I remember reading once that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. This really got me to thinking about habit and lifestyle. It made me realize that so many of the things we do are because we have conditioned ourselves into them by making them habits. This can be good and this can be bad. We all have bad habits like nail biting and we all have good habits like getting regular exercise. But if you really think about it your entire day is filled with habits; you wake up and you brush your teeth, habit. You put your seat belt on, habit. This list could go on and on and would vary for each of us.

The point of all of this talk of habits is that I think it is an important realization when it comes to making healthy changes in our lifestyle. For instance, many people say one of their big culprits is that they eat in front of the television at night for reasons other than hunger. Because this has become a nightly habit it is not enough to simply say that you will stop doing it. Rather it needs to be replaced with a new habit so that your results are long lasting. If watching television is a non-negotiable, than you need to come up with something to do while you are watching television that is not eating. Some ideas are drinking herbal tea, always having water beside you to sip on, chewing gum, maybe taking up some hand craft or my personal favorite do some crunches during the commercial breaks or a crossword or jigsaw puzzle.

I have a friend who liked to relax with a glass of wine every night. When she decided that she wanted to stop doing that she did not just stop that habit, instead she still gets out her wine glass and fills it with a sparkling juice or flavored water. It may sound silly but she realized that it was the routine of having a glass of something that was the real pull, not the wine.

It takes time to form an exercise habit as well. Often people start out strong and quit just as strongly. Here again, tell yourself that you will take three weeks to fit it into your schedule and allow it to become a routine. It can become as normal as anything else you do in a day, a wonderful habit.

Obviously the way we eat is all out of habit and lots of times its left over habit from our childhood. The way we are fed as children has a lot to do with the way we eat as adults unless we do the work to change it. I think that this is pretty overwhelming to many as we like what we like and often don’t leave our ‘circle’ of favorite foods. If you told me when I was younger that I would be eating and loving a diet consisting solely of vegetables, fruits, tofu, tempeh, brown rice and beans and whole grain pasta, bean sprouts, live grain breads, nuts and nut butters, etc. I would have thought you we’re out of your mind! But the reality is that this is now so normal for me that I cannot imagine eating any other way. My old eating habits have been replaced by my new eating habits, thankfully.

So I guess it’s good that we all ponder this subject a little bit. What habits do you need to replace? Give yourself 21 days and make it happen!

Barry Lovelace is creator of Exercise4 Every Body circuit training DVD’s. co-owner of FitQuest Fitness in Allentown, Pa.. a personal trainer, speaker and all around fitness enthusiast. Visit Barry’s website: http://www.fitquestlv.com Email Barry at: barry@barrylovelace.com.

What are the Dog Food Secrets that most dog owners are not aware of?

Most, not all commercial dog food are junk!

It is stuffed with fillers, meat by-products, chemicals and
preservatives, with one primary function; to sell commercial dog food to
unsuspecting dog owners.

Unfortunately, most dog owners do not realize that feeding their family
dog with a commercial dog food causes more harm than good. They are led
to believe that the food product is filled with nutritional
requirements.

In fact, dog owners are poisoning their pet dog everytime they are fed
with the so-called pet food.

Veterinarians and dog nutritionists tell us that many commercial dog
foods have inadequate proteins, fats vitamins and minerals.

Commercial food products are made from harmful ingredients that are
simply unhealthy and a hazard to your dog’s health and longevity.

Dogs have simple stomachs and short digestive tracts for digesting meat.
They also lack the saliva enzyme amylase, which is necessary for
pre-digesting starch.

Essentially dogs need the following ingredients in their food-

- Healthy animal fatty that is easily digestible and easily metabolized
as a source of energy. Poultry such as chicken or turkey have more
unsaturated fatty acids and are more suitable for dogs.

- Vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, lecithin corn oil, wheat germ
oil, sesame seed oil or linseed oil all contain high levels of linoleic
acid, an essential fatty acid for dogs.

- Carbohydrates is another important nutrient. Sources of carbohydrates
can be found in rice, oatmeal, corn or wheat. These are easily digested
when properly cooked.

