicated it is to figure out this penalty, as they offer to calculate it for you.

Third, I would eliminate the annual limits on capital losses as well as those special “wash sale” rules, which further restrict the writing off of capital losses. The reporting of capital gains has never been limited and neither should capital losses. “Wash sale” rules restrict the writing off of capital losses for stocks and mutual funds sold at loss but bought back again within 30 days. As I mentioned in a previous writing, these rules can get very complicated, with those for figuring the estimated tax penalty being the only ones that are more difficult to understand.

Fourth, I would keep personal exemptions and child tax credits intact but eliminate all deductions except for charitable contributions and mortgage interest on one’s primary dwelling. There would be no standard deduction or Earned Income Tax Credit.

Fifth, I would eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). This is probably the third most complicated item in the tax law. It was designed to make sure the rich pay at least some taxes, but the elimination of most deductions would accomplish this goal now by taking away most of their shelters.

Sixth, I would make some adjustments to inheritance and gift taxes. For the most part, they would not be treated any differently than ordinary income. However, there would be some exceptions. Inheritances and gifts passed from one spouse to another would be exempt from federal taxes. Inheritances of family farms and other legitimate businesses by any family member from another would not be taxable.

These changes would benefit individuals by making the tax system less complicated for everyone and taking a smaller percentage of income from most taxpayers (especially the middle class). The government would benefit from collecting more taxes because more people would be working and receiving higher incomes (as this system would encourage more investment in infrastructure). Also, more people would be encouraged to make more taxable passive income. The current system discourages taxable passive income. In addition, the extremely wealthy would have fewer options for sheltering their income.

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Hopewell, VA. He also serves as a political columnist for American Daily and operates his own website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.

Your Weight Loss Problem: How To Cure It By Watching Movies Or Reading Books!

I don’t know anything about you but if you’re anything like me then you struggle with a weight loss problem. Your weight loss problem consists of you struggling to keep your weight down or struggling to make your weight go down.

Most people who see me wouldn’t believe that I have a weight loss problem, but I do. I’ve battled bulimia and constant gains and losses in weight, of ten pounds each time. Thats what I call a big weight loss problem.

A lot of women and men with the same or a similar weight loss problem would sympathize with me I’m sure. I want to look good (who doesn’t?) so that always motivates me to go on a diet.

But after sticking to a diet for a week and dropping the unwanted weight my love for good tasting food overpowers my need to feel attractive and the weight piles back on pound by pound.

There is always exercise to help with a weight loss problem, I remind myself as I lie lazily on the couch chomping down on one of my non-diet treats. “Sure!” I groan “I don’t feel like wearing my butt out without seeing any results for weeks at a time.”

Whenever I start a workout regimen I only stick to it for a few weeks (usually less) and then I get bored and drop it. So my weight loss problem continues.

How many other women I wondered (or men, for that matter) get bored while exercising? I thought about that for awhile then I set about to find a solution to help all those poor people (and myself too, of course) with this weight loss problem.

First I asked myself: What did I like to do? What did I find Interesting?

“Hmmmm, well” I thought “I like dancing, but long periods of it are exhausting. I like to read, to listen to music, and I really dislike being on my feet for over long periods of time.

What could possibly combine all or most of these to make my exercising interesting and help solve my weight loss problem?

The solution to my weight loss problem was amazingly simple!

I own an old stationary bike, and I do mean OLD, but the important thing is that it operates. You can do this with any form of stationary bike, whether it’s a twenty year old model or an up to date model.

It doesn’t matter whether you own the stationary bike or use a gym’s or your local YMCA’s or YWCA’s facilities.

My weight loss problem solution is this:

Find something engrossing to read. It could be a novel or your favorite magazine. Or listen to music that you enjoy, you could even use audio books or any different CD’s or things you could listen to.

I suppose if your bike was somewhere around a television or computer with a DVD player, you could even watch your favorite movie.

The next step is to mount your stationary bide and start biking while reading or doing any of the above listed activities, and not to get off for at least 45 to 60 minutes, except for an occasional rest every quarter of an hour.

