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Exercise during and following pregnancy may seem like a foreign concept to you, but it is an essential item on any active woman’s to-do list. During pregnancy, you may remain active with a doctor’s consent; however, strenuous postnatal exercise is not recommended for 6 weeks following the birth. Even though your regular cardiovascular and strength routine will have to wait, there are gentle exercises you can do immediately following the birth.

Following are 6 exercises for prenatal and postnatal women. These exercises are recommended for women with no known contraindications, and should be followed according to your own body cues.

1. The Kegel- both pre and post natal
Muscles- Pelvic Floor
Lying on the floor with your feet out in front of you and your knees bent, just relax and let your body weight sink into the ground. Imagine you are urinating, and then stop the flow of urine. Simply engage in a small contraction of the sphincter, and then a relaxation. You can do this exercise as a progression- start lightly, build your way up, hold, then slowly release. You may do this sitting up in a chair, or in any position that is comfortable. Build your way up to 2 sets of 30 each day.

2. The Bridge- pre natal>
Muscles- Gluteus Maximus Lying on the floor with your feet in front of you hip distance, and your knees bent, squeeze your buttocks and slowly raise your hips up off the floor. You may keep your arms down by your sides. Keep your belly pointed toward the ceiling, not dropping to your side. Hold on top for 5-10 seconds, then release back down to the floor. 2 sets of 15

3. The Cat Stretch- pre natal
Muscles- Up: strengthens abdominals, Down: stretches lower back On all fours, take your hands under your shoulders and your knees hip width apart. Start with a neutral spine, keeping your head in line with your spine. Slowly roll your spine up toward the ceiling like a cat stretching. Think of pulling your abdomen in toward your spine. Slowly release down past your starting point and gently arch your back. 2 sets of 15

4. Ball Crunches- pre natal
Muscles- Abdominals
With an exercise ball propped against a wall, lean back on your ball until your buttocks are about 6 inches from the floor. Feet are on the floor in front of you about hip width apart. With your hands across your chest, and your chin tucked, slowly curl up, imagining your abdomen curling forward into a C shape. Exhale as you roll forward, inhale as you roll back slowly. You do not need to curl up very far. 2 sets of 15

5. Pelvic Tilt- post natal
Muscles- Abdominals
With your back flat against the floor and your knees bent, take your legs hip width apart and drop your arms by your sides. Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, slowly roll your pelvis towards your shoulders, pressing your back deeper into the floor. Do not lift your hips up off the floor. Stabilize your abdominals as best as you can. Build up to 2 sets of 20

6. Belly Button to Floor- post natal
Muscles- Abdominals
With your back flat against the floor and your knees bent, take your legs hip width apart and drop your arms by your sides. Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, think about drawing your belly button down to the floor. Relax, and then repeat. As you are doing this exercise, think about the belly flattening and compressing. You belly button should be pulling itself right down against your spine. 2 sets of 20

written by Nicole Palacios
Experienced certified fitness leader and personal trainer in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. She is the creator of Stroller Fitt. Her website is Perfectfit.ws

It can get quite nerve wrecking or head spinning when its time to buy a great gift for the women in our lives. You might be in any corner of the world, but nothing quite says, ‘You’re Special’ or ‘I Love You’ in any language than a great bouquet of flowers. Vancouver is no different, birthday flowers are top choices as gifts for that special someone.

Canada is known for its vast lands fertile with flora. Getting fresh flowers is guaranteed, so when you want to send birthday flowers from Vancouver, you need not worry about their freshness. It doesn’t matter if its their 16th or 50th birthday, you can be sure that a gift of birthday flowers would be most welcome to the celebrant and will be received with a wide happy smile.

