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When it comes to birding, Acadia National Park is a mecca for sightings. The Park has 338 bird species, which is a record for any national park in the United States. The list of species includes such rare birds as the bald eagle, 23 warbler variations and falcons by the bushel load. If you’re looking to fill out your life list, Acadia is the place to be.

The park has such a wide variety of bird species because of a unique environment. Part of the park consists of offshore islands that provide protected nooks and crannies that are ideal for nesting. To this end, numerous species use these island nooks as their southern breeding headquarters. Nesting species include eiders in addition to other sea birds, herons and raptors. Sandpipers and a wide variety of ducks can also be found on the islands.

In addition to the nesting areas, Acadia is famous for its rare, predatory species. The park is home to a wide variety of eagles, including the bald eagle, and falcons. Indeed, Acadia is the home of the very rare Peregrine Falcon, which was nearly pushed to extinction in 1964. Reintroduced to Acadia in the mid 1980s, the Peregrines have flourished and established nesting patters in the park.

If you’re looking to add to your life list, Acadia National Park is a destination you must visit. Here’s a list of bird species you just might see:

Red Throat Loon

Common Loon

Pied-billed Grebe

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Great Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

American Bittern

Least Bittern

Glossy Ibis

Black-bellied Plover

American Golden-Plover

Semipalmated Plover

Killdeer

Pomarine Jaeger

Parasitic Jaeger

Dovekie

Common Murre

Thick-billed Murre

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper’s Hawk

Northern Goshawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk

Golden Eagle

American Kestrel

Merlin

Peregrine Falcon

Gyrfalcon

Common Nighthawk

Whip-poor-will

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Bohemian Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Solitary Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Philadelphia Vireo

This list is a very small sample of the species you will find at Acadia. Located in Maine, the park is highly recommended as a destination for amateur and fanatical bird watchers.

Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com makers of diary and writing journals for bird watching. Visit NomadJournalTrips.com to read more articles on bird watching and the great outdoors.

During a hurricane your sailboat can be in severe jeopardy even if the storm doesn’t pass near to you. The most important thing is to make preparations in advance. As a storm grows close the weather can make it difficult to prepare your boat and supplies could already be sold out. There are different strategies you need to be aware of if your boat is moored at a dock or kept in dry-dock on a trailer. If at all possible it is always best to try to move your boat inland and toward high ground.

If your boat is moored at a dock it is important to re-enforce the moorings and double check that the cleats on the boat and dock are secure. Attach double lashings at each of the four points you are tied off to, and make sure to move the attachment higher up on the pylons to allow for the rising tide. During a rough storm the lines will chafe along the boat, which can cause one of the lines to break free and slam your boat into the dock. Cover any points that make chafe with leather, plastic or rubber coverings to prevent a line from breaking free. Old garden hose cut into sections will work well for a line covering. Secure any equipment from the deck down below and pull any outboard engines to be stored. Secure bumpers and tire to the sides of the boat to prevent damage from the dock.

If your sailboat is stored on a trailer make sure to lash the boat down to the trailer at more than one place. Tie the boat down to four different points to secure objects. Follow the advice above in removing any equipment possible and storing anything possible down below. Drain the air from the trailers tires and place chocks (Bricks, wood or cinder blocks) in front and behind the wheels. Strip the boat down as much as possible and try to place the trailer in a secure location with enough distance from other boats.

Find out everything that you should know about hurricanes at http://my-hurricane-guide.info

Gold was discovered in Oregon’s Jackson Creek in 1851 but it brought neither fame nor fortune to the prospector, a lone miner remembered today only as “Mr. Sykes.” Gold fever ignited soon enough and within two years there were thousands of men tediously pulling flakes and nuggets from area creek beds.

Jacksonville’s first brick buildings were in place by 1853 as the town thrived. It
even became the county seat but when the Oregon & California Railroad headed for
nearby Medford in 1887 and by-passed Jacksonville the good times ground to
a halt.

Jacksonville residents built their own railroad four years later but the
struggling line was dismantled and sold in 1925. During the Depression struggling
residents dug deeper into the hills around town to extract a few dollars of gold to
survive. Not much happened in town after that. So little changed, in fact, that the
entire downtown was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

In 1989, Jacksonville residents formed the Jacksonville Woodlands Association
to preserve and protect the quiet forests on the slopes surrounding the town. Most
explorations of the dog-friendly Jacksonville Woodlands will start in town along
the Zigler Trail, a flat one-mile journey to hike with your dog along the Jackson
Creek where gold was discovered in 1851.

A detailed brochure tells the fascinating story and makes for a prolonged walk
with your dog. Strollers will want to turn around at the footbridge and retrace your
pawprints but adventurous canine hikers will turn left and climb the ridges and
canyons above the town. The three-mile Rich Gulch Trail leads to a panoramic view
of the town and countryside.

On the east end of town, behind the country Gothic house built by apprentice
carpenter-turned-pioneer banker Cornelius Beekman in 1873, you will find the
Beekman Canyon Loop. The trail begins and ends in a small arboretum that displays
eight distinct bio-habitats found in the region. The trail climbs somewhat steeply
through light woods before descending back into the Beekman Garden.

