Exercise Your Rights

Achieving balance during the holidays

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve! Oh my! How did Dorothy keep her girlish figure during the holidays? Jazzercise! She and her gaggle of friends danced down the yellow brick road to the hip tunes of the day. Well, that and she didn’t have multiple family gatherings and office parties with tempting high calorie treats to increase her waistline. But if Dorothy and her merry band did participate in the year-end food-o-rama, they’d provide the following tips for enjoying the holiday season without gaining weight.

Exercise

“We've been walking a long ways.” ~ Dorothy Gale

The trek to the Emerald City was accomplished by walking every single day. And research from the National Health Services shows that walking 10,000 steps a day will significantly improve your health. Whether you walk, jog, bicycle or swim, daily physical activity will relieve stress and burn up extra calories and can balance out some holiday meals.

Friends

“My, my goodness -- I can talk again!” ~ Tin Woodsman

Although food can be a big part of the season, it doesn’t have to be the focus. Holidays are a wonderful time to reunite with your buddies, share stories and give thanks. Friends have (healthy) benefits, so take advantage of the gathering to speak from the heart and offer a tasteful toast to your friends:

You are unique, morals sublime.
Character rich, one of a kind.

Maintenance

“Ain't it the truth!” ~ Cowardly Lion

A realistic goal is weight maintenance versus weight loss during the holidays. Make reasonable food choices and you’ll succeed – the foundation of the Weight Watchers food plan. If you’re still worried about the tempting treats, avoid arriving famished at the celebration. Have the courage to eat a light meal before leaving the house – a cup of soup or cheese and crackers on the stomach can help you resist sampling everything at a potluck party.

Sensible

“Oh, joy, rapture! I've got a brain!” ~ Scarecrow

It’s okay to eat. Remember moderation. And there are plenty of low fat and low calorie recipes posted online that are truly tasty. Try using applesauce in place of oil in your favorite holiday breads or make pumpkin brownies, which are yummy and contain fiber – a helpful tip from Hungry-Girl.com.

To find the Wizard of Oz and achieve their heart’s desire, Dorothy and her friends possessed the necessary resources: brains, heart and courage. You, too, can use your brain to avoid known personal food triggers, talk from your heart to reconnect with your friends and have the courage to exercise in order to enjoy the holiday season without gaining weight.

Michael Varma is a freelance writer, award-winning presenter and professional magician. To learn more, visit www.MichaelVarma.com. Contact Michael Varma, the author of Tasteful Toasts, for permission to reprint this article. Copyright November 2010 Magical Concepts.

Happy 200th Anniversary Oktoberfest

Wedding toasts fit for a King and Queen

The original "Oktoberfest" occurred 200 years ago in Munich, Germany, in October 1810, to commemorate the marriage of

Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. In later years an annual festival and parade were organized to honor the Bavarian couple (King Ludwig I and Therese of Bavaria). Intrigued by this fun fact, I went on a quest to find tasteful German wedding toasts fit for a king and queen of any time period.

The following traditional toast must have come from a father-in-law:

Erst mach' dein' Sach dann trink' und lach!

First take care of business, then drink and laugh!

Leave it to the mother-in-law to sing a different song:

Jeder hört die Musik anders - aber der gemeinsame Tanz ist wunderbar.

Everyone hears the music differently - but the dance together is wonderful.

From the drunken-best man or romantic bride’s maid:

Das Leben ist bezaubernd, man muss es nur durch die richtige Brille sehen.

Life is wonderful, you just need to see it through the right glasses.

Generated from the townspeople (German proverb):

So lange leben, essen wie eine Katze und trinken wie ein Hund

To live long, eat like a cat and drink like a dog.

But my favorite wedding toast, which is appropriate for any stately marriage:

Jeder sieht ein Stückchen Welt, gemeinsam sehen wir die ganze.

Each of us sees a part of the world; together we see all of it.

There are no current-day reports of how many marriages take place at Oktoberfest, but it is the largest folk festival in the world, according to USA Today, with more than 6.5 million visitors and serving up nearly 7 million liters of beer.

In honor newlyweds everywhere and participants of Oktoberfest, I offer Prost und Zum Wohl! (Cheers and Bottoms up!)

Michael Varma is a freelance writer, award-winning presenter and professional magician. To learn more, visit www.MichaelVarma.com. Contact Michael Varma, the author of Tasteful Toasts, for permission to reprint this article. Copyright September 2010 Magical Concepts.

