Take Better Pictures

You've wanted to snap better pictures for a long time. Now you can.

When it comes to taking pictures, there are many perspectives. Some people leave it to the professionals, others are content with having mediocre shots half covered with fingers, and still others want to be able to take great pictures with little effort. If you find yourself in the last group, read on to find out a few small tips that will make a big difference in your photography skills.

Tip 1: Know Your Camera

Nothing makes for a bad picture like an unknowledgeable photographer. Thankfully, knowing your camera doesn't require you to be a pro at using the manual focus to zoom in and out and focus on your subject. What it does require is for you to push all the buttons, read the manual, and try different settings in different situations to figure out how to get the best picture, whether you're inside a gymnasium, outside during a storm, or sitting by the campfire at night.

Tip 2: Get Close

Unless you're taking a group shot of 50 people, there is no reason to stand more than a couple of feet away from your subject when taking a picture. By standing close, you don't have to zoom as much, which is more important than you may think. With a digital camera, zooming in lowers the quality of your image, resulting in an image more likely to be pixilated. Getting close also helps capture more details that you can't capture from a long distance.

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. - Ansel Adams

Tip 3: Lower Your Perspective

Taking a shot of kids or the family pet? Get on their level. Doing this gives you a straight shot at your subject's eyes and puts the photo in the subject's perspective. Holding the camera near the ground when shooting an adult also offers an intriguing, elongated perspective.

Tip 4: Forget the Center

For many photographers, a good photo is a well-centered photo, with the subject right in the middle and everything else on the edges. For a more visually stimulating photo, put your subject anywhere but the center. From the bottom right corner to the top left corner, placing your subject in an interesting position makes for an interesting photo.

Tip 5: Use Your Surroundings

In order to create a masterpiece on film, it is helpful to have a great background or foreground in addition to an excellent subject. When taking your photo, look for unique ways to use your surroundings to your benefit. Instead of seeing your surroundings as backdrops, consider them elements of your photo and make them do some work in your pictures. Lines - whether made from a straight tree trunk or a curved railroad track - are present in most any surrounding and go a long way toward creating more intriguing images. Just be careful not to clutter your photo with distracting backgrounds that subtract instead of add to the image.

Tip 6: Turn off the Flash

It's a little bit scary for novice photographers to kill the flash. After all, the flash is often seen as a guarantee of a good photo. But it can also destroy any hope you have of capturing a great moment as it is. To capture a fireside moment or a downtown night scene, turn off the flash and hold your camera as steady as possible when shooting. If you have shaky hands, you may want to use a tripod. If you have shaky hands and a shaky tripod, set your camera's timer and don't touch the camera or tripod after the timer begins the countdown to photographic perfection.

Tip 7: Look at Photography

In order to figure out how you want your pictures to look, it's a good idea to look at other people's photography. Become a student of photography and figure out what you like about certain images and don't like about others. Then use this knowledge to frame an award-winning shot of your own.

The Danger Of Fast Food

Some of the hidden and not-so-hidden dangers of fast food.

Fast food is fast, easy, and relatively cheap. But you probably know it's not the best for your family. Well, you're right. In fact, fast food is some of the worst stuff you can feed your spouse and kids - especially if it's on a regular basis.
Where do the dangers exist? Funny you should ask.

In the Fries

Excessive salt and grease all come together for one of the tastiest complements to your eating out experience. As if those three weren't enough to keep you away, French fries also have trans-fats and saturated fats, the kind of fats that don't do the body good. So while they may be offered with every meal you can order at every fast-food restaurant in the world, fries should be avoided if you want to sidestep one of the largest pools of unhealthy food in a fast-food restaurant.

In the Burgers

In order to keep fast food as cheap as possible, some fast-food restaurants lower the quality of meat used in hamburgers. That means fatty hamburgers (and chicken sandwiches) that are more likely to taste great but result in food poisoning. More likely than food poisoning is simply winding up with extra calories that will go straight to your waist, belly, or whatever other area of your body you'd rather keep trim.

