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By subscription only! Welcome to another issue of:
"THE BALANCED WOMAN".
Thanks to all of you who have encouraged your friends to subscribe!
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We realize that not all of the email programs available can accomodate our size. So you can also find this issue of The Balanced Woman at: http://angelfire.com/sd/BalancedWoman/issue9.html
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Welcome
=> Feature Article: A "Weighty"
Issue
=> Household Tip
=> Guest Column: "The
Nibbler's Diet"
=> Parenting Tip
=> Keeping Romance Alive
=> Pampering Yourself
=> Guest Column: "Choose
Bankruptcy?"
=> Classified Ads
=> Subscribe/Un subscribe
information
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WELCOME
Welcome to the next century!! This issue is filled with articles all relating to New Years Resolutions. If you've made them and if they have anything to do with improving yourself or your finances, please take a look at 2 other high quality, free ezines devoted to these very subjects (but be sure to finish reading this one first!):
"A Better Life: It's Your Future" BE HAPPY, BE HEALTHY,
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!
mailto: itsyourfuture-subscribe@egroups.com or visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/itsyourfuture/info.html
A Home Based Business Online at http://www.fawkner.com
Don't forget to check out our newest ebook "100 Ways to Pamper Yourself" at http://www.betweenfriends.org/articles.htm You can probably use it right about now!
And if you're a small business owner this is the perfect time to consider "Don't Mess with the IRS" at http://www.betweenfriends.org/taxtips.htm.
Finally, please visit our website: http://www.betweenfriends.org. We update regularly, so check back often!
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FEATURE ARTICLE,
A "WEIGHTY" ISSUE
by Jacqueline McLaughlin Hale
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Well, here it is January 1st (or close to it) and I bet I know the
New Year's Resolution most of you have made--to lose weight! No,
I'm not a mind reader. It's just that probably 95% of us share this
same goal.
It's no secret that our society has become weight obsessed. When little girls as young as 8 and 10 years old talk about dieting we know we've got a problem (and yes, it happens!). But how did this happen? How did we become so focused on our size?
Every day we're bombarded with hundreds of images of "the perfect woman". We see her on billboards, in magazines, at the movies, on television and even in the newspapers. She is usually young and she is ALWAYS exceptionally thin. What's frightening is that according to a recent article in "People" magazine even the stars, who make up these "perfect women" are striving to become thinner yet. And if that's not enough, we've got the fashion industry reminding us of how we must look. At their fashion shows, twice a year, they parade size 2 (okay maybe they're size 8 but they're also six feet tall!) women down the runway flaunting the latest designs which are tailored to look good on 20 women in the world--all of them models!
What’s happened to us? We are a society founded on diversity and uniqueness. It is our differences that have made us great. Different minds bring different ideas to different problems. Different thoughts industrialized us. "Synergy" was the management buzzword of the 90's; committees, comprised of individuals with different thought processes, solve problems better than the individuals themselves. Every day in thousands of ways we celebrate our differences, our different races, our different religions, our different political views, our different ways of making a living, our different methods of raising our children. Why then are we not allowed to be and to celebrate different sizes??
Our bodies are unique. Not every woman is designed to have the shape of Kate Moss. Some of us are just made with larger hips, bigger thighs, a wider waist and a greater bustline. And no matter what we do, no matter how thin we get, we will NEVER overcome those factors. So we've got to STOP TRYING TO DIET OUR WAY TOWARDS LOOKING LIKE SOMEONE ELSE. Instead, we've got to change our focus to being the best that we can be! If the best we can be has 38-inch hips, than SO BE IT! We've got to stop working against our bodies and work with them instead! We've got to start celebrating differences and diversity in our clothes sizes!!!
How do we do that? By changing our focus to BEING HEALTHY, regardless of size. Isn't that what's really important? Isn't our health worth far more than anything else? How do we "be healthy"? By exercising regularly, and eating from the four basic food groups, by indulging in sweets, chips, nuts and french fries moderately, yes, moderately. Unless we have allergies to these foods, or unless we have some other health reason that prohibits us from eating them, why must we cut them out completely? It's enjoyable to indulge every once in a while. It's just that MODERATION is the key, not deprivation, but moderation. The latest fad diet won't work, starving ourselves won't work and exercising until we drop won't work. Consistent moderation works!
