Health & Fitness - Drinking Water Is Key to Good Health

The need for water is no secret yet people in some cases that have plenty available find themselves suffering from dehydration why do you think that happens?  It might be considered a universal statement that not drinking enough water say eight glasses a day will lead to dehydration. While the truth of the matter is the amount of fluids that each person needs will vary based on their absorption, activity level, gender and body size. While many consider it to be the best liquid for this purpose there are a number of other sources that can provide hydration including soda, juice, milk, coffee, tea and foods with high water content. There have been quite a few studies on the subject and some would suggest it just needs to be liquid not necessary water. There is much debate on this point given most believe there are very few alternatives that can replace pure drinking water. While we might all agree water is important for the body, the water we chose to drink may not always be good for us. What does that mean? Well consider for a minute the many sources of water we have today. Yes there are probably hundreds of choices of an item that once was so basic. So how important is water to the body well most studies suggest you can live for about 7 days without water under extreme conditions and a little longer if the situation and your health is better.On the other hand you can live 7 weeks or more without food. This would confirm that water is not an option for good health it is a necessity. This being the case it might be essential that you re-think your choices and frequency of hydrating your body. Once as stated earlier the choices were so few and the ingredient so similar that it was a fairly easy decision to make. Fast forward us to the 21 century and break it down to all the things we have learned and developed to improve on a life essential element, water. We will save the discussion for weather it is better hot, cold, filter, ionized and the list goes on for later.For now just focus on the water market and how it has impacted the world economy.  The list of sources continue to grow as we re-name and re-market what we use to primarily drink from the tap, a fountain, a well,  a stream or even a river. The types of water are so varied now that when you ask for water you need to be very specific. Why is this important? Well think about the choices you make everyday about the water you drink be it distilled, tap, bottled, favored, filtered, unfiltered, cold, warm, with ice or without and this is just the water you drink. What about the water you cook with? The choices vary based on the individual, everything from taste, to fear, to status, to availability and the list goes on. However, the basic truth is the same we all need and do drink water and if that is the case it might be wise to investigate a bit further into some of the assumptions we make about what we put in our body. It may not be an easy assessment to make because some of the assumptions we make are not based in facts. Example most would assume bottled water was better for you than say tap water. However this is truly not the case in all situations because some bottled water is unfiltered tap water...yes that’s right! The convenience of picking up a bottle of water has gone beyond what might have been the original motivation of providing a better drinking water source by processing it and bottling it for general consumption. It has gone far beyond that in that the water bottling industry so if you go back to 2007 the revenue that was generated from the sale of bottle water was expected to reach approximately 6 Billion dollars and grow globally as predicted to be about $82 billion in 2011.

Have you ever wondered about the global market for water? The following statistics should give you an idea of how vital water is on a global level. It is safe to say that drinking water is a good investment in you health and well being.

Bottled Water Statistics
Total Average plastic bottles per person annually	167
Total Annual money spent annually on bottled water	$15 billion
Total amount of all bottled water sold by Aquafina (Pepsi) and Dasani (Coke) annually	24%
Total percent of U.S. Water Bottle Market owned by Coke and Pepsi	50%
Total amount of bottled water each coke and pepsi sell annually	3.36 billion
Total Profit made by Coke and Pepsi each year individually	$336 million
Total amount U.S. spends on bottled water annually	$15 billion
Total amount of cases of water sold in the U.S. annually	2.6 billion
Total Global Water Bottle sales annually	$50 billion

Statistic Verification

Source: Drop The Prop, International Bottled Water Association

Date Verified: 2.24.2012

What happens after a Quake...there are Aftershocks. What About the US Economy?

