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пятница, 30 июня 2017 г.

Fidget Spinners – Crazy Fad or Real Help for Those With Autism and ADHD?

They’re the hottest thing around, said to reduce stress and help those with autism and ADHD relieve anxiety and stay focused. Fidget spinners are also promoted as tools to help those with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental conditions. But do fidget spinners live up to the hype? Or, is the fidget spinner craze simply the latest fad that will barely be remembered this time next year?

Image by pexels

What is a Fidget Spinner?

Fidget spinners are hand-held toys that look a bit like the top of an electric shaver. Users hold the spinner between their fingers and spin. A satisfying whir sound occurs as the toy spins away, kind of like the spinning tops of old. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? So why the controversy?

Before the Fidget Spinner

Fidgeting is a human activity. If you’ve ever bent a paperclip out of shape during a meeting, doodled on a pad when you’re supposed to be working, rapidly moved your foot back and forth, played with your hair, popped Bubble Wrap or bitten the end of your writing pen, you’ve fidgeted. If you’re human, you’ve fidgeted. Fidget spinners aren’t the first invention designed to relieve stress and turn fidgeting into a positive activity.

One of the most common stress relief gadgets that’s been around for a long time is the stress ball. Stress balls are widely used by people who work in offices because they are small and easily fit in a desk drawer. The balls are made of soft clay or gel material. Squeezing and relaxing the ball in your hand releases tension, works your hand and arm muscles, stimulates nerves and diverts focus. Studies have shown an adult’s brain releases endorphins while using a stress ball which then improves overall mood.

Other stress relievers on the market long before fidget spinners include twistable tubs, desk sculpting toys and more recently, colouring books for adults. Another product that’s been on the market designed for children with ADHD, autism and high anxiety levels is the Monkey Fidgetz. The toy consists of eight strips of bpa-free plastic, each strip containing a marble. Manipulating the marble inside the strip provides a pleasing and calming tactile experience. But none of these products became as popular as quickly or caused such a firestorm of controversy as the fidget spinner.

Why Kids and Adults Love Fidget Spinners

In mid-May of this year, every single toy on Amazon’s top 10 best-seller list was some form of the fidget spinner. Parents and kids are crafting their own at home, some handcrafting and others using 3D printers. And, people are having fun. You can find numerous YouTube videos that show people doing all kinds of tricks and amazing feats with fidget spinners.

OK, spinners are fun. But, what about the psychological aspects? Do spinners really help people focus? In short, if you’re asking about adults in a work environment, the answer is yes.

Psychological studies indicate that adults seek to adjust their environment to the stimulation levels that works best for them. Everyone is different. The right amount of stimulation for one person is probably not the right level for the person in the next cubicle. Adequate stimulation varies periodically within individuals as well, depending on the task at hand.

Fidget spinners and other anxiety and stress reducing devices work on an individual level. So, if the question is whether spinners help working adults, the answer is yes.

What about kids? And what about those specifically mentioned as benefiting, such as children with autism and ADHD? The answer to these questions is more complicated.

Fidget Spinners: The Real Deal?

Organisations such as Sanjay Shah’s Autism Rocks and the National Autistic Society work hard to get the word out about autism, fund research, raise awareness and provide outreach for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. The problem that autism spectrum and other mental health organisations have is that there is little to no research to indicate the effectiveness of fidget spinners on children with autism.

There are anecdotal accounts that spinners and other fidget toys relieve anxiety in children and help them stay focused. The closest type of study was done in 2006. Sixth-grade students were given stress balls to use during independent study and direct study sessions. Researchers found that when stress balls were used, attention spans increased and writing skills improved. The students themselves believed stress balls improved their attitude and focus. It’s a promising, if not decisive, finding.

National Autistic Society Centre for Autism director Carol Povey believes fidget spinners off benefits for those on the autism spectrum. Povey explains, “Autistic children have a different way of experiencing the world around them. Many find it difficult to focus … having something that spins or twists can help to ground and balance them.” Povey admits that there is little research about how spinners work, but she believes anecdotally they do.

