Make the Right Moves With Your Start-Up Business

Maybe it’s something you’ve been dying to do for years. Or maybe – like so many others these days – the idea of starting your own business only suddenly became attractive after you’d either lost your job or felt about as secure as a politician caught sexting in the one you now have.

Whatever the reason, know that while your passion for your product or service may be your best secret weapon – “The Wall Street Journal Complete Small Business Guidebook” says it’s “often the difference that hooks customers, lands deals and attracts investors” – that alone won’t guarantee success.

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Tips to Start the School Year on the Right Track

(NewsUSA) – Back-to-school mayhem presents a number of challenges for parents. Each morning there are breakfasts to make, lunches to pack and extracurricular schedules to track — all while trying to get to work on time. So, how do you navigate the morning chaos and hold onto your sanity? With these helpful tips, you can make your back-to-school mornings easier:1. Stick to a strict bedtime schedule. According to the Mayo Clinic, school-age children need 10-11 hours of sleep each night. Making sure kids are well rested will help avoid oversleeping and wasted time getting them out of bed each morning.2. Get prepared the night before. Pack all school bags as soon as homework is finished, and lay out school outfits prior to bedtime for the next day.This shortens the list of morning chores and adds a few extra minutes of rest. Also, don’t wait until early morning to pack a rushed lunch with little nutrition value. Preparing the night beforehand enables parents to pack food with nutrients and vitamins, not just potato chips and snack packs. For even better efficiency, plan lunches a week ahead.3. Find a quick and balanced breakfast option. Not many parents have time for eggs and pancakes each morning, but there are quick, quality alternatives. Stock up on cereals that kidswill enjoy and are high in fiber, folic acid, iron, and vitamin C. Try Malt-O-Meal for family favorite varieties packed with whole grains. As an added bonus, Malt-O-Meal is available in resealable bags, which reduces the amount of packaging consumers have to dispose of or recycle by 75 percent. (BagTheBox.com)4. Make a weekly calendar of activities. Organize each family member’s schedule to make sure kids are where they need to be at the correct times. Between extracurricular activities, like sports, clubs, study groups, jobs and friends, it can be a challenge to establish any sort of routine. Set up car pools in case some events overlap. Input alerts in your phone, and set an alarm for each to avoid temporary mental lapses.

Five Simple Ways to Jump Start Your New Year

Five words or lessLifestyles

Five Simple Ways to Jump Start Your New Year

(NewsUSA) – Set yourself up for success, and you’ll ensure that your New Year’s resolutions don’t become end-of-year regrets. The …

Tips to Spring Into Fitness

Five words or less(NewsUSA) – As the temperature starts to warm, many Americans think about lacing up their running shoes or pulling out their tennis rackets. But don’t let spring fitness fever corrupt your good judgment — if you haven’t exercised all winter, it’s better to ease into physical activity.
Not sure where to start? Here are some tips:
* Start slow. Attempting too much too soon will result in an injury or “hitting a wall” — reaching a point where your body can no longer recover from exercise. It takes about three weeks for your body to adjust to a new exercise routine and about six weeks before you’re ready for more aggressive activity. If you’re running, start with exercising three days a week. If you’re walking, you may be able to handle four or five days of exercise from the start. Increasing the duration or intensity of exercise by more than 10 percent each week puts you at a greater risk of injury, so be sure to progress gradually.
* Get the right equipment. Wear clothes that wick sweat — you’ll be much more comfortable. If you’re a runner, proper footgear will help your legs avoid unnecessary strain. Likewise, a well-fit bicycle can help cyclists avoid knee and other injuries.
* Don’t push through pain. Most exercise injuries are overuse injuries, meaning they occur when athletes push their muscles, tendons and bones past their limits. One sign that you’ve reached your limit? Pain. If you experience real discomfort, it’s better to take a few days off or see a doctor than risk worsening an injury.
Of course, some muscle pain is perfectly normal for those starting up an exercise routine. Schedule recovery days — days in which you either don’t exercise or engage in very light activity — to give your muscles a chance to rebuild between workouts.
If you experience routine muscle soreness, a topical product may help speed your recovery. For example, one product, Absorbine Jr. (www.absorbinejr.com), contains natural menthol and herbal extracts. The liquid pain reliever creates a penetrating warmth to soothe sore muscles, aching joints, arthritis and back and foot pain. Because it increases blood flow to sore muscles, Absorbine Jr. actually helps muscles heal as it provides pain relief. Absorbine products were initially formulated to soothe the strong muscle pain in horses. This inspired Absorbine Jr. for humans.

Women: Don’t Let Migraines Take Over Your Life

According to the National Headache Foundation, many women report that migraine headaches make them feel like they’re losing control of their own lives. But women can take steps to keep migraines from interfering with day-to-day activities.

Migraine is the most common form of disabling headache, affecting about 50 million Americans. About 75 percent of the Americans suffering migraines are women. Doctors believe that fluctuations in hormone levels, which women undergo until menopause, may be responsible.

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Women: Don’t Let Migraines Take Over Your Life

<b>Women: Don't Let Migraines Take Over Your Life</b> (NewsUSA) – According to the National Headache Foundation, many women report that migraines make them feel like they’re losing control of their own lives. But women can take steps to keep migraines from interfering with day-to-day activities.

Migraine is the most common form of disabling headache, affecting about 50 million Americans. About 75 percent of the Americans suffering migraines are women. Doctors believe that fluctuations in hormone levels, which women undergo until menopause, may be responsible.

