Who will win the Champions League?

Football

This blog was written a few years ago but the decision matrix can be applied to the Chapions league just as well today as it could several years ago. Download a weighted decision matrix template and pick your winners today.

The Champions League starts again tonight. Chelsea only won it what seems a few short weeks ago but we can’t get enough of the Champions League apparently. Money talks of course so the main contenders are the richest clubs in Europe: Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester Utd. Man Utd didn’t even qualify for the knock put stages last year and with Scholes and Giggs a year older I don’t give then much chance so replacing them on my short list for honours come the end of the season are Bayern Munich who always do well.

It’s actually harder to pick the factors that they are to be judged on in this weighted decision matrix than it is picking the teams! We’ve gone for “Manager” as the man at the helm is instrumental in getting the tactics right. Mourinho is a master of the Champions League and gets top marks for Real Madrid.

“Record” is the second factor I chose because if you’ve done it before you’ve got an inherent sense of belief that you can do it again. You know what we mean, if you managed to kiss the girl once you’ve a great chance of kissing her again! Man City have never come close so get the lowest score here whilst Chelsea do better than you may have expected following last season’s win.

Next we get onto football basics namely, “Defending” and “Attacking”. Chelsea won last year because of a solid defence and who’s to say they won’t do it again? It was a bit dull though so hopefully Real Madrid will live up to their attacking score of five.

Lastly we’ve factored in the “Desire” element. As my old PE teacher used to say, “If your hearts not in it boy, you won’t win it” or something like that. Man City get a five for this although that may be because the motivation is one of fear in not performing for the mega rich owners whereas Real Madrid get a five because they haven’t won the Champions League in so long they will be desperate to do so.

Anyway, that’s our thoughts so now it’s your turn. You can download a matrix here. Have fun and tweet the results to your friends.

Who will win the champions league

How to Decide on Your Post Workout Meal

Post Workout Meal

A guest blog on a subject that can be helped with the use of weighted decision matrix.

Congratulations on starting out on a brand new fitness schedule to meet your weight loss and body weight goals. And as most newbies go, you are still grappling with what exactly you need to do after you have had a gruelling gym session. Do you reach out for that protein shake recommended by your friendly trainer? Do you head out to the nearest fast food joint to reward yourself with food? Or do you stare blankly at your kitchen wondering what you need to eat or drink? Here are some tips that can help you in deciding what you need to do immediately after your workout and help in preventing any mistakes that can nullify your fitness goals.

Drink up

Your first priority after a workout should be to replace the fluids you have lost in sweating and burning off calories. According to sports nutritionists and dieticians, guzzling water is not only helpful in reducing appetite but it also helps in quenching your thirst and rehydrating your body. Remember, however, not to consume water in massive quantities as too much water or any other fluid can result in water intoxication because of the low levels of salt in the body.

Keep refuelling along the way

If you are training for a marathon or a long bike ride, carry a sports drink bottle with you or suck down a sports gel that can help you from feeling ravenously hungry afterwards. Workouts that last longer than two hours need to be refuelled along the way. According to research, people who digest fewer calories after exercise are usually the ones who take in small quantities of carbs during exercise. Individuals who do this have a lower calorie intake over a 24 hour period (including the workout), since they have been fuelling up during the workout session. More importantly, by refuelling yourself during your gruelling training sessions, you will realise that you also do not run out of steam halfway. Look at consuming approximately 30g to 55g of carbohydrates, which is approximately 150 to 220 calories, every hour after the first hour of the workout. Keep away from anything that is protein related, as it takes a long time for the stomach to digest.

Consuming fewer calories than needed

If you are of the opinion that you are burning more calories than usual and rewarding yourself daily with heavy meals, make use of a heart rate monitor to exactly estimate your calorie burn and prevent bad food choices. A heart rate monitor can be wound around the wrist as a watch, along with a sensor strapped around the chest that synchronises wirelessly together and accurately monitors calorie burn and heart rate. Hence if your heart rate monitor reveals that you have burnt 500 calories, it is not an excuse to wolf down a 500 cal milkshake. Look at smaller and lighter snacks especially if you are trying to lose weight as the lesser calories you consume the faster will be your weight loss.

Are usually hungry?

Although you have heard that the cardinal rule of a post workout session is to consume something immediately after the exercise for your muscles to recover, the truth is you might not actually need to. For instance you would have finished up a tough run and you are aching to hit the gym for weight training. In this case, it is important that you have something to eat. But if you have taken a few days off before hitting the gym, you probably do not need to worry about refuelling your body immediately. If you are not feeling hungry, do not force yourself to eat. You can save those calories for your next meal when you are actually hungry. Listen to your hunger cues and eat accordingly.

More info here: meet your weight loss and body weight goals

Do we choose what religion we practice?

After reading this please go to our weighted decision matrix template downloads page to make your own decision.

Most people are religious (or not) because of their upbringing, their parents and their schooling. None of us really choose what religion we practice, do we? Surely every population the world over would have similar religious demographics if religion was a choice? To argue against that is very difficult indeed but please feel free in the comments below.

Should we even be thinking about what religion to practice at all? Some people will argue that religion or specifically, God chooses us. If that is true then how come “God” comes in different forms depending on which religion you follow? Of course, He doesn’t come in different forms because there is only one true God, all of the others are false. The problem with that line of argument however is that a devout Christian will argue just as strongly as a devout Muslim that their God is the one true God. Assuming that each of them has had a revelation about which they have no doubts then why is the ‘fake’ God as compelling as the true God who should really win the day hands down, what with being omnipotent and all that! Unfortunately that argument never reaches a conclusion as the devout will rely on arguments such as “it’s God’s will.” Other evidence is accepted by believers and dismissed out of hand by atheists.

Do we choose what religion we practice

Back to the point, if it were correct that we choose what to believe then we can also agree that disbelief goes against God and is a sin. If God chooses for us whether or not we believe then He chooses that some perfectly decent people are damned to go to hell as some religions tell us. So, if we choose our faith then disbelievers are damned and if God chooses for us whether or not we believe then He is maybe not as nice and forgiving as we would want to believe. People such as Richard Dawkins however say that atheism is the only logical position with our current level of knowledge. Whichever point of view you take there are implications you need to understand. Did your parents give you the answers to those as well or have you worked them out for yourself? Let us know in the comments below and then (for a bit of fun) go and choose what religion to practice.

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