30 Oct How Net Margin Is Increased By Margin

Guest Post - Dr. Patrick Ball - Family Physician, writer, and musician We all strive. Push for better and more. This ambition or enthusiasm can be the difference between making it and not making it in a competitive, indifferent market. No pain, no gain. It can also be, with the incorrect motivation or wrong goals, an ends to our undoing. [featured-image single_newwindow="false"] Margin, in the business world, is expressed as a percentage of profit when divided by revenue. Net margin is this percentage when adjusted for taxes, interest and all those other expenses that must be paid for before the owner gets paid their salary. This is the "proverbial bottom line". What is left over at the end of the day. This is the number that those with ambition lie awake at night and try to predict or to strategize ways of increasing and maximizing. Leveraging talents, assets, efficiency, and human resources in a constant effort to show dependable material improvement. If cash flow is like blood then margin is like breath on the lips.

29 Aug How to Determine Your Ideal Body Weight

Ideal body weight is a tricky topic to discuss and define.  If your weight is higher than ideal but a large portion of your weight is muscle, is that a problem?  No.  Is there a way to determine ideal body weight?  Is weight even the best metric to follow ? The 3 most commonly used methods to determine ideal body weight: 1.  Actuarial tables 2.  BMI (Body Mass Index) 3.  % Body Fat

14 Aug Who are Your Birds?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with?”  What about, “Birds of a feather flock together?” Some of the best advice my parents gave me, and I passed on to my children, was to...

13 Aug 7 Proven Diet Tips

Drink 1 glass of water before eating you meal.  One study found that those who sipped 2 cups of tap water 30 minutes before their main meals lost an average of about 3 pounds more weight over a 12-week period than those who were...

12 Jul Creating Shared Meaning – Revitalizing Your Marriage

If you are like me and have been married for several years, I find it easy to let the everyday tasks and needs of the family consume my time and focus.  Paying the bills, mowing the lawn, preparing dinner, running the kids to school, attending recitals, shuttling kids to soccer practice, providing for the family financially are all necessary but if those are the only things that define your marriage then you are just coexisting.  You’re roommates with a common goal of raising your children. Successful businesses know the importance of having a vision and are intentional about developing a culture that supports and fosters the growth of the vision.  Good marriages should take note of this concept.  What is your vision for your marriage’s relationship?  What type of culture have you intentionally cultivated to achieve that vision? You may find that your vision may differ from your spouse’s.  Being able to support their goals even though they may not be your own is an important step toward a healthy relationship.  You will also find that as you age and as your spouse ages your goals and visions progressively evolve.  I certainly am not the same person my wife married 26 years ago, yet she still supports the ever changing  person I am becoming.  The more common ground you have on the big issues, the easier the marriage becomes, however. John Gottman lists 4 pillars of Shared Meaning 1.  Rituals of Connection -  One of my most vivid family memories as a child are the times we spent around the dinner table.  As we ate together, we shared our day’s experiences.  Cell phones and iPads didn’t exist back then so there was no temptation to check my latest messages or emails.  In today’s world we need to be more intentional about this time together.  We have too many distractions.  What other traditions do you share in your family - a particular vacation spot you visit yearly, praying together, gathering at holidays, or tucking your kids into bed at night?  What new connections can you ritualize so you can create new memories?

30 Jun In-depth Perspective – an interview with obesity expert Dr. Ken Fujioka

“Patients don’t understand that when you gain weight, your body will always want to go back.”  Dr. Ken Fujioka Dr.  Fujioka has dedicated his career to the study and treatment of obesity.  I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Dr. Fujioka while he was speaking in...

27 Jun How To Combat Muscle Loss As We Age.

Many people believe that once you become older there is no point in exercising.  The unfortunate truth is that after 40 muscle mass can decrease 1% per year.  The loss tends to get even worse after 50.  Several things contribute to that including decreased hormone...

24 Jun How My Secret Miracle Pill Works

I have found a pill that is too good to be true!  It is a miracle!  This single pill will do all the things listed below.  How much are you willing to pay?  I'll send it to you today if you like.   Controls weight. Makes you feel...

21 Jun Why Exercise Alone Can Cause Weight Gain

A patient recently came into the office perplexed about why he was not losing weight.  He said that he had been walking for 30 minutes a day three times a week for the last few weeks and had not lost a pound.  Our scales in...