With the growth of outdoor digital signage along roadsides in many cities, concerns have grown about the potential dangers posed by LED, LCD, and plasma screens when used as digital billboards.

From New York’s Time Square to London’s Piccadilly Circus, digital signage is now popping up everywhere, and if US influence goes its normal way, digital billboards will soon appear on roads and highways all over the world. the world.

Already in the US, however, these new digital billboards are causing controversy with some activists suggesting these outdoor digital billboards are a dangerous distraction for drivers and some hardline safety advocates suggesting that they should be banned.

The problem with the debate about the possible distraction that digital advertising can cause to drivers is that to date no research has been done on the effects of LED billboards, LCD screens and other digital advertising on motorists.

Yet to critics, digital billboards are considered as much of a distraction as mobile phones, and, activists say, unlike mobile phones, digital roadside advertising cannot be turned off.

However, the outdoor digital signage industry argues that roadside digital billboards are no more dangerous than standard roadside advertising and that examples of accidents caused by digital signage are only anecdotal.

And for every example of a traffic collision caused by a driver distracted by digital advertising on the road, outdoor digital signage can cite a similar incident with static billboards (an infamous static bra ad is alleged to have caused dozens of accidents in the United Kingdom).

The digital signage industry also argues that, to date, despite little legislation outlining what content can be displayed, the industry by convention does not use moving images in digital roadside advertising.

And its self-regulatory moves like this one, which can bypass restrictive legislation governing digital roadside advertising and billboards, though it will only take one serious incident or irresponsible implementation to bring the entire industry under the restrictive rules governing the use of outdoor digital signage.

To achieve exceptional performance and productivity from your staff, you must work on your power of influence. It’s a fact that leaders who are good at influencing get things done faster and with minimal effort. When you become a positive influence for your people, you will notice a change of mentality among them, as they will feel highly motivated, enthusiastic about their work and take on their responsibilities. Reaching this state is no easy task and will require you to develop the following three skill sets.

Know your destination before you start your journey

The influence is intangible since it depends a lot on the way people think. The way a person thinks will drive their behavior, which in turn affects their feelings. As a leader, you must be influential in your thinking so that you can change the mindset of the people you lead. An example of this is the late South African President Nelson Mandela. When he was released from prison after 27 years on fabricated charges, his main intention was to unify the nation that had been marginalized on racial grounds. To do this, Mandela committed South Africans to appreciating each other through sport and other activities in order to eliminate any form of mistrust and misinformation between his people of different racial backgrounds.
To have this kind of influence requires that you have a clear aspiration of where you want to go and why you want to go there. Once you are clear on this, you need to work on your empathy to understand what your people want and how you can sync this with your own aspiration. You can achieve this by building a relationship of trust with the people you lead, so that they see you as someone who is always there for them through thick and thin. Once your people trust you, they will follow you wherever you want to go.

Focus on your ears not your mouth

The Greek philosopher Zeno of Citium said: “We have two ears and one mouth, so we must listen more than we say.” The power to influence is based on your power to listen objectively and sincerely. When you listen to what your people have to say, you are inadvertently building a meaningful long-term relationship. Also, when you start to listen, you will also create buy-in for your ideas, as your people are prepared to listen to you in turn, and in this process, you could synthesize their views with yours and work towards a win-win situation. win that benefits everyone. . This will then decrease the conflicts that stifle productivity and efficiency. Entrepreneur and billionaire Richard Branson is a big advocate of listening and he succinctly said, “Listen, take the best. Leave the rest.”

Learn to persuade like Aristotle

The last set of skills to be a good influencer is to master the art of persuasion. The difference between these two seemingly interrelated words is that influence is more about building relationships, trust, and achieving long-term goals, while persuasion is more about being transactional, competitive, and achieving short-term goals. As a leader, you sometimes need to take this position in that the circumstances you face require you to come up with a quick plan of action that doesn’t allow you to negotiate with and influence your people. This is where you need to work on your power of persuasion. However, if you have implemented the above two skill sets, persuading people to achieve your short-term goal would not be a problem.