Wedded Words

What to write in a wedding thank you note

Wedding gift thank you notes should not be tossed away like the bridal bouquet and written with a hasty hand. Nor need they be effusive eight-page essays of how you couldn’t live without the silver-plated serving platter. Crafting sincere words of gratitude is easy when you follow the three Rs of thank you note etiquette: reference, reason and regard.

Reference

After the salutation, simply reference the present itself. “Thank you for the collector’s edition of Star Trek Pez dispensors.” Naming the specific item avoids the faux pas of using the generic term of “gift” – that’s like saying, “I’m just not that into you.”

If you don’t recall what was given, an inquiring phone call is the best solution. Mention that during transport, a few cards and gifts were separated and you’d like to finish writing your thank you notes. Most wedding witnesses will understand and enjoy the story.

Reason

Select a favorite feature or overall positive quality of the present and write a complimentary remark. One sentence will do. Answer one of these two questions: Why do you like it? How will you use it? “I saw the T-shirt jersey sheets on Oprah and know they’ll keep us warm at night.”

While Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, sometimes gifts arrive from former planet Pluto. On the occasion where a present doesn’t appeal to your earthly tastes, focus on the generosity of the gift giver or the craftsmanship of the product. “The serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe is quite elegant.”

Regard

It’s most important to acknowledge the person than the gift. The closing sentence is best centered on your relationship with an honest expression of appreciation. “We were honored to have you join us and celebrate our special day – your gift was an unexpected bonus.”

Be truthful. Be positive. Be kind.

So whether you open your presents before or after your honeymoon, it’s good form to write thank you notes in a timely manner. Remember the three Rs (reference, reason, and regard) and you’ll remain under the magical newlywed spell for years to come.

Michael Varma is a freelance writer, award-winning presenter and professional magician. To learn more, visit www.MichaelVarma.com. Contact Michael Varma, the author of Tasteful Toasts, for permission to reprint this article. Copyright September 2010 Magical Concepts.

A Toast to Teamwork

The U.S. Labor Day holiday is a few weeks away and it’s traditionally known as the busiest barbecue day of the year to celebrate with your chums. It’s a time to thank ’em for helping you move you into that new house, painting the fence and feeding the cat. You might have a few friends that you can call up at a moment’s notice for a favor and they’ll be there – just as you’d be for them. Together you make a terrific team and now’s the time to tell them.

That was the case when my wife and I purchased a bargain at the home consignment store – a solid cherry wood dining room table with tasteful inlays and six hand-carved chairs. Loading the pieces into my truck went smoothly, with the assistance of the store’s furniture movers, but when we got home the table proved far too heavy for my wife to help me lift out of the truck and carry into the empty room.

“Regis, I’d like to phone a friend.”

In mere minutes our ladies were chatting, directing and designing while we, the muscle-bound men, dutifully navigated the timber through the front door. Pure teamwork. Our male and female dynamic duos transformed a troublesome task into a fun and victorious adventure. We had to toast our triumph and our friendship.

A couple of weeks later, an informal barbecue spread lay on our new and stately table and we raised our glasses high. The time had come to thank our friends and eat off the fruits of our labor. Here’s the toast I offered for the occasion:

We appreciate your brains and braun,
Twelve hours past the crack of dawn.
Without your muscles to call upon,
We’d be dinning on our front lawn.

The Greek playwright Euripides wrote, “One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.” During our time of need, with no family around, that’s an apt statement.

So, whether you celebrate with steak and beers or wine and cheese, always remember to show gratitude to your comrade in arms. For they are your buddies, your pals – who keep you from harm.

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Michael Varma is a freelance writer, award-winning presenter and professional magician. To learn more, visit www.MichaelVarma.com. Contact Michael Varma, the author of Tasteful Toasts, for permission to reprint this article. Copyright August 2010 Magical Concepts.

Improve Your Memory

The most powerful and valuable computer in the world is the mind. So why do people fill it with bad information? The brain takes pessimistic input like, “I can’t tell jokes” and processes it literally, making the statement a reality. The dastardly negative, “Don’t forget,” often fails to help the head. To accentuate the positive, simply rephrase – and when you combine it with a rhyme, you will remember every time.

Rhythmic Rhyme
Many of us remember Dr. Seuss because his stories always produce lips that incline after you read the rhythmic rhyme. This is also true when you give a Tasteful Toast – and I’m the bestselling author who’s allowed to cheer and boast. For a grocery list that’s small spot a couple words to recall. Say out loud to yourself, “Milk and bread keep us fed.”