In the Healthy Sides

Before getting too excited about those healthy choices at your favorite hit-and-run restaurant, there's something you should know. Though the word "healthy" may encourage you to jump in fork first, some of the healthy sides offered at fast food restaurants aren't all they're cut out to be. Chili made with fatty beef and filled with cheese and baked potatoes loaded with bacon, cheese, and other unhealthy condiments turn would could be a healthy alternative into an equally unhealthy choice.

In the Desserts

One of the most obvious places to find dangers in fast-food restaurants is on the dessert menu. From soft serve ice cream topped with caramel, chocolate, and strawberry syrup to post-meal frozen coffee, finding a healthy option on the dessert menu is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. In fact, your best chance for finding a healthy option on fast-food dessert menus is

In the Drinks

Since you can get as many refills as you want without paying extra, it can be tempting to fill your cup to the rim time and again. Unfortunately, filling your bladder and urinary tract with soda or sweet tea isn't a good idea. These drinks make you need to urinate more frequently and have enough calories in each 12-ounce serving to make it hard to eat anything without consuming an unhealthy amount of calories. As if that isn't bad enough, sodas and sweet tea offer no nutritional value besides a quick energy boost, which usually comes at the cost of a crash.

The Hidden Good News

No matter how hard you try, you're not going to be able to stay away from fast-food restaurants every day of your life. Going to these quick-and-easy eateries doesn't mean you're a bad person or have to resign yourself to chowing down on extra calories you may never shed. What it does mean is that you'll have to work a little harder to avoid those extra calories.

But it can be done. A great first step is to avoid fried foods that are in such great quantity in fast-food establishments. You should also opt for the healthier side items, and help them stay healthy by not adding on fatty toppings. And if you must have dessert, look for a yogurt parfait or a low-fat frozen yogurt in a cup. When you're done eating, smile and pat yourself on the back for doing what was once thought impossible. You've just eaten a relatively healthy meal at a fast-food restaurant.

Building A Healthy Smoothie

Smoothies are supposed to be healthy. Here's how to make sure they stay that way.

Ever since you first heard of smoothies, your mouth has been watering. When you're sipping on a smoothie, your mouth is in taste heaven. When there's no smoothie in your hand, all you can think of are strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. But if you're not careful, your smoothies can turn into nothing more than an average dessert.

To make sure your smoothie is as healthy as it is cold and delicious, you've got to have more than a good blender. You've got to have the right building blocks as well.

Building Block: Fruit

In a healthy smoothie, the most basic building block is fruit. Ideally, you want to go with fresh fruits that aren't sitting in sugar water or have been made unhealthy in some other way. Rather, you want fruit straight off the vine or tree. Raw fruit that hasn't been tampered with will ensure you the most powerful smoothie punch.

Some of the most common fruits found in smoothies include bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. But don't let this keep you from getting creative. No matter what your favorite fruit is, you can toss it in the blender for a delightful, flavorful smoothie. From cantaloupe and mango to pineapple, raspberry, and melon, you can include any fruit you can find in your smoothie concoction.

Want the thickest, most delicious smoothie possible? Toss the fruits you plan to use for a smoothie in the freezer before you go to bed. In the morning, toss them in the blender. It's a simple, yet effective way to get the thick smoothie you want.

Building Block: Juice

Once you've got your fruits picked out, you'll need to find a complementary juice. As with the fruit choices, there is one juice that is picked much more often than the others: orange juice. However, you can toss in whatever type of juice you want to spice up your smoothie.

For variations on your favorite smoothie, give apple juice, grape juice, or cranberry juice a shot. Each different juice will affect the consistency, thickness, and flavor of your smoothie, so keep trying out juices until you find the perfect flavor for your pallet.

Building Block: Yogurt

When you have lots of different fruits and flavors, you'll probably want something to pull them all together into one cohesive whole. Enter stage left: yogurt. Low-fat or fat-free is the best choice, and since most yogurt falls into one of these categories, it is also an easy choice to find.

