Peter B. Ultimate

It’s easy to become discouraged when trying to lose weight. Instead of focusing on the failure of your past habits, consider focusing on 30 minutes to a flat stomach. Set attainable goals. This means goals that you have control over. If you set a goal to lose five pounds in a week, you have no control and set yourself up for failure. Instead, set a goal to exercise 30 minutes a day five days a week. Along with that set a goal to stay within your calorie count. As you achieve these goals each week, your motivation will increase. Other tips include:

• Measure instead of weigh — Measure your waist and stomach before you start and again each six weeks. Weight can fluctuate as fat is replaced by water or muscle. A tape measure shows the inches melting off your midsection.
• Keep a food diary
• Reward yourself with a pedicure or massage after six weeks
• Plan ahead – Print out a copy of calorie amounts for various fast food chains and keep them in your car. Then if you find yourself in a situation where you have to eat out, you’ll be prepared to make informed choices. You can find fast food calorie information on line.
• While walking for exercise, also hold in your stomach muscles to the count of 10. Release for a count of 10, and repeat. This will help to tone your stomach as you walk.
• If you start to get bored, change to another routine. Mix things up.
• Drink plenty of water.

So how exactly is computer addiction defined? When does a hobby become an addiction? As with most other dependencies, specific questions can be asked to assess whether or not someone may suffer from computer addiction. These questions include assessing how much time is spent on the PC or playing video games, sometimes relative to how much time is spent interacting with real people.

Another way to assess computer addiction is to assess one’s quality of life before and after the computer arrived. Many people have lost jobs due to their computer addiction. Constantly logging onto the Internet at work has caused many people to be dismissed, often after repeated warnings were issued. Money is another factor. Some people have gone into debt and lost great amounts of money using online services and chatrooms.

Computer addiction is also sometimes linked to computer gambling. For some people, gambling is reliant on the computer. They cannot have one without the other. Not only do such people spend countless hours playing online poker, but they often lose thousands of dollars while playing.

As with any addiction, steps can be taken to treat computer addiction. Limiting the amount of time spent on the computer or playing video games is a simple step. If your computer is on all the time at home, switch it off. Guidelines for children suggest allowing no more than one hour per night on the PC or playing video games.