Word games busy the brain and build recall. For decades scientists have proven that people who work on puzzles like jigsaws, crosswords, and Sudoku stimulate brain cell growth, which leads to improved memory.

Another Boat to Float
For those that prefer not to rhyme, there are several other ways to muscle your memory. One option is to make up acronyms to help remember facts, names or sequences. For example, I perform a specific magic trick and need to reveal the aces in order of club, heart, spade and diamond. I use the word CHaSeD. Each consonant is the first letter of the playing card’s suit and that acronym helps me remember.

Learning how to play music challenges the brain and also uses acronyms. “FACE” names the four notes in the spaces of a treble clef scale, but a sentence, “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge,” is needed to name the five lined notes of E, G, B, D and F. Thinking about a little boy’s face full of fudge provides a vivid image to ignite the memory. Then again, just listening to music can elevate your mood, reduce stress and increase your recollection – and doesn’t involve chocolate or calories.

Rehearse the Verse
My brain tends to remember short little poems or funny, clean limericks. Maybe yours does too. So try one of these techniques, a little at first, and practice a phrase or two. See if your memory begins to improve.

Be an optimist! Positive thinking will keep you clear, focused and alert – affirmative results that science always asserts. Most of all, remember this; Yard by yard, life is hard, but inch by inch, life’s a cinch.

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Michael Varma is a freelance writer, award-winning presenter and professional magician. To learn more, visit www.MichaelVarma.com. Contact Michael Varma, the author of Tasteful Toasts, for permission to reprint this article. Copyright July 2010 Magical Concepts.

Explain vs. Complain

Communicate clearly and get what you want

People who whine about injustices rarely receive positive results because they are too busy complaining. But if you explain your position and suggest a solution, you’re more likely to get what you want. I’ll illustrate the process with a personal example by using the case of “The Disappearing Tree.”

My wife and I were excited to sponsor a tree to be planted in the Village Pond Park near our new home as part of the city’s “Expand the Forest” program. But a year after our Floss Silk tree was rooted, commemorating our wedding anniversary, I drove by the mini lake and was astonished – our sapling had vanished and was replaced by a metal monolith.

There was no phone call, no letter, no notification of any kind informing us our tree was going to be outsourced. While I was sure the lamp post would improve illumination for evening strollers and our feathered friends’ noturnal activities, I couldn’t help but feel angry, depressed, and jipped. I had to do something.

I wanted to complain. I needed to act upon those strong emotions (it’s only human) and get to the bottom of this foliage fiasco. Who took out our tree and why?

But if I started screaming obcenities at the city’s employees, from the secretary to the manager of the program, I’d only irritate them. They’d shut down and do as little as possible before calling me a whack job and hanging up the phone. And if by some minor miracle I didn’t completely alienate them and they were still willing to help me, they’d ask the all important question: “What do you want?”

I want a replacement tree.

I started my phone call with a succint explanantion of the situation (I paid for a tree and now it’s gone) and my disposition (I’m unhappy) then offered a possible resolution to my problem (I want a new tree). To elicit assistance and get me out of jeopardy, I phrased the last sentence in the form of a question. “Instead of a refund, can you help me determine what happened, and plant a new tree?” I essentially empowered the city employee to flex his authority and set him up as the “good guy.” Everyone wants to be a hero. Here was an opportunity to swoop in to save the day and the environment, too.

He put me on hold to check out my story. When the program manager came back on the line, he confirmed that we had in fact purchased a tree but wanted a maintenance crew to verify my claim of the disappearing tree. He apologized for my inconvenience – a feel-good bonus for me – and promised to call me back within two days with an action plan.

Less than an hour later my phone rang. A member of the city’s landscaping team was at the “Duck Pond” and after a few radio calls, he corroborated my story. The answer was more simple than sinister. There was an existing powerline next to our tree which was ideal for erecting a lakeside lamppost and our timber was to be replaced but the paperwork had been delayed.

My wife and I now have a new magnolia to call our own.

So whether you’re calling in a complaint or writing about your woes, communicate clearly. Summarize the setback, briefly share your feelings on the matter and then offer a mutually beneficial solution. More often than not, you’ll get what you ask for.

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Michael Varma is a freelance writer, award-winning presenter and professional magician. To learn more, visit www.MichaelVarma.com. Contact Michael Varma, the author of Tasteful Toasts, for permission to reprint this article. Copyright June 2010 Magical Concepts.