After hiking through the peaceful Jacksonville Woodlands, be sure to take your
dog on a walk through town. More than 80 original brick and wooden buildings
from the 1800s are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can
continue just outside of town into the Jacksonville Cemetery that has been in use
for over 150 years. Dogs are as welcome in Jacksonville today as they were in the
mining camps of yesteryear - there is a water bowl placed for dogs outside the
Visitor Information kiosk.

Jacksonville is located on Route 238 off of I-5 out of Grants Pass to the north
or Medford from the south.

copyright 2006

Doug Gelbert

I am the author of over 20 books, including 8 on hiking with your dog and the widely praised The Canine Hiker’s Bible. As publisher of Cruden Bay Books, we produce the innovative A Bark In The Park series of canine hiking books found at http://www.hikewithyourdog.com Articles in the Doggin’ America series of dog-friendly parks can be found at http://www.DogginAmerica.com

During the warm months I lead canine hike tours, guiding packs of dogs and humans on hiking adventures. Tours, ranging from one-day trips to multi-day explorations, visit parks, historical sites and beaches. My lead dog is Katie, a
German Shepherd - Border Collie mix, who has hiked in all of the Lower 48 states and is on a quest to swim in all the great waters of North America!

Click here to see Katie! ==>http://www.hikewithyourdog.com/NewKatiesQuest.html

The Oregon Trail holds a unique place in the history of the United States. Thousands of pioneers used the trail to populate the middle and western parts of the country in the 19th century.

Oregon Trail

In the eighteen hundreds, the east coast of the United States had become overcrowded and expensive. For relief, people looked to the opportunities in the then limitless west. Over the next 100 years, hundreds of thousands of people undertook the six month quest to find a better life. Tens of thousands died along the route.

The Oregon Trail begins in Independence, Missouri and winds its way to the Willamette River Valley in Oregon. Follow the trail from beginning to end and you’ll pass through the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Idaho.

Tracking the Oregon Trail can take a month by car, so I am going to highlight certain spots in this and further articles. Arrow Rock, Missouri is as good a place as any to start.

Arrow Rock, Missouri

Although Independence, Missouri is technically the beginning of the Oregon Trail, Arrow Rock is a better place to start. Arrow Rock is a tiny town of maybe 100 people and remains much the way it was during the hey day of the Oregon Trail. You’ll get a real taste of the way things were by visiting the tavern and old seminary. One of the odder attractions is the Calaboose.

Arrow Rock has the rather peculiar Calaboose Jail. Built of stone, the jail is particular because it is built for only one person. By one person, I mean no lobby, no office, no nothing, just a stone structure with one wooden door.

To get a better understanding of Arrow Rock, make sure to visit the Arrow Rock Historic Site center. For lodging, there are four or five bed and breakfast options in the town. Campers can stay at the Arrow Rock Historic Site camping grounds.

Visiting Arrow Rock is like stepping back into the Wild West. Look to the west and you can get a feel for how the pioneers felt as they started their long journey.

“Virtual Real Estate Investing” is a relatively new concept. Everything from using the internet as an avenue to make more money in real estate to online games such as SecondLife seem to be included in the popular definition of this term.

In order to figure out the truth of the matter, I sought out Bryan Ellis, whose experience in the fledgling industry is truly impressive.

Ellis says he adopted the term “virtual real estate investing” sometime before Y2K after he realized that making money online is conceptually very similar to making money with physical real estate.

One example of the parallels between virtual and physical real estate Bryan Ellis cites is the similarity between the monetization of domain names versus physical property. “These types of assets - websites and physical real estate - can be monetized in very similar ways like buy lo/sell high, leasing/rental and advertising opportunities” he says.

The parallels really are obvious. Consider: A valuable piece of real estate is valuable largely due to the interest that other people have in that specific location. Likewise, if you own a desirable domain name, others will find value in it because it serves their purposes. So it doesn’t matter if you own physical real estate or virtual real estate - you’ll likely use similar strategies to turn them into money in your pocket.

In our next installment of this series on virtual real estate investing, Bryan Ellis will share the internet analogies to the physical concept of real estate development.

Most people do not think of SEO as a game. Let me take 5 minutes of your time and explain how SEO is simply a game of Chess.

I remember as a teenager learning how to play Chess for the first time. Man it was complicated. Each piece moved different ways. You couldn’t take shortcuts and get the game over with. You had to really think about your moves and watch your opponents moves as well. With each move they made, you had to analyze your next move and even the best plans of attack had to be readjusted constantly. The game was always changing depending on who you played against. But once you understood the game, once you understood all the components of the game, you were hooked.

The same goes for SEO.

The First Step to playing the SEO Game is understanding the game.

Read the rules of the game. Understand what is allowed, what is not allowed, and things you must avoid. Research how people will find you. Know what your keyword/keyword phrases are. Who will be coming into your website? Who will you be marketing to?

Google Rules and Guidelines can be found at http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html

Yahoo Guidelines can be found at http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/deletions/deletions-05.html

MSN Guidelines can be found at http://search.msn.com/docs/siteowner.aspx?t=
SEARCH_WEBMASTER_REF_GuidelinesforOptimizingSite.htm

Setting Up Your Chessboard (or website)

Set up your website correctly from the start. Make sure all the pieces of your website are were they belong. For instance, place your Title tags and Meta tags into your headtags. Create clean style web pages from the start. Move your javascripting and css off the page and into their own file so that the search engines can get to what is important right away.

