I’m happy to report that exercising outside of the home is going very well. Exercise has always been a part of my life the only major change I’m seeing is getting back into the gym. I’ve been a gym member with the same exercise facility for the past ten years. The last year I have done the majority of my workouts at home. Thankfully I have a gym at home, complete with a treadmill, free weights, pilates machine, workout bench, so the exercises I am doing at the gym are similar. Of course, there is additional equipment available at the gym but the workout (and the intensity I always bring) is still the same.You don’t need gym equipment to work out at home. Sometimes I do simple exercises like pushups, sit-ups, scissor kicks, ab exercises. All you need is your body to complete those.
Cardiovascular activity
Although I’m a free-weights lover, I do realize the importance of cardiovascular activity and make an effort to include it in my daily lifestyle. It’s been part of my routine since I was a child. As a child, the cardio activity involved some type of outdoor activities such as gardening, mowing the lawn, biking, running, hiking, and sports (team related and pick up groups started with my friends). As an adult I picked up additional activities; inline skating, cross trainer, and the elliptical trainer.
A nice bonus for staying physically active and following a healthy diet is I can eat whatever I want and not gain weight. I’m still the same size I was at 17 (size 4) and the benefits of staying fit is amazing. When I was pregnant, I added twenty-two pounds of weight, and dropped it within two months after my daughter was born. I worked out through pregnancy. When I work out at the gym, my cardiovascular activity is usually getting on the cross trainer or elliptical machine for 25 to 30 minutes. Around the fifteen to twenty-minute mark the amount of fat burned increases significantly, since cardio is part of my routine excessive fat does not have a chance to accumulate. The bodies metabolism decreases as we age, but I really haven’t noticed a difference.
Cardiovascular activity can still be done at home. Jumping jacks, jogging in place, squats, scissor kicks, are a few exercises I do at home. It keeps you active, your still burning calories, and you’re reaping the benefits of exercise.
This past Saturday I turned 40, it passed quietly since I don’t get into celebrations that much. I love doing things for others though. I would have escaped the bulk of well-wishes if I weren’t a member of Facebook, family, friends (past and present) and even two lovely ladies from the blogging community Megan and Kaozz popped by my page to wish me a Happy Birthday, thanks you two! It was nice receiving from people I’ve met throughout the years. A few days later, I was finally able to respond to the individual notes left on my page. In a few instances, the contact spurred an additional email or phone call to catch up with one another.
With friends like these…
My oldest friend, naturally gave me a supportive comment. Hey old bag, it’s all downhill from here. Ahh, the lady has jokes! I did point out to her that she’s an older bag than I, since she’s older than I by a few months. We haven’t seen each other in a while, but we’re planning to meet up within the next few months to hang out, reconnect, and move forward with our friendship.
Renewing my membership
Initially, I was going to purchase an iPad for my birthday instead I renewed my gym membership by an additional three years. My membership was coming up for renewal soon. Since my daughter has gone back to school, my workouts begin within hours after I drop her off in the morning. Initially, I’d make the mistake of coming home and completing a few client projects before beginning my workout. Of course, there were many times I didn’t get into the gym since I became wrapped up in my projects so I’d work out at home. Monday, I decided to do something different and go directly to the gym, after dropping her off at school. I get an amazing workout at home, but as a business owner who works at home I do enjoy getting out of the house too.
Just do It!
Physically going to the gym turns the “I need to get out of the house and do something!” into a reality. If you’ve worked from home, you might have had that feeling a few times also. My initial concern was establishing a set gym time might throw me off with my work, and although it’s still too early I am happy to say that I am able to complete my assignments even with two hours knocked out of my morning schedule. I’ve always worked better after a morning workout. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been physically active since I was a child. Making smart food choices, feeding my emotions with things that are nurturing, and staying physically healthy by incorporating exercise into my daily lifestyle had kept me fairly sane even when I’ve encountered major obstacles within my life.
It’s ok to do things for yourself…
This time of year is extremely hectic, however, I do realize that I still have to deal with the busy aspects of my life. It’s not going away, so I have to handle whatever challenges I might face. I’m doing that. Part of that means taking time for myself too. At times, I feel guilty doing things for me. I tend to put others first, and myself last. However, I realize I need to put myself in the equation too. Even though I work out at home, scheduling workout time at the gym (even though minor) is an excellent way to take care of me.
