Author drstaceynaito

Oatmeal…For Your Houseplants?

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I love this recommendation which Tess Panzer makes on her article, “3 Easy DIY Ways to Rescue Your Dying Houseplants” on Yahoo! Makers! She suggests giving houseplants a dose of dry oats every month to provide nutrients. Fantastic!

Original post: https://www.yahoo.com/makers/3-easy-diy-ways-to-rescue-your-dying-houseplants-164754287.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma

You know how a big bowl of oatmeal in the morning makes you feel like you could tackle anything? It makes you stand up taller, think harder, and focus more clearly. Well, your plant feels the same. Adding oatmeal to your plant’s soil gives it a burst of nutrients, including iron and phosphorous, that will help plants flourish.

Materials:

2-3 tablespoons Oatmeal
Instructions:

1. Add 2-3 tablespoons of oatmeal to the soil of your plant and water.
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2. Repeat every month.
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Vampire Fixation

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bela lugosi

From the time I was a child, I have loved vampire films. I truly enjoyed watching Bela Lugosi portray Dracula in the 1931 classic, despite the fact that my mother was concerned that I might get too spooked by watching such a film. Instead of being spooked, I progressed to the films which Christopher Lee starred in, which were these three films:

Count Dracula
Dracula Has Risen From The Grave
Scars Of Dracula

I was mesmerized by vampirism and the concept of eternal, yet damned, life. The concept of a blood meal never grossed me out like it did some of the other children.

I continued to enjoy vampire films, and include these films among my vampire favorites:
Underworld
Blade
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Underworld
Underworld: Evolution
Van Helsing

However, you could never convince me that the Twilight Saga had any cinematic merit. Those films were complete garbage, and I could never really understand how such abysmal actors such as Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner could inspire such a cultish following.

For those of you who are fascinated with vampire films, here is a link to a list of all the vampire films made. Enjoy!

http://www.ranker.com/list/all-vampire-movies-list-of-vampire-movies-and-vampire-films/all-genre-movies-lists?page=4

Life Is Never Boring

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Any time I hear someone complain about how predictable, steady and boring life is, I chuckle, because I have never been able to make that statement about my own life. This doesn’t mean that my life is unstable, but that I have always had so much going on that there hasn’t been time for boredom to set in. I truly am CONSTANTLY doing something, and I have a habit of packing a lot into each day. I understand that some people are stuck in boring jobs, so I am thankful that I love being a physician, and love the environments in which I work. I am fortunate to be involved in pursuits which I am passionate about, and which give me an incredible sense of fulfillment. Whether I am doctoring, writing articles, modeling, doing booth work, creating nutrition and workout regimens, or working on business strategies or branding, so much is going on inside my head that I couldn’t possibly get bored.

I will admit that aspects of my regular daily routine could be seen by others as a bit dull, since I head to the gym around the same time, and I usually spend weeknights writing. However, I typically cram so much stuff in between those activities that I spend the entire day rushing around, trying to get it ALL done. The overachiever in me can’t seem to let go of the notion that the best days are the ones in which all the important items on the to do list are checked off. Even on the weekends, I spend the majority of my time trying to catch up on articles and plans which I wasn’t able to get to during the week.

Another feature of my life is that I wear so many hats that I have to constantly shift gears. Though it puts a lot of pressure on me, I prefer to have a lot of variety in my day, talking about medicine, fitness, skincare, nutrition, and business. My nerves can get pretty frazzled from the endless list of things to do, but I know I wouldn’t be able to deal with sitting around all day with nothing to do. I think partially because I have chosen a number of very interesting fields to pursue, and partially because I seem to attract a lot of movement and energy, circumstances also seem to keep me on my toes, and also keep boredom at bay. About 25 years ago, I remember someone telling me that I moved at a high “burn rate”, that my spirit had a lot of karmic energy which would attract lots of activity and movement. Despite its mystical tone, the statement struck me, and I can honestly say that it fits the cadence of my entire life.

If you find that you are bored with your life, it’s time to examine what might be holding you in a rut. Maybe you watch a lot of television. If so, turn off the television and read a good book. If it has been months or even years since you exercised, join a gym and commit to a regular workout schedule. Go out with friends. If you have pockets of time in which you are looking for things to do, try exploring your city or town by visiting other neighborhood stores, parks and restaurants. Cultivate a new hobby. Volunteer.

You can turn a boring life into a fulfilling, fun, exciting one by doing new things. Have fun!

This Candy REALLY Isn’t For Me

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IMAG0259

I bought these bags of candy last week. No, I didn’t pick them up for trick-or-treaters, because we never get them up where I live. I also did not get them for myself, since I react to the cheaper chocolate based candies. I bought these for my almost 83 year old mother, who loves Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and who would be upset if I didn’t acknowledge her love of these candies on Halloween. How’s that for a role reversal?

Shut Up, I’m Trying To Concentrate!

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I-like-the-sound-you-make-when-you-shut-up

There are times when I need absolute silence in order to concentrate. Now that I write content almost daily, I deal with the constant challenges of coming up with new material, and allowing the creative process of writing to develop. Perhaps the most distracting thing I face when I am trying to focus is NOISE. Whether the noise is from people talking to each other, exercise equipment banging against the floor, car horns blaring, cats playing, doors opening or closing, or people constantly trying to talk to me, any noise except music (which I listen to through earbuds) will get me to the point where I get close to losing it.

I recently read that a group of psychologists at Northwestern University discovered that highly creative people tend to be more sensitive to noise than the average person. I digested this information with relish, since I certainly hope the fact that I can be easily annoyed by noise when I am in a creative mode is indicative of creative genius, or at least something close! The assertion that creative types are more easily distracted by noise is demonstrated by great novelists like Proust, who apparently would sequester himself in his small apartment, donning earplugs and drawing the blinds while he wrote.