Playing The Game

In Chess, the rook and the bishop do not move the same way on your chessboard. Understand how each piece of the game moves and works and use them to help you win the game.

The same is true for your SEO. For example, many people do not use their head tags correctly. They try to stuff as many keywords as they can think of into the Meta Keywords tag. This will not get you far in the game. Try to be focused in your keywords. Use 3-5 keyword/keyword phrases at most and never use the same word more then 3 times.

Make sure you are using all the pieces of the game. Title tags, Meta Tags, H1 Tags, Content, Links, Relevancy, etc. Some people think when playing chess that the pawns are really of no use. You can lose them, you can keep them, no big deal. The same can be said about Meta Tags. However when playing against Yahoo or MSN, they will take advantage of your pawns. More so then when playing with Google. But why would you not use these pieces in a game? Why would you not take advantage of every single piece and make each one as important as the others. Would you have a better chance of winning if you used each piece of the game instead of only a few?

Know who you are playing against.

The more information your have about your opponent and how they play can greatly increase your chance of beating them. The same can be said about search engines. Understand how they work and how they find sites. Knowing your opponent can help you to win. But also keep in mind that as time moves on, your opponent is getting stronger. They are constantly changing their game to keep up with the new breed of chess players. You may be able to beat them today, but in 6 months, they may have a new strategy. Keep a close eye on them and change your game to adjust to theirs.

Keep in mind that your opponent will never tell you how they are going to play the game. There are secret strategies that only they know. Many will guess as to what those are, but nobody will ever know their strategy 100%.

Do Not Take Shortcuts Just To Get The Game Over With

The same can be said about using spam techniques to get your site listed quickly and to the top. Spam techniques may work for a short time but once you get caught, you are banned from playing the game. Google states this about spam, “Trying to deceive (spam) our web crawler by means of hidden text, deceptive cloaking or doorway pages compromises the quality of our results and degrades the search experience for everyone. We think that’s a bad thing.”

Basically spamming is a way of cheating the game to win faster. Remember chess is not a quick game. It takes time and patience. No one wants to play with a cheater….NO ONE.

Capturing the King - CHECKMATE

Content is King. Content is the way to win the game. Without capturing the content, you will lose the game. Each of the search engines look for relevancy within your page. If you state that your page is about red dogs with hats, and you have a page written about blue cats with shoes, it does not work. Keep your pages focused. If you are writing about red dogs with hats, write about those red dogs with hats only. If you also have red dogs with boots, then give them their own page and write about them boots separately.

Keep the pages focused and on track. The title tag would be about the red dogs with hats. The meta tag keyword would be about the red dogs with hats. The meta tag description is a nice 250 character description about the red dogs with hats. Use a H1 tag high on the page that has red dogs with hats. You can use css tags to make the h1 tag match your site. Then write clear, focused, original content about the red dogs with hats. Start out with 3 paragraphs and mention the red dog with hats once in each paragraph. Watch your rankings. Add additional content if necessary but do it slowly. Make notes of all the changes that you make. If something does not work, go back and undo it.
Keep adding fresh and unique content to your site.

Do not let your site go into stalemate.

Once you look at SEO as simply a game, it makes it that much more exciting to play. And it’s even more fun TO WIN!

Shawna Fennell is the owner of 1 Choice 4 YStore. A company dedicated to
helping Online Stores. Please visit http://store.1choice4ystore.com for free advice and tips on SEO, Marketing,
Design, and much more. You can also sign up for daily tips at
http://blog.1choice4ystore.com

For Alaskans and Alaska visitors who yearn for a different kind of day cruise in Southcentral or Southeast Alaska there’s good news this spring, summer, and fall from the folks at the Alaska Marine Highway System. And we’re talking fast ferries here — sleek, spiffy double-hull catamarans that can transport passengers from Cordova to Valdez or from Juneau to Skagway faster than you can say “Beam me up, Scotty.”

Well, maybe not that fast. But fast. As in 36 knots (41 miles per hour)
fast.

Two high speed ferries will offer this kind of service: the M/V Chenega
will home port in Cordova and the M/V Fairweather will be based in
Juneau.

Each ship is barely a year old and can accommodate up to 150 passengers.
Each boasts a comfortable observation lounge that can accommodate all 150
travelers. Or, for a change of perspective, 109 of these passengers may also travel
in either vessel’s mid-ship area. The interior space features a combination of
reclining airliner-type seats and table arrangements with some zones dedicated to
work and study. Additional seating is available in the ship’s exterior solarium,
located aft. There are no passenger cabins. Each ship offers a full-service snack bar
and can carry up to 35 cars.

From Cordova, the Chenega will offer daily service through Prince
William Sound to Valdez and Whittier, both connected by road to Anchorage and
Southcentral Alaska.

From Juneau the Fairweather will offer non-stop sailings to Sitka, Haines, and
Skagway, the latter two connected by highways to the main body of Alaska via
Canada’s Yukon Territory.

