Do You Burn More Calories When You Think Hard?

According to Popular Science, your brain requires a tenth of a calorie per minute, just to stay alive. Compare this to the energy used by your muscles. Walking burns about four calories a minute. Kickboxing can burn a whopping ten calories a minute. Reading and pondering this article? That melts a respectable 1.5 calories a minute. Feel the burn (but try the kickboxing if you're trying to lose weight).

While 1.5 calories per minute might not seem like very much, it's a rather impressive number when you take into account your brain only accounts for about 2% of your mass and that, when you add up these calories over the course of a day, this one organ uses 20% or 300 of the 1300 calories the average person needs per day.

Where Do the Calories Go?

It's not all to your gray matter. Here's how it works: The brain is comprised of neurons, cells which communicate with other neurons and transmit messages to and from body tissues. Neurons produce chemicals called neurotransmitters to relay their signals. To produce neurotransmitters, neurons extract 75% of the sugar glucose (available calories) and 20% of the oxygen from the blood. PET scans have revealed your brain doesn't burn energy uniformly. The frontal lobe of your brain is where your thinking takes place, so if you are pondering life's big questions, like what to have for lunch to replace the calories you are burning, that part of your brain will need more glucose.

Calories Burned While Thinking Versus Calories to Stay Alive

Unfortunately, being a mathlete won't get you fit. In part, that's because you still have to work muscles to earn that six-pack, and also because pondering the mysteries of the universe only burns twenty to fifty more calories per day compared with lounging by the pool.

Most of the energy used by the brain goes toward keeping you alive. Whether you're thinking or not, your brain still controls breathing, digestion, and other essential activities.

Calories and Mental Fatigue

Like most biochemical systems, the brain's energy expenditure is a complex situation. Students routinely report mental exhaustion following key exams, like the SAT or MCAT. The physical toll of such tests is real, although it's likely due to a combination of stress and concentration. Researchers have found brains of people who think for a living (or for recreation) become more efficient as using energy. We give our brains a workout when we focus on difficult or unfamiliar tasks.

Does Sugar Enhance Mental Performance?

Scientists have studied the effect of sugar and other carbohydrates on the body and brain. In one study, simply rinsing the mouth with a carbohydrate solution activated parts of the brain that enhance exercise performance. But, does the effect translate into improved mental performance? A review of the effects of carbohydrates and mental performance yields conflicting results. There is evidence of carbohydrates (not necessarily sugar) can improve mental function. Several variables affect the outcome, including how well your body regulates blood sugar, age, time of day, the nature of the task, and the type of carbohydrate.

Great !!

I love my dad and I miss my dad so much. Will see you soon my dad. My Dad, My Love. 

True Words!!

The Allagash Alien Abduction of 1976:

This abduction case, though many years ago, is still considered one of the best documented in the history of UFOs.

One of the most researched cases of multiple alien abductions occurred in August 1976, in the state of Maine. The Allagash Waterway Abduction is an integral piece of the alien abduction puzzle. This case gained worldwide attention when it was dramatized in an episode of television's Unsolved Mysteries.

Twin brothers Jack and Jim Weiner, along with their friends Chuck Rak and Charlie Foltz, would be participants in an event involving a UFO sighting, missing time, and medical procedures performed by beings unknown.

Just a Fishing Trip

Not only were the four men fishing buddies, but they were all art students, having met at the Massachusetts College of Art. They set out for what should have been an uneventful, relaxing fishing trip. It was not to be. After being on the waterway for a time, the four fishermen had canoed to Eagle Lake. They had no luck there and returned to the bank. As they were beginning to get low on provisions, they decided to do a little fishing at night. To be on the safe side, they built a roaring fire on the bank to use as a landmark, in case they became turned around on the lake.

Brighter Than a Star

After a short period of time, all four of the men's attention was drawn to a large, bright light in the sky over the lake.

It was much more brilliant than a star. Only a couple of hundred yards away, the UFO was hovering over a group of trees. The object began to move and change colors, from red to green, then to a whitish yellow. The men were watching the object in awe, wondering what it might be. At this time, they estimated it to be about 80 feet in diameter.

Charlie Foltz decided to signal to it with his flashlight. At once, the UFO began to move toward them. They were being watched.

