Category Archives: Guest Post

The Ten Essentials of Outdoor Survival

The Ten Essentials list was first created in the 1930s, in an article that appeared in the newsletter for the Mountaineers. Its goal was to put together a list of the 10 most important items an outdoors person should have on them at all times. It came up with a definitive list that, while not covering everything (no list of 10 items can), lays the foundation for preparedness in the outdoors.

The items are:

1. Strike anywhere matches- important because with most matches, if your striker gets ruined your matches are basically useless. Strike anywhere matches offer you a lot more flexibility. Place them in a waterproof case, with a piece of emery board for a striker.

2. Fire starter- put some of this in your fire proof case. In some conditions, it will be impossible to get a fire started without it.

3. A map- seems self-explanatory, but many a bad situation could have been avoided if people just thought to have a map on hand.

4. A first aid kit- Always essential for treating wounds and injuries. There are many for sale, but for information on how to build your own (and learn how everything works in the process) check out the related article here.

5. A compass- For navigation. Make sure you know how to use it.

6. A flashlight- Another essential item. Have extra batteries and an extra bulb.

7. A pocket knife- a multi-use, Swiss army style knife.

8. Sunglasses- useful in both sunny and snowy environments.

9. Extra food- gives you energy, keeps your head clear, and helps ward off hypothermia.

10. Extra clothing- a rain coat and wool hat at the bare minimum. A rain coat will help you dry, and can be used to build a shelter. A wool hat keeps your head warm, where a large amount of body heat is lost. You cant go wrong with some extra socks, either. And that is the Ten Essentials list.

Good luck and stay prepared!

Taking Action to Reduce Global Warming

Causes of Global Warming

Man-made global warming has been the product of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels with high carbon concentrations like coal, petroleum, and natural gas.  Human deforestation has also been a cause for global warming because plants absorb carbon dioxide that would otherwise go into the atmosphere.  When carbon gases rise to the atmosphere, they create a blanket that traps heat and raises the temperate of the planet.

Consequences of Global Warming

Global warming is producing heat waves around the globe that are causing health problems in humans and the environment.  Heat waves are yielding thunderstorms, heavy rains, and floods that are destroying crops, and completely eradicating ecological systems.  Coral reefs in the oceans are dying because the warm water temperature is creating a bleaching effect.  Polar ice caps are melting in the artic and water levels are rising worldwide, making islands disappear.  If current trends continue, the arctic ice could be completely melted by the year 2040.

Help Stop Global Warming

The best thing you can do to help stop global warming is to adopt a minimalistic lifestyle.  Stay clear of materialism and consumerism and not only will you help stop global warming, but you will also improve your self-esteem.  The less you care about material possesions, the less you will consume, and the less products that manufactures have to produce.

Use your bike to go to work or take public transportation whenever you can.  Recycle and buy recycled products.  It takes a great amount of energy to manufacture new products when factories have to extract, refine and process the Earth’s natural resources.  Much less energy is required when factories work with recycled material.

Buy your groceries from local stores and farmer’s markets to reduce the transportation impact on the atmosphere.  Choose more vegetarian meals as it takes energy to feed and process livestock for meat.

Only buy energy efficient appliances for your home.  The lower consumption in electricity means the power plants do not have to generate as much, and thus do not have to burn as much fossil fuels.

Read about more global warming and the environment at www.gogreenacademy.com.

The Perfect Diet And Routine For Muscle Building

A body builds muscle when it is put through a strenuous activity for a prolonged period. Muscles grow during the period when the body rests and not during exercise. When we lift weights the muscles are put through stress and they break down which results in production of thicker muscle fibers. But before you can hit the gym, you need to get stronger, gain some mass and get the energy to train hard.

What To Eat

It is very essential to have a muscle building diet because if you don’t eat enough all that hard work would go to waste. Eat the right stuff in the right amounts to see the right results. Try to manage more than 3 meals a day to give your body enough fuel to build muscle. Don’t eat to fill yourself but eat to complete yourself with what the body needs.

Eat a good breakfast, then eat before workout, eat after workout and besides that try to eat every three hours to keep your body powered up.

Eat foods with proteins and carbohydrates. Protein gives you the energy and carbohydrates help build up muscles. Carbohydrates are found in everything that you eat already in your daily diet, rice and potatoes being the prime example.

Supplements are a good way to gain energy and help in muscle building and muscle repair but it being supplement means it will only work with a good exercise routine and an excellent diet.

The most important thing to do is to stay away from fats and sugars, as fats hinder in muscle building unless they are healthy fats and sugars cause craving for more food. Good fat comes from stuff like olive oil, fish oil, butter and many other things in our daily diet.

Keep these little things in mind and it will help you with muscle gain.

Make A Routine

Make a schedule of what exercises to do on what day and which muscle to focus on each day. It is best to focus two muscles per day, try making pairs like

  1.  Biceps and triceps
  2. Shoulder and back
  3. Chest and abs
  4. Legs and thighs

Push your body to the limit and try to lift as heavy weights as you can. Add weights day by day to take your body out of the comfort zone. More weight is more stress which automatically results in more muscle. Lift weights to get tired. By the time you finish your exercises your muscles should be fully exhausted.

