Mitch Trail

1. Be especially kind to yourself in the first weeks after your baby is born. Your body has gone through huge changes and it is unrealistic to expect that you can snap back into your old shape straight away. Unrealistic expectations set you up for failure and disappointment, but you CAN get your figure back if you are patient and take it one step at a time.

2. Forget drastic dieting and treat your body to healthy nourishing food and gentle exercise to get back in shape. You will naturally lose some weight during the first few weeks as your uterus shrinks. Breast feeding alone will allow you to lose weight at 1 kilo a week if you eat normally and healthily as it uses up 500 calories a day, but you do need to eat enough so that your milk does not dry up. Plan on losing the remainder at a gentle pace.

3. Your tummy will look very sad after the birth, flabby and saggy. Do not worry you can soon get things looking good again. Do all the post-natal exercises and gentle exercise recommended by your health-care professionals during the first 6 weeks to get your tummy back in shape. After that check with them that it is Ok if you want to embark on a more strenuous exercise routine. Once your doctor says it is OK to exercise, one of the best ways to retighten your muscles is a simple yoga move. Stand with your feet apart, hands on thighs. Breathe out fully and then pull your tummy muscles in and up as hard as you can, holding for a count of 10. If you do this a few times a day before breakfast, you will soon see results. Do not do this during pregnancy.

4. The first few weeks with your baby are precious and not the time to start injuring yourself by doing too much too soon. Whatever you decide to do, do not go mad in the first week you are allowed to exercise normally. Build up gradually as if you had not exercised before.

5. .If you are not able to get back to the gym or to do whatever activity you used to do now that you have a baby to care for, investigate home-exercise programs and videos you can do while your baby sleeps or organize your partner or friend to watch your baby for a short time while you exercise. You will need to be a bit more resourceful and determined to fit in your exercise but you can find a way if you really want to.

6. Walking with your baby is always great – you both get fresh air and out of the house and you get fitter while your baby is soothed by the movement of the pram. You could also use a baby carrier to keep your baby close to you while you walk. This is especially soothing for a restless baby. Aim to walk for 30 minutes to an hour each day.

7. You may find yourself tempted to snack more if you are alone at home with your baby especially if you are used to being out and about at work every day. Make sure you have lots of healthy snacks around such as fruit and avoid buying unhealthy snacks so you are not tempted. You may be better to plan 5 or 6 mini-meals rather than snacking all day AND having your usual lunch and dinner.

8. Take the time to plan simple meals for the next few days before you go shopping. This will help you avoid the “What’s for dinner”/”Oh no, I haven’t defrosted it?” / “Better send out for pizza again” Syndrome. This is not the time to plan elaborate recipes but try and avoid too much processed junk food because you do have time for a simple omelette, pasta sauce, baked potato or salad

9. If you start a plan to get in shape and it all feels like too much, simply restart it when you feel up to it – there’s no need to beat yourself up over anything. Most women feel a bit tired and stressed with a new baby so do not put more pressure on yourself. All in good time. If you feel really down remember and seek help - post-natal depression is very real and quite common.

10. Reward yourself. You have been through a lot – your body has changed, your hormones are in disarray. Whatever you do that helps towards getting back in shape (a walk, a healthy snack, your tummy exercises or whatever) give yourself a pat on the back. A few moments to yourself can be a great reward if you have someone who will care for your little one for a while.

Bonus tip: Above all, relax into your new life with your baby. You will achieve nothing by worrying about your shape. Take time to rest and pamper yourself as much as possible. Sometimes you can feel quite neglected because your baby makes so many demands and this in itself can lead you to eat for comfort. Take care of your own needs. Ask for support from your partner. If you look after yourself by eating healthily and keeping up some gentle exercise you will be fine and your weight will naturally rebalance itself over time.

He woke up from his nap - his large eyes still coated in sleep. I reached in and picked him up out of the crib. He immediately ran to his parent’s bed and pulled himself up among the pile of pillows. He wanted to snuggle and read books in mom and dad’s bed.

