Can working from home make you fat

There’s no denying that sitting on your butt all day can sabotage anyone’s health regime. But are people who work from home more susceptible to weight gain?
Working from home can have negative and positive effects on your weight.




On a negative note:

1. Too many hours in front of the computer. The average work at home business owner spends about 6 hours in front of the computer working. Those who juggle several clients or deal with admin responsibilities can work for over 12 hours. This doesn’t give you a lot of time to exercise.
However, not all that time is spent working. Net surfing takes up a lot of hours from a person’s day. We easily become absorbed in watching videos, participating on forums and chat sites, and reading blogs or browsing profiles on social network sites. All this contributes to a lack of exercise.

2. Tend to work late. A number of those who work at home have day jobs. They work on building their businesses in the evening, sometimes late in the evening. Not too many people want to come home from an eight hour job, work 3 more hours on a web business and find time to exercise.

3. Food is within easy reach. It’s not a long walk to the kitchen to grab a snack or to make a meal. This can lead to eating more throughout the day. If we all ate well, eating several snacks may not be a big deal but honestly speaking, do you reach for an apple every time you have a snack attack. Even supposed healthy snacks are loaded with sugars. Because food is easily within reach, and many people have poor snack habits, it’s easy for work at homers to put on a little more weight.

4. It is easier to obey all your cravings. Ever been sitting in front of your computer and you see a picture of a great looking dessert? Before you know it, you’re in your car driving to the nearest bakery. It is so much easier to give into cravings. You cannot leave whenever you like at an office job for a coffee run. Many jobs do not let you eat on the job. But without the need for permission, you are more likely to give into the demands of your taste buds.

5. Juggling too many things. Stress causes us to overeat, and eat poorly, and there are many things that can stress you out when you work from home. The biggest problem is being your own boss means wearing a lot of hats, especially if you are on a budget. If you are not organized, you can be susceptible to bad eating habits.

But it’s not all bad there are also positives to working from home




The positive side:

1. Easier to make healthy meals. You’re home. You can make hot, delicious, healthy meals. When you work out of the home you may not have time to make great lunches or even time to eat so you grab whatever is convenient. More times than none it’s something fattening. But making your lunch at home means you can consider ingredients and portions carefully.

2. More convenient to fit exercise into your schedule. If you work at home full time, there really is not an excuse to not exercise. You can step away from your desk when it’s best for you and go for a walk, run swim ect. There are even workouts you can do at your desk. It’s just about finding activities you like to do and fitting them into your schedule.

3. Less lunch dates. Let’s be honest, friends and clients can make you fat. The daily latte runs, the lunch meetings where the only thing being served are too many carbs with a side of oil, and my favorite, when all the coworkers gather at their favorite greasy and fatty joint. Maybe it isn’t that bad, but being around others makes you eat more. You may miss out on the office gossip but your waistline won’t suffer as much.

4. Positive attitude. People who own work at home businesses tend to have a holistic view about life. They treat themselves the way the treat their business. That is they want to make sure they perform just as well. This means taking care of themselves by eating and sleeping well, finding ways to reduce stress and maintaining a positive outlook. I know we all sound like a bunch of happy sappy go getters ;P

Working from home can be either positive or negative on your weight. You choose how you want to be affected.

Adelaide Kwaning

Lose Weight, Quit Smoking, Drop Addictions and Other Bad Habits

Has working from home affected your love life?

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I’m writing this as a single person, since at the moment I don’t really have what you call a boyfriend. I’ve never been a serial dater but I have had a date or two in my life. However, working from home has changed my dating pattern a bit. Maybe it’s all the things I have to do in a day, maybe I’ve turned into one of those careers vs love girls, or maybe I just don’t feel like it, but I’ve noticed working from home has affected my dating life and even social life. Now don’t get me wrong I am dating but since I started working from home it’s been different.

Here are some ways my work at home business has affected my dating life.

1.Far more interested in individuals who also work for themselves. It could be because they are better able to relate to the emotional highs and lows of being your own boss. I don’t discount guys who don’t work from home but I notice I’m dating more men who are at least interested in it.

2. Whereas a few years ago I would never meet a guy offline that I originally met online, it’s not such a big deal now. Working online teaches you to develop this weird sense of trust since you often do business with people you have never, and may never meet in person. Yes you still have to be cautious of meeting anyone offline but the possibility of having a decent relationship with someone has increased. If I can have a good business relationship with someone I originally met online then why not a love relationship.

3. Long term investment. Maybe it’s the age I’m now (early twenties) but I no longer want to date just so I can say “I had a date.” Just like how I only want to invest time and energy into a business venture with long term potential, it’s the same with the guys I date. If I sense early on he’s not interested in anything more than a fling, I don’t even bother.