Aristotle, in his work ‘Rhetoric’, identified three important factors that you should focus on when you want to persuade someone. He calls this: ethos (credibility), pathos (emotional), and logos (logical). Fundamentally, what this means is that the first thing you need to persuade is by using your respectful, honest, and credible character (ethos). The next thing is to persuade by appealing to their emotions by giving them an imaginative impact of how they will benefit if they do what you are asking of them (pathos). One caveat here though is that this can be subject to abuse and as such you need to be careful in taking into account the last factors which is to persuade by appealing to their intellect by giving them the relevant facts and figures which allows them to make a decision on whether they would want to go with you or not (logos). As long as this is done with credibility (ethos), you will successfully achieve your end result.

Ultimately, as a leader, you are in charge and how your people perceive you is largely based on how positively and passionately you can influence them. This is when you leave a lasting legacy.

OK, being a Team Beach body trainer, we get the lowdown on the new products that are coming out. So, in October of 2009, we had an informative webinar on a product called Rev Abs created by Brett Hoebel. Brett Hoebel is an international fitness expert and one of the most sought after weight loss, nutrition and lifestyle coaches in New York. He has also been in the fitness field for 15 years. In Rev Abs he has a system that he created called Abcentrics, which basically means that his movements target the abs from 6 different angles. Brett teaches you his favorite moves from this unique Brazilian martial art of Capoeira. So during the webinar I could see that everything he talked about made sense and Rev Abs was very low priced and required nothing more than a few bands or dumbbells. So I bought Rev Abs and it arrived about 5 days later. I opened it up and it came with 8 exercise DVDs, Fat Caliper, an exercise calendar, a nutrition guide (Do the 14-Day Slim Down: I Lost 13 Pounds in 14 Days), a Program Guide, and even an On-The-Go Workout called anytime/anywhere abs. It is a 90-day program divided into 2 phases of 45 days each.

The Phase 1+ 2 workouts are:

Abcentrics/ How to do Capoeira – you learn to shoot your abs for maximum results. 15 minutes

Fire up your abs – Calorie burning cardio intervals that work your core from 6 different angles – 40 min Phase 1

Power Intervals – High Intensity Cardio with Endurance Lower Body Interval Movement – 30 min Phase 1

Total Strength – A great full body workout! 45 minutes Phrase 1

Mercy Abs – It’s all about the abs in this lol-15 min. Phrase 1

Fat-Burning Sit-Ups: An Energetic Routine of New Sit-Ups and Cardio Combinations That Lives Up to Its Name – 40 min. Phase 2

Power Intervals 2 – Lower Body Endurance Moves & Crazy Cardio – 30 min. Phase 2

Strength and Endurance – This full body workout is no joke my friends! 30 minutes Phase 2

Ruthless Crunches – This abs workout has no breaks and hits the abs! 15 minutes. Phase 2

Rev it up Cardio is a great cardio interval workout that really gets the sweat flowing. 40 minutes Phase 2

The 6 angles I talked about above are Upward, Downward Flexion, Double Flexion, Torsion, Extension, and Lateral Flexion!

During my first week I couldn’t believe how sore my core and body were. I think I was really pushing hard because I was on the 14-day Jump Start program (I lost 13 pounds!). During workouts, Brett talks very positively about being a part of the fitness revolution and being a role model. He is also a very funny person. He says some funny quotes like when you start to get tired during a workout your mind kicks in to stop you, he calls it Chatter. When the speakerphone calls, Brett says to tell him to talk to the hand lol. Also Brett sometimes says that he’s the dues collector and when you work out if you work out right your back should be sweating so he goes and checks everyone to see if they’re sweating. He calls himself a member of the sweat police. He is a great motivator and coach and makes working out fun.