I had a different agenda. It was 1:00 in the afternoon and we had things to do. I wanted to feed him lunch and get to the store. He was not my child, but a child I cared for 3 days a week as I worked on launching my business. With his thumb in his mouth he looked up at me. He said my name sweetly as he patted the bed nonverbally requesting I lay and read books with him. He looked so endearing.

This was what he needed. He needed down time from the hustle and bustle of life. He needed a day like we all do when we don’t want to get out of bed. A day when we drink our tea and read a book until noon. I never thought about this same need for a 1-1/2 year old young boy. At that moment, I was labeling him as a “1-1/2 year old“. A young child that needed to fit into my mold or my predetermined expectations of a child of this age. We do this all the time to children. We label them and then attach an array of expectations that match our labels.

Labeling has become the norm in our current medical and educational systems. A child is diagnosed with a specific condition and then a “label” is energetically applied to the child for him/her to wear for all to see. He/She is identified with sensory integration disorder, Down’s syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, ADD, or ADHD. These are just a few examples of countless labels we place on our children in the medical and educational models. We then strengthen the meaning of these labels by creating expectations of the child’s abilities to fit and match each label. Ironically, we do this to actually help make US feel better. To feel safe in knowing how to work with specific children. To try to fit them into our mold of how and who they should be.

Labels are not helping our children. They are not making our children feel better or more accepted. Labels are limiting. I too was limiting this young boy’s experience of taking care of his own needs. I had predetermined he should not have such needs at such a young age and, of course, should naturally follow my agenda of getting to the store.

I recognize the necessity for tangible labels. These labels provide us with a framework. However, the framework is just a guide. A guide to be used with grace. By attaching labels to a child the essence of each child is being lost. The essence of each individual child, who they are, and how they interact with their world is being ignored. The gifts they offer all of us are bypassed. Their strengths and weaknesses as people are easily overlooked because all we see or know is the label.

Even in the alternative healing realm we are starting a trend of limitation through the labels of “Indigo” and “Crystal” children. These terms do help provide parents and professionals a tangible reference to the differences observed with the new children of the earth. However, we need to use these terms as mere guidance and not stead fast rules. We don’t want our children to get lost in the abyss of such labels that we lose sight of them as individuals.

I climbed into bed with several books in hand and surrendered to the inner truth of this child. He needed to rest and relax. Who could blame him with all that is happening in our country and in world this year. The mold I had created for a 1-1/2 year old dissolved as I read him the first line to his favorite book.

Know your child for who they are as unique, beautiful beings. Detach from all external labels being given in the medical or educational worlds. Let go of your predetermined expectations of who they should be. Release them from your mold based on age, gender, or family influences. Know your child and live beyond labels. Your child will feel and know the difference.

There’s an old saying that goes, “You can’t drive a car looking in the rear view mirror.” It’s a saying a lot of us need to take to heart. Especially those of us who have goals we want to achieve.

If you have no direction it doesn’t matter if you’re looking ahead, behind, or to the side. Your car’s not even moving so you’re free to dwell on whatever you want to dwell on. But if you have drive and you want to go somewhere, you need to look ahead and not think too much about what’s behind you.

Okay. Now it’s time to abandon the metaphor. Too often we prevent ourselves for reaching our goals by focusing on the things we can’t change. We start saying things like, “It’s too late for me to invest in the stock market. I should have done it 10 years ago.” or “The real estate market is slow right now. I’ll invest when it picks up some.” These are excuses. There’s nothing you can do about what happened or didn’t happen 10 years ago. There’s nothing you can do about current market conditions. But what you can do is take stock of your current situation and look for the opportunities available to you now.

For example, if you’re still kicking yourself for not buying a stock when your research showed it was about to explode; you may miss out on another stock that’s poised for a major move. There’s always another opportunity in the stock market. You just have to find it.

You could choose not to invest in the real estate market because it’s in a slump, or you can realize that slumps are the best times to buy. Prices are depressed now. It’s the perfect time to buy!