I usually just keep biking away the whole time and sometimes I bike longer because I’m so engrossed in what I’m reading, and I won’t allow myself to read it once I’m off the stationary bike.

After a week of this, without change in my eating habits, or any dieting, I’m maintaining a healthy weight. Best of all I’m not putting on any new pounds, and my legs look visibly slimmer.

So I’ve kissed my weight loss problem goodbye, and I’m saying hello to slim jeans and size 6 dresses, and you can too.

For the first time in a long while I actually look forward to putting on a bikini

For more of Beth’s expert advice visit her Article Website

Ear Mites - Say Bye Bye Parasites

Has your dog been scratching his ears a lot lately? It might be
time to take a closer look at his ears, and consider the
possibility that he has ear mites.

So what are ear mites anyways?

Well, ear mites are microscopic parasites that survive off of
the skin cells inside your dog’s ears. Their tentacles can
irritate your dog’s ear canal, and if left untreated, can cause
serious bacterial and fungal infections.

Ear mites are extremely contagious.

If you have more than one dog in your home, or your dog
frequently comes in contact with other dogs, he may be at risk.
Ear mites have a tendency to frequently meander away from your
dog’s ear and onto his coat. Eventually, the ear mites will find
their way into another dog’s ear, if given the opportunity.
Puppies are at an even greater risk because ear mites can easily
transfer from the mother’s ear to her young. Hence, ear mites
are responsible for the majority of ear infections in puppies
and young dogs.

So what are the symptoms of ear mites?

If you happen to notice your dog scratching his ear excessively,
shaking his head, or constantly rubbing his ear against a wall
or various other objects, then it’s time to check his ears. Tell
tale signs of ear mites include a waxy, dark colored discharge
and ears that are dark, crusty and emit an unusual odor.

Uh oh, my dog has all these symptoms! What should I do?

Relax, this is a common problem with dogs. First things first,
take your dog to the vet at your earliest convenience. It is
crucial that you seek early treatment in order to prevent a more
serious ear infection later. Once the diagnosis of ear mites has
been established, your vet will prescribe a treatment for you to
continue at home. This usually involves cleaning out the debris
with an insecticidal solution that will wipe out the parasites.
All in all, the ear mite treatment should be completed in about
three weeks if all goes well.

You Too Can Have Fun With Sepia Images!

If you are one of those who wonder how people come up with the cool looking sepia tone prints that you admire so much. If you are doubling up with jealousy over a sepia tone, here, we will give you tips on how you could achieve this sepia tone, too. Ready up your Photoshop software program, your PC and prepare to have fun with sepia! It’s time that they envy you, too.

First of all it is important for you to choose images that have some darks and lights - it doesn’t matter how colorful they are. Many images could go along with sepia tone, so you won’t take forever finding an image. You can even have a black and white image. However, if you start with images that are in CMYK, there’s no need to convert them to RGB. If you’re going to use them for the web, then convert them to RGB by clicking IMAGE-MODE-RGB. Take the image size down to 72 dpi with about 4 inches in height. Do this by the commands, (IMAGE-IMAGE SIZE). If your image is for print, though, a much higher resolution is needed for it. The dpi needed can be checked with your printer.

You’ll see how big your image is by making sure you are at 100%. Whether you are using the image for the web or planning to print it, make sure that you are aware of the size you have it set at. Scale the size down or repair a choppy image by using the ZOOM TOOL-Hit Z on the keyboard - hold down your ALT key. On a Mac, open apple key to toggle back and forth between zoom in and out). You’ll see your image smoothing out as you manipulate these commands. We dearly hope that it would work for you!

When you have found the ideal size you want for your images, we go on to the fun part! Begin working on the color first for it is easier and adjust your lights and darks.

Change the Hues of your image by IMAGE-ADJUST-HUE/SATURATION. Check the box that says colorize and preview or check it by default. It’s your choice if you like to adjust the top bar to the color you want for your image, or just type in numbers. Saturation is how much of the hue you chose will be used on your image. For adjusting lightness, the lightness slider does the trick. Try not to go crazy over this last bar (lightness).