Rowing for the Bank

The object silently made its way toward the men. They began a dash to the shore, paddling as fast as they could. A light from the object beamed down and engulfed the men and their canoe. The next thing they knew, they were back on the bank. Foltz again signaled the UFO with his flashlight—but this time it rose upward and departed from their view. Then they noticed that the large fire they had started only a short time ago was already burned to ashes, which should have taken several hours. What had happened to them?

Missing Time

It was obvious to the four buddies that they were missing several hours of time. Little was said between them at this time. They packed up their belongings and headed back home. As time went by, the events of that terrible night on Allagash would begin to have an effect on their lives. The first man to suffer was Jack Weiner. He began to have awful nightmares of strange beings with long necks and large heads. He could see himself being examined while the other three men sat idly by.

Haunting Nightmares

The strange humanoid beings in Jack's nightmares were described as having metallic, glowing eyes with no lids.

Their hands were like an insect's, with only four fingers. There are similarities between this event and the Betty Andreasson abduction. The other three men also were having dreams of a similar nature. Finally, in 1988, Jim Weiner decided to visit a UFO conference, which was hosted by author Raymond Fowler. When the conference ended, he talked to Fowler and related his remarkable encounter on the Allagash Waterway.

Regressive Hypnosis

Fowler was very experienced in dealing with the exact problem that Jim, his brother, and the two other fishermen were facing. He suggested to Jim that all four of the men undergo regressive hypnosis, a type of hypnosis that recovers lost memories. After the four men completed their sessions, it was determined that all of them had been abducted by strange beings from the UFO that engulfed them and their canoe on the Allagash Waterway.

Part of the abduction involved very sensitive personal issues of the taking of fluid (semen) samples and other humiliating medical tests.

Men Were Not Lying

The men all recalled the abduction procedure—some would recall one part of it, and some another part, but when combined, they showed a complete picture of a typical alien abduction. Since the men were all artists, they were able to draw striking depictions of the examination room, the instruments used, and the aliens. This information would be invaluable to those who study the phenomena of alien abduction. The four friends would also take lie-detector tests, which they all passed, further verifying their encounter.

Color Therapy: You Are the Colors You Choose

We all have our own fashion style, but did you realize your choice of colors may actually reveal more about you than just your tastes or that the colors you wear may even affect your moods?

It is now accepted that color therapy can be used to stimulate or inhibit certain behaviors. Advertising executives are well aware that a product can have a completely different impact if the color of the packaging is changed.

Psychologists have found that certain colors in our immediate environment can help us perform some tasks. For example, exercise is best performed in an environment of warm colors, such as reds and oranges, whereas the tranquil blues and greens are ideal for mental concentration.

Quite often the sayings in the English language have tapped into a deeper interpretation of the colors. Red with rage, green with jealousy, purple passion, feeling blue, and he is yellow, are well known to most people. However, each color has a cornucopia of meanings associated with it. 

Your Choice of Color

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung encouraged his patients to use color in their paintings to express the deepest unconscious part of their psyches. We all go through "favorite color" phases. It has been discovered that personality traits are reflected by your preferred color. Extroverts favor red, introverts prefer blue, yellow is the choice of intellectuals, and well-balanced individuals tend to go for the green.

Using Color Positively

Apart from recognizing whether something suits you or not, an inner sense tells you which color to wear. Deny this feeling and you could be ignoring a benevolent influence. For example, red increases energy and promotes free movement. For a woman, it can reflect changes in the reproductive cycle such as menstruation or ovulation.

If you have a sudden desire to wear red it could indicate that you are about to experience a tiring day and need all the help you can get. Interestingly when traffic lights were first introduced people had great difficulty stopping for the red light because on a psychological level red means GO and green means STOP.

Are you Prepared to Wear Your Feelings on Your Sleeve?

Why do you look great in something one day and the next time you wear the same outfit it looks dreadful? It is because the color no longer reflects who you are at that moment. Wearing a color can cause you to act and react to life in different ways. Your choice offers insight into current life issues and can, in some instances warn of potential illness.