This past Saturday my daughter’s second grade soccer team had a game. It is the fourth game they’ve had; it is the first game her team has won the score was 4-0. Even with the recent losses my daughter’s team had a blast, which is great.
As I told her two Saturday’s ago, win or lose I do not care, just do the best you can and that is good enough for me, remember that. Now I know my daughter was not doing her best at previous games. She was nervous, facing strange kids were a new experience. She was not as bold as she usually is around her teammates or when we played soccer. I was OK with that. She would get over her fear or realize that she did not want to play soccer. This past Saturday she came out of her shell, and played as if she were playing against her teammates. She made use of her talents, speed (she’s faster than anyone out there) and her ability to manage the ball effectively. When the opposing team came towards her, she did not dance away from them (like she did in the past) she met them head-on, and in many cases took the ball from them.
Sitting on the sidelines, is a brand-new experience for myself. I can imagine how my father must have felt at the games. My brother and I dragged him too. My brother and I were athletic, very competitive, and fairly adept at the sports we played. We only became skilled at those games because we practiced, a lot. Dad was out there with us, and he encouraged us to do our best. My father is competitive; however, he never made my brother or I feel ashamed about our abilities, he did encourage us and at times gently challenge us to make use of our talents, and not be happy with just getting by. The encouragement we received from both of my parents had always made me want to do my best, even at times when I felt overwhelmed and just wanted to learn enough to get by. Thinking back to the first role models I had, I just could not do that.
Initially, I was a lot like my daughter, but with the urging of my father, brother, and my friends, well I became skilled at the games I played. I can remember being outside, after our homework was done playing basketball until it was too dark to see. We had friendly competitions in sports and grades too. We pushed each other to do better. A few years later, my father installed a light outside, so we could play after dark. I remember one year both of us coming home with most valuable player awards in sports. We received recognition in academics too, honor roll each semester. It wasn’t just about sports with us. 😉
There’s nothing wrong with being competitive, as long as you do not make others feel inferior if their talents do not happen to be the same as yours. We are all different things that come easily for one person, might not be easy for others. I think we all have things that we’re naturally talented at, some time it takes a while to figure out what that is. I still apply a lot of the lessons I’ve learned from youth to some of the challenges I face now, some times I do need to regroup, just like sports sometimes I need to become better before I tackle a project.
Recently, my schedule has become hectic. Working on projects, it’s easy to get sucked into my work and block everything out. However, there are times when I need to snap back into reality and do important things such as prepare meals, pick my daughter up from school, take a break, and exercise. When my daughter is home, I step away from my projects and spend time with her.
My problem isn’t motivation. When I’m focused on a project, at times I have to force myself to stop. It isn’t always easy. Last evening, I finally got around to purchasing FlexTime for Mac. Think of it as a productivity planner for your computer, it keeps tabs on the projects that you’re working on, and alerts you when time expires. Setting up tasks is easy. I’ve already added numerous tasks for myself, and I’ll be adding more. Currently, I’ve had a warning set up, 10 minutes before I want to stop working on a project. It’s my gentle reminder that its time for me to wrap up my thoughts, slow down and change my focus.
If you’re a Mac user and want to try out FlexTime, pop by Daniel Jalkut’s (owner & developer) website and download FlexTIme. You’ll be able to try out the product for thirty days. I first tried out FlexTime in 2007, I tried the free trial, loved it but really had no use for it. I do now. FlexTime is only $18.95, if you’re a Mac user, and enjoy productivity tools, check it out!
Although I do affiliate marketing on this site (Amazon, I only recommend products I’ve used) I’m not paid anything for recommending FlexTime. I simply like the product. Daniel Jalkut does a great job of responding to his clients, via email and through his forums, so I’m happy to point others to his fabulous applications. I also use MarsEdit, another app developed by him, it’s an only blog editor. As with anything I like, I’ll recommend it to others. I know a few of my readers are Mac users so if you want to check out an amazing productivity product that’s free to test for 30 days, try it out.