There’s something to be said for evaluating previous choices. You want to learn from your mistakes so you don’t repeat them. But once you’ve learned your lesson; move on! You have nothing to gain from ruminating on something you cannot change.

Your time is better spent moving towards your goals. What opportunities are available to you now? What can you do today that will make your tomorrow better? You can’t change opportunities lost in the past, but you can prevent yourself from losing out on the opportunities available to you now.

Now the question is: What will you say to yourself ten years from now? Will you say, “I wish I’d invested ten years ago?” or will it be “Should I take the Benz or the Beamer to the golf course?”

The choice is yours. You can continue to dwell in the past and go nowhere or you can let go of your bad choices and start making good ones today.

If you know how to motivate employees, your company’s overall status and profits will improve as a result. Employees are the lifeblood of the company. It’s therefore vital to use effective employee motivation techniques so they can stay happy and inspired with their work. This, in turn, will also make them more productive.

Here are 3 employee motivation techniques you can use to arouse their enthusiasm:

1) Be interested in them.

Know their personal background, where they went to school, any job experiences they had, their hobbies, their future plans… even the minor things like what movies or books they prefer.

This shows that you’re willing to take the time to know more about them. People like to talk about themselves, so what you’re doing is satisfying their ego. In the process, they will get to like you.

2) Give them exciting opportunities and reward them for their accomplishments.

As much as possible, give them job assignments that they’re either good at, are interested in, or can have fun with.

Give them every opportunity to prove how good they are. And once they’ve proven their worth or even exceed your expectations, acknowledge them. Praise them in public; let them and other employees know what exactly made them outstanding.

This employee motivation technique will inspire others to do their best because they want to attain the same recognition!

Aside from thanking them, you can give gifts or awards that they can treasure and show to others. Awards such as certificates, medals or trophies would be a better choice as these items illustrate their achievement.

3) Be trustworthy and respectable.

If you said you’re going to do something for them, fulfill it at all cost. Nothing can ruin their trust and respect for you more than broken promises and empty words.

Show them that you’re someone who will listen to their concerns, and someone who is trustworthy enough to keep private matters confidential.

Be someone who they can look up to. This means you have to be a good example for them. Strictly follow the company’s rules and perform your job in the most ethical manner possible.

Let’s recap the 3 employee motivation techniques I’ve taught. First, be interested in your employees. Second, give them exciting opportunities and reward them for their achievements. Last, be a trustworthy and respectable employer or superior. Apply these employee motivation techniques, and you’ll see a tremendous improvement in your company’s productivity and work environment.

When it comes to our children’s happiness, less is more.

That’s the surprising perspective of one Chicago psychologist concerned about the rising rates of youth depression and anxiety.

“Millions of well-intentioned parents have made life harder for their children by shielding the kids from every kind of unhappiness,” according to Aaron Cooper, Ph.D., co-author of a new book on the dangers when parents make happiness the most important thing. “These parents try to soften every edge in their children’s lives, and it’s crippling the kids emotionally.”

“Without plenty of practice coping with ordinary sadness, upset, disappointment, and hurt, kids don’t develop resilience,” Cooper explained. “And without resilience, they’re vulnerable to all kinds of problems.”

Cooper calls it the misguided happiness creed, the “I just want my kids to be happy” mentality, which he believes contributes to anxiety and depression for many youngsters.

Based on recent estimates, depression affects over one million children and 3.5 million adolescents at any one time in this country. Research also reveals that the onset of depression is occurring earlier than in years past.

“Kids know how much their parents want them to be happy,” Cooper said, “and so when they’re sad or upset for whatever reason, they feel guilty thinking they’re letting their parents down. Many hide their distress at home, which compounds the problem and they end up feeling worse.”

Cooper cites a 2006 study commissioned by Family Circle magazine in which 27 percent of surveyed kids reported being “unhappy or just okay.” On a national level, that represents ten million children.

During thirty years of counseling families, Cooper frequently heard parents say that their children’s happiness was their fondest wish. Wondering whether the youngsters were actually absorbing that message, he and educator Eric Keitel, M.Ed., asked a group of 100 middle school students what they thought was most important to their parents, that they be happy, smart, successful, or good. Seventy-five percent of the kids selected “happy.”