- Fibre, a complex carbohydrate is essential for proper digestion and
stool formation. Beet pulp, tomato promace, rice, soy hulls, oat hulls,
and wheat bran are good sources of fibre.

- Vitamin and mineral is an absolute nutritional necessity for dogs.
Although the vitamins and minerals make up less than 2% of the total
food by weight, they provide some of the most crucial nutrients. These
include 12 to 16 vitamins and 15 to 25 minerals.

Do not add food supplement, or vitamins, as it will cause more harm than
good.

The next time when you buy your favorite dog food, think carefully and
ensure the above essentials are in your dog food.

And if you want to extend your dog’s life, read ‘Dog Food Secrets’.

Avoid harming your dog.

For more information on Dog Food Secrets, visit http://www.squidoo.com/dogfoodsecretsreview

Copywriting can seem overwhelming for some. Some do not even know how to begin. Here are a few tips to make it a little easier.

Before you begin your copywriting, here’s what you should do.

First, take a piece of paper and list down what you think are the needs and wants of the parents are. It’ll probably be somewhere along the lines of a trustworthy caregiver to care for their child or a daycare centre that is near their house, a clean and hygienic daycare centre or even a daycare centre that is affordable. We’ll call this List A

With that in mind, list down the things / services that you possess which you think will be able to meet those needs and wants. For example, a good track record or it is a new centre or you offer the lowest rates in the neighborhood. That will provide you with the foundation to start your draft. We’ll call this List B.

Traditionally, advertisers use the AIDA (stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) model as a guide to generate highly successful advertisement copy. It is fairly simple, once you get the hang of it.

“A” stand for Attention. There should be an element in the copy whose job is to capture the audience’s attention. It usually is the headline or a photo/graphic. It should be arresting and should entice the potential parent to want to read more. The headline can be anything which you think will capture the attention of the reader. It can be in the form of a statement or a question. For example, you can use “The cheapest daycare charges in Town A” as a headline or “Are you looking for a cheap and reliable daycare centre?

“On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that, unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money.” —David Oglivy

Therefore a headline is extremely important.

“I” stands for Interest. The copy of the advertisement should aim to generate the audience’s interest. It should address their concerns / needs or provide them with a solution to a problem, using the information gathered from List A as well as List B.

“D” is for Desire. The next step is to get them to “buy” into your idea / product and really want the product. There should be a hook / bait such as testimonials, free gift, or even a time based discount etc.

The final and most important step - Action. Many advertisements miss this out. After telling your audience how your company is going to solve their problems, you need to tell them what to do next. Do you want them to call a hotline to make an appointment or come down to see your open house or bring this advertisement for a free gift. Don’t leave them hanging. Close the copy by telling them what to do.

Good luck and happy writing!

For more information or resources on starting a daycare, please visit http://www.setupadaycare.com

When most people think about a “fitness program” or “physical fitness”, they tend to think of the word “exercise”. They may go so far as to think the words “health” or “healthy” but they usually don’t tend to really examine the concept of fitness much beyond thinking about the sweating and discomfort and getting the “exercise” over with.

I am sure that many who read this have heard or read this analogy before but it fits, so let’s use it one more time.

Let’s say you were to purchase an expensive, high-performance car. Let’s also say, just for the sake of argument, that you went heavily into debt for it. So heavily, that it will be years before you can even think of purchasing another car.

As you drive your new car, you begin to feel important, powerful, attractive. People turn and look as you drive by, vacations are comfortable events in your high-end vehicle, your gas and maintenance bills go way down because the car is such a high tech marvel, your boss begins to treat you like an equal or even someone he or she envies or looks up to. You realize that it’s happening because of the car, but after a while, it begins to feel like it’s all for you, and you think that life’s great. Everything seems to be coming your way at last.

Then one day, the car sputters a little. You notice that the fuel economy isn’t as good as it was. The mechanic tells you it’s going to cost a bundle to fix the problem. There’s going to have to be major work done, several parts changed out, some reboring of cylinders, and a new set of tires as well.

You’re in shock! You might not be able to come up with that much money! How did it get so expensive? The car was such a beauty and ran so well.