30% Discounts on Selected Routes

More good news: Starting May 1 passengers will get a new 30 percent discount
on one-way and roundtrip Chenega travel between Cordova and Valdez
and between Cordova and Whittier. The discounted fares will be valid May 1 through
September 30.

This translates into one-way fares of $34 for adults 64 years and younger and
$24 for seniors 65 years and older on the Valdez run. Between Cordova and Whittier
the fares are $60 and $43, respectively. The 30 percent discount also applies to
children’s fares, cars, bikes, and kayaks.

In Southeast Alaska the same discount - 30 percent - applies to trips between
Juneau and Bartlett Cove in Glacier Bay National Park, May 1- August 16. Fares will
be priced $28 for adults and $20 for seniors. Between Juneau and the picturesque
tiny community of Pelican, fares will run $34 for adults and $24 for seniors from
May 1 through September 30. (Please note: The Bartlett Cove and Pelican trips will
be aboard either the traditional ferry vessel LaConte or the Aurora.
not the Fairweather.)

Chenega’s Spring Schedule in Southeast

At present the Fairweather is laid up for engine repairs. In the
meantime, until mid-April when the Fairweather returns to Southeast Alaska service
and the Chenega heads to Southcentral Alaska and its Cordova summertime
homeport, the Chenega is providing fast ferry service between Juneau and
Sitka on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and between Juneau and Haines/
Skagway on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

The Juneau-Sitka trips depart at 8 a.m. for an approximately four and a half
hour journey to Sitka (depending on tides in Sergius Narrows), then a departure
from Sitka at 1:30 p.m. with arrival back in Juneau around 6 p.m. - again depending
on tides.

Chenega’s Juneau departures for Haines/Skagway are at 8 a.m.,
arriving in Haines in two hours and 45 minutes. The vessel will then execute a 30-
minute shuttle Haines-Skagway-Haines for a southbound departure to Juneau at
12:15 p.m. Arrival in the capital city will be at 4:45 p.m.

Fairweather’s Summer Schedule in Southeast

May 1 through September 30, 2006 the fast ferry Fairweather will again sail the
popular routings that garnered the vessel high praise in summer ‘05: Juneau non-
stop trips to and from Sitka, Haines, and Skagway. The schedule is especially
attractive for both Alaskans and visitors from Outside who are looking for a one-day
cruising excursion or a two-day (or longer) overnighter. Here’s how it all
shapes up:

On Mondays and Wednesdays, ship will depart Juneau’s ferry terminal at
nearby Auke Bay at 8 a.m. for a 12:30 p.m. arrival in Sitka. Departing from Sitka at
1:30 p.m., the vessel will arrive back in Juneau at 6 p.m.

Tuesdays, the vessel will leave Juneau at 8 a.m., arrive in Skagway at 10:30
a.m., depart at 11 a.m. and be back in Juneau at 1:30 p.m.

Thursdays through Sundays Fairweather will provide two round trips,
one to and from Haines and the other to and from Skagway. The first will be an 8
a.m. departure from Juneau with a 10:15 a.m. docking at Haines; departure from
Haines at 10:45 a.m. and arrival back in Juneau at 1 p.m. After a half-hour
turnaround, the vessel will leave Juneau at 1:30 p.m., arrive in Skagway at 4 p.m.
then depart Skagway at 4:30 p.m. for an arrival back in Juneau at 7 p.m.

You can make reservations for either of these vessels or aboard any other of
the Alaska Marine Highway System’s ships at http://www.ferryalaska.com or
by calling toll free 800-642-0066.

Alaskan travel writer Michael “Mike” Miller lives in Juneau where his current passion is
publishing an information-packed website about Alaska cruising and ferry travel:
http://www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com Miller has authored or contributed to a
number of books (Fodors, Sierra Club Books, Globe Pequot, The Milepost and
others). He also writes for TravelAge West (for travel agents) as well as for major
newspapers and magazines.

Your baby is your life… the comfort, care and feeding of your child consumes much of your day and evening existence. There is so much to know, to be aware of, that even with all of the expert advice from family and friends, there’s still a great deal to be learned, either through study of various resources, or through the daily experience of raising your child.

Most mothers and fathers would say the comfort of their baby is one of their prime concerns. Comfort is the baby’s world, from the temperature in the home, their diapers, their cleanliness, their food and drink, their clothing and their baby bedding. All of these elements should be designed to ensure the safety and health of the child and to make their small world a happy and enjoyable place within which to grow.

Afternoon naps, breast-feeding, and nighttime sleep require coverings to keep the baby warm. These coverings must be soft enough to ensure a warm environment, resilient enough to withstand stains, and secure enough to prevent accidents. There are a number of elements to the selection of appropriate baby and crib bedding. Thankfully, there are a number of baby bedding sets now available that assist with the continual drain on your financial resources to ensure your baby’s health.

When purchasing baby bed linens, highly advisable is to purchase four top and four bottom sheets. These can be of the fitted or flat varieties and are uniform in size. However, if you have a crib, cot, cot bed or Moses basket, sheet sizes differ. Make certain you know the size you need before you shop.

Try to obtain a minimum of four, high-quality blankets. Cold nights are not a pleasant reality for a baby. The best combinations for a baby blanket are those that offer breathability and warmth, such as cotton cellular blankets and fleece.

