New research is showing that having a pet can help married couples stay together – especially if they can take something away from the way they love their pets.  Needless to say, we often forgive Fido for eating our shoes, or Fluffy for scratching the furniture; give our pets unconditional love and often discuss how understanding they are; and we ignore their flaws to give them the benefit of the doubt long enough to prove they’re sorry.

But do you and your spouse give each other that same kind of treatment?  Being able to recognize the love you have for your pets can improve the relationship with you and your spouse.  How often do you ignore flaws and pass up being angry over spilled milk to just clean it up?  More and more people are owning pets, and doing everything possible and going out of their way to keep their pets happy.  Why shouldn’t your spouse get the same treatment?
 
When you think of articles that might appear under a Health tab, there are many possibilities.  These range from fitness health, body/physical health, mental health, and even just the overall health of YOU.  This article focuses on the STING method to help stop procrastinating (something I’ve been doing a lot of lately).  I found the method while using StumbleUpon, looking for a good health topic and this one seemed quite fitting.  Rather than stumbling around until reaching a health site, I simply narrowed my stumbles to self-improvement, a subcategory of, you guessed it, health.  The STING method goes as follows:

S - Select one task.
T - Time yourself.
I - Ignore everything else.
N - No breaks.
G - Give yourself a reward.


This could, potentially, be groundbreaking in a world that moves so fast that many of us spend half our time procrastinating and worrying about things that are so simply solved.  One task, timed with no breaks, no distractions, and a reward!  Not only that, but you can do it ALL on your own: YOU choose the task, YOU choose the time limit, and YOU choose what your reward is!  Just think of the possibilities: chocolate, gummy bears, a nap, a high five, that new video game you’ve been wanting, or anything at all!

One task at a time can’t be too hard, nor timing yourself for a set limit.  No breaks, no problem.  Eat a good meal, go to the bathroom, and take a bottle of water with you.  We’ve already covered reward options, and it’s safe to say the possibilities are endless.  I think the problem most people will run into is ignoring everything else.  And that literally means everything.  Closing out your game of solitaire, turning off any electronic devices, clearing all thoughts, and focusing on whatever task you choose to complete.


If you can manage to do those five things, you can become more productive and successful person than you already are.  You just might impress yourself with how much your potential really is.


The link to the original source of this method is here: http://www.matthewcornell.org/blog/2005/11/use-sting-method-to-stop.html
 
Many Americans will eat French fries as often as they eat at fast food restaurants, but they also don’t know what they’re putting into their bodies.  After reading an article on Yahoo! Health, I decided to summarize their findings here and the link to the article will be provided at the end.  The article also makes suggestions as to what you can eat instead of the sodium-filled, calorie-congested, and fat-loaded fries often consumed.

Nutrient: Fat: 65 grams (20 saturated)
Nutrient: Cholesterol: 300 milligrams
Nutrient: Sodium: 2400 milligrams
Nutrient: Potassium: 3500 milligrams
Nutrient: Carbohydrate: 300 grams
Nutrient: Fiber: 25 grams
Nutrient: Protein: 50 grams


I think it would be appropriate to begin with the worst of the worst.  Packing a whopping 1,920 calories, 147 grams of fat (63 grams saturated fat), and 3,580 milligrams of sodium is Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries with Jalapeño Ranch.  Basing this information on the suggested daily allowance for specific intake values in adults and children above 4 years of age on a 2,000 calorie diet, this would be enough calories in a single plate of these fries, and maybe some yogurt afterwards to meet calorie recommendations in a day.  The fat content is nearly 2 and a half times as much is recommended for intake in a day, and the saturated is just over 3 times as much, with the sodium clocking in 1 and a half times as much as is recommend in a single day.

For the worst order of some plain ’ol regular fries?  Try Five Guys fries, a restaurant chain that originated in Virginia, and their regular fries are packing 1,464 calories, 71 grams of fat- 14 grams of which is saturated- and 213 milligrams of sodium.  Compare that to the suggested daily intake in the chart above, and you’ve exceeded your suggested fat intake, nearly reached the saturated fat intake, and are nearly ¾ of the way to your suggested daily calorie intake.  Sodium on this one could be worse, but over 200 milligrams is plenty in one sitting.  Add to that any burgers and/or hot dogs you may order, and you’re more than likely going to surpass everything.

For fans of Arby’s curly fries, you may be in for a big surprise, but what you’re putting into your body is even bigger.  With 640 calories, 34 grams of fat (5 grams of which is saturated), and 1,460 milligrams of sodium, I’m sure these fries are delicious.  Healthy?  Not so much.  As for wedge fries, Jack in the Box’s Bacon Cheddar Wedges are on the list at 715 calories, 45 grams of fat (13 grams saturated, 1 gram trans), and 905 milligrams of sodium.  

I’m sure you’ve been waiting to learn what the “healthiest” French fries out there are, and you may or may not be surprised to learn they come from McDonalds.  Their small French fries pack in 230 calories, 11 grams of fat- 5 grams saturated-, and 160 milligrams of sodium.  Note that that is the small fries.

For alternatives to these unhealthy fry options, check out the original Yahoo! article, and especially try to read the last paragraph of their article for an interesting fact about the 3 largest fast food restaurant chains.

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/46018/americas-worst-french-fries-and-what-you-should-eat-instead