With the right amount of yogurt in the mix, your smoothie will go from a yummy treat to a must-have each and every day. While you'll probably rely on vanilla yogurt for most of your smoothies, using strawberry, strawberry banana, blueberry, or other flavors will enhance your smoothie instantly!

Wake Up and Smell the Smoothie

Need a better way to get your day started? Get your morning off right with this easy-to-make Wake-Up Smoothie recipe.

Yields: 3 servings, 1 cup each
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups orange juice (go for calcium-fortified for added benefit)
• 1 banana
• 1 1/4 cups frozen berries of your choice (good options include raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and/or strawberries)
• 1/2 cup low-fat silken tofu or low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon sugar or Splenda Granular (optional way to add flavor that causes the smoothie to be a tiny bit less healthy)

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients and put in a blender. Cover and blend until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Serve immediately. Smile.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: 139 calories; 2 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 grams monosaturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 28 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams protein, 4 grams fiber, 19 milligrams sodium, 421 milligrams potassium.

5 Things You Need To Know About Antioxidants

It's billed as an epic story of good versus evil — biology in comic-book form. The villains: free radicals, those nefarious DNA-attacking poisons of modern life. Our fearless defenders: antioxidants, poised to protect us from—well, everything, right? You've heard the claims:

They cure cancer!

They prevent aging!

They supercharge your immune system! But while we think we know what antioxidants do, few of us know what antioxidants actually are. And food manufacturers are fine with that; the less you know, the more likely you are to swallow the hype. "Antioxidants have a health aura around them," says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H., a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University. "They are supposed to fight something bad in your body. Who wouldn't want to consume more of a helper like that?"

There's no doubt that antioxidants can be good for you. But to maximize their benefit, we first have to strip away some assumptions.

1. Free radicals must be destroyed.
Not so fast.

The basics: Antioxidants fight free radicals, which are unstable molecules in the body that can cause DNA mutation. Even though free radicals have been linked to serious conditions like heart disease, Parkinson's, and cancer, they aren't necessarily villains — they're by-products of a basic metabolic process called oxidation. "They're absolutely essential to life," says Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., director of the antioxidants lab at Tufts University. "For example, immune cells will shoot free radicals onto invading bacteria in order to kill them. They're an important part of the body's defenses."

Too many free radicals, on the other hand, are harmful. Pollutants, cigarette smoke, and sun overexposure can generate so many free radicals that your normal antioxidant defenses become overwhelmed, leaving you vulnerable to cell damage and disease. Some researchers also link free-radical oxidation with aging.

That's where antioxidants come in. "We need to make sure we have adequate antioxidant defenses to combat all the excess free radicals," says Blumberg.

Do this: Assuming you've curbed bad habits such as smoking and excessive tanning, turn to your diet. If you eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, your diet is naturally rich in thousands of antioxidants. Studies suggest eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day to reap the most health benefits.

2. All antioxidants are created equal.
Not even close.

Any molecule that protects your cells against oxidation is technically an antioxidant, says Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania. "They're anti-oxidation." This includes familiar nutrients, like vitamins, as well as more unfamiliar types of antioxidants, like flavonoids and polyphenols—about 8,000 varieties in all.

But don't assume that all antioxidants operate the same way, Blumberg warns. "You can't say, 'Well, I'm not going to worry about taking in enough vitamin E, because I take lots of vitamin C.' All the vitamin C in the world won't substitute for vitamin E," says Blumberg.

Some antioxidants excel at fighting certain types of free radicals (yep, there are different varieties of those, too) while others are effective only in specific parts of a cell. Still others can battle free radicals only under the right conditions.

"Think of antioxidants as an army," he says. "You need generals, lieutenants, corporals, privates, and others with specific duties. You can't fight an enemy with only generals." So how do you create an effective defense system in the battle for your life? By building a multipronged counteroffensive—er, diet.

Do this: Branch out and try something new in the produce aisle. In a 2006 study, researchers at Colorado State University found that people who ate the widest variety of fruits and vegetables had the most DNA protection.