Cat shutting dog up

Basically, I think the general rule of thumb should be that if someone tells you to pipe down, and the person is clearly trying to focus, then SHUT UP!

Personal Fitness Training Is 90% Motivation

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Female+with+female+personal+trainer
I will never discount the value of a skilled fitness trainer, because I know the importance of having a strong foundation of knowledge in exercise principles and the ability to demonstrate proper form on exercises. However, all trainers must develop the ability to motivate their clients if they are to maintain a certain level of success in taking their clients to the next level and helping them to ultimately reach fitness goals.

I have to laugh when I see trainers who are basically just really good at counting when they are with their clients. One trainer I know of spends the entire session time blabbing on and on about all of his personal business, never instructing his clients, putting them on no-brainer machines, then interrupting his boring personal stories to count out reps. IMMEDIATELY after the client is done with a set, the trainer continues with his story! This has occurred, without fail, every single time I have been near him when he was at the gym training a client. In addition, he is seriously overweight! At least he recently began working out at the gym from time to time (not consistently), because he went for years without training at that gym, and it definitely showed. It blows my mind that he even has clients, because he does absolutely nothing whatsoever to motivate them. In addition, his clients NEVER transform. His physique doesn’t transform either. Sorry, but no trainer should look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

A trainer should be a cheerleader for clients, encouraging, motivating and challenging them. It isn’t enough to hold clients accountable for showing up for training sessions. Great trainers motivate clients to continue with consistent healthy choices both in and out of the gym. Great trainers also lead by example, and focus on their clients instead of wasting energy during a training session by talking about themselves. Whenever I am training a client and the client asks me personal questions, my answers are brief and punctuated with, “I’ll tell you more after the training session is over”. How can I expect my clients to focus on their workout routines if I spend time gossiping about my personal life? I honestly think that there should be a veil of mystery when it comes to a trainer’s personal life in order to preserve the trainer-client relationship. Though the trainer-client rapport is very important, I firmly believe that the focus should ALWAYS be on the client. After all, the client is the one paying for the expertise of the trainer, and deserves to be the center of attention for the 55 minutes allotted.

Training For Life – REPOST

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White and Red Noel

I think this article is worth reposting, because I have been asked recently by a number of people what I am training for. Though I am not training for an IFBB Pro Bikini contest right now, I am ALWAYS training. I honestly do train for life! Read on to see what I discussed in my original post.

Over the past few weeks I have heard a few competitors state that they plan to completely stop weight training for a few weeks because they are burnt out on prepping for competitions. While I agree that taking some time off can be a good thing, taking several weeks off seems like complete madness to me. Though I get a kick out of people who have this on-again, off-again attitude with respect to training, I am more disturbed than amused by such an attitude because it is in stark opposition to my attitude towards training.

My attitude towards training stems from the fact that I train for life, not for the stage per se. I increase the number of workouts before a big contest, but I never hang up my training hat for more than a couple of days at a time. Why? Because I truly love training, and I strive to remain consistent with my conditioning. I also ensure that I will be shoot ready whenever the need arises. I have had last minute calls to shoot and never have to worry that I will not be camera worthy.

It blows my mind how many people have asked me if I plan to stop training now that I have earned my IFBB Pro Card. I didn’t train hard to get my Pro Card just so I could let it all go to mush! If anything, I have even more reason to uphold the level of conditioning which has taken years for me to achieve. You won’t see me avoiding the gym or eating tons of bad foods, because I have every intention of honoring the status I have earned. It’s back to the gym for me!

dumbbells

How A Bad Internet Connection Can Ruin a Day

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no-internet-access-in-windows-8

Have you ever had the kind of day in which you needed a steady internet connection, only to have a very unreliable connection mess up all your plans to get massive amounts of work done? We have become so dependent on worldwide connectivity that even a minute of lost connection can send us into a panic. I will admit that I get very upset (well, don’t you?) when I am prepared to send out an important email but am unable to because the internet connection has decided to crap out right at that moment. I may even throw a mini tizzy if I can’t get an image to load on Instagram after multiple attempts. It seems kind of silly that a poor internet connection can turn one’s mood sour and even trigger arguments, but it occurs with alarming frequency.

The fact is, we are extremely spoiled. We have grown to expect, even DEMAND, that the world’s resources be available in a split second, right at our fingertips. We are so impatient that we can’t accept the fact that at times, we might not be able to access or transfer data around the world. Yes, the internet isn’t perfect. But it’s important to remember that the massive network of networks which comprises the internet not only zig zags all over the earth, but also extends into space.

internet-diagram

Inconsistent internet connections can actually be devastating for businesses these days, because the internet is used for communication (emails and Skype, for example), and many companies are also reliant on online purchasing portals. If those online stores become unavailable for minutes or hours, the financial impact could be substantial.

What makes all of this even worse is that the United States is notorious for having some of the slowest internet speeds, yet we pay a king’s ransom for internet service compared to other countries. For example, Hong Kong residents can get a 500Mbps symmetric fiber connection for a mere $25 per month. I don’t know about you, but I pay a heck of a lot more than that for a connection which is agonizingly slow at times, and which can weave in and out of connectivity throughout an entire day. I have actually left the house on a couple of occasions when our internet went out, but why should I have to lug my laptop around and hunt for an internet connection elsewhere (thank you Starbuck’s)? By nightfall, if the internet is still acting up, all I can do is cozy up with my cats and watch T.V. (unless that goes out too, in which case I am screwed).

If you want to read more on the subject of internet connectivity in the United States, click on the following link for a very entertaining article:

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/opinion/its-time-to-get-angry-about-your-crappy-internet-service/#ixzz3o8bpS66o

Globe with internet cable