Many of us will fail to achieve our New Year's resolution to lose weight. We don't want to hear it, but deep inside we know that it's true. Why? Why will we fail to achieve that which we think we want the most? More often than not, it's because of improper motivation and the need for instant gratification.
If your motivation to lose weight (or be healthy, as we now say) comes from someplace "outside of yourself" than it is improper motivation. It will NOT adequately commit you to achieving your goal.
Improper Motivation is a desire to look like the women in the media. It is the obsession with looking like your friends, neighbors or coworkers. Improper Motivation is the belief that weight loss will solve your problems and make you happy. It is anything other than the desire to lose weight for yourself--to be healthier, to feel better, to achieve a goal, to build confidence!
Examine the reasons you want to lose weight. Figure out what they REALLY are. Take a good, hard look at them. And if you find you don't want to lose weight for yourself--than DON'T DO IT! It's okay, really!
The need for instant gratification is the strong desire to diet for a day or two and lose 20 pounds. THAT JUST WON'T HAPPEN no matter what "they" say!! Permanent weight loss is a long-term process. It's about changing habits. The weight wasn't added overnight; therefore it will not subtracted overnight either. It's just as simple as that. You've got to be in it for the long haul. Help yourself and stay off of the scale everyday. Weigh yourself weekly instead. If you stick to a moderate exercise and eating program, you'll see results! They'll help keep you going!
So forget the images the media shoves down our throats. Remember
that diversity, even in the sizes and shapes of our bodies, is okay.
Concentrate on being healthy and commit to changing habits. Most
of all feel successful and worthy just the way you are…
Jacqueline McLaughlin Hale is a CPA and the editor of a monthly ezine, “The Balanced Woman”. She is also the author of "100 Ways to Pamper Yourself" and "Don't Mess with the IRS!" All of these publications are available at http://www.betweenfriends.org
Webmasters and publishers may use this article in their ezine or website,
as long as the *entire*
article is used, and the *copyright notice* and *resource box* are
left in tact, including this notice.
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HOUSEHOLD
TIP OF THE MONTH:
To create a fresh, clean aroma in the bathroom, toss a sheet of fabric softener in the wastebasket. Or dab a bit of perfume on a lightbulb. It floods the room with scent when the light is turned on.
From Household Tips (That Really Work)http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/2584/house.htm
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Guest Column:
The Nibbler's Diet
by: Jim Bolding
Copyright 1999
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If you eat three square meals a day, you might find, especially as
you get older, that you're gaining more weight than you want. Should
you cut down on meals, and eat less? The answer is no. In fact, you
should eat more frequently, not less.
The "nibbler's diet" has replaced the "three-squares" diet as a better
way to manage weight, cut heart-disease and diabetes risk, and curb cravings.
A study from the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that
women who divided their food intake into several little meals and snacks
throughout the day were leaner, with less body fat, than were women who
ate the same amount of calories, but packed them into two-or-three big
meals. Why nibbling helps weight management is poorly understood; one theory
has it that dividing the same amount of calories into five-or-more little
meals and snacks encourages the
body to "burn" the food for immediate energy rather than store it in
the hips and the thighs.
Eating breakfast and at consistent times each day also helps to curb hunger and prevents overeating later in the day. For example,researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Ten. found that women who ate breakfast had an easier time controlling cravings and consumed less fat throughout the day, compared to breakfast-skippers. In fact, if someone tells a dietitian that he or she struggles with food cravings in the afternoon, the first question asked is usually "Did you eat breakfast?" More often than not this important meal was missed.
Your best bet is to establish a consistent pattern of eating every four-to-five
hours,which over the course of a few weeks will help reprogram your body's
appetite and hunger clock. The benefits extend beyond just weight
management. Nibbling, compared to gorging on big meals, helps to improve
cholesterol metabolism and keep insulin levels low. It also lowers total
blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and improves insulin sensitivity.
