3 Tips for a Heart Healthy Diet

So yeah, our heart is one of the most important parts of our body. If that stops beating, you know what happens next. Well, as much as exercise can help prevent heart diseases from occurring, a healthy diet is equally important. Here are 3 tips that could help you plan your diet accordingly.

Less Fat - Fat is just one of those things that contribute to increasing the risk of heart diseases. They can be found mostly in cheese, meat, milk, butter, and coconut oil. It’s a good idea to lessen the amount of foods you eat that has those. So if you’re going to drink milk, choose those with less than 1% fat. When cooking with oil, check the label and compare which has low fat. Stuff like that.

Less Sodium - Sodium is one of those necessary nutrients in our diet. Although sometimes we tend to get a lot of it, especially in salt. Less sodium intake help in lowering some people’s blood pressure so it’s a good idea to not always put salt on the table.

More Fiber - More fiber lowers the risk of heart diseases from occurring. Fiber can usually be found in fruits and vegetables so eat a lot more of those. Also when choosing bread, go for whole-wheat bread and for cereal, whole-grain cereal.

5 Motorcycle Types

Well, we all know a motorcycle when we see one, although most of us can’t tell the difference. Depending on the model, only specific motorbikes can be used for a particular terrain or purpose. Here are are the 5 common types of motorcycles.

Naked or Standard Bikes - These are popular for commuting through traffic. The upright seating position gives good visibility on the road. The reason why it’s called naked is because of the lack of bodywork or plastic.

Scooter - This one is very common nowadays and are pretty cheap. It’s rather light and is preferred by new bikers. The engine is mounted near the rear wheel and has a floorboard.

Cruisers - These are heavy and bulky. I believe you see them usually being ridden by a policeman. The seat is rather low and the bike is a bit long. Designed for looks and comfort.

Sport - These are covered with nice plastic and are light and can go at fast speeds. They’re usually used in tourneys and races. My favorite type.

Off-Road - These can be used for any terrain since they are very very light. They are designed for jumping and on dirt, hence the name “dirt bikes”.

3 Tips for Two-Wheels

Motorcycles or Bicycles are a lot more dangerous to handle than cars. It requires balance and a bit more skill to handle than four-wheelers. Now, the highways can be especially dangerous if you’re going to drive one along. Here are some tips that could help you survive the war zone on the road.

Keep a safe distance on all sides. Trouble can happen at any time so simply assume that other drivers can’t see you. Maintaining distance from other vehicles would give you enough time to react in case something wrong happens. Be alert and watch your surroundings.

Watch your speed. Yes, the feeling of wind on your hair while blowing through high speeds can be very pleasing, especially if you’re a speed freak. Try to maintain a decent speed instead of trying to reach the speed limit or going above it. When you’re going really fast, you’ll have a lot less time to react when something happens (and a heavier injury if you happen to fall off).

A good helmet will save you. My uncle once encountered a drunk driver on the road. The van switched lanes unexpectedly and headed straight for him. Without time to react, the motorcycle and van crashed head-to-head and my poor uncle was thrown onto the other vehicle’s windshield. He survived, but with a lot of bones broken and was paralyzed (recovered through therapy). Had he worn a less sturdy helmet, he would have died the moment his head hit the windshield.

3 Tips in Choosing a Class in an MMO

One of my dilemmas, aside from choosing a name, when I start to play a new game is what type of character to play as. Some people have it easy but when you’re paying for a monthly subscription in a game or taking advantage of the cash shop, you would want a class that you would stick to until you get bored after a year or so. With that in mind, choosing a character class becomes one of the more important choices that you make in the beginning. Here are some tips that I came up with when choosing.

Are you going to roleplay or not? Some people, like me, choose to roleplay in the game (no, I’m not making an excuse for creating a female character). If you are, then it’s a good thing to plan a background story for your character and design him/her based on the limits of the game. Also include name and speech pattern to make it a bit more detailed. If you’re not going to roleplay then this tip is not for you. Sorry.

How well do you go along with others? Do you like leading a party and taking all the damage while your partymates try to pick them off one at a time? Or are you more suited to being a follower and merely supporting your team either through Area of Effect damage spells or buffs? Do you like going solo instead? Try to answer these questions then read the character descriptions and choose. Remember that there is no best class in any MMO and they are usually designed for a particular role.

Melee, Ranged, Magic, Healing skills? Like above, plan ahead and determine what kind of character you want to play as. Also, you might want to check the community for suggestions on what class is good to start with. Some characters have trouble dealing with cash at the start of the game so you might want to avoid a character that spends a lot of money on potions, ammunition, and other stuff.

The best way for me is still to try a little bit of everything then decide which one I really like. That way, I make my own choice although a bit of time could be wasted by doing so.

Strength versus Endurance: Which is Better?