During workouts, Brett not only works on your body but also on your mind in a very positive way. He also has a conversation test that he calls the anthem to gauge his intensity during workouts. It’s like this Rev it High Rev it Low I’m very committed and ready to go. This will tell you if you are at the right intensity. If it is said completely without stopping, the intensity increases. I use a heart rate monitor that does the same thing as the talk test or the anthem. I really can’t believe all the inches I’m losing. I just did my last week 11/Day 77 workout and my results just keep getting better! I really liked the meals in the Rev nutrition guide, they really are effective and give me energy for my workouts. I added the Shakeology drink to my nutrition to make sure I was getting all my servings of fruits and vegetables. It doesn’t make sense to do everything you can to get fit and not do the same with your diet.

I believe in maximizing my results, not to mention that summer is right around the corner! I’m a big believer in Beachbody products, and I’m also realistic that it all depends on our initial efforts and determination to get the best results. It didn’t take me 90 days to get in terrible shape before p90x and Insanity, but I know I have a huge head start on a healthy lifestyle for myself and my family.

Getting a fight club body like Brad Pitt really isn’t that hard.

Yes, you may not have the same genetics, however you can get your best body. In this article we will discuss your diet and exercise routine. When you first look at Brad Pitt, what do you see?

Well, here’s what you don’t see: You don’t see a bloated body on steroids like many of today’s professional bodybuilders. What you see is more of a slim fitness model body. The type of body you might see in an MMA fighter or a special forces soldier.

What I mean by that is that “Brad Pitt’s body” is not oversized but rather muscular… but defined.

Now, before I go any further, let me make one point clear: You can build a fight club body like Brad Pitt’s without going to the gym. The reason I bring this up is because about 78% of the population don’t have time to go to a gym.

All you’ll need to do this workout is a set of resistance bands, adjustable dumbbells, or an isometric/isotonic exerciser.

Brad Pitt’s training schedule

Brad’s training schedule was as follows:

Monday: chest muscles

Tuesday: back muscles

Wednesday: shoulder muscles

Thursday: biceps and triceps muscles

Friday: one hour on the treadmill

Saturday: one hour on the treadmill

Sunday: rest day

Exercises for a fight club body

Here is an example of the exercises you can use for your Monday chest workout:

Incline Chest Press: Pre-fatigue your chest with this great exercise. Also, building your upper pectoral muscles will give your chest a fuller, higher appearance.

Bench Press – You want to perform this exercise with a shoulder grip if you are using a barbell. I prefer to use resistance bands because it gives you “dynamic resistance”. Dynamic resistance means that as the exercise begins the level of tension or resistance increases.

Pec Deck/Dumbbell Flyes/Resistance Band Flyes: This exercise will target the outer pectoral muscles. (It’s best if you have a set of resistance bands that comes with a door hook, this will make all of these exercises much easier to perform.)

Push-ups: You will finish your training by doing three sets of as many push-ups as you can. This will break down the chest muscle and cause it to “burn.”

Try this “Fight Club Workout” and you’ll find your chest…within 30 days…easily adding an extra inch of lean, defined muscle.

Foot and ankle tattoos are very close to each other, so these two types of tattoos have a few things in common. First of all, they are more popular with women than men and not only that, they are among the top favorites among the female crowd. They are also attractive places to get tattooed due to their ability to be inconspicuous when needed and can easily be flaunted when they feel like it.

The ankle and foot are favorite places for tattoos because they are two of the most shaped parts of the body. Nothing can be hotter than a sexy tattoo peeking out of fancy sandals or stiletto heels. Even if these two body parts are painful to tattoo due to less tissue and flesh in the areas, this doesn’t seem to stop women as their popularity continues to rise. When it comes to choosing tattoo designs, these are the ten most popular for foot and ankle tattoos.