Cooper and Keitel went on to write “I Just Want My Kids To Be Happy! Why you shouldn’t say it, why you shouldn’t think it, what you should embrace instead.” The book describes 10 ways the happiness creed hurts kids and parents alike.

What should parents emphasize if not happiness? To answer that question, the authors reviewed decades of happiness research and found eight ingredients in people’s lives that reliably predict who is happy and who is not, including a sense of gratitude, closeness to others, and an optimistic outlook.

“There’s so much parents can do to plant the seeds of the eight ingredients when kids are young,” Cooper says, “while they sit around the dinner table together or chauffeur the kids back and forth on weekends. Our book is really a roadmap of practical suggestions, things parents can say and do to aim their children toward authentically happy lives.”

But giving up their allegiance to the happiness creed, he argues, is the first step that parents need to take.

The pressure on kids to be happy is everywhere, according to Keitel, the director of family education at an independent school in Chicago. “It’s an unrealistic expectation and burden we lay on our sons and daughters,” he said.

“Parents also pay a price, running themselves ragged or going into debt trying to keep their kids happy,” Keitel added, “and then they blame themselves when the kids still don’t seem happy enough.”

A member of the psychiatry department at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco for 18 years, Cooper worries that the sharp rise in the use of antidepressant medication among young people often reinforces the message that “you ought to be happier than you are.”

“Depression isn’t about not being happy enough,” he says, “it’s about not being fully functional in our day-to-day lives, including energy, sleep, concentration, and appetite. Our kids can be functioning adequately without having a constant smile on their faces, but many parents are looking for that smile.”

By now we are all aware that we need to reduce our energy consumption not only for our environment but also where most of us will notice it the most. Our wallets. Electricity and gas are on, what seems to be, a never ending upwards climb. But even as costs keep raising here are some of the best and easiest ways to reduce your energy bills.

1. Water Consumption: Most homes use way more water than they actually need. Start with your shower by replacing the shower head with a low-flow shower head. If you’ve used one in the past and found them lacking in pressure, shop around. There are ones on the market that offer good pressure while saving you money on your water bill.

Next tackle your toilet. Here you have a couple of options. You can either replace your current toilet for one that uses less water, and even better would be a dual flush model. Or you can make your old toilet a little less thirsty by placing a plastic container filled with stones into the tank to displace, and therefore fill it, with less water.

Finally add aerators to your faucets in your kitchen and bathrooms. These work by increasing the pressure of the water from the tap and introducing air bubbles so that it feels like there is more water coming out than there actually is.

2. Seal Off The House: The biggest threat to heat loss in a home can be hard to notice. All of the little cracks and leaks around windows and doors may not seems like much but added together and the loss can be huge. In fact most experts agree that all of these cracks can add up to a hole about 1 foot square. Replace weather stripping and seals were need.

And for those hard to find leaks use a burning stick of incense. Hold it near doors and windows and any draft will disturb the smoke. As an added benefit your home will smell nice too.

3. Change Those Bulbs: Recently Australia made a move to ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs and it is not as crazy as you might think. Just by changing half of all the light bulbs in the high traffic areas of your home with compact fluorescents could reduce your electric bill by half. Now think of what your electric bill would look like if you replaced the rest of those incandescents with fluorescents.

New compact fluorescents are now available for almost any type of fixture or application and they are no longer just bright white, making your home look like an office. Get something in a soft white and you won’t know the difference. And most of all the price has come way down since they were first introduced.

By doing a few simple and low cost changes in your home you can save yourself a bundle on your utility bills and have the added benefit of knowing that you have done your part for our planet.

ontrary to what many people might try to tell you, it’s quite legal in the United States to take your children out of public school and homeschool them. However, you need to be aware that different states have different laws when it comes to homeschooling. You’ll want to understand them before you get started teaching your child at home.

The Constitution does not discuss education, so it has no real impact on rules governing educational services. The Department of Education does that. Read the rest of this entry »