A plethora of Vancouver flower shops can cater to those demands and can offer a wide variety of designs with balloons and baskets to make the bouquet even lovelier. You can try to contact them through their numbers in the yellow pages or better yet, there are flower shops from Vancouver that have their own websites, meaning you can order them online and have them delivered, some of them even offer free delivery for local orders. What’s a little flower to show how much you love your woman, a birthday flower if you live in Vancouver is a fantastic idea, cause if you forgot her birthday, you’ll probably get a lot more than your head spinning.

written by Susan Campbell
Florist whi makes it fun and easy to find the prettiest flowers and best florists

Most people buy residential real estate based purely on emotion, without ever really thinking rationally about why they are doing what they are doing. For example, I have a friend who lives in a suburban community distant three hours by car from Downtown Vancouver, where I live. As my pal also works in Downtown, he has to travel six hours each and every day of the working week - that’s 30 hours per week just to come here to earn a living and go back home. That’s an awful lot of driving. When I asked why he bought his home so far away, his answer was simple: that’s where his mother-in-law lives, and the wife wanted to be close to her.

The trouble is, in that location the home is a tough sell and will appreciate in value slowly, if at all. Heck, I’m not even sure it’s Canada …. Meanwhile, six hours a day on the road is enough to eat up a normal car every three years and run up a mountain of gas and maintenance bills. That real estate decision may make the wife happy, but it is hardly logical. The point is that when you are dealing with the single most expensive asset of your life (your house, that is … not your wife), representing the bulk of most people’s net worth, then emotion has to be relegated to the back seat.

The most valuable feature of real estate, by far, is where it is located. The old adage of ‘location, location, location’ as being the three cardinal rules of housing is true today as it has ever been. Real estate is, afterall, an unmovable commodity and it is worth what it is worth mainly because of where it is at. Therefore, location is the very first thing to take note of, not the condition of the structure that sits on that apron of land. In ultimate analysis, whatever may be wrong with the house can always be fixed, rebuilt, repaired, restored or replaced. However, a bad or questionable location can never be changed - unless one buys the entire subsection of the city.

This is the reason why one should buy the worst house on the best street, and not the other way around.

In every city and town there are invariably neighbourhoods or areas that are ‘in demand’, and they are in demand for a reason - either they sit on a lake or river frontage, command views of the city skyline, of a ravine or the ocean, or have peaceful, leafy streets. Some areas are close to schools or public transportation routes, or are unique in terms of topography, history or population variety. So the savvy Buyer will try to get into these areas whenever he can, and then will sleep well knowing that he has taken care already of the resale value of the home he has just finished purchasing.

When shopping for a home, it is always best to avoid houses that sit near major traffic thoroughfares because of reduced privacy and more traffic; or houses sited next to schools or retail stores, as they will always sell at a discount compared with the ones in the middle of a quiet residential block. And forget about buying anything that is near a police, ambulance or fire station, or a hospital or factory. Furthermore, it pays to avoid neighbourhoods that are in transition, since tree-filled areas will always and invariably be worth more than new, suburban streets with twigs planted along the boulevards.

But since what one buys will always reflect what one spends at any given time, to buy the worst house on the best street is the sure way to maximize capital gains at the time of resale, simply by fixing it up a little. It sure pays to live where everybody wants to live and make a little money in the process. And if you get dumped by your loved one in the meanwhile, look at it on the bright side - you can also enjoy your new neighbourhood in peace and tranquility.

written by Luigi Frascati
Real Estate Agent based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He He holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics and maintains a weblog entitled to the Real Estate Chronicle at realestatechronicle.blogspot.com

Self esteem describes how we feel about ourselves .Our self esteem or sense of self worth is normally based on our perception of our abilities and how we believe other people accept and value us as individuals. Self esteem affects our confidence and how we behave and function in life. It is our internal belief system that stems from our life experience and relationships and how we have interpreted them. We automatically find ourselves accepting those beliefs and they feel like ‘reality’ to us. We can improve our sense of self esteem by changing those beliefs, and in doing so will increase our confidence, and our enjoyment in living.

Here are some proven ways to increase your self esteem:

1. Accept Who You Are, Warts and All
Learn to accept and be comfortable with who you are. Become content in your own skin. We are so often far more critical of ourselves than we are of others. Our self imposed standards can be self sabotaging. You are not perfect, and no matter how hard you try, you will never become perfect. You are unique. You have a unique combination of personality, life background and experiences, strengths and weaknesses. One size does not fit all. Stop comparing yourself with others, and trying to live up to the expectations of what other people think you should be like. This is a self defeating response and will only lead to discouragement and negative self image rather than self acceptance.

