John Tesh’s Love 96 Blog

It’s time for a winter driving alert. Last winter, 300,000 drivers in North America were stranded in snowdrifts, or sidelined by cold-weather driving hazards, and over 500,000 crashes occurred last January alone! So, here are the five things state troopers know that you should, too! We got these tips from First magazine:

• It takes longer than you think to stop on an icy road. During dry weather, state troopers recommend the “four second following rule.” In other words, when the car in front of you passes a stationary object – like a highway sign - you should be able to slowly count to four before you pass it. During winter weather, you should add another two seconds for EACH adverse weather condition. For example, if it’s snowy AND icy, follow eight seconds behind so you have enough time to stop.
• The next state trooper driving tip: A little “roof snow” on a vehicle can cause a crash. Melting snow can fly off a car’s roof at highway speeds, landing on the windshield of the car behind them, and obliterating the driver’s view. So, if you’re following a vehicle coated in ice or snow, keep your distance or change lanes. If your car gets spattered with snow, turn on your wipers full speed, and cautiously pull onto the shoulder until you can see again.
• Another winter driving tip from experienced state troopers: Brakes are worse than useless in a skid. If your car starts to skid, don’t slam on the brakes. Experts say that’s the best way to lose control of your car. Instead, take your foot off the gas, and slowly steer in the direction you want to go. That’ll help you regain control of your vehicle.
• Also: When snow or sleet is even hinted in the forecast, fill up your gas tank! Drivers who venture out in bad weather and get stuck can find themselves stranded and shivering. If you have a full tank during a serious delay, you can leave your engine idling and run your heater.
• Finally, keep waterproof gloves in your glove compartment during the winter. If you get stuck trying to dig your car out of a snow bank, they’ll drastically reduce your risk of ending up with frostbitten fingers.

We’d all like to save more, earn more and spend more wisely in 2010. Despite the fresh promise of a New Year - and a new decade – the thought of tackling money goals can be overwhelming. So, here are some guidelines to help make things a little easier. These are from Karen Blumenthal at the Wall Street Journal.

• Let’s start with saving more. It’s the top goal on people’s resolution list this year. In fact, a recent survey found that people put thriftiness ahead of both “losing weight” and “exercising more.” Blumenthal says the first step is to take a few minutes to set up an automatic deduction from either your paycheck or your checking account to a special savings account. Also, increase your contribution to your 401(k) by one percentage point, and commit at least half of any raise you receive this year to savings. That should be easy to do, since you haven’t had that money in the first place.
• Prepare for the new credit-card rules. In late February, the second phase of the Credit Card Act will kick in. To be well-prepared, look at your credit-card bills and memorize your due dates. By law, they’ll be the same each month. Paying your bills on time is the most important factor in your credit-worthiness. Also take a look at your interest rates. If they’re variable, they’ll climb when interest rates go up. So concentrate on paying off those cards first.
• Tame your monthly bills. Colleen Schon is a senior vice president at Raymond James & Associates, a financial services provider in Michigan. She suggests that you review your monthly expenses to see if you can find some meaningful savings. The big three questions to ask are: How can you cut your cell phone bill? Can you combine your cable, phone and Internet services into a lower monthly rate? Can you refinance your mortgage? These three things will provide you with big savings. Remember to redirect at least part of what you save into your retirement account.

At the beginning of this new month, sure wouldn’t hurt to give yourself a mini ‘refresher’ course on how to get their financial goals back on track.

When it comes to calling 911, there are a few facts emergency dispatchers wish you knew: Information that’ll increase your odds of getting help as soon as possible. This comes from First magazine, and Paul Linnee, an emergency-communications specialist in Minneapolis:

• Dispatchers who repeat questions are NOT causing delays. 911 operators want to make sure emergency teams find you as fast as possible. So, they need to get all the information right – starting with confirming the address and phone number that pops up in front of them. They often double-check even simple spellings to avoid confusing between similar-sounding places, like “Weston Street” and West Tenth Street.”
• Another thing 911 operators wish you knew: Cell phone calls DON’T go to the nearest dispatch center. Calls from landlines go to the nearest call center, but 911 calls on cell phones connect you to the nearest cell tower. If the tower’s in another jurisdiction, your call could end up in a different city, county, or state. Even if you reach the right dispatch center, wireless carriers can only narrow your location to within 300 meters, which is an entire city block.So, if you call 911 on a cell, describe your location in detail – including any landmarks, like a nearby lake, bridge or building, and include the city and state, even if you have an exact address. Neighboring towns often have the same street names and numbers – and paramedics might show up at the right address in the wrong town.
• One final truth about 911 calls: “Dead air” DOESN’T mean your call was disconnected. A lot of call centers aren’t certified to provide medical advice – like how to perform CPR. You may hear weird sounds and silences if they need to transfer you to paramedics for help. Also, if the dispatcher needs to speak to emergency crews while you’re on the line, they may mute the conversation. The fix: Ask, “Are you still there?” If a dispatcher’s on the line, you should get a response. However, if you hear a dial tone or haven’t spoken to a live person in more than 20 seconds, hang up and call 911 again.