A sleeping bag is also a good alternative, but you’ll need at least two of them. Babies have a tendency to wriggle at night. This can result in sheets and blankets being tossed all over the crib or bed, leaving the youngster cold. A sleeping bag ensures their comfort while restricting their movement. Plus, you won’t need to purchase a top sheet or blanket.

If your child is at least one year old, you can obtain pillows and duvets. The duvet cover set and pillow are comfortable for your child and also assist in supporting his or her attempts to sit up. Be certain to remove cot bumpers if your child is at the sitting up stage.

For the newborn baby, crib bedding is what needs to be obtained. Again, the sizes are different than would be considered for a baby bed, and the baby’s comfort must remain the parents’ prime concern.

If you are traveling with your child, perhaps to see grandma and grandpa or a distant aunt or uncle, to include them in the joyful world of your child’s existence, other considerations must be made for your baby’s needs. There are now services that will ship all of your baby’s needs to a specified address. This means Mom and Dad don’t have to pack as though they are going on a safari with their child’s food, diaper, and formula needs. Everything they require will be awaiting them when they reach their destination, whether a private home or a hotel room.

Baby-proofing the location where you will stay is another important element to keep in mind. From a cover clamp toilet lock to a sound monitor, a bi-fold door lock to cabinet slide locks, and those all important rail nets for indoor balconies or outdoor decks, all should be considered as critical to your baby or child’s safety at your temporary location. Make certain you have information at hand as to where your child will be sleeping and either pack, or have delivered, the required baby or crib bedding to ensure his or her comfort.

Baby and crib bedding is one of those elements that cannot be overlooked. These items are critical to your continued success in rearing your baby in safety and comfort.

Baby Best Buy has been providing quality baby products, including baby bedding, cloth diapers, potty training equipment, and more, at discounted prices for many years. This company is able to offer such low prices because they purchase their inventory end-of-the-line direct from manufacturers, thus eliminating the middle-man.

Five times a week, two hours each visit. You’ve been more faithful to your gym schedule than you’ve ever been to any girlfriend you’ve had. And for a while it paid off: those muscles started rippling and the girls started paying attention.

But then, like a bad dream you wake up from, your muscles suddenly wasn’t growing like what it used to do. Your muscles stop responding to your heavy workout no matter how intensely you’ve been training. So you said to yourself, now I will train harder. So now you put in three hours a session and but even as you upped your gym dosage, horrors of horrors, your muscles are actually shrinking.

Ahhhhh, the Gym Plateau. It afflicts all of us and few of us ever gotten out of it. In fact, most people don’t even know that they have hit the dreaded plateau and thought that their muscles can only grow so much due to inherent genetic factors. Not to worry though, if you read the following fitness tips, and follow these tips to the latter, I can assure you that your muscles will start growing again and grow bigger they will.

Here are your free fitness tips.

Fitness Tip #1
Take A Break

This tip is easy to comply for most of us but very difficult for some gym rats. Simply take a break from your workout. Do not step into the gym or do any workout for 2 weeks. Its time to let your body recover from the punishments you are dishing out to your muscles. Some bodybuilders may find this difficult to do because working out is addictive. You produce endorphin when you workout and endorphin is also known as happy hormone. The same hormone you produce when having sex.

Professional bodybuilders take a break after every 4-5 months of hard training and when they are back in the gym, they shock their well rested but complacent muscles back into massive muscle gain.

Fitness Tip #2
Are you training too often?

If your exercises are intense enough, you need only to train each muscle group once or twice a week. Your training schedule shouldn’t repeat muscle groups in the same week. Every time you train, you do your muscles damage. Muscles need time to repair and it does so in the after your training when you are resting. This means that if you lift weights on consecutive days, there isn’t sufficient time for the body to recover. Try to have one day rest between each weight lifting day.

If your routine requires intensive weight training, remember not to prolong your gym time longer than an hour. This is because your cortisol, a muscle eating hormone level will be elevated and thus will be counter productive to your efforts. It eats your muscles.

Most of all, you must sleep! Eight hours or even better, go for ten hours. Muscles do not grow in the gym; they grow when you sleep. When you sleep, you are secreting growth hormones for many bodily functions and one of those functions is to build muscles. That is why they called it beauty sleep!

Fitness Tip #3
Are you using the correct weight lifting techniques?

If your technique or form is incorrect, not only is your training retarded, you are also inviting injury. Don’t laugh. But when you exercise you must think and focus, instead of mindlessly repeating the motions, do take note of how you perform each exercise and rep. Do so with deliberation and at the beginning and end of every lift, pause and squeeze the muscles you are exercising. Mind and muscle must connect! Never never use momentum of the swing to lift the weights and let gravity pull the weight down. That is why you must lift slowly and lower slowly feeling the tension in your muscles and resisting the load all the time.

In order for muscles to want to grow, you have to stress them to the maximum, and then further. Do enough repetitions until you feel you cannot go any further using good form. You must then either increase the weight or the number of repetitions at the next session. This is called progressive overload, and progressive overload is what forces your muscles to grow. As a general guide, if you can lift more than 12 reps the weight is probably too light and it is too heavy if your muscles fail you in less than 5 reps. You may wish to consult your physical fitness trainer on the correct form and technique for each exercise.