Migraines cause such severe pain that most sufferers find themselves debilitated, and women juggling professional and domestic responsibilities can ill afford to put their lives on hold. Luckily, faster and more effective treatments are becoming available. The makers of LipiGesic-M (www.lipigesic.com), a non-prescription migraine medication, offer the following tips:

* Start a migraine journal. Most migraines are caused by specific triggers. Learn what triggers cause your migraines, and you learn how to prevent them. Start a journal in which you record waking time, bedtime, temperature, meals eaten and whether or not you are having a period. When you do have migraines, you can look into your journal for trends. Common triggers include lack of or too much sleep, skipped meals, loud noises, wine, caffeine, stress, weather changes and foods containing aspartame, MSG or nitrates.

* Try all-natural solutions. Certain herbs, such as peppermint and ginger, may help ease headaches. Feverfew, a plant related to daisies, may be especially effective in treating migraines. LipiGesic-M uses a revolutionary sublingual delivery method to speed its migraine-fighting ingredients into the bloodstream, resulting in quick pain relief. You can get on with your life within minutes.

* Reduce stress. Everyday stresses, such as an upcoming deadline or worries about a child’s grades, cause most headaches. Help eliminate stress by exercising, eating healthily, getting enough rest and practicing relaxation techniques, like meditation.

For more information, visit www.lipigesic.com.

How to Choose the Best Food for Baby

<b>How to Choose the Best Food for Baby</b>“></td> <td> <p>(<a href=NewsUSA) – The formulas and canned peas our parents fed us have largely fallen out of vogue — today’s parents breastfeed (or purchase organic formula) and run homegrown carrots through food mills. But what’s really necessary? And with so many products proclaiming their health benefits, how can parents tell what’s truly good for their babies?

Storebought food can be perfectly healthy — but make sure that you’re buying the right kind. Dr. William Sears, a best-selling author and noted pediatrician, is one of the country’s foremost experts on pediatric health and nutrition. He provides five simple tips to ensure that the foods you give your baby or toddler will set a pattern of healthy eating for a lifetime:

Dr. Sears’ Five Tips for a Healthy Start

1. Parents should shape children’s tastes, not control them. Surround your kids with a wide variety of nutritious, new foods, and they’ll enjoy exploring new tastes, colors and textures. Exercise patience. Young children may need to see or try a new food many, many times before they eat it with gusto.

2. Buy organic. Little ones’ bodies are not able to handle the possible pollutants in non-organic foods, and are especially susceptible to pesticides and other chemicals and toxins. A great choice is organic yogurt, like YoBaby yogurts from Stonyfield Farm. Plenty of nutrition, no artificial colors, flavors or synthetic hormones.

3. Get kids on the right track early. Help your children develop a taste for fruits and veggies from the start. Make sure that you buy organic apples, apricots, cantaloupe, cherries, green beans, peaches, pears, potatoes, spinach, strawberries and winter squash, for these fruits and vegetables often contain high levels of pesticides when grown conventionally.

4. Look out for additives in baby food. Avoid the terrible three: high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils and trans fats, and any color additive with a number symbol. Salt is no longer added to most commercial baby foods, but you still need to watch out for added sugar and modified food starches, which provide calories but no nutrition.

5. Set a good example. Parents should be healthy-eating role models for their children.

For more information, visit the Web sites askdrsears.com or yobabyyogurt.com.

How to Successfully Start an IRA

<b>How to Successfully Start an IRA</b>“></td> <td> <p>(<a href=NewsUSA) – Maybe your company offers a 401(k) plan. But even if it doesn’t, you need to get an IRA now. Because IRAs use compound interest and are not taxed by the IRS, contributing even a few thousand dollars a year can create a sizable nest egg.

And yet, according to the IRS, only 10 percent of the people eligible to create and contribute to IRAs actually do so. If you think you can’t afford an IRA, you’re wrong. Consider that Social Security typically pays $13,000 a year — unless you can live on that miniscule income, you’ll need to find an additional way to pay for retirement.

How do you know if you’re eligible for an IRA? “Anyone who earns a taxable income or files a joint return with a spouse who earns an income can contribute to an IRA,” explains David Bach, the author of nine national bestsellers, including “Start Late,” “Finish Rich” and “The Automatic Millionaire.” Bach recently shared his insights about IRAs with the readers of SUCCESS Magazine, where he offered the following advice:

- Start Early and Save Until Retirement. Thanks to the miracle of compound interest, those who start saving early end up with the largest nest eggs. “If you were to start at age 55, you’d contribute a total of $50,000 in the 10 years before you retire, at which point your account would be worth $72,433,” says Bach. “By contrast, if you started at 25, you’d contribute $200,000 over the next 40 years, and by the time you retired, your account would be worth $1.3 million.”

- Invest Wisely. You can invest the proceeds from your IRA any way that you want, but some moves are wiser than others. Bach recommends “target date” or life cycle funds, which are specially designed for retirement savings. The fund automatically makes sure that you have investments appropriate for your age, acting more aggressively in your younger years and becoming more conservative as you near retirement.

- Know When to Start Withdrawing. Legally, you can begin withdrawing funds from your IRA when you’re 59 and a half, but if you’re in a high tax bracket, you should put off withdrawals for as long as possible.

SUCCESS magazine offers a balanced approach to successful living by covering topics on business, wealth, well-being and philanthropy. Visit www.SUCCESS.com and search the August issue to read the rest of Bach’s advice.