Anyway, here are some crazy yoga poses that I won't be doing any time soon, but they show just how amazingly flexible the human body can be. Click on this link to our Yoga swicki to vote on your favorites.

Yoganidra 2. Just lie down on your back and wrap your feet around your head. Now, you get an amazing view of your dernier.

Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya I. It's like doing a push up, except your feet are off the ground. And your hips are rotated so that you can cross one leg over the opposing arm.

King Pigeon Pose (Kapotasana). I call this the turn-yourself-into-a-human-donut pose. Sitting on your knees, you bend all the way backwards until your forearms are on the floor, and your head is between your feet.

Firefly Pose (Tittibhasana). This one probably looks easy enough. So maybe it's not the most unbelievable, but I want to see you do it. Seriously. Do it, tape it, and put it on YouTube. I'd vote for that on digg or mixx.

Scorpion Pose (Vrischika-asana). Put your forearms on the floor and flip your legs backward over your head. Let them dangle freely in the air. It gets even better if you can lower your feet and rest them on your head while doing it. Oh yeah. Good times.

Thanks go to Yoga Journal, Forrest Yoga, and Santosha for having great descriptions and pictures of these poses. For more general info and easy-to-do yoga poses, check out the Find Your Yoga Style swicki.

I'm sure plenty of you have had experiences with search where you didn't find what you wanted. With a swicki, you can vote down the results that you don't like or that are irrelevant. Conversely, if you find a hidden gem lurking at the bottom of the page, you can vote that up. If you find a really cool Web page elsewhere that's not in the results, you can add it to the swicki. A swicki merges the power of technology with the discerning power of people.

And I'm not saying that it's going to replace Google or any of that jazz.

5. Grapefruit Diet. Eating half a grapefruit before every meal probably wouldn't be too bad. You certainly would stay on top of your vitamin C needs. No scurvy for you!

4. Cabbage Soup Diet. This is a 1 week on and 2 weeks off diet. Personally, I don't think I'd make it through a week of cabbage soup. I mean eating cabbage for just one meal sounds like enough torture to give up chocolate. Sure there are some other veggies mixed in here, but yuck.

3. Fat Flush Diet. This is all about flaxseed oil, cranberry juice, and supplements. Forget about caffeine and alcohol. And ladies, apparently, you have to forgo birth control pills. Talk about a double whammy on this one.

6. Heavy Lifting. Most of you probably know that lower numbers of repetitions coupled with higher amounts of weight can lead to gaining muscle mass. This is a pretty basic idea, but for those of you doing 10 or 12 reps within a set and who are wondering why you're staying lean, now you know.

5. Post Exhaustion Training. Men's Fitness suggests doing a compound movement (working out several muscle groups) followed by an isolation exercise (focusing on one muscle group). So, you can do a close grip bench press, and then follow that up with triceps extensions. Over time, that will help you to bulk up.

6. A Little R&R. If you've just had a baby, you're going to need some recoup time--about six weeks according to most sources. I know you really want to get back to looking like your old self, but first things first, let your body normalize before demanding it to change again.

5. Breastfeed. You're going to love this one. According to the Surgeon General, breastfeeding burns 600-800 calories. That's right. You can just sit and be with your little one, and you're already moving on your way to a slimmer, trimmer you. Some women attest to returning to their former shape just by doing this.

4. Sleep It Off. You're thinking these tips are too good to be true, but yes, sleep is a key component to normalizing the body and regulating metabolism. A Harvard Medical School study found that getting at least 7 hours of sleep helped postpartum women lose more weight than women who slept less. I can hear the snorts of contempt out there. Yes, the baby's 3am feeding time can get in the way of that goal, but now you have an extra reason to coerce your significant other into helping out with those late night feedings. Napping when the baby naps can be helpful too.

10. I Don't Have Anything to Wear. Working out is not about being the Paris Hilton or Matthew McConaughey of the gym. Some people may have color-coordinated clothing right down to their MP3 case, but you're here for your health, not to walk the runway. Pull out the old shorts and the fading T-shirt with the holes in the armpits and get to work.

9. The Gym Is Too Far Away. Why did you pick a gym nine miles away? Find a closer one or find a way to carpool there. Also, there are any number of easy exercises that you can do in your home (yoga) or around it (jogging).