A person will notice benefits
within weeks of initiating a nibbling style of eating.
The trickle-down effect on health is a lowered risk of diabetes, heart disease (the number-one health concern for men and postmenopausal women), and possibly even cancers of the colon and breast.
But wait -- before you race to the vending machine with a license to snack, keep in mind that unplanned nibbling can make-or-break your weight-management efforts and health.
The secret is not to add more snacks to your usual diet, but to divide
your current food intake into five-or-six little meals, while continuing
to emphasize fiber and nutrients, and to de-emphasize fat,sugar and salt.
In other words, have the oatmeal with raisins and orange juice for breakfast,
but save the glass of milk and banana for the midmorning snack. Have a
sandwich, raw vegetables and tomato juice for lunch, but save the dessert
of yogurt and fruit for the mid afternoon snack. Dine on spaghetti,salad
and steamed vegetables in the evening, then have the slice of french bread
and a cup of nonfat cocoa for a late-night snack. You'll probably find
yourself both leaner and healthier.
Jim Bolding is the editor of "Why Be Fat?", a FREE ezine designed to
assist with weight management and health issues. Each newsletter
contains recipes and informative articles. Subscribe at http://www.formmail.to/whybefat
Archives: http://www.whybefat.bizland.com
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PARENTING TIP OF THE MONTH
Many clothing articles come with drawstrings. However, drawstrings pose a real safety hazard to children. (Long scarves fall into this safety hazard, too.) The problem arises when drawstrings or scarves become trapped in school bus doors or playground equipment, or tangled in bicycle chains or spokes. Children can be dragged or strangled. Be alert to this danger when buying clothes, and avoid any jackets, etc, that have drawstrings. Also, remove drawstrings from any children's clothing you already have.
Excerpted from Tipomatic at http://www.emazing.com. EMAZING delivers FREE greeting cards, tips, news, comics, and horoscopes to your email box daily.
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ON KEEPING ROMANCE ALIVE
This month's romance tip is called "Welcome Your Honey Home" It's
too long to include here so it can be found at:
http://angelfire.com/sd/BalancedWoman/romantic.html
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ON PAMPERING YOURSELF
Do all of the things you want to do once you "lose weight", or "get another job", " or "find a partner" or whatever reason you've been putting them off. Don't put them off anymore. Do them now!
excerpted from: 100 Ways to Pamper Yourself, by JA
Hale, copyright 1999
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Choose Bankruptcy?
The Dollar Stretcher
by Gary Foreman
gary@stretcher.com
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Dear Dollar Stretcher,
My husband and I have been with a credit counseling
service for two years. We started off with $22,000 in debt and are
now down to $15,000 while making monthly payments that were less
than they were without the service. Now our student loans are coming
due (two masters degrees and two kids later) which are about $100,000.
We are considering bankruptcy to stop paying on the old debt and
get prepared for the student loan payments. We have been trying for
two years and feel as if we have gone nowhere and want to declare bankruptcy
to get back on our feet.
Kay in Southern California
Kay isn't the only one contemplating bankruptcy. For the 12 months ending June, 1999 there were nearly 1.4 million bankruptcy filings in the United States. It's estimated that bankruptcies cost the American economy $44 billion in 1997. Before we try to answer Kay's question, let's take a minute to learn a little about bankruptcy.
There are two kinds of personal bankruptcy. People usually get to choose between Chapter 7 (most assets are sold to pay off debts and the remaining debts are written off) and Chapter 13 (where their debts are renegotiated and paid off). About 70% of bankruptcy filings were for Chapter 7. The process takes about 3 months from filing to final discharge of debts.
People filing for Chapter 7 are allowed to keep 'exempt' property. Each state determines what is exempt. Often it includes your home, auto, clothes and any tools of your trade. However, the fact that you're allowed to keep your home or auto doesn't mean that you can stop paying for them. If a loan was secured by real property (i.e. your house or car) then you must continue to make your payments if you expect to keep those items.