3. All antioxidants come from fruits and vegetables.
Nope.

The entire plant kingdom—including beans, nuts, seeds, and grains—is awash in antioxidants, according to a recent study from the University of Scranton. That's because all plants produce antioxidants to fight against predators and UV rays, says Vinson. It's important to steer clear of refined grains, though; they've been stripped of most of their antioxidant benefits.

Even meat, dairy products, and eggs contain some antioxidants, which mainly come from the nutrient-rich plants the animals fed on.

Do this: Eat whole-grain foods, beans, nuts, and seeds regularly. When animals are on the menu, make sure they've been grass-fed; meat and dairy products from these better-fed beasts have been shown to contain higher levels of antioxidants. Eggs from pastured hens also rank higher in antioxidants—look for them at farmers' markets.

4. Antioxidant-fortified foods are healthier.
Not really.

The ink was barely dry on early antioxidant studies when food companies started slapping the A-word on their packaging. You can even chug an antioxidant-fortified version of Cherry 7UP. The FDA requires food manufacturers to list the variety of antioxidant in a product; that part is often in fine print. Look closely, and the label reveals that you're receiving a tiny helping of vitamin E. Perhaps "Cherry 7UP Vitamin E" didn't sound as impressive.

If you're relying on processed foods to supplement your antioxidant intake, you may be surprised to find that many processed foods have relatively small amounts of just one or two kinds. Since variety is critical, you probably aren't making up for lost ground.

Do this: Ignore the hype — there's no research to prove that packaged products provide the same health benefits that whole foods do. Instead, focus on the ingredient list. If a food product contains mostly plant foods, it's likely to be rich in antioxidants.

5. If I exercise and take antioxidant supplements, I'll be superfit.
Maybe not.

Working out leads to more oxidation and an increase in free radicals. That's not a bad thing. "Since free-radical production is a normal response to exercise, taking a large dose of antioxidants right after a workout could interfere with the natural, beneficial response to exercise," says nutritionist Alan Aragon, M.S., a Men's Health weight-loss expert. The logic is unexpected but clear: Scientists speculate that the oxidative stress triggered by exercise promotes insulin sensitivity and weight loss, and possibly reduces your risk of diabetes. (Belly not budging?

Case in point: A 2009 German study found that when exercisers took antioxidant supplements (vitamins C and E), they weren't rewarded with the typical postexercise boost in insulin sensitivity. So much for that well-intentioned antioxidant-fortified recovery drink. Michael Ristow, M.D., an author of the study and chairman of the department of human nutrition at the University of Jena, Germany, speculates that other antioxidant supplements might have similar negative effects, though more study is needed.

Supplements can even sap your power: A 2006 British study found that runners who took 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily for a week lost muscle strength.

Do this: If you're exercising to lose weight, your antioxidants should come from whole foods, not from supplements or antioxidant-enhanced food products. When it comes to antioxidants, more isn't always better.

Lies You Believe About Exercise

The truth will set you free…to exercise better!

Everyone falls prey to lies and myths on occasion. But if you buy into one of these and your exercise routine is affected by it, you could be in a world of danger. What lies may be affecting your ability to work out safely and with maximum results? Read on to find out.

Lie 1: Big Size = Big Strength

Okay, so the big guys are often rather strong (you won't see a lot of skinny folks lifting cars), but you don't have to be super beefy to be strong. Actually, too much muscle mass can make it difficult to perform certain activities. Instead of focusing on getting bigger, bigger, bigger, go for exercises that help you get in good shape, have good muscle definition, and retain your ability to move quickly.

Lie 2: Muscle Becomes Fat

Ever wished you could transform all of the fat around your midsection into rock-hard muscle? Of course you have. Unfortunately, you know you have to burn off the fat in order to make room for muscle. Likewise, the muscle you build up won't turn into fat when you stop working out. You just think it did, because any time you stop working out, you see unwanted pounds show up with such speed.

