Mindconnection eNL, 2010-03-21

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Brainpower | Finances | Security | Health/Fitness | Factoid | Product Highlight | Thought for the Day

Let's illustrate this with a simple example. It's true that low tire pressure reduces a car's braking abilities. But if the driver doesn't push on the brake pedal and subsequently rams the back end of a squad car the cop isn't going to excuse this because of low tire pressure.

Contributing factors are not causal factors.

An area where people consistently confuse the two is fat loss (commonly mis-referred to as "weight loss."). This confusion is why diet program sell so well, and also why they don't work.

There is only one thing that causes people to be fat, and that is eating too much. To maintain otherwise would require rejecting the laws of thermodynamics, nearly the entire science of biology, and the vast literature on body composition. I'm not sure I want to say that every university granting physics degrees and biology degrees is peddling disinformation on those subjects.

Anyone, and I do mean anyone, who is fat can become reasonably lean. There is no magic to this, and there is no fatness cause that prevents it. The number one reason people struggle with this problem instead of solving it is they confuse contributing factors with causes. This confusion prevents them from focusing their efforts where those efforts can actually do any good.

Financial management concerns itself not just with wealth outflow, however. What about helping ensure your wealth keeps flowing in?

If you have a W-2 job in the private sector, your employer is looking for ways to cut costs. It's that, or go out business. Your prospects are better if your employer gets rid of things, rather than people. How can you influence that?

If your employer has a green strategy, contact the person(s) in charge of implementation/oversight and ask how you can help. Make it clear that you really want to contribute. Ask where they feel the green effort might be presently under-served. Don't offer opinions, at this point. Don't tell them what they are doing wrong or what you think they should do. Your first goal is to get on the team.

If your employer doesn't have a green strategy, think about which executive would be most likely to champion such a thing. Contact that person. State that many green efforts save companies money (do some research for examples, so you can recite them). State that you want to contribute, and that while you don't consider yourself an expert on the subject things do have to start somewhere.

In addition to helping your company save enough money to prevent some job elimination, you will give yourself some good high profile exposure within the company. When I worked on a W-2, I bypassed my boss this way routinely and was well-rewarded for it. My bosses didn't want extra work, so I didn't give it to them. But I kept them informed and made them look good. I made great contacts with executives who otherwise might never have noticed me.

If you decide to step out of the box your employer has you in, be humble and quiet as you go about it. Nobody likes someone who seems self-promotional. Don't complain, brag, ask for a pay increase, or in any other way produce negative vibes. Rewards will come.

But what if you get canned, anyhow? For one thing, you can probably get a great reference from a senior executive at your (now former) company. That person may even give you a great job lead. If you go into a job interview with this kind of "high contributor" record, you'll have a significant edge on the other folks competing for that job.

If your company has green to the max and there's no room for volunteering there, think of some other way you can help the company save money. Your own work processes may be ripe for drastic improvement, so look at those first. As you look around for other opportunities, take care you don't do any turf invasion or toe-stomping. Always offer to contribute, not to correct.

1. Most people who go to gyms use machines. Exercise machines are great for beginners and for people undergoing rehabilitation. But sustained use over time causes muscle imbalances and other problems. If you go to a gym, become proficient with free weights.
2. Gyms as we know them today simply did not exist until the fitness rage of the late 1970s. This rage was initiated by the movie Pumping Iron and then some other iconic movies that followed.

I don't believe a person can be fit, just from 5 or 6 workouts a week in a gym environment. Take up a sport, and use those muscles in a non-structured way. You'll build coordination and real strength while also reducing body fat.

One of the things I love about the winter is shoveling snow. It's great exercise, and several of my neighbors are happy I view it that way because my own driveway runs out of snow and I have to use theirs.

In the summer, weeding, raking, and gardening beckon. Other forms of natural exercise present themselves, too. It's random exercise, rather than structured, and engaging in it rounds out your program. Take advantage of the many exercise opportunities all around you. And have some fun!

As regular readers know, I was 48 years old in the picture (above, right), taken in December 2008. I don't diet down for summer. I don't have good genes for maintaining a lean body, either. I really have to be conscientious and disciplined about it. That doesn't mean I suffer, eat bland foods, or starve myself.

At www.supplecity.com, you'll find plenty of informative, authoritative articles on maintaining a lean, strong physique. It has nothing to do with long workouts or impossible to maintain diets. In fact:

• The best workouts are short and intense.
• A good diet contains far more flavors and satisfaction than the typical American diet.

Nor does it mean being hungry all the time (you are less hungry on six small meals a day than three large ones), being weak from hunger (on a proper dietary regimen, you will have much more energy than otherwise), or "giving up pleasures" (I have no idea where this concept comes from, unless a person considers being sick a "pleasure").

It used to be that surveillance devices were the stuff of movies and spy thrillers. Sadly, that is no longer the case.

In the USA, the so-called "Patriot Act" simply set aside the US Constitution. You may presently be illegally bugged and watched, even in your own home or office. How can you protect your privacy? Easy. With our electronic security devices. Don't let others listen in or watch without your permission. Find and destroy their hidden microphones and hidden cameras.

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