• Flowers signify beauty and femininity.
• Butterflies symbolize change and a new beginning.
• Vines are commonly used to accent flowers.
• Dragonflies can be symbolic of the carefree days of childhood.
• Birds symbolize freedom.
• Stars can signify one’s goal in life.
• The heart represents love.
• The zodiac sign glyph is a representation of one’s personality.
• The lyrics can indicate a favorite quote or verse.
• Tribal Art honors the earliest tribes where tattooing began.

Although these designs are the general type of images seen on the ankle or foot, there are still many variations when it comes to style, colors, and shading. There are thousands of different types of flowers and the language and meaning differ depending on which type it is. Small symbols like stars and hearts can be tattooed as a single design or in groups, not to mention tons of palettes to choose from.

If you are looking to be unique in your ankle or foot tattoos, you need to think outside the box and get creative. Bet on a timeless design and not based on something that is a passing fashion. Also, think about harmony and execution to complement the message you want to convey with your tattoo. By keeping this in mind, you will not only have a personalized tattoo, but also a memorable one that you will love to be inked forever.

Should have:

At a minimum, make sure you always have these few things!

• Analgesic: Ibuprofen, Tylenol, whatever usually helps. You never know when a headache will strike right at the start of a shift…and in a noisy bar!
• safety pins: These little guys can do just about anything! Use it to turn a regular bra into a racerback. Pin a loose uniform or a torn shoe strap. They have a million uses! *Pro Tip: Bring a few sizes of pins for different needs.
• Band aids: Whether it’s a sneaky shoe that gives you blisters, or a mishap with a chair or table, or even a last-minute tattoo to cover up…always have Band-Aids! You can save a fellow model’s night, if she needs one too!
• Nail glue/ Eyelash glue: I am a firm believer that when I have NO glue that is exactly when I lose a nail or a strip of eyelashes. Working with missing nails or eyelashes is tacky, unprofessional, and ultimately embarrassing!
• Deodorant/Lotion/Body Spray: You never know when you might need a refresh or notice that your legs need an extra application of lotion. Sometimes we work long hours; we want to be as fresh as a daisy all day and night!
• Makeup/Lipstick/Hairspray/Makeup Blotting Wipes/Your Personal Essentials: While you should always look stellar, keep in mind that life is constantly out to get you and your cuteness! Humid weather and rain can make your hair frizzy, or sweating on a golf course can make your makeup run or your face look oily. Being prepared for touch-ups will help you not worry about the little things (pun intended!)

Expert Level Preparation:

While you may not need these items as often, with your bag completely full, you’ll be ready for ANYTHING!

• Additional shoes: There is literally NOTHING worse than breaking a heel. Add some extra shoes! Even if you only need to change in the middle of the night due to blisters, you’ll be happy to have them!
• Instant Stain Remover Pen (like a Tide-To-Go pen): This one has really saved me while working in crowded bars. If someone spills something on your uniform, just go to the bathroom… Tide pen to the rescue!
• Black tank top/White tank top: You may think that having your uniform is enough, but you NEVER know what can happen! Having a nice and simple tank top can save the day!
• Nude bra adjustable to any garment: Invest in a work bra that can be worn multiple ways: racerback, strapless, halter. If you end up with a sudden change of uniform, you’ll be prepared! No one looks good showing bra straps!
• Feminine products: Even if you don’t expect to need them, ALWAYS have them. This one, again, can really save another model in need too! We can always help a sister!
• Battery charger for your phone: Battery packs are now thin, light, and fairly inexpensive. There is nothing worse than walking out with a dead phone and you might forget to check the battery level before leaving home.

It is obvious that online poker is quite different from a live game of Texas Holdem poker, mainly due to the computer generated code used in online poker. For this reason, an adjustment of your game is necessary when playing online.

Basic poker strategy used in the real world, like bluffing and playing position, is not as effective in online poker. When you play Texas Holdem poker online, you want to take your game to the next level.

The most important online poker strategy is to remember that the poker game you are playing is controlled by a computer, and the actual odds and statistics may not play as much of a role in your winnings as they would in a live game. live. This is the reason why there are so many constant bad beats in online poker.