Teens taking part in sports is a good thing, right? In most cases the answer is, “Yes.” However, according to Science Daily, a new study shows that some sports tempt teens into taking dangerous risks. Researchers at the University of Minnesota surveyed more than 4,000 middle and high school students about their activities. The students were also asked if they had engaged in behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, or had used diet pills, laxatives or steroids. Luckily, the majority of students had not. However, the teens who participated in sports with a strong emphasis on size and weight - like gymnastics, wrestling and ballet - didn’t deliver good news.

• Almost one in 10 male wrestlers and gymnasts had induced vomiting or used diuretics within a week of the survey. That’s more than 600 times higher than the researchers expected.
• Steroid use was highest among teen girls! Nearly 7% of the ballerinas and gymnasts admitted to using them, and almost the same number owned up to vomiting and using laxatives to control their weight.

Study author Marla Eisenberg says it’s important for parents and coaches to emphasize skill and talent instead of weight. It’s also important for teens to understand how dangerous steroid use and extreme weight control measures can be. Steroids weaken bones and damage the heart and liver. They also cause depression and other psychological problems. Binging and purging ruins teeth, decreases lung capacity and can cause seizures. If you’re the parent of a teen, some things to watch out for are: mood swings, aggression, sudden muscle growth, red spots on the skin, and persistent bad breath. You should also keep an eye out for packages of laxatives, diet pills, and secretive eating habits. Any of these warning signs warrant a trip to the doctor. The good news is that the sooner your teen is treated, the less severe the effects will be.

It may not be the cheeriest of pieces to share with your listeners, but with weekend games, matches and tournaments coming up, it’s good intelligence to share!

The beginning of a year is always about motivation. So, no matter what you hope to accomplish in the next 12 months, all you have to do is adopt these three secrets of motivated people that we found in Real Simple magazine.

• Secret #1: Anticipate speed bumps in your plan. Before even trying to achieve a goal, plan for potential pitfalls and either preempt them if you can, or come up with a strategy to deal with them if they arise. Peter Gollwitzer is a professor of psychology at New York University, and he says that people who plan for obstacles are more likely to stick with their goals than those who don’t. For example, maybe your goal is to go for a jog every morning. What if you wake up one day and it’s pouring rain? Have a plan like, “If the weather’s bad, I’ll spend 20 minutes walking up and down the stairs in the hallway, rather than skipping exercise altogether.” This’ll help you stick to your new routine.
• Another secret of motivated people: Go public with your goal. James Fowler is a political scientist who studies social networks at the University of California, San Diego. He says other people can help reinforce your behavior. After all, it’s harder to abandon a dream when you know that people are tracking your progress. Take 25-year-old Stephanie Samarripa from Dallas. She wanted to lose 20 pounds, so she created a blog and asked her friends to read it, and hold her accountable. She weighs herself each week and announces the results on her blog. Samarripa says the positive comments people leave help keep her going – and keep her in line.
• Finally: Challenge yourself, and change things up. It’s hard to remain enthusiastic when everything stays the same. That’s the word from Frank Busch, who’s coached three Olympic swimming teams. To keep his athletes motivated, he constantly changes and surprises them – adding a new exercise to their workout routine, or giving them a break from a scheduled practice so they can recharge. So, if your goal is to finish that novel you started, try writing in a different room, or using a notebook instead of your computer. The more you change things up, the more motivated you’ll be to stick with it.

Groceries are one of the biggest money-drains you have, but you can save thousands of dollars a year just by making a few simple changes. For example, taking a minute or two to wash and cut your own fruits and veggies makes a HUGE difference. A bag of pre-washed romaine lettuce costs over a dollar more than a head of cut-it-yourself lettuce. By ditching the pre-packaged produce, you’ll save over $400 a year. Here are some other ways to slash your grocery bill, courtesy of the researchers at Real Simple magazine.

• Reduce your meat. Melissa d’Arabian is a host on the Food Network. She says that a recipe calling for a pound of ground beef – which is 16 ounces – can easily be made with just 13 or 14 ounces. Those few dollars of savings will add up quickly.
• Befriend the managers. The folks in charge of the produce, meat, dairy and seafood departments can tell you what time of day the food is marked down, so you can get the best deals.
• Buy more fruits and vegetables. Research from the American Dietetic Association shows that when families add more produce to their diets, their waistlines get smaller and their food budgets shrink by 25. That translates to more than $900 saved on average each year.
• This last tip is very important: Make a list and stick to it. We’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. According to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, people who avoid impulse shopping save big - spending up to 23% less on grocery bills. That’s an annual savings of more than $860.

Want to live even just a little longer?  From the book by John Corso, “Stupid Reasons People Die”, talking to your doctor about a few simple tests can prevent fatal illness, and add years to your life.  Here are 4 ways you can be proactive:

4.  Malignant melanoma- check yourself, and look for flat, dark brown, or black lesions with irregular shapes. Find one; see your doctor.