The mechanic enlightens you.

He has seen that you have been neglecting regular maintenance and running on cheap, low-octane fuel. Cylinders have become scored and pitted, fuel lines are clogged so badly they may have to be replaced, the oil that’s in there is now sludge and barely keeping the parts lubricated. The tires that you let run down are wreaking havoc with the suspension and steering, which is also contributing to the poorer fuel economy you have been experiencing.

Even worse, your car doesn’t shine like it did. Instead of purring, it rasps, coughs, and sputters. Its environmentally friendly engine is now belching clouds of black smoke. Its smooth whisper is now a collection of clanks and clunks.

Heads still turn when you drive by, but not for the same reasons as before.

You feel bad all the time…not just from the situation with your car, but because now you are having to breathe in the pollution it is emitting and endure the bone jarring ride as the suspension system gives way.

Now you realize that had you run the proper grade of gas in the engine, had regular oil changes, and brought it in for regular maintenance checks, not to mention washing it from time to time, it would still be the sweet little jewel it was when you first saw it on the showroom floor.

Okay, you know where this is going. What if instead of a car we’ve been talking about your body? No matter how fine tuned it is, it will eventually begin to suffer the effects of time. That cannot be helped, but the manner in which it occurs can be affected by several things such as exercise, rest, and nutrition.

The decision to become physically fit is not simply a decision to exercise. Going out and exercising, especially at higher levels, can actually produce poor or even negative results if you do not support your fitness program, and the overall health of your body through proper nutrition. When you exercise, you are actually damaging certain portions of your body and asking it to repair and remodel. In order to do this, your body needs not only the building blocks and materials necessary for the building, but it also needs the mortar and glue which holds the system together as well as the energy required for the building and for daily activities as well.

My goal here is simply to raise your awareness of the need for proper nutrition as part of life in general, and a fitness program in particular. The nutritional information you will need is a wider topic than this small article has room for.

However, good basic nutrition is not hard. You should select foods from a wide variety of dishes. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, avoid sugar, and make sure you get some protein from meat, fish, or dairy products daily. Think before you select desserts, and avoid those made with sugar, or opt for a smaller portion. Avoid candy, and anything sweetened with sugar or corn syrup. Drink plenty of water every day.

True, this small list raises its own questions, such as: How much water? How much meat? What kind of meat? Which vegetables are better? These questions do not even begin to address the needs of those with special conditions.

That is why I say that an in-depth discussion of nutrition is beyond the range of a small article such as this. However, even such a broad topic does not need to be daunting. Begin with your physician. He or she will have nutritional charts and information to guide you. Check out a book or two from the library or do a little research on the internet.

Avoid fad diets and diet supplements, although a daily multivitamin might be in order. Some good places to search for real information online are:

The Mayo Clinic: www.mayoclinic.com
The USDA: www.usda.gov
Web MD: www.webmd.com

You can let the magnificent vehicle you were given become run down and dilapidated due to neglect, or you can provide it with the lubricants and fuels it needs for optimum performance.

Look at it this way. You can sit in the garage and rust, or you can, as the song says,

“Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way!”

Get some high octane fuel and get back out on the road.

Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer living in Copperas Cove, Texas. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, href="http://yoga-4-the-health-of-it.com/">yoga, weight loss, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, and life. He has a collection of articles on href="http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/">health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

The following pecan trees are also excellent as an ornamental tree. The best time to plant pecan trees is in February. This will help in root development as apposed to leaf, limb and trunk growth.

Western Schley - This pecan tree will do best in the arid desert southwest. It is a self pollinator and produces heavy fruit at an early age. It likes arid climates and is also excellent for southern California deserts and higher altitudes. It does well in the colder Texas Panhandle region. It usually ripens in late October and early November. It will also pollinate other varieties of pecan trees.

Burkett - This pecan tree is a medium to large round soft shell nut. It is rich, distinctive flavored kernel. It is a large tree and ripens in late September and through early November. Likes arid climates.

Cheyenne - Is a medium soft shell with an excellent flavor. It produces fruit early in the season - Mid September. Can pollinate other pecan varieties. It like southern humid and arid climates including east and west regions. It is a semi self fertile.