VERSUS

Alright, looking back, I seem to give the impression that I give a lot more focus on anaerobic exercises (read: bodybuilding) than aerobic exercises. Well, I believe I mentioned the reason in this post. Simply put, I’m a bit obsessed with having that perfect beach body. Anyway, aerobic exercise is advantageous as well since it develops cardiovascular strength and reduces the chances of heart related illnesses appearing.

Before we begin, let’s define both types of exercises first. Aerobic exercise refers to exercise that improves oxygen consumption in the body by the body. The word aerobic means “in the presence of oxygen”. The exercises of this type secures your heartbeat to around 60 to 65% of its maximum rate. The exercises are also done in an extended period of time which, as a result, would improve your endurance. On the other hand, anaerobic exercises are designed for training the strength of your muscle and joints. The exercises are performed with high intensity (70% and above heartbeat rate) but for only a short duration. This type of exercise usually have a reference like number of sets and repetitions (like the dumbbell exercises earlier).

Now on to the advantages. Let’s start with Aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercises are known to strengthen the muscles, particularly those involved in respiration and the also the heart. It reduces blood pressure and improves blood circulation. It also increases the number of red blood cells in the body which helps in the transport of oxygen in the blood. It improves mental health and helps treat depression by lowering your stress level. Lastly, it improves the speed of recovery (muscles) from high-intensity exercises. Examples of this type are jogging, long distance running (not sprinting), and singles tennis.

Anaerobic exercises build muscle mass and increases physical strength. It also improves endurance but not as much as aerobic exercises do and also reduces blood pressure. Anaerobic exercises are also known to strengthen the bones. Some sources state that it could help people sleep better. Exercise of this type include weights training and sprinting.

So which one should you pick? Well, aerobic exercises are good for beginners. They would improve your overall fitness and improve your endurance. Afterwards, it would be better to do some intense workout to build your strength and muscles. As someone who used to practice Tae Kwon Do, it was important to perform both types of exercises. Warm ups actually include both sprinting and long distance running. The two minutes of sparring actually feels like forever when you are doing the actual combat (compared to say, just watching). And if your endurance is poor, you’ll find yourself panting and unable to kick. So in conclusion, I’d say a mix of both types is better than only picking one.

3 Top Selling Mobile Games

As a gamer who travels a lot, there’s really not much I can do about console or PC gaming on the road. So I consider it a blessing that games have been made for handhelds and even cellphones. The problem with cellphones is that the graphics capability of the hardware isn’t up to par with handhelds and consoles. What they lack in graphics of course, they make up with gameplay. Here are the current top 3 selling mobile games.

Block Breaker Deluxe - Remember Arkanoid for the NES? The concept is basically the same - a bar moves at the bottom which you use to bounce the ball back and forth to break the blocks. Classic. It sold 8 million worldwide.

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Brain Challenge - The game, being similar to Big Brain Academy, features “brain exercise puzzles” in four categories: Logic, Math, Visual, and Focus. There are three difficulty levels and the puzzles grow more complex as you solve more. The game was well-recieved, especially the mobile versions. All-in-all it sold 1.5 million.

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Bubble Bash - Remember Puzzle Bobble for the arcades? Well, this is similar, but instead of an arbalest, you control the direction the bubble will take when the character on the bottom of the screen hits it. The objective is simple, you line up 3 bubbles to pop them. Clear everything to complete the level. Another classic. It sold 1 million worldwide.

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3 Flash Games To Test Your Reflexes

I just noticed that I’ve been writing a lot more about games these past few weeks. What can I say, gaming is really one of those things that stuck to me since I was little (aside from traveling). Anyway, there are certain good things that could come from playing and it depends on what you play. Here are some games that could train your reflexes.

Bubblephobia - The premise is simple, you control a “bubble” and you try to avoid the other bubble that would move around the area. The longer you stay in the game, the higher your score will be.

Rainmaker - Similar to the first one - you have to avoid birds as they fly from one side to another. While doing that, you have to make rain fall on the birds to make them white (they can still hurt you at that point). Hitting 2 or more birds in a single rainfall would give bonus points. Also, the longer you stay in the game, the more birds that would appear. A power-up is also available in the form a red ball that when you hit it by rain, you will be temporarily invincible.

Reflex Test - Not really a game but are you curious about how well your reflexes compare with others? Well take this test with 4 minigames. Mine was 50 seconds on the second try (had to repeat it because of the last test - my keyboard won’t allow 3 simultaneous presses), how about yours?