Lie 3: You'll Get His or Her Results

At every gym there are people with great bodies. Everything is where it should be and every muscle is well defined and shapely. To get the same results, you ask one of these model-looking individuals for the secrets to their picture-perfect bodies. You take careful notes and then attempt to mimic their every move in the gym. Unfortunately, what works for one person may not work for you. Every body is different and responds differently to various exercises. Since there is no one-size-fits-all approach to exercise, try plenty of different workouts to find out what works best for you.

Lie 4: Tons of Gym Time, Awesome Results

If spending an hour or two in the gym five days a week is good for you, then spending five hours every day pushing your body to the max is even better - right? Wrong. Overtraining your muscles and not giving them any chance to rest can actually cause your muscles to begin breaking down and going away. On top of this, you also put your muscles at risk for some serious injuries if you spend too much time exercising - especially if you're doing the same movements over and over again.

Good Intentions

Exercise myths aren't always created out of malice. In fact, many of them are built on what would seem to be common sense. However, deciphering between truth and fiction is the only way to ensure your workouts are safe and beneficial.

Lie 5: Slow Is Safe

Commercials that feature outdoor groups of people enjoying a relaxing class of yoga can be misleading. While yoga and pilates can be relaxing and slow-moving ways to get exercise, they can put your body at risk for some of the same injuries other exercises pose. So before hopping into an advanced yoga class without understanding what you're getting into, start at the beginner's level and gradually work your way up to the more advanced, demanding classes.

Lie 6: Form Doesn't Matter

Back when you were first starting to lift weights, you worried about keeping perfect form for each rep. But over time, you began to realize that form wasn't as important as just getting out there and lifting. Unfortunately, your epiphany isn't based in truth, because if you lift weights or perform other exercises without using the right form, the negative results are two-fold. First, you aren't actually targeting the muscle you think you are unless you maintain good form. Second, improper form puts you at great risk for a variety of severe injuries.

Lie 7: Genetics Are Everything

If your parents and grandparents are overweight and out of shape, it can be easy for you to expect the same fate for yourself. But don't let your genetics get in the way of exercise. Instead, understand that you may have to make some modifications (including what you eat) to get the results you want in the gym. You may even have to change your goals to better meet your body's abilities.

The Drinking Bulge

Enough information on alcohol-related weight gain to get you intoxicated.

Whether you're a social drinker or enjoy sipping on an occasional beer in the peace and quiet of your home, you will agree that alcohol makes life better. Unfortunately, as you may have realized, too much alcohol can lead to a little pudge in your middle - and anywhere else you tend to gain weight.

Why does it do this, and what can you do to avoid it? Read on to find out.

Alcohol's Effect

While alcohol is busy doing fun things with your head, it is doing some rather different things with the rest of your body. Instead of falling in line behind all your other calories, waiting patiently to get burned off, alcohol-based calories skip line and become the first to get removed from your system. Though it is nice to be able to get rid of alcohol's calories right off the bat, it causes all those other calories you just ate at the bar to sit still and turn into fat.

On top of that, with every sip of alcohol, you tend to feel better. At the same time, you tend to slow down. Drink enough and you're so worn out that all you can do is pass out until the following morning. What's wrong with calling it a night after downing a handful of alcoholic beverages? You give all those calories a chance to do nothing but sit still and add to your waistline. Think getting that beer or wine buzz is still worth it? Then you'll need to pay particular attention to what's coming next.

Bye-Bye, Beer Belly

For many, alcohol is a part of life. It doesn't interfere, cause the person to lose control, or result in poor decisions that will be greatly regretted later. But it still adds to the amount of calories consumed. With that in mind, it is important to have a good game plan to turn the keg that has developed in your abdomen into a six-pack.

Ready to fight for your healthy shape? You'll need to do the hard thing. You'll have to learn to drink less alcohol. A great way to do this is to go into any potential drinking situation planning to have no more than one drink. It sounds difficult, but it can be done. Simply order a glass of water to go with your alcohol and drink your alcohol slowly and surely.