Fitness Tip #4
Are you using free weights?

Most machines do not involve as much of the synergistic muscles (supporting muscles) as free weights do. And, therefore, do not build as much muscle mass. Synergistic muscles are the smaller muscles that aid the main muscles in balance and strength in each lift. Machines has its uses, but for beginners and for smashing plateaus, use free weights.

Fitness Tip#5
Workout with compound exercises

Compound exercises are exercises that involve 2 or more joint movements and thereby employing bigger muscles and more synergistic muscles . Bench presses, dead lifts, squats, and barbell curls amongst others are fantastic compound exercises . For example, when you squat , all the muscles in your lower body get a workout and that alone is about 60 percent of your overall musculature . Squat also works your back and abs too. Using more muscles at one go means that you get a better overall workout. To add icing to the cake, because of the massive utilization of your muscles , you will pant, huff and sweat more. That means your routine also has a cardio effect and you will burn calories even hours after you stepped out of the gym .

Fitness Tip#6
Are you working out your legs?

Your body is programmed to grow proportionately with only slight variations. If you do not train your legs, your upper body mass will stop growing before it becomes large. Surely, you’ve heard of chicken legs! Just because leg training can be brutal, it doesn’t give you reason to hide your legs in your pants. To get that super hero X-frame, pepper your routine with squats . A word of caution though: compound exercises such as dead lifts, squats, and bench presses must be done in excellent form and a spotter is highly recommended. This is where your physical fitness trainer will come in handy as your spotter. If not, injuries are bound to happen and that may put you permanently out of the gym.

Fitness Tip#7
What are you eating?

Muscle building requires protein - the more, the better. Meat, especially red meats and fish, are the best source. It is in your food that your body will draw nutrients from, for strength and necessary fats for joint and organ protection.

To have massive muscle gain and help in muscle preservation , you need about 2-3 grams of good protein per kilogram of your body weight . If you want to get serious about muscles , you may need to supplement them with protein shakes . Eating a meal and having a protein shake immediately after your workout also maximizes the window for rapid absorption of nutrients. This is important as you need to feed the muscles now that you have damaged them. You should also 6 small meals a day so your muscles are constantly fed throughout the day. This will help rev up your metabolism to burn fat too. This will tremendously help you in your build muscle lose weight program. Remember to take your protein shake half an hour before you workout too.

Fitness Tip#8
How about Carbs?

Glycogen is the main energy source for any muscle-building exercise. The body stores whatever carbohydrates you eat as glycogen and muscles use it to give you energy during your workout. After an intense workout, do consume carbohydrates immediately to replace the used glycogen. You can even indulge in high glycemic carbs such as ice creams and white bread as these will turn into insulin and shuttles nutrients such as protein to your muscle cells quickly.

Fitness Tip #9
And Fats?

Yes, your body do need do need fats . But try to avoid saturated fats such as animal fats or worse, trans fats which are artificial fats found in pastries, confectionaries and preserved food. Consume healthy unsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil, fish oils, flax seed oil.

Fitness Tip#10
Water Water is essential.

Water is essential. It is the most underrated macronutrient. You need at least eight glasses of water every day but when you exercise , you lose even more water because of the sweating. So drink before, during and after your workout. Weigh yourself before and after the workout, and compensate for the loss by drinking at least 16 ounces of fluid for every pound or half a kg lost.

Fitness Tip#11
Creatine

While meats are the best source for creatine, which is a nutrient that helps speed up muscle gain and power you up during workouts, those who do not get enough from their regular diet must be supplemented. Creatine puts volume into your muscle cells and gives you that muscle pump thus your muscles feels tighter, look bigger and overall illusion of superb muscularity . It also helps to prevent muscle breakdown.

Fitness Tip#12
Glutamine

When supplemented, it may help bodybuilders reduce the amount of muscle wasting away or used up as energy. It also helps in muscle recovery.

Fitness Tip #13
Do you change your routine?

The human body is fantastic at adaptation. So whatever routine you are on, your body will get used to it. So do change your routine every 6-8 weeks. For example, instead of working out your chest muscles at the start of your workout, work your back muscles instead. You can reverse your whole routine or change the variations of your exercises or add new ones and take away some old ones. By changing your routines, you not only shock your muscles to new growth, it will also prevent boredom by doing the same thing all the time.

Chris Chew is an American Muscle and Fitness Institute Singapore based personal trainer. He trains models, pageant winners, actors and other celebrities to look great in their glamorous professions.Presently, he is running a local fitness school at www.sgfitnessonline.com and written an ebook “Burn Fat Build Muscles Fast” at www.sgfitness.com

Reader Views would like to welcome Zara Griswold, author
of “Surrogacy Was the Way,” a new and groundbreaking book presenting surrogacy’s possibilities through the inspirational true stories of twenty women. Zara, thanks for being with us today.

