She's Crafty

Residential modular buildings are seen as the answer to the affordable housing void that exists. Mobile homes, which initially came up as the answer, have been written off as low-class. Residential modular buildings could be single tenements or multi-storied modular homes. They could also be dormitories or hostels.

A modular home is designed to a buyers needs and built in the controlled environment of a factory.It is then shipped to a site in multiple modules and built on a permanent foundation.This type of housing offers home buyers assurance of quality at affordable price. The homes are inspected at every phase of construction and the overhead expenses are reduced as the number of contractors are less. Modular home prices are generally fixed, so the buyer knows the price for such houses. These residential buildings can withstand the weather and its vagaries. They are also more economical.The modules that are constructed in the factories cost 15% less than those buildings that are built on site. Despite the potential savings, modular construction has not entered mainstream housing as buyers have to forego design quality for affordability. The designs were poor initially but now with more manufacturers involving the inputs from architects, more versatility and individuality is seen in the designs available.

A modern modular building is good looking, portable and easily extended. It can also create temporary or permanent space where and when the buyer wants it. Modern materials and techniques are able to create high quality residential modular buildings that can stand for up to 50 years or more. There are also flexible ranges of financing programs available that can be tailored to the requirements of the buyer.

By going in for such modular homes, the buyer ends up saving twenty to forty percent as compared to a traditional construction. The buyer is also able to occupy the new house earlier.

In this edition of "p90x review" I want to take a closer look into the claimed reason for the success of P90X which is "Muscle Confusion".

I want to dig deeper than most P90X Reviews to answer the following about "Muscle Confusion":

    Is it real?
    Is it as effective as claimed?
    "Muscle Confusion" VS. Routine - Which yields better results?

Let's start out by looking at the human muscular system to understand how and why your body builds strength and muscle. This will be quick and easy but should give the basis for those with little understanding.

You see the body is a complex "system" of nerves, cells, tissues, blood, water, organs, etc. The bodily "system" as a whole produces what we know as our Body and all of the bodies functions whether they are voluntary or involuntary.

You may be asking "I thought this article was about P90X Reviews?" Don't worry it all ties together because to understand Muscle Confusion you first must understand the basics of the human body and the muscular system.

When you work your body through fitness and exertion beyond your normal daily living functions your body goes through a series of chemical reactions, hormone production, muscle fiber destruction, metabolic increase, higher blood flow, and many other reactions.

This is good, the body is organic and therefore if it is not used and challenged it will simply atrophy and degenerate.

When you stress a muscle beyond it's normal capacity the first thing that happens is the communication between brain and muscle. After the communication happens your muscles react to the movement or weight by contracting and going tensile.

Muscle are made up of tons of little muscle fibers much like fiber optic cords all laying upon each other. When you over-load a muscle through resistance training you actually create small micro-tears in the muscle fibers themselves. So when you workout through resistance you actually destroy muscle fibers (This is why you find yourself sore after wards).

Now the body is an incredibly adaptive machine, when it gets used to something your body eventually reaches an equilibrium of whatever the action is and no longer reacts to build strength and muscle but only retains.

This is what we can call a "Plateau" when your muscular and cardiovascular system create a routine reaction to whatever the action is you take.

With this basic understanding you now know that "Muscle Confusion" is in fact the real deal.

So let's dig deeper than most P90X Reviews and check to see if "Muscle Confusion" is as effective as it is claimed to be. The P90X workout system boasts about Muscle Confusion as the money maker in the workout program but does it work?

The P90X workout system is broken down into 3 phases in 30 day periods allowing your body to adapt and continually be challenged through breaking routine.

Earlier in this P90X Review we looked at the muscular system and how it eventually adapts to routine and prevents further growth. The P90X Workout system and it's claimed "Muscle Confusion" sets out to break any possible equilibrium by constantly changing the focus.

During phase one you find yourself repeating weeks 1-3 doing the same routines and during this process your body is challenged, your muscles breakdown and rebuild, and towards week three you begin to plateau.

Suddenly week 4 comes along and is totally different - This is considered a "Recovery" week but still tosses incredible challenge through cardio, stretch, and balance routines. Basically the recovery week skips most resistance and allows your muscle to repair, adapt, and recover.

In weeks 5-7 which is considered Phase 2 you repeat again like weeks 1-3 except 2 workouts change entirely. You begin to challenge the same and different muscle groups through alternate moves. This begins to break down and challenge your brain/ muscle communication + your muscle fibers break down again.