3 Fun Ways to Treat Beggars in MMOs

Admit it, you’ve had your fair share of these people. They run to you, often add you as a friend, then suddenly ask you: “can i hav som gold and items plz?”. What’s worse, even if you tell them no, they’ll pull you in to a lengthy debate on how you are more well off than he is since he’s new and you’ve been playing far longer than him. His conclusion, you should give him some stuff. I used to tolerate them before, giving them money or some old items but they just keep coming back. Annoying. So these days, I’ve devised some methods on how to shoo them without engaging into a shouting competition.
1. Have them go to an area where they’ll most likely die - Here’s how it goes: when somebody asks you for money, say “Sure, lemme just kill some mobs in <insert high level area here>. I’ll give you the loot.” More often than not they’ll agree to this. Bring him along cast some movement speed buffs then try to leave them in the middle of the area. They’ll have no choice but to die and respawn. Add him to your block list.

2. Trade with them but cancel it - Try to trade him some nice rare items then cancel it. Ask if he got it, he’ll say no of course. Then do it again. After the nth time, say “WTF?! Why isn’t it working?!” Then claim it may be a bug. Tell him you’ll try again next time and leave him there speechless.

3. Agree but give him some hard work to do - Well, not really. Here’s something I did back in iRO (International Ragnarok Online). A beggar comes up to me and asks “can i have some zeni?”. I said “Sure, I’ll give you 10k, but of course there’s some sort of a catch”. He asks what it is so I continue with, “Well, just to make it a bit harder for you, I’ll give it to you 5z at a time.” I was pleasantly surprised he accepted the deal so he went on trading with me. After a few rounds he got tired of it and went on to find his next target.

15 Troubleshooting Steps to Incidents Involving Beer

Well, me and my buds bought a few beers in celebration of one of my friends’ birthday. Okay, when I meant few, I meant enough to get everybody real drunk. Anyway, as much as I want to write about the funny stuff that happened that night I guess these troubleshooting steps I found from this website will do. Note: these stuff work better when you’re in a bar.

SYMPTOM: Your feet are cold and wet.
FAULT: You’re holding the glass at a wrong angle or it’s inverted. Beer just spilled on your feet (or pants).
ACTION: Rotate the glass so that the open end points toward the ceiling.

SYMPTOM: Your feet are warm and wet.
FAULT: Uhh, dude, I think you just peed.
ACTION: Stand next to the nearest dog you can find and complain about house training. (That should save you the embarrassment).

SYMPTOM: Beer is unusually pale and tasteless.
FAULT: Check your glass - chances are it’s already empty.
ACTION: Get someone to buy you another beer.

SYMPTOM:The opposite wall is covered with fluorescent lights.
FAULT: You have fallen over backwards. That’s the ceiling you are looking at.
ACTION: Have yourself leashed to the bar.

SYMPTOM: Mouth contains cigarette butts.
FAULT: You have fallen forward.
ACTION: Have yourself leashed to the bar.

SYMPTOM: Beer is tasteless. The front of your shirt is wet.
FAULT: Two things: One, you may have forgotten to open your mouth to drink. Two, you may have been trying to drink with another part of your face (like the nose).
ACTION: Retire to the restroom and practice in front of the mirror.

SYMPTOM: The floor is blurred.
FAULT: You are looking through the bottom of an empty glass.
ACTION: Get someone to buy you another beer.

SYMPTOM: The floor is moving.
FAULT: You are being carried out.
ACTION: Try to find out if you are being taken to another bar.

SYMPTOM: The room seems to be unusually dark.
FAULT: The bar has closed.
ACTION: Confirm your home address with the bartender.

SYMPTOM: The taxi suddenly takes on colorful aspect and textures.
FAULT: Beer consumption has exceeded personal limitations.
ACTION: Cover your mouth. Man, that’s sick.

SYMPTOM: Everyone is looking up to you and smiling.
FAULT: You are dancing on the table.
ACTION: Fall on somebody cushy-looking.

SYMPTOM: The beer is crystal-clear.
FAULT: It’s water. Somebody is trying to sober you up.
ACTION: Punch him.

SYMPTOM: Your hands and nose hurts. Your mind unusually clear.
FAULT: You have been in a fight.
ACTION: Apologize to everyone you see, just in case it was them.

SYMPTOM: You don’t recognize anyone or you don’t recognize the room you are in.
FAULT: You’ve wandered into the wrong party.
ACTION: Check to see if they have free beer.

SYMPTOM: Your singing sounds distorted.
FAULT: The beer is too weak.
ACTION: Have more beer until your voice improves.

3 Games That Could Blow Your Mind

I’ve been posting a lot of physical fitness tips and exercises lately so I thought of taking a break from all that and train one of the more important parts of our body - the brain. Here are some puzzles that could actually make you scream out of frustration in trying to solve them. Just a few tips: relax, focus, use all available resources (except looking for solutions over the Internet), and get some snacks and drinks when you feel like it.

Not Pron - A browser-based game that requires you to look for clues from every single page (including images, URLs, and page source - some levels even require you to use specific programs to solve). It has been years since I last tried to solve this and forgot what level I got stuck at. The solutions seemed to have changed since I last tried, although the methods of getting them are the same. It is very, very difficult and I highly doubt anybody can solve it in one sitting. Try it.