In addition, you can trim your wine-induced love handles the old fashioned way. Get to the gym and work up a good sweat. When you're there, remember that you can do all the exercises you want to try and hone in on your trouble spots, but they won't do any good until you're getting full-body cardio. Also, once you get home, you aren't off the hook. If you're serious about warding off alcohol-related pounds, be sure to maintain a well-balanced diet all of the time, swapping out high-fat foods for low-fat options and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Fattest Drinks

Like most foods and drinks, alcoholic beverages are not created equal. Some are a tad bit tastier, and others are a good deal fattier. Which drinks should you be particularly wary of? Check out the list below to learn what drinks are the most calorie-laden.

• Budweiser (12 ounces), 145 calories
• Gin and Tonic (9.5 ounces total, 1.5 ounces of Gin), 200 calories
• Long Island Iced Tea (9.5 ounces total, 1.5 ounces of alcohol), as many as 550 calories
• Margarita (9.5 ounces total, 1.5 ounces of alcohol), as many as 500 calories
• Ruby Port (8 ounces), 185 calories
• Sam Adams Boston Lager (12 ounces), 160 calories
• White Chardonnay (8 ounces), 90 calories

Foundations Of Your Fatique

Tired of feeling tired? You've got to get to the root of your problem.

When you work and play hard, you're going to get tired. It's only natural. However, if you feel out of energy and unmotivated on a daily basis, it may be more than a little bit of tiredness. You may be suffering from fatigue. Instead of ignoring the problem and learning to live with it, figure out what's causing this tiring condition so you can regain the energy you need to live life to the fullest!

Here are a few of the most common causes of fatigue.

Depression

Everything is hard to do when you're depressed - including getting up and going to work. Whether you're clinically depressed (depression that lasts two weeks or longer) or are just going through a brief rough spot, overcoming your depression is vital to recovering energy. As difficult as it may be, a great way to beat both depression and fatigue is to force yourself to get some fresh air and exercise.

Sleeplessness

In case you've not figured it out yet, your entire life depends on getting enough sleep. When sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea or insomnia set in, it is virtually impossible to get the quantity and quality of sleep you need for good health. The result is an initial tiredness that turns into lack of productivity or motivation, a.k.a. fatigue. Beat it by undergoing a sleep study to figure out what you can do to improve your sleep habits.

Anemia

If you feel yourself running low on energy, look under your eyelids. If they're almost white, your energy problem is likely due to anemia. Fortunately, overcoming mild iron-related anemia is relatively easy, as all you need is to get some iron in your body as soon as possible. Any leafy vegetable that is dark green will do. You can also grab some iron with almost any meat you can get your iron-hungry hands on.

Thyroid

Along with a variety of other problematic and dangerous complications, fatigue is yet another common side effect of thyroid problems. Whether you've got hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, your body's response is to grow weary. As thyroid conditions will stick with you for life, you'll need to work hand in hand with your physician to keep the condition under control and keep your fatigue at a minimum.

Pain

As if the constant throbbing in your back weren't troublesome enough, it may also be at the root of your fatigue. In fact, any long-term pain can result in fatigue. To beat pain-induced fatigue, you need to receive appropriate treatment, which may include oral or intravenous medications, physical therapy, surgery, acupuncture, or lifestyle modifications.

Use

They may make you feel better at the time, but alcohol and illegal drugs can both contribute to fatigue, especially if you do either with excess. Though both of these causes of fatigue are voluntary, they can be difficult to kick on your own. In the event you don't feel able to say goodbye to drinking or drugs on your own, seek professional help. It will help you overcome fatigue and protect your overall good health for years to come.

Stranger Causes

Though fatigue is usually the result of a common problem such as anemia or depression, it can also be the result of a variety of other serious conditions, including the following:

• arthritis
• diabetes
• infections
• kidney or liver disease
• lupus

If you can't figure out what's causing your fatigue and fear it may be one of these conditions, talk with your physician as soon as possible.

Treating these conditions properly is essential not only for overcoming fatigue, but for having the quality of life you desire.