2. Give Yourself Permission to Make Mistakes
To make mistakes is a natural part of learning and self improvement. Everyone makes mistakes; it is a normal part of life. We all go through negative and embarrassing experiences. Success and personal development comes, not through going through experiences, but learning from them and becoming experienced. Your attitude to mistakes and failures has far more power for personal growth than the experiences themselves. Accept that making mistakes will always be part of your life, learn from them. Failure is sometimes unavoidable, however it is not a reflection of who you are as a person, but merely a consequence of a choice or and action that was made. Do not give it unnecessary negative power in your life and future.

3. Remember You Always Have A Choice As To How You Will Respond Or React.
No matter what the situation or circumstance you always have a choice as to how you will respond to it. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” This is so true. We may only have a few seconds to choose how we will react to a negative situation or comment, but we still have the choice to embrace, or reject its potential power over us. No one can have power over you unless you give them permission.

4. Look At Your Fears From A Different Perspective.
You are not alone in feeling fear. We all have the ability to scare ourselves into inaction. Learn to look at your fear from another perspective. Our body is unable to tell the difference between a real event and an imaginary event, and so we experience intense feelings of fear and self protection. Sometimes this fear originates from what we imagine may happen. If this is the case, our fear is not based on a real event. Whenever we step outside of our comfort zone we feel fear, this is because our fear is not necessarily based on fact, but unfamiliarity. Stepping out of our comfort zone, however, is an important part of our personal development and growth, and the fear we experience is not necessarily an indication of impending personal danger. Visualize what you would like the successful result of an action to look like, rather than focus on the worst case scenario that your imagination would have you believe might happen. Remember you have handled everything that has happened to you in your life so far, and have survived, or you would not be reading this!

Which one of behaviour patterns describes you the most? Start with that one. Set yourself a goal to choose to respond differently. Watch your self esteem start to grow and positively change your life.

written by Barbara White
The founder of Beyond Better Development has a passion to inspire and equip others to experience more success in their life. She is a speaker and trainer in personal development and communication skills in Vancouver, B.C. Canada.

You look at it every day and wish it would just go away; that little pouch below your belly button that keeps staring back at you. You do crunches, sit ups, the works, and yet there it is just “hanging around”. There are all sorts of cute names for it: snack pouch, spare tire, love handles, and the list goes on. All you know is that you want it gone.

The American Council on Exercise calls the bicycle one of the most effective ab exercises out there. This exercise is one of many that should be completed as part of a lifestyle change which includes both diet and exercise. Just doing ab exercises all day will not get rid of the excess fat that you have around your waistline.

The following four areas of diet and exercise will help you gain the toned, flat stomach that you are craving.

1. Fat Intake
How much fat is in your diet? The American Food Pyramid says that a healthy diet is one that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts, and is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

Following the food pyramid will help you find the fats you need in good foods like nuts and plant oils as opposed to potato chips and ice cream. You should be taking in less than 30% of your caloric intake from fat so check your labels when you’re purchasing packaged products. Many products now have the trans fats listed as well, so you can see which percentage of fat belongs to which group; saturated, non-saturated, trans, etc.

2. Carbohydrate Intake
Maybe your friends were on lo-carb diets and were amazed at the weight they lost. Maybe you tried one too? Carbohydrates are amazing in that each molecule attracts four water molecules to it and they hang out together inside your muscles. When you start decreasing the amount of carbohydrates you take in, you start to see weight loss in the form of fat loss. Oops, I mean WATER loss. No more carbs means no more four molecules of water hanging on, means lower numbers on the scale. Carbohydrate intake is essential for brain activity as well as muscle function. Our bodies feed off of glucose and glycogen which is supplied directly by carbohydrates. Eating whole wheat and whole grain is the way to go- stay away from white products; rice, pasta, bread, etc. Brown is best. Carbohydrate intake should be no more than 65% of your diet.