4. Networking more. Everyone knows owning a business means networking and this can help your dating life a lot if you are looking. Not that every time I go to a function I find a love potential but meeting more people, especially those you have things in common with, helps to open a lot more door and windows for the potential of a date.

5. Flexible hours make for better dates. I can set aside my work and make some time for a guy I’m dating. If he has the day off I can meet him for lunch or we can see 2:00 movie or go for breakfast. It’s also nice that I don’t have to rush home (sometimes I do) or worry about getting up early for work tomorrow. This makes me feel a lot more relaxed and of course him as well.

6. You seem more interesting. Telling a guy what I do for a living makes him sit up and pay attention. Owning an online business, being a content provider, or social media expert are all new career realms. While most of my friends have bosses and work in a cubicle, I work for myself virtually anywhere. This is attractive to a lot of people. It takes a lot of confidence, self trust, and perseverance to work for yourself. I know I’ve been interested in meeting guys who worked their asses off to build high traffic blogs.

7. More open. It could be because of my increasing networking skills, but I’m more open to new experiences and types of people. I really take the time to listen and be present with the person I’m dating now more than before. This makes dating a lot more fun. Guys are more open and honest and every date seems great. This new found sense of openness and exploration has allowed me to just have better dates even if a long term relationship doesn't ensue.

8. Easy to become work obsessed. Because there are so many things to do, and each project takes so much focus, it’s easy to become self immersed and enter your own world where you can forget the rest of the world.

If I have a deadline or a launch I have no interest in meeting anyone. My friends can suddenly take a backseat to my career. I’ll still call them but I keep it decreases when I have a project. The last thing I want is lose focus.

People think, “You work from home; you can always get back to it.” But the truth is when a good idea comes and the motivation is there, the last thing you want is a distraction. The problem is, unless the guy also works for himself he can rarely understand why I’d rather stay in on a Saturday night and work then to go out with him.

These are just some of the ways working from home and being my own boss has changed the way I date and go about my love life. I’m interested in knowing how your love life has been affected since you started working from home. Has it even been affected? Maybe you’ve managed to remain the same and in that case I want to know about that.

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Is it the right time for that type of work at home business?

A couple days ago I completed an article that I was eager to publish. There are several places I submit articles and Bukisa happens to be one of them. However, each time I tried to upload the article I got an error.

At first I was a little frustrated. Then I took it as a sign that I kept getting an error message and decided not to publish there. That meant of course looking for another avenue, while I was in pursuit of the right place for the article I took a good look at the article and asked myself “is it really the right time for this kind of information?”

After careful consideration, I realized it would not matter where I submitted the article, it could be online or off, the readership would be low. The information didn’t fit what majority of people were interested in at the time. Sure there might have been a few people that might take notice and even appreciate it but not near enough. When you work hard on any piece you need to get the most out of it.

This doesn’t just apply to a one little article, but work at home business ideas as well. There have been a number of times I had to reign in an idea because I knew it wasn’t the right time.

Businesses that survive meet a need that people desire right now. In rare cases some businesses were able to predict what people would be looking for months prior and build a business that way. Regardless, your work at home business has to be in accordance with today’s market place.

What are people reading, watching, buying, and doing right this minute? What challenges are people facing right now? And does your home business idea solve the problem.

It’s pointless to launch a business that does not serve today’s audience. You’ll spend too much time trying to convince people it’s worthwhile. Why not find out what’s on the minds and hearts of individuals and then offer products and services to help them.

For example, the number of people traveling this summer has decreased significantly from last year, but those looking for vacation ideas and activities in and around their city have increased. Thus, it would make more sense to provide advice and resources for people in your area to have the best summer vacation they can than to write about traveling abroad.

Does this mean that if your idea doesn’t suit the marketplace you should scrap it completely? Absolutely not! Just like how my article will be of use later on so can your idea. Always keep your ideas and plans someplace safe for you to refer to again. This way you don’t miss an opportunity to carry them out.

To help you decide if your work at home business has thriving potential and meets today’s audience take a walk in a book store. Book stores are one of the best places to get a quick take on what is relevant and current today since most publishers will only risk publishing books they know meet the general public’s needs and taste. Also hang out in forums and social networking sites like twitter.

Twitter is a great place to do market research since many of the users will post random rants and raves of products, services and issues. You can search twitter’s trends to see what topics are being posted about the most.

Do the research and make sure that it is indeed that right time for your work at home business.

Marketing in a Recession? YES!

Is the current tough market the right time to be slashing your advertising budget? Not if you want your business to survive the economic downturn and lay the groundwork to thrive when the economy improves! Tough times may actually provide us our best opportunity to reach out to our customers with little or no competition because so many of our competitors are doing just the opposite of that in an attempt to save money.