What if you read a book that said the future for the economy is anything but recovery. It focused on indicators that many don't recognize or have chosen to ignore. Who needs more bad news..Right? I couldn't agree with you more on the lack of a need for more bad news, however where I might disagree is the idea of putting our head into the sand and not taking any steps to understand what is in store for the future of our economy. The point of this message is that the truth is not always what we want to hear or can handle. However, the intent is not to discourage or insight fear, it is a message of a reality that could present itself in the next few years and if we don't take steps there is a good chance we will not be ready. The reality of our most recent experience is that many were shocked and surprised by the downturn of the economy in 2008-2009 and were caught completely off guard with respect to having a business or personal strategy to deal with a downturn of that magnitude. Personally speaking I was one of those caught of guard with my business that we started in 2005 but was yet to show a true sign of life. I realized at the onset that starting a new business was not easy or to be taken lightly but we did the research and found what we thought to be a viable business plan and strategy to open a discount store that catered to the dollar store market as well as the discount store. We aligned with the branding of the day and called it a dollar plus store to suggest it would carry a large inventory of items typical to a dollar store but in addition a number of upscale products that were discount items and not dollar store. We met many challenges as new businesses do, like questions from our clients like why isn't everything a dollar and working with a business start up company that were extremely helpful upfront but once they had our money became less and less available to assist our needs. While our discount store business is a lesson in itself it is not the focus of this message. The reason I mention our stores that open in 2005 and 2007 as independent dollar plus location one in Schaumburg and the other in Hoffman Estates IL. Is to point out that what was a struggle in the beginning became a business failure nightmare as we entered the worst economy downturn in the United States since the great depression. While the hand writing may have been on the wall given the number of obstacles we encountered along the way when we saw major chains announcing they were closing their doors and laying off thousand of people we knew this was more than a usual downturn but a major shift in the world economy as we knew it. I was doing a little research on forecast for the future and ran across a book that I suggest anyone that wants to plans for the uncertain times to come and have a true chance of both understanding the reasons why and having viable recommendations on how to prepare for it. The title of the book is Aftershock 2^nd Edition written by the author given credit for providing the best prediction for the first financial meltdown in the United States in 2008-2009 that impacted not only the US economy but had a ripple affect across the world. The authors David Wiedemer PHD, Robert Wiedemer and Cindy Spitzer knew the worst was yet to come and felt compelled to disclose the facts as they understood them in a hope it would position those who heard and got the message we have a better chance to position themselves for whats to come. Their first book in the series called the America's Bubble Economy by John Wiley & Sons in 2006) accurately predicted the popping of major economy bubbles or indicators of the health of the US economy. These bubbles were the following

• Real Estate Bubble
• Private Debt Bubble
• Stock Market Bubble
• Consumer Spending Bubble

In two years later most of their prediction began to come true. Then in November of 2009 they released the next book in the series Aftershock to predict further erosion of the US economy based on fundamental underlying pattern. Then in 2011 the authors realized based on the feedback and further questions from the general public they felt compelled to follow-up on the Aftershock with a 2^nd Edition .

A statement from the 2^nd Edition is “Because our first two books were right now you can be right Too”.

The 2^nd edition address why the first two books were so accurate and why further investigation and research assured them that while many people think and hope the economy will get better but the truth of the matter is that it won't. They further address two other major bubble that will ultimate pop and lead to further issues impacting our economies ability to recover. The other two bubble are the following:

• The Dollar Bubble
• Government Debt Bubble

The Aftershock 2^nd Edition will help you to understand what is going to happen next...and what steps and actions you could and should take to minimize the impact on yourself and those you love. The important lesson I have learned from this book is that everything doesn't have to be a surprise if we first take time to learn from the experience and knowledge of others and secondly we take steps to do something productive with the information. How do you invest and protect yourself for the Aftershock that is expected between now 02013 and 2016.

Aftershock the 2^nd Edition...Recovery? What recovery? Don't Get fooled Again?

Pick it up at your local library, it is a great read

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Summer 2012 Almost History...

Well summer break 2012 is in the history book for us and our kids, marked by all three kids being back in school as of today. We have two Junior’s at Conant High School in Hoffman Estate and a 6th grader at Hoover Math and Science. It has been a busy summer with lots of activities keeping the family busy. In some ways it has passed very quickly and in others things seemed to have slowed down but to the grace of God we are all here to appreciate it and look back on it with a thankful heart! The theme for this year is a Year of Reference as was communicated via our church and the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG) that we are members of at the Schaumburg Community Church. There are many highlights so far this year in almost every area of our lives. Jean has been extremely busy this summer and this year with her position downtown Chicago, helping the church in areas like event planning (Annual Health Fair), supporting the kids in their sports (soccer and track and field), supporting me in getting a new business started (Avion Energy), supporting her family by working to keep periodic prayer sessions going and believe this is only a partial list. While Jean's work position continues to be a challenge and sometime an outright battle she continues to prevail and God's goodness stands out as the consistent help she needs along the way. The kids and there sports kept us busy with trips to Indiana, Texas and many parts of the state of Illinois. There are three major track and field competitions during the summer for each of the two primary track and field organizations in the US. The AAU(Athletic Amateur Union) and USATF (United States America Track and Field) each having a State, Regional and ultimately a National Competition. The kids participated in all of these with exception of the USATF National in Baltimore. We had to draw the line somewhere in the amount of time, travel and expenses that made sense for this season and decided to only participate in the AAU National in Humble Texas. As we head into the end of summer and the beginning of the new school year lots of changes for the kids and us with Juniors in high school, soccer season, pre-middle school six grader and everything that goes with two teenagers beginning to narrow their field of vision and focus for their future in academics and sports. As for me I have been actively involved in starting a new business since the beginning of the year working as an Energy Consultant for a MLM company called Avion Energy Group. I got off to a great start with assigning 10 plus contracts to assist commercial businesses and non-profits in reducing the cost of the electricity and natural gas required for their operations. My business has slowed due to me working with the church in whatever capacity possible to locate and purchase a new church home. This has been a major summer project for me searching out properties, working viewing schedules, recording and communicating progress, following up on possibilities and providing general assistant wherever needed to secure a property as soon as possible. While it has taken me off my new business momentum I have no regrets because it is God’s work and my wife has supported and encouraged me to do whatever I can to assist the Pastor and the church in this effort. So as we get ready to go into the next part of this Year of Reference there appears to be no rest for the weary as I always say with school, sports, work, business endeavors, church activities and general family needs, just to mention a few, I am thankful for God’s continued Grace and Mercy in our lives and prayerful that he will continue to look upon this family with favor and the things we are doing for each others, others and most of all for him in Jesus Name. Amen