8. I'll Miss My Favorite Show. Oh come on. Isn't that what TiVo is for? Plus, you can't have a favorite show on every night of the week.

So who are some of these DIY women? Here's a few of them on the Web and what they're up to.

First off, you need a good area for woodworking. It's hard to convince the wife (or perhaps husband in some cases) that a little sawdust in the living room is ever a good thing. Hopefully, you've got a garage or basement when you can cloister yourself away from raised eyebrows and children at-play. In that space, you may want to build a torsion box, which is a flat assembly table. I've linked in some instructions on how to create one.

So, you're all set to build now. What to do?

So you've gotten the good news. You're going to have a baby. So what should you do? Okay, so I don't know a ton about creating a nursery, but creativity and a little imagination can help out in most situations. Take, for instance, the family that used a super computer as furniture for their nursery. This popped up on Digg awhile back, and it certainly shows a whole lot of imagination.

Maybe you aren't into the techie look and don't have a spare super computer hanging around. Perhaps an eco-friendly nursery is more your style.]]> http://www.eurekster.com/showcase/2008/03/nursery_ideas_from_the_babyroo.html http://www.eurekster.com/showcase/2008/03/nursery_ideas_from_the_babyroo.html DIY Home Improvement baby home improvement interior decorating nursery nursery decorating Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:42:03 -0800

Owning a home is a big investment, but continuing to upgrade and invest in it can help ensure that it retains if not increases its value. Remodeling Online produced their "Cost Vs. Value" report for 2007 on the top projects for a return on investment. Here are the top ten remodeling projects by ROI.

1. 85.4% Wood deck addition--Not only does a wood deck give you a place to have barbecues and lay out in the sun, it adds value to your home.

2. 83.2% Siding replacement--This ROI percentage is based on homeowners who installed vinyl siding to their homes. You may also want to consider brick, stone, stucco, aluminum, or wood materials for your siding.

Everyone thinks of indoor chores for their spring cleaning projects, but the exterior of the home and the yard need a little TLC too. Here are a few tips to help you put your home's best face forward along with getting the lawn and garden in shape for a great spring growth.

Removing Debris. You may have raked up all those leaves during fall clean up, but after those winter storms, there are bound to be leaves, branches, and trash that have lodged themselves in your lawn and amidst the rose bushes.

Cleaning Your Deck. For those of you with a deck, regular upkeep is important. Wood decks get worn and dried out by exposure to sunlight, temperatures changes, and general foot traffic. Cleaning it with a biodegradable deck cleaner is one step, and you may also consider resealing it as well.

Weeding. Nobody likes this one, but if you do a good job with teasing out the invasive plants now, you'll save yourself a lot of time come June. After weeding around the flowerbeds, you might consider putting down rubber mulch. It can help reduce weed growth, and it's environmentally friendly.

Window Washing. Take time to clean up the outside faces of windows to bring more light into your home. Consider using vinegar for an environmentally friendly solution to clean them up.

Tending to Outdoor Furniture. Wiping and hosing down plastic lawn furniture can be relatively simple. However, wicker furniture may need a little extra love. Use a mild oil-based soap to do the trick. Be sure to rinse frequently to keep the dirt from lodging in the crevices.

These spring cleaning tips should get you started. Soon enough, you'll be able to enjoy your outdoor space and look forward to a pleasant place to spend warm spring afternoons. Enjoy!

Are you ready to watch the Tarheels make a run at the title? Hoping that Coach K will lead Duke back to glory? Wondering who will be the next Cinderella team since George Mason University? Then, you may also be wondering how you can turn your living room into an entertainment hub for you and your buddies. Here are a few suggestions to not only catch all of the "madness" of this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, but to do it in style.

1. Get a flat screen TV. I won't say that this will be an easy (or cheap) decision. You'll have to decide between LCD or plasma TVs, for one thing. Plus, you'll probably want to get a High Definition (HD) TV so that you can see every play with complete clarity.
2. A SMART board. A SMART board is just the way to track all the action without having to use those stinky whiteboard markers. You can also keep score on all your buddies, so everyone always knows who's leading.
3. Surround sound. Look into speakers and subwoofers to hook up to your television so that you can feel the roar of the crowd and hear the swish of the net. You may want to find out how to wire a sound system and possibly install sound-absorbing baffles.
4. Build your own home theater. Okay, this tip is for those of you who are really ready to make an investment. Start researching plans, select home theater cabinet materials, and make sure that the wife is out of the state for at least a month before she finds out what you're about to do to her living room.
5. Put the pizza guy on speed dial. Like you're going to want to drive anywhere to get food during the games? However, if there was a beer delivery guy, then that would have been the final suggestion.