Here’s a stat that’ll scare you away from the holiday buffet table: Studies show the average person consumes an extra 600 calories a DAY between Halloween and New Year’s – which means you’ll be starting 2010 with an extra seven pounds of belly fat! So if you want to avoid packing on the pounds, here are some of the worst holiday foods you can eat – and what to have instead, from Rodale Publishing:

• We’ll start with the worst holiday drink: It’s Eggnog! One serving contains 350 calories – that’s the same number of calories as an order of Triple Layer Nachos from Taco Bell! So what should you drink instead? For about a third of the calories, have some homemade hot chocolate, and if you’re ordering your hot chocolate from a coffee shop, get the smallest size – and ask for non-fat milk and NO whipped cream.
• What about the worst holiday appetizer? Stay away from the crab cakes. It’s not just crabmeat – it’s mayo, breadcrumbs, and fried in a vat of fatty, bubbling oil. A single crab cake can contain 400 calories! You’d have to shovel snow for about an hour to burn that off! Instead, choose the shrimp with cocktail sauce. One shrimp dipped in sauce is only 20 calories. If you ate half a dozen, it’d take less than 30 minutes of brisk walking to burn them off.
• Let’s move on to the worst holiday dip: It’s crab dip. You’ve got to stay away from the crab cakes AND the crab dip! One serving of crab dip can contain 372 calories and 37 grams of fat! That’s more calories than a Burger King Cheeseburger - and more fat than a Burger King DOUBLE Cheeseburger! So instead, dip your chip in bean dip. A two tablespoon serving has 25 calories and zero grams of fat.
• What about the worst holiday dessert? It’s a slice of pecan pie a la mode. It contains over 800 calories, and it’d take about an hour and a half of skiing to burn that off! What should you have instead? For less than HALF the calories, dip a few pieces of fruit or low-calorie angel food cake in chocolate fondue.

How’s that food for thought heading into a week of afternoon office holiday parties before Christmas dinners?

Thanks to the recession, economists say many families will be fighting this holiday season over money. Of course, thanks to the recession, families are fighting about money much more than previously so. So, how can you keep seasonal money arguments to a minimum? Follow these tips from economics expert Tyler Cowen, and Money magazine:

• Learn to say “no.” During the holidays, many families bombard each other with special requests – like picking up distant relatives at the airport or baking special desserts for dinner. Psychologists say giving in to every single request will increase the odds of a fight, because of the extra time and money involved. So prepare to accept a few family requests, and then say “no” to all the others. Your family will get along better if everyone pitches in equally.
• Another way avoid a financial fight this season: Compromise the RIGHT way. Thomas Schelling is an economics expert who specializes in negotiating. He says family money conflicts are usually part of a larger power struggle to show who’s boss. Those struggles won’t go away during the holidays, but you can defuse them by telling everyone you’re willing to compromise “this one time” – as a way of showing your holiday spirit. For example: If you and your family always argue over who owes more on your monthly cell phone bill, offer to pay this month’s entire bill. A compromise now will help keep the peace during the holidays, without sending the message that you’ll be a “softy” who caves in every time the issue comes up in the future.
• Here’s one more way to avoid a fight over money this season: Assign control, and then butt out. For example: Let’s say your family has agreed to organize a Christmas party. Divide up all the tasks evenly, so that one person handles food, another handles decorations, and so on. Then, once you’ve agreed to a task, do that one job and keep your nose out of what everyone else is doing! Economists call that a “trade and property rights” agreement. It’s a way of giving everyone an equal right to make decisions on their own, without being second guessed at every turn.

If you don’t want to end up adding more to your New Year’s resolution to lose many pounds, instead of a few, follow these tips to avoid stuffing your face over the holiday. They come from Reader’s Digest.

• Have a low-calorie snack before a big dinner, or upcoming holiday party – like whole grain toast with peanut butter or a small bowl of broth-based soup. That way, you won’t be ravenous at dinner time, and you’ll avoid second helpings.
• Try the 20-20 rule. Put 20% FEWER high-calorie foods – and 20% MORE fruits and vegetables – on your plate. Studies show you probably won’t notice the difference, but the scale certainly will the next morning.
• Serve yourself. In other words, don’t allow Aunt Sally or Grandma Ethel to heap your plate full of food. They’ll insist you have more of their “special” stuffing, but they won’t have to suffer the consequences when you can’t fit into your pants the next day.
• Eat slowly. We’ve said this a million times, but we’ll say it again: It takes your brain about 20 minutes to start sending out those “I’m full” signals. So the slower you eat, the fewer calories you’ll consume before feeling full. If you’re a naturally fast eater, take a sip of water between bites to slow yourself down.
• Watch the alcohol. Not only does a 5-ounce glass of wine have about 120 calories, but drinking too much impairs your judgment. So, the more you drink, the more you’re likely to eat. So stop after one glass.
• Have just a few bites of dessert. Hard to do with may varieties of Christmas cookies, but when you eat the first mouthful of a particular food, you get a surge of the feel-good chemical dopamine. That’s why the first bite tastes best. As you eat, the chemicals taper off, and your brain gets bored. So put down the pumpkin pie after a couple of bites, and go for the smallest cookies on the plate.