Then, adjust the darks and lights. Even if you think your image is already so great and you wouldn’t want to mess it up try this - select IMAGE-ADJUST-LEVELS. Three sliders will appear - the first will make your image lighter, another will make it darker, and the last one adjusts the midtones. Adjust on these sliders depending on the image you use. Once you’re done, hit CONTROL-Z or EDIT-UNDO MOVE to see your image before the adjustments. It will switch back to the original image. If you hit CTRL-Z or EDIT-UNDO MOVE again, it will toggle back to the image with the level adjustment you just applied. If you like to have fun, go over it again and again! Just don’t blame us if you get bored!

And we haven’t told you that you can do different types of hues? So, we’re telling you now! If you’ll be doing this types of images for the web the great thing is that you can save them as a GIF and they will look wonderful. File sizes will not be a problem since you are using lesser colors! Good luck with your sepia!

Lala C. Ballatan is a 26 year-old Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a non-government organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years.

Book reading has always been her greatest passion — mysteries, horrors, psycho-thrillers, historical documentaries and classics. She got hooked into it way back when she was but a shy kid.

Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom - to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns — imagined and observed, to bear witness.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.graphicdesignsunlimited.com

Database Driven Web Site - Do You Need It?

Many of site owners still don’t realize all advantages of database driven web sites and don’t use all abilities they give. So when do you need a database driven web site and how it will make your web-life better?

What is a database driven web site?

Database driven web site is one that uses database for collecting and storing information. What information it can be? Various. Email addresses, contact info, clients list, products list, listings of real estate property, trade offers, images, and links, etc.

How does it work?

For example, you have a static HTML web site for your business with posted information about the company, products or services, clients, and there is contact form. If you have strong HTML skills you update your site without problems each time you need it. Otherwise you hire a webmaster or use maintenance services of a web design company. You write info in text document, send it to your webmaster, he manually inserts it to the site. You store your products, clients, and contacts info in Word or Excel files. Probably you store emails that you receive from contact form in Word or Excel files.

Is it handful and easy? Is there an alternative?

In the database driven web site all information is stored in table format of databases on the server, script generates pages that are showed on the site as usual HTML ones. Usually database driven web sites have admin panel with user-friendly interface where you can manage the site content, i.e. add, edit, or delete info by yourself, create new pages or delete old ones. You can update your site easily each time you need it.

Requests sent form contact form can be saved in database for further use, you can edit them, group, and sort.

You can create pictures gallery on your site and update it easily.

You can have news box at your site and update it easily each time you need it.
.

Is it expensive?

No, if you order the site from a web design/development company that has good experience in database driven web sites design that means elaborated and tested development process, time and cost saving methods which give high-quality work within short timeline and at affordable price. Ask your web design company do
they make database driven web sites, if yes, look at the examples of such previous works, ask references of the customers - are they satisfied with their web sites? - and if the price is acceptable move forward to your new web site. Or search for another web development company using the same criteria for choice.

What else you should know?

Probably, you will need to change hosting plan or even hosting provider to host your new database driven web site.

Usually there are such requirements for hosing:

• Must support PHP/MySQL or ASP/MSSQL
• At least 75-100 Mb of disk space
• Must have Database Client
• Must have Mail server

Julia Ramyalg

Marketing Director of IT-Inventors - professional offshore web site design and development company

http://www.it-inventors.com

Visit our web site to order Affordable database driven web site design - clients database, online gallery, online albums, news, newsletters, products and services listings, and more. Prices start from $50

Custom web site design, E-commerce web site design, Content Management Software integration into existing web sites, Real estate web site design, Flash sites design, Logo design, SEO.

Dealing With Business Slowdowns

When times are slow for your home-based business, chances are you won’t have the luxury of waiting and seeing if things improve. You’ll need to take steps quickly to get back on track.