However, there are detractors. Children’s Learning Clinic at the University of Central Florida director Mark Rapport believes the spinner-like gadget is a distraction rather than a benefit for ADHD children. And herein lies the debate.

What’s the Big Deal?

The fidget spinner seems harmless, even if it doesn’t do exactly what it purports, so why is it being banned in schools across the UK and the U.S.? Because fidget spinners are causing the very problem they seek to relieve. And that’s distractions in the classroom.

The BBC interviewed a primary school teacher who pointed out that fidget spinners are included in the school’s budget but only for those children identified by specialists as requiring them. Unfortunately, because everyone has a fidget spinner these days, children who don’t need them to relieve anxiety and achieve better focus bring them to school and cause widespread distractions. Banning these students from bringing them to school has, so far, been the solution.

And, the Answer Is…

The jury is still out about the overall effectiveness of fidget spinners. Further research is required before there are definitive answers. In all probability, spinners will work well for some on the autism spectrum and ADHD sufferers and not so well for others. Individuals have their own personalities, sets of skills and challenges and each requires a different avenue to cope.

Beat Home-Selling Stress With These 7 Tips

Selling a home is an emotional experience. The run-up to the sale—preparing, listing and showing the home—is downright taxing. Even the most even-keeled homeowners struggle under the weight of the presale workload.

As any real estate or mortgage professional will tell you, listing and showing your own home is a stressful process. It’s an important time to be mindful of your mental and physical status.

What can you do to ensure that you don’t become a casualty of your move? Follow these seven simple tips to reduce presale stress and get ready for the next phase of your family’s life.

Image by Pexels

1. Stick to a Regular Sleep Schedule

How important is a regular sleep schedule? Very.

“With regular daily activities, our various body systems are able to prepare for and anticipate events. We naturally become more alert closer to our wake-up time. Our digestive systems become activated in advance of regular meal times in order to more efficiently process food. We start to relax and become sleepy prior to bedtimes,” writes Natalie Dautovich, environmental scholar at the National Sleep Foundation. “It turns out that these regular daily events serve to anchor our underlying daily rhythms.”

Selling your home shouldn’t be the impetus for establishing and maintaining a regular sleep schedule. In fact, the time to get started is probably before the presale crunch, when starting any new routine is going to be tough.

2. Listen to Your Agent

Your agent has been around the block before—maybe literally. Don’t be shy about seeking out his or her advice as you prepare for listing. Remember, agents have an incentive to give honest, seller-friendly feedback: The higher your final selling price, the juicier their commission. Letting your agent dictate the ebbs and flows of the selling process takes a big weight off your shoulders.

3. Let the Pros Handle What They Can

Your agent is a pro. So are the contractors, stagers, underwriters and other professionals whose efforts are essential to a smooth sale. Trust them to do their jobs, don’t take on DIY projects that you don’t have to, and avoid micromanaging their activities—or you’ll simply add unnecessary stress to the equation.

4. Take the Occasional Break

Remember to rest. Even if you’re letting the pros handle what they’re paid to do, the preparation process is still apt to be a whirlwind of meetings, phone calls and tough executive decisions that you’re sure to second-guess later. You don’t get participation points for sending your body into the red. Pay close attention to your physical and mental energy levels, and don’t hesitate to call timeout when things get too heated.

5. Don’t Sweat the Little Things

Easy to say, hard to do—but absolutely crucial to your mental health during the lead-up to your sale. Don’t sweat the slightly off-center vase on your mantle or the stray dog hair clinging to your living room carpet. Focus on the big picture: your listing schedule, open houses, private showings, negotiations and the like. The more you get caught up in the details, the more likely you are to miss something you really should be worried about.

6. Focus on What You Do Best

Don’t try to do everything yourself. Rather, focus your energies on doing what you do best. That might mean deep-cleaning your house in preparation for staging, helping the stagers set everything up just so, or taking a keen interest in your garden after years of neglect. If you avoid trying to do too much and instead concentrate on doing one or two things well, your efforts will make a difference.