Question: Does anyone else using a productivity application? If so let us know what you use in the comment section.
A few days ago, I received an email from a Celebrate Life reader, they follow me via Celebrate Life’s RSS feed but don’t comment. Which is normal, if you look at your stats, in many cases you’ll find you have more people that regularly visit your site without commenting.
Anyway this reader was curious about Demand Studios. They asked me whether it’s legitimate, and more important do they pay on time. Being that I’ve only started writing at Demand Studios, the information I could give them was limited. I know they’re legitimate since a few bloggers I follow are writing for the company. I sent them a few links to writers who’ve been writing with the company for a long time. This morning, when I opened my personal email, I received a note from them telling me they had gotten accepted into Demand Studios. I sent them a congratulatory mail, and a few links that I thought would be helpful.
Demand Studios; payment for one article
The above screenshot, is the first payment I’ve received from Demand Studios. This payment was for the first approved article I’d written. Livestrong pays their writers $25 per article. Demand Studios pays their writers twice weekly; Tuesdays and Fridays. That’s a first for myself, since I’m used to being paid either biweekly or monthly for online work.
With print articles, I don’t receive payment until after the article has been published. If I remember correctly, the longest I had to wait for payment was about seven months. Naturally, the payment received was a lot more than what I make at Demand Studios.
Wayne Howard of Wayne’s Business & Pleasure, has recently started writing for Demand Studios. He’s recently written about it on his own blog, if you’re looking for additional information, stop by and read his post.
Writers Market is a great resource for writers looking to for tips for both online and print publications. You will have to pay to join. Their membership fees start at $5.99 monthly, however, if you purchase their book Writer’s Market Deluxe, you’ll also receive a code that can be used to activate your online membership. I’ve been a member since 2006. Writer’s Digest is another great online resource.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White has graced my bookshelf for numerous years, I can’t find my copy. During the house renovations it was packed (or given) away. I was familiar with E.B. White, having read Charlotte’s Webb (along with a few of his other books) as a young child. However, I hadn’t heard about William Strunk until reading the book. Many times, I’ve curled up with the book and read it like a novel. It helped a lot with my freelance writing.
I appreciate the rules, listed within the slim book but I don’t always follow that style in my personal writing. In freelance writing, I usually follow this style when writing health related articles. This book is a reminder that I don’t need a lot of words, to make a point.
Writing for Livestrong magazine, I realized quickly not following guidelines, the copy editor will send back my work with a rewrite request. Admittedly, I needed a gentle reminder with my first article. I tried to sneak in unnecessary words, even though I’d read the guidelines. Naturally, it was sent back with a rewrite request, I made the changes, my rewrite was accepted and the article published.
Admittedly, the hardest part (for me) was writing in third person (avoiding “I”, “we”, or “you”) while still writing in active voice. I haven’t done that in a while. Because of that, I took my time to write the articles before submitting them. The three topics I wrote were; Ways to lower your cholesterol, benefits of B12 and iron, and how to burn 750 calories. I enjoyed working in vegetarian choices with the first two. Admittedly, I can write those articles without thinking, since those are topics I’ve researched religiously. However, I do include references supporting my claims. Livestrong requires that with all its writers.
Yesterday I ordered the 50th anniversary edition ofThe Elements of Style. It arrived at my doorstep this afternoon, now that’s efficient service.
My natural beauty business keeps me busy throughout the year. However, the colder months is hectic. During these times, I don’t do too much personal writing. Besides spending time with family, the majority of my attention is focused on my business.
Recently, I decided to kick things up a notch with my writing, so decided to take on a few freelance writing projects. In addition to writing on a few sites I own, I’m writing for others too. I’ve always been a fan of residual income, since it means I get paid whether I work or not, so you’ll tend to see me focusing a lot of energy on writing projects that way. Up front pay is nice, however when it comes to online work I tend to gravitate towards projects that will offer keep paying me no matter how long it’s been since I’ve written an article (or updated a website.)