3. Cardiovascular Exercise
Running, cycling, swimming, aerobics; they are all using oxygen and so the prime energy source comes from muscle glycogen and fatty acids. The furnace is on and it’s burning fat. You may have heard that cardio is good for burning fat, and that is true. Cardio exercise should be done for a minimum of 20 minutes and hopefully for longer and should be done at least three times per week, hopefully more. According to the American Council of Sport Medicine, If weight loss is your major goal, participate in your aerobic activity at least 30 minutes, for five days each week.

You can’t melt fat off of one area specifically, but it will come off over the whole body in time. We all lose fat from different places first. Just remember that cardio is a complement to the diet and the floor work that will also do.

4. Floor Work
Abdominal exercises were once believed to be something we could do everyday. We now know that the abdominals are like any other muscle and they need time to recover and rest.

Floor work is an essential component in getting a toned tummy. There are four main abdominal muscles that we can work: the rectus abdominus, which runs from the sternum to the pubic bone, the transverse abdominus which runs horizontal all around the torso connecting near the spine, and there are the obliques- internal and external which run alongside our ribs in opposite directions.

Exercises:

Hip lifts:
Lye on your back with your legs straight up in the air. Keep your back pressing into the floor and think about tightening a belt around your waist. Slowly pull your belly button to the floor and as you do so, feel your hips lifting gently off the floor as your legs are lifted. Do not lift with the legs, but instead with the abdominals. Repeat 10-15 times.

The Plank:
Facing the floor, get on your hands and knees, keeping your shoulders over your hands. Straighten out your body and keep your toes on the floor. You should be straight like a board with your abs pulling in tight. Breathe in and out naturally. Hold for up to one minute. Repeat 4-5 times.

The Bicycle:
Lye on your back with you knees bent. Slowly pull your upper body off the floor and support your head with your hands. Activate your abs by pulling your belly button to the floor and release any pelvic tilt. Take one shoulder and turn your torso to face your opposite knee. Go to the other side. Think of riding a bicycle as you turn slowly from side to side. Repeat for 20 repetitions.

Double Leg Drop:
Lye on your back with your legs straight up in the air. Keep your back pressing into the floor and think about tightening a belt around your waist. Keeping your abs pulled in at all times, slowly drop your legs toward the floor, keeping them pressing together. If you feel your back begin to arch, pull your legs back to the starting point. Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. Only go as far as you are comfortable with and go slowly. Repeat 10 times.

Diet and exercise are the only ways to get to your goals and they need to become part of a new lifestyle if you’re going to maintain the body you want. Quick fixes, pills, drinks, diets, etc are only good for short term and could have long term effects that don’t equate to your ultimate goals.

written by Nicole Palacios
Experienced certified fitness leader and personal trainer in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. She is the creator of Stroller Fitt. Her website is Perfectfit.ws

A large number of widely used substances (pesticides, common household items and chemicals, industrial chemicals, metals) have been shown to have estrogen-mimicking and other endocrine-hormone disrupting effects, including;

2,4-D is applied to grassy crops such as wheat, home and public lawns and gardens, and on roadsides, golf courses, forests and waterways.

Permethrin is an insecticide derived from chrysanthemum flowers. It has multiple uses, including head lice and scabies treatments, insect repellents, household insect foggers and sprays, tick and flea sprays for yards and pets, termite treatments, agricultural and livestock products, mosquito abatement, forestry and treatment of timber.

Dioxins are byproducts of manufacture involving chlorine. They are formed during combustion and during the production of chemical compounds containing chlorine, such as pesticides and PCBs. The production and use of some chlorinated chemicals, bleaching of paper, and waste incineration, including the uncontrolled burning of residential waste, are the major sources of dioxins. Reproductive effects, including decreased sperm production, decreased testis weight, decreased testosterone levels, delayed puberty, and endometriosis have been observed in laboratory animals.