Our Man Pad swicki can help you find lots of this information, and of course, if you can't quite find the right info, you can always make your own swicki. Enjoy all the games and the bracket-busting sure to come.

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  Make Yourself a Man Pad

  

Not too long ago, we created a widget for finding all the stuff you need to deck out your own man pad or man cave, if you've only got one room to work with. Whatever it may be, here are some fun ideas for what to include.

The Man Chair. Your throne is an essential element for your comfort and style. Some people like traditional leather armchairs. Some people enjoy recliners. Some dudes get a kick out of having a sheepskin bean bag chair. Heck, some guys even love those massage chairs. Personally, I like the Piedmont iChair. It's a classic leather chair with speakers built in that are compatible with portable music players.

Digital Wireless Stereo System. There's nothing like being able to place a speaker anywhere you want without tripping over a bunch of wires. One of my favorites is the Griffin Evolve Digital Wireless Stereo System into which you can snap your iPod. If any relatives are reading this, definitely add this to my Christmas list (it's not too earlier to be making one yet, is it?). Oh, and for sheer coolness, check out this clear speaker that blends into the wall.

The Gamerator. At last, a better way to merge beer with video games. I'm sure that you're tired of having to walk all the way to the fridge every time you want a beer while playing video games. With the Gamerator, a tap is installed right into the arcade style gaming machine, so while you're getting set to start the next round of Space Invaders, you can pour yourself a cold one.

HD Flat Screen Television. What else is there to say? Ya gotta have one. But if you need help installing it, check out this link.

Mission Control Center. I don't know what to call this other than a mission control center, and it's absolutely ridiculous. The Sony NHS system is an integrated system that controls movies, music, lighting, the home security system, the thermostat, and your dog's backyard digging problem. Okay, so maybe not the last one, but it does all the rest while offering features like HD, an iPod dock, 160GB music server, and a Blu-ray Disc player. Oh, you want to know the price? Well, it's 40K to 85K depending on all the installation features you want. So, it may not be quite in reach for many of us, but we can all dream can't we.

Like these ideas? Want more? Create a few searches on our Man Pad swicki, and see what you find. It may just spark your next home improvement project or add a few ideas to the wish list.

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  Make Yourself a Man Pad

  

Being environmentally-conscious is on a lot of people's minds now-a-days. The Department of Energy reports that U.S. residences create 313.4 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Yikes! So, to do our part, we built a swicki to help you find eco-friendly ideas and materials for your next home improvement project. Our "Creative Ideas for Green Home Improvement" swicki can help you discover info for energy efficient windows, find energy-efficient appliances, or learn about using bamboo in your next project. Feel free to comment and vote on the stuff that you think will best help reduce carbon footprints.

Going green is also on a lot of swicki builders' minds. Christoph looks to be just starting a blog, but he's already got a swicki on energy efficiency topics over at Building Physics. JeanneP at Offgrid Desert Living has a swicki on renewable energy sources. If you take a stroll over to Greennetizen (kinda like Green Internet Citizen smushed together), you'll see Martie's "Eco-Friendly" swicki. She's focusing on a broad array of stuff such as being a green consumer as well as finding information on global warming.

Oh, and if you're interested in learning more about the carbon topic, check out Curt Rosengren's The Sustainable Future blog post called "How to find the best carbon offsets." It's a little extra food for thought.

Everyone can do their part for helping the environment, even a swicki.

Dodgers Video Widget

Red Sox Video Widget

Yankees Video Widget

Mets Video Widget

Mariners Video Widget

Don't see your favorite team here? Anyone can build their own video widget in about 10 minutes and then add it to their homepage or blog. You can also connect with other sports swicki builders, to find additional ways to promote and train your widget. We also have a slew of other widgets that we've added to Widgetbox.]]> http://www.eurekster.com/showcase/2008/03/mlb_baseball_video_widgets.html http://www.eurekster.com/showcase/2008/03/mlb_baseball_video_widgets.html Sports baseball mlb video widgets widgetbox Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:03:44 -0800