These suggestions will help you get business back to normal:

1) Add Products And Services

During slow times, your very instinct might be to cut corners, but in the case of your catalog of products and services this could spell disaster. Instead, you want to select additions carefully based on the needs and desires of your clients.

Think of it this way: let’s say you provide web design services. Your client hires you for the design work, then goes elsewhere to get a logo, hosting, and content. Having to hire four different companies just to complete one project is not cost-effective or time-efficient for your client.

So what if you could offer web design and hosting or web design and everything else necessary as well? Chances are you’d have a definite advantage over your competition.

Even if you don’t have the skills or ability to handle those aspects of the project, you could team up with other companies like yourself who also want to boost business and give themselves a competitive edge.

No matter what product or service you primarily provide, you could find ways to provide additional necessities to your clients.

2) Step Up Customer Service

Hopefully, you already provide good service and support to your customers, and you are probably already aware of how critical this is to your business’s success. But when times get rough, customer service is even more crucial and you need to go beyond the call of duty to convince clients that their business is important to you.

For example, you may want to guarantee responses within a few hours, instead of a few days. You may want to follow up with thank you cards or phone calls. If a problem does arise, act immediately to take care of it and rectify the situation to the client’s satisfaction.

Remember not only is that customer’s business at stake, but also the potential business of every single person he or she is acquainted with.

3) Market More

Business is slow; budgets are tight. So what usually gets trimmed first? Marketing. Do you know what the results are? Disaster!

When you conduct marketing, you are not selling yourself to generate business today or even tomorrow. Marketing is an investment in your business’s future. In fact, research has shown that most marketing efforts don’t pay off for at least six months.

So think about that. Let’s say you cut back on marketing in June and you weather the economic down cycle, what’s going to happen in December? Absolutely nothing! Because all of your potential clients have been won over by the marketing efforts of your competition which were conducted during the summer.

Instead of cutting back, a slow down is the time to boost marketing. Get back in touch with past clients, attend seminars, pass out fliers. After all, if work is slow, what else are you going to be spending your time doing?

4) Keep A Positive Attitude

Times are hard. Your nerves are on edge. You’re feeling the pressure. When a past client calls to ask how things are going, do you tell them the truth and hope they take pity on you? Do you wallow in a self-defeating attitude? NO!

If you want to get through the hard times, you have to keep in mind two things:

A) No one is going to do business with a failing company and

B) Hard times are only temporary.

Let’s think about this. If you called up a company about business and the representative says, “It will be great to be finally getting some new clients” or “Things have been horribly slow around here lately” are you going to trust them with your project? No.

The first thing you are going to be wondering is why they haven’t been doing well. And that’s what your potential clients will wonder about you as well.

So how do you keep from breaking down on the phone with your clients? By remembering that business is a cycle and just as things are bad now, they will turn around and you will be doing well again. The only thing permanent is giving up.

5) Branch Out

When things are slow with your business, you can take the opportunity to do all those things you always wanted to do but never had the time for.

Why not write some articles or an e-book related to your business, then sell them or publish them to earn more money and to further establish your credibility.

Or take a shot at teaching a class on e-commerce, computers, or a topic related to your business at a local college, vocational school, or adult learning center. Even if you don’t get paid, the exposure could do great things for your business.

You could also start giving speeches, take some business or technology classes, or take on some part-time work that will give you more experiences that will help you compete in the market when things go back to normal.

Although ups and downs are simply an inevitable part of business, dealing with them effectively can make the difference between staying afloat or going under.

Vishal P. Rao is the owner of: http://www.work-at-home-forum.com/
An online community of people who work at home.

Gift Ideas for Bird Lovers…

Some of the best gifts you can give to a bird lover are those
that have to do with birds! Here are a few favorites of all
bird lovers:

* Bird Houses - You can find a wide variety of bird house
designs and styles. Usually anyone that really loves birds also
really loves different types of bird houses too. Also, when
shopping for a bird house, keep in mind that some bird houses
are made for specific types of birds, and others can be used by
multiple types and sizes.