Phthalates. Studies have found damaged, shrunken, undescended, or atrophied testicles; reduced sperm production; damaged sperm, destruction of Sertoli cells (which produce sperm) and lowered testosterone levels in offspring. Phthalates are used as softeners, or plasticizers, in polyvinyl chloride (PVC, vinyl) products, including children’s toys, some teethers, food packaging and cling wraps, medical devices, backpacks, shower curtains, vinyl flooring, wallpaper, decorating and building products, blood bags, adhesives, mosquito insect repellents, plastic plumbing pipes, nail polish, skin moisturizers, perfumes, solvents, cosmetics, personal care products, wood finishes and insecticides.

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element, considered a heavy metal. It is used as a preservative in wood (e.g., pressure-treated lumber- decks, fences, playground equipment, and residential construction), insecticides, weed killers, fungicides, glass production, semiconductors, to make metal alloys (used in lead-acid car batteries, for example), some medications, and home and agricultural fertilizers.

Lead. The most significant sources of lead continue to be old paint in homes built before 1978, lead pipes placed before the 1930s, and soil by highways and heavily traveled roads. Reproductive effects including decreased fertility, increased rates of miscarriage, pre-term delivery, low birth weight, low sperm count, erectile dysfunction, abnormal sperm shape and size.

Mercury. The most common organic form of mercury accumulates in the flesh of fish, animals and humans, most particularly predatory fish species, such as shark and tuna, and bottom-feeders, such as crab. Animals exposed orally to long-term, high levels in laboratory studies experienced adverse effects on the developing fetus, sperm, and male reproductive organs; and increases in the number of spontaneous abortions and stillbirths.

Collectively, because these substances have estrogen-mimicking effects, they are known as ‘endocrine (hormonal) disruptors’.

written by Spence Pentland
Fertility specialist; the President of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association of British Columbia (TCMABC), and practices at Acubalance Wellness Centre (http://www.acubalance.ca/) where he treats only Men’s reproductive health mens.health-info.org and Women’s fertility issues infertility.health-info.org.

Launching a small business website can seem like an enormous task ,although it does require some research, if done right it might be just the marketing tool your business needs. The road to a website is filled with website designers, website developers and graphic designers. This in itself is very confusing. A website designer is someone who produces the design. A website developer is someone who creates more of the program side to your websites rather than the actual design. Nowadays most website designers are also developers. A graphic designer is the person who makes the images at the top of web pages, the buttons, and menus on a website. The whole process should not be so difficult and full of surprises. Therefore the 6 Do’s and Don’ts should be a great start to help you launch your small business website.

Don’t concentrate on images and how pretty your site will be.

Remember that your sites’ purpose is to answer your customers questions and inform your customers of what you have to offer, such as services and products. Don’t use too many images because if your site is so “new age” a lot of people will not be able to navigate and find their way around it therefore they will get frustrated and not stay on your site and that would defeat the sites purpose.

Don’t compare web designers by their price.

Not all web designers are created equal. You must not only compare the price but the type of service you will require such as internet marketing and updates, will they continue to create the site until you are satisfied, and can they write the content. Some designers will create you a site and mail you a CD with the files and you will then have to figure it out on your own how to get it on the web. Others will help you choose a domain and a hosting company, upload your files to your site, and will write your content. Writing on the web is different from writing in print. A good content writer will know what to say to keep your visitors on your site. Keep these things in mind when choosing a web designer.

Don’t hire a web designer until you are ready.

Once you are finished shopping around for a web designer, do make sure you have purchased a domain name, hosting, have a general idea of what you would like your site to look like and written your content, if you will be doing this yourself. This is important! Web designers work virtually, that is directly on-line (through the Internet). You might not actually ever meet them. This style of work is very different from working face to face and have times set up as to when you will meet. It actually benefits you, the designer can get your website on-line faster. Therefore it is important for the web designer to have all your information. If they have to wait a week or so for you website content then you will be pushed to the back burner.

Do request a quote from a few web designers before you decide on one.

Once you have looked at some websites find a few who you like and request a quote from them. Explain that you are interested in a website, explain a little bit about your business, how many pages would your site need and what are other services you would need from them. Ask them to send you a price detailing what would be included. Understand that this is a quote and if you are requesting any other additional services there will be an additional cost although designers will usually let you know beforehand.

Do plan on keeping your site up-to-date.