The computer software used by fulltilt poker, pokerstars and all other major poker sites uses a randomizer to select cards and implements additional algorithms that determine the results, unlike live play where once the deck is shuffled, the outcome is largely determined by the layout of the cards. cards

To become proficient at online Texas Holdem Poker, you must first recognize how to beat the computer program and then use that knowledge and experience to produce a winning edge against your opponents.

If you rely on the same odds and statistics as in a live game, you will find it extremely difficult to win often enough to generate a substantial bankroll. Many experienced online players like Tom ‘durrr’ Dwan and Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson have applied online math to the game and that explains why they are so successful at online poker.

Take your game to the next level and apply these same methods to your Texas Holdem Poker game. You’ll soon discover how easy it is to win cash for your poker account once you understand how the computer software works and how you can manipulate it to win for you.

If you’ve ever eaten at a fantastic restaurant on vacation and wished there was the same restaurant in your own town, maybe they have a franchise that you could buy and open your own! There are many people who have taken advantage of the franchise market to create a profitable business.

A franchise is a company that grants permission to an individual or group of people, authorizing them to carry out specific business activities. Franchising is a business strategy used to capture and retain market share. This business model helps to build an image in the minds of potential and current customers about the benefits of the company’s products and services.

Franchising allows people to share a proven way of doing business, build brand identification, and help in the way of distribution and marketing. Basically, franchising implies a strategic alliance between people who have particular relationships and responsibilities and have the common goal of capturing and dominating markets.
Essentially, buying a franchise involves investing your resources in a proven business model. You and the other franchisees have a joint commitment to acquire and retain customers. You are legally obligated to serve customers using the operating and marketing systems prescribed by the franchisor.

To be successful in franchising, you need to understand the business and legal implications of your relationship with other franchisees and the franchisor. You must understand that other franchisors are not your competition, but your assets to improve brand awareness, which is mutually beneficial.

The following are a sample of the best franchises to consider. They are classified based on initial investment, growth and closing.

1. 7-Eleven

This company was founded in 1927 by Joe C. Thompson, who was an employee of the Southland Ice Company, and began selling bread, eggs, and milk in addition to ice blocks. He eventually bought the company and started opening convenience stores. 7-Eleven offers a ten-year renewable franchise agreement and its royalty rate is negotiable. Franchise fees range from $10,000 to $1 million, with a total investment ranging from $30,000 to $1.6 million.

2.Meter

Started in 1965 by Fred DeLuca and his friend Peter Buck in Connecticut with a thousand dollars, this business was started with the sole goal of putting DeLuca through college. The company began franchising in 1974 and currently has operations in 98 countries worldwide. The franchise contract has a duration of twenty years and is renewable. Subway has an eight percent ongoing royalty fee for franchises and can cost anywhere from $85,000 to $263,000 for the initial investment.

3. Dunkin’ Donuts

This company owes its origins to a donut shop in Massachusetts. It can be found in more than 32 countries worldwide. They offer more than seventy types of donuts. This company attracts a five percent royalty fee from franchisees. The term of the contract is not renewable. You will have to invest between $300,000 and $1.5 million to acquire such a franchise.

4. Pizza Hut

Founded by Frank and Dan Carney in 1958, the company opened a franchise just a year later. More than five decades later, Pizza Hut can be found in various locations around the world. Franchisees have to pay a six percent ongoing royalty fee, a $25,000 franchise fee on an agreement that lasts twenty years. The individual must have a net worth of no less than $700,000 and have liquid cash of $350,000.

5.Servpro

What began in 1967 as a painting entity was later transformed into a cleaning and restoration business by its founders, Ted and Doris Isaacson. This company specializes in providing cleanup and repairs after water or fire damage and disaster restoration. Prospective franchisees must be worth at least $100,000 with $85,000 in liquid cash. The franchise fee is $43,000 with a royalty fee of between three and ten percent. The total investment is from $130,000 to $180,000.

