The Little Typing Company blogspot

Nordic walking my way to fitness ...

2009-10-07T03:30:00.000-07:00

Move over Pilates. Here comes Nordic walking.

Hi again, and apologies for such a long time since my last blog. How time flies! And here we are with Autumn upon us again!

So what's all this talk of Nordic walking? Now for those of you who have never heard of it, don't worry! I'll explain!

Nordic walking is the newest fitness craze! It's the next yoga ... if you look at how yoga started out, it seemed like a very foreign concept. Well Nordic walking is a bit like that. There are already competitions in Europe!

For the uninitiated, Nordic walking consists basically of walking with two poles; think cross-country skiing in cross-training shoes. It turns walking from a lower-body workout into a full-body exercise. No, Nordic walking doesn't involve climbing some Norwegian peak or traversing a fiord.

Nordic walking originates from Sweden and Finland where it is huge. In Finland almost 28% of older adults participate once a week and it's close to that percentage for baby boomers. They're doing it for weight loss. It's a convenient low-impact sport. And in Germany, Nordic walking is now practiced by 4.4 million people compared to just 10,000 four years ago.

Research shows the two poles reduce the stress by 20% on your knees and ankles, which for me is a good thing. I've been having quite a bit of trouble with my knees so anything that helps relieve the pain is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Despite x-rays and MRI scans, there's nothing to show for all the pain I'm suffering. As a last resort the doctor is going to administer a cortisone injection tomorrow --- though I think that's his way of keeping me away from the surgery for a while!

... sorry I digress.

Back to Nordic walking --- for weight loss, you burn between 20 to 46% more calories than normal walking so that should be good also, and you get about a 25% more cardio vascular workout. Not to mention, carrying those sticks in the countryside could be darn handy warding off the cows/bulls! But, that's a whole other story!

What it means is that when you finish your walk you don't have to hit the gym or do any abdominal crunches! You've got it all done in one nice package.

So for all of you out there who are feeling a little sluggish and need an affordable alternative to a year's subscription at the health club --- I'd advise getting yourself some Nordic walking sticks and pacing it out ...

Just give it a few weeks, maybe months, and someday me and my better half will not be the only couple walking around with big sticks getting weird looks.

Bye for now.

Linda

Working from home ...

2009-05-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

First, I must apologise for not updating my blog on a more regular basis. I realise it’s four months now since my last blog but you see, as a freelance desktop publisher, my office is located in my home. I therefore am constantly grappling with the challenge of staying focused on my work with so many distractions surrounding me. There’s laundry to be done, the garden to mow, shopping to be done … and when you’re a procrastinator like me, all of these chores seem much more appealing than toiling away on a project.

And of course there are those distractions outside my control: the gardener at my neighbour’s house with his electric blower, the delivery truck rumbling by, the persistently cackling crow breaking my concentration. Those of you who work from home regularly or occasionally know what I’m talking about. A friend suggested that if it’s the little sounds that are bugging me, but a din doesn’t distract, then I should work in a coffee shop instead (with the added bonus of snacks and drinks on hand).

When I first started freelance, I created a schedule allocating my saved commute time for home-related tasks. I also considered installing a separate phone line for business, allowing me to ignore calls that come in on my home phone since I’ll know they’re not work-related. But that wont work either, as I rely on my friends for recommendations! So I’ve given in to some distractions in the name of taking breaks. When I eat lunch, I read a chapter or two in a novel, or watch a TV show I’ve videod. I’d take the same time off if I was in an office so think along the lines that the short pause refreshes and recharges me!

… if you’ve any tips and ideas to stay focused and productive when working from home, then I’d love to hear from you.

What is good is given back – the theory of gifts!

One of my many distractions, I have to admit, are good books! And the one I’m reading at present is called “The Gift”. Apparently when the Puritans first landed in Massachusetts, they discovered a thing so curious about the Indian’s feelings for property that they felt called upon to give if a name “An Indian gift”. It is a proverbial expression signifying a present for which an equivalent return is expected. The Indian giver (or the original one at any rate), understood a cardinal property of the gift: whatever we have been given is supposed to be given away again, not kept and so it is, along similar lines, that I have become an avid member of BookCrossing.com.

BookCrossing is earth-friendly, and gives you a way to share your books, clear your shelves, and conserve precious resources at the same time. By re-cycling you’re books, BookCrossers give life to books. BookCrossing books are not stagnant dust collectors, but living entities travelling the world as true BookCrossing emissaries. Your books will find new readers and introduce them to the wonders of BookCrossing. So what are you waiting for? Help to make the world a library and recycle at the same time, through BookCrossing! Visit their website www.bookcrossing.com for more information.