Mahan - A very large soft shell kernel. This pecan bears heavy at an early age, and is also a good shade tree. It prefers arid warm winter climates. Ripens in Mid November.

Mohawk - Very large soft shell also a heavy bearer when young. It does very well in the Southwest and Southeast regions. It It is a very attractive tree also excellent for the large backyard. Ripens in Late October, early November.

Hardy Pecan Tree - Carya Illinoinensis, is a beautiful, majestic tree that grows to a height of 70 to 100 feet with a spread of 40 to 75 feet. It has low wide spreading branches. The tree provides a bounty of sweet pecan fruits and lots of summer shade after reaching maturity. Hardy Pecan trees have moderate water requirements and has a moderate tolerance to salt and alkali soils. This deciduous, hardy, shade tree is ideal for lawns because it does not shed its leaves until late fall and it is practically immune to the attack of insects. The one drawback is that it takes 12-15 years before the tree begins to bear nuts .

Pecan Tree Tips
Remember pecan trees need ample chill hours to produce a good crop. A good rule of thumb is to count the number of hours between November 1st and February 15th that are between 32 degrees and 45 degrees F. These hours are cumulative and not continuous. In the Las Cruces, NM area we normally have over 1,000 chill hours.

Pruning one-third to one-half of the top is one way of getting pecan trees to thrive.

Harvest time is usually after the first good hard freeze in the southwest.

You should plant pecans about 2″ deeper than normal to allow for settling of the soil.

Water every day for the first 2 weeks when planting any tree, and use a good root stimulator to stimulate root growth.

Visit href="http://www.guzmansgreenhouse.com">Guzman’s Greenhouse for more free gardening/landscaping information.

If leaves start to turn yellowish, it is time to fertilize.

If your tree is not bearing fruit you probably need a fertilizer with ZINC.

Dead twigs in tops of pecan trees, small nuts, and yellowing of leaves are an indication of ZINC defeciency.

Check your local nursery for fruit/pecan tree fertilizer.

Keep your pecan tree free of insects and diseases. Physically inspect your tree(s) on a weekly basis.

Always remove grass and weeds under the tree canopy.

Always plant so the root is totally buried in the original soil line or landscape.

Amost all varieties of pecans trees will do better with a pollinator. The Western Schle will pollinate other pecan trees.

Gary & Paul Guzman are the authors of this article: Gary is the owner of Color your world nurseries & Paul is general manager of Guzman’s greenhouse and the webmaster of http://www.guzmansgreenhouse.com
To receive more free information about gardening href="http://www.guzmansgreenhouse.com/newsletter.htm">click here

As Mother’s day approaches many of us think about the extraordinary women who shaped our lives. Many people not only honor their mother on Mother’s Day, but also like to give gifts to grandmothers, aunts, sisters and nurturing friends. Jewelry is an excellent gift to give at Mother’s Day. Jewelry fits everyone and can be cherished for years to come. Unlike chocolate which is fattening, and perfume which can cause allergic reactions, jewelry is one of the safest gifts you can give. However, it’s important that you select the right piece of jewelry.

1.- Pick a piece of jewelry that will reflect her lifestyle. Does person you are buying for dress up or does she have a casual wardrobe? Does she like bright colors or prefer neutral? Does she like large, eye catching pieces, does she wear whimsical pieces, or is she into something understated?

2.-Pick out something personal. Custom made jewelry can be surprisingly affordable. You may be able to purchase a custom made bracelet or necklace and select birthstones, design features, and special beads or crystals, for the same price as a premade manufactured piece. Think about things your mother or friend loves to do. Maybe you want to add a special charm or order a bracelet using her favorite colors.

3.-Select something that’s easy care and easy wear. A stretchy bracelet makes an excellent gift for a woman who has a physical impairment such as arthritis, ms, or a stroke survivor. Look for gifts that are durable and that do not require expensive cleaning.