Rest is as important as exercise. If you don’t give enough time to your muscles to relax they will hinder in muscle growth. And increase your sleeping hours to give extra time to the muscles for a complete rest.

Bottom line

The final verdict is that if you want to gain and build muscles, you need to eat more to get a good amount of calories and lift heavy weights to get the effects you want. In one line, eat more every day and lift more, day after day to make your workout worth it.  “The pain you feel today is the strength you will gain tomorrow!” (Quite literally).

Security at Home

Your home and family are your greatest treasures. Enjoy peace of mind, knowing that they are safe and secure when you protect them with the use of a home security system. Residential security systems are not nearly as complicated to install as they used to be. New technology, installation methods, and modern designs allow for systems that are installed quickly and easily, without the use of unsightly wires.

Silverline Security System uses a modern wireless technology that can be installed in your home within just a few minutes. Since the installation of one of these new systems does not require the placement of cords and wires throughout your home, sensors can be placed much more strategically, allowing for a more attractive system setup that still provides protection throughout your home. There are no trenches to dig, no holes to drill, and walls remain intact.

This new wireless technology also enables remote access to your home’s security system, so you can even arm or disarm the system while you are away from home. Consumers are also allowed the opportunity to monitor their home’s security online, enabling them to know who has returned home, what entry method was used and at what time. Real time monitoring also allows consumers to be notified of any unusual activity throughout the property.

There are numerous benefits to installing a security system in your home. Silverline Security Systems employs modern, reliable systems to ensure the safety of their customers, while adding the conveniences that come with technological advances. The residential security systems offered by Silverline Security Systems offer numerous options that include threat, intrusion, and motion detection, heat detection, carbon monoxide detection, and smoke detection sensors. Consumers can even choose which areas of the interior or exterior of their home system to arm, and can use sub alarms to enable extra protection for sensitive areas such as jewelry boxes, medicine cabinets and gun lockers.

While call for assistance buttons that are located on keyfobs and control pads offer additional protection, the instant hands free communication that is enabled during alarm events helps to ensure accessibility during an emergency. This feature is also extremely helpful in providing peace of mind to families of elderly and disabled customers who are home alone, since they are able to carry the keyfob with them and call for help from any location. Residential security systems from Silverline Security Systems are monitored twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, so help is always just an alarm away.

Adventures in Queenstown, New Zealand

With a well earned reputation as the Adventure Capital of the World, Queenstown is the best place to satisfy your cravings for adventure. From bungee jumping to tandem skydiving and jet boating to white water rafting, Queenstown travel gives you the opportunity to experience a safe, invigorating and fun environment. The unique setting and special atmosphere created by the region’s spectacular geography made this town popular all over the world. It is referred to as a Natural Theme Park because of the endless array of options to choose from, for leisure and adventure activities.

The compactness and the shortness of the distances between mountains, forests, historical sites, rivers and lakes attracts and enables the visitors to do so much in a short period of time. The abundant adventure activities, working holiday employment, nightlife and budget accommodations makes Queenstown a great place for backpacking New Zealand. The great thing about this town is that everything and everywhere is just within your reach, an easy walking distance. Here are three adventurous activities that are popular in this town:

Bungee Jumping

Bungee jumping is probably the most famous activity in Queenstown, which is also the fourth most beautiful bungee jumping site all over the world. Visitors has a lot of options, such as cable swinging throwing themselves off a gondola or a bridge, or the Bungee Rocket where a person is strapped in a cage-like device connected to the bungee cord and the device will be thrown into the air. Best bungee jumping sites in Queenstown: 1) Kawarau Suspension Bridge is historically the worlds first commercial bungee jumping site. Its located at 137.5 feet above a river and it has a platform for spectators viewing; 2) Hacketts Ledge is an urban option for bungee jumping. It is situated on top of the gondola, being open until night time; 3) Pipeline Bungee is an engineering masterpiece of 1864 gold-sluicing pipeline makes it the highest bungee jumping site and it is the world’s first gondola bungee jump. It is operating from a suspension bridge which is terrifyingly 440 feet above the river.

Hiking

Hiking, which is also locally known as tramping, is one of the excellent offerings around the Queenstown area. The hiking trails usually start from places close to the city. Routebourne Track is among the best tracks in the whole country because of its various spectacular countryside sceneries. The Rees-Dart Track is for those who likes a more challenging option because of its rugged track. However, Greenstone Caples Track is for those who prefer an easier option. Anyway you like it, all these tramps has maintained pathways and mountain huts as a comfortable accommodation option.

Jet Boating

Jet boating is an exhilarating experience and another popular activity in Queenstown. Shotover and the Kawarau Rivers are the best places for jet boating.

Queenstown is one of my favorite cities in New Zealand and with so many things to do, a mountain setting, and great nightlife, it is one of the most popular travel destinations in the country for a reason.