* Bird Baths and Fountains - These also make wonderful gifts for
bird lovers because they tend to attract more birds to the yard.
Birds love to play in water as well as drink and bathe in it. So
these make fantastic gifts for bird lovers. Something to know
when buying bird baths and fountains though: Birds are easily
scared. So try to avoid any bright colors - especially red - and
try to avoid shiny things that reflect the sun.

* Bird Feeders - Another nice gift for bird lovers because this
also tends to draw birds in from miles around. Birds also
remember their feeding spots over the winter… and when they
come back to their feeding spot the following spring they’re
likely to bring more birds with them.

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Baths! This article may be freely published on any website,
as long as the author, copyright, website address and link, and
this notice are left intact.

Real Nutrition - Part 2

It’s never become more apparent than in the 21st century that the earth is saturated with poisons. It’s nearly impossible to avoid them, despite our best attempts.

The media, coupled with the “all-knowing experts,” advise us to steer clear of pesticides, household cleaners, processed foods, food additives, preservatives, and gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles.

If it were up to them, we would all be living in the mountains of Montana, growing our own food, drinking aquifer-supplied water, and driving a hybrid car (or riding a horse). While this might be an ideal way to live, unfortunately for you and me, it’s likely not possible.

That’s why it’s even more important to build up and support our immune systems and make healthy choices when it comes to what we eat, what types of foods we choose to have in our homes, and which foods we provide for our children.

I don’t want to sound paranoid. And my desire is not to make you eliminate all of the things that are a part of our everyday lives. I will, however, offer you the following scientific evidence and guidelines for avoiding what I believe to be the most toxic substances to our bodies, which drain our energy!

Sugar and hydrogenated fats. These two toxins, which are consumed by the billions of tons each year, literally drain our mental and physical energy and infect us like a poison.

Here’s a brief explanation of each and how they negatively affect us:

“Sugar makes you irritable, hyperactive, and causes premature aging…”SUGAR
Sugar is the most consumed substance on the planet. Whether it’s in the form of fructose, sucrose, dextrose, corn syrup, maltodextrin, or confectionary sugarthis poison negatively affects our mood and behavior. It makes us want more and leaves us cranky when we don’t have it.

Scientific evidence has shown that sugar, in any form, depletes essential B vitamins and lowers your body’s resistance to bacteria, viruses, and yeasts. Sugar makes you irritable, hyperactive, and causes premature aging through a process called glycosylation (pronounced gly ko si lay shun). And to no surprise, sugar is the number one culprit to adult-onset (Type II) diabetes, which is typically self-induced as a result of a life laden with sugar. At this point, the body is no longer capable of disposing of insulin properly, which becomes a serious risk factor for heart disease.

The Insulin “Roller Coaster” Ride

When you eat sugar, it enters your bloodstream all at once, instead of slowly as it would as part of a whole-food, naturally occurring meal. Insulin is then immediately secreted and shuttles the sugar away into cells within muscle or adipose tissue (fat). Now that there is not enough sugar in your bloodstream, your brain senses that you are in a time of famine and sends a message to the adrenal glands to release adrenaline and cortisol.

Adrenaline releases energy from sugar stored in your liver and muscles, and cortisol begins to break down your own muscle mass into sugar like I shared earlier. This sequence of events is called the insulin -> adrenaline -> cortisol cycle. It’s a vicious “roller coaster” ride for your body, and the worst part is that afterwards, it leaves you feeling lethargic, cranky, and surprisingly, craving even more refined, sugary foods.

Thus, the cycle starts over again. As you can see, it’s a downward spiral to poor health and even poorer energy levels.

HYDROGENATED FATS

We have heard it said that we eat too much fat and that fat consumption has risen in the last 20 years, and we are becoming an increasingly obese nation. While the later of these statements is true, statistics have since proven the former is false. See, fat consumption has not changed: what has changed is the type of fats people eat.

Today, more and more people are getting the majority of their fats from “manmade” hydrogenated fats and other harmful polyunsaturated oils such as palm and corn oil. As long as 20, 30, or 50 years ago, people ate a diet which consisted of more naturally occurring fats and oils, such as butter, coconut oil, lard, olive oil, and tallow (fats from red meat and lamb).