Before we take a look at some of the things that Kay will want to consider we need to point out that this column cannot take the place of good legal advice. Each state is different and all we hope to do is to provide some information that can start you towards a good decision.
Before filing for Chapter 7 you need to answer two questions. Will bankruptcy discharge enough of your debts to bring relief? Will you have to give up property that you really want to keep? Remember that certain taxes, child support, alimony and most student loans will not go away. Also remember that in Chapter 7 you may be forced to give up collectibles, family heirlooms, investments or a second car/truck.
It's important for a person to total their assets and liabilities before they consider bankruptcy. Just because you file for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy doesn't mean that you'll get it. If the judge sees that your income exceeds your expenses, they'll probably require you to file for Chapter 13. In that case the debtor keeps all of their property, but will continue to make payments on all of their debts based on a plan that the court approves.
For some people a Chapter 13 filing is better. Chapter 13 can prevent foreclosure on a home or car. The court approves a repayment plan and can force the lender to accept that plan. If you are behind in your car or mortgage payments Chapter 13 could be a better choice than Chapter 7.
Also consider alternatives to bankruptcy. Before taking such a drastic step you should contact your creditors to see if they're willing to adjust the terms of your credit agreement. You might also want to contact one of the non-profit credit counseling services. Often they're able to work out terms with your creditors that you couldn't negotiate yourself.
One problem with bankruptcy is that it is one of the biggest negatives
that you can have on your credit history. Credit agencies can report Chapter
7 bankruptcies for 10 years. Chapter 13 bankruptcies will stay
on your record for seven years. Lenders are allowed to consider a
bankruptcy as part of their decision whether to extend credit. Some will
be willing to grant credit right away while others may want to wait for
a number of years. Many filers find it almost impossible to obtain a mortgage
or unsecured credit card for years. And when they do find a lender, they
will pay a higher interest rate on the money they borrow. And it's
not only your credit history that will suffer. Federal law allows landlords
and employers to consider bankruptcy. It is legal to refuse to rent or
hire or promote someone because they've declared bankruptcy. Other people
come through bankruptcy with less disruption. These people tend to be more
secure in their jobs and homes.
After a bankruptcy, the debtor will earn a good credit rating by demonstrating
an ability to use and repay debt wisely. Often a good start is by using
(and paying off) a secured credit card.
One final thought for Kay. She does need to be aware of new proposals
in congress that would make it more difficult to file for bankruptcy. It
would also mean that more debts would survive the bankruptcy proceeding
and still need to be paid by creditors. One recent report estimated
that 15% of Chapter 7 filers would be effected by the proposed changes
in the law.
Should Kay and her husband consider bankruptcy? Clearly we don't have nearly enough information here to make an assessment. Certainly they face a very large debt. But they've already eliminated about one third of their non-student loan debt. And the school loans might survive a bankruptcy filing. It's also possible that the court will find that their income exceeds expenses and that they can only choose a Chapter 13 filing. So they'll need to study their situation before making a decision. Hopefully their choice will take them to a position of being in control of their debts.
Gary Foreman is the Editor of The Dollar Stretcher
website www.stretcher.com You'll find the web's largest collection
of free time and money saving articles. There's even a free weekly email
newsletter. Visit Today!
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Disclaimer
The appearance of advertising in The Balanced Woman should not
be interpreted as an endorsement by the editors of the service, product,
business, or program being advertised. We take no responsibility
for claims or representations made in any ads. The Balanced Woman
is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The ideas and
information expressed in it have not been approved or authorized by anyone
either explicitly or impliedly. In no event shall Jacqueline McLaughlin
Halebe liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising
in connection with the use of this information or its publication, including
any action for infringement of copyright or defamation. The opinions
expressed by our columnists are not necessarily the position of The Balanced
Woman.
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Copyright 1999, JA Hale
Editors Comments:If any of you have any ideas,
comments and suggestions on how we can improve this
e-zine please let me know. Just send an email to:jahale95@yahoo.com
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