End of the Season - 2012 AAU (Givan Results)

So bringing to a close another season of outdoor track and field for Eji, Daisy and Givan. The AAU Junior Olympic Games held near Houston Texas in Humble Texas this year signals the end of the outdoor season for 2012. As I mentioned in the earlier update Givan and I were there for the competition and while it was a bit hot during a few of the days overall it wasn't that bad. We made an adventure of the trip with Given competing in three events (100m dash, 400m dash and the 4x100 relay for the Aurora track club). He finished up 26th in the national for the 400 meter, 49 in the US for the 400 meter for his age group and the 4x100 relay is still under protest. During the 4x100 one of Givan's teammates had a fall right after handing off the baton (He is ok). However, there has been a protest posted by Coach Boatright of the Aurora Flyers because the 4x100 bantam team was Dis-qualified (DQ) due to a judge stating the hand off occurred outside of the area allotted for the transition to take place. What is an adventure with a little drama right! Well more to come on that and I will plan to post once it is decided. In any case Givan had a great week with his competition, teammates and Houston. We were able to get in a little fun with a trip to ITZ arcade and entertainment center located near the Willowbrook Mall on Tomball Parkway. A unique fun center with an all you can eat buffet, arcade games, rides and a rock climbing wall. It was a great getaway for one of the days and the food was pretty good as well. We also made a trip downtown to visit the Houston Children Museum and that was crazy. The place was never ending and packed with kids of all ages, with almost everything you could think of to keep kids amused and educate them at the same time. Givan had a great time with building a wind tunnel floating device with paper cups and sticks. There really wasn’t enough time to really take it all in but he made a good go of it. We added to the adventure by deciding to take a 2 mile walk to get to the museum that felt more like a five mile by the time we got back to our rental car after the visit to the museum. The GPS said it was only 2 miles so we thought hey it would be a good way to walk off our lunch and take in a little of the Houston downtown neighborhood. The going was great just enjoying the city and the time together.  The coming back was a bit different, after carrying Givan horseback style for about a 1/3 of the way back  it was clear the GPS may have mis-led us just a bit. The reason he needed to be carried was twofold with having flip flops for shoes, that are not the most comfortable hiking shoes and lastly and most important not wearing out his legs before the 4x100 relay the next morning. Hey praise God I still can carry him for that distance without them having to carry me (smile). All in all a great get away,  hopefully we can do it again as a family next year, I believe it is scheduled to be in Detroit Michigan.