When you begin to adapt towards the end of week 7 in the P90X Workout you will find yourself back in another "Recovery" week which is week 8.

Phase 3 does it once again but then alternates each week going back and forth between the workouts from weeks 1-3 and the workouts from weeks 5-7 to add even more challenge.

Do you want to give your mom something for Christmas this year, but are just not sure as to what? You want it to be something special and something she will love at the same time? Well, you have come to the right place. There are all types of moms out there, and we have ideas for every one of them.

Let's say that your mom loves healthy cooking and staying fit. Or maybe she just loves cooking. Either way, a kitchen appliance would be perfect for her. Look at what she currently has, and find something that will make her life in the kitchen a better one. Whether it's something new, a replacement or even an upgrade from what she has currently, she will love this type of gift. If she makes breakfast over the stove, get her a griddle if she doesn't already have one. This is a great upgrade to the typical pan approach because she can make more quicker.

Perhaps you mom is the crafty type and is running short on supplies or needs a new scrapbooking desk. Maybe your crafty mom needs additional storage space to organize her tools. There are various things you can get for her that can help her on so many levels. Most fabric stores carry scrapbooking materials. Any furniture outlet will have storage spaces or tables that are ideal for someone crafty. Even Walmart has a decent selection if you are on a budget.

You might even consider her to be a tech-mom, which basically means she likes the latest gadgets or electronics. Think of something she doesn't already have, that maybe she doesn't know about or doesn't have the money for. For instance, if she has a Wii, but doesn't yet have the Xbox Kinect, go ahead and grab her one. It will give her twice the options and twice the fun. If that is a little out of your price range, try looking into a connector that will hook everything up into one device neatly.

You should be able to get the idea by now. But if not, try these basic steps.

Think about what your mom likes doing the most and then look around to see what she already has. You are her kid, so it's a pretty safe bet that she won't notice if you open and close a closet door in a matter of a few seconds. If you still can't think of something along those lines, go with hobby number 2 and so on.

I grew up sitting at our dining room table watching my mother sew. I always joked around that if my clothes didn't come from K-Mart, my mother made them. The truth of the matter is that I wish my mom still wanted to sew custom clothes for me! I didn't always like the warm sweaters or scarves she crocheted for me back then, but I still hold onto those very items. When I wasn't watching my mother sew, crochet or making her latest cute idea with a hot glue gun, I was at my grandmother's house witnessing the same thing. I consider myself very fortunate to have grown up in such a creative family. My grandfather has always been into woodworking, grandma likes quilts and scrapbooks, and if there is a way to create or make it, somebody in our family will figure it out!

I was never so great at any of the projects my mother had, and I have yet to learn how to sew. (Although I do intend to learn how to use the sewing machine my grandma sent me sooner than later!) Hey, maybe that can be my next blog, writing about learning to sew.

The other norm in my life was going all of the craft bazaars, 4-H shows, and/or conventions we attended or helped other family members set up. So if you have talents to create why not sell your things online and make money too? You could go a few different routes with it such as creating your own blog and talking about your projects there. If you are blessed to know something about web design, you could even create your own website displaying the inventory you want to sell. I have found you can get started for free or very little money.

I personally think a free blog to "get your feet wet" until you build the confidence to branch out is a good idea. Your only start up costs will be for the supplies you need to make your project. You could provide step by step instructions on a simple project. How about giving pointers on knitting, lighting for photography, or some other type of art that you are good at? There are many possibilities with no limit in sight. You're going to be surprised at how many people will be interested in reading what you have to say.

Then again, maybe you like the idea of seeing people face to face, if this is you, the good old bazaars are still out there. Contact your local convention center or other large place that hosts such activities. If the entry fees in a large event are too expensive, you can always consider smaller places. Look in your community for local neighborhood events. In the city where I live there is a street that is lined with vendors and artists of all kinds on the last Thursday of every month. We also have a local venue called Saturday Market where artists and vendors of all kinds set up booths on Saturday and Sunday. Your local farmers market might be a good option too. Depending on what you are selling, often you will find numerous items that aren't from a "farm". Check some out and you will see.

Pull out your yellow pages to find small boutiques that sell similar items. Negotiate a split with the owner, this will get your name and seen. Contact the activity director or management in local retirement communities. Sometimes they will sponsor a craft sale in their facility and renting a table or two is super cheap. Ask friends and family, on occasion employers will host small holiday craft bazaars. Reach out to parent/teacher committees at a school near you. Find out if they have considered a fundraiser for the school by renting tables. Talk to your church.