4.-Find out about possible skin allergies. A small percentage of the population suffers allergic reactions to low grade silver and gold. By selecting a custom necklace or bracelet, you can order your jewelry with the type of products that will not cause an allergic reaction. For example, maybe your mother would do better with a leather necklace or high-end bracelet that meets a specific minimum grade of silver or gold.

5.-Select something unique. There are several advantages to selecting a unique piece of jewelry; it creates a lasting memory, it makes the person wearing it feel special, and it gives the person wearing the jewelry an opportunity to talk about the gift giver. And let’s face it, mom’s love to talk about their children.

6.-Order the correct size. A stretchy bracelet will fit anyone. Bracelet and necklace sizes are determined by measured inches from tip-to-tip. Typical bracelet sizes are 6, 6.5, 7, and 7.5. If you don’t know what size to order, select a size 7, which is an average length. Necklaces come in a variety of lengths. A 15 inch necklace will feel like a comfortable choker on most women. A size 17 necklace will hang loosely around the neck. If the special woman in your life carries extra weight in her face and neck, she’ll probably enjoy a 17 or even an 18-inch necklace more than a 15-inch necklace.

Lynne Hinz creates personalized jewelry for women, children, and teenagers. She can uniquely match jewelry to the personality by using block letters, message beads and Swarovski crystals. To view Mother’s Day specials, view your birthstone or to learn how to size jewelry, please visit her website at http://majidesigns.com/.

Lynne Hinze

As a gym owner, I can tell you that it is a very rewarding business, offering people a nice place to workout and also seeing people making positive changes in their health and their lives; it is a dream come true. In this business we see how exercise affects people physically and emotionally but we also see how peoples emotions affect how or even if they exercise.

Let me give you an example. The other day a woman came in to check out the gym. Immediately after the greetings were over she told me how she hated to exercise and then as I gave her a tour I heard a list a reasons on why she didn’t think she could do it. Now, don’t get me wrong I’m glad she came in because these are the type of people that we really like to help, but her attitude may very well cause her to fail. We hear things like this all the time whether it be people saying ‘I hate it’ or ‘I can’t do it’ or ‘I’m too out of shape to do that class’ or ‘I’m just not motivated’.

This gets me to thinking about the way we talk to ourselves. Negative self-talk is very self-destructive and yet some people can be very negative with themselves. If you tell yourself that you hate something than how can you expect a positive result? I’m a firm believer that your fitness routine needs to start in your head. If you tell yourself you can’t, you won’t. If you tell yourself that you are not capable, you will never be capable. If you put exercise at the bottom of your priority list, it will stay there.

Instead, tell yourself that you deserve to workout and feel good. Look at exercise as a gift you give to yourself. Tell yourself that you will do your very best and then do your best, whatever that is, and be proud! Tell yourself that you want to have more energy; the list goes on and on.

I think there are several reasons why people talk themselves out of working out and I think they are based in fear. If you tell yourself that you are going to start an exercise routine, you may be afraid that you will not stick with it and sometimes that is too big a risk to take. Other people may be afraid of the environment and feel that they don’t belong. All I can say is that every single person started somewhere and just because someone you see is in good shape doesn’t mean that they were always that way. They very well may have started out in poor physical shape.

Another common fear is the realization that this is a lifestyle, not something to do for a couple of months and then stop. Fear of commitment is common. This is where that positive self-talk comes in handy. You know logically that exercise is going to make you feel better, stay healthy, relieve stress, look better and improve the quality of your life. These are just some of the positive reinforcements that you can give yourself in a moment of weakness.

I am no stranger to these struggles. I remember times in my own life when I told myself that ‘I worked all day, I deserve to go home and relax’ when in actuality I felt 100% better when I started adding exercise to my routine. So the next time you start to talk yourself out of going out for a walk or going to the gym ask yourself what you are really trying to avoid and why. Ask yourself what you want to do for yourself…nothing or something wonderful!