If you want to make money with a franchise, consider these top contenders and research additional business opportunities. Franchise business is a great way to make a living by providing excellent service and products to the community.

Do you sometimes feel like spending the night at a married couple’s modest home and then having breakfast with them? If you do, you will surely want to work from a bed and breakfast. Your hosts will be more than happy to give you a room and let you enjoy a wonderful breakfast the next morning.

The method of hospitality is a traditional custom. The first of the bed and breakfast hostels was established in Britain and the term was coined here too. At some point, the whole world caught wind of it, and quite quickly numerous similar lodges were created.

Over time, the traditional lodge advanced to something that didn’t just give you a bed to sleep in and a meal in the morning once the sun came up. More and more people were seeing it as something more, particularly as a honeymoon spot where married couples could possibly stay.

When people are asked where they would like to spend their honeymoon, a group of them say they want it in separate hotels, luxury resorts, high-end cruise ships or a remote island. However, with inflation rising, more newlywed couples are looking for cheaper methods of booking their vacations. A bed and breakfast is the exact solution they are looking for. In addition, they are given privacy especially when checking in.

While you may be able to find fast food places in just about any type of location, many travelers like to get a taste of what locals have to offer. A bed and breakfast offers home-cooked meals prepared directly by the local chef. This is great if you’ve been away from home for quite some time and have missed those waffles or pancakes your mom serves you. So if you indulge in a home-cooked meal in the morning, you’ll definitely approve of the ones on offer at this kind of place.

Today it is not uncommon for such a house to provide internet access, day spa solutions and parking. The larger ones have even been expanded to have meeting areas for any type of meeting.

Whatever reason you have for making a bed and breakfast your workstation, you just might discover something great and this is particularly the case where you want to avoid numerous hassles and simply be able to do what you’re supposed to do. Also, the staff is always there to welcome you.

It was an early Tuesday morning and I was making a bagel with cream cheese and jelly for my youngest daughter, Marissa, so she could take it to school since we were running late. My oldest daughter, Clarissa, who was twelve at the time, walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and poured herself a glass of orange juice. I asked him if he wanted a bagel too and he was quick to reply, “Oh god no! Do you have any idea how many calories are in that stuff, Dad? I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I was alarmed enough to share this.” with her mom. Later that night we sat down and had a chat with her and she went on about how fat she was. This coming from a 12-year-old girl who, at the time, weighed only 90 pounds. We stressed to her the importance of eat well and that all the images I saw on television and in magazines were not real, I looked my daughter straight in the eye and told her that in many parts of the world there were children who as of 3 in the afternoon still had not eating breakfast, let alone worrying about her weight. I mentioned needing to be thankful for what we had, our daily bread as I called it. I really hoped to God that it all went down. Fortunately, we never really had any more problems with her or with my other two children open that topic. Turns out our family has been lucky. There now appears to be a growing epidemic of eating disorders in the US among ‘Tweens’ (children between the ages of 9 and 12 in the childhood and adolescence stage).

I do not want to eat anything!

Now fast forward to a few years later. One day I was watching television and was suddenly very alarmed by a news report. The program talked about Tweenorexia; a new problem facing children today. The reporter began to say that more than 80% of 10-year-olds were afraid of getting fat. You read that right, 80% of TEN year olds! My youngest son is now 11, so I sat there and watched the show intently. They were interviewing a girl from Chattanooga, Tennessee named Shae. She was the typical normal ten year old girl. Shae has been on the gymnastics team since she was four years old. So one day she decided to leave the team to concentrate on her social life and her studies. A month after leaving her mother, Michele Walker, she began to notice the changes in her daughter. Michele sometimes listened to the comments Shae made while she was looking at herself in the mirror. She heard her exclaim one day “Look how fat I am!