Keeping your site updated keeps your customers coming back to either find out what’s going on with your company or about new promotions or sales. It also gives your customers the impression that you care about keeping them informed and that you value their business. The benefit of having a website is it’s easy to update and don’t cost much. Usually a web design firm will have special packages for updates. Find a designer who also can provide updates and when your site is finished discuss an update schedule and what they can suggest to keep your site looking fresh.

Do find a designer who specializes in small business.

Small design firms understand the needs of another small business and are more likely to be more personal with your questions. A big design firm might have 5 people working on your website and they might not all have gotten the e-mail that stated what you want. Whereas a small design firm would have one person working on your site with whom you communicate directly.

This guide to launching a small business website is just the tip of the iceberg. The best thing is always know what you are going to receive in return for your hard earned cash. Make sure that your website is like an investment and that you are actually going to receive a return on your investment. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions! Most designers will answer most of your questions, no problem.

written by Alicia Harper
Professional website designer and internet marketing expert. She lives and works in Vancouver BC. Her company, Be Seen Web Design specializes in creating search engine friendly websites.

Recently after designing a website for my family and showing them what terms our website comes under in the search engines, I noticed they don’t really know how to search to find what they want. These are people I thought were pretty computer literate, as they have had a computer as long as I can remember. If my family doesn’t know how to search I am sure there are many other people out there too, who don’t know how to search. Even if you are computer literate, this article will still be beneficial to you as you need to know how to find what you want on the Internet. As you know some of the results are not always what you are looking for.

I recently read a newsletter I had received which had some interesting statistics. Did you know that when a searcher does not find the information they are looking for they believe their keywords are wrong? After you read this article you will be able to find what you want unless it doesn’t exist and chances of that are rare.

How to search within a website

For the remainder of this article we are going to be using Google as an example. Let’s say we are looking at the site www.imaginarysite.com and we want to find what pages have the word “financial” on it. You would type in Google: financial site: www.imaginarysite.com and it would return all the results within www.imaginarysite.com . This would be useful if the website you were looking at did not have a search option.

Finding sites that link to yours or another website

Finding sites that link to your website or a competitors website is an interesting tool. Sometimes the websites linking to your competitors will link to your website also. To search for links you must type link: imaginarysite.com. This will give you the results of all websites with links to your website that have been indexed by Google. If they have not been indexed those websites will not be listed.

Finding definitions

This is an interesting type of search. For example you may be reading a website on marketing and keep seeing the term blog. You have absolutely no idea what a blog is. To find out in Google you would then type define: blog. The best use for this search is with technical terms that you might not know.

Finding exact words

To find exact words that are in that order or grouped together, use quotation marks, for example “website design” or “purple monkey habits”. Personally I find this search the best tools of all. A good use is when searching for articles and I am searching to see how many websites have my article. I would search “search engine basics” (which is the title of the article) and because there are a ton of websites with those three words together, I would add Alicia at the end without the quotation marks. Try it and see what shows up. This is especially useful to find more specific results.

Finding sites with a keyword in the address

To find keywords that are in the url (website address), for example type allinurl:webdesign ; another example would be allinurl:web design. Each example would give you different results. The first example would yield results with webdesign (as one word) in the website address. The second will give you results with web design (with a space between the two words). This search would be especially useful if you were looking for the salon named Pink Lime but, you can only remember that it has pink in the name and that it is a salon. You would enter allinurl:pink, salon, which would return all results with pink in the url and also with the word salon.

Finding your keyword and corresponding synonyms

Use the “~” sign which can be found on your keyboard, you just have to look for it. It can usually be found on the left of the 1 key on your keyboard. It is called the tilde sign. An example would be if you typed ~holistic coach. The results would include holistic coach, natural coach, massage coach and some others.

Searching the web and finding the results you are looking for is sometimes a difficult task. A lot of people search using just two or three keywords, which sometimes does not yield the results you are looking for. The best practice is to search using a couple of keywords and if that does not give you the results you are looking for, try adding another keyword after that until you really get the results you are looking for without having to search through pages of search results.
written by Alicia Harper
Professional website designer and internet marketing expert. She lives and works in Vancouver BC. Her company, Be Seen Web Design specializes in creating search engine friendly websites.

