Fitting in fitness

    Do you find excuses not to exercise? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are a few ways to get you going.

Do what you love.

    The easiest way to fall into the habit of doing exercise is to choose an activity you enjoy — one that doesn't feel like exercise, even though it is. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you play to your strengths, you'll find fitness activities you can enjoy for years.

Choose your hour.

    Studies have shown that people who work out in the morning are most likely to stick with a routine. By doing exercise before the day starts, they can avoid the last-minute scheduling conflicts. But if you' re not a morning person, choose whatever time works best for you. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

Call it by another name.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If it's something you have to do anyway — like washing the car or planting some bushes in the yard — you'll achieve two goals at once.

Partner up.

    Exercise is more fun when you do it with others. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} On days when your motivation is low, you' re more likely to stick with the programme to avoid disappointing your exercise partners. You can also train with an expert. A personal trainer will help you set goals, design a personalized fitness programme, and vary your routine to keep it challenging.

    My husband and I are saving thousands of dollars every year by growing our own vegetables in our backyard. We learn something new every year and this website has been made to share tips with other people that would like to grow some of their own food.

    It's true that if you are starting from fresh, it will cost a little bit of money to get started. However, once everything is set up, the cost is very small and the rewards are huge. The size of your family and how many vegetables you eat determine exactly how much money you can save every year. We do a lot of juicing, so we are saving thousands of dollars by growing some carefully selected greens.

    There is an amazing sense of accomplishment when you grow your own vegetables. Vegetables out of your vegetable garden don't get any fresher, tastier or more satisfying. The whole family can get involved in this hobby and kids will learn where food comes from and appreciate nature even more.

    Our approach to vegetable gardening is completely different from the normal one. We are doing it in the lazy way with zero digging and fertilizing(施肥). The way we grow our vegetables is to emulate natural ecosystems. No rows of carrots can be found in our garden beds. Rain forests seem to do just fine without human interference(干预) or having plants sown in rows, so we have applied the same principle to our vegetable garden and we care producing more vegetables than ever.

    By copying nature we spend little time working in the vegetable garden but get a much better crop than previous years when we followed the rules. What can I say? We're such rebels.(叛逆者）

    An Italian company has created the world's first underwater farm. The station named Nemo's Garden consists of five biospheres(生物圈) fixed to the bottom of the sea off the coast of Savona, Italy. They're being used to grow strawberries, beans, garlic, and lettuce.

    “The main target of this project is to create other sources of plant production in areas where environmental conditions make it difficult to grow crops through traditional farming, including lack of fresh water, fertile soil, and extreme temperature changes,'' said project spokesperson Luca Gamberini.

    The five biospheres, currently floating between depths of 18 and 36 feet, are constantly watched by Ocean Reef Group —— a diving equipment company——from a control center on dry land. According to various news reports, the plants are watered by drips of water on the inner walls of the biospheres. With a constant temperature of 79 degrees day and night, and humidity(湿度) at around 83 percent, the conditions are ideal for plants to grow well. The high amount of carbon dioxide also encourages growth.

    Ocean Reef president Sergio Gamberini said he came up with the idea of growing plants underwater during a summer vacation in Italy. In his own words, he wanted to do something that's different and to show the beauty of the ocean. After two years of failed attempts, they finally were able to get these five biospheres working. Their success may lay the foundation for a new form of crop production that can be done without harming the environment.

    In fact, the biosphere seems to be attracting wildlife. Octopuses(章鱼) and endangered seahorses are taking shelter under the structure, while crabs(螃蟹) are climbing up the anchors and into the greenhouses. None of the creatures have damaged the plants so far. “It's so kind of science-fiction to see these two different forms of life interact,” Gamberini said.

    People are being lured(引诱)onto Facebook with the promise of a fun and free service without realizing they're paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.

    Most Facebook users don't realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they're paying for Facebook, because people don't really know what their personal details are worth.

    The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you could keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook—you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things—your city, your photo, your friends' names—were set, by default(默认), to be shared with everyone on the Internet.

    According to Facebook's vice-- president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don't share information, they have a “less satisfying experience.”

    Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they're online connecting with their friends?

    The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator(议员) Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senators rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.

    I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it's only the beginning, which is why I'm considering deactivating(撤销)my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I'm upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don't know. That is too high a price to pay.

    Obviously,art always amuses children and they can easily get benefit from it.This only proves that introducing art education at an early age is a great way to let children express what they see in their environment.Art activities give your children pleasurable experiences.

    Art education helps children learn and improve communication skills.Apparently,there are children who find difficulty in communicating in words.In this sense,expressing their feelings through art is an excellent way.Art for kids offers a lot of important skills in life that will lead them to the right path.Simply watching television can teach them to read and count.Therefore,allowing your kids to paint can tell the thought in their mind.

    Every child should learn problem solving naturally and on his own.In fact,when children are making something like drawing or painting,it is one way of problem solving.It is because art gives more realistic models that are stable. Likewise,art education can also help in developing critical-thinking skills,music,dance and theater arts.

    Moreover,creating arts in group is a good way of mastering skills and in the same way they also learn from those of their age without pressure unlike the formal teaching lessons.That is why adult with children engaging in art should know that art is not all about expressing talent but it is a skill of creativity.

    Also,engaging in art education can help building confidence.It is because even if they do not make it the right way,yet they feel proud on their artistic creations.Since art is a good start to collaborate（合作）with others,children can easily learn the cultures from different parts of the world.Therefore,teaching art education to children can spark （激发）their interest.You can visit Madison Art Shop if you are looking for art materials and supplies.

    These hotels don't have all the necessary facilities(设施),but each of them offers something different. Don't miss them if you travel to Canada.

    Sleep on a train at the Train Station Inn. This hotel is in an old train station in Nova Scotia. The owners, James and Shelley Le Fresne, use the station and the train as rooms. There are seven old train cars and there is also a restaurant in the dining car. Prices are from $89 to $169 per room or train car.

    Sleep in a jail(监狱) in the Canadian capital, Ottawa. Here, you can sleep in the old downtown Ottawa Jail Hostel. There are group or private bedrooms. There are still bars on the doors! Prices are from $ 25 to $ 65. Don't worry, there aren't any criminals(犯人）there !

    Sleep in a tepee (a tent of the American Indians) at a UNESCO World Heritage site in Alberta. At this hotel, there are guided tours and lessons in local culture. The best part: sleeping in a real tepee outside. The price is around $ 300, or $ 620 for a full package.

    Sleep in a lighthouse at the Quirpon Lighthouse Inn. This hotel is on Newfoundland's Quirpon Island. There are great views of the ocean from the windows. There are 11 private rooms in total. Prices are from $ 225 for a single to $ 350 for a suite(套房). Meals are included in the restaurant. The hotel has the traditional look and feel of the lighthouse, so there is no Internet, TV or telephones in the rooms. There are tours available, and boat tours to the island are included.