Of course, if he saw her, he’d wonder what she was talking about, since she weighed the normal 85 pounds for her height. Shae, speaking now in the interview, mentions how she would often pick at the fat on her stomach. Though it was just skin, in Shae’s mind they were signs of imperfection. She shortly after she refused to eat anything but salads. She then became obsessed with exercising. Shae began wearing baggy clothing to hide her shrinking body and weight from her family and friends. In three months, she dropped from her healthy 85 pounds to just 68. Her mother was so alarmed and concerned about her appearance that she took a photo of her in a bathing suit to show her how thin she is. I was. Now only 10 years old, Shae had become anorexic. Only ten years!

As I looked at this little girl, I couldn’t help but look at a photo of my three daughters hanging on the living room wall and shuddered. That could have been, still being one of my girls. I felt the pain of the mother and could only imagine what she would have done if she had been one of my children.

Dying to be thin; How far will the children go?

It wasn’t long before Shae had to end up hospitalized in an eating disorder clinic. For her, it had become a life or death situation. Shae had to be fed through a feeding tube to slowly regain her normal weight. Here was this girl who admits on camera that she had suicidal thoughts at age 10. Suicide at 10 years old? Life is hard enough for kids to deal with weight issues so early in life. After months of therapy at a camp for kids like her, Shae is back to eating healthy. Now, three years later, she reviews everything that happened to her with the experience of an adult. She says that she no longer has feelings of imperfection. Shae now accepts herself for who she is. This story is at once disturbing, worrying, and surprising. What have we become as a society that children so young have to go through this?

The truth is that all parents should be concerned because the numbers are terribly staggering. A recent study of elementary school teachers found that 60% of them say that eating disorders are a problem in their classroom. 16% of girls ages 8-11 are on a diet! The numbers for young children, although slightly lower, appear to be increasing.

The signs to look for; They could save your son!

Many times while my daughters were watching TV or flipping through magazines, they would talk to each other about how perfect and slim all the models or actresses looked. “Real life isn’t like that,” she often told them, hoping they would assimilate. Desperately trying to help you not feel inferior to the characters you saw on TV or saw in commercials, I brought this message home. However, this is why we as parents need to listen and be aware of not only what our children are seeing, but also what they are thinking and saying. What or who influences their decisions? Some of the first signs of an anorexic teenager are anxiety, depression, and an obsession with perfection. Signs that something may be wrong are a disruption in the child’s normal behavior, personality changes, and/or mood swings. Reserved behavior coupled with the child becoming withdrawn or overly anxious should be cause for alarm bells to go off. Of course, if he or she insists on taking a sudden shower after a meal, be aware that this may be a way of masking purging. Once your son or daughter starts talking about wanting to omit an entire group of foods from the menu, pay more attention to them. If he or she suddenly overexercises, this should immediately cause a lightbulb to go off in her head. At this point, you should talk to your children and perhaps see a doctor together who can emphasize the importance of eating from all food groups. Remember that anti-obesity messages in schools can sometimes backfire.

The perfect look. Are TV and magazine ads to blame?

What role do teen movie stars play?

You may be surprised at the HUGE influence a teen pop star or celebrity can have on the decisions your child may make. I write this article and shake my head to see how completely off track we have become as a society. When 8-11 year olds, normal by weight + height standards, feel the need to go on a diet, it’s sad and disturbing. But can we blame then when you see it everywhere? Billboards and TV, movies and video games, magazines and the Internet. Especially toys like barbie dolls, who always seem to have the perfect figure. How many exercise commercials do you see in a typical day? Every image that is thrown our way always shows the perfect body! The perfect face! Is the film industry to blame? How many teen movie stars do we see on TV looking dangerously thin? Some, as if they glorified anorexia. Sometimes their influence trumps any parenting advice we can give our children. I think we’ve become obsessed with perfection. No normal adult can compete and deal with that on a daily basis. How? And if we as mature adults can’t deal with it sometimes. How can we ask our children to do it?