Using freelance writing to purchase another 17″ MacBook Pro
I decided that I’d finally update my 17″ MacBook Pro, although I have the money to do that now. I’m holding off, and will use one of my newer freelance jobs to make that happen. I recently got accepted at Livestrong Magazine as a media writer. In order to work for them, you have to apply with Demand Studios.
I had thought I’d already done this, but when I went to their log on screen last week, I realized this wasn’t the case and so I had to go through the process of submitting an application, which included attaching a writing sample, and linking to one of my sites that is solely focused on heath related issues. Less than 24 hours later, I received an approval letter from Demand Studios. I also received an approval letter from Livestrong magazine. It’s an online magazine I’ve been following since it was created, so naturally I’m happy to work for them. The beauty of it is; I can work when I want too. I don’t have any quota. The money I make writing articles for them will go towards the purchase of my new MacBook Pro; I should have it within a few weeks.
Getting accepted at Demand Studios; Writing for Livestrong
Unlike a lot of your freelance writing sites, Demand Studios is on the higher end of the pay per article scale. The articles average about $15 per article of 400 – 500 words. For online content, that is considered “good pay.” Livestrong is part of Demand Studios, and their articles start at $25. When it comes to writing for others online, $25, and above is what I’m used to receiving, so Livestrong fits me perfectly, and it’s writing about topics I’m completely comfortable with; Health & wellness, and natural products. Although accepted, I haven’t started writing for them yet. My business has been keeping me busy, however, once my daughter goes back to school this week, I’ll start submitting a few articles.
Patricia, a lovely lady who writes about the lavender herb and the many things you can do with lavender essential oil recently commented on an article I’d written about freelance writing. Did you know lavender can be used for hair loss prevention? It’s true, I have a product that does exactly this, although I don’t market it as such even though there are scientific data to back up the claims, making those claims on a product can get you in a lot of hot water.
Patricia had mentioned she’d check out the DS. Unfortunately, Demand Studios is only open to those who live within the United States, however, Suite 101 is open to international writers.
Making money with residual Income
DeAnna over at WriteMoms has done a great review of Suite 101, and I’d encourage you to drop by her site and check it out. I can’t forget Felicia, at NoJobForMom, she has a huge lists of articles focused on writing for Suite 101. Suite 101 is a great site to check out if you want to make some residual income. I have articles at one website where I don’t write anymore, however, I still get an average of $250 monthly from those articles, and that’s only one site. Although $250 monthly might not be significant, remember I’ve been getting that monthly for around two years. I don’t write there anymore. With those articles, I made more money over time, than I ever would have made upfront. I have residual income coming from other places too (mostly my own sites).
How profitable is residual income? Well, I can pay 75% of my monthly bills that way. That’s not bad at all, residual income can be extremely profitable, however it’s not going to fall in your lap. It didn’t happen overnight with myself; you’ll have to work to make it happen. If you listen to the naysayers, you won’t make it. Be prepared to make sacrifices, like dipping into your me time. For myself that meant cutting my gaming time, and a few other social activities I did. I wanted to turn my dreams into a reality and that wasn’t going to happen if I acted like the grasshopper who spent their time partying, gaming, etc., Just like the industrial bee, you’ll be busy, but it can be worth it.
But back to Patricia… She happens to be writing about one of my favorite herbs, so you know I have her site, Lavender Uses in NetNewsWire (my RSS feed aggregator). I also follow her tweets on Twitter.
The Vanishing of the Bees
The Disappearing Honey Bees: Beekeepers on what’s happening.
Occasionally you might see me slip bees in my titles or see them woven within some of my articles. The reason is simple; I have a lot of respect for them. Although I’m not like the honeybee where I’m constantly working. I do work a lot to achieve the goals I’ve set out for myself. Honeybees have to be my all time favorite insect (ants are a close second). As a child I spent a lot of time just studying the bees in the yard. I admired their work ethic, and was fascinated at the way they were constantly working. My parents, seeing my interest in these amazing insects supplied me with the books focused on bees that further encourage my fascination with them.
Unfortunately, Colony Collapse Disorder has seen a significant decrease in the honeybee population. On a local level, I started noticing a decline even before hearing the term. Next year, I’ll be adding honeybees to our property and am hoping I can do my part to increase their population.