During good times everyone has the money (and bravery) to seek out clients, creating an atmosphere of extreme competition where reaching the consumer with your message proves to be exceedingly difficult. NOW is the time to have faith in your product or service, to reach out to your customers and to secure your success now and into the future. And there are easy and cost effective ways of doing so.

There are some simple things that you can do. Everyone knows about the internet, but not everyone knows the free ways to get exposure on the internet. You can write an article about your industry, or a product, and submit it to one of the many sites that accept them. At the end of your article, you mention your business and have a link to your website. Each site has it's guidelines on how the articles are to be written, so make sure to follow them. This will help establish you as a leader in your industry as long as the information you share is helpful and not self-promoting.

Guerilla marketing is great in slow time. Have some flyers or postcards made. One of your employees or friends can design it or you can find an affordable place to do it for you. During your slow time, have your employees go to a busy area and hand them out. Now you are putting your message directly into the hands of prospective customers. Make sure you have an attractive offer that will entice people to visit your business. Obviously, this is mainly for businesses with a store front, but you can do guerilla marketing online as well.

Guerilla marketing is done differently online. With blogs and social networking sites, there are opportunities to market your business in a different setting. You can create blogs and check the response you get from each entry which can help you check what the market is interested in at any given time. Or you can find blogs that have an issue that your company can help with. Respond to the blog with your company information. You can set up an account with a social networking site, giving more information about your business and connecting to other businesses to network and exchanges leads.

 

Cross promote with other businesses, in other ways. If you're feeling the pinch of the economy, most likely other businesses in your area/industry are feeling it as well. Find other businesses that don't compete with yours and see about exchanging some flyers or a banner promoting each other's business. Or if your business is online, do a link exchange with other businesses. Do not over due the link exchange or Google may lower your organic search results. Be selective in who you work with both online and in the brick and mortar world.

Press Releases can be a very effective way to bring attention to your business. If you have something that impacts the community, then you can have someone write a press release for you. If you hire someone to do it for you, make sure they know how to write and distribute it. Again, remember the topic must be something that impacts the community and not just a self-serving piece promoting your business.

These are just some of the ideas that will help your business grow in any economy. There are plenty of marketing options out there. You just need to find the ones that work for you.

About the Author:
Rob Bedell is an expert in the media industry and has worked in the industry for over 15 years. He has worked with some of the largest media companies in the world, Tribune and Knight-Ridder, as well as helping restructure and rebuild other companies in the Los Angeles, CA Metropolitan area. He now owns a marketing company that helps small to medium sized business, making sure that their marketing pays them back. http://www.bedellmediaconsulting.com

 

Emotional benefits of choosing a small focused niche

Virtually every work at home guru, always advices their followers to choose their niche wisely. The common advice is it should be something you enjoy, has profit potential, low to moderate competition and isn’t too large.

Now all this sounds like general common sense from a business standpoint but until you make the unfortunate boo boo of choosing the wrong niche, and then start over in a better one, you can’t appreciate this good advice.

Choosing the right niche puts you the right mental and emotional state. If you choose a niche that is broad and has little interest to you, you will fail. You will be stressed, and as feelings of failure continue to develop, you can seep into depression and give up on your work at home goal entirely. However, if you follow the advice of the gurus and do your research to find a small niche to focus a website around, you increase your success rate by more than half.

Part of the reason why you are more successful is because you are less stressed.

1.You are working within a niche that you already have a strong interest in. This helps you to create content and your marketing campaigns easier. This already gives you an edge over your competition

2.Your mind is focused on one thing; this makes it easier to get tasks done. If you run a site with multiple themes and topics it can be hard to decide what to do next. But when you have one site that offers advice on one thing it makes so much easier to sit down and focus.

3.You know your visitors needs. The number one problem with flea market sites (sites that host too many topics) is they don’t know what their visitors want. They may not even know what types of visitors they’re attracting. Without having the knowledge of your visitor’s wants and needs it is very difficult to prove to them that you are what their are looking for.

This translates to a loss of sales.

But knowing your visitors and what they expect from you is bliss. You know how to design your site, what type of content to provide, in what type of voice. You know what products to offer and in what price range. It’s just great.

There is less guessing when you choose a suitable niche, less stress, and less of an emotional strain. Take the time to do the research; your nerves will thank you.

5 Simple Rules To Website Design

For years, we have been told that when going to an interview you have 10 seconds to make a lasting first impression. There is no difference when designing your website than making the first impression in an interview. You are making a first impression with the internet visitor who has searched for what you are offering in your website design. The first impression can make the difference between in a paying customer or just a visitor to your website.
Here are just 5 simple rules to keep in mind when designing your website.

