Health, Diet & Weight Loss Checklist, Part IV

Part IV in the Health, Diet, and Weight Loss Series discusses the importance of flexibility, and also gives the basics for flexibility exercise guidelines. Link to Full Story

Large Fat Woman says it’s OK to be Fat

A rather large, fat woman claims that it is okay to be fat. In fact, she has created a 7-minute long video explaining why she feels that way! Link to Full Story

Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love, Volume 18

This week's Link Love edition features several powerful truths that can change your life, but that can be read and internalized in under 5 minutes. Doesn't get much easier than that, right? Link to Full Story

10,000 Fists to Freedom

Think you have what it takes to make a 90-day
self improvement commitment and actually STICK to it?

Then put your money where you mouth is and prove it!

Link to Full Story

Disagreeing with the Pink Princess about Selling eBooks Online

A difference of opinions about whether or not the buying and selling of eBooks on the Internet is indeed DEAD. Link to Full Story

Exercise of the Day - Alternating Single Leg Bridge

A great overall body exercise that works the shoulders and arms, lower back, abs, and legs - all at the same time! Link to Full Story

2,000 Gather for Nude Photo Shoot

Can you add the fact that you can get thousands of people naked to YOUR resume'? This guy does it, and with his camera at the ready! Link to Full Story

How to Look Good even if You’re Fat, Ugly, and Have a Big Nose

Think that you need to go "under the knife" to improve your appearance? Not anymore! Now you can find out what you will look like after plastic surgery without actually HAVING plastic surgery! Link to Full Story

Book Blog Tour: Life on Purpose - Six Passages to an Inspired Life

My review of a very enlightening book that discusses purposefully creating the life that we want, rather than just being "victims" of the life that we are living. Link to Full Story

A Good Push Up Workout, Part II

A powerful and exhausting push up workout that will net you incredible upper body results, including strengthening and growth of the shoulders, triceps, and chest muscles. Link to Full Story

Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love, Volume 17

This week's self improvement and law of attraction information runs the gamut from productivity to happiness to visualization to wake up calls. Check it out! Link to Full Story

Celebrity Endorsements - The Key to Inflated Prices

Apparently the world in general has a surplus of money to spend, because the celebrity endorsement deals are still going strong. Who do people think is paying those celebrities to pretend that they like something?? Link to Full Story

Doing it Differently Blog Carnival, 4th Edition

Parenting, money, health, laughter - all that and more in this edition of the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival! Link to Full Story

Exercise of the Day - Dive Bomber Push Up

If you are looking for a great way to get more out of the push up exercise, the Dive Bomber Push-up fits the bill! Link to Full Story

Rehab - The Celebrity Drug of Choice

Despite the fact that rehab is obviously just a joke for celebrities these days, am I the only one who sees an escalating situation here that needs to be recognized? Link to Full Story

The Top 2 Methods of Losing Bodyfat

There are 2 simple techniques that can be a part of any weight loss program that will ensure the maximum amount of body fat loss! Link to Full Story

Happiness Quotient - What Blueprint are you Creating?

Is your blueprint for life one that will ensure the building of a life of joy and contentment, or one that will be dependent on certain circumstances in order for you to be happy? Link to Full Story

Topless pictures of Cecilia Bolocco create Scandal - Why do we Care?

Apparently we are supposed to care deeply for the fact that a former Miss Universe just got nailed on tape half-naked, and most likely also cheating on her husband. I'm sorry, I can't seem to get worried about this... Link to Full Story

Exercise of the Day - Alternating Crunches on Exercise Ball

Unlike a standard Exercise Ball Crunch, this movement requires the activation of more core muscles, including the obliques, thus making it a much more effective exercise.

Be sure to visit Fitness Generator to get access to thousands of exercise graphics as well as instructions on using bodyweight, dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, and more!

Alternating Crunches on Exercise Ball

The most common mistake with this exercise is bringing the upper body off of the ball and then twisting to one side or the other. You will recruit more muscle fibers by twisting as you come up, reversing the twist on the way back down, and then doing the same movement on the other side. Also, when in the top most part of the movement, hold that peak contraction for one or two full seconds before returning to the bottom position. Come back up from the bottom position immediately, though - do linger there and rest.

How to Live Out Loud

Did you ever stop and wonder if your life is hurtling past you while you just hang on trying not to fall off, rather than you consciously creating a life that is full of happiness and joy?