Barry Lovelace is creator of Exercise4 Every Body circuit training DVD’s. co-owner of FitQuest Fitness in Allentown, Pa.. a personal trainer, speaker and all around fitness enthusiast. Visit Barry’s website: http://www.fitquestlv.com Email Barry at: barry@barrylovelace.com

For the ones bored with the mediocrity and commonness, the mobile stalwarts Virgin and HTC have joined hands to showcase a collaborative effort in the form of a mobile phone, which is both uncommon in design and laced with superior features. Come to talk about the Lobster 700 TV, the asymmetrical design of the phone incorporates some state-of-the-art innovative features. One of the most important all is the TV running option of the phone. The phone takes aid of the best of 3G services and offers seamless TV transmission through its interactive interface.

The Lobster 700 TV, a 3G mobile phone with integrated DAB-IP receiver ( acronym for Digital Audio Broadcasting Internet Protocol), is able to receive broadcast TV stream signals and allows phone users to watch live television from all the top broadcasters as well as listen to digital radio. The phone runs very well with TV and DAB radio functions and integrates a list of innovative features specifically meeting to the standards of TV broadcasting. The long battery life of the phone helps in an continuous, obstacle free TV viewing. However, this mobile phone is not just a one trick pony. It is a smartphone that runs on Windows Mobile 5.0 software. And by virtue of it, integrates a media player, e-mail and internet browser, and an instant messaging program. A 1.3 megapixel camera helps in taking high-resolution still images and videos. The 2.2” big display screen of this phone reproduces images of 240 X 320 pixels.

Asymmetrical shape and the bulge on right side of the phone, however, is not illogically manifested. The one third darker tone of the phone’s keypad carries user friendly keys, helping an user to surf through television programs effortlessly. A four-way switch regulates a selection process. Ergonomic set of four switches help in making and ending calls. A TV button protruding out of the right side of the phone helps in accessing content via a built-in web browser. The gadget in the name of a marine crustaceans runs on 64MB RAM and expandable 128 MB flash memory. All with enough option to upgrade and satisfy its proud possessor.

Anastasia is an expert author and webmaster of Best
Contract Mobile Phone. The website having details tariff of best
contract deal with Lobster 700 TV mobile phone available in UK mobile market.

Living in a Global Village, more and more people from all over the world have come to realize that one can live in one’s own country and at the same time own South African real estate. It is rather easy to buy a holiday home or apartment in South Africa at very affordable prices.

It is more specifically the coastal areas that are drawing tourists to buy property as these areas offer spectacular views, vibrant entertainment and amazing tourist attractions.

As far as South African real estate is concerned, the Cape Garden Route for one, provides the enthusiastic golfer with world renowned courses where the immense Indian ocean is a backdrop to the flight of the little white ball. There are look-out posts over hundreds of kilometers where one can view the play of the whales during the mating season. The beaches are clean and the scenery changes consistently to provide endless variety of mountains, indigenous trees, dark deep rivers, game reserves, bird life and beautiful flowers.

Compared with prices at other international coastal destinations, property prices in South Africa are still relatively cheap. The prices will not stay this way, as the coming Soccer World Cup in 2010 will most likely draw much tourist attention and, as is always the case, with attractive propositions, the supply and demand equation will tilt heavily towards the demand side.

Many buyers of South African real estate already know that when they cannot utilize their coastal property, it can be rented out to other tourists without much effort in order to keep the holding costs down. The prices of prime coastal properties have continued to rise way above the South African inflation rate, and therefore provide the investor with solid capital growth opportunities.

The infrastructure is advanced enough to cater for various needs of visitors. One can, for example, land in Cape Town, board on a plane to George and an hour later be sitting on your verandah overlooking the ocean and the mesmerizing mountains.

Car rental companies have offices at all the airports, should one have the desire to find the serendipitous along the planned route by car. Tour operators are well trained to offer services that will take one to view sharks from cages below the water, lions hunting at night, famous battle fields, the locations where ancient people lived and where the film stars of today play.

The places of interest are endless and once one has decide to explore South Africa thoroughly, the time and desire to be anywhere else will become less and less. It therefore makes sense to own a comfortable piece of South African real estate in order to cement your unique exploring life style.

There are many estate agents that will be able and qualified to provide valuable information, but one should always discuss a proposition with various other agents to ensure the best qualified decision on investing in South African real estate.