“…fat consumption has not changed: what has changed is the type of fats people eat.” Now, our diets are polluted with hydrogenated fats. These types of fats have been clearly linked to slowing our bodies’ metabolic processes and have also been shown to cause heart disease and cancer.

The reason these fats are particularly harmful to us is because polyunsaturated and hydrogenated oils have been subjected to damaging industrial processes (literally restructuring them), which has rendered them toxic. Their new “trans molecular structure” has not, until recently, been incorporated into human physiology and is therefore unrecognizable to the human body. Since their introduction to our diets, just in the last century, these unhealthy oils have been linked to heart disease, cancer, and other degenerative diseases.

The best examples of a polyunsaturated oil is corn, cottonseed, canola, vegetable… and any derivative of hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.

Make no mistake, these toxic fats should be avoided at all costs.

By avoiding sugar and hydrogenated fats, you will:

Improve concentration and mental clarity (along with short-term memory);

Enhance your immune system;

Slow the aging process;

Reduce fat on the abdomen area;

Eliminate future “junk-food” cravings.
The way I see it, the real problem is the food industrywhich thrives on the sales of sugar and “fake” fat-containing foods.

They have succeeded in brainwashing the public and suppressing the scientific findings that eating whole foods, which contain little to no sugar, and meats and oils, which contain naturally occurring saturated fats do not contribute to heart disease (like they claim) and are, in fact, a healthy way to boost your metabolism, stabilize your cholesterol levels, improve your immune system, and provide energy and structural integrity to literally every living cell in your body.

Therefore, to avoid these toxins…

Here’s all you do tomorrow:

Daily Energy Exercise: Rid Toxins from Your Life
Take about 10 minutes to check the food labels and ingredients panels on the foods in your cupboards, refrigerator, and on the counters in your kitchen.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR?
Any foods that list sugar, dextrose, sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, or maltodextrin as the first, second, or third ingredient. These are typically things like soda, breakfast cereals, and white-flour products like bread.

Any foods that list hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, or corn, palm, or cottonseed oils. These are typically things like processed, frozen, and nearly all deep-fried foods and even some nutrition bars and most meal replacements/protein drinks. (Not Eat-Smart, however!)

Make a special trip to the grocery store to pick up items to replace these harmful toxic foods.

Instead of soda, use water (preferably), sugar-free Crystal Light, iced tea, or on occasion even diet soda.

Instead of breakfast cereals, use whole oats or grits.

Instead of white-flour products, use whole-wheat or soy-flour type products.

Simply instruct yourself that you WILL NOT eat deep fried foods any longer (like French fries, chips, etc.). Deep-fried foods and the oils they’re cooked in have no nutritional health benefits whatsoever.

Replace your salad dressings and cooking oils with healthy oils like flaxseed oil, olive oil, sesame oil, and walnut oil.

Read your labels carefully… manufacturers are tricky about trying to hide these harmful ingredients. (Now you know why!)

At only 33 years old, Stephen Adele has been helping individuals from all walks of life create measurable results in their physiques and performance over the last 15 years and has rapidly become a respected authority. He has published numerous articles for magazines around the world, been quoted in several trade publications, appeared on radio shows, conducted seminars around the globe, and is the CEO of the prestigious supplement manufacturer, iSatori Technologies.

Stephen now also shares his insights, expertise, and inside connections in two of the fastest growing publications in the industry, Real SOLUTIONS email newsletter and Real SOLUTIONS magazine, and has recently co-authored the consumers’ guides 7 Never-Before-Told Secrets Everyone Should Know Before Buying Supplements, The 21-Day Ultimate Energy Plan, The Lean System Success Plan, and MAXIMUM GROWTH, Volume II.

Over the years, Stephen’s philosophy has remained unchanged: “The greatest gift you can give yourself is the gift of a strong mind, which can yield extraordinary dividends in the form of a stronger, healthie