7. Celebrate the Process

The ordeal isn’t done until you hand over the keys on closing day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate key milestones on the road to the sale.

“Success … marks the endpoint to a very long journey filled with monumental ups and downs along the way,” says Nicola Corzine, executive director at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. “Milestones are the drivers of meaningful success, and the hurdles and strides they require should be celebrated along the way as they’re achieved.”

Mark key moments during the selling process with small but meaningful signifiers: a “treat yourself” massage on the day your house hits the market, a celebratory glass of wine on the patio when you receive your first offer, a modest meal out when you accept the (fingers crossed) final offer. Save the big bash for your new home’s housewarming if you wish, but don’t forget to look up from your work every once in a while before then.

четверг, 22 июня 2017 г.

Nutrisystem Diet: Wight Loss Made Simpler Or Trickier

Research shows the direct way of targeting the stubborn body fat is not exercise, but diet. Simply put, the old school approach of reducing calorie intake has stood the test of time and you need to monitor the calories you are taking in. That is quite a feat to count every single calorie that you put in your mouth. Without proper guidance and motivation, you simply give up, considering how tedious the weight loss routine can get. Nutrisystem diet can fill the void and make your weight loss plans successful.

What is Nutrisystem?

Well, it’s not a crash diet or a new dieting fad, it is a complete system, which solves the most troublesome problem while losing weight i.e. calorie counting. Nutrisystem diet delivers ready to eat and sometimes pre-cooked meals (that require heating) right at your doorstep, which are designed according to your goal. The portion size and calories of each meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, are kept according to your weight loss ambition and the package you have selected.

Image Credit: Mike Mozart

There are over 150 food items, in ‘uniquely yours’ package, available at Nutrisystem. With tailor-made packages designed for vegetarians, diabetics and for age above 60, you can surely find the one best suited to you. You can also tailor your package as per guidance from their online counsellor.

How Does Nutrisystem Diet System Work?

Nutrisystem diet doesn’t rely on some magic pill and exhaustive exercises, instead they recommend only 30 minutes training or moderate activity daily, and that too is not a must. The calorie counted meals follow strict guidelines of their nutritionists. The meals have a macro breakdown of 50% carbs, low to moderate GI, 25% protein and 25% fats. Additionally, they guide via a shiny leaflet about what you need to purchase and consume from a grocery store, mainly veggies and proteins. That’s about it, if you stick to the meals they provide, you can lose one pound each week. On the other hand, if you start their ‘Lean 13’ plan, you can lose anywhere from 10 to 13 pounds (for women).

It is recommended to go with ‘turbo take off week’ for the first week, and then follow any other customized meal plan for the remaining 21 days. This will essentially restrict your calorie intake to 1000 calories daily for 7 days, using Nutrisystem’s shakes containing protein and probiotics to boost your immune and digestive systems. These are easily one of the most healthy drinks you can have/make.

How Much I Have to Dish Out?

The good news is, unlike other reputable meal plans you don’t have to pay registration fees and weekly subscription charges, you’ll only be paying for the meals.

The Basic meal plan starts at $9.82 per day, you will be restricted to 1000 calories and can lose up to 10 pounds in a month. This plan is only for people who already have knowledge and experience of dieting and going on such a low-calorie intake.

The ‘Core’ plan starts at $10.54 a day, and you can select your meals from 100 different foods along with guidance from an online counsellor.

‘Uniquely yours’ is the most customizable package, which starts at $11.96 a day. With it you get to choose from a wide variety of 150 food items and get personalized counselling. If that’s something out of your budget, you can use Nutrisystem Coupon Codes to get great discounts.

In essence, you can end up spending anywhere from $250 to north of $350 in a month. But rest assured that what you are eating is good quality balanced diet with fiber to suppress craving and protein to keep you healthy and full. Moreover, they don’t use four of the most widely despised ingredients; hydrogenated oil, aspartame, high fructose corn syrup and MSG.

Does Nutrisystem Diet Suit all?