Being indexed by Search Engines is easy! Getting your web page up in the SERP (search engine results page) of Google can sometimes be a little harder. In this article I touch on the three most important things to remember when designing your website for search engines.

Choose you keywords right

Keywords are words, or combinations of words, that people use when searching for a website. In order for people to find your website though, your website must show up in the SERP. If those keywords appear in your website then your site should appear somewhere in the results. When people search using Google, Google uses a ranking system to show the order of the results. One of the things Google takes in to account is keyword relevance, therefore keyword optimization is important. Placing your keywords in the meta-tags is not enough. Placing keywords in a strategic way with in your website’s content is vital. It is important for the text to still to make sense for visitors to your website. Repeating your keywords over and over again does not help at all, or using text the same color as the background. The best thing to do is have a seat,research your keywords and take your time writing your content so that it makes sense to anyone reading your website and incorporating as many keywords as possible in to the content.

Valuable incoming links are important

All links help. Some links are just more valuable then others. Links that are more important in Google are pages with higher PR (Page Rank) and pages that are relevant. For an example a website with a PR 5 and is unrelated to your website is actually less valuable that a link from a website with a PR 4 that is related to your website. It is important to build your incoming links slowly. It is most important to create links to your website from valuable websites other than a whole bunch of links from websites that are just filled with links or they are link farms.

Page Layout

In order for the search engines to see the text on your website it has to be able to find it. If you have text that is contained within a table which is then contained in another table, it is possible that the crawler or spider may not find it. To avoid this, it is best to avoid using tables at all. In many cases this is not practical. Try putting the most important text outside the table or at least not placing it in table in tables, use just one table. If the crawler cannot find the content then it can’t use it to evaluate where your listing should appear in the SERP. To give your self the best possible chance, avoid this mistake.

Your website’s code

Creating clean code isn’t really an option, it’s a necessity. Some designers don’t really remember to clean up the code on the website, as long as it looks right who cares right? It is important, cluttered code also prevents the search engines from getting to your content. Content is King! Right? If your website has unnecessary code, get rid of it. Make sure your pages validate. To get rid of some extra code use external style sheets and external JavaScript sheets and just link to them. Crawlers find it hard to read JavaScript, most times they just skip over it.

Besides the point listed above, my top five tips for “Being Seen in the Search Engines, Now!” would be to minimize the use of JavaScript, as most crawlers can’t read it. Make sure every image has an alt attribute. Don’t use images for the navigation bar, use plain text and make sure that it remains the same on all pages to make it consistent. Hyperlink to the pages that are lower within the hierarchy of your website from the content of pages on the top level of the hierarchy. Use keywords in your url.
written by Alicia Harper
Professional website designer and internet marketing expert. She lives and works in Vancouver BC. Her company, Be Seen Web Design specializes in creating search engine friendly websites.

Snowcats have made backcountry skiing accessible to intermediate skiers.

Backcountry skiing offers vast expanses of soft, consistent powder snow in remote and spectacular high-mountain settings. Often considered the domain of hardy and self-reliant ski touring enthusiasts, or of proficient and deep-pocketed helicopter skiers, backcountry skiing is now easily accessible to intermediate-level snowcat skiers.

Snowcat skiing is typically much more affordable than helicopter skiing and can be more adaptable to skier ability. Also, it requires no special equipment or backcountry experience. However, good physical fitness is desirable, especially in skiers with little powder snow experience.

Snowcat skiing operators offer full-service tours into remote, high alpine areas. Guests stay in comfortable lodges offering double-occupancy bedrooms with private baths, excellent food, and outdoor hot tubs, complete with bar service. Guests’ needs and comfort and safety comes first, both inside the lodge and on the hill. Everyone has a good time.

Western Canada boasts many backcountry lodges, where intermediate and expert skiers alike use snowcats to access the very best of backcountry skiing.

