Do your Social Media Skills Measure up?

Fantastic article that highlights the need for businesses, no matter what niche you're in, to connect with their customers at a social level - don't have a Facebook Page, then you are leaving money on the table. Don't have a Twitter account, same deal. Anyone out there that doesn't think these two things are viable business tools is going to be left behind... so how does your business measure up? Read the article below to find out!

http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/the-world/article/do-your-social-media-skills-measure-up-paul-nolan?cid=em-smartbrief

4-Hour Body update!

I've been reading Tim Ferriss's 4-hour Body and have started the slow-carb diet. It has been a definite challenge this past week to stick with it, especially given that there has not been a lot of fresh vegetables available due to the floods, but I've done my best to stick to it as much as possible!

So far I've lost 11.5 inches all over, which is awesome! I'm going to introduce another method this week into the mix to see if I can double the amount I lose in a week, as Tim demonstrates in his book, by using a cold compress at night to lower my body temperature, forcing my body to work harder to keep my warm, burning more fat to do so! I think this is genius, I only need to do it for 30 minutes each night and I should double my weight loss.... I'll keep you posted on how it goes next week!

If you haven't already, I highly recommend you get Tim's book, it really is an eye-opener and so well written, this guy is fantatical about the science behind every chapter in his book, and that's what makes it so exciting to read - because you can test his theroies!

Next update will be this time next week! Wish me luck!

Travelling with a Laptop? Make sure you have these free programs installed...

I came across this article in my Google Reader and thought it was awesome, especially as it gave me a few programs that I didn't even know about, like Skype wifi Access, did you know that you can access the internet via Skype anywhere in the world at a minimal cost, it's like 0.14 cents (US) a minute, how cool is that?! Or is it just me, sometimes I miss these things... Aside from that, I've been following Anil for a while and he always has something great to say in relation to travelling, which is a huge passion of mine! The article is short with links to all the programs you need, so give it a whirl...

Like any traveler heading out on a trip, your laptop needs to be packed with the essentials most likely to come in handy on the road. While it’s true good anti-virus software (I’m looking at you Windows users) and applying updates are essential whether you’re traveling or not – there are some applications that are the digital equivalent of a travel toothbrush.

Many of these programs can probably be downloaded at your destination, except by then it might be too late for them to actually be useful. Load up these applications so your laptop is ready against unscrupulous governments, worried mothers, and premature hard drive death.

Keeping Mom Happy: Skype
Family members, in general, like to hear what you’re up to from time to time, be reassured that you haven’t been eaten by an alligator, and see what your riad in Marrakesh is like. One of the most versatile, useful, and often taken-for-granted applications – Skype – can help you do all of that…and securely to boot.

• Video And Voice – While it’s probably old news to many of you, Skype’s main feature is unlimited video-conferencing with other members. Now that’s it’s integrated with Facebook (for Windows users) that basically means everyone. Skype also lets you send large files (like your pictures from Mumbai), automatically encrypting them in the process.

Those are Skype’s free features but for a few more bucks you can call landlines, do group video calls, and get access to thousands of wi-fi hotspots worldwide.

Read the rest of the article at Foxnomad.com

Have you tried the 4-hour Body by Tim Ferriss?

I just got my copy of Tim Ferriss's new book "The 4-hour Body" and it's awesome! I jumped straight into the slow-carb diet and I'm on day 4, it's a little tricky at the moment to completely stick to his recommendations of what to eat, because we have a lack of fresh vegetables due to the flooding recently in Brisbane and Queensland, so I've had to do a bit more research on slow-carb diet's to see if there was any way I could eat things like multi-grain bread and small amounts of rice, so that I could have toast for breakfast and sushi for lunch!

It turns out, there are quite a few different options for doing slow-carb diets, so I'm mixing it up, but I'm sticking to the main principles Tim outlines in his book, which are:

1. Avoid "white" carbs, basically anything white is not good, except cauliflower!
2. Eat the same few meals over and over again
3. Don't drink calories, so no alcohol (except red wine), only unsweetened tea, water, one can of diet drink per day
4. Have one "cheat" day per week, where you can eat what you like!!

These are the main things to remember when doing a slow-carb diet... here are a few more links to websites that provide a few more options menu wise!

http://www.cellhealthmakeover.com/low-glycemic-index-diet-food.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2243463_follow-slow-carb-diet.html

The key to staying on this diet is to increase your protein, something I'm failing miserably at, at the moment, just find it difficult to increase protein, especially at breakfast, so I'm going to look into some protein shakes and bars (keeping an eye on sugar content!) to combat this!

If you haven't checked out Tim's book, I suggest you get it now, it's an awesome read!!