Having just returned from an absolutely wonderful weekend in Panama City, FL where my wife and I attended the wedding of one of my closest friends, I have had the chance to give some serious forward-looking as well as retrospective thought to life in general, and posting those thoughts for the benefit of my readers immediately came to mind.

My desire is for everyone to enjoy life on this planet as much as possible and in as many ways as possible. The phrase "live out loud" popped into my head, and I saw that as a great way to describe a life that is consciously created to be full of fun and frivolity. Here are some tips on doing exactly that!

Smile and Laugh Often

Although the concept of laughter being good for us in nothing new, that hasn't stopped people from consistently taking life WAY too seriously! None of us is getting out of life alive, so why would you squander the opportunity to have a good time while you're here?

Yes, you've got issues. Financial considerations, personal demons to battle, family problems, health concerns, career considerations, blah, blah, blah. So does everyone else.

If you sit around waiting for all of your "stuff" to be handled before you can start laughing and smiling all day, you'll be laying on your death bed wishing that you had spent more time laughing and smiling.

Do What you Want to Do

Each of us is an individual and we choose what we want to do with our lives. However, in addition to choosing a direction for your life, you can exert that same free will on a daily basis in your home, your place of business, out in public, and when visiting others.

Yes, you should consider the needs of others as a general rule, but that does not mean that you are here for the sole purpose of serving others! Quite to the contrary, actually - you're job here on earth is to serve yourself. You are here to learn and have fun.

If you spend your entire life - or even an entire day - not doing what you truly want to do, then refer once again to what I said earlier about what you'll be saying on your death bed.

Expect the Unexpected

You can try to foresee all of the different things that may be a part of your experience in life, but no matter how hard you try, unexpected things are still going to happen. For many people, this is a huge part of the reason why they are not enjoying their lives as much as they could be.

Whenever something happens that is outside of a person's "plan," they tend to immediately focus on trying to find a way to deal with this bump in the road. Dealing with the bump is not the issue, however.

The issue is that whenever someone comes upon one of these bumps in the road, what they consistently forget is that they still need to focus on being happy and having fun. In a world that offers a lot of negativity and plenty of opportunities for stress, our "default mode" is one of being negative and stressed out.

Consciously creating a life of living out loud means exactly that - consciously creating. If you stop focusing on being happy, you can probably guess what will happen to your level of happiness. When something unexpected happens, deal with it from a position of power, and then keep on cruising along being happy and creating joy.

See Value in Each Experience

After something unexpected happens in your life, that is a prime opportunity for you to ask "What was the value in that experience?". Every experience has something to offer, although it is not always as obvious as other times.

For example, if someone that you care about almost dies, it is hard to see the value in that. However, as you quickly realize that you now have a better appreciation for that person still being alive, it becomes apparent that there was some value in that situation after all.

Every single experience in life fits into that same mold, so I will not pass out endless examples here. However, trust in the fact that no matter how bad something may seem, not only does that thing have some sort of value, but in most cases it will also help you to live a happy and joyful life.

Refer back to the example of almost losing someone that you care about and you will see an immediate opportunity to start enjoying your life more by spending more of it with that person.

Be Who you Want to Be

I saved this one for last because I feel that it is the very cornerstone of happiness. There are many people who define happiness by material possessions, certain experiences, various opportunities, etc. However, each of those things will only hold value for that person based on that person's 100% unique view of the world.

So, by trying to serve the "greater good," or by living your life by standards that have been set down by anyone other than yourself, you are just setting yourself up to live a life that you don't truly want to be living.

The only way to truly enjoy life is to be the person that you actually want to be! Your friends, family, co-workers, mentors, counselors, and advisers cannot tell you to be - or not to be - a certain type of person. Their input can be incredibly valuable and I certainly advise seeking guidance from anyone who has an opinion that you respect. However, when all is said and done, you are the only person who is qualified to decide if you actually want to listen to them.

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At this time you have the opportunity to give yourself a little "pop-quiz" to see if you are on the right track to start Living out Loud:

1. Are you going to nod your head and say that this blog post makes some great sense, run around for the next few hours feeling inspired, give some serious thought to creating the life that you truly want to be living, and then follow those thoughts up with some consistent action?
2. Or, are you going to let all of this go in one ear and out the other because you are already late for some task that you need to accomplish, and you just don't have time for this mamby-pamby, feel good nonsense?

The choice, of course, is yours. However, I believe that in a day, a month, a year, and a decade, the people who chose option number one are going to have lived a far better life than the people who chose option number 2!