August 2001
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In this issue:
It is amazing that all over the world, from Johannesburg to Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur and Nicosia to Mumbai, people are riveted to their television sets watching soap operas and Jerry Springer, to see how other people live and make these shows an integral part of their lives.
In our humble opinion people watch soap operas so as to feel part of the "smart set" and watch Jerry Springer to feel better about their own lives. Some people will not agree with our statement, but we do believe that there is merit in it.
In saying this, we have also found that most people do not see themselves as beautiful, handsome or exciting. For those, life is drudgery instead of it being a daily challenge to make the most of the day and to enjoy it to the utmost.
To be considered "beautiful" or "handsome" is a very basic urge of every single human being, and very few people can profess that beauty is not important to them. Beautiful people on the whole are perceived as more exciting, successful, clever, ambitious etc. etc. than their "uglier" cousins.
It is amazing to see how people change when they decide that they are worthwhile and beautiful and when they need no outside validation from this world to give their life meaning.
When you follow Anthony Robbins's instruction on taking charge of your life, he makes you do an exercise where you need to walk around a room and have a make-believe cloak around your shoulders. This simple exercise is a great way to make people aware how subtle changes in your own mind's perception can change the way you handle yourself.
In the previous company in which I worked we had a very plain and rather mousy looking woman, who suddenly bloomed overnight when she fell in love and found a man that loved her. She had a sudden change in confidence, radiance AND she started looking after her appearance.
Recently, in my own family, a member ran herself down totally, because she was trying to do everything for everybody else just to find validation for her own life by creating a "needed" feeling.
Although I do not expect everybody to believe in the Holy Bible, the one rule that states "love your neighbor like yourself" really translates that you need to love yourself, before you can love others. The love referred to here, is not a narcissistic love, but a true love, to be comfortable and secure with yourself.
Some people might say that it is easier for others to look at themselves and to think of themselves as beautiful, but that it is difficult to feel beautiful when you see all the imperfections (warts-and-all) staring back at you in the mirror.
On a superficial level that is true, yet, if you build a strong, vivacious, positive and resilient attitude to life, that is more likely to be remembered by people than that less-than-perfect nose or cheekbones.
Although I referred to a "superficial level of beauty" in the previous paragraph, do not think that I consider outward and apparent beauty as unimportant - because it is important, and many a person's self confidence is never fully developed because of "beauty" defects.
Smaller defects can easily be hidden with proper grooming, and although major defects may need surgery, it is also not so unattainable as most people think. If you really desire something with your heart and soul, and positively work towards it, you can achieve it.
So the problem with beauty is two-fold - the grooming plus the mental attitude.
Only when you achieve this loved feeling of yourself, can you really start feeling bold and beautiful, since you then can feel comfortable with who you are, what you have and your own life destiny.
Although some people lament the idea that we are brainwashed into thinking that being thin is glamorous, it is however a fact of life that being overweight is unhealthy and carries a selection of health risks.
Many people have a struggle to keep their weight down, while others have a problem with over-dieting and then start having problems like anorexia nervosa or bulimia.
We might not all look like catwalk models, nor should we, as very few people actually have the bone structure to be that thin.
There are many charts and ways to determine your ideal weight, but subconsciously we know when we are overweight and when we are the correct weight.
Going on fad diets does not work, since you put back the kilos when you stop the fad diet, and you also run the risk of malnutrition when going on severe fad diets.
We personally have found that our Éclat Diet works very well, as a selection of foods are eaten, and proteins and carbohydrates are never combined in a meal. (You can obtain your FREE copy of the diet by sending a blank e-mail to diet@anyvitamins.com)
A good weight-loss supplement can help you lose weight, if it is well formulated to supply balanced nutrients while also supplying lipotropic (fat burning) ingredients.
Some weight loss formulas contain only lipotropic ingredients, which will only assist in the short term, but do little to help achieve and maintain your ideal weight.
Taking formulas and appetite suppressants that contain harmful ingredients may suppress your appetite, but will leave you with some pretty scary side effects and can also damage your health in various ways.
After a major back operation to repair discs from an external injury I learned the value of a very simple exercise and in doing so it also trims down your stomach very effectively.
This principle has also been turned into a commercial device, which you strap around your stomach - but it really is so simple that you can do it without the gadget.
When walking or driving, walk or sit upright with your back straight (do NOT slouch).
Pull in your stomach muscles towards your back and keep there for a count of twenty, relax for ten seconds and repeat it four times.
This exercise can be done as often as you think about it (that is where the little gadget comes in handy) or you can make up your own rules - you could for instance do the exercise every time you see the color red - be that a red traffic light, fire hydrant, red sweater etc.
This might sound too easy to be effective, but try doing it regularly, and you will be amazed at the results.
In the beginning it might be difficult to pull your stomach in and you may feel that you are not achieving anything, but with perseverance you will eventually feel that the muscles are toning up and firming.
Another point often overlooked is the amount of water that you drink when losing weight.
A simple rule of 6 glasses may not work for everybody, so rather work it out the following way - take your weight (say 65 kilograms) divide by 8 and the result (in this case 8.125) is the amount of glasses of water you should drink per day. (To translate pounds to kilograms divide pounds by 2.2 to get to your weight in kilograms)
Above are some simple ideas on weight loss and dieting, but please remember - if you have a medical problem or concern, always discuss it with your licensed medical practitioner.
Other articles of interest 
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