AAU Junior Olympic Games - Givan Onuaguluchi-May

Here we are at the AAU – (American Amateur Union) for Track and Field taking place in Humble Texas near Houston for the 2012 AAU Junior Olympic Games the annual National Championships. We arrived via Southwest Airlines on Saturday, 7/28/2012 for Givan’s second trip to an AAU National Competition. Last year this time the family drove to New Orleans for the event for approximately 15 hours on the road. It was a good time and ultimately a family vacation since after leaving the competition we drove to Montgomery, Alabama and then 50 miles south to visit my father’s side of the family. It was a great trip all around with the competition ending earlier since it was the first for the kids and while they enjoyed the opportunity to compete at this level it was clearly an experience to log for future preparation and training in the arena of highly competitive track and field. So here we are once again (Only Givan and I this time since he was the only one able to qualify this time around). He qualified for three events for the competition that will run from Monday, 7/30/12 to Saturday, 8/4/12 depending on how well he does in the preliminary events earlier in the week. He kicked off his competition yesterday in the Sub-Bantam 9 year Boys as a member of the Aurora Flyers track team (Based in Aurora IL.) competing in the 100 meter dash. This is the most competitive of all the sprints in track in field and is known for identifying the fastest male or female in the world. It was a field of over 80 competitors from across the US competing for the top three awards of Bronze, Silver and Gold. Givan was in the 4^th heat of 12 and with an average of 8 competitors per heat. He warmed up before the race near what they refer to as tent city, a common occurrence during a national competition because of the heat and exposure to the elements most of the teams bring tents for the members of the team. The warm up track was located about a quarter of a mile from the main event to provide the athletes a place to stretch and loosen up their muscles for the upcoming events. The temperature was in the 90’s with high humidity so getting use to heat was also important prior to the race. Givan was ready and excited and while he knew from checking out the seating for the race his best time would not be enough to win but it could get him into the next qualifying level for the race…since it is quarter, preliminary and then the finals. The quarter eliminates all but 24 of the fastest and the preliminary narrows it to 8 plus for the final depending on heat winners and next fastest times. This was only one of the three events Givan was able to qualify for during the regional track meet held in Bloomington IL., nearly three weeks ago. He also qualified for the 400 Meter dash that he is currently the 2012 AAU State Champion and USATF State Champion for his age group and the 2^nd place (Silver Medal) holder for AAU 7- State Region and USATF 7- State Region.  In addition to the 100m and 400m races he and his three other teammates (Quinn, Dante and Aiden) qualified and will compete on Friday, 8/3/12 in the 4x100 meter relay Bantam 10 year olds. So how did he do in the 100m dash for AAU National 2012 he made a strong showing with an unfortunate stumble out of the blocks and finished 49^th  in the national for the race.

A Trip to Springfield ILLinois

I realize now that I fortunately got selected as a chaperone for my son’s trip to Springfield Illinois the state capitol with his fifth grade class. How many times have I perceived an event as a chore only to be completely blown away by the opportunity to experience sometime that was by all standards totally awesome? I had no idea I would be so impressed by the sights in Springfield. We stated with a tour of the state museum that has built the exhibit around the changes of the world from the beginning to now and how some change is gradual while others like volcanoes, earthquakes and glaciers may result in significant changes in a short period of time. The museum has done a fantastic job of looking back millions of years, and what changes have resulted in the world as we know it. I believe the kids with me were most impressed by the visuals of humans that evolved from a life style of having little and making most of their everyday needs by hand that we take for granted and  run over to Wal-Mart and buy today. We left there to go visit the state capital to see where the government for the state resides and makes the laws that formulate the environment we experience as citizen of the state of Illinois and the United States. There was quite a bit of excitement since there was a demonstration taking place by union members that had decided to take their issues to the law makers. Even with all that we were able to have a short tour of the building and found out impressive things like it was actually taller than the Capitol in Washington DC and the beauty and history was fascinating considering it took 20 years to build from start to finish. The house was actually in session but due to our schedule we were not able to say and hear it called to order to begin addressing the agenda of business they were to cover. We had to leave before they recognized the students so we could have lunch before our next stop at the tomb of Lincoln. The structure was incredible with a pinnacle pointing to the heavens, a stature of President Abraham Lincoln in the center with statues of the four branches of the military of that time surrounding the upper base of the tomb. There was a great deal of instruction prior to us entering so that the tomb and our past president were given the upmost respect. The entrance of the tomb had a large bronze head of the president that over the years had acquire a reputation of being those who rubbed its nose good luck. We were not allowed to do this until after the tour of the tomb but you can be sure almost everyone in our group rubbed the nose before getting on the bus. As we entered the tomb we were greeted with the many more impressive statues and other items that gave you a feeling of pride of our county and the influence of one very special man of courage and honor that held it together at a time that it could have easily slipped away. We learned of the construction of the tomb and that clearly no expense was spared to honor this man for his dedication and sacrifice to this county. The tour shared that he had four children during his life and three out of four died at very young ages. It was with a sense of awe that I toured the tomb and then after leaving there touring the World War II, Vietnam and Korea war memorials. If all of this was not enough our next stop was the Lincoln Museum that covered every area of his life from the log cabin self learning to read to becoming the 16^th President of the United States and moving into the white when the United States was being destroyed by civil war whereas over 1.3 million American died to ultimately end slavery and keep this as the United States of American. We finished up the day before heading home to Schaumburg, Illinois with a feast at a buffet restaurant and comfortable tour bus movies included ride home. All I can say is thank God for men like Lincoln who were willing to put everything on the line to keep the country United, Strong and free…God Bless