Juanita: Zara, tell us a little about your story and what inspired you to write “Surrogacy Was the Way;”

Zara: I had ovarian cancer when I was 23 years old (March, 1994) and this led to a total hysterectomy. Of course, my main concern at that point was the cancer, and wondering if I was indeed going to live, but once I found out that my prognosis was good, I became very depressed that I would never bear children. When I eventually met and married my husband, we always planned to adopt, and attended two separate adoption orientations. The first one (we were living in Michigan at
the time) was about six months before our wedding, and they told us we would need to be married
for one year before we signed up with the agency. The second one (we moved back to Illinois) was
around our one year anniversary, and they told us we would have to be married for two years to
work with this agency. I felt totally helpless and as if I had no control over when we started building
our family. At this point, my husband and I were both 31 years old and we had been together for five
and a half years.

When I started researching the topic, I found several Online support groups. As I met other women
who were turning to Surrogacy and asked them, “what brought you to surrogacy,” (and they asked
me the same question) I became totally fascinated with the stories they told me - I thought it was so
incredible that so many people have been through so much to have children. I thought it would be
great to have a book out there that documented a variety of stories - to tell what other people “went
through” to have children (pre-surrogacy), what led them to surrogacy (how they made the decision
to go the surrogacy route) and then to touch on, of course, how their actually surrogacy journey
went and see how things ultimately turned out.

Juanita: Why is surrogacy such a controversial topic?

Zara: Because people don’t know much about it. People assume that the surrogate can keep the
baby and that type of thing. It’s just a very foreign concept to most people. Also, some believe that if
you can’t have children, you should adopt.

Juanita: Do you address legalities and contracts in “Surrogacy Was the Way?”

Zara: Not in depth. If an intended mother refers to the contract phase, it may be mentioned. Some
intended mothers discuss briefly whether surrogacy is legal in their state/country or if it’s legal but
compensating a surrogate is not, that type of thing. It would be difficult to discuss this in great detail
because the laws are different in every state and in various countries. The method of addressing any
issue in the book (from legalities, to emotional aspects, etc.) is through the stories themselves. If a
particular person chooses to go into detail about any topic in particular, it will be in the story.

Juanita: What are some of the reasons women explore surrogacy?

Zara: Speaking for myself, I wanted to experience a pregnancy from “beginning to end.” I felt a
tremendous hole within because of my hysterectomy, and I felt that with surrogacy (unlike adoption)
I could be included in the pregnancy from the moment of conception, throughout the pregnancy and
birth experience. I wanted to go to ultrasound appointments, I wanted to see our surrogate’s belly
getting bigger and bigger, that type of thing. I’ve heard other women say the same thing - that the
benefit of surrogacy as that you can experience the entire pregnancy along with the surrogate.
Another benefit for many, is the fact that (usually) either both parents or at least one parent has the
opportunity to have a biological child. In my case, we used an egg donor, but we were able to use
my husband’s sperm. I wanted him to have the chance to pass on his genetics, even if I could not.
In most cases of gestational surrogacy, the intended mother (mother to be) is able to use her own
eggs, and the intended father can use his sperm, so the baby/ies is biologically related to both parents
- it’s just carried by another person. In other cases, (such as my situation), if an egg donor is used,
then at least the intended father can use his sperm and have a genetic child. In the case of
Traditional surrogacy, the surrogate is also the biological mother to the child, but still, in most cases,
the intended father’s sperm is used. Even when a sperm donor is used (this is much more rare) and
nobody is biologically related, people still like the option of surrogacy because they feel they have
“some” control (i.e., choosing the genetics, planning the surrogacy). People like the fact that the
embryo/baby is created with “intent.”

Juanita: How will “Surrogacy Was the Way” help couples in their decision-making process
considering surrogacy?

Zara: It will give them a realistic viewpoint into what it is like to be an intended mother - the mother
to be in a surrogacy situation…the good, the bad and the ugly. They won’t just learn about the “rosy”
side of surrogacy, they will see that sometimes the road can be rather bumpy. But, they will also learn
about many women who faced many obstacles along the way, who ultimately did end up having a
child (or more) through surrogacy. After reading the book, some may feel that surrogacy is not for
them, and that’s okay. Some may decide to do some more research into the subject after reading the
book. Others may read it and say, “I can do this!” and decide they definitely want to pursue the
surrogacy path. Either way, by reading about the journeys of others (all true stories) people will have
more information to help them put their thoughts together and determine what they want to do.

Juanita: Is your book as helpful and insightful for the surrogate mother?

Zara: Yes, I think many surrogates (or potential surrogates) will finally get a true vision of what it’s
like to be on the “other side.” Maybe this will help surrogates (or potential surrogates) understand a
little more how difficult it can be for couples who have experienced infertility.

Juanita: What are some of the pitfalls/hardships common in the process for both the expectant
parents and the surrogate mother?

Zara: For some, it’s hard just to find the right person - or for the surrogate, to find the right couple
to help, (the matching process). Once this happens, sometimes the “contract phase” can be hairy.
This is when the couple and the surrogate are agreeing on the terms of the contract. Sometimes
people will not agree on things (i.e., how much $ per week the surrogate will get if she goes on
bedrest, that type of thing) Throughout the pregnancy, it’s difficult for the surrogate sometimes if she
feels she is not appreciated, if, for example, her couple isn’t contacting her as much as they led her to
believe they would - of if they don’t seem as interested in going to doctor appt’s and such as they
initially led her to believe. The other side, is when the intended parents are too overbearing… this can
be irritating to the surrogate because she may not feel she is being trusted. For the intended parents,
it’s difficult to relinquish the control of the pregnancy. It’s difficult to “sit back” for 9-10 months
and cross your fingers that everything is going to be okay - even when you trust your surrogate
completely. It’s a hard situation because the intended mother typically wishes she could be the
pregnant one - and sometimes disagrees with things the surrogate does or doesn’t do, but isn’t sure if
she should say anything because she doesn’t want to come across as “controlling.” It can be a tricky
situation.