Rule #1. Limit the use or do not use flashy banners and advertisements at the beginning of you website. There is a time and place for the banners and advertisements.
There is nothing more annoying than clicking on a website to see cartoon characters and advertisements for other products flashing in front of your face. This can be too much for your potential customer. Your customer is there for a purpose and if the blatant advertisements or flashing banners turn them off they may just hit the back button before they find what they are looking for.
The only exception to this rule is determined by the purpose of you website.


Rule #2. Make sure your website design make it easy for the visitor to find the navigation buttons. If a customer has to search for a navigation button to find information about the company or the navigation buttons are not working, the visitor may get frustrated and leave you website.
As a rule of thumb, your navigation buttons should be on the left side of your web page because the majority of people read from left to right. Think about reading a newspaper or a book. You look at the headlines then you read from the left to the right.

Rule #3. When visitors are browsing your site, have a clear indication for the visitor of where they are on your website and how to get to other parts.
You may want to put a link on each page that the visitor clicks to take them to the home page or another page relating to the information currently viewing. In other words do not confuse your visitor or your visitor may just click off the website totally.

Rule #4. When designing your website pay close attention to loading time, the time it takes your web pages to load. You can reduce loading time by reducing graphics on each page. A good website design should load under twenty seconds.
The longer it takes the pages to load the more frustrating it can be to the visitor. People want it yesterday not today and definitely not tomorrow.

Rule #5. Use a font that is common to all web browsers and easy to read. You have to think of your market. If you are selling a product or service that is used by older individuals you may want to increase the font.
Most of us are not going to get younger and with age, we find our eye sights are not what they use to be.
In addition, different web browsers display fonts differently. Therefore, you want to use a universal font compatible to the popular web browser for better viewing.


Bonus Rule #6. Make sure the information on your website is up to date, and relevant to what you are offering. If your website is selling 32", LCD Flat Screen TVs you should not be offering products to repair your driveway. I know that is extreme but people want to know they are visiting a website that has up to date information and is relevant to what they are searching for.
These are just a few rules of website design. There are many other things to adhere to when designing your website for optima visitors.
When designing your website look at it from the customers' or visitors' standpoint. Would you want to visit this website? Would you want to purchase a product from this website? If you answer "no" then correct the problems.
If you deal with customer service, you need to do as they do. Get out from behind the counter and see what the customers see from where they stand. If you go "ugh", that is not good and you need to make some changes.
________________________________________
About the Author: Pat Turman is a successful mid-level manager and internet entrepreneur. She co-owned a quarter million dollar e-retail store selling golf equipment for women, runs numerous online businesses, and manages a company with revenues of over a million dollars. She holds a BBA from an accredited University and numerous awards and certificates. www.eznichewebsitedesign.com

1. How long can a text link be if it should improve your rankings?

How long can a text link be if it should improve your rankings?
The words that are used in the links to your website have an effect on the search engine rankings of your website for these keywords. For example, if very many websites use the word "blue widget" to link to your website, it is likely that your website will get a high ranking on Google for the keyword "blue widget".

How many keywords does Google consider?
It's absolutely certain that Google considers the words in the links to your site. The question is, how many words or characters does Google count in a link? Is there an optimal length for text links? Blogger Shaun Anderson did a test to find the answer.

The test set-up
Shaun Anderson created a long text link with 50 nonsense words. Each of the nonsense words was 6 characters long. For example, he might have used a link like this:
wergsd woivsd mliwdc woiuby 3245sc plorxc werxcd ...
Then he added that link to the home page of a website that has good rankings on Google.

After some time, Shaun did a search for a keyword that the linked website ranked number one for and added the nonsense words to the search. By doing so, Google would only list the site in the search results if links to the site contained the nonsense word.

For example, if a website has a number one ranking for "buy used cars in dallas" then the website will only be returned by Google for "buy used cars in dallas wergsd" if Google has indexed a link with the text "wergsd" that points to the website.

The result: the perfect length seems to be 55 characters
Out of the 50 words in the link text, Google counted eight. Everything after the eighth word was ignored. Eight words that consist of six characters make 48 characters. The seven spaces between these six words add up to a total of 55 characters.

What does this mean for your website?
You should make sure that the important keywords come in the first 55 characters of the links that point to your website.

As many websites use the title of a web page to link to it, you should also consider the way you write your web page titles. If your important keywords are at the beginning of your web page titles, chances are that these keywords will also be used in the links to your site.

If you want to know if your web page titles are correct and if you also want to know if all other elements of your web page are ready for a top 10 ranking on Google, you should analyze your website now.
Article Courtesy of Axander.com
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