ITS ALL ABOUT LIFE

1. Sit in a circle with your friends and ask questions about how other people’s instrument works. It’s important to know your instrument yourself first, but knowing why a bigger drum sounds deeper can be as useful to a drummer as it is to the trumpet guy.
2. Stay simple: Try to keep the riffs and jam songs simple and clear. If in doubt, don’t play – less is more. If you think you can genuinely contribute, then play – and play hard .
3. Practice hacks: Include scales and chord progressions into your practice schedule. A good way to practice both is to play along to rock songs that have improvised solos.
4. Try themes: We once did a jam about colors. Each of us got a color (blue, red, yellow) and each one had to come up with a riff that he thinks fits the color. Pretty amazing (and unexpected) results.
5. Try styles: If you like hard rock, don’t jam hard rock, because hard rock is – well – really hard. It’s easier to start out with something like reggae or ska, because the more complex your genre is by nature, the harder it gets. Hard rock is like classical music on the electric guitar. You can’t really “jam” it (at first).
6. Keep the songs short: Time yourself to play the song and wrap it up within 4 minutes. The worst things most jam beginners do is stretch things over 10 minutes to half an hour. Just get in, play, get out. Keep things crisp and fresh.
7. Discussion: After a jam, find out what works and what doesn’t. Try to pin point areas of improvement and try criticizing each other – constructively.
   
   
   Source::http://www.thegoodmusician.com/2007/08/7-tips-for-jam-beginners/

MAKES A GOOD DIET
   
* Pick one place at home and work that you will do all your eating. Be sure you are seated. Don't eat anywhere but in that place. Enjoy your food by sitting down and eating slowly. Sitting down focuses your attention more directly on the activity of eating. By eating in the same place you identify and associate that place with the idea that it is the only area in which you should eat.

    * Shop for Groceries only after eating. You will be less likely to buy foods impulsively – especially foods you don’t need.

    * When you shop for groceries stick to your shopping list. This helps you guard against impulse buying. Make sure you list is complete and do not buy any extra food items.

    * Watch food labels. Foods with a high percentage of fat (or carbohydrates that are sugars) will slow down your weight loss program Don't just count grams, count percentage of total calories that are fat or sugars.

    * Don't think that just because you are eating low fat/low calorie foods that you can eat all that you want. The calories still add up and must be burned off regardless of what kind of food you eat. Balance is the key.

    * If you are going to a restaurant, decide ahead of time what you will be eating. Stick to it.

    * Exercise – If you want to stay healthy and make weight loss permanent you just cant do without exercise. Along with cutting down on the fat you eat exercising regularly may be your best ally in improving your all around health and bringing your weight loss under control.

    * Water is essential to all bodily functions and has no calories. It is the perfect drink for dieters. You need eight 8 oz. glasses of water daily.

    * Be happy: you're OK! Resisting all those tempting foods is NOT going to kill you.

    * Let someone else be the walking garbage disposal: you are no longer responsible for eating up the leftovers after a meal.

    * Success is when you can look beyond food...and look down and see your feet.

    * Each day you stay on your weight-loss diet brings you closer to your weight goal.

    * The purpose of getting together with people is to enjoy their company...not eating.

    * Chart or graph your weight loss and serving selections.

    * Take small servings - avoid gorging yourself.

    * Consuming most calories in one big meal is the worst way to
diet. Eat 4 or 5 small meals rather than in one all-out feeding frenzy.

    * If your schedule only permits you to eat one major meal in a day, eat it in the morning to midday hours rather than afternoon/evening hours.

    * Repeat: "I'm learning a way to live, not just a way to diet."

    * Limit your time in the grocery store. The longer you stay, the more you will buy.

    * Never starve yourself, especially before going out to eat (or you will binge). Never skip meals, you must have some kind of nourishment regularly or your body's starvation defences will kick in, lower your metabolism, and store fat.

    * Be patient - it took years to gain weight; it takes time to lose weight.

    * "Nibble" food and "linger" over drinks. Do the "Push Away From The Table Exercise."

    * Chew your food completely: digestion begins in the mouth. Avoid "washing" half-chewed food down.

    * Lose weight with a supportive friend or in a support group.

    * Emphasize your weight loss triumphs and work towards making them more frequent

    * Find a weight loss "buddy," club, or support group. This will help you stay with your weight loss program.

    *Use mustard on your sandwiches instead of mayonnaise. Mustard has no fat & very little calories while Mayo, is loaded with fat. If you just don’t like the taste of mustard, find a low-fat alternative, but avoid mayonnaise at all costs.

    * Weigh yourself each week. Don't be worried about small daily changes in your weight. You shouldn't lose more than 1 - 2 pounds a week. There may be weeks when you don't lose weight. This is normal. Stay on your diet to lose weight.

    * Bake, roast, or broil your food instead of frying. Remove all fat from meats and skin from poultry before cooking.

    * Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day. This will help flush out your body while also suppressing your appetite

    *If you haven't done so already, switch to diet soft drinks. An average 12 Oz can of regular soda contains around 120 calories, while the diet version usually has one or zero. If you drink 3 cans a day, you'll be saving 360 calories right there. Now multiply that by 7 days a week, 30 days a month and 365 days a year... You'll be saving a lot of calories!

    * Limit alcohol. Alcoholic drinks have many calories & little else.

    * Schedule your exercise time just as you plan your other activities of the day. Treat this time as an important appointment you don’t want to miss

    * Write your weight goal & post it where you'll see it everyday.

    * You are responsible for what you do & what you eat.

    * Eat to live, not live to eat. Overeating can KILL you!

    * Don't give it up if you don't want to, just reduce your intake.