Juanita: What are some of the ‘cons’ for parents in choosing surrogacy over other options such as
adoption?

Zara: One con, is that since you KNOW about the pregnancy from beginning to end so if you are
the type of person who worries (like myself) you spend a lot of time worrying that something bad
will happen to the pregnancy (miscarriage etc.) or that something will go wrong. With adoption,
most of the time you don’t know about the baby until the birth mother is close to delivering, so while
you may worry about her changing her mind and such, it’s a different kind of worry and (usually) for
a shorter amount of time. The other con, is that if the IVF transfer doesn’t work, couples will spend
lots of money attempting pregnancy over and over again. So surrogacy can definitely be more costly
than adoption. But if the IVF transfer works within the first or second try, and the surrogate is
charging “reasonable” compensation, sometimes surrogacy doesn’t cost much more than adoption
(and sometimes it even costs less… especially if you are considering an international adoption)

Juanita: How important is a support network for surrogate mothers, and expectant parents?

Zara: HUGELY important. I cannot stress this enough. If the surrogate is married, her husband
(especially) must be supportive of the pregnancy/surrogacy. If he’s not, she probably isn’t a good
candidate. Expectant parents really need to lean on each other too - it’s a very stressful (albeit
exciting) time. In addition to friends and family, people can find support Online in today’s age of
modern technology (thank goodness!) and I definitely recommend that both intended parents and
surrogates take advantage of this. I am forever grateful that I was able to rely on women I met
Online for support…both other intended mothers and surrogates.

Juanita: What aspect regarding surrogacy is there the biggest lack of information for everyone
involved?

Zara: That sometimes people don’t realize how they are going to feel once there is a pregnancy.
Especially for intended parents - sometimes people don’t realize what is going to concern them once
someone has their baby/ies in her belly. This is definitely addressed in the book - again, so people
can get a realistic view of what emotions they may experience. It’s the same thing for the
surrogate…she needs to really think about what it means to her to have the responsibility of helping
people to become parents, and what it may be like for the intended parents. People need to realize
that we are all human, and there are a lot of complicated emotions that both surrogates and intended
parents experience. It’s important that surrogates and intended parents can be open with each other
without stepping on each others toes.

Juanita: How do people go about finding a surrogate mother?

Zara: These are the three most common ways: (not in any particular order)

1) the Internet

2) Surrogacy agency

3) Asking a friend or family member

Juanita: Is there any type of therapy required or recommended for everyone involved in this
process?

Zara: Anybody who goes through an infertility clinic (which is basically everybody who does
surrogacy, unless they opt to do at-home inseminations in the case of Traditional surrogacy) HAS to
have psychological screening done; both the intended parents, the surrogate and the surrogate’s
husband if she is married. The surrogate also has to take a MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory). This is a series of questions with yes or no answers, and it measures things about the
surrogates personality to help determine if she is a good candidate.

Most surrogacy agencies also offer the option of group counseling for the surrogates if they are
interested. And I don’t know how many intended mothers/parents do go to therapy throughout the
surrogate pregnancies, but I’d assume there are people that do, just because (as I mentioned above)
this can be a very stressful time.

Juanita: Have you researched or interviewed any children born through surrogacy and if so, what
were their thoughts?

Zara: No, but I’d love to someday.

Juanita: What is the common thread theme throughout the stories of the twenty women in your
book?

Zara: That regardless of what “brought” them to surrogacy, regardless of what their physical
condition was and what their histories are, regardless of the hurdles they encountered along the way,
that with persistence, determination and faith, they all achieved their dreams. Every woman who tells
her story does indeed end up having a child or more through surrogacy, and every women does
eventually experience the joys of holding that baby (or more) in their arms.

Juanita: Please let your readers know how they may contact you or get additional information.

Zara: www.zaragriswold.npauthors.com is my website on my publisher’s website, and is where the
book can be purchased. I also have a website that will eventually turn into an informational resource
for surrogacy/infertility: www.surrogacywastheway.com
Finally, my email address is: SurrogacyBook@comcast.net

Juanita: Zara, you have written an eye-opening, honest, and highly informative book that will serve
as a great resource for people wanting more information regarding surrogacy. Thank you for taking
time out to speak with us today. Do you have any last thoughts for your readers?

Zara: Thanks! I just hope the book helps people who are at a “cross roads” determine whether
surrogacy may be a good choice for them. I hope that it gives them a realistic vision of what the
possible scenarios are when going through surrogacy to have children. Most of all, I hope that it
helps people realize that when facing infertility, or trying to determine how to create or add to a
family, that there are so many options available in today’s day and age.

Juanita Watson is the Assistant Editor for Reader Views
http://www.readerviews.com