It has done wonders for most, but obviously you shouldn’t expect miraculous results. Most researches published on Nutrisystem is funded by the company itself, so going by their claims is not entirely logical. But the premise on which they operate and design their meals is the only viable solution for weight loss.

Additionally, children under age, pregnant mothers and people suffering from kidney disorders need to stay away from the Nutrisystem diet system. It is well suited for diabetics and people suffering from high blood pressure, as it is low in sodium and relies on low GI carbs. But again, for these specific people, there are better (more expensive) meal options available nowadays.

There is a reason WebMd described Nutrisystem diet as ‘the ultimate in convenience’ and usnews.com ranked it at #5 as ‘best commercial diet plan’ and #11 as ‘easiest diets to follow’.

среда, 14 июня 2017 г.

The Value of Hair Regrowth Systems for Women

Women have unique hair needs. So if they begin to lose their hair, they need a unique system to help regrow it successfully. Without a unique system specifically designed to meet women’s needs, the hair regrowth treatment might not achieve the desired results.

The great thing about high-value hair regrowth products is that they actually work. Some people might not necessarily experience the desired result, because everyone is different, but many women have had great success regrowing their hair with valuable hair regrowth systems.

With that said, we’ll now take a look at the value and main benefits of using hair regrowth systems specifically designed for women. You will experience tremendous benefits and ultimately regrow your hair so it’s much thicker, fuller, and a lot more manageable.

Image by pexels

1. Experience New Hair Growth

A lot of women reading this might not necessarily be suffering from the signs of baldness but you very well could have thinning hair. When your hair is thinning, it often looks stringy, occasionally greasy, and ultimately it’s a lot more unmanageable.

Instead of going through life with a thin head of hair, you can take the necessary steps to treat this condition and experience new hair growth. You do not have to suffer for the rest of your life with thinning locks. On the contrary, you can take advantage of a powerful hair regrowth system that will allow you to experience a thicker head of hair given enough time.

It may seem like a miracle to some, but these hair care products often work wonders. It’s up to you to find one that actually works and helps women achieve thicker, fuller bodied hair. These results will amaze you and you’ll feel like a million bucks once your thicker head of hair starts growing again.

According to Keranique, a company developing effective hair growth products for women, “The Complete Keranique Hair Regrowth System is a four piece kit that marries both the science of clinically proven hair regrowth treatment with true premium hair care for thicker, fuller, healthier looking, more manageable and more beautiful hair instantly.”

2. Protects against Future Damage

Now that you have a full head of hair again, you absolutely intend to look your best. More often than not, looking your best requires the use of styling tools and other products that could unfortunately damage your beautiful hair.

When you use an effective hair regrowth system, the ingredients in the product will prevent and protect against future damage. This will help you keep your gorgeous head of hair intact without worrying about suffering negative consequences.

3. Strengthens and Thickens Existing Hair

If you are suffering from the signs of baldness, your existing hair may need some additional help to stay healthy. The valuable products in a hair regrowth system will do just that. They will thicken and strengthen your existing hair by using vitamins, minerals, and other natural ingredients to help keep it healthy and intact.

Conclusion

As you can see, hair regrowth systems for women are incredibly effective. If you are suffering from female baldness, it’s in your best interest to give them a try.

пятница, 30 июня 2017 г.

What is a Fidget Spinner?

Before the Fidget Spinner

Why Kids and Adults Love Fidget Spinners

Fidget Spinners: The Real Deal?

What’s the Big Deal?

And, the Answer Is…

1. Stick to a Regular Sleep Schedule

2. Listen to Your Agent

3. Let the Pros Handle What They Can

4. Take the Occasional Break

5. Don’t Sweat the Little Things

6. Focus on What You Do Best

7. Celebrate the Process

четверг, 22 июня 2017 г.

What is Nutrisystem?

How Does Nutrisystem Diet System Work?

How Much I Have to Dish Out?

Does Nutrisystem Diet Suit all?

среда, 14 июня 2017 г.

1. Experience New Hair Growth

2. Protects against Future Damage

3. Strengthens and Thickens Existing Hair

Conclusion

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