The author, Wim van der Walt, of href="http://www.byron-yeatsproperties.com">Byron-Yeats Properties has an alternative approach to the marketing of property. Property will only be promoted after assessment of the objective value of the relevant opportunity. A rational approach will therefore form the base of every presentation and will be dealt with explicitly. This means you will not be mesmerized by sugar coated descriptions on Wim’s href="http://www.byron-yeatsproperties.com">South African real estate website, but the fundamental information will be helpful in order to realistically asses every opportunity!

The majority of the human body is comprised of water and human beings can live only a very short time without water.

Water is a chemical substance that is essential to all known forms of life. It covers 71% of Earth’s surface. It is found in the oceans (saltwater) and polar ice caps, but it is also present as clouds, rain water, rivers, freshwater aquifers, lakes, airborne vapor and sea ice.

Water in these bodies perpetually moves through a cycle of evaporation, precipitation, and runoff to the sea. Clean water is essential to human life. In many parts of the world, it is in short supply. (Source: Wikipedia)

Of all the water in the world, only about 3% is drinkable by human beings. Of this small percentage, the majority is either wholly or partially polluted by natural or man made contaminants. The body requires H2O to survive but not the contaminants found in most drinking water.

What Are Your Choices For Drinking Water?

Most people in the United States face limited choices of drinking water. They can either drink tap water provided by the municipalities they live in or well water on their own land. Neither of these choices provides pure drinking water.

What Are the Different Types of Drinking Water?

Generally speaking there are three choices for drinking water available to the consumer:

- Tap Water (provided by local municipal water suppliers)
- Well Water (found in more rural areas of the country)
- Bottled Water (sold commercially throughout the country)

Tap Water:

Tap water comes from local rivers and streams and very often plants that recycle raw sewerage and other waste water. Because many rivers, streams and other groundwater sources are polluted by natural runoff and man made contaminants, and all waste water and raw sewerage contain high levels of bacteria, increasing levels of chlorine are required to kill bacterial and other harmful organisms.

Tap water is regulated by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) an agency of the Federal Government but EPA regulations in no way require the elimination of contaminants. The EPA only sets minimum levels of contaminants (including chlorine) and the long term effects of these poisons on the human body are largely unknown. In addition chlorine adds unpleasant odors and taste to tap water.

Well Water:

Well water is subject to the same types of natural and man made pollution as tap water but it is unregulated. The Commonwealth of Virginia, for example, strongly recommends chlorination and dechlorination of owner’s individual wells but mandatory compliance is not required. Well water is particularly subject to ground bacteria pollution through the wellhead itself. The use of chlorine adds unpleasant odors and taste to the well supplied drinking water.

Bottled Water:

Repackaged bottled water:

There are many types of bottled drinking water on the market today with the result that some are good, some are bad and some are useless when it comes to providing pure drinking water.

Some unethical suppliers merely take tap water and bottle the water in small packages. These bottlers are able to charge a premium for tap water but the levels of contaminants are the same as in tap water.

Spring water:

The source of some bottled water is spring water and this term implies a fresh mountain spring of wholesome drinking water. Springs however, are subject to the same types and levels of natural and man made contaminants as tap and well water and the consumer does not get the benefit of pure water.

Purified water:

Purified water is the only water that that one should drink for their health and the health of their family. There are two processes used in order to purify water: distillation and reverse osmosis.

Distillation is a process whereby water is turned to steam and condensed leaving behind all contaminants and bacteria. Many countries without natural source water and the Department of Defense use distillation to provide pure drinking water.

Reverse osmosis is a process where by water is filtered through a very small filter and contaminants are removed but bacteria and trace elements are left in the water.

Distillation removes the water from the contaminants while reverse osmosis merely filters the water without removing all bacteria and other material.

Many experts believe that distillation is the best way to create pure water.

Conclusion:

If you are an individual interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle or a parent that is concerned about the health of your family, you should consider adding purified water to your diet.

No other water source provides the purity your body needs.

Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Board of Element H2O an Ultra Pure bottled water company located in Chantilly, Virginia. For more information about bottled water, private label bottled water and bottled water delivery go to the Element H2O website.