Ebooks sell well online …

A customer of mine recently requested that I help him compile his first ever ebook. To be absolutely honest with you, ebooks are rather new to me as they may be to you. But, as my client pointed out, they can be particularly useful! Now I know he wont mind me telling you this, but it was with some trepidation that we set off on our new journey together … so what’s all this news about ebooks?

Offer a solution –

When you buy an ebook, it’s usually because you want a solution to a problem you have right now. For example, my client switched from a Windows computer to a Mac and wanted to know the basic information. He didn’t want to go out and buy a huge manual (at a considerable cost too), no, he wanted it there and then. He was nervous – the machine was sitting in front of him. So he got this idea of how an ebook would be a good thing! He then got to thinking, that as he already has an internet business with a quality website and a quality produce, an ebook might be one of the most powerful ways to promote his business. And so we set out on our journey together …

We’ve found out that ebooks not only promote your business, but help you brand your name online and give you expert status in your field. You may even find that you have enough to say to warrant a series of ebooks. The possibilities are endless.

Remember …ebooks can be long but should be short, usually less than 20 pages, sometimes fewer than 10 pages. Remember, your buyers want solutions. They don’t want to wade through 100 pages of waffle with a nugget of actionable information in the centre – they just want the steps they can use to solve their problem, right now. Just like my client!

So while I develop my clients ebook, not forgetting a sales page to advertise his ebook, he’s also going to advertise it on his business blog. Meantime, I shall shortly be adding a new webpage “ebook publishing” to my website www.thelittletyping.co.uk – yet one more string to my bow!

That’s all for now.

Linda

Inspiration for the New Year

2009-01-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009!

I meant to get this blog done on January 1 as it seemed like a great day to set out my plans for this exciting new year. I have a lot of goals and I know what I want and expect out of the coming year. This past year gave me time to ease into this business of working from home and to develop my freelance desktop publishing business - I am so excited about what the future has in store!

Affirmations - A big part of my plans for this year are about affirmations. I read a great article just a little while ago in Good Housekeeping magazine about affirmations. I loved it! It’s something I believe in but don’t utilise near enough, so one of the things I will start doing this year is to put a copy of my affirmations in places in my home where I will see them daily and then I will have that extra confidence builder I need.

Marketing - This year I am finally going to do some local marketing. Just because my business if virtually based doesn’t mean that the local market doesn’t have a need for my services. I’m following the suggestions of some fellow freelancers and doing my own flyers to send to local businesses. I’ve already started work designing it and it should be done and out by the beginning of February.

Clients - Speaking of clients - my plans for 2009 include adding at least 3 more “ideal” clients to my roster. By ideal I mean clients who I feel I can work with in a long-term and successful partnership, individuals or businesses whose work interests me and who will utilise my strengths and challenge me with some interesting work.

Blog - I plan to keep my blog up-to-date at least once a month. I want to provide content that is informative, interesting and timely. I didn’t start blogging until just before Christmas so in reality this is still only my first year of business blogging – of course I appreciate there will be times when I’m too busy, or feeling uninspired so it’s important that I have a goal to stick to.

Service - It might be last on my list of plans/goals for 2009, but this is of course the most critical component to my freelance desktop publishing practice. I have every intention of providing incredible value to each and every one of my clients; the ones who I work for a couple of hours a month and the ones who need ten hours of assistance each week. It’s so important to me that I make life easier for my clients, help them grow their businesses, and provide a cheerful and professional shoulder for them to lean on so that they aren’t overburdened by their workloads. My business IS about their businesses after all, not just about me!!

So that’s what I have in the works for 2009 - I’d love to hear what you are doing to make 2009 a successful year for your business. Take care!

Linda

Oh to be in England now that winter's here ...

2008-12-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it's back to the UK and what a welcome! This is the scene that greeted me on my return from my hols in the Canaries ...

As you can see ... it's a little different to the Canarian sunshine & basking in the sun for 8 hours a day!

Still, now it's back to work with some exciting Christmas projects. With over 60 Christmas cards to make - I need to get my skates on (pun! pun!) in order to get them complete & posted in time for the last posting dates!

I've also got a couple of other interesting projects that are going to keep me busy over the Yuletide season - one of which is redesigning my website and also introducing a digital design service - so watch this space early in 2009!

Meantime, I'd like to wish all my customers a really lovely Christmas and hope you all manage to keep nice & warm. Special wishes to new customers and let's hope next year brings us all the success we would wish for in our new business ventures!

Happy Christmas to all!

Linda