Color and Illness

Each color has positive attributes or truths and the opposites of these are challenges. For instance, the truth of blue symbolizes faith and communication. The challenge is a lack of faith, depression, and difficulty with speech. Conscious awareness of the colors you choose to wear can offer insight into the potential change in your life. For example, Illness of some kind can be indicated when a color that is out of character is worn frequently. If red is worn regularly it could point to a physical condition, blue an emotional imbalance, and yellow in a nervous state.

Dis-ease means that we are out of balance, color can help to re-balance and make us whole again. Red is good for improving circulation and orange has been found to be beneficial for children with autism. Green is useful for calming and balancing the heart and is supposed to influence regeneration of cells and elimination of toxins. This is the basis of color therapy. Color healing was used in the temples of Heliopolis in Ancient Egypt, as well as in China and India. Hippocrates, the founder of modern-day medicine, placed colored strips on cuts to aid in the healing process.

The Gray Areas

Black is a popular non-color, often worn to suppress and protect the emotions. Any color worn with it is a paradox since it represents unrealized potential. The promise of power that black evokes lies within the consciousness of the wearer.

Combined with another color it augurs control over its influence. With red it controls physical power and yellow intellectual power. White, on the other hand, highlights a color and worn alone symbolizes a clean palate, completion, purity, cleansing, and strength. The challenges of white are those that accompany a new start, anger, vulnerability, and tears. Gray is the combination of black and white and symbolizes the diversity of the two creating a state of caution.

Mixing and Matching Your Colors

When colors are combined each influence reflects off the other. Wearing green with red puts a different slant on the meanings. As green means stop and red means go, these colors together can signify a difficult decision, usually involving staying or leaving a situation. Wearing these colors can aid in the decision-making process through the vibratory influence of each color.

Hard to see..!!

Choose the Right Skis!!

When life was simple and skiers wore stretch pants or jeans to ski in, we only had to choose between three basic types of skis, all based on racing. However, now that we are enjoying the engineering marvels of the shaped ski, the focus of ski design has become more complex.

When it comes to actually looking at skis, reading ski publications or walking through a ski show can be overwhelming. For example, Ski and Skiing magazines test at least 300 models, while Ski Press may test 500 different ski models in a year.

You could ski every day for almost a year and a half and never use the same skis twice!

How to Choose the Right Ski

So, is finding the right ski easy? Not as easy as it was when we walked up to a ski sales clerk and said we wanted a Giant Slalom, Slalom, or Downhill ski then raised our arm so he could find the right length. Finding skis is certainly doable though, as long as you stay focused on your search.

Tips for Choosing the Right Ski

Reading ski reviews is helpful. I believe the major ski publications approach testing seriously. Ski Press uses a percent of recreational skiers chosen at random to test skis, while the others use pros only. The pros are almost all certified instructors so they know their business.

Narrow the playing field to the field you're playing on. Don't grab that great deal on super fat powder skis if you only intend to ski the mid and eastern U.S. Focus, instead, on skis engineered to that snow.

Talk to your favorite ski shop owner. Ski shops are in business to stay in business and 99% of them have qualified people who know local conditions. Bring your ski test wish list, but, listen to their advice. They usually have good advice on what you will need.

Most top name brands will have a ski for you. If you look at the models available from the top 10 or 15 ski manufacturers, you are almost guaranteed to find a ski to meet the snow conditions where you typically ski, your type of skiing, and your ability in each brand.

Try before you buy. This is important because you know when a ski is good for you when you ski on it, not before. When you're trying the skis and you think the skis can read your mind, you'll know that you have found your skis.

Demo, demo, demo - because that is how you will be most happy with the ski you buy. I believe I could ski on similarly designed models of the 3 or 4 top brands and be hard pressed to pick "the best." Focus on your typical skiing conditions, your ability, and your experience.

I look for the best ski for the conditions I usually ski. Those most important to consider in skis designed today are – Pure Powder, Groomed Powder, and the catch-all Packed Powder Conditions. You will find these conditions in varying degrees and times at most resorts. However, in general terms powder reigns in the west and the east hopes for the best.

Your next consideration should be your skiing ability and your experience. Experience only comes with time in the snow, but, it is the end product of our learning how to use our skis in a variety of conditions. This ability improves with proper instruction and review.