Guests ski in groups of 12. Each group has a dedicated snowcat, two highly qualified guides and a driver. Groups can be assembled according to ability, and because the snowcat and guides move at the pleasure of the group, the whole party enjoys terrain and a pace of skiing that best suits them. There is never pressure to maximize the utilization of the equipment. Snowcat skiing is equally enjoyable for experts and strong intermediates alike and for both skiers and snowboarders.

On the hill, the lead guide sets the track and the guests follow, with everyone skiing in fresh, untracked snow. The guide stops periodically to regroup and to give people a chance to rest, to take pictures and to share their experiences. The frequency of stops depends on the ability and strength of the group. Strong groups may ski non-stop to the bottom; 1800 to 2000 ft. of pure joy! Other groups may have a few stops along the way. The guests determine the pace, not the guide.

The lead guide keeps his flock together and sees that no one falls too far behind. The second guide, called the “tailgunner”, is always the last person down the hill. If a guest falls or has difficulty, the tailgunner will be at their side to assist.

Snowcat skiing offers a special experience for family groups (children aged 19 & older)*, ladies groups, groups of business associates or groups of friends. In a diverse social group, everyone can feel relaxed and “part of a team”. Companions can be enjoyed, not only in the lodge in the evenings, but also on the ski hill. Groups keep together and interact while skiing and, on the ride back up the hill, share jokes and conversation. The snowcat rides allow guests to unbutton, warm up, dry out, enjoy some lunch and to take more pictures.

Many guests arrive in prearranged groups of 12, organized by one of the group members. These groups fill a single snowcat and can be very compatible, with everyone skiing well together.

However, individual guests can be assured of just as good a time as members of pre-arranged social groups. The tour operator will usually try to place individuals in a suitable group and they will quickly make new friends and fit in to a very sociable environment.

Guides are expert in finding “lines” for skiers of differing ability. Better skiers might enjoy some “steeps” or “pop” off bumps while others in the group are guided on a more “mellow” line. Everyone has ample opportunity to challenge themselves.

As the end of the day approaches, and guests may start to tire, they are welcome to sit out a run and ride back down the hill with the snowcat driver. A slower skier may occasionally “sit out” a run to allow the rest of the group to ski a little faster. If a guest wants to “call it a day”, a staff member will drive them back to the lodge on a snowmobile. Staff is committed to service and want to make guests as comfortable and relaxed as possible.

Safety is the primary concern in the backcountry. Snowcat skiers are always led by fully trained guides. The guide not only selects safe terrain, but also the safest track through the terrain. When the snow is unstable in the alpine regions, above the tree line, skiing will be restricted to more stable slopes at lower elevations. The first line of defense is prudence and even in periods of high stability, guides will always “play it safe”.

“Tree skiing” is a fixture of all backcountry skiing. Snowcat skiers never hesitate due to weather. On stormy days, snowcat skiers just head to the trees, where the snow’s best and the visibility is good.

The smooth consistency of the snow and short, fat “powder” skis allow intermediate skiers to master terrain they would not normally attempt. There are no moguls and lumps of snow to contend with. The snow is soft and light and helps control speed. Skiers who rarely “ski the trees” not only find they can do it, but that it’s fun! The sense of accomplishment and delight after a first “tree run” is enormous.

Snowcat skiing offers a welcoming, fun-filled and comfortable experience to skiers and snowboarders having a wide range of abilities. It’s an experience that’s nice to share with friends and family, but single individuals can be assured of enjoying themselves, having wonderful skiing and of making new friends.

Many snowcat operators recommend that skiers be at least “strong intermediates” and some snowcat operators prefer expert skiers only. However, physically fit intermediate skiers of lesser ability can also do well at many snowcat skiing venues, especially if they are part of a specially organized group of 12. Skiers who are unsure of their ability should discuss their concerns with a tour operator, who will be pleased to make recommendations.

*Children younger than 19 may often accompany their parents. However, more mature offspring will better enjoy the other guests and life in the lodge. Guests in their 20’s will relate well to many of the staff.

written by Lockie Brown
Cat skier for about 10 years, he is taking groups of 12 and 24 friends to different cat ski venues in British Columbia. For more information, please refer to the Chatter Creek Web site at http://backcountrywintervacations.com/